Does The Medifast diet work?

nnaannccyyw

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.

Really?! How long did you do it for? You should have given it some time and tasted all the foods they have to offer before giving up. There are millions of people who eat Medifast foods every day and they've found the Medifast foods they like, you aren't a typical case. If you stayed hungry, chances are you didn't make it past the first couple of days, because the first couple of days when your body is transitioning into ketosis, you do feel hungry, but if you stick it out, that passes and it's worth the effort you put into it. If you tally up all the money you spend each month on other unnecessary things, it may cost a bit more; or it may cost a lot less (as is true in my case), but how can you really put a $ sign on becoming healthy, thin and happy? Sorry you didn't work for you like it does for so many people.

nnaannccyyw

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.

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.
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 nutrition

True, but if you are willing to not just do a plan or a "diet" and you are ready and willing to make a lifestyle change (which is what the Medifast plan teaches you to do), you will be one of the success stories. This also applies even for people who are dieting just using myfitnesspal. If they don't make real changes to their life and go back to the way they were eating before, or the things they were doing before losing weight, they will gain it all back.

abbysattic

I'm going to speak positively about Medifast. I started Medifast in October with the goal to lose 20# before Christmas. Day 1 was pretty tough. I was hungry. I recall going to bed that night thinking I had made a mistake and could I actually do this. Day 2 was a lot better and by day 3 there were no cravings at all.

Does the food taste great? No. Is it ok? Absolutely. I like that there are different types of meal replacements, like shakes, cereals and eggs for breakfast, soups and stews for lunch as well as snacks and desserts.

In the past when I've tried to lose weight, never more than 20 or 25 # at a time, I've dropped the weight but I still felt fat. Why? IMO, it's because I replaced all the junk I was eating with other carbs. True, they were healthy carbs, but carbs none the less. I could easily eat an entire bunch of grapes, for example. I should note that when I did WW, I used the core programs, so I never learned about portion control.

Anyway, I'm now 29# less than I was in October. My BMI is 20. I'm 55 AND, my belly fat is gone. I can only attribute it to getting rid of those extra carbs. I've joined a bootcamp class and I love it. I'm eating 6 meals a day, 3 smaller meals PLUS 3 larger healthy snacks. I probably have 1 medifast meal a day still as I'm finishing off my supply.

Yes, it is expensive. But if you stick to the program, it works.

wade78

It does work to some extent but I was miserable when I did it. Also my head wasn't in the game so I struggled to stick to it so i gave up. I can see how these meal replacement diets could work for some people. Personally I've found joining this site, logging what I eat and working out has been the most effective. My weight loss has been slower but I feel more in control of what I do, if that makes any sense.

If you do decide to go on it then make sure you follow the plan to the letter especially when you've reached your goal cos a lot of people put on weight really quickly afterwards. If you are concerned about the costs, some of the meals are available on eBay which are slightly cheaper. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

kr1stadee

wow, 105 lbs in less than 4 months!!

raederr

my opthamalogist recommended it to me, but since it is almost all soy based i couldn't do it since i had breast cancer. his daughter won't do it either. she is a nutritionist and knows that soy for women can cause breast cancer. so ladies just be careful and get your mammo's regularly.

CindyOSG

I currently use medifast as a supplement and have found great success combined with eating right/watching calories. I never used to eat breakfast and would go 5-6 hrs between lunch & dinner so my metabolism was really screwed up. I now have a shake for breakfast and keep the pretzels & cinnamon soy crisps in my desk for the late morning & afternoon snacks. I eat a healthy lunch & dinner so I'm eating "regular food". I have found that having the medifast on hand for snacks keeps me on track a lot easier (Don't eat the cheese pizza bites - they are horrible!) And the ice cream for dessert isn't bad either. I have lost 47lb since September and am currently seeing a dietician - she even agrees that they work well because of the low cal & high fiber/protein content. But like all the other posters stated - he has to be ready and find what works for him!

sandi117

I've learned/heard many times, if it has the word "diet" in it, then it's probably no good in the long run. I've never really heard of Medifast, but from what I've read, it's expensive and disgusting food that puts you at a caloric deficit. If he's determined to lose weight, then he should commit to using MFP, watching his calories, and beginning to exercise. He doesn't need to spend $100's a month to lose weight when he can do it basically for free.

A diet isn't going to keep the weight off. He may lose the weight, but if the diet isn't something he'd be willing to maintain for the rest of his life, then he'd gain it right back. It needs to be a change in lifestyle.

that_Va_chick

Aco worker of mine was on it and lost a massive amount of weight. I really wanted to get on it but couldnt afford the $300 month food on top of the consultation fee which foe me was $1100 dollars from beginning to maintain.

davemacnevin

MEDIFAST IS A MIRACLE PLAN THAT WORKED GREAT FOR ME HOWEVER AFTER I GOT OFF IT I RELAPSED INTO MY OLD HABITS AND DIDNT DO THE MAINTENANCE PLAN . I WAS ON MEDIFAST FOR 6 MONTHS AND LOST 110 POUNDS . I NEVER ONCE CHEATED IN THOSE 6 MONTHS SO IT WORKED AS IT IS ADVERTISED TO DO . I AM NOW BACK ON MEDIFAST FOR THE LAST 4 DAYS AND HAVE DROPPED 9 POUNDS . I AM AIMING AT LOSING ANOTHER 110 POUNDS AND THEN HOPEFULLY I CAN TRANSITION BETTER NEXT .

psuLemon

MEDIFAST IS A MIRACLE PLAN THAT WORKED GREAT FOR ME HOWEVER AFTER I GOT OFF IT I RELAPSED INTO MY OLD HABITS AND DIDNT DO THE MAINTENANCE PLAN . I WAS ON MEDIFAST FOR 6 MONTHS AND LOST 110 POUNDS . I NEVER ONCE CHEATED IN THOSE 6 MONTHS SO IT WORKED AS IT IS ADVERTISED TO DO . I AM NOW BACK ON MEDIFAST FOR THE LAST 4 DAYS AND HAVE DROPPED 9 POUNDS . I AM AIMING AT LOSING ANOTHER 110 POUNDS AND THEN HOPEFULLY I CAN TRANSITION BETTER NEXT .

First, typing in all caps means yelling. Second, if Medifast truly worked for you, then you wouldn't have relapse, in my opinion. The reason most diets fail is because they don't teach you how or what to eat. If you learn from day one, what and how much to eat, your long term success or diet adherence will be much greater.

KnM0107

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.

IMHO, your husband is going to have to change his attitude before anything works. Weightloss is hard work and until he learns that he has to stick with something and not give up, he will just continue to throw money away on "miracles".

psuLemon

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.

IMHO, your husband is going to have to change his attitude before anything works. Weightloss is hard work and until he learns that he has to stick with something and not give up, he will just continue to throw money away on "miracles".

Just a heads up, this is year old thread, lol..

KnM0107

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.

IMHO, your husband is going to have to change his attitude before anything works. Weightloss is hard work and until he learns that he has to stick with something and not give up, he will just continue to throw money away on "miracles".

Just a heads up, this is year old thread, lol..

Ha! Thanks! I had a long work day... I should probably just go to bed lol!

walkdmc

LOL, sorry for the bump, I typed a long response then read this was an old thread.