Thin Blog

What Is Medifast?An explanation to the question of the Medifast Meal Plan is fairly easy to explain.   The program is essentially a prepackaged meal delivery system.  You place an order with Medifast and they will ship you all of the food that you will need to eat.  It arrives at the address you select and once you start using the food, you are on your way to not only weight loss, but to better nutrional health.

What the program consists of are “prepackaged meals” and they are correctly balanced in the nutrition that they contain.  They have the optimal amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber and much of the other needed nutrional elements to not only lose weight, but also to lead a healthy life.

The program involes individual packets that are to be mixed with water and heated in the microwave.  You will also also be able to use a refrigerator to chill the foods that will be left over or just need to be served cold.  The foods you receive, and eat will come from a very large assortment or Medifast menu.  There will be shakes, soups, stews, chili, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, fruit drinks, ice teas, hot beverages, bars, puddings, pretzel sticks and cheese puffs to list but a few.

All of the meals and food choices are quick and easy to prepare and can fit into the busy lifestyle of almost anyone.  No longer will you be able

In a nutshell, The Medifast Meal Plan is a nutrionally balanced, clinically proven, prepacked meal delivery system that has been proven to aid a person to lose large amounts of weight very quickly.

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The question of whether or not a person can drink beer or alcohol while trying to lose weight with the Medifast diet plan has been asked many times on this site.  The answer I provide is one that often shocks because it is not the one most expect to get.  If you are on, or if you are thinking of using Medifast to lose weight, the answer to whether or not alcohol can be consumed is really a very simple answer because the answer is “yes.”  There is nothing going to stop you from drinking liquor or booze or the occasional beer.  Now that you have heard the good news about booze and Medifast, let me give you the not so good news.

The one thing about losing weight is that it is all about commitment.  The more weight a person needs to lose, or wants to lose, requires the person to have that much more commitment.  All too often I hear lip-service from those that say they are tired of being over weight and then do nothing about actually losing the weight.  Medifast is really not that much different than ANY other weight loss plan when it comes down to commitment.  That commitment level is what separates a person from being overweight and the person that is going to lose the weight.  If a person wants to lose weight using Medifast then there will need to be a period of time that drinking alcohol cannot be consumed.  Sure you can drink it…but not if you want to lose weight.  Nobody is going to chain you down and stop you from drinking, but if you REALLY hope to lose weight, you will give up the booze while your weight loss attempt is occurring.

The point I am trying to make is that you are the one that decided it may be time to lose weight and regain some of your youth and your health.  If you are looking to drink booze or beer during that time period merely shows a lack of commitment to the overall intention of actually doing something about being obese!  Does this mean that if you drink a beer you are a weight loss failure?  No, it does not but it is really a double-edged sword, that is very sharp.

Medifast is unlike most other diet or meal plans out there in the way a person loses the weight.  A key reason for this is that the plan is low-glycemic and that means that if you follow the plan, you stay in a mild and continuous fat burning state.  That fat burning is achieved and as long as the plan is followed, you will continue to burn fat and hence….lose weight.  If you stray from the plan and drink just one beer, you have caused an influx of carbohydrates and sugars that will halt the fat burning process for up to 3 days.  If you drink that beer you will simply forfeit up to 3 days of fat burning and how does that fit into your commitment?  Nobody will stop you from drinking the vodka, but then nobody is making you do Medifast either.  It simply comes down to how badly you want to lose weight and how firm is your weight loss commitment to yourself.  If you truly want to lose weight then you need to get out of the way of yourself.

I also know that a person cannot live their life in a diet vacuum forever.  If you have some special event coming up like a wedding or a cruise then schedule the event.  Stop the plan for that occasion, enjoy yourself and then jump back onto the plan.  The difficult or tricky part is getting back on plan.  That tricky part is not unique to Medifast, it is common to any and all weight loss plans.  The easy part is going off the plan by drinking a beer or some whiskey, the hard part is recommitting yourself the morning after.

