Medifast..... safe or stupid???

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angeleyes2u78
angeleyes2u78 Posts: 23 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey got a question for ya'll..... I was looking into doing a medifast system diet.... not that I honestly have the money to do so, but one of my friends has had great success on it, however everytime she comes off it she seems to gain all her weight back.... I wanted to know your opinion on it, are those types of weight loss programs safe??? or are they just stupid...... I personally think that it is safer learning about food and nutrition and eating on your own so you know how to do it as you succeed in weight loss, others dont think like I do..... so..... now its your turn... safe or stupid, and please be cautious and courteous in your responses because there may be some on here that do that program and I would never put anything up to hurt them in any way... so please just stay respectful with what we say....
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  • cutie2b
    cutie2b Posts: 194 Member
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    My friend did it too, and gained back the weight. I think it's an very low calorie diet < 1200 calories. I don't want to do something that I can't maintain. Yo-Yo dieting is worse for your health then just staying your current weight.
  • pitbullmama
    pitbullmama Posts: 454 Member
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    Not sure what Medifast is but over the years I have spent a small fortune on popular weight loss programs(which shall remain nameless). All the weight came back and more. why?... because I didn't learn to eat properly. Save your money, You are right in your thinking of learning to eat properly and excercise.
  • rjt1000
    rjt1000 Posts: 700 Member
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    Hey got a question for ya'll..... I was looking into doing a medifast system diet.... not that I honestly have the money to do so, but one of my friends has had great success on it, however everytime she comes off it she seems to gain all her weight back.... I wanted to know your opinion on it, are those types of weight loss programs safe??? or are they just stupid...... I personally think that it is safer learning about food and nutrition and eating on your own so you know how to do it as you succeed in weight loss, others dont think like I do..... so..... now its your turn... safe or stupid, and please be cautious and courteous in your responses because there may be some on here that do that program and I would never put anything up to hurt them in any way... so please just stay respectful with what we say....

    from what I've seen, medifast does exactly what this website pushes, healthy eating, lower calories more exercise. But medifast packages the healthy foods for you in a convenient manner. They've got a major marketing process with Clear Channel radio, that's for sure. I read up on it and talked with a local radio guy who's lost 90 pounds in the past year on it. Sounds healthy. But I eat pretty much the same way without buying my meals from medifast. I don't know if what I buy at the grocery store is cheaper or not. Reason the guy I talked to was happy with it is that he works long long hours and he doesn't have to worry about meal prep and grocery shopping, etc.
  • sizzle92
    sizzle92 Posts: 1,015 Member
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    My friend works for them and the product changed his life as well. He and his girlfriend work together for them and they are such advocates! And they are both extremely fit and healthy. If used right, I feel it can be a great product!
  • hallensd
    hallensd Posts: 16 Member
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    My mother-in-law and sister-in-law both used Medifast to lose weight a few years back. My mother-in-law lost 80 some pounds and my sister-in-law lost over 100 pounds. They both were able to maintain their weight loss even after they stopped using the program.

    It is all about eating right and portion control. I think that Medifast can really help people learn those things and as long as they continue to so on their own then they can maintain. It just depends on the individual. As someone said, if you don't change your habits and go back to your old ways you will fail any diet.

    I, personally, would just stick to eating right on my own. I don't like the idea of the prepackaged meals but I understand it is convenient for some and they wouldn't be able to be successful without a program like that. I don't think the program is bad at all but definitely not for me.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    Expensive.

    And, IMHO, paying a lot (WW, Medifast, etc.) for something you can get for FREEEEEE (MFP) is........your term...........stupid.
  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
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    ive b een on it, lost a grip of weight really quick.....but started to notice my skin was getting dry, as well as my hair. I knew a lady who lost 130 pounds on it and looked like a skinny dead version of herself.....lost a LOT of her hair, her skin was gray and she looked mal nutritioned all the time.....

    Fat is good for you, carbs are good for you, when you take those two out of a diet, sure you will lose weight, but are you willing to lose the othe benifits they give you? plus i love real food, not microwaved eggs and poop soup (thats what i called their chicken noodle soup*don't get it*)

    I still have some medifast stuff that i will use as a meal replacement, like ill have a bar for lunch if i have a busy day at work, or eat one of the snacks...but being on a diet like that over time can make someone go crazy. And you aren't allowed to eat any fruit whatsoever until you get to goal weight...and you aren't allowed to drink even one glass of wine AT ALL
  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
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    or something you can do is make egg white omlettes for youself in the morning, 2 hours later have one of their shakes, have a bar for lunch along with a salad filled with veggies, and for dinner have whatever you want in moderation(i got so tired of the "lean and green" meal) and then have a medifast snack for dinner.
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
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    I found it was hard to maintain. I did lose over 30 lbs in one month so that rocked. But then I just couldn't do the shakes anymore so I stopped and put all of it back on because it didn't teach me anything.

