Medifast is a diet option for those who are not prepared for other diets.
The Medifast diet is followed by people for losing weight since many years, and as the name in itself suggests, previously it used to be available under a doctor's supervision.
In recent times it is freely available and claims that diet helps you to loose up to 5 pounds in a week.
This diet assumes that before you begin you are fit and in good health and your objective is to loose 50 pounds or more as you are willing to go for it.
It's not cheap, but all the planning is done for you, and the website offers required information and advice for download absolutely free without even compelling you to sign up.
Medifast basically is a low calorie, low carbohydrate, high in lean protein, but without the unhealthy fat which is part of Atkins diet.
You are required to consume around 1000 calories or more per day, and your body (due to the high protein levels) will be in a mild state of ketosis - burning fat for fuel.
Due to this you might observe that you are having some of the side-effects of such diseases ketosis, like smell in the breath, but it would not be as bad as the stun-a-rhino-at-50-paces effect, which is common in Atkins diet.
Even after you have attained the weight you intended to get, before starting the diet, the exercise does not end.
If you start eating in a way you were used to, before beginning the diet, you will soon recover all the lost weight and all your efforts will go in vain.
To avoid the weight gain, in the next step you begin with the Transition Phase, where you have to gradually include various foods back into your diet.
Once again, you will be given a plan and exact set of instructions, which has to be followed on time.
Low fat dairy products, grains and starchy vegetables are slowly re-introduced, and your daily calorie intake is also gradually increased.
While you are in transition stage you are expected to have 2 - 3 Medifast meals per day and the remaining helping of food which you normally take, although calorie intake is still restricted..
Depending on amount of weight you have lost, the Transition phase is decided which lasts generally from 4 to 12 weeks,.
You are also introduced to regular exercise and are expected to incorporate in your schedule at least 5 times a week.
I am very much impressed and really happy to see the way in which all the instructions on what has to be done are given.
Because, as we all understand, that exercise is must.
Dieting without exercise or any regular workout is like the proverbial broken pencil.
Completely pointless! Once you reach the last stage, that is are finished with the transition stage you would feel pretty good about yourself.
But still the regime is not over.
Transition phase is followed by Maintenance Phase, where you have to introduce variety of foods and also increase your calorie intake.
Although Medifast does not compel you to continue, but uses the word 'hopefully' you might want to continue with 1 or 2 of their meal fueling and replacements per day.
But I bet they expect you to take.
Bottom line is that, by practicing this diet regime certainly by now you would have changed all your old undesirable eating habits.
You would definitely be happy to continue all the new healthy habits you have learnt, like eating small meals at regular intervals and avoiding eating junk food the way you previously consumed.
Exercising also is must.
If continued regularly good eating habits and exercise together will promise you long and healthy life!