Medifast Weight Loss Plan

The Medifast program, founded in 1980,  set out to break popular myths about dieting by helping the prospective dieter understand the true pitfalls and how to avoid them, and providing the tools and prepared meals to achieve weight loss. Rather than promoting a crash diet, weight loss is targeted at up to 20 pounds per month.

Medifast Weight Loss Plans are customized for diabetics, men and women. There are also specific guidelines for teens, seniors, nursing mothers, patients with gout, and those who have undergone bariatric surgery.

The Medifast diet is comprised of Medifast meals that are individually portioned and calorie-controlled. The bonus here is that you get to eat 6 meals per day, so you are, theoretically, never hungry. Called the 5 & 1 Plan, you eat 5 Medifast prepared meals (with over 70 choices) and 1 self-prepared “lean and green” meal per day. Depending upon your health and your lifestyle, Medifast offers 6 different 5 & 1 Plans: Standard, Men, Women, Diabetes, Meatless, and Exerciser.

Medifast is easy to use and has a very robust website offering free help in many tangible forms, as well as program enrollment and package deals for purchasing their meals and drinks. (Expect to pay about $75/week for food and supplements.) Most notable of the free support is the ability to sign up to receive a free session with a Health Coach; not a physician, but a mentor that can stay with you throughout the program if you enroll in their “Take Shape for Life” program. The site also has detailed lists of food suggestions, meal planner, and recipes which will help you adhere to the low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie system. You may also use their free weight loss tracker.

Once you have achieved your goal, Medifast has a Transition Plan, which spans 8 weeks and takes you from the 5 & 1 Program,  down to a more normal 3 & 1. It also adds additional fruits and veggies to round out meals. After the 8-week Transition, there is also a Maintenance Guide to help you keep that weight off.

Exercise is also encouraged as a “necessary component of weight management and overall health.” Medifast provides a 26-page Exercise Guide, available for pdf download from their site to help you get started, or maintain, an appropriate exercise program.

NOTE: Should you choose to try this plan, Medifast coupons—good for discounts on food—are available at www.medifastcoupons.org
 

As with any diet program, do your research first. Go to the library, search the internet, and above all, consult your doctor about any diet regimen that you are contemplating.