I am on week 2 of this diet. So far I am extremely happy with the results. I have lost 10 pounds. I read up on some of the diets out there, and picked this one because of the reviews I saw for it. I was nervous that I wouldn't like some of the food, but actually I've liked pretty much everything. Nothing tastes horrible. If you are going to try this diet, I would recommend that 2 weeks before starting it, you cut back on your food. I think this was extremely helpful to me. I cut out all junk food, and my meals were healthy and small servings. This helped me to lose 15 pounds before I started the Medifast. I was at the weight then, that I always get stuck at. You eat every 2-3 hours, so just as you are getting hungry it's time to eat. I want to hopefully keep doing this for 3 months at least, but the cost might keep me from doing this. I found the best deals on Ebay. Can't wait to see what I have lost at the end of the month. Side Effects no side effects for me, except peeing a lot because I'm drinking lots of water. Ease of Use No thought involved....don't have to worry about what to make. I just pick a meal

JodiNewinghamHess

USA

I purchased this after watching convincing videos online. I received my shipment quickly and exactly as ordered. I tried to follow the diet for several days but couldn't get consume it because I could not stop gagging because it tasted awful and was bland, the taste reminded me of paste. I tried the crackers which were no too bad. I also tried the chili, macaroni and cheese and the maple oatmeal which were all awful. I did request a return for the unopened products. Medifast was great about assisting with the return and a refund was processed quickly. Effectiveness This product was not effective for me, I tried to comply with the diet for 2 days however every time I prepared a meal I gagged my way thru the meal. Side Effects What I experienced was more of a sensitivity rather than side effect, but I did experience bloating and more than normal gas the 2 days I tried to comply with the diet. Also because the calorie intake is so strict I did experience a severe headache as well.

denochab

USA

I didn't plan on doing the Medifast plan, but a friend of mine quit the program and gave me her full month supply of food. I ate one meal a day of lean meat and vegetables. The other 4 meals consisted of meal replacements. I was eating brownies, shakes, protein bars, cereal, soups, and chilli puffs. I would eat a meal every 3 hours accompanied by 16 ounces of water. While during this diet I didn't experience any cravings or headaches even though I was only eating a 1000 calories a day on this plan. I did experience a loss in strength while on this diet, but i got it back after the diet. By the end of the first week I had lost 7 pounds. On my second week of the diet I lost 5 more pounds and started to notice a physical change in my body. My legs looked more defined and I even started to see veins in my forearm. The third week of the diet was a challenge because I just didn't have the energy to exercise to my fullest potential, but I was able to will myself through workouts. By the fourth week I looked great visually, but I was probably at my weakest physically. I had lose a total of 27 pounds by the end of the 28 day period. I definitely wouldn't recommend Medifast for long term use.

kingoftheink

Westchester, IL

I was introduced to Medifast by my primary care physician. He told me I would have fantastic results, and I did. It is not cheap, but there are more expensive plans out there. I did not find a product in the Medifast line I would or could not eat. I especially love the shakes, hot chocolate, soups, and my favorite is the scrambled eggs, strange as that may seem. The soups do taste quite salty though. The bars are also tasty. I would recommend Medifast to anyone trying to lose weight. Effectiveness I found this to be the most effective diet for me. All others I tried I had no results. This works every time I feel I need to lose some weight. I follow their program and just add lots of water to my daily intake and the pounds drop off. The only thing different I do is to walk every day while using this plan. Side Effects I've been using this for years and have never had any type of side effects. This actually seems to be a plus for those who do not have regular bowel movements because you are eating these meals on a regular schedule. Something that most of us on a daily basis are too busy to do, eat regularly. Ease of Use I find Medifast extremely easy to use. There are some items that are eat and go, some just add water and shake, others just add water and put in the microwave. Could not be easier.

sunnyinfla

USA

Oh yes! I thought this diet was THE answer to all of my problems. What could be easier than ordering everything you needed and have it delivered to your door? I was so excited to start this diet. Some of the foods and drinks seemed a little odd at first, but hey, maybe it is the oddity that would be the switch that got flipped to take me on a successful journey to the weight loss I was seeking. I discovered some of the drinks to be down right gritty and not at all tasty. The same results was discovered with some of the foods. But I stuck to it and was beginning to see results. I reached my weight target goal and stopped the diet. The weight came back on and then some. I discovered this diet, along with so many other diets out there was just a temporary fix. It was going to take a life style change to achieve permanent results. This is one diet that I did not want to do as my life style change.