    It is basically a 1200 cal or less diet that is low carb. You can do that on your own just watching your carb intake and cals.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    it's stupid unless you're absolutely willing to eat that same way for the rest of your life.

    i think the danger with things like that is that it encourages yo-yo dieting which in turns screws up your metabolism which makes it easier for you to gain weight. it's all about eating and portion control, so you dont need their system to achieve that. you can do it for free yourself.
  • angeleyes2u78
    angeleyes2u78 Posts: 23 Member
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    Very very safe. I was put on Medifast by my doctor when I became pre-diabetic. I was 25 years old and I weighed 230 pounds. I lost 105 pounds in 9 months. I have been maintaining my weight loss for one year. I go up and down a few pounds, but stay right between 125 and 135 with no problems. With that being said; If you do not learn how to eat properly NO diet will work. If you lose all the weight and go back to unhealthy eating habits you will gain back all of the weight.

    So as long as you learn to eat healthy and proper you should be fine.. you are back on normal foods???? that is what I am worried about with my friend she had the gastric bypass done and is still on medifast..... where as that may not be a problem, i dont feel she is properly learning what she needs to eat and not eat because she is on the medifast system... i dunno I am not a doctor just a friend....
  • angeleyes2u78
    angeleyes2u78 Posts: 23 Member
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    My friend works for them and the product changed his life as well. He and his girlfriend work together for them and they are such advocates! And they are both extremely fit and healthy. If used right, I feel it can be a great product!

    see I think I need to talk to someone who is like that... I am just so wishy washy... nothing in my lifetime has ever worked.... and I feel that what I am doing right now is not working either however I am trusting it is and just waiting for the results to show....
  • angeleyes2u78
    angeleyes2u78 Posts: 23 Member
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    Thanks everyone for your input.... much what I felt as well..... To all who use or have used it I applaude you... and keep up the good work.. i am so glad something worked for you... as for me ... I just dont think I have the income to support it..... Will stick to low fat, low carb and workin out....=-)
  • hbunting86
    hbunting86 Posts: 952 Member
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    I'm really against fad diets - and would class this as one of them.

    With any diet you're always going to get the 'success stories' - it's how they promote the product after all.

    My general principle is that it didn't take five minutes to put the weight on, so it certainly isn't going to take five minutes to lose it. Diets that DO allow you to lose weight at a rapid pace are, in my opinion bad, as you don't *really* learn the principles behind losing and maintaining way in a natural and healthy way for your body. Also, exercise is half of weight loss. Diets that claim to allow you to lose weight without putting in any exercise are ridiculous, as exercise is so important in terms of cardiovascular health - and it benefits every major system in the body.

    I'd stick with what you're doing. Weight loss is a journey to a new way of living - and once you learn those principles in the right manner, you'll never want to fall back into old habits again as these will be your new habits. It just takes patience, perseverance and some perspiration! :)

    Good luck!
  • Akijade
    Akijade Posts: 210 Member
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    Medifast is expensive and tastes like crap. My mom tried it and stuck with it for like 3 days, then pawned it all off on me. I, in turn, pawned it off on someone else who swore by the program. More power to her, I guess...
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
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    Eat nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks in sensible portions, drink plenty of water, and move your body.

    That's what worked for me, anyway. :)
  • sr1958
    sr1958 Posts: 1 Member
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    My nephew works for them. He is into nutrition and body building and things of that sort. He is very aware of the pros and cons. I may do it for 4 weeks just to boost my weight loss. You can do it on your own, just consume less than 1200 calories per day. this is why you lose weight. But you have to be careful. Once you boost your weight loss, by losing several pounds, then you need to stick to a healthy diet. I try to stay under 1500 calories per day. Only eat out once per week, and watch wat I eat. thats it. I will do this for only 4 weeks, then go back to my regular food. He says it has all the nutrients and supplements you need. So I will see how it works.
  • smn76237
    smn76237 Posts: 318 Member
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    My dad did Medifast last year, lost about 65-70lbs, but it was sooooo restrictive that by Christmas he had gone COMPLETELY off the wagon and was eating anything and everything in sight that he had deprived himself of the entire year. (He has gained much of that weight back in a very short time frame). He was also consuming 1000-1200 calories on the program and was told not to exercise at first because he was eating so little. Pretty much all of their products you eat contain soy. Will you lose weight? Yes. Will you lose weight fast? Yes. Will you keep it off? The odds are not in your favor.

    Meanwhile, you could just use MFP (which is free!), track what you're eating, eat at a reasonable caloric deficit, and not feel like you either have to be "on" or "off" a diet.
  • neve013
    neve013 Posts: 1
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    I've looked up the medifast diet. I don't understand it...no matter how much I read about it. Do you not cook much and just eat prepackaged stuff and there shakes. I was wanting to doo my own version.

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