Slim Fast vs Carnation Instant Breakfast?
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
United States
January 22, 2009 11:40am CST
Okay... I'm on a diet! I hate to admit it, because I'll probably go off it in another week or so, but there you have it.
I'm not a coffee drinker, so in the morning I usually have a glass of cappuccino. I have a powdered mix that I mix with water, and this has been my usual morning routine for a long time now.
But I've just discovered there are 3 grams of fat per scoop of cappuccino. 
And I use 3 scoops per glass. I'm trying to cut down now, and the past couple days I've only used 2 scoops, but it doesn't taste right.
There is really no nutritional value in cappuccino, and I don't really drink it for the caffeine, because I also drink caffeinated sodas. I mostly drink it for the flavor.
So I've been thinking lately I might replace my morning cappuccino with a Slim Fast shake, because that would probably be less fat and calories, but more nutritional value, and it wouldn't hurt since I don't eat breakfast anyways. But Slim Fast is so expensive!
So then I wondered about Carnation Instant Breakfast. I used to get these for my son to give him an extra boost in the morning (I was a little worried about him being too underweight, so gave it to him in addition to his usual breakfast).
Is anyone familiar enough with both of these products to tell me if they're similar enough? I know the Carnation Instant Breakfast is probably cheaper than Slim Fast, but if the fat content, calories, and nutritional value are about the same, then I might as well save myself the money and just go with the Carnation, right? I suppose even if it isn't as good nutrionally as Slim Fast, it's still better than my cappuccino. I'm going to look at both when I do my shopping tomorrow, and make my final decision, but in the meantime I thought I'd get other opinions on it.
What do you think? Which one would you choose to replace the daily cappuccino?
And I use 3 scoops per glass. I'm trying to cut down now, and the past couple days I've only used 2 scoops, but it doesn't taste right.
There is really no nutritional value in cappuccino, and I don't really drink it for the caffeine, because I also drink caffeinated sodas. I mostly drink it for the flavor.
So I've been thinking lately I might replace my morning cappuccino with a Slim Fast shake, because that would probably be less fat and calories, but more nutritional value, and it wouldn't hurt since I don't eat breakfast anyways. But Slim Fast is so expensive!
So then I wondered about Carnation Instant Breakfast. I used to get these for my son to give him an extra boost in the morning (I was a little worried about him being too underweight, so gave it to him in addition to his usual breakfast).
Is anyone familiar enough with both of these products to tell me if they're similar enough? I know the Carnation Instant Breakfast is probably cheaper than Slim Fast, but if the fat content, calories, and nutritional value are about the same, then I might as well save myself the money and just go with the Carnation, right? I suppose even if it isn't as good nutrionally as Slim Fast, it's still better than my cappuccino. I'm going to look at both when I do my shopping tomorrow, and make my final decision, but in the meantime I thought I'd get other opinions on it.
What do you think? Which one would you choose to replace the daily cappuccino?1 person likes this
6 responses
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
22 Jan 09
I may not give the popular answer here but I say have your cappucino like you usually do. You like to have it in the morning so do so. If you deprive yourself of every little thing that you like then you will be feeling so deprived ina few weeks and blow the diet. Don't even call it a diet. You are just chnaging gradually the way you eat. I am trying to do this to and I am not giving up my latte in the morning. Just one little latte - I've cut down from three. Seriously, if you deprive yourself you will end up miserable. Blessings friend
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
22 Jan 09
I totally understand what you're saying, but that's why I'm switching to a chocolate shake drink like Slim Fast or Carnation Instant Breakfast. Something that still tastes good, but has more nutrition and is healthier. I'm not changing a whole bunch of other things. I still have an occasional dessert if I want to, I'm just cutting back on the amounts I eat, and trying to find healthier replacements for some unhealthy habits.
Normally when I diet I switch to some nasty corn flake cereal, and trust me, I'm not a cereal person. So I think the decision to switch to a chocolate flavored slim fast or instant breakfast is a wise choice and I don't think it will make me feel deprived.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
22 Jan 09
I think that you are going about this the right way. Good luck with the weight loss. You are a remarkable young person - very special.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
23 Jan 09
You are too kind and too sweet Cynthiann! I wish there were more like you in the world.
