Medifast Liquid Diet

Medifast is a liquid diet program that allows you to lose weight by drinking very low calorie liquid diet supplements that contain high amounts of protein. The Medifast diet purports rapid weight loss. However, the program requires you to follow a strict diet program in order to both lose weight and maintain the lost weight.

How Medifast Works

Medifast products contain a combination of protein and carbohydrates that allows your body to metabolize fat for energy. Medifast claims that the diet program will reduce the likelihood of regaining weight in the future. The Medifast liquid diet is a low calorie diet that causes you to lose weight by reducing your calorie intake. Because of this calorie restriction, you should exercise caution when following this diet. According to "The ACP Handbook of Women's Health," diets that severely restrict your caloric intake can cause health problems if you do not consume enough calories to meet your basic metabolic needs.

The Medifast Plan

The Medifast diet plan requires you to eat five Medifast meals daily from 70 choices. Meal options include shakes, soups, chili, oatmeal, eggs, fruit drinks, iced teas, hot beverages, crunch bars, pretzel sticks, puffs, puddings, brownies and pancakes. In addition to the five Medifast meals, you can also eat one lean and green meal per day. This meal includes a serving of lean protein plus three servings of non-starchy vegetables. Medifast offers special meal plans for vegetarians, diabetics, teens, seniors, nursing mothers, individuals with gout and individuals undergoing bariatric surgery.

Medifast Claims

Dr. William Vitale, M.D., established Medifast in 1980. The company claims to fortify all Medifast dietary supplements with the vitamins and minerals essential for your basic nutrition requirements. Medifast claims weight loss will occur at a rate of 2 to 5 lbs. per week. According to Medifast, the dietary supplements have a high Fullness Index. This means you will not continue to feel hungry after consuming a Medifast meal option. Medifast claims you will not feel hungry after a meal because Medifast provides a diet that combines low-fat protein, fiber and solid nutrition with a plan that lets you eat six times a day.

Transition and Maintenance Phase.

After losing your desired amount of weight on the Medifast diet plan, you will enter the transition and maintenance phase of the diet program. The transition phase takes from 8 to 16 weeks and introduces vegetables first, then fruit then low-fat dairy into your diet. During the transition, you will gradually reduce Medifast meals and replaced with whole grain and lean protein. After the transition phase, the maintenance phase allows you to eat three daily meals with lean protein and vegetables and three daily low-calorie mini-meals. During the maintenance and transition phases, you will continue to avoid fried, sugary, greasy, creamy and calorie-rich foods.