With the availability of more dietary plans, finding a program that fits your needs might not be easy. Before getting on a diet, you need to know the main facts, benefits, and issues associated with the program. Comparing the pros and cons of different weight-loss techniques increases your chances of making the right choice. Below is a detailed look at Medifast.
Defining The Medifast Diet
In today’s world, you have to maintain great health to achieve goals in life. In some cases, you may get off course due to stress, injuries, hereditary conditions, and negative thinking. With that being said, it’s important to maintain your ideal weight or a comfortable weight in order to avoid the cumbersome effects on your body and your self-esteem caused by weight gain.
The Medifast Diet gives you the willpower to follow your dreams of looking and feeling better. Within this diet, there are key nutritional factors that you have to learn about prior to starting your journey. In fact, this particular diet is used all over the world by doctors, physical therapists, and dietitians, who are concerned with their patients’ food intake and medical issues. Moreover, clients are recovering from weight gain issues that have harbored in their lives for years.
In detail, this diet includes the right portions, carbohydrates, proteins, vegetables, and fruits that will change a person’s weight in a matter of 30 days. Prior to starting this diet, it is best to learn about the importance of drinking water and including water in your diet before you start your new diet regimen. Mainly, this gives your body a signal that you are getting ready to lose weight. The goal is to feel great and have a great self-esteem.
This diet is by far the easiest to finish among other diets in the world. With step-by-step guidelines, the Medifast Diet can be followed without confusion. The diet includes up to 70 meal options with cooking instructions. To top that off, you will get instructions on what is considered a meal.
The Medifast Diet has easy instructions and support that any client will enjoy. The diet helps clients win back those great attitudes that they once had. A point that is often overlooked is their emotions and how at some point, their emotions played a part in their eating habits.
The Creativity Behind Medifast Diet Plans
Believe it or not, these meals are designed to keep you away from craving certain foods and drinks by providing an alternative that doesn’t taste awful. When losing weight or preparing to lose, your body has to begin to intake low-glycemic foods that are also low in fats. Medifast provides those meals that will cut those cravings as you go along without ruining your appetite. By choosing the Medifast Diet, you are motivated, satisfied, supported, safe, and secured long-term. In other words, this is a diet that can fit anyone’s lifestyle while promoting healthy outcomes.
This diet was first created in 1980 by Dr. William Vitale. This diverse weight and nutrition plan has helped over one million people reach their goals and minimize health conditions. Moreover, clients are intrigued about their results, and in turn, Medifast gains new clients because of word-of-mouth. At first, the diet was directly sold and prescribed by doctors who signed up to distribute the new way of eating to their patients that were in need. As a result, the diet plan became popular in the 1980s as it is in today’s time.
Medifast and Dietary Advantages
Particularly, there are meal plans that cater to all age groups as well as certain ailments that a client may have been diagnosed with. Equally important, the client gets a chance to speak to a Medifast Nutritionist in order to guide them. The advantages are simple and strategic. Within each program, clients find out what foods produce the best energy for them. They also find out that when eating sweet food in moderation, your weight gain doesn’t come back.
Medifast Centers are excited about helping clients gain the knowledge that they didn’t know before about their food choices and their body index. After the counseling sessions are not needed as much, clients should have the resources that are needed to continue in life without any assistance from anyone. The levels of stress in each client are continually spiraling down as the program is followed.
Foods that have a high level in corn syrup spark weight gain for a lot of people and seems to be the topic of discussion in counseling. Medifast Centers teach clients to avoid consuming snacks that are don’t satisfy hunger. Of course, Medifast Centers want families to get involved with their programs. As a unit, they can help each other stay on the diet and talk about how they feel while being on the diet.
On the contrary, clients can discuss the different meals and express which ones they like the most or the least during the program. Families love how they can cook each other’s meals and know all about the replacements. After all, if a family joins in together to change their eating habits and encourage weight loss as a whole, it can make the process much smoother to go through rather than being alone.
