Medifast---Has Anyone Done This Program???? or Anyone Done WW or Nutrisystem?

I've been on Weight Watchers since May and love it! I'm doing their online only program since I don't have time for meetings. I've lost enough weight now that I need to take in my fall pants to get altered. I only had a bit to lose -- eighteen pounds -- so the weight loss has been slow and steady (if you have a lot to lose, you'll tend to see larger drops each week). I have a very low point allocation, so there's just only so much weight that can come off. However, research has shown that slow and steady is the way to take it off and KEEP it off, so I'm pleased. I've lost about 13 lbs. so far, even losing weight while on a cruise!

It needs to be a lifestyle change, not a diet, and Weight Watchers teaches you that. You learn to evaluate what you eat more -- but no foods are off-limits -- and add in exercise in whatever way you can. If you eat pre-made foods and shakes, I just don't see how you're prepared to manage daily life with real foods.

I have not done medi-fast, but my brother has and he gains it back as fast as he loses it. I would personally go for WW. They teach you how to eat in real life. Losing weight is always so hard, but if you learn to change things slowly and also keep the foods that you like, but learn how much to eat of them, it will be more successful!!! Good luck

I did WW and it worked really well for me. The only problem I had was I got really sick of keeping track of points. I know for me, it's just not going to happen that way. I really am focusing on trying to change my thought patterns because I know for me that's the only way it's going to work. I also agree with on of the other posters, if you do want to use a program, WW is the best because they do teach you how to eat real food. It doesn't do any good to lose weight eating fake food and then go back to eating real food because you will just gain the weight back. But the same goes for keeping track of calories or points. Once you stop, if you haven't changed your mindset and really focused on how much and what you should eat, you will gain the weight back.

I loved weight watchers because of how easy it was. I never went to a meeting but did the online version which costs the same thing and makes it super easy to track my eating, exercise and all such as that. There are places to post questions. The people on there are really encouraging and helpful. I lost 10 pounds in 4 weeks which was right on track for normal, and a little better.

The thing I liked about it was it was real food. And in changing habits and learning how much to eat of what foods, then it's a change of eating not a diet. I also like the fact that I could have ice cream if I wanted from time to time without feeling like I had killed the diet and wanted to give up.

Hope this helps

L.

Ugh! I just saw the name nutrisystem on your question and had to comment. I tried it. The food - just terrible! No wonder people lose weight on this program! No other suggestions on other diets that work, but it's always best to include exercise with a healthy diet to help you lose weight.

I am currently on Jenny Craig and started April 12th of this year and have lost 47-1/2 pounds with 8 more to go. The food is great and is easy to follow, but it is a bit expensive, but by far the best I have done other than LA Weight Loss where I lost 62 pounds.

Losing thee weight has never been the issue for me. My challenge has always been keeping it off which this time I vow to do. Exercise is key.

A friend of mine had the Duodenal switch and had great success with that, but it is bit more invasive. He lost about 145 pounds and has kept if off for over 3 years. the only thing is you will always have to take calcium which you should any way and protein shakes because you need lots of protein. You should Google it and check that out too.

Good luck with whatever you do!!

R.

Hi Momma-
The healthiest system is probably weight watchers. I know that medifast is not exactly tasty, and I know that nutrisystem works, but I really think you have to work out as well on top of any system. The other issue is the long term use and your health. Weight watchers not only teaches you to eat well for the rest of your life, but has support groups for people who struggle, and is proven to work best long term.
I would encourage you, if you are going to pay for any type of diet and weight loss help, that you try weight watchers for a few months, and get a gym membership.....or have a friend that you can walk with once a day. You can even find someone at WW to become a workout buddy with.
Most of all,I know I sound like a broken record, you need something that will not only help you lose weight quickly, but will last. Anything that causes you to lose loads up front and doesn't take it's time will not, in my experience, last. I am on the "can't afford ww, but still counting my points while working out every morning" track. In 3 months I have only lost 5 pounds, but they are permanently gone pounds, not water weight, and not quick drop pounds. I am a chunky, chunky woman, and finally got tired of being fat.....but it really is alot of work. Good luck momma, and please try the slow loss with weight watchers. It's an amazing program with great support. =)
-E. M