So, to answer the question of whether or not you can drink alcohol while using Medifast is simple.  Yes you can…but not if you want to keep losing weight.
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If you are wondering what to expect when starting Medifast let me be the first to tell you all of the joys and all of the heartaches that you can expect.  First off we need to sort of discuss your personal situation and since I do not know you, that makes it somewhat difficult to be accurate.  The point I am trying to make is that the situation for everyone that starts Medifast will be different.  Some people will be single and live alone while

Married and doing Medifast together is the situation that I live in at this very moment in time.  My wife and I were both overweight and we tried many weight loss ideas before coming upon Medifast.  The dynamic that we have is that we live alone and all of our children are grown up, which makes living the Medifast life fairly easy and very convenient.  When we are at home together we simply wander into the kitchen and spend the five minutes or so getting one of our meals ready to eat.  Since we are both on Medifast it is very easy to stay on plan, even when we go out to eat.  What we have learned is that we are really saving quite alot of money on groceries and eating out.  Overall the plan is very easy to follow and in the long run it is proving to be more cost effective than eating like we used to eat.

I see that there could be difficulties in a relationship if only one partner were to be doing the plan because with Medifast you are either on the plan or you are not on the plan.  If your spouse or partner were to NOT be doing Medifast at the same time I can see it causing stress in the relationship.  Eating out would be more difficult and the schedule of meals at home would be dramatically altered since a Medifast user eat six times a day.  Also it might be difficult for one lone individual to resist the daily temptations in life that end up in a home that has little to no concern for preventing obesity and eating nutritiously.

What anyone can expect from starting Medifast is to lose weight and for it to happen fairly quickly.  The first two weeks will be the fastest and then your body will settle into a slower pace.  I lost about 18 pounds in the first two weeks, while my wife lost about 8.  Currently I lose about 3/4 of a pound each and everyday.  I know this is accurate because of the validation my BodyBugg provides for me.  The math of the calories is quite simple.  I eat about 900 calories a day and I burn about 3,500.  If you do the math it works out, on the scale, that I am losing 3/4 of a pound daily.

One thing that I never expected to believe is that I can go each and everyday of my life eating less than 1,000 calories and yet still never be hungry.  For the first few days on the plan I thought the portion sizes were tiny and I would be hungry all of the time.  I soon found out that I was not going to starve and today I never get hungry at all.  I eat my six meals daily like clockwork and I no longer rummage through the kitchen looking for snacks to eat.  The interesting thing that befuddles me is that I am eating less and I am much more satisfied with the food I eat.

One thing I do know is that if I am out and I smell a cheeseburger or a slice of pizza…I long to have some.  I love the foods that made me fat but the difference now is that this is the time I have chosen to become thin.  I have set aside this time for the sole purpose to lower my weight, my cholesterol and end the family tradition of contracting type II diabetes.  Despite the longing I have for what my nose sometimes smells, I am centered in the desire to make this weight loss attempt the one that succeeds.  I am not saying that I will never have a burger or pizza again, I am just saying that I have lost 67 pounds along the way and I never want to return to the old me.

Another thing my wife and I have learned is that we shop for our clothing in thrift stores.  Since I have lost 10 inches from my waist I have needed new clothing.  I do not have the money to revamp my wardrobe and I now sort of  just rent the clothing I need.  I use the word rent because I know that in just a few weeks I will be donating them back as I search for an even smaller size. We have also been getting rid of all our old clothing entirely so it will not be easy to just start gaining weight again when this Medifast ride chops off all 97 pounds that need to go away.

Trying to be specific in my explaining what to expect when starting Medifast, I want you to know that the most important thing you will need to make this Medifast journey a success is determination and motivation for the long haul.  If you are currently trying to improve your life by losing weight then do not let anybody tell you different.  If there is a loved one telling you not to do it I would question their love or at least their motivation for saying so.  If you are over weight and and the person in your relationship is not encouraging and helping you there is a deeper issue than weight loss.  Anyone that loves you…I mean really loves and cherishes you will be there for you as you attempt to become healthier.  If someone is trying to stop you and they themselves are overweight they may try to discourage you simply because they are not ready to make the change them self.  If you are ready to make the change then go for it and don’t wait for someone that may die while they are getting ready to start.

The most important thing a person can expect when starting Medifast is that there will be changes and adjustments that you will experience.  You may get constipated but that too will pass. (Pun intended)  When you start Medifast you will think you will starve and yes, you may be tired for 2 or 3 days, but that is simply your body adjusting to the fact that you are not living on empty carbs and harmful fat.  What you can expect is that after just a few days you will feel great and ready to go.  If you follow the plan you can expect to see a thinner and happier person staring back at you in the mirror.

