Optifast Vs Medifast – Which is Better?
I’ve been on medifast since last year and have lost quite a bit of weight on it (over 75 pounds). I’m often asked how this diet differs from optifast and which is better. This article will discuss the major differences between the two to help you decide which may be better for you. Understand that my opinion is based on my personal experience and the research that I’ve conducted.
Liquid Diets (And Why One Of These Technically Isn’t One): I believe that people researching the difference between these two plans are really looking for the most effective, fast working diet that they can find and they assume that to achieve this, they have to go on a highly restrictive liquid diet. (I don’t believe this to be true, as I’ll explain later.)
Optifast fits this liquid diet bill, offering shakes, soups, and bars.
Medifast offers shakes as well (in many different varieties, including ready to drink). But, although there are many liquid options on the diet (including shakes, soups, stews, cappuccinos, fruit drinks, etc.), there are also a decent bit of solid food offerings, like eggs, chili, pudding, oatmeal, and protein bars.
You also eat one regular, healthful meal that you prepare yourself each day. Additionally, you can use the dry ingredients from many of the diet’s food to make treats like cookies and muffins. So, you do have the option of eating man more regular, solid foods.
Doctor Supervised Clinics Versus Monitoring And Buying The Products Yourself: From all I have read and from what I can tell, optifast requires doctor’s supervision at a clinic. There are applicable clinics throughout the United States, Canada, and Australia. It appears that you’re asked to go in weekly for a weigh in or consultation. Many of the clinics on the web site are bariatric clinics (lap band, stomach stapling, gastric bypass, etc.)
You can buy medifast yourself online and although my doctor is highly impressed with my progress, he doesn’t monitor me or effect my decisions on the plan. While there are online weight loss support and forums that you are encouraged to use (and they are free), this is your choice. You don’t have to accept counseling and you don’t have to weigh in unless you want to in your own home.
Cost Of Both Plans: I had a hard time finding pricing for optifast, but from the information I found, it appears to cost about $110 per week. I pay about $8 per day for medifast, which makes it a good deal cheaper, but I’m not only consuming liquids by any means. The shakes are just one of the options that I chose. I’ve had dramatic and quick results eating the solids on this plan, so I don’t see any reason to deny myself solids.
So, Which Is Better? Which plan is ultimately better for you depends upon your situation and personal preferences. I believe (and it is my experience) that you can get very dramatic results consuming both liquids and solids. I am walking, living proof of this. However, your belief may be different and you may feel that you want or need a doctor’s supervision. This is really a personal decision to which there is no right or wrong answer.
Where Can I Purchase Medifast?
Where can I purchase medifast so that I get maximum discount? If this is the question you are looking for then don’t worry there are many stores and you can get many promos for purchasing your medifast diet plans. Medifast diet plans are one of the best options for you to reduce your weight gradually especially if you are overweight or obese. Medifast are mostly soy-protein based low calorie products tried and trusted by one million of people across United States. These medifast diets contain proteins, vitamins and minerals in right ratio.
There are many sources from where you can purchase medifast and some of the common places are through the retail stores, through the company representative, through your physician and directly from the company. Medifast is also clinically approved for hypertension and diabetic patients and therefore if you have any of the problems you can take medifast under the supervision of your physician. If you are overweight or obese and do not have any of the above problem, you can opt do-it-yourself plan and medifast 5 in 1 is the most common plan.
Medifast is now also available in some of the countries in Asia and you can purchase medifast here through Dr Diet Plan. First you have to select a suitable medifast plan and accordingly you should decide to take it directly from the company or through a retail store or through your physician. Once you have finalized a suitable medifast plan, you should decide to purchase the medifast diet options and there are plenty of options available to you.
Most of the people purchase a minimum quantity of medifast diet packets so that they get some for of promos. If your minimum order is above $200, you get free shipping and also get other promos such as medifast book or free medifast coupons or some other gift. From time to time, the company launches promotional programs and you can regularly see the current promos of the company website and can decide to purchase medifast accordingly.
In United States many clinics and hospitals also keep medifast for their patients and you can also purchase from these clinics or hospitals. Now days many retail stores are coming up and you can get heavy discounts in these retail stores also. You can purchase your medifast from your dietician also. Your dietician cannot only arrange your medifast but he or she can also suggest you the correct diet plan.