@sunshine4 (8703)
• United States
26 Jan 09
Out of the two, I would go with slim fast for weight loss. It also makes you feel full for a few hours.
I am on a diet too, and I like to drink a cup of hot chocolate for breakfast. I get the 60 calorie hot chocolate from WAlmart. If you count points, it is only 1 point per cup! The slimfast is 4 points, I think. But it all depends on what type of plan you are using.
It has been 5 days since you started this....are you still on the diet?
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
26 Jan 09
That's iffy at the moment. I was on the diet for 3 weeks, and had lost about 10 lbs, but over the weekend things went sour. I ended up over eating just a bit yesterday, and now today I have a monstrous appetite, and no energy at all. I'm trying hard to fight the appetite, but I'm not forcing myself to excersize. I think I'm on my way to completely blowing my diet, but I'm still arguing with myself over it, lol. We'll see what the next couple of days bring. I'm glad I don't have much junk food in the house!
@sunshine4 (8703)
• United States
26 Jan 09
Don't give in. YOu had a bad weekend, no big deal. Just start over again. Have something that will satisfy you, but don't overindulge.
That is great that you are down 10 pounds, don't let all that go to waist.
@sweetpeasmom (1325)
• United States
22 Jan 09
if you want to lose weight i would use slimfast. I drink them everyonce in a while and love them. carnation instant breakfast i give my kids and they love it. taste great,.
@newtondak (3946)
• United States
26 Jan 09
How about a homemade fruit smoothie - throw a banana, an apple and some frozen berries into the blender with about a cup of water, a tablespoon or so of non-fat dry milk and artificial sweetener if you desire - provides a much healthier alternative and only takes a couple of minutes to prepare.
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
23 Jan 09
Hey kats! I tried the Slim Fast years ago and the only thing
that it did to was give me one hell of stomach ache! It
makes you very gassy! That's all I remember and it didn't
stop me from being hungry. I had it for lunch and breakfast.
I lost no weight. But, the pains in my stomach I do remember
because they were fierce! I don't know about the Carnation
Instant Breakfast. Do they have the same calories? I thought
that they might have more calories, but as you said you would
have to compare them to be sure. Either way the Instant
Breakfast would definitely be better than the cappucciono!
I know someone who is drinking one of those Yogurt drinks,
but I haven't tried them so I can't say what they taste like.
But, they are low in calorie. I happen to like Dannon Lite
and Fit Yogurt with the fruit in it. It really tastes pretty
good. I started to like it when I was in the hospital and
on a soft food diet. It doesn't have a bad taste and I didn't
like yogurt before and I eat that now.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
23 Jan 09
I don't want something yogurty. I wan't something chocolatey or coffee flavored to replace the cappuccino, you know? So that my mind doesn't think I'm depriving myself of something I want. I do normally start eating yogurt when I go on a diet, but I get tired of it very quickly. It feels like I'm forcing myself to eat it.
I did try the slim fast diet once a few years ago. It worked out pretty well, I had small snacks in between so I was actually eating 6 meals a day, and I was doing taebo everyday for like an hour. I ended up losing 20 lbs in a month! But then one day hubby hit me in the face with a snowball made of ice (accidental, we were having a snowball war and he didn't know that one was ice). Well I was hurt and upset, so he went and got me an ice cream sundae and that just totally blew the entire diet!
@jesssp (2712)
• Canada
22 Jan 09
I haven't tried Slim Fast but I've had Carnation Instant Breakfast (the powder) a time or two and I liked it. You can also drink it hot or cold which is nice. I would compare calories and pick the lowest. Or try both and see which one keeps you full longer. And if all else is even I would use price as a tie breaker. Carnation is nice because you just mix it with milk, I imagine if you use skim it would be comparable to Slim Fast. Plus it would have lots of calcium.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
23 Jan 09
You also have to figure in the price of the milk. I was mixing the Cappuccino with only water to save money. I suppose I'd have to buy a lot of milk to keep up with the Carnation Instant Breakfast. That might be a slight pain in the wallet. But I'll do all the comparisons tomorrow and see where I end up.