The single most important thing you can expect when starting Medifast is that you will lose weight.

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What is Medifast is a frequently asked question that has been asked by many people over the 30 years it has been in existence.  What is Medifast is a simple question to answer, but that answer is one that will really depend on who is answering the question.  What we mean by “who” is whether or not that person is thin or if that person is overweight.  If you are looking for a fast response to what is Medifast the quick and thoughtless answer is that it is simply a diet.   If you are a person that has had obesity issues over the years, the answer to what is Medifast can require much more information.

To the casual observer it is easy to lose sight of Mediast in the collage of diets available on the market today.  To a person seeking information on what Medifast is, the effectiveness can be underestimated totally.  So many people look into Medifast and do not see the total program for what it can do for a person.  I have not only lost weight with Medifast I have gotten my life back because of the weight I lost through the use of Medifast.  I will answer the question of not only what is Medifast, I will answer the question more personally.  I will tell you what Medifast is and more importantly…what Medifast has meant to me and how it has impacted my life.

It is hard to explain things in my life unless I discuss it in the context of my wife and I doing it together.  My wife, Sue and I have been overweight for years and have tried so many of the diets and pills and gizmos available on the market.  We started this very website as an effort to get our weight under control.  We were very overweight and we tried to lose weight for over ten years with little and varied success.  Our weight loss was always up and down and most of the time we were either starting a diet, getting ready to start a diet or having just given up on one diet or another.  We both have lost an amazing amount of weight and have been able to keep it off.

The simple and clinical answer to what is Medifast can be quoted right from the Medifast website as such…

“Medifast is a portion-controlled, nutritionally balanced, low-fat, and clinically proven program that helps people lose weight faster and more effectively than traditional diet plans. Medifast Meals come in individual packets that you mix with water and microwave or refrigerate, and are available in a wide variety of foods and flavors, including shakes, soups, stew, chili, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, fruit drinks, iced teas, hot beverages, bars, puddings, pretzel sticks, and cheese puffs. Quick and easy to prepare, they offer a healthy fast food alternative to a busy lifestyle!”

To me that answer is accurate, but really sounds too much like a commercial, and a commercial is not what I want this to sound like.

Because of Medifast I have beaten my battle with obesity.  I have been able to lose the weight that has been so hard for me to get rid of for the last decade.  The truth is that I really did not realize how overweight I was for so long.  I look back at the photographs and shake my head with disbelief that I let my body go so badly.  Because of Medifast I now understand that in order to lose weight AND to be able to keep that weight off for life, I had to come to grips with food and how I related to food.  I used to eat and eat till it was literally an eating overdose.  When I first saw the small portion sizes of Medifast Meals I grimmaced that I would starve to death.  Before I started Medifast I had no clue as to what Medifast really was all about.

As I started to use Medifast I learned that what Medifast is…is that it is NOT A DIET!  I no longer look at Medifast as a way to simply lose weight.  I have no intention of going back to the things that caused me to get overweight in the first place.  I now understand that by eating well balanced and nutritionally sound food I can keep my sugar levels from spiking and that alone makes me NOT suffer from hunger and that it simply makes me healthier overall.  I have lost ALL of the weight I had ever hoped to lose and here I sit just one pound over a perfect BMI.  Here I sit writing this with a bag of Medifast Parmesan Cheese Puffs munching away and doing it in a healthy way that will keep me in shape for life.   Now that I have achieved the perfect weight I no longer have to diet, but yet I know that if I do not watch what I eat, I will gain all my weight back again.  I still use Medifast on a daily basis because not only does it taste great but because it works.  I no longer use the plan to lose weight, I use the Medifast food as part of an overall way of life.  I now eat pretty much what I want and now that I am an ideal weight I do not want to gain it back, so I still use Medifast Meals, but I no longer eat 5 of them a day.  I eat about 3 on an average day and eat other “stuff” also during the day.  If I have a weekend out or if I see my weight creep up a few pounds, I simply go back to the 5 & 1 Plan to get those few pounds off again.

