Wednesday 20 January 2010

My Medifast Weight Loss Program Review (By Lindsey Price)

I get a lot of questions from folks who are considering the Medifast weight loss program and are trying to do some research to see if this program would be a good fit for them. They have very specific questions to which they want the definitive answers. They want to know what their experiences will be like. They wonder If their lives will change very much. They want to be sure that they are going to get to eat at least some decent tasting foods so that they aren't constantly hungry or irritable. And, they want to make sure that this program is actually going to work for them so that they aren't wasting their money or their time. I'll share my experiences on this program in the following article and give you my somewhat biased review of it.
Medifast Food Choices, Taste, Texture, And Everything Else: If there was one thing that I really wanted to know about this program, it was the food. After all, you'll have to live with these foods for a decent amount of time since you are eating five of the meals per day. Overall, most of the foods are pretty acceptable tasting. You have a decent amount of variety, with over 70 food choices. The shakes especially are good without any chalky texture. (There are also some different health options. For example, there is a diabetic program, a heart health option, a joint heath plan, and a metabolism boosting package. However, I find that most people just go with the basic women's program.)
No matter which plan you chose, you're asked to eat six small meals each day. This sounds like a lot, but the meals are pretty small and because they come mostly ready to eat, this isn't too difficult to achieve and it does help to keep you from getting as hungry as you may fear. Of course, this does take a bit of an adjustment period for most people who are only used to eating your typical breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It probably took me about a week before I stopped worrying about when I was going to eat or how I was going to fit it in. It just became a habit somewhat quickly and I learned to chose and then assemble my meals ahead of time so that all I really had to do was heat them up or blend them as needed and then eat them.
Now, you are asked to make a decent sized healthful meal each day (called the "lean and green meal.") This is because they want you to get fresh foods and because they also want you to learn how to plan for and prepare healthy meals since you probably won't be on the diet forever. They are pretty good about providing clear guidelines, but when it comes to actually cooking this meal, you're on your own. However, this is really just lean protein and three veggies and there are many quick ways that you can achieve this. If you like to cook though, you can make this more elaborate.
Does The Medifast Program Really Work? How Quickly Does The Weight Come Off?: I was pleasantly surprised at my results. It's been a rare occurrence that I haven't lost at least some weight. For the most part, I've averaged well over 5 pounds per week, at least in the beginning. Lately, I've stabilized to around 2 -3 pounds each week, but the percentage is probably the same as I become smaller and smaller. I believe that there are a few reasons why this program is so effective.
First, since you are eating so often, you're less likely to cheat or become so hungry so that you'll need to over eat. Second, this diet is a high protein one. This forces your body to burn it's own fat which will often give you pretty quick results. Finally, they teach you to make sound choices via the "lean and green meal." This will serve you well as you begin to transition to regular eating again.
Is Medifast Expensive? Is It A Good Value?: Over time, I've come to believe that this diet really is pretty inexpensive. You basically get enough food to eat five times per day for a whole month at the base price of $300. This is good, but the company regularly offers discounts, coupons and specials that can get this down to around $8 per day - sometimes less when you get free food as well. I really could not do any better than this if I had to buy groceries. And, I've tried diets in the past where I purchased and made my own diet foods. They were not as successful because I was not able to put myself in ketosis. I've tested this theory several times using ketone strips and Medifast always wins in terms of convenience, results, and cost effectiveness.
Lindsey Price is the author of the free ebook "Getting The Most Out Of Medifast," which includes the coupons and discounts listed in this article, a list of all of the food options, detailed information about the diet and how it works, it's pros and cons, having success on it, and recipes for it. To get a free copy (immediate download/no information required), click here. You can also visit her diet review website at http://easiest-diet.com/medifast
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MediFast Weight Loss Program Results - What is Possible?

The MediFast diet is one of the more popular diets in the world and also one with a long track record as it has been around for over 25 years and has been used by over a million people. I normally don't recommend low calories diets, and the MediFast program is indeed a low calorie weight loss plan. However, it is also one of the only diets which has been clinically researched and has been recommended by thousands of doctors over the years.
You can expect to lose 2-5 lbs for each week that you follow the MediFast weight loss program. The weight loss rate may differ from one week to the next, but a Johns Hopkins University study of this weight loss plan showed that males lose 67 pounds on average with this diet, while women slightly less at around 57 pounds. This is the weight loss averages of the test group, so yours may be slightly different, but the overall pictures is very positive indeed.
In addition to the impressive results of MediFast, it is also a rather comfortable diet to follow. You should expect the first week to be a little hard because your body will have to become accustomed to the new plan, but because this diet has its own meal replacements which you order by mail, you don't have to waste a lot of time shopping or cooking too much.
Another thing which is good about MediFast is that they have special products for maintaining your weight loss once you reach your target weight. Of course, you will need to continue leading a healthy lifestyle once you've lost all the weight that you like, but it's good to have professional support.
Overall, a lot of people had tremendous success with MediFast. It is a program you should consider if you have a lot to lose.
To read more about this program, visit this webpage:MediFast Weight Loss Program.
John Davenport lost over 30 pounds in his twenties after being overweight most of his life. He now runs a weight loss forum and publishes an online diet and fitness newsletter. To read his review of the best diet plans, click here: http://fitfirmbody.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Davenport

Medifast Diet Review - Your Guide to Weight Loss

A good Medifast diet review is something that is informative and balanced. The purpose of this Medifast diet review is to let the people know about the positive and the negative sides of the diet program in order to help them make a decision whether the diet is perfect for them and if it suits their own preferences and needs.
In general, the advantage of Medifast diet against some diet plans today is the fact that it has gone through various clinical tests and has been suggested by thousands of doctors. This diet consists of meal plans that are particularly designed to fit the needs of men and women as well as people who have diabetes. According to researches and evaluation from people who have tried the diet plan, Medifast can effectively help them lose two to five pounds in one week. This totals to twenty pounds in one month, which is an effective weight loss for a short period of time.
The meal plan of Medifast plan consists of convenient pre-packaged meals that are packed with proteins and low in fats and carbohydrates. These replacement foods have eight hundred to one thousand calories each day. Furthermore, there is a wide range of foods to choose from, giving you the freedom to eat the foods you want. The diet is also reasonably priced and can be easily delivered right in front of your doorstep. Medifast plan provides comprehensive maintenance plan in order to make things a lot easier for everyone. With its six meals a day strategy, you will never feel starved.
This Medifast diet review will also show you that replacement foods should not always involve bars and shakes only. The Medifast diet plan is comprised of bars, shakes, puddings and soups. For the six meal plan, you need to eat five replacement foods and one 'lean and green meal' that you have to prepare. This way, you will be able to lessen your consumption of carbohydrates and improve your weight loss.
For more information on Medifast, visit the Medifast Diet Review site.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Main

Medifast Diet Program - Does it Work?

