How Does Medifast Work?

Medifast is a weight loss program that uses individually portioned meal replacements to restrict calories and provide rapid weight loss. According to the Medifast website, an average weight loss is 2 to 5 pounds per week, or up to 20 pounds per month. When people achieve their goal weight they begin a transitional phase to slowly add back healthy foods. The maintenance phase promotes healthy lifestyles for long-term weight loss.

Fat Burning State

According to Medifast, the program is designed to help people burn fat while preserving lean muscle tissue. A daily intake of 800 to 1,000 calories creates a deficit such that people enter a fat-burning state called mild dietary ketosis. This state promotes the release of fatty acids as fuel and is achieved after about 72 hours on the program. Mild ketosis is considered safe.

Medifast Meals

Medifast meals are pre-portioned and are soy-based, low in carbohydrate and low glycemic. The Medifast product menu shows that the meals can be mixed and matched; each providing approximately 100 calories and the same nutritional profile. The meals are designed to curb hunger and promote satiety. The most popular Medifast plan is the 5 & 1 Plan. Each day, participants eat five Medifast meals spaced about three hours apart, plus one self-prepared Lean & Green meal, consisting of lean protein and vegetables.

Lean & Green

The Lean & Green meal consists of 5 to 7 ounces of lean protein such as chicken breast, fish, lean beef, tofu or eggs and three servings of low-carbohydrate vegetables chosen from a list posted on the website or in the Medifast Quick Start Guide. Up to two fat servings are allowable as well, depending on how lean the protein choice may be. Examples of Lean & Green meals include such foods as a grilled chicken salad, baked fish with steamed broccoli and a vegetable omelet.

What to Expect

People tend to lose a significant amount of weight during the initial phases of the program. After the first week or two, the rate of weight loss may slow somewhat. In the fat-burning state. Most people feel energetic and seldom experience hunger if they follow the program guidelines. Participants maintain ketosis by following the Medifast program until the desired weight is achieved.

Transition

During the transition phase, calories are slowly increased to an appropriate level by gradually adding back foods and decreasing the number of Medifast meals. The length of the transition period depends on the amount of weight lost and, according to the Medifast Transition and Maintenance Guide, can vary from 8 to 16 weeks. Transition is accomplished in four stages: first by adding extra vegetables; second, fruit; third, low fat or fat-free dairy; and fourth, whole grains.

Maintenance

To maintain weight loss, the program teaches lifetime healthy, low-fat eating habits, and recommends eating six small meals daily. Regular exercise is also recommended as a way to burn extra calories. Medifast meals can be used indefinitely to supplement meals or put the body back into fat-burning mode if any weight is regained.