Tag: medifast

Managing one’s weight is turning out to be one of the biggest challenges today for health-conscious individuals. As lifestyle health issues such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular ailments continue to rise, keeping the extra pounds at bay becomes all the more important. But, how can you achieve an optimal weight? Obviously, the first step is to find the right diet program that will teach you how to eat right and develop healthy eating habits.

The truth is even when we know what to eat and how much to eat, we are unable to follow it. The reason for this is a constant struggle to juggle between house chores and office pressure. We get so caught up in everyday activities that we fail to take time out to cook healthy meals at home or work out to burn the extra fat. In such a situation, who can you turn to? It is here that diet planners like Medifast, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, South Beach Diet, etc., can come to your rescue. They make meal planning easy and ensure you can eat pre-cooked nutritious meals every time.

Now with so many options to choose from, which diet planner amongst these can you trust? While all of them will provide you with diet meals that are calorie controlled, you need a diet planner that will help you lose weight in a safe and healthy way. It should help you keep the extra pounds off without having to sacrifice foods that you like to eat. Medifast is one such diet program aimed at helping you lose weight in a hassle-free manner.

What are Medifast alternatives that you should consider?

Medifast had been started in 1980 by a doctor keen to launch weight loss products to help his patients. With time, it merged with other organizations and has now grown into a trusted name in the diet world. Like Nutrisystem, it offers different meal plans for women and men and offers meals containing a mix of fresh foods and prepackaged products. Medifast can help you lose a whole weight in very little time, but this can be hard for the body to adjust to. Instead, Nutrisystem is easier-to-follow and focuses on inculcating healthy eating practices.

If you are looking for Medifast alternatives, Nutrisystem is the first choice that comes to mind. Medifast may offer well-balanced nutritious meals but choices are far limited when compared with Nutrisystem. Nutrisystem provides low-calorie, low-fat, high-protein meals which are not only wholesome but tasty. You can choose from more than 150 different menus when you sign up for Nutrisystem plans. Medifast has a modest collection of menus and these are primarily in the form of bars, shakes, pasta soups, and breakfast foods.

Why is Nutrisystem a better alternative to Medifast?

Medifast 5 & 1 diet plan offers 5 portion-controlled meals to be complemented by one Lean and Green meal that dieters must cook at home. For the lean and green meal, you need to add fresh foods bought from the grocery. This diet planner has launched the Medifast Flex and Medifast Go plans; these are strict by nature, guaranteeing a significant weight loss every week. Meals are not as tasty as Nutrisystem making it somewhat harder for dieters to stick to the program. Besides, the diet is difficult to sustain in the long term. 

Medifast provides meals that are rich in minerals and vitamins; dieters can choose from different types of food groups like healthy fats, lean proteins, and vegetables. Medifast Flex offers more fruits, nutritional snacks, and yogurts in their meal plan. If you look at Nutrisystem plans, you will see that it completely relieves you of the burden of watching your calories. All meals are portion-controlled and calorie-controlled. There is no need for you to prepare anything at home although you are free to add fresh fruits or veggies to the meals.

When you place orders for a month-long supply of Nutrisystem meals, you can be certain these will arrive directly at your doorstep. The meals are nutrient-dense and tasty, resembling regular meals that you may be used to eating otherwise. Nutrisystem even offers frozen gourmet foods which draw inspiration from restaurant-styled menus. Dieters can choose either shelf-stable foods or frozen foods; all they have to do is heat the meals before eating. So, in terms of convenience and variety, Nutrisystem scores past most diet planners. The variety is impressive and the choice of menus will not leave you disappointed. Even those craving for desserts will be able to continue dieting without having to sacrifice their sweet treats. This just goes to show the flexibility and customizability which Nutrisystem plans offer.

As far as prices are concerned, Nutrisystem meals turn out to be reasonably priced. While Medifast meals are also affordable, you can expect to enjoy big savings with regular Nutrisystem promotional and discount offers. Medifast doesn’t make workouts mandatory when you subscribe to their meal plans. But Nutrisystem actively encourages daily workouts to supplement their diet meals. It has even come out with useful DVDs for both women and men to incorporate exercises into their daily routine.

