Medifast is a supervised, commercial, very low calorie diet – 800 to 1,000 calories per day -- that requires you to eat five pre-packaged Medifast meals and snacks every day, along with one “lean and green” meal of lean protein and an approved vegetable or salad. Once you have reached your weight loss goal, you start adding non-Medifast foods, including dairy, back into your diet.
Theory
The initial weight-loss phase of Medifast is very low in carbohydrates, allowing only 80 to 100 grams of carbohydrates per day. Dairy products are fairly high in carbohydrates – 1 cup of skim milk has slightly less than 12 grams of carbohydrates. Foods that are high in carbohydrates, like fat-free dairy, or fairly high on the glycemic index, like fruits, starchy vegetables and grains, are not allowed during the weight loss phase of Medifast because of their effect on your body’s insulin response.
Procedure
Start adding dairy products to your Medifast diet in week three of your Transition period. Medifast recommends that you add a total of 1 cup of fat-free dairy to your meal plan every day. This can be in the form of milk, cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, ice cream or cheese as long as it is 100 percent fat free. You can add a bit to each meal, or save it up for one meal, as long as your daily total is no more than 1 cup.
Benefits
Once you have lost the extra weight and have learned to make proper food choices and exercise portion control, dairy offers a host of vitamins and minerals. Nonfat dairy products are an excellent source of protein, as well as vitamins A, D, B12 and riboflavin. Dairy also contains high levels of, zinc, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and calcium. Yogurt contains probiotics that help keep your digestive tract healthy.
Warning
Once you’ve reached your goal weight, it’s human nature to want to relax and cut loose a little. Keep in mind that it doesn’t take long to undo all of your hard work. The Medifast system takes this into account by helping you make the transition to a normal diet in slow stages. Follow their guidelines regarding what kind of dairy to eat, and do not consume more than 1 cup of fat-free dairy per day. If you make a mistake, don’t panic. Don’t make it worse by tossing out the whole plan; just get back on track at the next meal.
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