What is Medifast?  For me it has changed my life and for me it has shown me that losing weight is pretty easy and now that I have lost it I can still use the stuff to keep it off.  There are 70+ meals to choose from and I like all of them, except one soup.  (My Medifast Product Reviews)  I eat most of the meals while I am at my job in a retail store because I have realized that it is good food fast and it is healthier and less expensive than eating out everyday.  I put a crunch bar or a bag of cheese puffs in my pockets and when I am busy or on a break I eat.  It is really quite simple.

What is Medifast?
It is the best dang system I have ever come across in the last 49 years and it has helped me get my life back.  I am thinner, healthier and even have a little more money in my pocket because of the fast food savings.  Medifast has impressed me so much that I have to tell you that if you want to lose weight Medifast can help.  The only caveat is that Medifast can only help you if you are ready to make the commitment to make it happen in your life.  No longer does weight loss have to be what happens to other people.  Medifast can help you lose weight, if you are willing to use Medifast as it was intended to be used.

Medifast is the best weight loss tool I have ever seen, used or heard of and if you are tired of being overweight then you need to check out Medifast for yourself.  Medifast is the real deal and if you use the Medifast Program correctly you too can reach a healthy BMI.  Medifast works and if you want to lose weight and also are willing to do something about it, then try Medifast and you may be amazed by the results.

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I am asked quite often how Medifast helps diabetics, and I want to start this article off with the very straight forward disclaimer that I am not a doctor and I am not giving out ANY medical advice, opinions or assistance in any way, shape or form.  Not only do we suggest you consult your doctor when discussing Medifast and diabetes, we will also provide a link to the disclaimer page to stress how important we consider the issue.  (Click Here For Disclaimer)  The reason why we are so upfront with this information is that Medifast is tremendously effective in how you manage diabetes.  Before we can spend any quality time discussing the issue, I need to make sure you understand the question, or issue of diabetes.

Quite often a person turns to Medifast after the scare of diabetes enters the picture of life.  If you have recently become concerned with diabetes, let me clarify whether or not you are concerned with Type II Diabetes, or Type I diabetes.  There is a huge difference in not only what the problem is, but also in how the problem needs to be treated.  (Remember…we are not doctors!)  To explain this in very understandable terms you need to realize that the fundamental difference between the two types of diabetes.

Type II (also referred to as being insulin resistant) is when a body produces too much insulin, while Type I diabetics do not produce enough insulin.  Type II diabetics generally do not need to take injections, while Type I diabetics need to take injections daily, to maintain any form of health and well-being.

The next big thing a person needs to understand about how Medifast helps diabetics is that if you are a Type II diabetic, the disease is 100% reversible, while being a Type I diabetic is not reversible at all.  A person that is Type I diabetic will need to not only take injections of insulin daily, they will also need to prick their skin to obtain their blood samples quite often.  Since this article is not about the discussion of why a person contracts diabetes, let me refer you to an earlier article that covers this subject in-depth.  (Article about Diabesity)

Now that we have separated the subject matter into the two types of diabetes that a person may contract, let’s look at how each of the conditions can be dealt with by using Medifast.  I will also refer you to a link to the official Medifast pdf file that discusses Medifast and diabetes. (pdf Link)

Type I Diabetes and Medifast
If you are a Type I diabetic and are considering Medifast I once again want to stress the importance of doing it correctly because of the sudden, positive impact your body will experience by starting Medifast.  If you are a Type I diabetic and are considering Medifast FIRST THINGS FIRST: See your doctor.

When you have diabetes, the most important thing is controlling your blood sugar levels, which are affected by what you eat. That’s why your primary care provider (PCP) or diabetes specialist needs to know before you start the Medifast for Diabetes Program. It’s important that he or she monitors your blood sugar and medication dosages. Because the programs are low in calories and the products have a low glycemic index, your medications may need to be adjusted before you begin. Medifast recommends careful blood sugar monitoring throughout your weight-loss program. Work with your doctor to decide if you need to change any of your diabetes medications (pills, insulin, or both).

I will not say much more about the subject other than the guidance that once your provider reviews your situation, and gives you the go-ahead, you may start on Option 3: The Medifast 5 & 2 & 2 Plan. Your PCP may decide it’s safe for you to begin with one of the lower carbohydrate options, as long as he or she is closely monitoring their blood sugar levels and insulin needs.  Be sure to follow your PCP’s advice exactly to ensure you’re getting enough carbohydrates to avoid a low blood sugar.

