Hello! For the past month I have been trying to decide which way to go with my weightloss.I was doing calorie counting but decided to give Medifast a try.The weightloss between the 2 ways seems the same.I've also researched longterm results with both ways and although Medifast gets it off faster it seems as if you put it back on faster.Has anyone had longterm results with anyway of eating?I need to lose about another 120 pounds so any help would be appreciated.I don't want to sell all my Medifast on Ebay if I can make it work.TIA!

luvmy3
The way we eat is a life change. You really can't look at it any other way.

I happen to count calories, fats and carbs. Others use slim fast and yet others use Jenny Craig and so forth and so on.

As long as the plan you are following is healthy and you understand you are going to have to stick with it for the rest of your life not one way is better than another.

If medifast works for you and it is healthy then that is the plan for you. You have to ask yourself some questions. Is this a plan I can stick with the rest of my life? Heck, can I afford to stay with this plan the rest of my life? Is there enough variety in the plan that I won't get bored with it and started adding other things to eat into the plan that I shouldn't be adding?

No matter what you decided to do just remember this journey you and the rest of us are on to a more healthy thinner body isn't just about today. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives taking care of ourselves.

Hope you find a plan that works for you and you see the results you want to see.

Every single diet, whether low fat, low carb, paleo dieting, intuitive eating, raw food only, etc. works because it creates a calorie deficit. Some people really don't get that, and think there is some kind of magical property to their diet of choice that leads to weight loss. Nope, just a calorie deficit.

What makes one diet better than another is how well it fits into your life, and if you can stick to it forever. My only advice is find something that you can handle long-term, that doesn't make you feel terribly deprived, and doesn't lead you to do any crazy, drastic things. Personally, I count calories and stick to eating mostly whole foods in a Mediterranean tradition. It works.

Thanks so much!! I know that this is not a diet but a lifestyle change.When I was younger I would diet because of the way I looked but now it is for my health and to be here to watch my children grow up.I started Medifast for fast results but I now see that I need longterm not fast so I was questioning my decision.

I've heard it so many times and I feel the same way. The hardest part of losing weight isn't actually losing the weight but keeping it off. Which is why it needs to be a lifestyle change and whatever plan you decide to follow must teach you the skills you need to keep the weight off which basically means a solid maintenance plan.

I don't know alot about the medifast diet, but if it has you in a good range of calories (not too low), it could be a good start. If its counting out your calories with prepackaged shakes and meals that could make it easier for you at first. Do you like the medifast shakes and foods to stick with it?

Like above posters said, you will need to make a change, and honestly, there is no way you can go back to eating the way you did before and keep the weight off. You'll need to eat fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains..

You'll have to try some different healthy, low calorie foods and see what you like and what you can stick with.

The food is okay not great but with lots of doctoring it up it's bearable.But I feel like my food should be more than just bearable.I asked on the Medifast board if anyone has kept the weight off and not one person has answered so maybe that gives me my answer.

I agree with the others that a lifestyle change is a must. Having been on Medifast three years ago, and regaining back the weight, I am again on Medifast/Wonderslim(tastes better), to lose the bulk of my weight. For the last 10#, I will be switching over to Weight Watchers, which is a more realistic way of life---for the rest of my life. Everyone must find the solution that works for them, and I pray that my plan will be mine. Best wishes and success to all!

If you don't go back to your old eating habits, you won't regain the weight.

If you don't like the food, you probably won't stick to it for long. part of the life style change journey is finding healthy, low calorie foods that you like so you can stick with it.

I know very little about Medifast, but from what I do know about it, you lose weight fast because it is an extremely low calorie way of eating. I can see how it could be a good choice for someone that had a couple hundred pounds to lose. Then you could get on medifast for the first 100 lbs or so and then ease into another way of eating after you've gotten use to eating 6 small meals a day and regular exercise.