Medifast Counseling
Since Dr. Vitale’s vision of properly sustaining clients’ weight built over 100 centers, the Medifast Diet has expanded into many different categories. In some cases, clients need a one-on-one specialist that can explain the diet to them in depth. Hypothetically speaking, each client is assigned a counselor that is also a nutritionist that knows what to expect and how to support clients that are dieting. Each Medifast Nutritionist helps clients to pinpoint how their weight gain originated. In actuality, some clients find it to be fascinating to have this support. Soon after, the diet program begins or continues with a huge success story.
Frequently, clients are encouraged to reach out to other clients who are on the Medifast Diet too. Ultimately, the clients can bond for support outside of speaking to a nutritionist. In counseling, clients voice how their appetite has been while eating to speed up their metabolism. Most clients are concerned with their cravings while on the diet. That’s why Medifast Centers are set up to assist those who are troubled with the diet.
Counselors want to see the connection to food that clients may have in their current state or may have developed years before the diet. This helps them prepare their regimen. Some clients suffer from:
- unhappiness due to illnesses or a diagnosis
- loneliness
- bad food selection because of childhood
- former abuse with drugs and alcohol
These statistics limit a client from choosing the right foods. In some areas, there may not be food available to provide the necessary nutrients that a client needs every day. With that in mind, Medifast Centers are there to support those who need reassurance in their lives.
The Cravings While Dieting
Besides cravings that were previously mentioned, some clients will want to experience hearty, crunchy, chewy, hot, and cold meals. Well, Medifast Diet Centers have counselors waiting to help for the purpose of including those friendly reminders about what to look for. Technically, a client may try to ignore their cravings, but as far as the Medifast Diet, counselors want clients to read about cravings in your instructions and address those concerns. The reason why addressing those cravings are so important is simply because it will be a hindrance in your weight loss goals. It is the single most contributing factor in contributing to clients that decide not to finish the diet. Rarely, they are discouraged and won’t start the diet, but to avoid interferences, counseling is provided.
The Benefits Of Choosing The Medifast Diet
Teens seem to adapt to this diet family quickly. Believe it or not, teens have a lot of stress at school from peer pressure, and it causes headaches and digestive disturbances. Medifast Diet gets them geared to lose their excess weight from those stressful times. The beautiful part of a teen starting this diet is that most of them are at the beginning stages of battling weight gain.
Basically, parents and counselors can pitch in to help assist the teen with their weight loss before adulthood. This age group ranges from 13-19 years old. Therefore, it is easier to regain strength at a faster pace. Their waistlines become much slimmer with specific protocols from Medifast, teens don’t mind the major change.
They’re still able to enjoy foods with spices without avoiding them. When a teenager gains weight and becomes overweight, parents may have not recognized the signs of peer pressure or low self-esteem issues. Mainly, the diet gets these teens active again in sports and other activities, such as roller skating, dancing, and gymnastics. The Medifast Diet assists teens in the self-worth area in their hearts and emotions. By decreasing those cravings, teenagers lose weight quickly and learn through counseling measures how to handle their weight.
Preparation For Your New Diet Goals
To have a successful dieting experience, it is best to prepare for the counseling, the diet, and the new lifestyle. In other terms, cravings can be controlled and will not be an issue if you choose to counsel with a Medifast Nutritionist. Some parts of the diet can be challenging, but those challenges don’t last for the entire program. Ironically, their diet doesn’t go as planned and they end up failing instead of completing their goal. Medifast Centers are willing to help any client to rearrange their schedules in order for the maximized weight to be lost.
Mainly, when preparing for the Medifast Diet, it’s imperative to motivate yourself. In other words, you can write your goals down in a notebook to discuss it in counseling or online. As far as your body is concerned, clients are encouraged to relax and drink plenty of fluids. Before starting any new adventure in dieting, your body needs to e able to recognize that it’s about to flush fat. In the end, it will assist clients with well-being and feeling better than they have felt in years. For those clients who have already been previously diagnosed with diabetes, Medifast can assist you as well.
There are social websites that support clients who are changing the way they eat and live. Those groups are going to help clients gain the aspect of choosing the right friends to be around and maintaining the confidence to stay on one of the programs during times where they may have personal issues.
