Does The Medifast diet work?
mandys1979
Posts: 46 Member
After a few years of prodding my husband has decided that he needs to do something about his weight. He needs to loose around a 100lbs if not more. He is looking into Medifast does this actually work? Does anyone have any tips on a healthy way to loose that much weight?
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Replies
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Medifast works because it creates a calorie deficit. There's no "magic" to it....and it's expensive.
Why not have him use MFP and stick to a moderate calorie deficit (which will allow him to eat whatever he wants)?0 -
It does the same thing that can be done here. And its about $300 a month. I tried it, and the food is disgusting. Its all dehydrated stuff.0
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oh please don't give these people your money. just tell him to eat less...then he can give you the 300 and you can go shoe shopping!0
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All "diets" work if you stick to them because of calorie deficit. The problem is most "diets" aren't sustainable to do the rest of your life.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Yes, it works, but people often gain the weight back just as fast as they lost it. He needs to make lasting changes in his eating and exercise habits, and MFP can help with that. Plus - it's free!0
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He wont. He is looking for the magic pill. He has been on presciption diet pills because of his weight and he gets easily discouraged when he doesnt start loosing right away.I have tried portion control, healthy meals tried getting to exercise and even got consult for lap band. He never wants to do any of that. Im glad he is taking this step he is getting close to 400lbs.0
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Yes, it works and the food is pretty good! I've done it but of course as soon as I transitioned over to "real" food I started putting weight back on. I gained 30lbs and now need to get rid of that! I went from a size 16 to a 4 in 7 months but if he doesn't change his eating habits the weight will come back on.0
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He wont. He is looking for the magic pill. He has been on presciption diet pills because of his weight and he gets easily discouraged when he doesnt start loosing right away.I have tried portion control, healthy meals tried getting to exercise and even got consult for lap band. He never wants to do any of that. Im glad he is taking this step he is getting close to 400lbs.
Well, you're in for an uphill battle then. Good luck.
Maybe show him some 100+ pound success stories on here?0 -
If he wants to do that instead of eating right and exercising, nothing you can say will change his mind. If you (general "you") don't learn to change eating habits, though, then as soon as you stop a program like that you'll just gain weight back. Losing weight and keeping it off is all about changing your lifestyle, not going on a diet.0
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It sucks that Medifast gets such a bad reputation on message boards like this when people are only looking for information and personal experiences about the diet and most of the people who answer have never tried it personally and have only negative things to say about it.
1st of all, if your husband isn't in the right mindset to put in the work, not give up, and change his lifestyle permanently to lose the weight, then NO diet is going to work for him. Like you said, he'll probably easily get discouraged when things get tough and will probably be more susceptible to "cheating" when the temptation arises. None of us got to the weight we are in 1 day or even 1 month, its going to take time to take it off, period. That being said, Medifast does provide pretty big weight loss from the get go.
Now, I personally am on Medifast currently and have just finished my second week and am down 10 lbs so far! You may think I don't have much to say experience wise but they say the first two weeks for any "diet" is the toughest. Let me tell you, I love it! Unlike popular belief, not all the food is dehydrated and nothing that I've tried was gross to the point that I would not willingly eat it again. Your taste buds do have to adjust to it but after a few days on plan, everything to me started tasting pretty decent. Some of the foods are so tasty that after I eat them, I feel the guilt as if I have cheated!
People say this is a lazy diet or that it doesn't teach you good eating habits for the long run. To that I say, is there ever a lazy way to lose weight???? It is always a challenge to lose weight and any movement of the scale in the right direction should always be something to celebrate, not put down. Medifast DOES teach you good eating habits so that when you are done losing weight you can easily transition into the rest of your life without gaining back. That is, if you actually see the transition through to the end and do not immediately go back to eating sludge because your are skinny. Medifast teaches you, and your body, to eat smaller meals every 2-3 hours and that right there is a great start. I am at the point now where it is like clockwork with my hunger and it being time to eat, and I feel great now that I am not eating 2-3 over-sized meals per day. Furthermore, you have the ability to eat 1 "real food" meal a day that you have to prepare. The basic guidelines are 3 servings of veggies and 1 serving (5-6oz) of protein. The rest is up to you! That leaves so much room to experiment and even eat out at restaurants if you like, something that I imagine all of us still want to do. Once you get close to the amount of weight you want to lose you start the transition phase where you start eating 2 real meals a day and only 4 Medifast meals (as opposed to the standard 5 MF meals/ 1 real meal). From there, you slowly start adding in foods like fruits, dairy, grains etc back into your diet until you are off plan completely. I know a lot of people that continue to have whatever their favorite Medifast meals are even when they are done with the program because it is so easy to grab and go while getting something satiating and only 100 cals!
