How is this different from Medifast?

[domesticbliss]

As far as I can come up with, both use meal replacement 'packets', both are very low calorie, both use only protein and low carb vegetables at dinner...
how is it that the weight loss with Ideal Protein is more than with Medifast?

[JohnP]

Calories dictate fat loss or gain. From what I have read IP dieters are consuming 700-900 calories a day, Medifast dieters are at 800-1000 per day.

Based on the slight difference - I'd say if people are losing faster on the IP diet it is because they are more compliant. The reasons one would be more compliant on the IP diet are debatable but probably have to do with high cost and in person support/accountablity.

[domesticbliss]

so just a difference of 100 calories can be seen that drastically in weight loss?
I know medifast/wonderslim/new lifestyle talk about ketosis too, that's the goal... but their carbs are pretty high...

[infoplease]

First, I'm assuming better weight loss on IP than medifast is true.

Medifast claims their plan is 800-1000 calories, 10g-30g fat, more than 70g protein and less than 100g carbs. I'd say IP is 900-1100 calories, likely less than 30g of fat, more like 90g of protein, and probably 40g net carbs, but likely well less than 100g of carbs.

Looks like the vast majority of medifast products are in the 12g to 15g carbs total carbs range, maybe 10ish net carbs. Products looked a little lighter in protein at 10g each BUT 5 products would total 50ish which is comparable to the IP 45g to 51g in 3 products.

And, acknowledging that every IP product doesn't have stellar ingredients, there were a lot of fructose, corn syrup and sugars in random products I checked (a pudding, a shake, etc).

So, I'd come to the compliance conclusion from a different direction. Could be too many carbs for some people to get into ketosis to stay compliant and could be too much sugar in some products that would potentially create enough of a blood sugar swing that might trigger a mini-binge (which the eating six times a day thing would help to thwart).

Honestly, their site does contain some helpful information on transitioning and maintenance. The maintenance combinations appear to be like IP. They do suggest eating six times per day, which there is evidence "out there" that this does not work for everyone. They do suggest limiting fats to two servings a day for a 1500 calorie diet, which there is also evidence that would support including more "good" fats.

On what do you base your conclusion that people lose faster on IP?

[JohnP]

Originally Posted by domesticbliss

so just a difference of 100 calories can be seen that drastically in weight loss?
I know medifast/wonderslim/new lifestyle talk about ketosis too, that's the goal... but their carbs are pretty high...

No - 100 calories isn't a big difference. Look up compliance if you don't know what it means. Ketosis has no effect on fat loss but it can affect compliance in some people.

[tobehealthy]

I have been on both, and I prefer IP because it is faster. No doubt about it. The food is better on Medifast, you can have some cheese and better dressing, the packaged foods have more variety. HOWEVER, you will likely lose slower, perhaps due to all these things.

Look, I'm not educated on nutrition, but from experience, I'd say choose IP if you're looking to get through the weight loss phase faster. If you can't stand the foods, then consider Medifast.

[Starshine]

When I researched diets, the first one I considered was Medifast. I finally went with IP, because of the vegetables. On Medifast, if I remember correctly, you get 1 1/2 cups a day with your real protein meal. On IP you get 4 cups and unlimited lettuce. For me, this is the key, as I wanted to get in the habit of consuming large amounts of vegetables. It's worked. My tasted buds have changed, and the veggies are my favorite part of the day.

I've had huge success with this diet too. Not saying you won't with Medifast, but I'm totally satisfied with my weight loss and more importantly with the way I'm eating now. I love my greens.

[Lolo70]

I have pondered the exact same question. I looked at the carb/protein/fat counts of both and there is not such a huge difference. I started out on Medifast and as tobehealthy said, I liked that diet better. Eating more often eliminated hunger, the products taste better and it was easier since only one meal needed to be prepared.

I switched to IP this summer after hitting a 3-month plateau. The plateau was not due to Medifast, but no matter how I tried to modify the diet, I could not loose any more weight. After switching to IP, weight loss took up. Actually, quite amazingly so. On Medifast I lost in average 1lb/week. On IP (week 7) it stands at 2 lbs/week (I am not counting the first three weeks since losses are bigger with both programs in the beginning).

John is right that you eat less on IP if you keep to the diet. However, coming from Medifast 5+1 (I kept to the rules always), I still cannot adhere to the IP rules of 3 meals with only 1 restricted. I therefore still eat about the same amount of calories and I also had to stop working out in the first six weeks. So, I think that something else is going on. I was doing 1 hr of circuit training on Medifast without a problem, but was unable to work out for many weeks on IP. This makes me think that IP induces a more pronounced loss of glycogen stores than Medifast and, hence, keeps the body in ketosis more efficiently. I don't think I lost muscle mass on IP, so it had to be mostly water/fat. The inches are now coming off where I had problems loosing before.

