The Medifast diet regimen triggers the body to burn fat stores for energy instead of glucose. Each pre-packed meal is high in protein content and less in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the body’s main energy source as glucose comes from carbohydrate-rich foods. If the body detects low carbohydrate or glucose stores, it will burn fat stores instead. This is what’s called as “ketosis,” and the Medifast diet encourages this metabolic process. Hence, more fats are burned without risking health.

A person who has just started on the Medifast diet will ideally lose about 2 to 5 pounds each week. So, that’s about 20 pounds in a month. Losing this much in just a month seems to be impossible. But not with the Medifast diet plan. Still, each person will have a different reaction to the diet regimen. This is expected since each individual is affected by other environmental or emotional factors.

The Medifast Program provides wide-ranging food choices of high protein and low carbohydrate replacement meals that encourage ketosis. A dieter must have at least 5 Medifast meals a day and 1 lean and green meal, which is the usual requirement for those who have just started on the program. There is a wide selection of breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack options available. Each pre-portioned Medifast meal has about 11 to 14 percent of proteins, and the overall calorie of each food item is just about 90 to 100 calories. Dieters are also offered a variety of flavors for each meal type. Oatmeal, for instance, come in four different and tasty flavors, like apple cinnamon, blueberry, peach, and maple and brown sugar. There’s so much diversity of food types and flavors so that dieters won’t feel bored with eating the same thing each day.

The lean and green meal can be eaten anytime during the day. One can have his choice of lean meat and fresh veggies. Portioning isn’t very complicated, unlike in other types of diet regimen wherein a person has to measure or weigh food to be able to count calorie intake. Here, the typical lean and green portioning is just to fill half of a medium-sized plate with lean meat and the other with a vegetable dish. In order to keep carbohydrate intake at a minimum, dieters can opt for vegetables that are not very starchy. Cruciferous vegetables, tomatoes, lettuce and asparagus are good choices. For more ideas, take a look at vegetables that are in the lower glycemic scale.

Another good way to supplement the Medifast diet regime is through exercise. But keep physical activities simple and not very strenuous as the Medifast meals are designed to already burn calories even with little or no exercise. Taking short walks, cycling or running short distance, will all be helpful. Still, it’s best to ask advice from health professionals before combining exercise with the Medifast diet.

Men and women who wish to shed some pounds should start with the 5-in-1 Plan. But, like any other sort of diet regimen, one should first consult with a physician or certified nutritionist before embarking on this challenging weight loss journey. The 5-in-1 Plan introduces the body to a high protein and low carbohydrate diet which encourages the body to stay longer on a state of ketosis, wherein the body burns fat for energy rather than glucose. There is also a wide assortment of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack selections for dieters, so dieters won’t get easily bored with tasting the same items.

Once the body has gotten used to the 5-in-1 Plan, a person can opt to go for the Medifast Complete Plan. Here, one needs to consume 5 to 6 Medifast replacement meals. A person can even opt to switch from the 5-in-1 Plan and the Complete Plan anytime he wants. So, one will be able to take pleasure in the variety of meals offered, as well as in these Medifast programs’ flexibility. For both diet plans, water plays a vital role. Water aids in fat elimination, and dieters are encouraged to increase water intake to at least 6 8-ounce glasses of water each day.

Since the metabolism of men and women are quite different, there are other recommended diet plans for each gender. In general, Medifast programs for women have smaller portions since women don’t need as much calories as men do. So, there’s the Medifast 55 Plan for women and the Medifast 70 Plan for men. These two are essentially the same. The difference lies in the amount of proteins and calories for each type. In the 55 Plan for women, each shake offers 11 grams of protein and about 90 calories. As for the 70 Plan, each shake possesses 14 grams of protein and 100 calories. The two programs have equal amounts of essential vitamins in each serving, which is about 20% to 50% of the US Reference Daily Intake or RDI. As like other Medifast programs, both of these also encourage about 3 to 5 pounds of weight loss each week.

Another Medifast diet regimen that men and women can try is the Medifast Plus for Appetite Suppression. In this plan, meal items are almost the same as the original types, except for the use of Fruit Fiber and CitriMax. Fruit Fiber helps in keeping hunger pangs at bay, and this also aids in fat or cholesterol elimination. As for CitriMax, this contains hydroxycitric acid and other substances that aid in appetite suppression. There are two varieties of suppression shakes, and these are Chocolate and Vanilla.