I did NutriSystem a few years ago to lose the last of my pregnancy fat. It is very convenient once you get started but not perfect.
I have food allergies and my husband doesn't eat pork for religious reasons - I had a hard time getting this through the head of the person I ordered our meals from. Also, hubby has a bad ulcer and cannot eat spicy food. Most diet food is spicy to camoflage the crappy taste.
It's great for convenience - you just have to buy drinks and produce to go with the stuff. Some of the snacks were pretty good too.
We both lost weight and did the program for about 3 months - Hubby cheated on the diet constantly and still lost weight - MEN!
I would not do Nutrisystem for more than 3-4 months because you would get so bored and cheat. It's good for losing a little weight from an illness or pregnancy but not if you have struggles with weight or a lot to lose.
The food is not delicious - some of it is awful - but it was a good lesson in portion control and I got back in my old clothes.
I kept the weight off until our next baby arrived. I'm looking forward to trying something else next time.

I have checked into all of these and found Isagenix to have the best nutritional values for the calories. Check out www.cindyflesher.isagenix.com.

I was curious about Medifast myself, but I've done WW and I really like it because I still get to eat whatever I want and not feel bad about it. I just watched what I ate and I worked out, just a simple work out. I lost over 20 pounds and kept it off till I got pregnant. Since, I'm nursing it's a little different with the food.

I'm not one person that could give up on a certain food, that just makes you want it more. I say consider WW. Good luck.

I only made it 2 1/2 days on Medifast - it was AWFUL - the shakes weren't too bad - but I was starving every 2 hours. The soup was disgusting - and so were the bars and the pudding. I've known other people who have lost 40-60lbs on it - so I wanted to give it a shot - but it was terrible. The last real success I've had with a diet was South Beach. I've also thought about trying WW online - but am now PG so it's not an option. If I still had any medifast I'd mail it to you to try - if you do want to try it only buy as little as you can - and make sure you can tolerate it first. I wish you the best of luck - I know how hard weight loss struggles are.

I'm not saying anything bad about Nutrisystem or Medifast but If I were going to do any of these, I'd do the WW. Sure the other ones you can and will lose weight but you have to buy their food. With WW you can buy theirs but you don't have to...just have to learn to count the points and I've heard that's pretty easy once you catch on. The other thing is once you do lose the weight with the others, you go back to eating your regular food and many people have put the weight. With WW you'll already know how much to eat to maintain the rest of your life. Just my opinion :)

Hello Molly,
I too LOVE WW. I did it back in 2000 when I was getting ready for my wedding and lost 50 lbs. After the wedding I gained it back since my goal was the wedding not a lifestyle change. I joined again while trying to get pregnant with my daughter and lost 30 lbs before seeing that positive pregnancy test. After my daughter I went back to WW and back off, then back on, etc. Jan 09 after a miscarriage and at 250 lbs I decided it was a lifestyle change time. I wanted to be a good example for my daughter and be healthy for our next pregnancy. I started off on Nutrasystmes just as a brainless way to lose some weight (didn't want to think, just wanted to get a jump start and kind of detox myself of eating out) and it worked. I dropped about 18 lbs in a month or so (mostly from not eating out and eating their poopy food). I then went back WW again and have been going since. I lost 30 lbs on there until I too got bored counting points (happens every time, I get tired of figuring out what we were having for dinner to know what to have for lunch so I could eat breakfast). It wasn't that hard, I was just being lazy. So I joined Myfitnesspal.com at a friends recommendation. It's just counting calories and a great online community of people who want to get healthy, not just lose weight and it's free. I really like being at the store and being able to pick out the food I want without figuring out the points. I've lost 25 lbs on there since Dec 09. I've been floating around since I crossed over the 200 lb line into ONEderland. Haven't really wanted to push myself too much, I just make healthy choices and exercise. I think after almost 2 years of working on weight loss and exercise I'm bored and want to focus on other things. I still go to the WW meetings because I love the support and being held accountable by someone. I got back from a 3 day weekend on Tuesday and had weigh in on Friday. I busted my butt on Wed and Thur because I didn't want to weight in for our leader (Adrian, she's the BEST! and does meetings in Santa Rosa) and have gained too much. I just love the program, love our group and our leader.
Here is the rundown on my friends and their weight loss
Nutrasystems: 1 friend lost about 200 if not 300 lbs on that program, and is slowly gaining it back.
2nd friend lost probably about 100 lbs, got pregnant, gained a bunch of it back, but went back to it and hit her pre-pregnancy weight when her son was 9 months old and has been going strong after the program. She did say she learned how many calories each meal had so she counts calories now.
WW: I've lost a bunch and keep going back to it. It works if you work it.
MFP (Myfitnesspal): there are people on there who have lost 100+ lbs and have kept it off for years. My friend lost 40 and has been going strong since June of last year.
Best of luck! I also agree exercise is key. At 230 lbs I walked my first 1/2 marathon. I found walking 20+ miles a week for training, I could eat almost anything I wanted in moderation!