It is a great incentive to print out positive affirmations before starting the diet. It helps to have something to read when you’re opening your cooler or refrigerator that reminds you of what your purpose of dieting really is. The preparation for a Medifast diet requires that each client knows all contact numbers for their doctor, counselor, as well as their nutritionist.
The Medifast Diet has a policy that continues to support clients that are preparing for this new territory. As an illustration, clients may be eating foods that Medifast Centers require for the first time. In this case, a client’s viewpoint is important, especially how they see themselves after the diet.
Meal Plans On The Medifast Diet
As previously mentioned, Medifast provides different plans for clients with health issues or teenagers that are struggling with food choices. When addressing your health status in the initial Medifast consultation, Medifast Nutritionists will decide where you should start in the program and what is best for your weight loss journey. The 5 And 1 Plan from Medifast gives you the following:
- 5-7 ounces of lean protein
- three servings of the freshest vegetables
- condiments
- fats
- snacks
In particular, Medifast clients enjoy the fact that they can continue to eat walnuts, pistachios, almonds, Jell-O, pickles, gum, mint, celery, and any frozen popsicles. Alcohol cannot be consumed when on this diet. There are also meal replacements with fruit, dairy products, and starches that will be there in case a client gets bored with eating the same food.
In addition to that, clients can use condiments, such as dressings and sauces that are within the scope of the diet. Also, Medifast offers gluten-free products for those who have an issue with allergies. Specifically, when a client has a special concern, they are to be addressed in counseling to avoid an unsuccessful weight loss pilgrimage.
The reason why this meal is typically a great starter diet plan for clients is that it reintroduces their taste buds to a variety of different flavors. Most clients who start off with this program have a hard time choosing food. In cases where they can’t decide or may have stress in their lives, they begin to overindulge in one food group instead of choosing different foods within their diets. This contributes to weight gain tremendously.
Most clients become disappointed prior to starting this weight loss plan because of gaining weight and not being able to fit in their favorite clothing anymore. The responses to this diet are great. In fact, most clients love how they have different foods to choose from. This program does encourage those who want to exercise to take walks in the park or join a Zumba class at the beach.
The whole fact of the matter is that you remain active to help stimulate your weight loss. After this program is started and clients are regaining their momentum back again, they are encouraged to stay in touch with Medifast Centers to see if there may be additional help needed from a nutritionist. Clients can make appointments at any time, or they can simply schedule an appointment to counsel on an as-needed basis.
Typically, clients will enjoy the combinations that Medifast has put together in order for them to lose weight. The challenge for them will be reading and staying consistent with their intake of food and drinks. Medifast enjoys putting meals of together to help the client have continuous energy without missing a meal. For instance, clients will enjoy a list of foods that cover all day long and those foods are:
- For Breakfast: Medifast Oatmeal
- For Brunch: Medifast Drinks
- For Lunch: shrimp, low-carbohydrate dressings, salads, greens, broccoli, celery
- Mid Afternoon: Medifast Medifast
- For Dinner: lean chicken, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes
- For An Evening Snack: Medifast Pudding and 8 ounces of skim milk
On the Medifast Transition Diet, clients are introduced to a more elaborate menu, such as other snacks that you may find in the stores. Nutritionists teach clients how to handle taking on other foods within the diet. The transition allows you to include those extra snacks, such as ice cream, in your diet plan. Most clients are amazed at how they still maintain their weight without losing their appetite.
As an illustration, after your first 30 days are up, your counselor will encourage you in the next phase of your dieting to include snacks that you love but do not base your diet on those snacks alone. You need a variety of proteins and fats within your diet. This phase is helpful with including the client’s input on what they should be able to eat. Overall, the Medifast Nutritionists are teaching clients to avoid what happened to them before they started dieting.
Although this is truly how Medifast Centers feel about every client, ultimately, it is up to them to maintain a great outlook on their experience and to show that within their eating habits. In like manner, the client should be able to recognize what caused the weight gain and avoid those issues by staying on one of the Medifast plans.
A guide is given to the client that introduces clients to more selections of fruit and different meat. The client has a 12-week transition after the first 30 days. This will help them maintain great results from eating properly.