The purpose of this article is to answer the question "is the Medifast diet a good diet for most people?". This will be achieved by sharing common experiences, opinions, and feelings about it. If you are considering this diet as a weight loss solution over the Christmas and New Year period, this article will help you make your decision.
The Medifast weight loss program places your body in a metabolic state called ketosis. This is when your body is deceived into turning on itself and burning its own fat reserves. That's the reason you eat so often on this diet. It keeps your metabolism regularly burning fat over a longer period of time than can be achieved on many of the fad diets.
The Medifast diet is an incredible way to lose weight and to keep the weight off for the long-term. Not only can it help you to drop the pounds, it also can help you if you are experiencing physical health problems such as diabetes. Diabetics regularly need to lose weight in order to preserve their health. However, since it is also essential to eat certain types of food because of the way your body creates insulin, it can be difficult to settle on the best way to lose weight.
This diet has a wide variety of comprehensive meal plans and an extremely helpful support structure. You are likely to find that losing weight with Medifast is much easier than any other diet you may have tried previously. If you're ready to finally get the weight off, be sure to read as much information in advance. Make sure to consult your physician before taking the plunge into better health for you and your family's future happiness.
The Medifast company points out that on it's popular 5 plus 1 plan it is common to lose two to five pounds per week. On the upper end, you may lose up to 20 pounds in 1 month. If you're on the very lower end, you may lose approx 8 pounds. Either way, these figures show that's you can achieve your goals with this diet. Most people would be very happy with these results. If you lost "only" eight pounds per month steadily, that would be 96 pounds in a years time, or 48 pounds in six months. For overweight and morbidly obese people, this is enormously life changing.
Are you still asking yourself the question "is the Medifast diet regime a good diet or not?". The answer is a definite yes. Medifast is the finest diet and weight loss system this author has seen in action, in terms of ease of use, convenience, and effectiveness. It has become a way of life now for so many people struggling daily with grind of being overweight or obese.
Coupons-Select has all the latest medifast coupons. If you are considering this diet, you'll find every medifast coupon to get the best possible deal. We hope you have enjoyed this article.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Calvin_Leonard

My Medifast Weight Loss Success

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In January of 2008 I got a wake up call. One of my business mentors had looked me in the eye and said "How can you expect people to respect you as a successful leader if you cannot control your weight?"
Ouch!
That hurt!
But it also challenged me to get off my "fat" ass and take action. And I did...at 265lbs, I began to eat healthy and follow the weight-loss program shared in the turbo Protein Diet. Within 3 months, I lost 35lbs but gained 20 of that back over the summer months that followed. Still motivated, I began to search for other options. And that is when I met Lynette Patterson. And the results were dramatic.
Thanks to the guided weight-loss program under the coaching and guidance of Lynette Patterson, I successfully lost 74lbs. in a period of just 4 months. I began the program at 249lbs. and am now maintaining a weight of 174lbs. Looking back, I still can't believe how easy or how fast it was. The best part though has to be how easy maintaining my new weight has been. When I met Lynette, we discussed my weight history and I shared how I had always been a chubby boy and how my eating habits from childhood had eroded my digestive system leaving me with severe acid reflux. At that time, I was taking Nexium daily just to be comfortable. I shared with Lynette my fear of becoming sick and how I realized that being overweight would ultimately lead to other health issues that were even more serious than my indigestion. I clearly remember bragging to Lynette how healthy I was and how she looked at me with sad eyes and explained that I wasn't healthy at all, that I was just "non-sick". Then she brightened up when she began explaining how her program could reverse all that.
And reverse it did.
The final motivating reason for wanting to lose weight was one a little more personal. About 6 weeks before beginning the program, my wife and I decided to end our marriage after 21 years. And while I knew that was the right decision, I was also facing a harsh reality?attractive single women were not looking for a man who was overweight. They were looking for someone slim or athletic and fit, and that wasn't me. Even though I had convinced myself that I looked damn-good for my weight...that I carried it well and was just a big boy, the truth was that, by definition, I was obese and that was likely NOT going to help me in the dating scene.
To say the least, my life was changed forever.
So what was the result of this weight-loss journey? Well, as you can imagine, losing so much weight in so little time has a huge effect on my wardrobe! Consider this: I dropped from a size 42 pants to size 32. Where I use to wear size XXL shirts, I now wear size Medium, and my sport jacket size is now 44L compared to the huge size 52L previously. These are pretty dramatic changes for me, and I honestly LOVE it! Yeah, it meant having to completely replace ALL my clothes (even my flip-flops were too fat and I had to throw them away) and that cost some money, but am I complaining? Hell no?look at me...I'm skinny...finally! I haven't weighed what I weigh now since I was in my early '20s?and I'm turning 47 in just a few days (at the time of this writing). In just 4 months, I erased the weight-gain effects in my body that had challenged me for years and years.
And, I have to think about what I saved in terms of money. Not only did I save tons of money each day because the cost of my food bill reduced so dramatically, but I'll never know the true saving my new found health has provided me. When I think about the cost of the medication I no longer have to take, the heart surgery I will no longer need, and the cancer therapy I have likely navigated around, I'm grateful. It truly is money in the bank! I have to admit, it feels great to have others notice the change?and it's easy to notice. Here are just a few of my stories?
One day recently I was checking in for a flight, and the woman at the ticket counter asked for my ID. I handed her my driver's license and she said, "Oh my goodness? You have lost a lot of weight! You look great!" She noticed just from the headshot on my driver's license.
I was a speaker for an event both last year and this year and the people there were stunned, shocked and amazed at my transformation. Some even posted pictures because I looked so radically different.
I've had good friends pass me by and I've had great fun watching their face register the surprise of my new skinny self. My uncle didn't even recognize, walked right by me asking where Tony was.
It's been a great feeling to be able to tell my story, and it happens all the time. My experience has also inspired others to achieve the same results I have...and they are!
And now I want you to have the same type of results!
You can learn more at: http://tonysweightlosssuccess.com/
Tony Laidig is an entreprenuer, speaker, author and successful businessman whose life has changed dramatically since experiencing massive weightloss. He is passionate about helping others experience and achieve the same lasting results he has, and shares his discoveries and successes at http://tonysweightlosssuccess.com/.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_Laidig

