I'm not on Medifast anymore, but I'm trying to follow the Medifast nutrition. That means 800-1000 calories, <100 carbs, >70g protein, and <30g of fat. I'm staying in the calorie, protein and carb ranges, but I'm going over on the fat. I'm averaging 35-40g of fat per day. Being vegetarian, I'm finding it tough to get in my protein without fat.

Do you think the extra fat is hurting me, or should I be ok since the calories are low?

I think good fats are fine. Those calories though are super low esp if you are not being medically supervised.

Yea, I'm a little concerned about the calories, but I don't want to risk going higher just yet. When I tried Medifast, it worked, and so many people have had so much success on it. I haven't stuck to a plan and consistently lost weight in so long, and I'm afraid to try anything other than what seems to be working now. My current plan is to get down to a weight where I feel I can do significant cardio (I know I can now, but I'd like to feel comfortable going to a gym or running outside) and then add some calories.

Gyms etc can be scary as you compare yourself to others- walking walking walking is free and you get to check out the hood

That's a good point. And I'll be moving in a few weeks -- walking my pup instead of just letting her out in the yard will be good exercise for both of us, and I can check out the surroundings

I hate to say this, but I don't think you'll be able to mimic the Medifast program nutritionally. Calories, fat, carbs and protein counts are just a small part of the nutritional profile of the products. so by focusing on those, you are missing out on everything else that you need.

Have you considered Eat to Live or a similar diet plan for vegetarians? ETL can offer quick weight loss like Medifast, but IMO it's healthier. It's definitely healthier than a mock-medifast diet.

I've done both Medifast and Eat to Live and I personally felt better on ETL. There's magic in fruits and veggies

Suzanne 3FC, I'm trying to get in as much green as possible, and I'm taking fiber and a multivitamin. Are there other Medifast-specific nutritional things you think I'd miss?

I'm going to check out Eat to Live now. I just couldn't stomach the Medifast food!

I've tried a low calories diet once, less than 800 calories and I didn't check the fat in the food I was eating, just the calories mattered. I've lost 44 pounds in 6 months so for me it worked.