The transition food guide from Medifast has the following menu:
- For Breakfast: A Delicious Medifast cappuccino
- For Breakfast: Medifast Scrambled eggs
- For Lunch: broccoli soup
- For Lunch:tomatoes
- For Lunch: green peppers
- Mid Afternoon: Medifast Fruit Punch
- Evening: Medifast Raisin Bar
- Snacks:cantaloupe cubes, tuna, asparagus
Medifast Nutritionists are concerned with a client’s energy while resting as well. As a matter of fact, clients are also required to know their body index and visit their doctor within the first 45 days of the diet. This will help them see their productivity while on the diet. Furthermore, there are additionally foods added to the diet like:
- bananas
- Chai Latte
- chicken noodle soup
- whipped topping
- poached salmon
As far as the Maintenance Medifast Diet, clients are introduced to bars and smoothies that are counted toward meal times. For example, there are moments where you may want to eat popcorn, Medifast has snacks that are simple and nutritious while promoting reduced fats. Along with popcorn, the Medifast Maintenance Diet requires that clients counsel with nutritionists on a yearly basis.
This allows Medifast Centers and counselors to know that you are sticking with your plan and including those extra snacks within your diet if you feel that you are hungry or are craving sweets. Here is an example of the list that the Maintenance Medifast Diet includes:
- cookie dough chewy bars
- peanut butter chewy bars
- pineapple mango smoothies
- berry smoothie
- cinamon and brown sugar cereal
- chocolate chip pancakes
- peach oatmeal
- maple and brown sugar oatmeal
- chocolate pudding
Clients love how their emotions and appearance take a turn for the better. Along with the Maintenance Plan, clients have a kit that can be ordered through Medifast Centers. The Thrive Healthy Living Kit gives you a selection of the following snacks after you complete the Medifast Diet and recommendations. Within the kit, you will have the following food:
- nacho cheese puffs
- Medifast Dutch Chocolate Drink
- dark chocolate cram bar
- turkey meatball marinara
- strawberry yogurt
- chicken with rice and vegetables
- cookies and cream shake
- pina colada smoothie
- strawberry banana smoothie
When choosing this diet, you will understand healthy eating more in depth and have a variety of meals, such as the 2 lean and green Plus meals. The meals control your intake while you burn calories throughout the day. This diet is flexible and can also be a way to keep the weight off of you. This plan works great for those who have severe soy intolerance as well. Quite frequently, nursing mothers, seniors, and vegetarians gravitate to this diet because of it contributing to their overall health.
Along with these extra goodies, clients are encouraged to take supplements that increase their probiotics and omega fatty acids. This will give the body an incentive to continue to process great quality food and be as stress-free as possible. After you finish the transition part of the program, you can read up on facts that solidify this diet as a great choice for those that are on a new level in their lives.
Overall, the Medifast Centers want clients to feel comfortable around others who are indulging in process foods that don’t give as much nutrition to the body as whole foods. Clients won’t be as hesitant in areas where there are foods that they can’t eat during a certain time period.
While on the diet, clients will feel changes within their bodies. One sign in particular that their diet is changing is increased thirst. Medifast Centers have special blends for those situations.
Tea also helps to stimulate voiding and decrease symptoms associated with constipation. In actuality, you are able to drink regular coffee while on this diet. It improves your small intestines’ peristalsis and food processes. In other words, you won’t have a problem with using the restroom in between meals. As far vegetarians are concerned, Medifast Counselors encourage them in intake more fluids every day to support the intestines as well.
The Medifast Go Plans, 30-Day Kits, And The Flex Plan
Medifast Centers offer weight loss plans that are popular for busy people. It is designed to fit the schedule of someone who is constantly on the go, but they still want to lose weight. The plan includes 5 Medifast Meals and 1 lean and green meal. This is a daily process, but by far, it’s the easiest plan. Medifast offers this plan to nursing mothers, gluten-intolerance clients, and vegetarians.
