Oh yeah, You'll definitely Medi... don't know how fast it will be.
Written: Jan 06 '07 (Updated Jan 08 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Rapid weight loss... No thinking required. Can't cheat because it's all worked out for you.
Cons: One word: Oatmeal
The Bottom Line: Stop adding sugar to your diet, be mindful of carbs, and cut calories and you will lose weight. If you're like me and lack common sense and self-control, do Medifast.
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| CoyoteWoman's Full Review: MediFast Plus Weight Loss Program |
To my knowledge, "Medi" is not a word in the english language. I think it's something like, "Middle" in Greek or one of those "classical" languages...
My point being... it's however the heck you want to take it. Same goes with the Medifast program.
If you see it as a fast way to get back to level ground, that is, the way you were before the psychotic binging or sheer sloth overwhelmed you and left you riddled and sobbing about cellulite, then this is definitely the diet for you... if you want it badly enough!
The great thing about the medifast plan is that you CAN acheive the SAME swift, rapid, fat melting results that you can get by doing, say... the ATKINS diet. (We all know my opinion on that by now I'm sure.. if not, read my review.. it's not pretty).
It will give you consistent results like Weight Watchers promises, with one exception: YOU WILL GET THEM TWICE AS FAST.
So.. what is the catch? Plenty of reviews online about the program. Majority are rave reviews and positive. But let us get back to reality for a minute here. If it were THAT great, simple, and worry free than would we still have an obesity problem here in America???
I think not.
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THE PROGRAM
Medifast (www.medifast1.com) used to be a physician-monitored program ONLY. Don't quote me, but I think it used to be a liquid diet program in origin. I remember hearing something about Oprah going on this type of all liquid diet years and years ago and losing more than 100 lbs. (And we all know that over the next few years that weight came back and then some!)
So I dismissed it. (Not to mention I wasn't caught up in the whole image thing back then, as I was a happier teen than I am an adult - got the drama issue backwards don't I?)
The Medifast plan of today, otherwise known as the 5-in-1 program, has taken notes from it's sister, rival dieter programs such as NutriSystem and Jenny Craig and has incorporated mini 'meals' that you can eat. So it's not all about what will fit into your blender.
These 'meals' are delivered right to your door. All you need to do is call or order directly from their website. You can choose from a pre-packaged program that is designed for Women or Men. They have a 2-week program and a 4-week program. No automatic renewals. You can return any unopened/unused items back w/ a full refund (minus the cost of shipping) if you are not satisfied.
Or, you can shop the website and pick your own meal plan, exchanging their selection with your own.
I did the latter. My logic is this, I didn't get fat because I DON'T like food, so why not cut out all of the drink options (Hot chocolate, chai latte', mango-cranberry juice, etc).
They have a SMALL selection of food in comparison to what you will find in cardboard containers in the market. There is NOT lasagne, mac and cheese, chicken fettuchini alfredo, pizza, or anything like that.
The plan is designed so that you will eat a total of 6 small meals a day. Each 'meal' ranges from 90 to 110 calories. The bars (oatmeal, choc, etc) are more.. 160-170 calories.
If you do the math... that's 5 Medifast meals at no more than 530 calories (if you follow the plan and eat one bar a day).
You do get the 1 meal a day that you make. This is basically 7 oz. fish and cooked/raw veggies. Depending on what fish you pick, that's going to cost you 350 at the most! So you'll be ping ponging about 800 to 900 cals a day.
So... yeah, you WILL lose weight. GUARANTEED. No if ands or butts. You follow the plan. You lose weight.
Each Medifast meal is PACKED with vitamins, minerals, etc. So you get ALL you need from the meals. They even tell you not to take vitamins. It's ALL IN THERE PEOPLE. So you will not be falling to pieces like on the Atkins plan.
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WHO IS THIS PROGRAM FOR?
Okay, this is where a lot of misunderstanding comes into play. The Medifast program was ORIGINALLY intended for severely obese/overweight individuals. It was, literally, designed as a drastic alternative to gastricbypass surgery. It was NOT offered or marketed to the public... it was designed by Physicians and monitored by your doctor.
The Medifast of TODAY is still designed for those severely overweight, but it is MARKETED to the multitude of the masses. Sufficient to say, they are cashing in on the obesity problem in America... I guess they figure if Nutrisystem can market their starvation plan to the multitudes than so can they.
I have not tried Nutrisystem (I just don't see the point in paying them for foods that I can buy myself and do the very same thing).
The reason I 'appreciate' Medifast is because it's basically nothing short of FUEL for the body. It is not really meant to be tasty. It's designed to give you all that you really need in a day without having to stress yourself on what to eat to get the nutrition.
