Medifast weight loss program

By Weight Loss Consultant • Related • Filed Under

The Medifast weight loss plan was designed by a medical physician in 1980. The original program was designed to be a medically supervised weight loss program that is achieved by using meal replacement supplements. Today it remains a leader as a producer of medical meal replacement products. This plan has been used by over 1 million patients and has had over 15,000 doctors that have worked with this program over the years.

Today Medifast has branched out and its main function is no longer programs that are medically supervised. Consumers today can go to the Medifast website, join the program and purchase the meal replacements directly through them. The medical option is open to anyone that wishes to use it however the company states that only a small number of people avail themselves of that option. Medifast’s products continue to be primarily meal replacement foods. They do not have full dinner entrees to offer their clients like other programs such as Weight Watchers does. What they do offer is a wide variety of shakes and a few solid food items such as chili, scrambled eggs, and oatmeal. The company does have hopes of being able to add more foods in the future for clients to purchase.

There are three different programs that people interested in Medifast can choose from. The first is called Medifast Direct. In this program, consumers can purchase their meal replacement products either by phone or on the internet with support from healthcare professionals. Take Shape For Life is a new subsidiary of Medifast. It is a network of life coaches that work with clients virtually to give them a health assessment. They then work with the client providing health tips, emotional support and other information about the Medifast plan that can make the client’s weight loss goals a reality. There is also a maintenance program that is designed to help the client keep the weight off once they have achieved their weight loss goals.

The Lifestyles by Medifast program is a network of physicians and healthcare providers who carry the Medifast products and implement the diet plan for their own patients. They can do this or refer their patients to the plan online for purchase of products. People who do not have a physician who is participating in the program close to them physically can access these physicians through the phone or email if needed.

Medifast is considered a long established weight loss program which has many benefits for those who are obese. According to the website it follows the glycemic index so it is appropriate nutritionally for people who have type II diabetes. This program is not inexpensive. The costs are estimated to be approximately $500 in the Medifast direct program. People who take advantage of the medically supervised program can incur costs of approximately $1,600 for a 16 week program.

So does Medifast work? The longevity of the program and the amount of medical physicians involved with it give the program an air of authenticity. In addition, Johns Hopkins did a clinical study which compared the Medifast diet to The American Diabetes Association recommended diet to see which diet gave the best weight loss results. The results of the study was published in January, 2008 in The Diabetes Educator. The study showed that this diet plan promoted significant weight loss in both men and women. On average men lost 67 pounds while women lost 47 pounds. They also noticed significant drops in cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure readings. The Medifast diet consistently outperformed the ADA diet in weight loss as well as the other values that the researchers recorded in this study.

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