Besides Nutrisystem, there are quite a few diet programs out there which can be good alternatives to Medifast. Of these, The South Beach Diet is a popular option because of its tasty menu options and affordability. Dieters following this diet have been seen to lose a significant amount of weight. South Beach Diet seems to have made an impression because of its delectable snacks and meals which makes it easier for dieters to stick to it. When compared to Medifast, it is more pocket-friendly. And most importantly, it can be sustained for the long-term. Not only can you lose the extra weight quickly but also develop skills to maintain this.

Another popular diet planner is the BistroMD which too had been designed by a medic for helping people lose weight in an effective and safe way. It provides nutritionally-balanced meals guaranteed to help you shed the extra pounds. BistroMD is known for its customizability, expert advice, and top-of-the-line foods. Weight Watchers is yet another recognized name in the world of diet planners offering real foods and cutting down on processed ones. Heavily-processed foods offered by Medifast tend to trigger digestive problems and are harder to stick to for the long haul. Weight Watchers introduces a point-system for those struggling to lose weight; it shows them ways to eat healthy when you are traveling or busy.

Which is the best diet program for you? This is perhaps one question that has been bothering generations over the years. If you look around you, there is no end to fad diets that promise you rapid weight loss in record time. Given that the market is flooded with exciting diet options, it becomes more difficult than ever to choose the right one. 

Both Nutrisystem and Medifast are diets that have been rated highly by experts. They may be amongst the most popular diet programs available now, but do you know which one is right for you? To know the answer to this, it becomes important to study about these diets in-depth and analyze their pros and cons.

Nutrisystem vs. Medifast-a comparative analysis:

Nutrisystem has been around since the seventies when it originally began as a brick-and-mortar store. It was set up in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania; today, it is one of the leading diet-planners helping consumers across the world to lose weight healthily. You can avail of their resources, diet programs, and nutritional counseling through the Internet and phone calls. Medifast was started in Baltimore and created by William Vital in 1980. It merged with multiple health organizations over the years. Medifast now provides resources and health products vis-à-vis a website and franchises.

Overview:

Nutrisystem focuses on providing portion-controlled and low-calorie meals. Medifast is also a low-calorie program but designed for rapid weight loss unlike Nutrisystem which seeks to achieve the same goal slowly. Medifast plans are meant for quick results but Nutrisystem is designed for helping you develop better eating habits. This is probably why Nutrisystem diet plans are more accommodating, allowing you to include fresh foods in their meals.

Diet programs:

Nutrisystem offers different kinds of diet programs to cater to different types of dieters. So, you will find special programs for vegetarians, diabetics, women, men, and seniors. Medifast rebranded its earlier Take Shape for Life program to come up with diet solutions which will prevent dieters from experiencing frequent hunger pangs throughout the day. This new program called OPTAVIA has 3 variations.

Meal portions:

Nutrisystem plans encourage you to eat small meals throughout the day. The meals are nutritious and contain foods that are low in Glycemic index like whole grains, fiber-rich vegetables and fruits, and foods having low sodium content. This means you can eat regular meals but in moderate portions. However, when you choose to opt for Medifast diet plans, your meal choices are far restricted. Its Optimal Weight 5&1 plan, for example, advises you to eat small meals many times in a day. In this, you can choose from a variety of specially-formulated Medifast food products that are portion-controlled and nutrient-rich. So, you eat 5 “Fuelings” that include bars, soups, shakes, biscuits, and puddings. The final meal is one which you make yourself along with 3 portions of non-starchy veggies; this is called the Lean & Green meal.

Convenience:

Nutrisystem plans are calorie-controlled and you will not have to worry about calorie intake in every meal. There is no need to prepare any meal at home as the company will have all these precooked meals delivered to your doorstep. So, you are completely free to engage in other chores without having to worry about buying groceries to cook at home. However, with Medifast plans, there is a Lean & Green meal which you must cook at home. The five packaged meals are delivered to your home by the company but the sixth one must be made at home. In terms of convenience therefore, Nutrisystem seems to score ahead.