HOME :: Health-and-Fitness / Popular-Diets Nutrisystem vs. MediFast - A Comparison of Two Popular Diet Plans, Nutrisystem & MediFast

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You may have decided that using a diet meal replacement plan or diet food plan would be the easiest way for you to lose weight. However, there are so many plans available; you may not know which program would work the best for you. In this article I will compare two very popular diet food, meal replacement plans Nutrisystem and MediFast. These diet plans may seem similar, although once you read about each plan, you will find they are very different.
Nutrisystem Overview:
Nutrisystem offers prepackaged, pre-portioned diet meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks. You are advised to add fresh vegetables, fruits, salads to lunch, and dinner meals. The meals are low calorie, yet nutritionally sound with the added fresh fruit and vegetables. The diet meals are based on low glycemic, good carbs, with the right amount of protein and fiber that your body needs for increased fat and calorie burning.
The Nutrisystem program also offers a free weight loss community website where you can get free diet counseling, weight loss tips and community website where your weight loss endeavors.
Nutrisystem advises if you eat their prepackaged diet meals and follow their plan, you can potentially lose 1 to 3 pounds a week.
MediFast Overview:
MediFast offers prepackaged diet meal replacement foods including shakes, soups, bars, pudding, drinks and cereals. Their name basically sums up how their plan works; you are “fasting” most of the day. Their most popular program is the 5 and 1 diet program where you eat 5 MediFast meals a day and 1 low calorie, low fat meal you cook and prepare yourself. Their plan is designed to be calorie deficient (between 800 – 1000 calories a day), thereby allowing your body to use fat for energy.
MediFast also offers a free weight loss community website where you can get diet support, weight loss tips, diet recipes and more.
MediFast advises if you follow their 5 in 1 diet program and use their diet meal replacements you can potentially lose up to 20 pounds in a month.
The Cost:
Nutrisystem costs about $11 a day, $77 a week and $308 a month plus shipping, although if you choose their auto-ship program, you will get a discount and a free week of diet meals and free shipping.
MediFast costs about $10 a day, $70 a week or $275 a month if you order one of their 4-week variety packages.
Both Nutrisystem and MediFast offer a money back guarantee minus shipping if you choose to return unopened packages of the diet meals within 30 days.
The Difficulty:
Nutrisystem: Using the Nutrisystem diet meals for weight loss should be an easy transition since you will be eating regular meals and snacks. You may find the calorie reduction in the meals leave you hungry or not satisfied. The convenience of the prepackaged, very little preparation of the diet meals should make the program easier to follow. Staying on the diet for a long term may become difficult because of the lower calorie intake makes you feel unsatisfied. The taste of the foods (which will be discussed next) may also be hard to enjoy.
MediFast: Transitioning to the MediFast meal replacement plan may be difficult at first since you will be replacing most of your meals with a meal replacement shake, soup or bar. Sometimes a drastic change in your eating habits can be a bonus because it may give you a greater feeling of dieting control. Staying on the diet for a long term may be very difficult because of the monotony of replacing 5 meals a day with the MediFast foods and the taste of the foods.
The Taste:
Nutrisystem: There are reports and reviews throughout the internet regarding the taste of Nutrisystem’s diet meals. Some people rave about the taste (although these “raves” may be biased if the person is promoting the program), and many people absolutely hate the taste of the diet meals. On average, many Nutrisystem dieters report they have favorite diet meals, while some suffer through the taste of the meals because of the convenience of the program and the weight loss achieved. Recently, Nutrisystem listened to their customers and introduced many new “better tasting” diet meals that may be more palatable.
MediFast: There are also mixed reviews on the taste of MediFast meal replacements. On average, many MediFast dieters report that the tastes of the meal replacement foods are “okay,” not overly tasty, yet good enough to stay on the diet program to achieve weight loss goals.
Conclusion:
Nutrisystem diet meal plan is a convenient, diet food program that offers a membership site with diet counseling and diet tips. The transition to using their diet foods should not be too difficult since it is recommended to eat 5 diet meals a day supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables. Since the diet meals should be less calories than you normally eat, and designed to increase your body’s ability to burn fat, you can expect to lose 1 to 3 pounds a week. The diet plan may work best for you who may need a support group for weight loss, yet are too busy to shop for and prepare diet meals, and don’t have time to continually analyze food calories and fat grams.
MediFast diet meal replacement program is also a convenient weight loss program that offers a community website where, diet support and tips. The transition to using their diet meal replacements 5 times a day may be difficult. Yet, it may also help many dieters resolve to stay on the diet plan since the results may be realized fast with up to 20 pounds lost in the first month. The diet program may work best for you who need to lose a significant amount of weight. In addition, it can also work well for those who desire convenient meal replacements, yet also wish to prepare a fresh meal once a day.
By Michelle Dixon, Copyright 2007. Michelle Dixon writes about many different types of health and fitness subjects. For more information regarding weight loss and free dieting tips please see http://www.weightlosswonderz.com/weightlosstips/.
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Medifast Weight Loss Program - Quick, Safe, and Easy