The Medifast Kits are for those with special requests that like the idea of a 30-day kit as well. These kits will include instructions and phone consultations if they are needed. Most clients don’t have any trouble because of the directions being easy to follow. Seniors and diabetics have special plans from Medifast Centers too. Medifast Centers realize that seniors may have special requests because of medications they are taking. Clients are able to request a diet if taking Coumadin.
The Medifast Flex is for clients who like to see gradual weight loss in the mirror. Medifast Centers have place 30-day kits together that include 4 Medifast Meals, 2 lean and green meals with 1 healthy snack. These plans seem to interest Medifast clients that most because of the pre-packages with instructions. Clients are amazed with the taste of the food. The Go Plans have a variety of food like:
- tofu
- cream of tomato soup
- veggie meatballs
- soy crisps
- cereal
- whole-wheat pasta
- bran flakes
- fat-free milk
Medifast Centers have meals that can be replaced or a food item that can be replaced. Clients have to make that first step by calling the Medifast Center to get on the right plan right away. With easy instructions to follow, Medifast clients are eating well and living a healthier life like they have always wanted to.
Healing Symptoms While On The Medifast Diet
Your body produces and sends signals all day long. The fact of the matter is you can be on the Medifast Diet and not experience any signs of healing. That doesn’t mean that you should be concerned, it means that your body is adapting to the food and the fluids that you are taking in.
In some aspects, your body may have been lacking the nutrients to produce a homeostatic quality of life. Regardless, if you are seeing your weight diminish in the mirror, or you can tell when you put on your clothes, you are doing well on the diet. There are other symptoms that could result as you go further along on the diet. Those symptoms are:
- feeling cold
- dry skin
- dry hair
- feeling lightheaded
- fatigue
These symptoms happen from time-to-time because of your body readjusting to great food. If in the event that this happens, you should consult your doctor. Most symptoms subside in a few minutes. The important factor is knowing what to do if there are healing factors begin to happen to you.
It’s not a sign that something is wrong. It’s a sign that your body is cleaning out its system to start all over again. This stage produces new cells and your blood begins to flow throughout your body again. Nevertheless, Medifast Centers don’t want the client to avoid calling for help if symptoms show up. Counselors can remind clients what they need to do in order for the body to continue through the process and for symptoms to vanish.
There is nothing wrong with in-taking whole foods, but in some rare cases, clients have not eaten that healthy in years. The body is becoming more aware of the positive environment that you are producing inside by eating fresh foods. In general, your portions could have been well above the required amount in a daily diet due to the choice of foods. Henceforth, clients are revitalizing their nutrition and will produce more energy after the symptoms leave.
Herbal Teas Are Encourage While On The Medifast
During times when you are thirsty, you can drink herbal teas as much as you want if you want something different other than water. Most diabetics do an outstanding job with taking in small cups of licorice root tea. Uniquely, this tea keep the blood sugar stable to help those cravings to diminish. Despite drinking sodas filled with high fructose, clients can choose a better solution and feel like the sugar was never missed.
To clarify what Medifast Diets allow, a client can read about the fundamentals, possible symptoms, and long-term outcomes in Medifast pamphlets are online. There are other herbal teas that can be digested during this process which helps clients to avoid sodas and alcohol. To make things much easier, the Medifast Nutritionists can talk about herbal supplements and teas that are okay while on the diet. By the same token, the client can ask for pamphlets to remember what was being talked about in each in-person consultation.
Medifast Journals
As a bonus, clients gain inspiration when they keep a journal of how well their diet is going. It keeps down the anxiety, frustration, and fears that they have about losing weight. The journal helps keep a client focused on what decisions need to be made from day-to-day. Within each journal entry, the client can look at the success that they have had during the diet and compare that to where they are headed in their life. Most of all, they have to be honest with themselves about their progress and their failures
The journal has pages and pages where the client can write anything about how they feel about having to lose weight. If a client has questions that they think of before or after a consultation, they can jot them down in their journal and ask a nutritionist or counselor later. The consultations that clients have should be based on their lives only.
This is a way to let them know that their weight loss experience was helpful and the journal is a reminder of what they have gone through. The Medifast Journal has reminders of what foods can be eaten at what time. It is great for those clients who want to remain organized during their program.
