The MEDIFAST Program

MEDIFAST is a Very-Low-Calorie Diet (VLCD) regimen that is formulated to produce the fastest weight loss possible while avoiding the dangers of muscle wasting inherent with complete fasting. What makes this program easy is that there is no meal planning or calorie counting involved !

Total daily caloric intake is between 450 and 500, and provided in the form of powdered supplements that are mixed with water or diet sodas. 5 packets must be consumed daily with a total fluid intake of 15 glasses. The packets provide over 100% of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein and 21 vitamins and minerals. Fiber is included in the supplements which come in French Vanilla, Dutch Chocolate, Stawberry Creme, Orange Delight and Swiss Mocha flavors. Because of the increased potassium in the formulations, additional supplementation is not necessary. Optionally available are powder soups that may be substituted for no more than 2 of the 5 supplement packets. They are available as Cream Of Broccoli, Cream of Chicken and Cream of Tomato. There is no solid food intake at all with this program, but there is usually no further hunger after the first 48 to 72 hours. Average weekly weight loss is 3 to 5 lbs for women and 4 to 6 lbs for men. Total duration of the program is 16 weeks with weight loss during this time typically ranging from 50 to 100 lbs. At Kingstowne Family Practice, we have even had one patient who lost over104 lbs in this 4 month period!

Exercise is an integral part of the program and must be performed daily for a total of at least 30 minutes, with continuous activity being of no less than 10 minutes duration. Brisk walking is the easiest and most common form of exercise. The purpose of the exercise is five-fold:

1. It burns calories and increases the weight loss.
2. Exercise tends to offset the decrease in metabolism from fasting.
3. Muscle mass increases and there is less likelihood of muscle wasting.
4. Appetite suppression occurs with exercise.
5. Management of stress, anxiety and depression are improved.

Because MEDIFAST is a complete fasting regimen, weekly physician supervision is required. A complete physical, including lab studies, EKG and urinalysis, is also mandatory prior to beginning the program. The purpose of the physical is to make certain there are no underlying problems that would contraindicate starting the program, to get a good baseline from which to start, and to rule out any underlying hormonal problems that may be contributing to the weight problem. At each weekly visit, your weight and vital signs will be checked, a brief history of your week's course will be obtained, urine will be checked for ketones to confirm fat breakdown, and an examination will be performed. The patient receives the next week's worth of MEDIFAST supplements at that time. Blood studies are performed weekly, and an EKG is repeated after every 50 lb weight loss.

Mild problems that may arise are usually self-limited and consist of lightheadedness, dizziness, fatigue, constipation, diarrhea, headache, dry skin, brittle nails, and mild cold intolerance. Significant medical risks are extremely rare and are often related to inadequate fluid intake. These include blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks. Gallstone formation may also be increased, but the likelihood of having gallstones from obesity alone is 3 to 4 times that of normal weight individuals.