Overweight people get less attention than skinny ones do. Blame it on the society for excluding overweight from the image of what is beautiful. On the other hand, dieters must pay attention to the health risks of too much fat in the body. Dieters should not be so eager to lose weight that they nonchalantly enter a weight loss program and compromise their health. How long does it take to be in the program? Is it safe? Is it not bothersome? Nowadays, there is a name that is making its reputation in the field of losing weight- Medifast. Why is this weight loss program said to be quick, safe, and easy?
Aside from heart diseases, being overweight, more often than not, leads to inferiority complex. Before things get worse, overweight people must get rid of the ugly excessive fats in the body quickly, safely, and easily. The major purpose of losing weight is to maintain or regain health. Joining a weight loss program must enable dieters not just to look good but also to be physically and psychologically stronger. That is why it has to be 100% guaranteed safe. Before availing of a weight loss program, dieters should research about its possible side effects. Just like Medifast with its low-fat low-carb meals still equipped with necessary nutrients the body needs, make sure that the program does not emaciate the body and compromise health.
With a slimmer figure, a once overweight person can gain more confidence as well as a healthier body. A diet plan must not curb dieters' appetite and ask them to keep a bothersome diet diary and calorie count record. This is how the Medifast weight loss program works. The meals are mailed directly to the dieters so it is very convenient. The dieters are asked to eat 6 meals a day- no calorie count record required. 5 of the meals are chosen from more than 70 choices and 1 lean and green meal, a combination of lean meat and vegetables. It is easy to prepare these meals so it is not much of a hassle.
It is a stupid thing to not eat just to get rid of those unwanted fats. As a matter of fact, studies show that those who skip breakfast are fatter than those who do not. This is the very idea of the Medifast weight loss program, which guarantees 3 to 5 lbs weight loss for women and 4 to 6 lbs for men within one week. In a short span of time, dieters need to eat the proper meals in order to lose weight. Eating the proper meals must not compromise the dieter's taste, too. A diet plan must offer a wide variety of choices.
Losing weight is no laughing matter. Nevertheless, it must be quick, safe, and easy. Needless to say, most people agree that health is still more important than beauty. Dieters need not to suffer from weight loss side effects, the hassle of monitoring calories, and waiting for a long time to get results. There are quick, safe, and easy weight loss programs out there such as Medifast.
Jenny Jamison is a weight loss specialist and counselor for Medifast. She is an expert in healthy diet, fitness, and a weight loss motivator. She writes about the Medifast meal plans, how to use them, how to stay motivated, and how to get the very best results. For more tips and information about medifast.com and medifast1.com, please visit Medifast online.
Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jenny_M._Jamison

Does Rapid Weight Loss From Medifast Cause Loose Or Excess Skin? I'll Tell You

I sometimes get emails from folks who would very much like to have dramatic and rapid weight loss on the Medifast diet, but they're quite concerned about the sagging, hanging, loose, or excess skin which they suspect will inevitably follow. One reader wrote to me and said: "I'm not sure what good losing all the weight would do if I had this girdle of sagging skin all over my body. I'm almost afraid that this would look worse than how I look right now and I don't want to have to go through surgery to get rid of it." I'll tell you how I responded to this email in the following article.
Rapid And Dramatic Weight Loss From Medifast Followed By Excess Skin: My Experience: It's pretty common knowledge that some people do have issues with excess skin after losing a large amount of weight quickly. I strongly suspected that this would be an issue for me, but I still felt that it was better to deal with this than to remain overweight. I braced myself for this unsightly overhang and I wasn't surprised when I began to see it after losing about 40 pounds on Medifast. I researched everything that I could get my hands on to decide how to best deal with it. And, I even went and saw a plastic surgeon who assured me that he could easily fix the problem. Still, I knew that their were always risks with surgery, and with children, I just was not willing to risk this for vanity. I wanted to lose the weight for my health, energy levels and self esteem, but I wasn't going to take any unnecessary risks and I decided to try to deal with the skin issue naturally.
I found a couple of articles which maintained that the sagging skin is really the result of losing muscle while you are losing fat. Basically, you are dropping so much weight very quickly that your body is not making any distinction between the fat and muscle. And, it is quite possible to be thin but to still have way too much fat. This is why you can sometimes see even thin people with sagging skin as well.
I also read that you can non surgically tighten this skin up by changing up your body composition. Only losing weight is not enough. You must also maintain or gain muscle mass if you want to avoid or to tighten up that loose skin. I had been power walking through out my Medifast weight loss and this did help me to get faster results, but it did not give me the lean and long lines that I really wanted. So, I started out with resistance bands, saw pretty decent results and eventually moved on to free weights. The results continued to improve and eventually I got a very small and inexpensive weight bench. My goal was about 10% of body fat because my research had indicated that this is what is necessary to get rid of that loose skin. I have not yet reached that level, but I can tell you that I continue to see improvement as I get closer to this goal.
Do I wish that I had no excess skin? Absolutely. But, I continue to improve and I look so much better than I did before. Even form fitting or snug clothing now looks great and I would never ever put that weight back on just to avoid the hanging skin. I'm pretty confident that if I can get to 10% body fat, I'll be quite content with the results. My skin sag is not so bad that I can't wear a bathing suit (and I would've never worn a bathing suit at my highest weight), and frankly I'm just grateful that I have this option.
Lindsey Price has lost over 80 pounds on Medifast. Her Medifast Review Website features inspiration, motivation, videos, tips, coupons, information and products related to success on this diet. She also offers a free ebook ("Getting The Most Out Of Medifast") to help you get started. You can get a free copy of the ebook at http://easiest-diet.com/free-medifast-ebook/html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lindsey_Price

Losing is Now Gaining With Medifast

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Over the past years, weight loss has been a pressing issue around the world. The media is also pressing the issue with showing society the 'perfect' image that the people should look. With that, the Medifast diet review shows people that this is the diet that people should go for. With the Medifast 5 and 1 program, the person that will undergo the process would have to eat 6 small portioned meals a day. These meals with then consist of 5 regular meals and 1 meal that would be heavy on the vegetables and on protein. The clients of the diet plan, stated by the Medifast diet review, can then choose from the menu which has over 60 meals. The 1 meal that the person can make themselves can either be full of vegetables or a portion of beef, fish or chicken. With that, the person on a diet will enjoy his or her dieting process.
The plan would then make a person feel better that he or she is on a diet. Unlike the other diets, the program makes a person feel like he or she isn't even on a diet since they are eating meals that would make them feel like their eating food that get them full. The Medifast diet review states that when the person is on the diet, the client would get their needed vitamins, nutrients and minerals while he or she is losing the weight they want. This indicates that the person's body will not lose important nutrients while the body reduces calories. That's why the Medifast diet is effective in losing the weight you want.
For more information, read the Medifast Blog or visit the Medifast Diet Review site.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Main

Read further!