So, you need not worry from where you can purchase your medifast as there are many places from where you can purchase it. Internet is the best source to find out the detailed discounts offered by different retail stores or the company and you can decide accordingly so that you purchase it economically. You purchase your medifast from one of the source and follow all the instructions so that you achieve your weight loss fast and easy.
Medifast Shakes – Why They Are Only One Tasty Component To This Diet
I’ve lost over sixty pounds on medifast so I am asked a lot of questions about this plan and how it works. I have found that many people mistake this plan for a liquid only diet. Some people assume that like optifast or slim fast, medifast is all about the shakes. It’s really not.
While the shakes are a very tasty option, they are only one option out of many. Most people do not believe me when I say that you could successfully be on this program for a long period of time, lose tons of weight, and never consume one frozen drink.
There’s no denying that the shakes are a popular choice for a couple of reasons. They are pretty good, very convenient, and filling. It’s quite easy to grab one, consume it on the run, and know you won’t be hungry for a while. There is quite a bit of variety in flavors and you can also add sugar free syrups to get many different combinations on top of what is offered. They are also full of protein and vitamins so there is no guilt involved.
But, there are so many other choices. If you are interested in this because you like dessert or snack foods, there are also crackers, bars, puddings, lattes, and cappuccinos, etc. There are also more substantial food choices like eggs, oatmeal, soup, stew and chili.
You’ll choose any five of the plan’s prepackaged meals per day and you’ll prepare one larger meal yourself. This “lean and green meal” will include lean protein and veggies of your choice. The plan has over 70 prepackaged meal choices.
As you can see, on any typical day the average person may consume a shake or two if they chose, but this is certainly not a requirement. Although I suppose there may be some people who like them so much they drink many throughout the day, I would think this is rare.
Medifast is not designed to be an all liquid diet. The liquid drink options are just one choice among many, but the solid options are just as effective and offer more variety.
The Power of Body Language in Dating Science
When you are approaching a woman or a group of women, its obviously important to convey that you are a high-value male. How do you do that, you may ask? A lot of it comes from being internally validated. When you walk in confidently, it shows in your body language. You naturally do things like take wide strides, take up space when standing, and make direct eye contact. A good technique to take is to think in your mind “I am a confident person, present, nothing affects me emotionally.” If you come from a strong mental frame as someone who is just looking to make sure everyone else in the venue has a good time, you will be much more successful in conveying this in your body language. When you do that, it also shows up in your speech in your tonation and speed of speech.
When you are opening a group, it is important to convey a playful and teasing attitude. You want to be playful and yet at the same time convey that you an emotionally unaffected high-value male. Teasing is another skill that you can master with practice. Part of being playful and high value, is that you are giving value to the group. Everything you say should add some type of value to the group but should not come from a supplicating place. For example, you want to convey that you are there to have fun and that the person you are interacting with is there for your enjoyment. The last thing you want to do is to come off as needy, and as a person who wants something from them.
Make up your own teasing comments. Use new ones on the fly if you notice something on them that catches your eye. Call out any type of quirky behavior. Push-pull. Do anything to get her emotionally invested in the conversation. Be different. Don’t be afraid to be you!
How Long Will it Take to Lose 5-10 Pounds on Medifast?
I recently heard from someone who was in a pretty enviable position. She only needed and wanted to lose between 5 – 10 pounds to tone up in time for bathing suit season. After some research, she had determined that medifast might be a good fit for her. She had tried the shakes and liked them, but was also willing to go on the plan full time for the quickest results. So, she wanted to know approximately how long it might take her to reach these goals. I’ll tell you my take on this in the following article.
A Five To Ten Pound Weight Loss On Medifast Doesn’t Take All That Long For Many People: Please keep in mind that everyone is going to be different. What you see in a friend or coworker might not be what you experience. However, having said that, many people fall within the range of 2 – 5 pounds per week. Some see less shed pounds than this and some claim to see more. Also, I think it’s fair to say that the amount of the weight loss might vary from week to week.
It’s probably unrealistic to think that you might lose say exactly 4 pounds (as one example) each and every week. But, if your average is 4 pounds per week, then I’d say it’s not out out of the ordinary to think that you would end up somewhere around that number so that the average remains relatively stable. However, it’s my observation that if you’re not happy with your results, you can usually bump up your results by committing to walking, biking, or moving around more. This doesn’t need to mean that you have to hit the gym or the weights. But if you’re burning even slightly more calories, you’re more likely to see more pounds lost at the end of the week.