Indeed, the program helps clients recoup their lives again. If they have ever wanted to lose weight with support, the Medifast Diet is the perfect relief for them. Counselors are there for each client no matter where they are in the world, especially if clients want to talk privately. With the diet, journal, counseling, and online blogs, consumers of this diet will feel better about themselves and better about their decisions.
One particular focus point must be remembered by clients and that’s to always reach your counselor or nutritionist at any time. By all means, clients should feel accepted during this process. Medifast Centers promote the acceptance of a client as soon as you call them needing help. For that reason, clients can look forward to the future by tackling their issues through the Medifast Diet.
The Pros of Medifast Diet
Effective: The Medifast program works by inducing a mild state of ketosis. In this state, the body usually consumes fat for fuel. This plan allows you to take as little as 800-1000 calories and not more than 30-50 grams of carbs daily. Although these levels are below the minimum amount recommended in federal guidelines, experts say they are moderately safe for adults.
Carbs are our main energy source, so denying the body excess carbohydrates causes it to burn the best available alternative source of fuel, which is fat. The Medifast diet forces the body to start burning fat by restricting calories and carbohydrates, triggering significant weight loss.
By sticking to the diet plan as instructed, you can lose up to 2-5 pounds a week during the first 14 days and about 1-2 pounds every week thereafter. You can, therefore, lose up to 10 pounds within the first two weeks of using Medifast. In fact, cheating a little bit does not prevent weight loss, it simply reduces the rate. In a span of eight weeks, many of the program’s users have reportedly lost up to 40 pounds. Loss of weight is therefore guaranteed.
Reduced or almost nonexistent hunger: Medifast offers one meat-and-veggies entree a day along with five meal replacement products that are low-calorie and low-fat. Each of the meals contains lots of proteins, fiber, and vitamins. This high nutrient content translates to a high fullness index, meaning the meals should keep you nourished and full for longer. Low-glycemic index carbohydrates can help ensure steady levels of metabolism and blood sugar. As a result, you might feel fuller longer.
Additionally, once the body goes into starvation mode, it will try to store nutrients as fat. Spacing the six small meals throughout the day keep this from happening and helps control hunger. Hunger is, therefore, not an issue when using the Medifast diet.
Reliable: This diet plan’s long track record attests to its reliability, which is one of the reasons why it has received recommendations from over 20,000 physicians. At some point in its 30-year history, the program was available only through physicians. Today, however, anyone can access Medifast-products online.
The plan’s reliability is enhanced by the support offered. Medifast centers have professional weight-loss coaches who provide support and health monitoring services. This offline support creates a sense of community and helps ensure positive experiences.
Besides the support offered in Medifast clinics, a free online community provides support for Medifast users. Previous and current Medifast dieters can communicate with one another for tips and encouragement.
Clinically proven: Medifast has undergone numerous clinical trials, many of which have proven that the program is both effective and medically safe. Below is an overview of a few of the studies.
- The findings of a study conducted at the Johns Hopkins University show that the Medifast diet results in significant weight loss. When using Medifast, adult males can lose an average of 67 pounds while their female counterparts can lose an average of 56 pounds. It’s, however, notable that all of the participants attended Medifast clinics.
- Another study compared this program against diabetes medications and found that the dietary plan is more effective at controlling type-2 diabetes than a number of the ADA-recommended programs.
- A study conducted in 2015 and published in the Internal Medicine analyzed 45 different proprietary and commercial weight-loss programs, one of which was Medifast. Compared to counseling, the use of low-calorie diet programs like Medifast resulted in significantly greater weight loss. At four months, the difference was estimated to be 4 percent, but some of the effects were lesser after six months.
- A fourth study showed that Medifast’s meal replacement programs were slightly better than most of those generally recommended for obesity pharmacotherapy, which means drug treatment. The study also found that Medifast had a higher customer retention rate than most of the recommended commercial programs.
