Extreme Dieting: Slim Shots Appetite Controller
With the holiday season right around the corner, many women (and men) will be trying to drop a few pounds before all those holiday parties and festivities. Slim Shots Appetite Controller promises to deliver quick weight loss, but is this really a healthy and safe way to diet?
A few months ago, I saw an ad in a women’s magazine that really shocked me. The print advertisement was for Slim Shots Appetite Controller, a small liquid shot that is packaged like a coffee creamer. According to the ad, two doses a day of Slim Shots will suppress hunger and help promote weight loss.
I was totally grossed out when I discovered these “slim shots” are composed of oat oil, palm oil and water (with a vanilla flavoring.) I thought this was one of the most extreme dieting measures I’ve ever heard about. I can’t imagine how disgusting this must be, and I’m not surprised that users of Slim Shots Appetite Controller wouldn’t want to eat much after ingesting this product.
Like other diet fads, Slim Shots are on the pricey side (about forty dollars for thirty shots.) Since Slim Shots are to be taken twice a day (with breakfast and with lunch), the costs of this regimen could add up pretty quickly. The theory is that the oily mix in Slim Shots cannot be digested by the stomach and therefore gathers in the small intestine, suppressing the appetite and causing the user to eat thirty percent less all day.
The company that produces Slim Shots Appetite Controller claims that this is the secret weapon of slim French women, and now this sensation is available in the United States (at supermarkets, drugstores, and online retailers). I think this is really sad, that such extreme methods of dieting like Slim Shots are being advertised and written about in major women’s magazines. It’s also depressing that young women and teens could pick up on the Slim Shots trend in order to be fashionably thin. It sends yet another mixed message about eating and the use of extreme diets, and this could have a negative impact on women of all ages.
So far, Slim Shots Appetite Controller has not been proven to be unsafe, but it’s hard to imagine that consuming greasy slim shots of oil and water feels healthy for the user. I suppose such extreme measures like Slim Shots could lead to the intake of less food and calories simply because this regimen is so revolting.
I haven’t tried Slim Shots myself, because I have too much respect for my body and well being to do so. Even if I’m sometimes a few pounds over my desired weight, I embrace my womanly curves. But if I truly felt I was overweight and I needed to drop some pounds for health reasons, I would never attempt such an extreme regimen like Slim Shots. I think that Slim Shots, like those other expensive fad diets that are out there, promises short term weight loss that may not be a lasting result.
In my opinion, the best and truly healthy way to lose weight is by eating sensibly, reducing calories, and increasing exercise. There is no magic bullet or secret formula for weight loss, and any diet scheme like Slim Shots that advocates a form of extreme dieting or starvation is only destined to fail in the long run.
It’s alarming that Slim Shots claims to be “all natural” in its ads, as I feel this could be misleading. Yes, the oils and water in Slim Shots may be natural, but is swallowing grease to eat less all day the healthy way to take off pounds? Good fats found in nuts and olive oils, and eating more whole grains and fiber, could help curb the appetite in a much more humane (and palatable) way.
When I was growing up, I remember hearing this expression in our culture: “Beauty knows no pain.” Diet fads like Slim Shots Appetite Controller seem like a way to lose weight that’s unpleasant and extreme, but Slim Shots is being touted in some women’s beauty magazines as a diet miracle this season. I guess some people think that the cultural standards of thinness should be achieved at all costs, and in my opinion, that’s a little scary.
As for me, I won’t be trying Slim Shots this season. Knocking back shots of slimy grease isn’t for me, even if that means I won’t fit into my skinny jeans after all. This holiday season, I urge you not to fall into the trap of extreme dieting fads and to develop body acceptance. All shapes and sizes are beautiful. I hope someday our nation will experience this cultural shift toward body acceptance, and reject such extreme dieting regimens like Slim Shots Appetite Controller in favor of healthy eating.
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Lindalulu | Oct 18, 2008 | Reply
Wow..guess I wont be chugging these down either…yuk !
nobert soloria bermosa | Oct 18, 2008 | Reply
very informative,haven’t heard about it b4,i still prefer the natural way,thanks Alllison
Jack Kovac | Oct 18, 2008 | Reply
You are absolutely right Allison – this Slim Shot business is based on lies and misinformation.
