My husband wants to do Medifast

some people just need to make their own mistakes. If his mind is made up there is nothing you can do to change it.

The food tastes like CRAP. I did it for about 2 months (and lost 15 pounds) but I started falling off the wagon and wanting to do insanity so I started eating clean and working out. When I would try to go back on medifast I couldn't STAND the food. You can only fool yourself into thinking that "it tastes OK..." for so long IMO.

however, I'm all but convinced it's just another, EXPENSIVE, gimmick that can't be sustained in real life once the weight comes off. I don't know though. A chick on a radio show he listens to is doing it and has lost like 130 in a year and he's convinced that if Ruth66 can do it then it's exactly perfect for him too. He really has a problem with self control though. UGHHHHHH. Sorry just wanted to vent a little. Maybe I'm totally off base, too; anyone want to try to enlighten me as to why/how Medifast could actually work? For the record, he's 5'6.5" and somewhere over 300 pounds, I don't know how long it's been since he's been on a scale...

edited to clarify a couple things

OMG Ruth66!!!! she used to do traffic for Dave Shelly and Chainsaw when I lived in SD~~~ what memories...
sorry this has nothing to do with the post - but it made me smile

I did Medifast for a couple months. I lost 12 pounds in 6 weeks, which is no faster than if I was watching what I ate & exercising. I do think it is healthy, since you get all your daily nutrition from the food. It was easy (grab & go). I spent about $265 per month on it. You have to watch it, they send you the next month's shipment (and charge you) after 2-2.5 weeks. I was sick to death of the food after 3 weeks. The bars & shakes were best. I think it's hard to transition from it, because it's not food you can make on your own. I certainly wouldn't do it again. The program is really designed to be on it forever (at a maintanence level, eating less of their food & more real food).

I think that this chick from the radio, ruth66 or whatever her name is, is probably paid by the company to talk about how great the product is. There are also doctors out there who suggest the product because they are getting paid to do so as well. I have never tried medifast, but I have tried others and although you can pick up better eating habits from those sort of products, they have never worked in the long run for me. As far as eating habits go, being on this site has educated me far more about eating properly and controlling my portions more that any product out there and it's free! Also, look at all of the success stories that are on here and all by eating real food and incorporating exercise into your daily life. You should suggest for your husband to come on to this site and to see a nutritionist, one that is more concerned about their patients' welfare than selling a product. I work in advertising and I've seen all sorts of ads for products that claim to help you lose weight and its really sad in my opinion. To those companies, we are nothing but fat walking dollar signs.

I would do it. (I looked into the plan for a bit in late December and decided not to. (I'm cheap))

But the key here is that he WANTS to. The hardest part of a diet, IMO, is starting one. He wants to start this one.

Let him.

If he gets sick of it, switch him to a different plan at that point, but let him get some weight lost and increased motivation from this. IMO, it's better to start something that might not be ideal than to do nothing at all. Which might be the choice you have.

I've been on the Take Shape for Life plan since May. I think it is very good, and of course, doesn't fit for everyone. I have tried Weight WAtchers and a bunch of other stuff, and nothing has worked for me until this. Some of the food is great, some is not so great. It depends on your taste, of course. The great thing is that the food has all the nutrients you need for the day (minus your lean and green meal). I think it's very manageable, and the support option is great (and free...yes, really free.)

I am a real person and if you want to message me about it, I'll be happy to share any info with you.

If he wants more direction and structure, would he consider seeing a dietician instead? I've not had experience with this, but it certainly seems like it would be a better use of money than Medfast----maybe health insurance would pay for some of it, if he is obese and his doctor has health concerns about his weight?

I am a Registered Dietitian, and a Certified Health Coach with Take Shape For Life. Let me first tell you that I DO get paid by TSFL to coach my clients. A person who goes on the Medifast diet, will get diet results which means they will lose weight and 85% of them will gain the weight back within 2 years, just like any other diet. When someone uses the TAKE SHAPE FOR LIFE PROGRAM, they will use the same eating plan for weight loss (medifast meals five times a day and one Lean and Green meal that they prepare themselves) HOWEVER they will be using program materials (book) and a coach to help learn to recognize their habits of disease and create new habits of health. It is a whole different mindset based on the desire to create health in one's life and make permanent changes vs. "going on a medifast diet"
Also, w TSFL, the coach walks the client through a transition phase where Medifast meals are decreased and "regular food" is increased. The coach then walks the client through maintenance but by this time the client is armed with knowledge and mind set changes. THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE! People who utilize the Habits of Health System and a health coach are more likely to keep their weight off long term because they did not simply go "on a diet" The KEY is that the client must be ready to change their life and must be willing to create health. Not everyone is ready for that. I have had clients refuse to read the book, and kept the diet mentality and I do not feel they will keep the weight off forever; but the clients who choose health, and embrace the entire program do really well long term!

My dad is doing Medifast. It is just a VLCD high in protein and low carb. He's lost like 33lbs in 5 weeks and his blood pressure is down and can breathe better, so for now the pros outweigh the cons. He needed to lose weight, but I have no idea how he can maintain this. I think he started out between around 275lbs and is 5'10 and 61 years old. He was super gung-ho the first two weeks, but by week three he was feeling fatigued and "never quite full nor quite hungry."

I am a bit suspicious of the information they're giving him. He said they told him to MAINTAIN his starting weight, he must have been consuming 1800 calories. Go to any BMR/TDEE calculator, and that is waaay off. He scoffed when I told him I lose weight eating 1800 calories a day. Since he's seeing fast progress he doesn't want to listen to what anyone else says for now.

He's also very cranky. I would be too trying to eat 1000-1200 calories a day as a grown male. He was instructed not to exercise for a few weeks because he would be eating too little.

The meals he has to eat look pretty pathetic. I just spent a week at their place and so he went slightly off plan because we had a lot of dinners out (but still ate those Medifast bars for breakfast and most lunches) and he gained 2lbs just from the one week alone. So, I suspect as soon as he goes off plan, it will come back just as fast.

Long story short, it might be ok to consider if you are very heavy and have health problems from your weight that outweigh the cons of using a VLCD. But keep in mind it's expensive and restrictive.