- In 2015, another study published in the Nutrition Journal studied the charts of 310 Medifast clients. All of the participants were either obese or overweight and followed the Achieve Plan. The study found those who adhered to the plan lost an average of 24 pounds within 12 weeks and an average of 35 pounds inside 24 weeks. Also, each participant, irrespective of gender or age, lost more fat than lean muscle.
Easy to use: Medifast is a simple, easy to use program. The most popular plan involves five, pre-packaged Medifast meals plus one lean and green meal daily. This plan is known as the five-and-one plan. The self-prep meal (lean meat and green vegetables) is earmarked for dinner while the five pre-packaged meals are spread evenly throughout the day.
As a Medifast dieter, you won’t have to track or count much of anything. Medifast takes counting calories, carbs, or points out of the equation, allowing you to focus on a limited set of options for your meals.
Medifast gives you a much greater sense of control over your diet and weight. For starters, you get to eat after every two hours. Secondly, the inclusion of pre-packaged meals eliminates guesswork, which makes it easier to take your mind off of food and helps ensure healthy eating. Dieters are more likely to stick to diet plans that do not require extensive preparation, at least not on their part. With Medifast, you don’t have to measure potions precisely or count calories. As a user, this simplicity can help you stick to the plan, particularly during the early days when adjustment is likely to be difficult.
Time-saving: Not only is selecting a plan and ordering simple, but automatic delivery is also available. When using the Medifast diet, you don’t have to think about packing a snack or lunch for the day. Instead of resorting to fast foods or taking your time to come up with a fairly healthy meal for lunch, it’s simpler to grab a shake before heading out in the morning. With the simplest of instructions, food preparation is also fast. For Medifast meals, you’re only required to add water and heat up in the microwave. As for the lean and green meal, even the most unskilled of cooks should be able to tackle the preparation process quickly.
Convenient: For starters, Medifast has a 30-day refund policy, meaning the company will reimburse any unused products shipped back to them within this time frame. Secondly, Medifast products don’t need refrigeration, particularly since they have a shelf-life of about 12 months. However, you’ll want to use a thermos or refrigerator to store prepared meals, which you can prepare 12 hours in advance.
The Cons of Medifast Diet
Health issues: Rapid weight loss is associated with a few health concerns. It can cause digestive problems and gallbladder issues. For those at high risk, it can lead to gallstones or gallbladder disease. Making sure you eat the two healthy fat servings as recommended is the best way to minimize these risks. For digestive issues, the symptoms will often diminish within the first 14 days. Consulting with your doctor is, however, recommended for those who experience any adverse symptoms. Remember, being overweight is known to cause health issues.
Variety and taste: Medifast products are unlikely to win any cuisine competitions. Also, most of the meals are hot, which means they might not be ideal for the hot summer months. With five meals a day, the selection might wear a bit thin even though different varieties of soups, shakes, and snacks are available through Medifast. You’ll probably have a more limited selection if you are allergic or dislike many of the flavors offered. Besides putting all of its products through a tasting panel, the company closely monitors customer feedback with the aim of discontinuing the duds and developing more favorites.
Adjusting: Medifast has a sharply reduced calorie allowance, which can make it a difficult adjustment. For one, making sure you eat every meal on time might not be as easy as you’d expect, especially at first. Secondly, going from taking three large meals daily to eating six carefully controlled meals is likely to shock the system.
Ketosis: The Medifast diet induces ketosis, as a result of which acetone is released through respiration. Acetone is known to give the breath an unpleasant aroma that can be mistaken for the smell of alcohol. For extended periods of ketosis, the supervision of a medical professional is required to ensure lasting damages do not occur.
Cost: Medifast costs an average of $330-350 per month depending on whether mineral and vitamin supplements are added to the plan. Unless eating out is your normal meal plan and it costs you a lot of money, switching to Medifast might be more expensive. With a limited menu and small portions, it is likely that some dieters will not adhere to the plan. However, the cost might help you stick to the plan since you would not want to spend that much only to default.
Conclusion
Considering the pros and cons, Medifast is worth investing in, especially for those suffering from type-2 diabetes. In addition to working for both obese and overweight patients, this dietary program has very few side effects, all of which can be managed easily.