It’s also probably fair to say that most of the people that I see in the 5 lb. weekly range are very careful and deliberate with their lean and green meals and move a bit more than they used to. There have not been many weeks where I didn’t see better results when I committed to moving more.
Hopefully, as you can see from the ranges, losing five to ten pounds on medifast should not take all that long. If you’re on the lower end of the range, you’re possibly looking at a month or so. But, if you’re on the higher end of the range, you could be looking at weeks rather than months.
It’s certainly not out of the question to meet this goal with only one package or order. Medifast does offer both two and four week packages, although if you are figuring out the cost per meal, the monthly package is typically a better deal and usually offers coupons, specials, and discounts also.
What to Do If You Cheat on the Medifast Diet
I recently got an email from someone who had understandably enjoyed a holiday meal with her family over the weekend. She had enjoyed herself but was worried that she had “cheated” on her Medifast diet and was going to ruin all of her hard loss and weight loss for the week. She wanted to know what was the best course of action to take following this. I will tell you what I told her in the following article.
First of all, every one cheats. It’s very unrealistic to think that you’re going to be able to bypass every holiday and special occasion and not partake in normal things every now and again. Sometimes, you can use a “lean and green meal” on these occasions. Many restaurants can certainly accommodate this. But, there are going to be other times when you just aren’t able to or even don’t want to stick to the plan (at least temporarily.)
This is totally normal and there’s no reason to get completely upset or derailed by this. One of the possibilities that can happen is that you will get out of ketosis and will need to get back in. (This should only take a few days or about the amount of time that it took you to get to this point when you started the diet.)
Or, you might find that at the end of the week, you didn’t lose as much as the week before. None of these things needs to be the end of the world. And, there’s no reason to get upset or to even change your routine. The best thing to do is to just resume your regular regimen as soon as you can. The real danger is not in the cheating, it’s in the cheating ultimately causing you to quit the diet. So many people become mad at themselves, get frustrated, and give up. This is the worst thing that you can do. Cheating is not.
Because honestly, it’s the cumulative effects over the long term that usually make all of the difference. Think about it this way, if your goal is a 50 pound weight loss, realistically, you can break this down into three pounds per week over about 16 weeks or a little over 4 months.
Now within that 4 months, you may have days or even weeks that don’t go as well as others. But, I usually find that you’ll also have days and weeks that go better than expected so that the average usually returns to what you have been seeing all along. This has been my experience. So, it’s also my opinion and experience is that if you promptly resume your normal routine, you should get back into ketosis in a day or two and resume your regular pattern in roughly the same amount of time. It doesn’t need to be a big deal. And over the course of the 4 months in that example, most people are going to cheat a few times without any huge consequences, so long as they don’t make this a habit.
People often ask me if they should try to “make up” for the cheating by taking in less calories the next day. I don’t think that this is the best idea. Just going back to the five Medifast meals and one lean and green meal should be just fine, in my view. You shouldn’t cut your calories too much. Your body needs fuel and some calories to get and stay in ketosis.
It’s so important not to beat yourself up too much. You want for your experience on Medifast to be positive and to be one that you don’t mind sticking with. But if you get mad at yourself or panic over every little thing, you undermine your abilities. I’ve learned that there’s no need to over think it or become angry or panicked if I have a bad day. I just dust myself off, shrug my shoulders, and move on. And you know what? In the grand scheme of things, it hasn’t made all that much of a difference. My results are still very good and I’m not miserable worrying about a few off days.
How to Have the Most Success on Medifast in the Fastest (But Safest) Way Possible
The term “success on Medifast” is going to have different meanings for different people. For some, that’s going to mean a relatively small weight loss or just getting into a smaller size of clothing. For others, in order to really be successful on this diet, they’re going to need a lifestyle change which encompasses loosing a significant amount of weight. However you define success on Medifast, the process of achieving it is pretty much the same. And, I think it’s fair to say that most people want to see their results or have this success in the quickest (but safest and most lasting) way possible. To that end, I’ll offer some tips to help you achieve this in the following article.
Rapid Medifast Success Is Not All That Difficult If You Follow The Directions And Understand Ketosis: It’s important to understand and embrace that this diet has been around for over twenty years and has been repeatedly tested in clinical trails. So, this is a diet that has been tested, tweaked, and endured. It is designed to work and it’s important that you don’t think (as I did) that you’re going to be the exception to the rule or that you need to overachieve or change how the diet works.