Ok, so there is my rant about PRO Medifast diet. I know I personally went for Medifast because there are such an overwhelming number of success stories and positive reviews from real people that you just do not find with any other diets aka. pills, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers etc. Furthermore, Medifast provides you with 100% all the nutrients and nutritional requirements your body SHOULD be getting every single day. This is something that I was terrible at on my own where I would assume that a Lean Cuisine or 100 cal snack packs of your favorite junk food was an acceptable diet.
Medifast is very strict and there is no wiggle room, you are either on plan or not but if you are determined that "this is the time I reach my goals, no excuses" then there is no way this won't work.0 -
I tried it in November. Lost 13 pounds and, had to stop. For the most part it was pretty nasty tasting. The shakes are okay and, some of the bars. But the eggs, and soups etc. HORRIBLE. They will let you trade in so many packages for different....but, it was just as bad. I just threw out boxes of the stuff...I am sure some may like it. Everyone has different tastes. But, it is so expensive and, for me so disappointing. I stayed hungry and, dreaded to eat the stuff. Hope he finds something that helps and, he can tolerate.0
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Thank you for your reply. I know it is expensive but so is his eating habits of grabbing a snack during break and eating breakfast out every morning. So I'm hoping that with him not doing that anymore it will make up the difference. But I'm also hoping that his body will adjust to eating several small meals per day instead of 3 large ones and snack in between.0
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Eating the smaller meals is definitely different and takes some getting used to but the great part is that these small meals come every 2-3 hours which if you're working or out running errands, the time flies. For me, that means right when I am starting to get hungry, I look at the clock and it is basically time to eat again! Which is good because I too was a snacker and quick to cheat if I got remotely hungry. There is no way to tell whether not this diet is going to work for your husband without trying it. I would recommend ordering maybe a 2 week supply of the food which is obviously cheaper and give it a try. That way there isn't a huge commitment and your husband can try it first hand and see if it is something that will work for him longer term.
Best of Luck!0 -
I did it and lost 75lbs! I love the program! Medifast food was just one part of it. I found it was not as expensive as I thought. I was spending a lot of money on crappy food so it was like switching grocery stores for me. I learned A LOT. I did it with a health coach. I think thats the way to go. Medifast is just the food part of it. The health coaching was what taught me to keep it off for the rest of my life. I transitioned properly and have NO DESIRE to go back to my old eating habits. I feel too good now! I can actually shop in normal stores. I have enough energy to keep up with my three active young children. My plantar fasciatis is gone. My insulin resistance is under control. Those things are enough to keep me in check. I have kept it off for over a year and I am 100% confident that I will be able to keep it off. He will be able to have success with it if he WANTS IT BAD ENOUGH. If he is coachable and willing to get help. SOme of the food tastes gross, some good. Frankly, I would eat dog food to get the results I did! LOL He will do great. It seems like he has some good support too!0
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Thank you for your reply. I know it is expensive but so is his eating habits of grabbing a snack during break and eating breakfast out every morning. So I'm hoping that with him not doing that anymore it will make up the difference. But I'm also hoping that his body will adjust to eating several small meals per day instead of 3 large ones and snack in between.
you would be surprised how many calories he can probably eat an still lose weight. At 400 lbs, his BMR and TDEE will be pretty high. Even if he can stick to a 2500 calorie diet, he will still lose weight. If you eliminate a lot of snack that don't provide nutritional value and limit carb based meals, he should see weight loss. Foods high and protein and fats will maintain satiety longer which should help. So load up on chicken, pork, lean steaks like sirloins and limit breads, pastas and rice until he can get his eating under control.0 -
All "diets" work if you stick to them because of calorie deficit. The problem is most "diets" aren't sustainable to do the rest of your life.
