Medifast Weightloss Review
Once only available through your doctor, Medifast is a well known weightloss plan that has been around for decades. Of course, times have changed, and now you can order directly from their website, saving you both time and money.
To sum up what they provide, medifast offers meal replacement plans, formulated to be low in both fat and calories, but packed with the right amount of vitamins. Essentially, after beginning the program, your body will go into ketosis. This is similar to what many of the popular high protein, low carbohydrate diets, like Atkins and South Beach, do. The difference is how stuctured the medifast plan is.
The most popular of their plans is called the 5 in 1. It consists of 5 meal replacements and one actual meal that total about 800-1000 calories. The real meal is a lean protein such as turkey or chicken, along with fresh vegatables or salad. Using this plan, you can expect to safely lose between 2 and 5 pounds a week.
Need proof that it works? Medifast has been bragging for years that, unlike other weightloss programs, they have undergone a clinical study at John Hopkins University. That study measured weightloss of both male and female participants, with the average male losing around 67 pounds and the average female losing around 57 pounds over a 12 week period.
An interesting side note is that the Medifast diet was more effective at controlling type-2 diabetes than other diets, including an ADA sponsered diet.
I won’t bore you with a lot of success stories, but visiting the Medifast website will give you access to recent success stories.
Cost wise, you can plan on spending around $300 a month for supplements from medifast, as well as the lean protein and fresh vegatables you’ll be responsible for buying.
In summary, Medifast is a longstanding company with a record of success. If you want to lose a significant amount of weight safely, this could be a good choice for you. Admittedly, this is not the cheapest program on the market, but because they have been around a long time you’re paying for experience and knowledge they provide along with the supplements. This isn’t a program I would recommend for someone who wants to shed a few extra pounds, but if you are serious about weight loss and need to lose a lot of weight safely, then you might want to check out their website to decide if it’s right for you.
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Medifast Review
From: diet-blog.com
The Basics
The Medifast brand has been around for a number of decades, and at one time was only available via physicians. Nowadays the products can be ordered on-line and through a number of distributors.
Medifast offer a stable of meal replacement products - all generally formulated to be low-calorie and low-fat, and containing the optimum levels of vitamins. The formula will generally take users into a mild state of ketosis.
The most popular plan is called 5 and 1. This plan (800-1000 calories daily) comprises 5 meal replacements and one “real” meal containing a lean protein and vegetables and salad. Medifast claim a weight loss of 2-5 pounds per week on this plan.
Proof?
What many people don’t realize is that very few commercial weight loss programs have ever undergone any clinical studies. Medifast heavily promote the fact that a Johns Hopkins university study has shown that Medifast results in significant weight loss (67 pound average loss in males and 57 pound average loss in females). It’s worth pointing out that this study looked at patients who attended Medifast clinics.
There is also an additional study that compared the Medifast program with diabetes medication. The study found Medifast more effective at controlling type 2 diabetes than an ADA-recommended program.
Both studies were led by Associate Professor Lawrence Cheskin of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and were funded by Medifast.
Successes
Due to the popularity of the program, Medifast have a number of “success stories” - one of which is Nnedi Uzowihe-Igwe of Maryland, USA (currently featured on the Medifast site). She also appeared in People magazine in January 2006 describing a massive transformation that resulted in a 160lb weight loss between June 2004 and April 2005. Nnedi subsequently became pregnant and gave birth to her second daughter)
I was able to find out how Nnedi was going now, and she appears to have maintained her massive initial weight loss (and is aiming to lose the weight she put on with the second baby by the end of this year).
What you can expect
Drastic
Protein fasts and low-calorie meal replacements are a drastic solution, and in my opinion appropriate for drastic situations. Given the choice between gastric bypass surgery or Medifast, then Medifast must surely be a better answer.
The biggest test of a program such as Medifast is the long-term consequences - and in particular weaning off a program based around shakes and soups. The transition phase should be four to six weeks, and often starts off by introducing some oatmeal at breakfast, and some fruit for snacks. Also exercise must become a part of life (5 days a week). Exercise must be fairly low-key during the restrictive part of Medifast - but once transitioning - it becomes increasingly important.
Due to the level of energy intake and exercise levels - it is likely that some muscle loss will occur during the weight loss phase. Once again, the best course of action would be to gradually include strength training during the transition phase - and begin to build up muscle tone.
Costs
The Medifast 5 and 1 plan cost $275 for 4 weeks. However - that’s the cost of the “5″ - you will still need to buy your daily “lean and green” meal (lean protein plus salad/vegetables).
Men & Women
Different formulations are used for men and women. Some shakes are called Medifast 55 or Medifast 70. The latter has a higher soy protein content and is more suitable for men (or women who prefer higher protein).
Behavior Change Required
Behavioral changes are critical to the long-term success of Medifast. Unless these lifestyle changes are applied, then the weight could easily swing back on like a yo-yo.
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Conclusion
I don’t believe Medifast is for the person who wants to lose 20 pounds. This is a serious program for serious situations, and it may be advisable to follow the program while receiving regular support from a clinic, and even under medical advisement.
However ample proof exists that the program does work and can lead to significant weight loss provided the transition phase is followed correctly.