Slim Fast

Question
Hi Laura,

My name is Melinda, my daughter Allison is 10 years old. I have done slim fast off and on for years, no such luck with it. In my last strive for a healthy body my daughter has requested to join me in my slim fast. She replaces one meal a day and has done so for about a week now. My husband has expressed concern and requested I contact a professional to see if it is safe. My daughter is 5'3 and weighs 145 pounds. She is big boned but she is a bit overweight, I think. I have never told her this, and have talked to her at great length about eating disorders, etc. We get excersize but nothing set in stone, just whenever we can. Can you offer any input on this situation? Thank you so much!

Melinda

Answer
Dear Melinda, I think if you read the Slim fast label, it is not recommended for growing children.
The trouble with Slim fast is you do lose the weight, but when you start eating again, the weight goes back on unless of course you have changed your prior eating habits. It's best to teach her how to eat healthy food and exercise daily to try to maintain a healthy weight forever. If she has the genetics to be overweight, it's important to start a daily exercise plan which includes at least 30 minutes of walking per day.
She should be eating 1500-1800 calories per day. The food she eats should be from all the food groups. The one food group she should stay away from is the bread/cookie/cracker/pasta/mac and cheese, and rice group. Kids will overeat this food group and the carbs are easily turned into fat. She can have two slices of bread at lunch or dinner, and one for breakfast, but that's it. She will get other carbs in her fruit, milk and vegetable group. The rest of her diet should consist of whole fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, low fat dairy, lean meats, chicken and fish. The bread she does it should be whole grain. Hope I helped. Laura Kraemer,Slimkids.com

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