Facts: Fat digestion normally only occurs in the small intestine, NOT the stomach. Oat oil is composed mostly of unsaturated fats (the “good” fats) while palm oil is composed almost entirely of saturated fats (the “bad” fats). Both oils are digestible.
Basically, having these Slim Shots is the equivalent of drinking olive oil straight from its container and eating a hunk of butter. With this sort of fat-only diet, your body will eventually run out of carbohydrates to feed tissues that specifically require them such as the brain (the most important tissue of all!) The machinery that extracts energy from fats in your body is not able to function if your body has no carbohydrates. Therefore you will start to starve even though you have fat deposits because they cannot be used if you don’t eat anything else. Keep this up longer than that and you will start suffering from ketoacidosis, a life-threatening disorder in which your blood turns acidic.
These diets are not only inadvisable – they are downright DANGEROUS. The best way to lose fat is still by eating healthy and exercising – there are no magic pills!
goodselfme | Oct 19, 2008 | Reply
When the desire to lose is strong and something new comes on the market, it seems to be popular until the bad is discovered too late. Thank you for preparing the for all to read. Thank you too, Jack for your post.
Glynis Smy | Oct 19, 2008 | Reply
Yuk and ditto all those before me!!!!
Melody Arcamo Lagrimas | Oct 19, 2008 | Reply
Good points, Allison. Thanks for sharing.
Leo Reyes | Oct 20, 2008 | Reply
Great article Allison. Thanks for sharing
Ken Gack | Oct 23, 2008 | Reply
“the best and truly healthy way to lose weight is by eating sensibly, reducing calories, and increasing exercise”
That statement cannot be said enough. The only way you could have said it better is to have placed it into your opening paragraph.
Unfortunately there are so many people who want to do things the easy way – don’t want to put in the effort, just want the returns.
Great article.
Ken
John McDonnell | Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
Great story, Allison. I’ve been lucky enough not to need to diet much in my life, but I have friends and relatives whose weight has gone up and down with the latest fad diets. A lot of these diets and weight-loss supplements are unhealthy, and we’d all do better if we just ate sensible portions and walked more each day. Thank you for alerting us to a product that could be unhealthy for people.
Vanessa Liu RN | Nov 17, 2008 | Reply
This is in response to Jack Kovac’s posting. First of all, I will say that slimshots may not be perfectly healthy due to the aspartame and Phenylketonurics (Phenylalanine-sweeteners). Those would be my bigger concerns if one is sensitive to those sweeteners, or consumes large quantities of diet sodas containing those along with slimshots. The safety of aspartame use or phenylalanine is questionable when you read about their histories on the FDA website.
As far as oat and palm oils…they contain far less fats than the average American’s daily fast food habit. Slimshots only have 2grams of fat per shot. After a week of use at two shots a day you only take one shot, adding a mere 2g of fat daily to the diet at 20 calories a shot…that’s far from eating a hunk of butter or drinking olive oil straight from the bottle.
Addressing Ketoacidosis…this is not a fat only diet because they are not advocating people to be eating an Atkins diet with this supplement.
In order to suffer from “running out of carbohydrates”, one would have to eat none. If you eat from the food pyramid as suggested with all food groups, ketoacidosis would not occur. Ketoacidosis occurs when you are a diabetic where you can not use carbohydrates because your body can’t breakdown carbs to sugars to be used by the body because the pancreas isn’t working properly. An untreated diabetic could eat carbohydrates all day long (till sugars rise in blood leading to coma/death) and still not be able to use them! Unless you are a diabetic not taking your insulin or are an undiagnosed diabetic…you are hardly going to suffer from DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis).