Weight Watchers and Medifast - Can You Use Them Together? My Opinion

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I recently received correspondence where the writer asked me if she could combine both the Medifast and the weight watchers diets. Specifically, she wanted to use the Medifast shakes, the oatmeal, some of the soups, and the pudding while also making use of weight watcher's smart ones frozen food line. She wanted to know if I would advise this practice and if I thought it would work to help her lose some weight. I will tell you what I told her in the following article.
Combining The Weight Watcher's Smart Ones Foods With The The Other Diet's Food Options: I suppose it would not be fair for me to tell the writer that she could not try this practice. After all, it is physically possible to do so. But, my opinion is that she should not do this for the long term. Of course, I'm certainly not a doctor or an expert and I would most certainly want her to seek the opinion of one. But, from my research and own experience, the smart ones meals have way too many calories, carbohydrates and sugars for you to be able to successfully and quickly lose the weight that you would have lost on the other diet. Keep in mind that my experience has been on this particular diet, so my opinion might be a biased one based on my own positive results.
But, I believe that Medifast works because it limits calories, as well as sugars and carbs. In doing this, it allows for your body to get into ketosis where it is able to burn fat rather than carbohydrates. From my research and experience, I know that the average person consumes way too much sugar and carbs. And from looking at the nutritional information for the smart ones, it appears that these foods do very little to address this problem. I will look at some specific foods in both diets to demonstrate this point below.
Comparing The Nutrition, Sugars, And Carbs In Smart Ones With The Similar Content Of Medifast Foods: To examine the content of both foods, I'm going to look at concrete examples from both diets. First, I'll look at some breakfast meals. The weight watcher's English muffin sandwich has 210 calories, 3 grams of sugars, and 27 grams of carbs. The Medifast cinnamon apple oatmeal has 100 calories, 1 gram of sugar, and 15 of carbs. As you can see, one diet has about 1/2 of the bad stuff as the other.
Medifast asks that you eat one healthful fresh meal that you prepare each day. This is known as the "lean and green" meal and most people take this at dinner. It is for this reason that I'll be now comparing lunch foods. From the smart ones line up, I'll look at the Santa Fe beans and rice. This one logs on 310 calories, 6 grams of sugars, and 51 carbs. Now, let's check out the Medifast chili. You're looking at under 1/2 the calories (with only 110.) You're looking at much less sugar, at only one gram. And, the carbohydrate content is a low 15 grams.
The Bottom Line: Obviously this article is based partially on my own experiences and biases. But, I also believe that comparing the foods side by side makes a pretty persuasive argument that one of these diets gives you a greater chance of success than the other. It has less than half of the calories, carbs, and sugars of the other. In my experience, you need for all of these numbers to be favorable to lose the most weight in the quickest manner possible.
It doesn't make sense to interrupt the success that you might have by eating foods outside of the plan a couple of times per day. In this way, you are potentially derailing your progress and undoing all of the strides that you've made that day. Medifast is designed to work as a system. There's nothing to stop anyone from taking bits and pieces from two different diets, but why would you? In my opinion, the reason people go on a diet is to lose weight in the quickest manner possible. And in my opinion, combining these two diets does not have the potential to accomplish this as well as sticking with one diet as directed.
Want more resources to help you to be successful on Medifast? Lindsey's Medifast Review Website features recipes, a list of all of the foods, videos, tips, coupons ($50 off or two weeks free), information and products related to success on this diet. She also offers a free ebook ("Getting The Most Out Of Medifast") to help you get started. You can visit her at http://easiest-diet.com/.
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Medifast Center Costs - Are They Expensive But Worth it For Weight Loss?

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The honest answer to that question can be summed up in two words: It depends. Your financial capability, your willingness to spend, and your willingness to go the extra mile for weight loss will determine if a Medifast diet and health program will be worth it.
How Medifast Does Things Medifast centers do not treat obesity and weight problems with miracle pills, intrusive surgery, or specialized machines targeting parts of your body. They assess your physical condition, prescribe you a health regimen, load you up with healthy foods, and give you extra counseling when you need it the most.
Fees and Expenses The tab for all these services can run up to $650 or more a month; and that does not even include the expenses for food. This is particularly steep for most people; especially those who are experiencing the financial crisis for themselves. However, the customized appeal of a personal one-on-one approach definitely makes the programs that Medifast centers recommend more attractive. This is especially true for individuals with specialized needs, like a busy work schedule or a complicated health problem.
Online Orders Medifast's focus on healthy living through balanced diets makes it an even more attractive option for a healthy and long-term approach to weight loss. However, there are other options to going to the centers themselves. You have the option to order their food online, drastically cutting down the costs down to an average of $300 to $350 a package. This allows you to load up on a healthy diet without the counseling and personal adjustments to your health program.
Just remember to weigh the costs against the benefits, because you will be the ultimate judge of whether going to a Medifast center would be worth it or not. If you want a more effective way of losing weight, go for the classics: exercise, balanced diet, and drinking an ample amount of water.
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5 & 1 Meal Plan - Medifast Safe Weight Loss Program

