Hi, Ali!  Thanks for the help and the pointers there.  This shouldn't be too hard to follow at all.  Thanks again and I hope you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Men actually do tend to need more calories than women, due to the fact that men naturally have a higher muscle mass, and muscle is what keeps the metabolism moving.

Based on your current weight and height, I would actually recommend that you follow a 1900 calorie plan.  To adjust the 3-2-1 Plan, you would also double all 3 of the snacks on your plan.  In addition, you would add a 200-calorie mini-meal to each of your Slim-Fast Meal Replacements.  Examples of 200-calorie mini-meals include half a turkey sandwich, a bowl of low-fat soup with a serving of crackers, or a low-fat yogurt.  

If you have any additional questions, please let me know.

Best,

Ali Auerbach, MS, RD

Ali, thanks for answering this question because it's very close to where I'm at (5'8", 230lbs, very sedentary at both jobs) and I was worried about the calorie intake as well.  I do have one additional query though, if you can spare a moment.

Is the 1200 (1500 in this case) calorie intake of the 3-2-1 Plan okay for both men and women?  I only ask because I was reading on another dietary website that the recommended minimum caloric intake for women is 1200 calories while for men it's 1800.  As with a lot of dietary studies, it may be outdated and/or based on old stereotypes (men don't work labor jobs exclusively anymore!?) so I thought I'd confirm this with a more reliable source.  I just want to make sure I wasn't going to throw my body into an anorexic state by accident before I spend my next payday committing 100% to the plan.

Thank you VERY much for your time!

I'm glad you posted this question.  Based on your current weight and height, it would be better to start off with a slightly higher calorie intake and then taper down your calories as you lose weight.  I would recommend starting off with a 1500 calorie intake.  The Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Plan provides approximately 1200 calories.  Therefore, to adjust the plan, simply double the portions of all 3 of your snacks on the plan.

Best,

Ali Auerbach, MS, RD

Hello!  I'm new to Slim-Fast.  I'm just trying to figure out if I am consuming enough calories following the plan.  I currently weigh 229 lbs and I am 5'5"