didntdoit

Hermiston, OR

When I look at trying a diet program (which I have tried many over the last couple of years), I make sure I find one with good food. Sadly, Medifast's food is very very disgusting. I could hardly eat it for a week. I signed up for a four week plan of food, and the last three weeks went to the trash because I thought it was so gross. So many of the foods simply say "just add water." You might lose weight, but the foods can not be good for your body with the amount of fake stuff in them. If you do decide to use Medifast, I recommend you not order their eggs. Those were probably the worst. I like the pudding okay, and the milkshakes were not too bad. Their selection of recipes on their website is fairly decent, and I have found a couple that I like. I did not find the online community very helpful; I found it hard to get connected to other users. If I could go back and change one thing, I would've endured the full four weeks instead of just one. I hope that it works with you.

tpbball31

USA

First, I have to say that if you follow the plan, pounds will disappear quickly on this diet. I lost 16 pounds in a month, 4 short of my target. But by that point I was so sick of the limited diet and the taste of the food that I gave up and transitioned on to the "lean and green" maintenance eating plan to keep from putting the weight back on. To me, the drinks, particularly the orange drink, were both better tasting and more filling than the bars. There are quite a few other food items - from soup to nuts, practically - but to me they all tasted pretty much the same, ranging from slightly endurable to bad. My advice is, if you have quite a bit of weight to lose or your health has badly deteriorated because of your weight, it would be worth trying because the fast results will really get you motivated to get healthy. Also, if you are on the Take Shape for Life progam, there are quite a few good tips about healthy eating in the written materials that will help when you come off the diet. If you just have a few pounds to lose, though, this is an expensive program, and because the changes to your diet are so drastic, it's hard (at least it was for me) to make a switch back to eating "regular" foods without putting the weight back on. Bottom line, if weight loss is a life or death matter, by all means try it. Otherwise, I'd spend my money on healthy, high quality, low calorie foods to lose the weight. Side Effects You will be hungry! Ease of Use Most of the diet foods can be purchased "ready to eat."

groovygreengirl

Trenton, GA

I lost twenty pounds using Medifast. It came off fast and easy. However, even following their maintenance plan I gained back everything I lost. I believe this is due to my metabolism being so low. This is a VERY low calorie diet and it makes your metabolism slow down. Once you start eating a reasonable amount of calories, because of the slower metabolism, you will gain weight back. I tried to go on the plan again, but my body would not allow it. I became very lethargic and felt like I needed to eat more. Once I did I felt much better, but I gained back all the weight I had initially lost. Effectiveness This works great for the short-term. Side Effects I felt very cold while on this diet due to a slower metabolism. Ease of Use This is actually easy to use. You eat one of the meals every three hours and then eat a protein and non-starchy vegetable meal once a day. Non-caloric beverages and gum are unlimited as are some veggies. If you use the health coach option you get free support.

Okiemama

USA

MediFast claims to help you lose weight with six meals a day. Their 5 + 1 Plan is designed for fast and safe weight loss. You eat five of their formulated meals and one of you own that they help you choose and can lose two to five pounds a week for the first two weeks and then one to two pounds a week after that. They have over seventy meals to choose from and each meal is essentially that same in nutritional value. They offer 24 hour support online through the MediFast Community if you are needing some pep talk or confused about your plan. I actually enjoyed this plan although the food was bland and got boring real fast. The thing I liked the most about this product is they offer lifelong habits for weight management. They do that by teaching you to eat low fat protein meals with high amounts of fiber to keep you full and satisfied. And it worked for me. You are not hungry because you are eating every two to three hours. I really enjoyed this plan and would recommend it to anyone else although the food did not taste great.

LeslieJ1

USA

My sister in law runs a mediastinum so undecided to give this diet a try. I purchased prepackaged "meals" including soup, brownie, pancake, cinnamon "bread" sticks, and cereal. The soup brownie and pancake come as a mix that you add water to and cook or microwave. You eat 5 or 6 small meals a day including the foods you purchase and one lean and green a day. Lean and green being a lean protein(grilled chicken, egg whites, turkey) and green veggies( bed of greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts). I made it a week and a half and lost 6 pounds! But being a person that enjoys food, I decided it wasn't for me. The meals weren't enough for me to feel satiated. But I loved the continence of not having to measure, plan or prepare meals. Effectiveness I lost six pounds in a week and a half, so started losing weight right away and that was great motivation. Side Effects Lack of carbs can zap your energy at first Ease of Use The only planning and preparing is your lean and green and pancake, brownie and soup which include mixing water and microwaving

fergsfallin

Port Lavaca, TX