If your pancrease is working fine/not a diabetic, even eating Atkins should not bring about uncontrolled Ketoacidosis because you do eat carbs that your body can break down…just smaller quantities found in acceptable vegetables/fruits which Dr. Atkins advises you eat in phases. I do not endorse Atkins and other extremes although some go as far as bariatric surgery for weight loss. If your weight is so bad that you MUST lose weight or die, I’d try slimsots before resorting to bariatric surgery under the care of your family doctor. My best friend uses slimshots and it greatly reduces her appetite (she also uses Nutisystem). She’s lost a lot of weight and kept it off. I’ve even tried slimshots to see for myself if it does reduce appetite and it did and I am a hard sell. I hate fad diets and see so many fall victims to them. This isn’t a fad diet, just a SUPPLEMENT (can be expensive but less than surgery. It is to be used with SENSIBLE DIET/EXERCISE. Yes, you can use sensible diet/exercise alone with results but if you want to do it with less hunger pains and more comfort, adding slimshots helps a great deal. Read and weigh the pros and cons for yourselves.
I did suggest to the company that they make them with Splenda or Stevia for a better sweetener choice and they said they will take that into consideration…we’ll see!
Alicia | Nov 20, 2008 | Reply
Can teenagers take this and not get sick?
Allison West | Nov 22, 2008 | Reply
Hi Alicia, if you have questions about who can take the product, check with your doctor. It’s always a good idea anyway to consult a physician before embarking on a diet and exercise program. Taking supplements is tricky sometimes so ask your doctor or health care professional about whether this is something you should do.
Jasmin | Feb 5, 2009 | Reply
How old do you have to be to take this product?
Danniel, RN | Mar 30, 2009 | Reply
Hey Allison West, your article here makes no sense…this is not a fad diet, its a supplement…you say diet and excercise alone should be enough…but what about the suffering from hunger pains, slim shots would help with that..with no side effects
Ann | May 28, 2009 | Reply
I think its far more disgusting to eat a dead animal carcass than to eat a slim shot. Im not advocating the product, but I think this article is a bit unfair. Ive gained a little bit of weight recently and realize that it puts me at risk of developing diabetes like my dad has. I walk 5 miles a day but I have been eating too much junk lately. Its easy to say to someone ‘just eat right and exercise’, we all have good intentions but they can backfire on us in a society that sets us all up to be overweight for many reasons. I realize that the aspertame is not a good product and I dont like to ingest it, but Id rather try this product short term to help me break my addictions and lose these extra pounds than continue the way I am and end up with diabetes like my father has. A lot of people say you should learn to love your body and except your womanly curves, thats fine if you are within your healthy weight range, but going beyond your healthy range is dangerous to your health.
Ann | May 28, 2009 | Reply
One more thing, I dont think this product is designed to help people starve themselves, it is designed to help you reduce portions and stop snacking. I think its extreme to call this ‘extreme’, and I also think its extreme to continue to be overweight and unhealthy. I do agree with some points, the product is misleading in that it claims to be all natural since it contains aspertame, and it is also very expensive. I havent tried the product myself, it may be safe, it may be unsafe, but I think the opinions in this article are a bit harsh. Most people in this country are overweight because we were poorly educated nutritionally, plus we live in a society where junk food is addictive, quick, cheap and readily available, whereas nutritios food is expensive and harder to obtain. Losing weight is not easy and many people give up because they either cant do it, or cant keep it off and they tend to give up. Every year, more products come on the market that claim to work magic that end up being useless money wasted and dangerous, so I understand being skeptical about this stuff, but to down something that you dont really know anything about is unfair. Im not advocating this product or anything, I just think this article is a little unfair.
Fast Pete | Jul 26, 2009 | Reply
The ill-informed writer uses the word “extreme” nine times in a short post and did not even try the product, and yet ridicules the product for in effect being a drink of grease.
In fact oils are extremely light and the product tastes little different than coconut milk. And for me and some others I know it works just fine. It does exactly what is claimed, kill the appetite for some hours, and there is some solid research to back how it creates its effect.
You can get the same effect much more cheaply though with a teaspoon twice a day of a very light olive oil.
Fast Pete | Jul 26, 2009 | Reply
The ill-informed writer uses the word \”extreme\” nine times in a short post and did not even try the product, and yet ridicules the product for in effect being a drink of grease.
In fact oils are extremely light and the product tastes little different than coconut milk. And for me and some others I know it works just fine. It does exactly what is claimed, kill the appetite for some hours, and there is some solid research to back how it creates its effect.
You can get the same effect much more cheaply though with a teaspoon twice a day of a very light olive oil.