Medifast Diet Plan

By William Roby

The Medifast Diet Plan is getting a ton of attention because of its use by some medical doctors to control type 2 diabetes. Medifast is an old school diet plan -- you'll eat mostly meals that are prepared by Medifast, supplementing with one or two meals of your own. Many diet plans are moving away from the "prepared meals" setup and moving toward teaching their customers how to prepare their own healthy food. The people at Medifast believe firmly that people trying to escape the perils of type 2 diabetes (or people just trying to shed excess body fat) respond fastest to meals that are prepared ahead of time. If you like the convenience of having your meals prepared for you, Medifast may be your ideal diet plan.

If you need to lose a lot of weight, or if you have diet complications from diabetes, the road to weight loss seems impossible to navigate. There's healthy weight loss, and there's starvation -- somewhere between indulgent snacking and starving yourself is the healthy eating plan that will trim inches from your waist and keep you healthy at the same time. Doctors tell us that the Medifast diet plan can control and even completely eliminate type 2 diabetes in many patients -- a ramarkable breakthrough for people suffering from the side effects of this nasty disease.

Far from a fad diet, Medifast has been on the market for years and the company is even listed on the current Forbes "200 Best Small Companies to work for" list. With happy employees and satisfied customers alike, Medifast has decided to move their diet plans out of the doctor's office and into the online world. You still need to communicate with a doctor or dietitian to use the Medifast diet plan properly, but online support means an easier ordering process and easier access to the Medifast plan for people around the country.

Weight Loss & Diabetes Control

Mediafast Diet Plan If you're looking for hardcore weight loss or diabetes control, consider the Medifast diet plan. The main feature of the Medifast meal plan is the fact that these meals are certified "Low Glycemic". Low glycemic foods control the release of glucose in your body, which is why it causes weight loss and can reverse the effects of diabetes.

A sample menu for a day on Medifast looks something like this -- start with a small serving of Medifast prepared scrambled eggs, enjoy a Medifast chocolate shake for a snack, eat a bowl of Medifast chicken soup for lunch, enjoy a brownie snack in the afternoon, supplemented by your own "Lean and Green meal" that you prepare at home, made up of lean meats and veggies.

Medifast diet plan is backed up by scientific studies conducted by big name hospitals -- Johns Hopkins University is the most famous hospital that has certified the Medifast diet plan as effective for weight loss and as type 2 diabetes control. One Johns Hopkins study found that Medifast is more effective at controlling type 2 diabetes than the current American Diabetic Association recommended diet. According to the JHU study, approximately 40 percent of the Medifast participants lost 5 percent or more of their initial weight, compared with just 12 percent of people studied who were following the standard ADA diet. Additionally, 24 percent of Medifast users switched to a lower level of diabetes medication, compared to literally no patients whose medication requirements were lowered from the standard ADA diet. How does it work? People who eat the Medifast diet plan have "significantly lower levels of glucose, insulin, A1c, lipids, and blood pressure" as well as up to a hundred pounds of weight lost.

Weight Loss Basics

We all know the formula for losing weight -- eating less and exercising more. The Medifast plan is not particularly new -- it follows this basic pattern by restricting your caloric intake to anywhere from 800 to 1,000 calories a day which, combined with mild exercise, is sure to slim you down. Depending on how many calories you normally eat, that could be a reduction of as much as 75% which is extreme. This is the main reason why the Medifast diet plan must be accompanied by supervision and advice from a medical doctor or dietitian. In general, doctors won't suggest that you eat less than 1,200 calories a day, but while you're on the Medifast plan you will get advice and tests from a medical professional who will make sure your body is getting the nutrition it needs without all the extra calories. Not everyone will fall into the 800 - 1,000 calorie range. Your doctor will help you decide what rate of caloric intake is best for you. Some people will start out eating a higher calorie diet and slim down as their body adjusts.

Many people who attempt the Medifast diet plan complain that they'd rather learn to cook healthy food rather than be provided with specific meals -- if you're a DIY type or a kitchen hound, Medifast is probably not the diet you're looking for. On the Medifast plan, you'll be eating five Medifast prepared meals each day along with a homemade meal the plan refers to as a "Lean and Green" meal. For some people, taking away the burden of thinking about what to eat means easing stress and making a diet plan easier.The good news for people who are afraid of the expense and routine of prepackaged meals -- there will come a point during the Medifast plan when your Medifast supervisor will teach you how to adopt your own healthy eating plans.

Built into the Medifast plan is a four month period (after some weight loss is achieved) during which dieters enter a "transition phase". This transition phase includes preparing more homecooked meals and learning from a Medifast diet coach. If you're participating in Medifast online programs, your online health coach will really get to work during this transition period, tracking your progress and communicating with you to make sure you make it through the lengthy transition process.

How Much Does Mediafast Cost?