Some people who want quick weight loss with this diet will skip meals or omit their main “lean and green meal.” I understand the thinking behind this but it’s often a mistake because your body needs to eat regularly (and enough) to get it and maintain ketosis where it’s burning more calories and fat. If you skip meals or don’t follow the directions regarding your lean and green meal, then you run the risk of never getting into ketosis or bumping yourself out of it.
You’re often much better off using the diet as directed and eating all six of the meals. I know this from experimentation that showed me it was silly to try to overachieve and change the diet. I actually got better results when I ate all of the meals and wasn’t too hard on myself. It’s important to understand that this really is all about getting into ketosis and that the diet is designed to do just that without any help from you. As long as you’re eating the foods that they give you and stay within the “lean and green” guidelines (which doesn’t mean you can’t be creative) you’ll automatically be taking in much less calories, carbs, and fats than what you’re used to. This alone would encourage weight loss, but since the ratios of protein and fiber to carbs and calories is so favorable, you also have ketosis on your side also. This is enough for most people to get the results they are looking for without needing to take silly, unsafe, or drastic measures.
It’s Not A Bad Idea To Lightly Exercise When You’re On Medifast, But You Don’t Need To Over Do It: Sometimes, I find that folks are so anxious to get off on the right foot or so motivated to lose a lot of weight very quickly, that they feel if some calorie cutting and exercising is a good thing, then a lot more of this would be an even better thing. It doesn’t often work in this way.
Frankly, to me, one of the most attractive things about the Medifast diet is that it tricks you into making gradual lifestyle changes. You’re given most of the food to eat so there’s less guess work for you. Plus, through your lean and green meals, you learn to make better choices and to eat small meals regularly. If you overdo it, you aren’t learning these lessons and the whole idea is to be able to eventually go off the diet and know that you can keep the weight off.
The same is true with exercise. If you start off overdoing it, you run the real risk of burning yourself out. And truly, dieting really is a time game. The key is consistent and sustainable results that add up over time and eventually reinforce new habits that you can keep up. I’ve found that just power walking, biking or roller blading is enough to bump up your results but not too much that you will dread it or make excuses not to do it.
It’s also my belief that if you just follow along, not attempt to do too much, and have confidence in your results, you really don’t need to overachieve or deprive yourself. The diet is designed to shed a decent amount of weight relatively quickly and you’re likely no exception.
Top Salons
Opening a salon or spa? Already own one? Then you are well aware that bringing in the right products and services is critical to your success. Many hair salons stick to the traditional services and mundane products. In today’s times to stay on top, you must capture your clients and wow them like never before.
The beauty industry is like the icing on the cake. You can work out five times per week, dress to die for, but without the right cut and color – point got. This is more like a intuitive fact. Salon and spa clients depend on the professionals to guide them in the right direction.
The top salons are there for many reasons. First and foremost is the exceptional level of services provided. Second would be the products they choose to offer. Today to stay on top you must couple new services that can be performed with existing services.
Clients love it when you have new exciting products. They especially love it and are willing to spend the money when these services are affordable and can be done at the same time as their other services. This business platform doubles the average dollar amount spent per client without increasing labor costs. Sound great, right?
Extending services with health and wellness attributes will keep clients coming back and talking about your salon creating outside marketing and even more buzz. So what kind of product can offer this? The Ultimate Body Applicator is your salons best new product this for 2010. In under one hour the client will experience inches of fat loss just by placing the 18″ x 12″ inch cosmetic applicator Body Wrap on the troubled area. Typically the tummy. You can wrap just about anywhere from the chin and Neck to your thighs and back.
There are services out there you can offer to increase sales but none are like the Ultimate Body Applicator. Medi-Spa’s and Doctors are introducing the service as it produces therapeutic and cosmetic benefits by cleansing the body. The Ultimate Body Applicator is also a product that compliments other services such as, endermologie, smartlipo and gastric bypass surgery. Point being the product helps to tighten and tone the skin after these other procedures.
This is a targeted, all natural body applicator that detoxifies the cells, first and foremost, but also allows the body to lose inches in the process. It was created as a detoxification product and the formulators discovered that people lost inches when they used it.
How does it do that? It is formulated from herbs, essential oils, homeopathic and minerals that create a synergy that draws the toxins out of the fat cells and into the lymphatic system so they can be release naturally. It also tightens tones and hydrates the skin and it is this combination that creates the natural inch loss. This is NOT water loss and the results can last from two to six months.
