Weird History is taking you on a SlimFast nostalgic diet. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, supermarket shelves around the US were suddenly overflowing with different types of dieting beverages and snacks, all promising effortless weight loss. SlimFast meal replacement shakes, which had been pulled from shelves in the 1970s, were re-released in 1984 to become a big part of this '80s diet beverage trend. SlimFast's history, however, goes much deeper than its celebrity endorsements and sudden rise to success.