Can I Eat All Medifast Meals? What Will Happen If I Do?
I sometimes hear from people who love that the Medifast meals are already prepared for them and are mostly grab and go.
And there are some people who, although they understand why the lean and green meal is part of this diet, they would rather skip it altogether and opt for one more Medifast meal.
I recently had someone ask me "what happens if I don't include the lean and green meal and eat all Medifast meals? Is this allowed? Will I lose more weight? Would it be of any benefit to me other than convenience?" I'll try to answer these questions below.
As you might suspect, this isn't an uncommon question.
One big draw to this diet is its convenience.
It can be a hassle to cook healthful diet meals for yourself which is why prepackaged diets are so popular.
When you're trying to diet, work, take care of your family and maybe exercise a little bit, you want to keep things as simple as possible, which is why it's so tempting to just substitute one little prepackaged meal for that lean and green and call it a day.
But while this is a common idea, I personally do not think it's a good one.
Sure, no one is going to come knocking on your door demanding to know why you are skipping your lean and green, but you probably won't lose any more weight and you may even slow your results.
Here's why.
There are a couple of reasons why the lean and green exists.
Yes, they want you to have fresh and healthful foods.
And yes, they want you to learn to cook the right foods for yourself so that you will be successful off the diet.
But, more than that, they are trying to get your calorie level at around 1000 - 1200.
This is enough for your to lose weight AND to support ketosis (fat burning mode) 5 prepackaged meals only gets your calorie levels up to around 500 - 550 calories.
The rest lies with your lean and green meal.
But if you skipped it and instead went for say a Medifast bar or shake, you'd only be at around 600 - 650 calories for the day.
Now, some people might look at that and think that it is a good thing because they would have saved themselves at least 300 calories.
But, being on a severely restrictive or low calorie diet does not support ketosis (where you burn fat and calories more quickly) and it's just frankly not the most healthy idea.
Don't you want to do this diet in the right way so that your results are lasting and your experience is sustainable? Tips For Making The Lean And Green Easier: I know that cooking for yourself can seem like a hassle.
But keep in mind that you can take this main meal at any time during the day.
You can have it at breakfast if you want.
Or, you could have it for lunch (and could even use restaurant food if you like so long as you chose carefully.
) You can use bagged salads and pre made grilled meats.
You can make them ahead of time if you like.
I've even had people tell me they freeze them or use commercially frozen dinners that are carefully chosen to fit within the guidelines.
The point is, make it easy on yourself.
And to answer the question, it's probable that no one is going to demand an explanation if you eat all Medifast meals.
But you may be affecting your results and your ability to get into ketosis as well as cheating yourself out of fresh foods.
And there are some people who, although they understand why the lean and green meal is part of this diet, they would rather skip it altogether and opt for one more Medifast meal.
I recently had someone ask me "what happens if I don't include the lean and green meal and eat all Medifast meals? Is this allowed? Will I lose more weight? Would it be of any benefit to me other than convenience?" I'll try to answer these questions below.
As you might suspect, this isn't an uncommon question.
One big draw to this diet is its convenience.
It can be a hassle to cook healthful diet meals for yourself which is why prepackaged diets are so popular.
When you're trying to diet, work, take care of your family and maybe exercise a little bit, you want to keep things as simple as possible, which is why it's so tempting to just substitute one little prepackaged meal for that lean and green and call it a day.
But while this is a common idea, I personally do not think it's a good one.
Sure, no one is going to come knocking on your door demanding to know why you are skipping your lean and green, but you probably won't lose any more weight and you may even slow your results.
Here's why.
There are a couple of reasons why the lean and green exists.
Yes, they want you to have fresh and healthful foods.
And yes, they want you to learn to cook the right foods for yourself so that you will be successful off the diet.
But, more than that, they are trying to get your calorie level at around 1000 - 1200.
This is enough for your to lose weight AND to support ketosis (fat burning mode) 5 prepackaged meals only gets your calorie levels up to around 500 - 550 calories.
The rest lies with your lean and green meal.
But if you skipped it and instead went for say a Medifast bar or shake, you'd only be at around 600 - 650 calories for the day.
Now, some people might look at that and think that it is a good thing because they would have saved themselves at least 300 calories.
But, being on a severely restrictive or low calorie diet does not support ketosis (where you burn fat and calories more quickly) and it's just frankly not the most healthy idea.
Don't you want to do this diet in the right way so that your results are lasting and your experience is sustainable? Tips For Making The Lean And Green Easier: I know that cooking for yourself can seem like a hassle.
But keep in mind that you can take this main meal at any time during the day.
You can have it at breakfast if you want.
Or, you could have it for lunch (and could even use restaurant food if you like so long as you chose carefully.
) You can use bagged salads and pre made grilled meats.
You can make them ahead of time if you like.
I've even had people tell me they freeze them or use commercially frozen dinners that are carefully chosen to fit within the guidelines.
The point is, make it easy on yourself.
And to answer the question, it's probable that no one is going to demand an explanation if you eat all Medifast meals.
But you may be affecting your results and your ability to get into ketosis as well as cheating yourself out of fresh foods.