More information on Medifast as a Diet for Diabetics

Type II Diabetes and Medifast
The good news for you, if you have been diagnosed with Type II diabetes is that you still have time to take action and make the needed changes to EVER prevent you from needing to take insulin.  In fact, the news from my doctor about ME becoming a diabetic is what scared the crap out of me and is what “nudged” me to finding Medifast.  Ever since that fateful day…my life has improved greatly, and I owe it all to Medifast.  I clearly remember the day I was sitting in the doctor’s office and was told that if I did not make a change I would be a diabetic within 6 months!  HOLY SHIT!!!!  I walked out of that office in a daze and was determined it was not going to happen.

I fell from my “glory” days of being a Marine Corps officer to being reduced to a diabetic bound blob of skin stumbling through life.  I knew I had to make a change and that was the start of this website, and my journey.  I will admit that I wanted to make a change, but was clueless as to how to get it done.  Naturally I “leaned” on my military experience and started to exercise and do all that macho stuff The Corps is known for, and yet I was so confused about the simple act of eating, and nutrition.  I really knew nothing about what was good, and what was bad and I even remember thinking that Sensa was going to help me lose weight.  I actually wasted my money on that, and a bunch of other weight loss nonsense that did nothing but drain my wallet.  The result was the simple fact that I was becoming a confused mess of a person… that was stressed out about the simple act of eating.  I was immobilized on how to best proceed in my effort to fend off diabetes.  Then somehow, someway I found and started using Medifast.

I really do not remember what got me initially involved with using Medifast to lose weight.  I have racked my brains and I really do not remember the moment I decided to try Medifast.  I do remember my wife wanting to do the program with me, and not having enough money to place the first order for both of us.  We literally had to use up all the crap in the cupboards and wait till we saved enough money to place out first order.  Once that order arrived and we started the Medifast program, I have never….not even once feared about becoming a diabetic again.  I not only no longer fear about being a Type II diabetic…I have ZERO fear of having to start injecting myself with insulin.  Medifast reversed a downward spiral of bad health and brought me back from the brink of looming diabetes!

Now that I have given you my Medifast testimony, let me dive deep into the subject of how Medifast can help with diabetes.

The first thing you need to understand is the relationship between your body, sugars and carbohydrates.  In order for your body to digest, or process sugar, OR carbohydrates, insulin must be produced.  The missing piece of information most people do not realize is that carbohydrates need to be processed by your body, through the production of insulin.  The sad truth is that our society produces massive quantities of carbohydrate laden foods that are abundant, and relatively inexpensive.

When a person is attempting to get their pending diabetes issues under control with Medifast, the plan is considered what is known to be low glycemic, which is exactly what a diabetic person needs to be looking to eat.  To delve into the Type II diabetic issue it also must be realized that often the condition is directly attributed to being obese, which is also very, very treatable through the use of Medifast.  By limiting the intake of sugars, and carbohydrates, a person’s body is forced to enter what is known as ketosis, which is the Holy Grail of weight loss.

To sum it all up you simply need to know that through the use of Medifast a person can prevent Type II diabetes completely, and lose weight while preventing the disease.  In fact, losing the weight and preventing diabetes quite often go hand in hand.  It is a proven fact that by simply losing weight a person can fend of diabetes.  Medifast has been recommended by over 20,000 doctors and has been proven to be effective in clinical studies done at Johns Hopkins University.  The credentials of Medifast being able to fend off diabetes is not only impressive…it has been documented by myself, and many other people over the last 30+ years.

How does Medifast help with diabetes?  The answer is really very simple as it can prevent it from ever even happening, but you need to take action before it is too late.  If you have been diagnosed with Type II diabetes, then you either get off your butt and do something about it, or accept that fact that if you do nothing…the quality of your life is going to spiral down, and the inevitable process of the ending of your life will start to loom in the not too distant future.

Medifast and weight loss, or inaction and diabetes…the choice really is going to be owned by you, and there will be nobody to blame….but you!!

Keith Quackenbush

KeithQBush@Gmail.com

850-449-0121

Diet for Diabetics