Medifast vs Ideal Protein Diet

Hi!
I am currently a Medifast user. I just started officially a week ago. I lost 9 pounds my first week. I really enjoy it and its pretty simple. You eat 5 medifast meals a day plus 1 of your own lean (meat) and green (veggie) meals. There is really great support on this site too to help you decide what meals to order and things like that. I struggled with hunger my first 2 days but now its very routine.

Medifast is a little pricey, HOWEVER if you break it down daily I am spending less now then before on food. Message me if you need any more help with anything!

I have been on IP for exactly 10 weeks today and have lost almost 55 lbs. This is the first "diet" I have ever been on and I expect it to be the last. I have followed the program strictly and have purchased everything through my doctor. It is kind of expensive, but to have my BP go from 150/100 (medicated with 2 pills/day for over 2 years) to 110/60 (no medication since starting) is completely worth it.

Just a thought, is it possible the "it's not healthy to lose weight too fast" message that has been hammered into us is really just to make sure the multi-billion dollar weight lose industry can keep people on their program as long as possible ensuring financial gain?

Just a thought, is it possible the "it's not healthy to lose weight too fast" message that has been hammered into us is really just to make sure the multi-billion dollar weight lose industry can keep people on their program as long as possible ensuring financial gain?

I mean no offense in what I'm about to say. I think this particular mind-set is dangerous. It's good to be skeptical about anything the weight loss industry is pushing... but when their advice lines up with medical advice backed by years of science, you should probably give it credence.

Rapid weight loss stresses the body. There's a concept in science- homeostasis- which pretty much governs your entire physiology. Homeostasis, in lay-man's terms, means keep everything the same (I'm over-simplifying, but I'd prefer not to write a novel). When given a choice, your body will maintain the status quo. Sudden changes will cause stress hormones to sky-rocket. Slow and gentle is better, almost always better.

Of course, if you're morbidly obese, you're risking 'sudden changes' like stroke or heart attack, which will certainly disrupt homeostasis. Your body is SOMETIMES better off if you can lose that weight fast.

And that's why it's best to trust your doctor on this... if you're morbidly obese and he/she says 'let's cut calories to 500/day'... well chances are he/she is concerned about something very serious that justifies a big calorie restriction.

Alternatively, the doctor is a quack and you should find someone new (only you can make that judgement).

One of the biggest problems that I have with a very low calorie diet is that you'll have a hard time getting the nutrients you need to function. That's why I strongly advocate you only try a very low calorie diet with doctor supervision. You need to watch for malnutrition.

It sounds like both of you are... so kudos.

okay so here's the deal, both will work, however they are expensive and i personally know from experience that when you get off the protocol, you can't go back to eating the way you did previously because you will just gain the weight right back. On both, unfortunately yes you will lose the weight fast, however your body will also be canibalizing on some of it's own muscle tissue (don't argue with me because yes it will and i've done my research and been through extensive counseling with nutritionists and medical doctors) along with also utilizing its fat storage. so yes you will lose weight, but you will not really have any muscle tone and yes once you throw back in your carbs and sugars and pizza or whatever, you will start to gain weight back. Sorry for the bad news, but the healthiest and safest way to take it off is the all natural way of exercise and proper nutrition. Medifast and Ideal protein strongly discourage working out while on the programs because you are eating so few calories that you don't even have the energy to work out.

How does the IP taste? I've been doing body by Vi since February and haven't lost weight...thinking about going to the dr. For IP....

I’m doing the Medifast plan, I’ve been on it for 8 months now and I’m down 90 lbs with 10 more to go to hit my goal and keep in mind this is without exercising. I have not tried Ideal Protein but have done some reading on it and it seems like the basic difference is with Medifast you have 5 of their meals a day and a lean & green meal. With Ideal Protein you do 3 of their meals a day and 2 salad or veggie snacks and then a lean & green meal. They are basically the same program but with Ideal Protein you get more salad and veggies. Both programs are based on a protein diet and put your body into a state of ketosis which is where your body turns to stored fat and burns it for energy.

The first month I lost 20 lbs, the second month I lost another 20 lbs and then it started slowing down from there. It makes sense though because in the beginning the stored fat is abundant but as the body burns it and time goes on it becomes harder for the body to find it (this obviously depends on how much extra stored fat the person has and will vary from one person to the next). Once you hit your goal weight then you start reintroducing HEALTHY foods back into your eating. This will be a bit of trial and error as everyone’s metabolism is different so you will need to find out what works for you and then it’s maintaining your weight after that by eating healthy and exercise.

If you go back to the way you ate before the program then you will go back to the weight you were before, this is just common sense. Sure you can have an unhealthy meal like pizza, pasta or whatever once in a wile like every other week but not every other day and you still need to monitor your weight. If you are not burning off the amount of calories you take in then you will gain weight, it’s simple math.

For a month’s supply of Medifast it costs me $330, I tried searching Ideal Protein but it won’t show me the costs so I Googled it and people said they spent between $350-$415 for a month’s supply. Now this does sound like a lot of money but keep in mind you will no longer be dining out like you used to, hitting the fast food drive through or drinking alcohol (at least on the Medifast plan but I imagine you’re not supposed to on the Ideal Protein plan either). The only other food you will be buying is your salad, veggies and lean protein meat. I find I’m probably saving about $40-$60 a month compared to what I was spending before the program.

