Healthy- Can I Just Do the Shakes For Medifast?

Ive been on this diet for a while and most of my coworkers are aware of this.  The other day, someone from another department asked me about the Medifast shake diet.  I informed her that the diet didnt only consist of shakes.  In other words, its not a liquid only diet. The shakes are a popular choice, but they are not the only one.  There are many different foods to chose from here.  However, I dont think that this is what she wanted to hear because she asked can I just do the shakes, though?  Ill provide my opinion on this in the following article and tell you the experiences on which I have based the answer.

How This Diet Works With Or Without The Shakes:  Medifast allows you to eat five of the plans prepackaged foods per day.  Then, once per day you make one lean and green meal on your own.  This is lean meat (or protein) and vegetables.  You can have any combination of the foods that you like, but the company asks that you only consume two of the protein bars per day as these options are a little higher in calories and carbs than the others. All of the foods are low in calories and high in protein.  Depending on what you prepare for your lean and green, youll be taking in around 1000 or so calories per day.  This high amount of protein and low amount of calories inspires your body to burn much more fat since you arent fueling your body with excess carbs.

In order for this process to work correctly, you cant skip meals.  All six meals are needed to keep your metabolism happily humming along.  Many people will try to cut corners by skipping or skimping on their meals.  Avoid this temptation.  This will only make you hungry, cranky, and frustrated.  This diet was designed by doctors that knew what they were doing, so follow this plan as designed and trust that it will work.

Why I Dont Think That Limiting Your Medifast Food Options Is The Best Idea: I havent found anything in the literature about restricting the amount of shakes that you consume (like you have to with the bars.)  However, I cant imagine why you would want to do this.  All of the over 70 foods are equally as low in calories, as high in protein, as equally effective, and as filled with nutrition. So, why would deny yourself more choices and variety?  I would think that it would get boring to limit yourself like this. 

Dont get me wrong.  The shakes are convenient, tasty, and filling, but if I consumed only them and one lean and green meal, I would think that this would limit my ability to stick with the diet.  You want the variety in your diet and you want to learn to make reasonable choices for yourself because eventually you will go on the maintenance phase of the diet where youll be adding in regular foods.  

I would not want to give up the eggs, oatmeal, soup, stew, chips, pudding, cappuccino, fruit drinks, or hot chocolate and I use many of these foods as a base with which to make safe recipes for cakes, muffins, and cookies.  I would not want to give these things up.  And, my results have been very good with eating all of the foods available to me.  So, I dont see the point to limiting yourself when you have so many other options and foods available to you. 

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