Sustainability:

Nutrisystem will make you lose a couple of pounds every week while the Medifast 5&1 allows you to lose up to 2-5 pounds in a week. So, in terms of results, Medifast appears to be more effective on paper, but this is also why it is difficult to sustain. Nutrisystem is flexible and lets you add foods to supplement their meals. It is sustainable and easier-to-follow.

Counseling services:

Nutrisystem not only provides dieters with customizable meal plans but also extends valuable nutritional advice and counseling when they need it. You can download the NuMi app to make sure you stay on track with your weight loss goals even if you are traveling. This makes Nutrisystem an easy-to-use program. Even diabetics can get access to certified diabetic counselors. Besides prepackaged meals, the OPTAVIA program by Medifast offers support and counseling from dedicated coaches. The coach is supposed to get in touch with you every week to track your progress. So, you can enjoy one-on-one counseling with Medifast.

Meal type:

Nutrisystem meals are either frozen or shelf-stable; this means you simply have to heat them once before eating. You can buy their ready-to-eat diet meals and use fresh foods from the grocery to supplement these. This is what makes Nutrisystem a much more appealing option for dieters. Medifast meals are all precooked and these are in the form of soups, shakes, puddings, etc. They may be low in calories but do not resemble the type of meals you are used to having.

Overall health:

Nutrisystem meals have foods with low GI because this helps to keep blood sugar levels in check. A high-protein low-carbohydrate ratio is conducive to weight loss and prevents energy or mood fluctuations. But, if you switch to diets like Medifast that focus on losing a lot of pounds in a very short time, the side-effects in terms of energy changes can be hard to check. 

Menu options:

Nutrisystem lets you choose from more than 150 menu options. Medifast meals may include tasty options like brownies, soups, pretzels, etc., but the choices offered by Nutrisystem are much wider.

Cost:

Nutrisystem meals are available at different prices, usually running into $263-$342 a month. Medifast meals are also reasonably priced and you need not buy additional food. You can get Medifast products for low Glycemic, lactose-free, and even vegetarians and these are available for categories like women, men, and diabetics. So, for both Nutrisystem and Medifast meals, there is no need to count the calories or look at the ingredients. The only problem with Medifast meals is that people need time to get used to the sudden drop in carbs.

Workout:

As far as fitness goes, Nutrisystem has come out with 3 workout DVDs; two for women and one for men. You are provided with a DVD depending on the program you have selected but there are no guidelines on how frequently you must exercise. Medifast offers exercise guidelines alright, but there is no workout program. It simply asks you to work out every day but the duration and frequency depends on you. However, it advises dieters to wait for a couple of weeks before starting exercises. This is because the body may need some time to get adjusted to the sudden cutting down of carbs.

If you consider both Nutrisystem and Medifast diet programs, you will see that both are effective and safe for losing weight. That should be the primary goal for any weight loss program. But, at the same time, it is important to choose a plan that you can stick to. It is not enough to eat healthy meals only for a certain time-period; it is important to inculcate healthy eating habits that will last you a lifetime. 

Nutrisystem meals are wholesome, well-balanced, and nutrient-dense; they are low in trans fats and saturated fats. They will help you shed the extra weight slowly but steadily. If you want very quick results, you should consider Medifast. But the downside is that dieters following such diet programs tend to put the weight back on after 6 months. Weight loss may be fast initially since calorie intake is drastically reduced, but this is not sustainable in the long-term. For making the transition to long-term weight loss you need a balanced diet planner like Nutrisystem. Nutrisystem plans are easier-to-adjust to and follow even for months on end. Losing weight can be a challenge if you cannot find the right plan for yourself. Choosing just any diet plan on the market may do more harm than good. So, take time to find out more about diet plans and consult your doctor before starting off on your weight loss journey with Nutrisystem.