Like others I have to conclude that losses are faster on IP than on Medifast. Staying compliant is harder for me on this diet, though. I am sure, if I could stand feeling hungry, I would loose even more.

I am sure there is some science behind it in addition to the calorie count, which is important, too. However, I failed to get a satisfactory explanation from the IP infomercials. Maybe I cannot access the scientific studies that IP claims their diet is based on, but the studies they cite on their webpage are greatly outdated.

[domesticbliss]

very informative, thanks everyone!
btw I wasn't asking this because I'm trying to decide, I have settled on IP- I was just curious...

[kaplods]

I'd love to know the TRUE IP and Medifast statistics of not only weight loss speed, but also how many people drop out, how many people were kicked out, and other statistics so I could truly compare the two (but not likely to get that).

I've researched both plans, and they're similar enough, that I would bet that results are likely to be quite similar on both plans (with full compliance).

I would also guess that if you questioned people who've been on both plans, you'll find some people who did better on Medifast as well as those who did better on IP, and also those who did about the same..


And if IP results are in fact faster/better than Medifast's (and I'd like to see the proof), I wonder how much it has to do with IP's reputation of kicking members out (or at least threatening to) for noncompliance. Or dropping members who claim they're being 100% compliant, but are losing slowly.

If those folks who leave voluntarily and those who are kicked out for noncompliance or slow losses aren't being counted in the success rate, it really isn't fair to compare that plan's "success" rate to plans that do not kick out members for noncompliance and slow losses.

While I've heard of IP coaches threatening to drop clients for noncompliance and/or slow losses (even when the member swears they're being compliant) - I've never heard of that happening with Medifast.

If you read the IP threads, you'll see several members here who have been threatened by their coach's to be dropped from the program because of slow weight losses, even though the member has sworn they did not cheat. If IP kicks off people who do not lose rapidly, then they're also not counting those slower losers in their success statistics.

It's easy to claim a high success rate, if you don't count the drop outs and kicked outs.

Personally, if I were able to choose a name-brand plan, I would go with the one that didn't threaten me. I don't respond to threats, and even if IP were proven more successful, and proven to be more successful BECAUSE of the threats, I would still choose the plan that doesn't threaten, because I refuse to live under any more stress than I have to (I also do not lose weight as well in a stressful environment for many reasons).

[Douger963]

I was quite successful on IP. I lost 100lbs, and maintained it for quite sometime. As like any diet, if you go back to bad eating behaviors you will eventually gain weight back. I've gained 40lbs back because of relapsing into undisciplined eating habits, so I'm considering MF. Mainly because it's a different program to follow which seems to keep me challenged to follow a new protocol.

I have heard of some having poor coaches on IP, however I can't say that I had that experience. Never did anyone ever threaten me to kick me off. They were very educated on IP and had done it themselves. They were just good counselors in general. I was able to buy individual packets instead of entire boxes of food. They would find someone to see me when I came into buy food whether I had a scheduled appointment or not.

[usmcvet]

Originally Posted by domesticbliss

so just a difference of 100 calories can be seen that drastically in weight loss?
I know medifast/wonderslim/new lifestyle talk about ketosis too, that's the goal... but their carbs are pretty high...

No I think Johns point is compliance and support. I know the support here on 3fc has helped me through tough times and with questions. I also have had my best sucess when setting goal, publicly. It keeps me focused and motivated.

[BeccaGrim]

People really get kicked out? I had not heard that. What would be the reasons someone got kicked out?

I have a friend who has done very well on Medifast but I'd never heard of it until she got on it.

[Nolawhodatchick]

Originally Posted by BeccaGrim

People really get kicked out? I had not heard that. What would be the reasons someone got kicked out?

I have a friend who has done very well on Medifast but I'd never heard of it until she got on it.

Come to think of it, in all my readings here, I don't recall anyone saying they were ACTUALLY kicked out, but several folks have said their coaches THREATENED to kick them out. Some said their coaches told them that after 3 reported cheats, they are "required" to kick them out. Don't know if that is a rule some clinics made up, or if it comes from IP protocol, or if it's just a threat tactic used by some coaches.

[Starshine]

Originally Posted by Nolawhodatchick

Come to think of it, in all my readings here, I don't recall anyone saying they were ACTUALLY kicked out, but several folks have said their coaches THREATENED to kick them out. Some said their coaches told them that after 3 reported cheats, they are "required" to kick them out. Don't know if that is a rule some clinics made up, or if it comes from IP protocol, or if it's just a threat tactic used by some coaches.

And if a coach did that to me, I'd not want them to be my coach anyhow. Coaching skills are variable, unfortunately. They're not all like Wuv.