The Medifast diet is a low fat, low calorie mixture of balanced foods and appetite suppressors which are in special easy to eat shakes, bars, puddings, chilis, oatmeals and hot cocoa from the Medifast Diet Company. The appetite suppressor used is ‘Super Citrimax’ which comes from a native Southeast Asian plant, “Garcinia Cambogia”. Thus far it has been shown to be a safe appetite suppressor; but most of the studies have been performed with rats. The diet should only be followed by the direct supervision of a medical doctor to monitor your weight loss and diet.

How fast can you lose weight using the Medifast Diet?

2-5 pounds a week can be expected using the Medifast Diet. While some of the weight loss may be water weight, eating multiple times per day will increase your metabolism and help increase fat loss.

Do any of the products contain stimulants?
Medifast diet does not contain any added stimulants, Ma Huang, or caffeine.

Is Super Citrimax or HCA-SX safe? Have there been studies to show its safety?

Many studies about Super Citrimax have shown only positive effects. These effects range from inhibiting fat synthesis, decreasing food intake, treating depression, insomnia, migraines and other serotonin-deficient type conditions. Intake up to 2800mg a day of HCA has been shown to have no related side effects. Please keep in mind that these studies have been mostly performed on rats and thus more research is needed.

How much does Medifast Cost?

Men – $275 US
For men the plan includes:

49 Shakes (Dutch Chocolate, French Vanilla, Strawberry, Orange, and Banana)
28 Bars (Oatmeal Raisin, Caramel Nut, Fruit & Nut, and S'more)
21 Oatmeals (Apple Cinnamon and Maple & Brown Sugar, Peach)
28 Soups (Chili, Chicken Noodle, Minestrone, and Chicken & Wild Rice)
7 Banana Puddings
7 Cappuccinos

While you might think that is completely unreasonable, this is my cost breakdown for the Medifast plan: 49 shakes @ 2.00 a shake + 28 bars @2.00 a bar + 21 oatmeals @ 1.00 + 7 Banana Puddings @ 1.00 + 7 cappuccinos @ 2.00 = $196

These are typical prices for these items and the shipping is free so the price seems fairly reasonable.

See the Medifast website for more meal plans

Conclusion

While most of the research conducted has shown positive effects of the drug that makes the Medifast diet so popular, it can still be an expensive diet when you factor in the medical supervision that is suggested. Most diets are usually followed by a relapse and thus ALL diet changes MUST accompany a fitness routine to increase metabolism and lean muscle mass. While this diet seems to be one of the better diets I have reviewed, please keep reading research articles about HCA, medifast and other diets alike to keep healthy, happy and fit.

References