Yes, it is common sense that to get your daily dose of Vitamin E you need but eat half an apple. To get your daily dose of Vitamin C you need but eat half an orange, etc, etc.
But, it's one thing to have common sense and knowledge about these things and quite another to execute this knowledge and put it into action... It should be a way of life to eat healthily/properly, but that aside, not all people do this. Hence the growing and alarming rate of overweight/obese Americans.
Maybe the solution should be Nutrition 101 in middle school and high school. But when there is a McDonald's and Wendy's on practically every corner boasting their $1.00 food menu and you don't have people that have a home-cooked meals to look forward to at the end of the day (or breakfast or lunch for that matter) ... well, you do the math.
Without going into a socio-economic debate, people DO NOT know what eating healthy is anymore. You still have people who think there is actual Milk in Milkshakes... We all know there isn't anything even resembling dairy in those things, let alone Vitamin D or Calcuium....
That said, this diet is not for those who know to eat an orange instead of a chicken nugget....
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THE RULES
Like most diet plans, the Medifast program not only stresses, but INSISTS that you eat every 2-3 hours.
My eating pattern was as follows: 8A, 10A, 12P, 3P, 6P, 9P
If you are an early eater, just adjust the clock to reflect your first meal and count from there.
There is NO fruit with this plan. NO added sugars. NO Alcohol allowed. NO added Carbs of any kind (no you can't have a small slice of bread to go along with the chilli). NO added fats (oils or butters, etc).
This is a diet, so don't sound surprised to read: NO, NO, NO….
What you CAN do to spice up the monotony is add SPICES and SUBSTITUES.
So, when I baked my fish, I added plenty of spices and used butter EXTRACT for flavor, etc, etc. There is nothing like the real thing, but that is completely psychological.
Once you are close to reaching your target weight (which is not when you fit into a size 0 pair of jeans, but rather when you drop under the OBESITY danger zone (Based on BMI, not pounds/Kilos), then they have you VERY SLOWLY introduce 'real' food back into your system.
This is where their books come in handy. They TEACH you what you should have been eating all your life, instead of Burger King. You can eat more veggies, slowly add fruit, healthy fats like nuts, protein from beans, poultry, etc. (i.e. By this time, you should be over your physical craving for these attrocious 'foods' and psychologically, you would have time to think about what you've eaten, why, and see the physical results that arise from NOT eating the JUNK that passes for food these days.
Plus, they will educate you on what you SHOULD be eating, once the weight is off.
The idea of the diet is to get the body used to not eating sugar or sodium packaged foods. To put the body in ketosis (fat burning phase.. basically your body starts looking to the fat storages within your body to burn, instead of using the carbs that you eat (just like the Atkins plan... which I'm not sure how I feel about this)
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THE PACKAGING
Let me explain to you what EXACTLY you will get on your doorstep after ordering your food. I did not realize this myself and think it is useful information that is not mentioned anywhere that I've read.
This is NOT boxed food. (i.e. Lean Cuisine).
What you get is a small box that holds inside 7 PACKETS for a weeks supply of food or drink.
Everything is in Powder/Mix form. You add water, pop it in the microwave, et voila' - you have healthy, filling astronaut food.
This sounds creepy (and it is initially), but surprisingly enough... it's very practical and makes it all the easier to follow. You don't have to store it in your freezer or fridge. You can take it with you to work with no worries. I take it when visiting friends or family. It worked for me really well.
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THE CHOICES
Medifast offers meals according (I'm assuming) to what you SHOULD be eating everyday. So, it's sort of a model of how your day should really go.
They offer shakes in a variety of flavors, snack bars, pudding, soups, oatmeal, snacks, and drinks.
So, there is NO available opportunity to "cheat". Can't sneak another 'tiny, itty bitty piece' because you will ONLY be eating what comes in that packet.
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THE TASTE
This is where, inevitably, the problems arise with most diet programs. Diet food is not tasty. Let me say that again, DIET FOOD IS NOT TASTY.
So if someone says, "Unlike OTHER diet foods, this was tasty"… they are lying and/or delusional. But, remember my earlier statement. It truly is all a state of mind. If you see the fat melting off, it's amazing how quickly something that is revolting can become 'tasty'.
The breakdown on taste, ranked in order from delicious to "this can't be edible…."