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When trying to lose weight, self starving is a big no-no. That is why a lot of meal plans out there were created to help dieters maintain their health while getting rid of those unwanted and hazardous fats. Due to the number of diet plans in the market today, how can dieters find the most efficient one? How sure are the dieters that they get the best result with the diet? Dieters should make sure that they are consuming a balanced and complete diet when choosing a planned meal. Dietitians recommend 4 - 6 small meals and snacks everyday, such as the 5 & 1 meal plan, the very idea of Medifast safe weight loss program. Why is this plan proven to be efficient?
First of all, make sure that the foods in the fridge are always fresh and low-fat. This will spare you from the temptation of sneaking fatty foods at night. Dieting does not have to be complicated, too. Do not get over-involved on the details of the planning and the dieting in general. Dieting has to be stress free so just keep it simple. When dieting, remember that you have to eat the foods slower. Just relax and wait for the result. It is not advisable for dieters to be in a hurry. Pursuing a meal plan can guarantee a 2-5 pounds weight loss per week- not too slow, not too fast. The Medifast 5 and 1 meal plan is a very good example.
The Medifast 5 and 1 meal plan is very practical, healthful, and efficient. This meal plan consists of 5 meal replacements and 1 Lean and Green meal per day, making 6 meals a day. Generally, the 5 meal replacements are shakes, including oatmeal, soups, bars, and pudding. The Lean and Green meal is a small portion of lean meat and up to 2 cups of salad or vegetables. Examples of lean meat are pork, beef, lamb, turkey breast, skinless chicken, salmon, tinned tuna, and shellfish. 6-7 ounces of lean meat is recommended for men and 4-5 ounces for women. While eating every 2-3 hours, dieters are also required to drink at least 64 ounces of water everyday.
Needless to say, dieters should not eat foods that are high in fat, calories, and sugars such as candy bars, pies, pastries, and candy. It takes a great deal of self-control to do this. The secret of a successful dieting is disciple. This does not mean that, when dieting, the joy of eating has to be sacrificed though. The 5 & 1 meal plan of Medifast, for example, offers foods that are low in calorie, fat and carbs and still let dieters enjoy healthful and palatable meals.
It does not make sense to starve yourself just to lose weight. Many meal plans are made to help dieters maintain their health and normal eating habits while removing the fats in the body. A program should offer a balanced and complete diet. Dietitians recommend 4 - 6 small meals and snacks everyday so Medifast 5 & 1 meal plan is recommended. This program offers delicious, low-fat, low-carb foods.
Jenny Jamison is a weight loss specialist and counselor for Medifast. She is an expert in healthy diet, fitness, and a weight loss motivator. She writes about the Medifast meal plans, how to use them, how to stay motivated, and how to get the very best results. For more tips and information about medifast and medifast diet, please visit Medifast online.
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Medifast Weight Loss - Is 20 Pounds in 30 Days Realistic?

You may have seen the new medifast ads that claim you can lose "20 pounds in 30 days with medifast." A lot of people that I know think this is completely impossible and unrealistic. If you think about it, that's about five pounds per week. Still, most people I talk to feel that is an unattainable number.
However, I hang out with a core group of people on medifast, so I know that this is not as unrealistic as it may seem. If you check around online, you'll likely find that these results are not necessarily rare. I'm not saying everyone hits or can obtain this goal, because that's not the case. But, many people do. I have done it a few times in the past and have lost 80 pounds overall. No, I did not have a 20 pound weight loss every month, but I hit this goal a few times and I certainly welcome the 10 plus pound monthly weight loss that is typical for me. It all adds up very quickly.
What is required for these twenty pounds is staying religiously on the plan and adding in exercise. The high protein / low carbs in the diet puts your body in ketosis so its burning it's own fat. This will help your metabolism tremendously already, but as soon as you add even a little bit of exercise or movement, you're going to improve your results. I suppose some lucky soul could have had the 20 pound loss with out exercise, but I'd bet that is very rare.
In my personal experience, when I do not exercise, I am consistently in the 2 plus pound monthly week weight loss range. When I do, I'm closer to 3-5 pounds per week and am in a better mood. I don't do anything strenuous. I just power walk with a weight vest along side my daughter as she rides her bike. Sometimes I use elastic bands as well and just these few things have really helped.
What is really comes down to is eating less calories and carbs (the diet will take care of this) and moving a little bit more than you have in the past (this is up to you, but you can make this enjoyable by just intensifying or stepping up the activities you already enjoy.) Don't get discouraged by the addition of exercise. It doesn't need to be anything overly strenuous. It just needs to be consistent. Honestly, after a few weeks your body starts to crave it and because you'll likely be seeing positive results, exercise will suddenly become a welcome activity rather than a dreaded one.
Lindsey Price is the author of the ebook "Getting The Most Out Of Medifast," which includes tips, motivation and a two week free coupon. Get your free copy here or you can visit her diet review website at http://geniefrancisdietreview.blogspot.com/.
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Typical Weight Loss on Medifast

