Is Medifast a nutritionally sound diet?

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The Medifast diet program was launched over twenty seven years ago, as a healthy and nutritionally sound diet plan to be followed while under supervision of a physician. It was prescribed by doctors to overweight patients, with their progress tracked by weekly visits.

Since it has become available to the public, and sold on line, people have questions whether or not Medifast is actually a nutritionally sound diet, as most meals are replaced by a soy protein meal substitute such as a shake or a soup.

It is a very low calorie weight loss program. Most dietitians suggest that you don't drop below 1,200 calories when dieting, however this program only provides between 800 to 1,000 calories today. In spite of it being a very low calorie program, it does provide high protein levels and the foods are complete as far as providing all of the Recommended Daily Allowances of minerals and vitamins.

Based on this, Medifast is commonly considered a solid program that does provide nutritionally complete foods. Something that could make this program less nutritionally sound is keeping your Medifast food (especially the powdered products) past their expiry date, as this could cause your product to lose some of its nutrients. It is also important to not skip meals, especially the lean and green meal, which is an important part of the plan.

Weight loss is inevitable when calorie intake is restricted. While the Medifast diet cuts calories, this high fiber and high protein diet actually reduces hunger. Part of the success of this plan is that meals are consumed more regularly than normal, which helps stabilize blood sugar levels as well as controls hunger and cravings.

Normally, it is safe to stay on the plan until you reach your weight loss goals as long as that doesn't take longer than about sixteen weeks.

If you have a lot of weight to lose and you plan on staying on the plan for longer than sixteen weeks, Medifast recommends that you probably should continue your diet under the supervision of a doctor as continued low calorie intake for such a long period of time may not be beneficial for you. Your doctor will be able to advise you on whether it is appropriate to continue with the plan.

So, while the Medifast weight loss program is a nutritionally sound diet, there are some limitations as to how long you should remain on the diet. It is balanced, and provides all the nutrients your body needs to sustain your energy and strength. The main thing to note with this diet is that staying on a very low calorie diet such as this one for too long, may not be ideal.