QFT - Its that simple.0 -
Here's my experience and what the statistics say: Approximately 90% of all dieters regain weight after reaching a goal.The "success" stories will only apply to the 10% who make it. I deal DAILY with people who have come to me for advice on how to lose weight with a diet.It sucks that Medifast gets such a bad reputation on message boards like this when people are only looking for information and personal experiences about the diet and most of the people who answer have never tried it personally and have only negative things to say about it.
1st of all, if your husband isn't in the right mindset to put in the work, not give up, and change his lifestyle permanently to lose the weight, then NO diet is going to work for him. Like you said, he'll probably easily get discouraged when things get tough and will probably be more susceptible to "cheating" when the temptation arises. None of us got to the weight we are in 1 day or even 1 month, its going to take time to take it off, period. That being said, Medifast does provide pretty big weight loss from the get go.
Now, I personally am on Medifast currently and have just finished my second week and am down 10 lbs so far! You may think I don't have much to say experience wise but they say the first two weeks for any "diet" is the toughest. Let me tell you, I love it! Unlike popular belief, not all the food is dehydrated and nothing that I've tried was gross to the point that I would not willingly eat it again. Your taste buds do have to adjust to it but after a few days on plan, everything to me started tasting pretty decent. Some of the foods are so tasty that after I eat them, I feel the guilt as if I have cheated!
People say this is a lazy diet or that it doesn't teach you good eating habits for the long run. To that I say, is there ever a lazy way to lose weight???? It is always a challenge to lose weight and any movement of the scale in the right direction should always be something to celebrate, not put down. Medifast DOES teach you good eating habits so that when you are done losing weight you can easily transition into the rest of your life without gaining back. That is, if you actually see the transition through to the end and do not immediately go back to eating sludge because your are skinny. Medifast teaches you, and your body, to eat smaller meals every 2-3 hours and that right there is a great start. I am at the point now where it is like clockwork with my hunger and it being time to eat, and I feel great now that I am not eating 2-3 over-sized meals per day. Furthermore, you have the ability to eat 1 "real food" meal a day that you have to prepare. The basic guidelines are 3 servings of veggies and 1 serving (5-6oz) of protein. The rest is up to you! That leaves so much room to experiment and even eat out at restaurants if you like, something that I imagine all of us still want to do. Once you get close to the amount of weight you want to lose you start the transition phase where you start eating 2 real meals a day and only 4 Medifast meals (as opposed to the standard 5 MF meals/ 1 real meal). From there, you slowly start adding in foods like fruits, dairy, grains etc back into your diet until you are off plan completely. I know a lot of people that continue to have whatever their favorite Medifast meals are even when they are done with the program because it is so easy to grab and go while getting something satiating and only 100 cals!
Ok, so there is my rant about PRO Medifast diet. I know I personally went for Medifast because there are such an overwhelming number of success stories and positive reviews from real people that you just do not find with any other diets aka. pills, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers etc. Furthermore, Medifast provides you with 100% all the nutrients and nutritional requirements your body SHOULD be getting every single day. This is something that I was terrible at on my own where I would assume that a Lean Cuisine or 100 cal snack packs of your favorite junk food was an acceptable diet.
Medifast is very strict and there is no wiggle room, you are either on plan or not but if you are determined that "this is the time I reach my goals, no excuses" then there is no way this won't work.
My answer is ALWAYS the same: DIETS ARE TEMPORARY weight loss. People who lose weight and keep it off did it from a lifestyle change (which is what diet companies, programs, etc. try to preach later to you).
When people are ready to make the actual change, that's when the real test begins.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Yes it does. So far, I've lost 105 pounds in 15 weeks.0
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After a few years of prodding my husband has decided that he needs to do something about his weight. He needs to loose around a 100lbs if not more. He is looking into Medifast does this actually work? Does anyone have any tips on a healthy way to loose that much weight?
Don't listen to people badmouthing Medifast. It is a good plan. It does cost approximately $300 a month, and I find that it's cheaper than what I was spending on food before I started it. Take note on how much is currently being spent on fast food, or junk food, probably a lot more than you realize. How can you put a price on good health?! Think of all the money you will save in the future when you don't end up with high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and numerous other illnesses that come from being overweight! Not only will you be saving your health, you'll actually be saving yourself a lot of doctor bills in the long run. It does work if you do the complete program which includes the transition and maintenance programs. If you don't do those and don't learn how to eat properly to maintain your weight, you'll gain it back. If you don't change your eating habits and your life style, the weight returns. The food isn't bad. You have to try all of the different types of food and see which of them you like best. You can also get a free health coach to help you with anything that you are going through while on the plan. All-in-all, I say you get a big bang for your buck with Medifast.0 -
Medifast works for people who don't mind the way the food tastes. I tried it, and I personally found all the "food" and shakes to be utterly foul tasting, full of chemicals and artificial sweeteners. I also had problems with dizziness, including one very scary episode while I was driving. I'm not sure if that was because of the lack of calories or a reaction to an ingredient. Most of the food is made with soy protein, which some people find hard to digest.