Prepared meal diet plans are cost-limiting for some folks. Whereas you can put together a grocery list of healthy foods and spend time bargain hunting, the Medifast diet plan's foods cost basically the same amount each time you step up to the plate. Most people end up spending about $12 a day on five meals, plus the cost of the sixth "Lean and Green" meal that you prepare yourself. Since you'll be on the Medifast diet plan for a number of months, you could be looking at a financial commitment in the thousands of dollars. On the positive side, there's no membership or enrollment fees, so the cost of your prepared meals is the only expense you need to worry about.

Medifast.com Coupons 2010

Like many online vendors, Medifast.com offers online promotions and coupons available to anyone who can use a search engine. Run a quick web search for "Medifast.com coupons" and you'll have thousands of results in no time. The trick with online coupons is to find promo codes that are still valid -- very often, these online deals are extremely short in duration. Having tested more than a few Medifast.com coupons myself, I'm familiar with a few promo codes that have worked for my friend and me.

Using these promo codes when shopping at Medifast.com is easy -- look for the blank spot on the ordering page that says "Promo Code" or "Coupon Code" and enter the code of your choice. In most cases you can only use one coupon code at a time.

For $25 off an order of $150 or more , use coupon code "Momsview"
For $50 off an order of $250or more, use coupon code "WDSUM50"
For $25 off an order of $150 or more, use coupon code "WDSUM25"
For $25 off an order of $150 or more, use coupon code "WDYMR25"
For $25 off an order of $150 or more, use coupon code "WOMDY25"
For $50 off an order of $250 or more, use coupon code "WOMDY50"
For $25 off an order of $150 or more, use coupon code "June30G25"
For $50 off an order of $275 or more, use coupon code "June30G"
For 2 weeks of Medifast meals absolutely free, use coupon code "GetTwo"
For a week of free food when you buy 4 weeks, use coupon code "PROMO"

Medical Opinion of the Medifast Diet Plan

The Medifast diet plan has been reviewed by medical professionals -- many doctors suggest the Medifast plan for overweight patients or those suffering from type 2 diabetes. According to Medifast (and to their team of MDs) when the diet is used properly it is completely healthy and almost 100% effective. Any diet that limits your calories effectively is going to produce weight loss. The problem with Medifast is that some people just won't be able to stick to it. There are other people, those suffering from certain heart conditions, liver or kidney disease, cancer, and pregnant or breastfeeding women, who should not take part in the Medifast diet plan.

Any diet plan that uses prepared meals is going to be accused of being "a fad diet", but Medifast uses the packaged meal plan at the outset to take "the guesswork" out of healthy meal planning. Many people are ready to lose weight but aren't ready to teach themselves a whole new way of shopping and cooking. The prepared meals plan is like a stepping stone to your own healthy eating plan -- the initial run of low calorie packaged meals is meant to allow you to see weight loss results quickly and safely. Remember that once you've hit your target weight, you'll enter the months-long transition phase in which you will be taught to eat healthy meals you prepare at home.

The Medifast diet plan is aimed at people who need to lose fifteen pounds or more, or people who have type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes patients are not able to participate in Medifast because of the danger of hypoglycemia from the severely restricted calorie levels and glycemic index of the food. If you've had trouble managing your food intake or your weight in the past, Medifast can help you restrict calories painlessly. Some of us need to lose weight but are too busy to cook three meals and two snacks a day -- Medifast diet plan meals are "grab and go", making it easy to eat healthy and get out the door.

What Foods Will I Be Eating?

Let's face it -- a diet plan made up of foods you don't want to eat is not going to work. Anyone can lose weight eating kale and carrots, but you won't be getting all the nutrients you need and you'll be likely to give up just a few days in. Boring food is hard to eat.

On the Medifast "5 & 1" plan, the most common Medifast diet plan, you'll be eating six snack-sized "meals" every day. Five of these will be prepared Medifast meals and you'll have a chance to make your own final meal in your own kitchen. The Medifast snack meals include things like shakes, oatmeal, different soups, scrambled eggs, fruit juice drinks, energy bars, and pudding. You can pretty much kiss Beef Wellington goodbye -- but you won't be eating like a rabbit either.

Many people are curious about this "Lean and Green meal" -- what kinds of foods will I be expected to prepare at home? Each Lean and Green meal should contain five to seven ounces of meat (like fish, skinless chicken breast, ground turkey, lean beef, or pork chops) and three small servings of low-carb veggies such as celery, spinach, cucumbers, cauliflower, asparagus, or summer squash. Don't fret, vegetarians -- meat substitutes like tofu, Garden Burger patties, and egg whites are acceptable on the Medifast diet plan.

If you're scared of dieting, don't know how to make your own healthy foods, or want to control and possibly even eliminate type 2 diabetes, the Medifast diet plan was designed with you in mind. Working in conjunction with your doctor, eating the prepared Medifast diet plan meals along with a meal of your own making is one of the fastest, safest, and most scientifically tested commercial diet plans on the market. No other diet plan has been tested against the ADA recommended diet and found to be more effective. That's the power of the Medifast diet plan.