Medifast is a low calorie diet that will make about rapid weight loss - in the region of 2-5 pounds per week. The diet is undertaken by purchasing meal replacement products from Medifast that will provide an optimal calorie and nutrient amount for both men and women.

The 5 and 1 Plan

This Medifast plan is made up of 5 meal replacements per day (generally shakes, but there are also bars, soups, oatmeal, and puddings). In addition to that meal replacements - 1 meal per day is a “lean and green” meal - a small portion of lean meat, and generally up to 2 cups of salad or vegetables. You eat every 2-3 hours, and must drink a minimum of 64oz of fluid (water) per day.

Caloric intake is between 800-1000 calories per day. Medifast suggests having supervision from a physician - however you can order the food without this.

While there are 70 different pre-packaged foods, the most popular items are the shakes - made up of differing proportions of protein. It has optimized vitamins and minerals to ensure there will be no side effects while reducing calories.

Medifast Diet’s Maintenance Plan

Once the desired weight is reached, the Medifast plan has a gradual transition back to ‘normal’ meals over a period of about 16 days. Beyond this, Medifast recommend 1-3 Medifast meals daily and a moderately intense exercise routine (e.g. 30-45 minutes 5 days per week). This is essential to keep the weight off.

Real Weight Loss

Medifast is one of the most successful and balanced low-calorie diets - it has been trialled successfully at John Hopkins Weight Management Center, among other places.

There are numerous success stories from overweight people who have successfully used Medifast to drop their weight down to manageable levels.

This weight loss program is generally only used by the very overweight (BMI >= 30). It will only suit some people, and beware of slowing your metabolism leading to subsequent weight gain.