I am often asked how much cheating is allowed on Medifast or if you cheat you will still lose weight. Well, I guess it depends on what you mean by cheating. Because technically, I’ve been cheating with my diet since forever. However, I think there is a safe, effective way to do it, which I’ll discuss in the next article.
Understanding how Medifast actually works: The reason this diet is so effective is actually threefold. First, you’re taking in fewer calories in general, because foods are low in calories and carbs. Second, you’re eating six small meals throughout the day, which helps increase your metabolism and fight hunger. Finally, because you eat fewer carbohydrates and more protein, your body enters a metabolic state called ketosis which encourages your body to burn its own fat.
Ketosis really is the promised land of this diet and where you ultimately want to be. You can test for this using ketone strips – which will tell you for sure if you’ve reached this stage. (You can get these at any drugstore or super center.)
Does Cheating On The Medifast Diet Get You Out Of Ketosis?: If you fall out of ketosis you will stop losing weight rapidly and dramatically. The good news, however, is that it only takes a few days to come back. So, there’s really no need to panic if you notice from ketone strips that you’re out. And, if you cheat by eating carbs, you are much more likely to get out of this phase. You’ll be in much better shape if you cheat with protein. So, technically, it’s better to steal a nice juicy burger than trying to steal a donut or piece of cake.
The cheats that I think really helped me lose weight with Medifast: OK, so now I’m going to admit that I don’t always stick to things as designed. But, I’m smart about it. I add things to my pre-packaged meals several times a day. By this I mean that I add fat and sugar free syrups to shakes, puddings and cappuccinos. I’ll also sometimes add fat free whipped cream. I also add fat-free cheese, sour cream, and hummus to chili, eggs, and soups/stews. I also sometimes add soda water to shakes for a fountain type soda drink. I use the dry ingredients for pudding to make “safe” muffins, cakes and cookies.
In short, I take a lot of liberties with foods, but I try to use ingredients that are fat or sugar free when I do. It gives me more variety and gets me more excited about eating foods.
The Liberties I Take With Lean & Green Meals: Each day, you’ll eat five prepackaged meals and prepare one meal yourself on this diet. (Some people will skip this meal, but you shouldn’t because I believe doing so will slow your metabolism. I’ve experimented with this and it almost always slowed down my results.) You should eat lean protein and less. glycemic vegetables and for the most part, I stick with it. But, if my family has seared steak I’m sometimes not going to make a chicken breast just for myself. Or, if my family has sweet green peas, I’m not denying myself because they’re high on the glycemic index. And, sometimes, I don’t deny myself a burger if I remove the bun.
I feel that if I am eating a “lean and mostly green diet”, I am doing great. And even with a little slip up, I’m still taking in fewer calories and carbs than normal. And, if my weight loss is any indication, I’m doing fine.
Source by Lindsey Price