I LOVE Weight Watchers. I lost about 50 pounds 9 years ago. I kept it all off until 3 years ago when I had my son. After pregnancy I got back down to 10 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight and have hovered there ever since. It took me just under 1 year to lose the 50 pounds during my original journey. It is hard work and takes determination but you learn to make changes that you can truly live with for the rest of your life. A program like Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig helps you lose the weight up front but then you struggle to learn to do it yourself after you are done losing. With Weight Watchers you learn as you go and build strong habits that will stay with you. I was uncertain about the meetings when I first started but you grow to love them and it is really helpful to share ideas and support with others who have similar challenges as you do. Good Luck!

My Nutritionist, Kaaren Chinello, has a "Diet for Life" plan that really works. I've lost 20 pounds so far during two 21 days courses (3 weeks in January, 3 weeks in August) and so has my husband. The weight is staying off. The point is to eat "real" food and learn to manage portions and control the intake of sweets and starch. Her plan consists of moderate protein and low carb and no liquid meal replacement. It's easy to follow and you'll never feel hungry. No craves either, which surprised me. I've been on doctor monitored diets before and felt like I was starving and it took F. for the pounds to fall off too. The pounds are melting away almost without effort. She'll give you easy recipes too to help you along.
One thing my doctor never did realize was that, for me, my blood sugar has to remain stable or I won't lose weight, no matter how little I eat. Karen works with you and helps you work with your body type. I can't say enough good about this diet plan and Kaaren. Here's her contact info in case you want to check her out:

Kaaren Chinello
Imagine Thrving, Inc.
Body Chemistry Balancing & Detox
Office: ###-###-####
Direct: ###-###-####
E-mail: ____@____.com
Website: www.imaginethriving.com

I've done WW and lost weight, only to gradually gain it all back over the next 8 years. I've done MediFast (actually, Take Shape for Life is the program, and Medifast is the food you buy). It worked great for me, and then I coached my husband on it when he needed to lose weight too. He's kept all of his off for a year now. I put back on about 10 pounds, but am still MUCH smaller than I was (I started at a size 18 and went down to a size 4, and currently wear some 6 and some 8).

It really doesn't matter what you use that will help you lose weight --- at some point you have to return to the "real world" of real food around you, eating real food and avoiding the same things that put on the weight to begin with. WW works with YOUR lifestyle and allows you to eat all the food your family eats, just not as much as you are used to. If you want that chocolate cake, eat it, but you will not be able to eat as much other food. After a few days or weeks, you start to change your way of thinking --- I can eat a piece of chocolate cake OR eat all this other stuff. The weight comes off, you don't have to cook special meals, you can eat everything your family eats, and when you're done and IF the weight starts to creep back, you can easily go back on "The Plan" and lose the weight again.

yes Medifast does work i bend on it for two months and i have lost 50 pounds. and weight wacthers does not work. i did slim fast and weight wacthers and nonething lost. and medifast i lost 14 pounds in 8 days. i feel good. and i can walk with out feeling like i'm dieing.so yes it does work. and yes there is some foods that you wont like but due to time you will like them. and if you dont't then there other food you can try
i hope this help you.