*Straight out of the package*
Insanely, Mind-numbingly delicious: Chai Latte'
Delicious: Hot Chocolate
Tasty for diet food: Oatmeal bars, chocolate pudding, and the lemon yogurt bars,
Vanilla pudding
*Needs some salt, pepper, Splenda, cinnamon or whatever else you can conceivably think of*
Good: Swiss Mocha Shake (I haven't tried the others so can vouch for the taste)
Cream of Broccoli Soup, Cranberry mango drink
*Horrible, but still redeemable with a little adjustment*
Bad: Peaches and Cream Oatmeal (with extra water, added vanilla extract, butter extract,
& splenda)
Horrendous: S'mores Granola Bar (Chalkdust… plain and simple)
Chicken Noodle Soup
I feel the Chicken Noodle Soup deserves special attention in describing exactly how this is something fed to gerbils in laboratories to see how they will handle the stress of choosing DEATH over eating this horrible concoction.
The problem isn't the taste. It tastes like chicken noodles soup (if you add a little salt). But the texture … shaking head in disbelief… you will not believe how nasty this is in your mouth. The little chicken bits (which are probably soy) do NOT cook; therefore, it can be chewed for a lifetime without shrinkage. It's like tiny, nasty, indestructible pellets in your mouth. Oh the humanity, the horror! The Horror!
This is not a food: Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal
I swear, to me, I can only laugh at this 'selection'. I mean, honestly. This just tests the boundaries of human patience and endurance. I am one of those people that will hold my breath and guzzle, that will just close my eyes and think, "I'll take this one for the Queen!" I pictured myself a contestant on Fear Factor - just going for the win!
Let me tell you, that no amount of sugar, Splenda or off the cane, cinnamon, vanilla, or anything else on this planet will make this anything other than absolute, sheer garbage. It's toxic waste. It's pigeon poo, but the kind that no one wanted to make a delicious pasty meal from. It's the bile that's left over in your mouth after you dry heave for three days.
It's NASTY.
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THE END RESULT
Oh… woe is me.
I lasted ONE WEEK.
The first three days are supposed to be the hardest, but they were the easiest for me. I was excited (despite the creepy packaged food), tired of the weight and determined to do it.
After day three, the boredom set in. I couldn't eat the oatmeal (for reasons stated above). I learned to just swallow the bad and horrendous foods. The good foods were only supposed to be eaten 1 time a day for best results (which I wanted!).
Mainly, I drank a lot of Chai latte', hot chocolate, and ate pudding and my fish and greens. I was averaging 700 calories and by day 5 I had no appetite at all and had to force 200-300 calories a day. I drank TONS of water (which you must of course - min 2 liters a day).
I walk a lot. So I walked every day and could feel the weight coming off but I often didn't have energy and fell asleep when I got home. It's amazing how much time you have to sleep when you aren't eating. In fact, it's amazing how much time I had to do crafts, read, writing in my journal, etc. You realize how much food occupies your every waking thought. I mean, mostly, I eat because I'm bored. The boredom makes me stressed. Eating while stressed leads to ugly, mindless binging.
So, I definitely learned a lot on the plan.
Lost 14 pounds in week one. But I did begin to feel the lack of caloric intake weighing on me. So I stopped and plan to start once I reorder things I will eat. I sent back the stuff I didn't like, so that is pending a refund. I will reorder the drinks I like and the shakes, bars, and cream soups. Will also vary my fish selection. I mainly did salmon and flounder. So, will be better prepared and plan to be good to go by summer.
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ALL IN ALL
All in all, I RECOMMEND Medifast. I didn't feel sick or ill like I did on Atkins. I don't have to die from high blood pressure from all the sodium in freezer/boxed foods. My skin looked great from getting all the vitamins, minerals, etc. I felt great, until I dropped below 800 cals.
Just wanted anyone who was contemplating the diet to know that it IS diet food. Don't allow anyone to tell you it 'isn't that bad' when some of the selections ARE that bad. Everyone's taste buds are different. I did adjust to the sugar withdrawal so some of the choices tasted 'better' in my mind as the days went by and I realized I'd better get used to it because it's all I have. Also, I know from other diets that the body will adjust after the initial sugar withdrawal.
The plan is designed for OBESE people, thus the explanation for the drastic cut in calories. Would try something else if you only want to lose a few pounds. You will lose weight quickly and continuously if you do it.
Remember to drink lots of water to stay hydrated. Also, water gives you the added feeling of fullness. So that helped me a lot.
Only real drawback for me is the no fruit thing. I would love that natural sugar source, but apparently they are too riddled with carbs to make the list. *sob-sob*
Highly recommend Medifast for the convenience of the packaged, high vitamin/mineral-laced foods. But, I also HIGHLY caution your food/drink selection. Don't believe the hype. Stay AWAY from the oatmeal and S'mores bars!! (Don't say I didn't warn you!)
Recommended:
Yes
Approximate Monthly Cost (US$) 293.56
Food Variety Restrictions A short list of allowed foods
Restrictiveness of Portions Practically starvation
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CoyoteWoman
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Location: Philly - USA
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