I went with Mediafast because it has been recommended by over 20,000 dr.’s, been around for 20+ years, I was able to find more information/reviews on it and it seemed to be a little cheaper. I do know a few people who have done the Ideal Protein program and they had success so I don’t think you can go wrong with either one.

what do you do once you have lost all the weight? do they gradually introduce real food and help you with this? that would worry me i guess but good luck and everybody is different so if it works great!

I did Medifast with a coach. I loved the book that is mentioned below. I had struggled to lose weight on so many other programs before I did this one. I have maintained my healthy weight for over a year now. I lost weight with the Medifast food but that was just one part of this program. I learned and implemented healthy habits and took a good hard look at myself. I have a thyroid condition that made me gain weight and I always blamed it on that. When I did the internal work I was able to figure out what part I played in becoming overweight Its not something that just "happened" to me. I learned what my triggers were and learned about my own chices and behaviors. You will learn absolutely nothing from eating meal replacements. If you use them, they will take the burden and stress off of weight loss so that you can do the deeper work and learn about yourself and what changes you need to make. Let me know if you have any questions about the program

I like Ideal protein a bit better than medifast. Eating 5 medifast meals a day feels very artificial. I think Ideal's meals taste a little better. Medifast meals have strong after taste that takes time to get use to. I like ideal for me. Im allergic to alot of foods because I'm allergic to alot of trees, grasses, and molds. When I get off of Ideal protein I break out horribly from wheat and dairy. A vegan diet would probably be best for me. I know people that have lost the weight and kept if off for years on ideal and I know people that have gained it back. When I got off I did gain back but not all of it and only because I ate very badly all the time I also did not go through maintanence. I'm back on plan and my goal is to make it to maintanence. :-)

Medifast Diet Deceptions:
In September , the MLM diet company Medifast (MED), agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle FTC charges of false product claims. These fines are for violating an earlier order to cease and desist from making unsupported weight loss claims. Despite its promotional use of references to doctors and “clients”, most of this company’s revenue is gained from ordinary low calorie packaged food sold by non-medical sales representatives in a multi-level marketing scheme

http://pyramidschemealert.org/2012-round-up-crimes-misdemeanors-and-charges-in-multi-level-marketing/

Filled out the forms and considering Ideal Protein diet. Apparently my metabolism is shot. I can't lose weight no matter what I do, even under 1200 calories a day. I'm not really a veggie eater and would have to eat 4 cups of them a day plus salads. Anyone know where to find Ideal Protein recipes for those yucky veggies? Reading all these posts I'm really on the fence about it. I have to lose 50 lbs and it seems with other's experiences, it wouldn't take long to lose that on IPD, then would have to learn how to eat not to gain it back.

Hi! I am NOT a veggie eater either, but I have found great ways to get it in throughout the day. For example, I just had a salad (lettuce doesn't count) with 1 cup of cucumbers and 1 cup of green peppers. Half way there! Last night for dinner I had a steak with grilled zucchini and peppers. Even though I don't really like veggies, I have learned (even in 3 short weeks) that getting them in is just part of my new way of life. I recommend you check out the forum at 3 Fat Chicks:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ideal-protein-diet-236/

There is a lot of great advice, including recipes and general support for those of us on IP. Good luck!

I did Medifast in 2010, through Take Shape for Life, vs. the much more pricey way of going into a brick and mortar Medifast center.
I lost 70 lbs., in 6 months, and felt and looked so much better! I am hypothyroid, also, have osteoarthritis, too, and within 2 weeks of starting, I felt like a new person. I have been a yo-yo dieter for about 40 years, so this was all amazing to me.
I loved my results, and how easy it was so much, that I became a "health coach" with this program. Many people joined me, friends, mostly, and friends of friends.
September, 2013: 60 of the 70 lbs are back on me. I thought I would never gain it back. Truth is, like others have said, if you don't change permanently, your lifestyle, your way of thinking, your habits, you will gain it back. In Dr. A's book (mentioned in an earlier reply, excellent book), you have a formula on how to figure out maintenance calories. You will forever have to maintain eating this smaller amount of calories, it's true. I did not transition back to adding in regular foods, and going off the pre-packaged meals, and I did not exercise. Both, mistakes. I still think the program is sound, you take in ideally 800-1000 calories a day while on the program. I went to a national conference, and I met MANY people who had maintained their weight loss for years! They honestly do have the goal of getting America healthy. Yes, part of their goal is also making money as health coaches. I quit because the truth is, everyone who needs to lose weight needs support, which at first was fun and I was so excited! Then I found it was exhausting (for me) to be on call all the time, with people's various needs while on program. I wasn't in it for the money, but was spending way too much time away from my family.
This time, I am joining this site, for the mutual support, vs. being the sole support for others. I am planning on a lifestyle change, using both my favorite Medifast foods as some meals, and low carb meals for others. I will exercise the entire time, and once in awhile, allow small, (VERY small) bites/servings of treats at events. I felt too deprived before, and I had the "on a diet" or else "eat whatever I want" plan.
I wish everyone the best, no matter what you choose to do!