But I have a friend who had great success with it. She's not much of a foodie, so the taste didn't bother her and she loved not having to prepare real food. I say try everything until something sticks.0 -
Yes it does. I've lost 31 lbs in a month. I have about 140 to lose but this is a good start. I tried medifast before and lost 55 lbs in 6 months but then got pregnant so I had to stop.
Many years ago I lost 135 lbs through my own sweat and tears... 7 days a week of 1.5 hours of cardio and weight training every other day. However, that was before having two kids and a high profile demanding job. I simply don't have that kind of time anymore. I can only fit in 4 workouts a week at 40 minutes a piece on the elliptical. Call me lazy if you want but medifast fits my hectic lifestyle and allows me to spend the limited time I have with my babies and husband instead of cranking out hours at the gym.
And before you all go saying that I am one of those failures that regained weight that was lost, let me set the record straight. I kept those 135 lbs off for over 3 years, then unexpectedly got blessed with a pregnancy that we never thought possible. However, that pregnancy landed me on bed rest for 3.5 months. I will admit that lying in bed all day an onl being allowed to use the bathroom and take an occasional wash off in th sink for that long after bing super active for so many years and constantly worrying about weather or not my on or I would live through the pregnancy and deliver sunk me into a deep depression and I stress ate and m husband enabled by bringing me all the crap I asked for. So yeah, I stuffed my face for months while I laid there on m back. Until I found medifast after having my on,i felt pretty hopeless. Now that I have been blessed with my second and last child, I knew that I would be getting back on medifast the moment it was feasible after giving birth. I am also confident I can transition and keep the weight off because I learned a lot through the experience of being on bedrest0 -
I got cut off... So before jumping on the bandwagon and discouraging someone from trying something that could potentially save their life, be glad that he is willing to at least try. Medifast is certainly not an easy or lazy diet. Like any other approach to eating, it's mind over matter. You have to have some serious willpower to be successful but the relatively quick results keep you motivated.0
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Sorry for the typos. I can't seem to correct them on my iPad. Hopefully you all get the gist of what I'm saying.0
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It's not for everyone.
My friends (married couple) were on it.
The husband made it to goal and is keeping it off.
The wife quit right before she made it to goal and said shed try to
take the rest off normally.
She's now closet eating (caught her with a king twix) and has gained almost half of it back.0 -
My father was on it under doctor's supervision. He lost a tremendous amount of weight, but as soon as he quit the diet, he gained it all back from nachos and hamburgers.
Additionally, I thought the food was pretty disgusting.
I wouldn't do it, personally. I enjoy cooking far too much and trying new recipes.0 -
Thank you for your reply. I know it is expensive but so is his eating habits of grabbing a snack during break and eating breakfast out every morning. So I'm hoping that with him not doing that anymore it will make up the difference. But I'm also hoping that his body will adjust to eating several small meals per day instead of 3 large ones and snack in between.
It will end up costing you less if he is on Medifast then. If he really wants to lose the weight, and he is really ready for the change, he will be able to do it. I've seen some people that start a "diet", when what they really need is a lifestyle change, who IMO, aren't really ready and try to use every excuse in the book not to follow the plan as it is written. Oh the food tastes bad, or I didn't lose enough weight this week, or I went to a party etc. where there was (insert excuse here), etc, etc. If you really want to lose weight, in a healthy way and at a faster pace and you want to learn how to keep it off, then Medifast is the plan to use. And IMO, it is especially good for people with a lot of weight to lose. I know I'm doing very well because I stick to the plan as written without any "add-ons" or extras, but I have lost 105 pounds in 15 weeks. I think that's a pretty good rate, don't you?0 -
My father was on it under doctor's supervision. He lost a tremendous amount of weight, but as soon as he quit the diet, he gained it all back from nachos and hamburgers.