Now let’s talk about how to extend the clients service that will also increase the salons bottom line. The Ultimate Body Applicator has a sister product. Defining Gel is an intensive skin care gel that hydrates, while also firming areas such as the abdomen, back, legs, and upper arms. When used regularly, Defining Gel minimizes the appearance of skin dimples and varicose veins. It’s the perfect companion to our Ultimate Applicator.
The second best way to capture the attention of your clients is to let them know they can tell their friends and family where to buy this amazing new product as your salon will have a complimentary custom website that sells the product for you nationally and internationally.
The Different Phases of Pickup and Dating
In dating science, pickup can be broken up into four different phases: opening, attraction, comfort, and escalation. The phases are not entirely cut and dry, but it is necessary to include elements of each phase and in the correct order. You cannot for example, go from creating comfort without first creating attraction.
Opening is just what it says. The point here is to engage the woman or group in conversation. You can do this through a simple question or interesting statement.
Attraction is the next phase in the cycle. At this phase you want to pique the woman’s interest and display that you are a high value male. You will want to subcommunicate qualities such as pre-selection, humbleness, and abundance. These qualities should flow off you effortlessly. If you are not doing something unique or something that communicates that you are indeed a “cool” guy, than you are doing something wrong. Be different. Be confident. Be present.
Comfort building is the third important phase in the cycle. Here you want to go into more of your personal attributes. You also want to qualify the woman here. By qualifying I mean making sure that she is actually someone you want to invest more time in.
Once you feel you have built enough comfort with the woman, you can then starting escalating physically. You should know when the right time is to start escalating physically. You read physical cues called “indicators of interest.” These indicators of interest are signs that the woman gives you that shows that they are interested in you romantically. They can be as subtle as a hair flip or a question like “Where are you from?”
Dating science takes a long time to master, just like with any other skill. You need to employ deliberate practice and be able to receive direct feedback on what you are doing. That is why teacher are so necessary.
Popular Medifast Packages – An Overview of Some of the Choices That You Have on the Medifast Diet
I’m sometimes asked to help people decide which medifast package would be best for them. Most people do realize and embrace the fact that the packages are much more cost effective. The cost per meal often comes down significantly if you buy a package and use the right coupons. Some people don’t realize that there are quite a few packages available, including some that address very common health concerns. In the following article, I’ll discuss some of the more popular medifast packages in the hopes that this information will help you to decide which might be the best option for you.
Medifast’s Basic Women’s Four Week Package (Which Is Also Available As A Two Week Option:) I would most certainly guess that this is the company’s most popular package. This one gives you 143 of the most popular meals. Included are shakes, bars, oatmeal, eggs, soups, puddings, and cappuccinos. This gives you enough food to eat five times per day on the “five plus one” plan. This one is priced aggressively at $299 and they often allow you to use coupons as well. Also, this package is also available with 2 weeks’ worth of food rather than 4. The price on the two week option is around $155.
The Women’s Diabetes Package: I would guess that this is the second most popular package. I see this one discussed a lot of weight loss forums. Also, there’s been some very positive clinical studies which showed quite impressive results for dieters with diabetes. Like the regular 4 week package, this one is also priced at $299 with 143 meals. You’re also getting shakes, bars, soups, and soups. But you’ll be getting fruit drinks instead of cappuccino. Basically, they omit the foods and flavors that contain a bit more carbs or sugars. The goal is to keep blood sugar levels steady and optimal.
The Medifast Gluten Free 4 And 2 Week Packages: I’ve been getting a lot of email about these. The company has recently bundled the foods that are gluten free and safe for those with celiac disease or digestion issues. This package includes “safe” and gluten free shakes, bars, eggs, puddings, soups, and hot drinks, as well as some specialty dark chocolate antioxidant shakes. This one is also available in 4 (priced at around $299) and 2 week (about $155) packages.
Enhanced Packages: They also have what is called an “enhanced” bundle which is a lot like the basic option except that they include a month’s worth of super omega 3, the company’s nutritional supplement to support overall health. Many people have told me that the supplements have made a difference in their hair, skin, and nails. There’s also a diabetic enhanced option which is basically the regular diabetic plan along with the supplements. The 4 week option runs about $325.
I have to bring up that all of these options are available for men as well. The main difference is that the men typically get the 70 rather than the 55 shakes (which contain more protein.) And, it’s pretty nice that there’s no price difference between the women’s and the men’s options. Also, it’s an advantage that you can often use coupons with the packages and this is usually not possible when you order the items individually.
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