When it was first developed by a doctor at Johns Hopkins University during the 1980s, the Medifast diet was primarily used as a quick weight loss diet program for overweight patients. These were patients who needed to shed some pounds in order to become qualified for surgery. This diet plan was mainly used by medical professionals, and many experts also contributed in developing Medifast items. As the popularity of the Medifast plan increased among those in the medical community, more and more doctors began to recommend and sell Medifast items directly to interested consumers. Knowledge about Medifast trickled from the experts to the public; hence, it’s not a surprise that most physicians know about the Medifast diet regime. A group called the “Medifast Medical Provider Network” was formed, and by 1992, its members reached about 15,000. Today, there are over 20,000 doctors who highly recommend the Medifast plan and there are even more doctors who have joined the Medifast Medical Provider Network, which seeks to provide professional guidance to those who wish to lose weight. Members of this network also work with Medifast in order to provide clients with ample support and proper supervision when dieting.

Medifast also continues to research and develop new programs which undergo thorough clinical studies. These studies are then evaluated by doctors. If new programs are found to be effective, these will be used as a guide or a tool for those who wish to lose weight.

Doctors also recommend Medifast because of the variety of specialized programs available. There are diet plans for seniors, teens and also pregnant women. There are also specific diet plans for those with medical disorders. Examples are diet plans for diabetics, for those with gout, and also those under anticoagulant therapy. With carefully studied diet plans focused on the specific health needs of consumers, doctors feel more confident about encouraging their patients to try out the Medifast program.

Going on a diet is a huge and tough challenge, which is why support is very significant as this will help sustain a dieter’s will to succeed in a certain diet plan. Medifast support tools are comprehensive. There are discussion groups, tips on how to make Medifast meals more interesting, nutritional information, as well as guidance from medical professionals. If, for instance, a person is interested in the Medifast Plan and his doctor is not quite well-informed about this, then he can refer his physician to the Medifast team. A representative will get in touch with the doctor and explain the diet regimen completely. This avoids any misunderstanding between doctors and patients, and also it helps bridge the information gap amongst those in the medical field.

In the Medifast diet plan, one has to follow a 5-in-1 food plan. This means that 5 meals should be Medifast meals, while one has to be a lean and green meal. Medifast replacement meals are high in protein and low in carbohydrate content. Because of this imbalance between proteins and carbohydrates, the body is persuaded to burn fat for energy, rather than glucose from carbohydrates. Hence, the body is placed in a state of ketosis, which is the metabolic state wherein the body burns fat. On the other hand, when a person eats a lot of carbohydrate-rich foods, the body is encouraged to release insulin, which in turn, metabolizes glucose. Here, the body uses glucose for energy; thus, it will not burn fat deposits. The Medifast diet works because it promotes ketosis.

Another great benefit of the Medifast diet regimen is that here, one won’t have to count calories or weigh how much food they should eat. There are over 70 varieties of food choices suitable for snacks, breakfast, lunch or dinner. These are pre-packed and very easy to prepare. So, these types are truly suitable for individuals who don’t have much time to prepare complicated meals. In addition, because of the expansive assortment of replacement meals available, dieters will have many options to choose from. Breakfast meals, for example, include oatmeal, coffees, or shakes. For lunch or dinner, there are stews and soups, like cream of broccoli, crab, beef, and many others. Snack selections are also diverse. There are puffs, pretzels, brownies and varieties of juice drinks. The Medifast plan also requires a person to consume at least one kind of lean and green meal per day. He can substitute any meal with the lean and green serving. Here, determining portions is not very difficult. One just has to fill half of his plate with any type of lean meat, and the other half with fresh greens. But for a more specific approach, half a plate of lean meat would be about 7 ounces, and 2 cups for vegetables. There are many types of vegetables that one can eat on a Medifast diet, but those with low starch content are recommended. Examples of these are: cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli and cauliflower; celery, green beans, sweet peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and lettuce.

When going on a diet, it’s also important to have a good support system. With the Medifast diet, a person will have easy access to support tools, including food and nutritional guides, as well as easy recipes for those who wish to prepare lean and green meals. There is also a team of experts that continues to evaluate the effectiveness of current food replacement meals, and also other professionals who continue to develop new replacement items to make the Medifast choices more interesting to consumers.