Since I've dropped a lot of weight (over eighty pounds) on medifast, I'm often asked if my results are "typical." There's a lot of confusion about how much weight it's common to lose on this plan when you see Genie Francis and Kristi Swanson both able to drop over forty pounds each in a relatively short amount of time. Kristi is down to a size 4 and Genie is declaring she's determined to wear the same jeans she loved when she was seventeen. Add in Medifast's new "lose 20 pounds in 30 days" slogan, and people begin to wonder how this is possible.
This is unfortunate because I've found that this sort of doubt keeps people from trying any diet program in the first place. Although the twenty pounds in thirty days thing is admittedly on the very top end of what is typical for most people, it's certainly not impossible by any means.
The company indicates that current typical weight loss on the 5 plus 1 plan (it's most popular) is two to five pounds per week. Obviously, if you don't reach the high end of five pounds, then you won't hit twenty pounds in a month. If you're on the very lowest end, you'd lose only 8 pounds. "Only eight pounds?" A year ago, I would've been extremely happy with those results. I gained weight on some diets I've tried in the past and only lost a few pounds on others. But if you lost "only" eight pounds per month steadily, that would be 96 pounds in a years time, or 48 pounds in six months, both of which can be absolutely life altering
I spend a lot of time on the medifast forums and I also have many coworkers on this plan. I believe that what is typical for you is going to greatly depend on a few things. First, you have to stick with the plan. Just having a medifast shake a couple of times per day and then eating your regular food the rest of the time will likely put you on the two pounds per week track. (This is perfectly ok for people who don't have a huge amount of weight to lose and a lot of people do this.) But if your goal is to lose more than twenty pounds long term, being on the 5 plus 1 plan means eating the plan's prepackaged foods five times per day and eating your own food (healthily prepared according to the guides you are given) once per day.
Second, you should know that adding even a little exercise is going to ensure you are on the high end of the typical loss. In my experience, just power walking regularly can really bump up your results.
So, if your goal is really to reach the twenty pounds in a month category, I believe most people can do this if they carefully follow the plan, stick with it, and add just a little bit of extra movement to burn more calories. Some people also reach this by adding in the medifast momentum products as these are supposed to boost and rev up your body's ability to burn more fat and calories.
However, the momentum line isn't required (it's optional) and I've had many weeks when I've lost over five pounds only doing the 5 plus 1. The diet is designed to put your body in ketosis by tricking it into burning it's own fat. So, if consume the products offered, the diet has been designed to get your there. All of the work, thought and planning has really been done for you. All you really need to do is just follow along and move a bit more.
Lindsey Price is the author of the ebook "Getting The Most Out Of Medifast," which includes a two weeks free coupon, recipes, tips and motivation. To get a free copy (immediate download / no information required), click here You can also visit her diet review website at http://geniefrancisdietreview.blogspot.com/
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Medifast Diet Reviews - A Special Way to Lose Weight

With the hundreds of people trying to trim down, only about a hand full get the results that they want with their diet. The Medifast diet review states that the Medifast diet is efficient in weight loss in both healthy and effective ways. Medifast can then be called the special diet. It can also be seen as a lifestyle change since people who do such a process don't just see Medifast as a short term diet but as a solution for losing weight. The Medifast diet review also indicates that the Medifast meal is portion controlled. This just means that the person doing the diet will be watching the intake of his or her meal. This would then quicken the process of weight loss which other diets don't have. That's why people would rather stick to the Medifast plan than wasting their time at the gym or on other diets.
The positive effect of Medifast is that it also doesn't make a person miss its nutrition for the day. The Medifast diet review states that the Medifast meals have the perfect mix of carbohydrates, protein and important supplements that the body needs. Unlike the other diets, Medifast makes it a point to give its clients the right portions of meals to make a person full enough so that they wouldn't think that they are on a diet. Being on the Medifast meals is not hard at all. Meaning, it would make a person feel great and special to be on this type of diet.
For more information on Medifast Diet Review, visit http://www.MedifastReviews.net/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Main

Take Shape For Life Review - This is Medifast

Take Shape For Life is a wholly owned subsidiary of Medifast, Inc. Medifast is a 25 year old company listed on the NYSE with a solid reputation of being a premier leader in nutritional intervention of weight loss and disease management. Since Medifast is financially sound and owns their own tools for production of products, you never need to worry about unreliability with Medifast diet products. In our review, we will take a look at the Medifast program, and opportunity.
Take Shape For Life is a tripod philosophy that offers someone the opportunity to achieve success in three areas of life: a healthy body, a healthy mind, and healthy finances. They are all interconnected, with one affecting the other. Healthy Body and physical health is the foundation of a happy, fulfilling life. It requires two things: 1.) Reaching a healthy weight using the Medifast products. 2.) Adapting the BeSlim philosophy which incorporates six core behaviors to help attain and maintain Optimal Health.
Healthy Mind is how we feel about ourselves and it's affect for long term Optimal Health. Through personal development, you learn ways to reduce stress, create time for yourself, and take control of you life. Healthy Finances relate to the stress that debt causes that can take a toll on your physical and mental health. Again, by managing and eliminating debt, you further yourself on the road to Optimal Health.
There are over 60 nutritionally balanced meals to choose from - shakes, bars, drinks, oatmeal, soups, chili, pudding, scrambled eggs and much more. Through a combination of meal choices, and healthy eating practices, you can achieve your weight loss goals. Offered with the Medifast weight loss program is the BeSlim Club and rewards, and importantly the Take Shape For Life Health Coaches who mentor clients to help them progress with their Medifast diet.
In conclusion, Medifast offers a proven system for weight loss and weight loss management. However, many question the replacement of meals with shakes. It's not for everyone. If someone were to be starting a home business today, will they want to compete with all of the other weight loss and nutritional programs available on the market today? They might possibly look for a more simple program with few products, easy to use and unique to anything else on the market. This is something to think about when starting a home business.
Will Drapcho writes on many topics to help the beginner and intermediate networker build an MLM business fast. Visit his site to learn more at http://topmlmbuilder.com/
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The Medifast Way of Losing Weight

To lose weight while still being able to eat more; the most common question a person asks him or herself before going on a diet. Losing weight is not an easy job, and for once, doctors have come up with a diet that may answer this question with Medifast. Medifast is a diet that allows you to eat 6 times a day rather than eating 3 times a day with restrictions. According to the Medifast diet review, this diet is a low- calorie, no brainer approach on weight loss. There are no more calculations for this diet, only eating and drinking more. The reason for this is that the Medifast diet puts your metabolism in a state called Ketosis. Ketosis is a state when your metabolism continues to burn down the fat reserves in the body. Basically, what Medifast Plan does is deceive the body's metabolism into working constantly and resulting in the body's own metabolism burning its own fat.
The Medifast diet review promises that the program is not just an easier way to lose weight but also a healthy way. The diet's program can also help people who have physical conditions such as diabetes. The Medifast diet review states that the diet has a variety of comprehensive meal plans that can help a person lose weight easily. Being able to eat more while going on a diet is hardly the reason for going on a Meidfast diet Plan, it also promotes healthy living and a better figure that is so desired..
For more information, read the Medifast Blog or visit the Medifast Diet Review site.
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Medifast Diet - How Does Medifast Food Taste?

