How do you rate Medifast compared to other types of diets?

I recently received correspondence from someone who was trying to decide if the medifast diet would be right for her. She had been looking at several different diets and wasn’t sure which would be the best one. To help her decide, she asked me to rate medifast compared to other popular types of diets. You can see how I did it in the following article.

Medifast versus preparing a low-calorie diet program on your own: People often ask me if it’s possible to create something similar to medifast on your own using items you might buy at a grocery store. In my experience, this is very difficult to achieve. Think of it this way. You’re consuming about 1,000 calories per day, and you’re eating six times a day. For this to happen, most diet meals are around 110 calories or less. But, this does not tell the whole story.

Because not only are the foods low in calories, but they are also very low in sugars and carbohydrates. At the same time, all meals are high in fiber and protein. It is very difficult to achieve this combination on your own. The company actually modified the food in a way that is very difficult to replicate (at least for me). And doing so seems like something that would be time consuming and expensive. You would have to be very conscious of every ingredient in every meal (and you would probably have to buy some special ingredients). And you would have to use them very sparingly.

That’s not to say it can’t be done. I’m sure you can. And, if you’re the type of person who enjoys cooking, planning, and doing careful research, then you might enjoy the process. However, in my observation, one of the reasons this diet appeals to people like me is that I’m known to make poor food choices. So for me, it’s better to let someone else do the work and make the decisions. I really liked that they prepare (and decide) my meals.

Medifast versus diets using the point system: There are some popular diets that allow you to choose your own food using a point or calorie/carb counting system. These are popular with some dieters. One of the most popular examples is weight watchers. And some people have success with these types of diets. I find that people who are highly organized and who enjoy the feeling of control that comes with keeping a food journal or counting their points gravitate toward these types of diets.

Basically, food is assigned points, and when you’ve used up your points for the day, you’re done eating. Of course, foods that most of us really enjoy (like pizza, snacks, or desserts) cost a large number of points. So if you’re going to eat something like this, you’re going to be more limited for the rest of the day. And this was my case with this type of diet. I would pretty much use up my points from the start and be hungry for the rest of the day. Like I said, given the chance to make food choices and use self-control, I almost always let myself down eventually.

Medifast vs. Low Carb/High Protein Diets: Another type of diet that is very popular right now is the low carb variety. Examples are diets like Atkins, South Beach and The Zone. On these diets, you are asked to limit your carbohydrates and sugars while eating more protein and fiber. In reality, you are being asked to do the same with Medifast. And both diets have the goal of putting you in ketosis, or fat-burning mode. But the difference is in the level of work involved and the types of food you eat.

Because most low carb diets require careful food preparation to omit sugars and carbs. Often you are only allowed a certain amount of these and are required to have a certain amount of protein. And in my experience, you’ll be eating a lot of meat, cheese, eggs, and dairy to achieve this. This usually requires a lot of food preparation and adjustment. With medifast, foods are pre-packaged so you don’t have to count anything or worry about totals at the end of the day. You pretty much know that if you eat five of the prepackaged meals on this diet and make a healthy meal of your own, you’ll be fine.

Many of these diets work for a wide variety of dieters. The real key is finding the diet that best suits your personality. For me, a high-protein diet had always worked to help me lose weight, but I didn’t particularly enjoy the foods that were required, and I didn’t like having to cook special foods. But, your opinion may be different.