Additionally, I thought the food was pretty disgusting.
I wouldn't do it, personally. I enjoy cooking far too much and trying new recipes.
That's because he just quit the diet instead of going through the transition and maintenance phases to learn how to eat the way he should be, to get the correct amount of calories/carbs/nutrition daily and went back to his old ways. You can't do that if you really want to lose weight and keep it off. You have to learn to change the bad habits that got you unhealthy and fat in the first place.0 -
It does the same thing that can be done here. And its about $300 a month. I tried it, and the food is disgusting. Its all dehydrated stuff.
Have you actually tried all the foods they have to offer? And have you done the Medifast plan for at least several weeks, or is that your assumption? Because I have been on the plan for 15 weeks and my experience was totally different from what you are saying. Some foods are not as good as others, but there are plenty of choices to find out what you like best to sustain you for a long period of time, that are quite good IMO. And as for the $300 a month. I bet if most people total up what they spend $5 at a time, it will come out to a lot more, especially if the person is obese and eating at fast food restaurants like McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Starbucks, etc. I found that what I pay for Medifast monthly is actually saving me $s.0 -
Sure it will work but is it sustainable? I don't know.0
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It sucks that Medifast gets such a bad reputation on message boards like this when people are only looking for information and personal experiences about the diet and most of the people who answer have never tried it personally and have only negative things to say about it.
1st of all, if your husband isn't in the right mindset to put in the work, not give up, and change his lifestyle permanently to lose the weight, then NO diet is going to work for him. Like you said, he'll probably easily get discouraged when things get tough and will probably be more susceptible to "cheating" when the temptation arises. None of us got to the weight we are in 1 day or even 1 month, its going to take time to take it off, period. That being said, Medifast does provide pretty big weight loss from the get go.
Very well said, and this comes from a real Medifast experience! Don't knock it if you don't really know first hand.
Now, I personally am on Medifast currently and have just finished my second week and am down 10 lbs so far! You may think I don't have much to say experience wise but they say the first two weeks for any "diet" is the toughest. Let me tell you, I love it! Unlike popular belief, not all the food is dehydrated and nothing that I've tried was gross to the point that I would not willingly eat it again. Your taste buds do have to adjust to it but after a few days on plan, everything to me started tasting pretty decent. Some of the foods are so tasty that after I eat them, I feel the guilt as if I have cheated!
People say this is a lazy diet or that it doesn't teach you good eating habits for the long run. To that I say, is there ever a lazy way to lose weight???? It is always a challenge to lose weight and any movement of the scale in the right direction should always be something to celebrate, not put down. Medifast DOES teach you good eating habits so that when you are done losing weight you can easily transition into the rest of your life without gaining back. That is, if you actually see the transition through to the end and do not immediately go back to eating sludge because your are skinny. Medifast teaches you, and your body, to eat smaller meals every 2-3 hours and that right there is a great start. I am at the point now where it is like clockwork with my hunger and it being time to eat, and I feel great now that I am not eating 2-3 over-sized meals per day. Furthermore, you have the ability to eat 1 "real food" meal a day that you have to prepare. The basic guidelines are 3 servings of veggies and 1 serving (5-6oz) of protein. The rest is up to you! That leaves so much room to experiment and even eat out at restaurants if you like, something that I imagine all of us still want to do. Once you get close to the amount of weight you want to lose you start the transition phase where you start eating 2 real meals a day and only 4 Medifast meals (as opposed to the standard 5 MF meals/ 1 real meal). From there, you slowly start adding in foods like fruits, dairy, grains etc back into your diet until you are off plan completely. I know a lot of people that continue to have whatever their favorite Medifast meals are even when they are done with the program because it is so easy to grab and go while getting something satiating and only 100 cals!
Ok, so there is my rant about PRO Medifast diet. I know I personally went for Medifast because there are such an overwhelming number of success stories and positive reviews from real people that you just do not find with any other diets aka. pills, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers etc. Furthermore, Medifast provides you with 100% all the nutrients and nutritional requirements your body SHOULD be getting every single day. This is something that I was terrible at on my own where I would assume that a Lean Cuisine or 100 cal snack packs of your favorite junk food was an acceptable diet.
Medifast is very strict and there is no wiggle room, you are either on plan or not but if you are determined that "this is the time I reach my goals, no excuses" then there is no way this won't work.0
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