The Medifast Diet Plan
The Medifast diet plan is a low calorie program that is designed to take your excess weight off and take it off quickly. It is also very easy and not as expensive as people think if you use Medifast coupons when you place your order. There is no counting calories, weighing your food before you eat it, or any other complicated calculations. You simply eat or drink six meals a day.
Medifast was originally created nearly 30 years ago as a doctor proscribed meal replacement program. Today there are more than 70 meal options to choose from, including the ever-popular shakes and they are all available to order online or from a nearby retail outlet. Of course you can still get it from your doctor’s office if you prefer.
The most common program chosen by Medifast users is called “5 plus 1.” What this means is that you take five daily meal replacements (shakes or others ordered from the company) plus one “normal” meal that you prepare yourself. This “normal” meal is intended to be lean and green, meaning a high concentration of lean meat or fish with lots of green veggies and salads. This results in a high protein, low carbohydrate diet that totals roughly 800-1000 calories per day. All of which is designed to shed weight at a rate of approximately 2 to 5 pounds per week while maintaining muscle mass. The program comes with a recommended exercise regime so that you don’t lose muscle tone and so that you will stay in shape when on (or off) the program.
“Weight loss varies according to stage of the program, how much you have to lose and physical activity,” says Lisa Davis, PhD, who is the Medifast vice president of research and development. Most people lose the majority of their weight in the first few weeks compared to the later stages of the program.
Medifast has special diet plans that are available for new mothers, seniors, teens, vegetarians, gout sufferers and those who have recently had weight loss surgery. Costs for the meal replacements are $300/month or $80 per week and this does not include the cost of the “normal” lean and green meal. There are no additional supplements that are required while on the Medifast plan.
Medifast has a great web site that offers support and forums for dieters. You can place your order directly online, or access the plan through clinics in Florida and Texas. Alternatively, you can still place orders and get advice from roughly 15,000 doctors across America, or through the “Take Shape for Life” health network of coaches, which is a subsidiary of Medifast.
The support you receive once you sign up with Medifast includes a vast array of educational products – including nutritional information, exercise guidelines and various online forums and communities. There is also access to personal trainers and even registered dieticians when you use their clinics in person. A 1-800 number is also available for those who don’t have access to the Internet. With all the support, there really are no excuses when you are on the Medifast plan.
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