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Are you thinking about going on the Medifast program? Then you are probably wondering how Medifast food tastes. Let's face it, if the food doesn't taste good you aren't likely to stick to the diet and that would certainly be a waste of money. Thankfully, most of the their products actually taste pretty good. While personal taste will play into things a lot when it comes to deciding what foods you like and don't like, hopefully my Medifast food reviews can help steer you in the right direction.
Medifast Shakes
There's a variety of Medifast shakes -- chocolate, vanilla, orange, strawberry, Swiss mocha and banana. I don't like the Swiss mocha and banana, but that's because I hate coffee and I don't like bananas. The other shakes taste just fine, but the strawberry is a little sweet for my taste. I usually drink the chocolate and the orange the most often. Vanilla I mostly use as a base for adding sugar free syrups, since I think vanilla on its own is pretty bland.
Other Medifast Drinks
Of the other drinks that Medifast makes, my feelings towards virtually all of them is yuck, yuck and yuck. The only exception is the hot cocoa which I drink every day. It's delicious. Also, lots of folks do like the cappuccino, but again I strongly dislike coffee so I don't like it at all.
Medifast Bars
There are many different types of meal bars to choose from so I won't go through the whole list here. I'll just tell you that my favorites are the oatmeal raisin and the chocolate mint. The fruit and nut crunch bar I don't care for very much. It tastes a bit dry. Overall though, my opinion of the Medifast bars is that they taste better than most of the protein bars I've tried in the past. They are certainly better tasting than the various brands that you can get at the drugstore.
For the rest of the foods, I like the scrambled eggs more than I would have expected, the oatmeal basically tastes like any other oatmeal and the soups and puddings I don't like at all. You may like them, but I just find the soups bland and the puddings a bit too powdery. It is difficult to make them blend as well as they should. So I don't bother ordering them.
Thankfully, Medifast will let you order whatever you like and if you want to try out different products you can get just order a sample of something to see what it tastes like.
If you are ordering for the first time, you can use the Medifast discount codes that I have found to get two weeks of the Medifast variety packs for free with your first two orders and that will contain enough different types of products so that you can see for yourself what you like and what you don't.
Also, check out my page of tips for creating your Lean and Green Meals. You'll find some quick and tasty ideas.
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Medifast Alternatives - What Other Weight Loss Programs Are Similar to Medifast? (or Cheaper)

In this article we are going to quickly cover some alternatives to Medifast, as many of our readers are not only interested in losing weight, they're also interested in making sure they understand all of their options before they begin! Sound like you? Great, read on as we take a closer look!
Okay....so are there any good alternatives to Medifast?
Of course there are, yes. Dieting is actually a pretty simple formula, and when you cut down on all of the outside "noise" and fad science, it simply boils down to calories in, versus calories burned. Medifast is a low calorie, high protein diet, and any diet that espouses the same fundamental philosophy would be considered an alternative worthy of consideration.
So the Atkins diet...and similar high protein weight loss programs are similar?
No, not really. Atkins and South Beach and those style diets focus a lot on calories from "fat", and Medifast does not. More analogous diets would be Optifast, and other meal replacement programs that are primarily low calorie, liquid based programs.
How about those nutritional bars I see in convenience stores? Is that similar?
In theory, yes. However most of those foods are NOT nutrient dense foods, and instead...are often super high in calories, and are simply "glorified" protein heavy candy bars that are very rich in sugar and artificial fillers.
The bottom line?
Most of the programs that are TRULY analogous to Medifast require a doctors prescription to acquire. (as did Medifast for many years as well) The simple truth is that while there are many paths that one can take to lose a lot of weight, there are only a "few" really good, solid and enduring programs that are proven to work long term. As a side note, Medifast costs about 10 dollars a day (not including your ONE self prepared meal per day) and comparatively speaking, this is normally LESS than most people spend on "normal" foods on the daily diet that made them heavy in the first place!
Remember - if you HAVEN'T been able to lose weight before...it's NOT your fault! Knowledge is POWER, and the most important step on the path to a firm, fit & beautiful body is information, EDUCATION and empowerment!
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Medifast Weight Loss System - A Quick Overview

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I've lost nearly 65 pounds on medifast and am still going strong. From the questions that I am often asked, I find that there are a lot of misconceptions about this diet plan. Here is a quick overview which will hopefully give you an accurate idea of what this system is all about:
Medifast is a meal replacement diet which means that you replace some of your daily meals with prepackaged options provided by the company. There are over 70 different meals from which to choose. There are some liquid choices, but the plan is definitely not a liquid only diet. Typical meals include shakes, bars, puddings, teas, lattes, cappuccinos, chilis, stews, crackers, eggs, and oatmeals etc.
In addition to eating five of these meals per day, you will provide your own "lean and green meal." This is usually your largest meal of the day and although you can have it at any time, most people prefer to eat this main meal at dinner time. The lean and green consists of lean protein and veggies or salads. It may sound difficult to eat six times per day, but it really isn't because the foods are pretty much grab and go and very convenient.
I find the taste of the foods to be pretty decent, but you can make them taste even better by adding sugar free syrups. You can add these to the shakes, puddings, lattes and oatmeals. I like adding either caramel or cherry flavored syrup but there are countless choices. You can also make muffins and cookies from the pudding and shake ingredients. I also take the liberty of adding fat free cheese and sour cream to the soups and stews.
The company states that the typical weight loss is 2-3 pounds per week. I have found that if I add a bit of exercise (power walking, roller blading, or gardening with a weight vest) I can get this even higher, usually as much as five pounds per week. This program works by putting your body in ketosis and tricking it into burning its own fat. Since exercise also burns fat, moving your body means doubling your efforts.
The cost is about $8 per day, but there are usually coupons available. For me personally, this has been the only plan that has been both effective and easy for me stick with. Eating the company's foods does take some getting used to initially, but adding the syrups and being motivated by the changes in your body can really help.
Lindsey Price is the author of the ebook "Getting The Most Out Of Medifast" which includes the latest coupons, recipies, and tips. To get a free copy (immediate download / no information required), click here.
You can also visit her diet review website at http://geniefrancisdietreview.blogspot.com/
Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Lindsey_Price