It all really comes down to eating healthy and eating less. And for what it's worth it seems to me the people who have the greatest long term success( not the fastest weight loss) counted calories, ate vegetables, fruits,whole grains and lean protein and exercised

Why can't you just use up what you have left of your Medifast, and ease into something more tasty as you finish what you have on hand. If you have 100 pounds left you lose, it's gonna take some time regardless of how you do it...and as everyone has said...maintaince is obviously a large part of the battle. I know I couldn't eat mediocre food for the rest of my life...Thankfully I have fine culinary skills and time to prepare delicious low calorie food. If I didn't I don't think I'd be as far into this journey as I am.

I choose calorie counting because long ago I vowed never to spend a dime losing weight again. I swear the Frito-Lay Corporation, Nabisco and half the diet programs are all in cahoots with each other. I was tired of big money making me fat, and making me thin. I have better things to spend my money on...like Liz Claiborne...LOL

I totally agree with all of you.My biggest battle is takig the weight off but my main concern is the maintaining it.The yoyo dieting is hurting me more than I had realized.And each time I gain there's a 20 more pounds around for the ride.I just can't keep this up.I want to be healthy.It's beyond looking good.It feeling good and being healthy.I'm just starting to think I could be eating real food instead of the shakes and getting the same amount of calories in.

Echoing what others have said - pick a plan that fits your lifestyle - one that you can do for the rest of your life. Maintenance doesn't look much different than losing weight does. Life is too short to pick a plan that you don't enjoy.

You will have much more success if you actually enjoy the journey. So, try something - if it doesn't fit (like Medifast), pick something else. This isn't a test, where you have to pick the best answer. It is an experiment where you know what the desired outcome is. As Meg (a very wise chickie) says, we are al "laboratories of one". Keep experimenting until you find the right combination - for YOU!

You CAN do this, and I gotta tell you - fast doesn't matter. I considered myself a snail on this journey - but, now that I'm in maintenance - it doesn't matter one iota how long it took me to get here - the only thing that matters is that I didn't give up!

Hi there! I am a veteran of Medifast -- I lost 25 lbs superquick, then gained back 30 lbs EXTRAsuperquick! This is because the Medifast program is a great program for quick weight loss. But it SUCKS at teaching you how to keep it off.
I totally understand where you are coming from. I've been there. So there are three ways you can approach this:
1. Stay on Medifast until you reach your goal weight. Problem with this is that you will be at goal with absolutely NO idea on how to maintain it. This probably isn't an issue for you right now, but it WILL be as you approach goal. And I will bet you a hundred bucks that you WILL regain the weight and that your $$$ spent on Medifast will be wasted. (JMHO, people, for those on Medifast, no insult intended -- this is just my experience with the program!)
2. Find a program that works with your lifestyle and stick with it. This is great for long term success, as long as you find a workable plan that fits with you. So check things out.
3. Continue on Medifast until you reach a target weight, then switch directly over to a lifestyle program. The problem with this is that you have to be super strict about switching over at, say, 200lbs, to a lifestyle program such as Weight Watchers or South Beach. And you will have to accept the inevitable 5-10 lb immediate weight gain that will happen in the 2-3 weeks during your transition from a very low carb diet to one with carbs in it (this happens due to water retention with carb intake and glycogen replenishment) without freaking out. Or "taking a break", because this IS when you will binge your way back up to your old weight. Guaranteed (IMHO, of course!).

There are no easy answers to this, so it will come down to your personal preference. I found, personally, that I wanted to do plan 3, but once off Medifast I regained the weight plus some. So I took it slowly and decided to go on Weight Watchers and will stick with this plan for the long term. I recognized that I HAD to address my lifestyle in order to be successful, both in the short AND the long term.

Let us know what you decide!

Kira

When I set out to lose weight I decided that it didn't matter HOW LONG it took, I would keep with it. Calorie counting is working wonderfully for me with a focus on whole foods nutrition (lots of lean proteins, fruits and veg, good dairy and healthy fats, whole grains) and it's obviously something I can do for life. Because if I can't... why bother?