The Medifast Diet - What Are the Stages?

<p>For many of us, losing weight is an ongoing struggle. The main cause is the hustle-and-bustle lifestyle that often results in us saving time by grabbing a double bacon cheeseburger. However, the results of such eating habits can be devastating.</p><p>Continuing such a diet can result in several problems related to weight. Thus, several diet programs, including Medifast, have emerged on the market. Since its creation in the early 1980s, Medifast has gained more than 15,000 recommendations from medical care professionals!</p><p>A physician developed Medifast, with the goal of providing healthy food to people, through quick and easy meals. Each Medifast meal is full of needed nutrients and is perfectly balanced. The three stages of the Medifast plan are: 5 and 1 Stage, the Transition Stage, and the Maintenance Stage.</p><p>The three stages help dieters to experience a change in their lifestyles, rather than simply making meal portions smaller. Medifast takes a long-term approach that won't end until you've lost all the weight you want to.</p><p>First, there's the 5 and 1 Stage. This includes five pre-made meals from Medifast, and one balanced meal. The balanced meal, called the Lean and Green meal, includes protein and veggies. With the Medifast 5 and 1 Stage, there's no preparation because the meals have already been created.</p><p>The 5 in One stage lasts for only a few weeks. During that time, you use certain tools to learn which foods are healthy and tasty enough, to create a lifelong diet program. Medifast foods are low in fat and sugar, and contain lean meats.</p><p>Next, there's the Transition Stage of the Medifast diet plan. This is where dieters start to add more regular food to their everyday diet. In this stage you can start to try different recipes and find foods that are tasty to you. Your everyday intake of calories will rise marginally.</p><p>In this stage, you should boost your workouts, though after consulting your physician. For instance, you could increase your cardio workout from your 5 and 1 Stage, and add some weightlifting. Walking remains one of the best exercises to complement the Medifast diet program.</p><p>During the Transition Stage of the Medifast diet, you'll add more vegetables and lean proteins to your daily meals. During this stage, you should avoid foods such as Brussels sprouts, carrots, corn, potatoes, and peas. You can add them during the Maintenance Stage. However, veggies that you can safely add during the Transition phase include:</p><p>• cabbage
<br>• cucumber
<br>• greens
<br>• kale
<br>• mushrooms
<br>• onions
<br>• peppers
<br>• spinach
<br>• tomato</p><p>The Transition Stage helps to provide alterative snacks and meals that can help to satisfy you.</p><p>Finally, there's the Maintenance Stage, which is the final phase of the Medifast diet. In this stage you strive to make healthy food options and add an active lifestyle. The goal is to keep the weight off that you've lost in the other stages. You should now be aware of what foods to eat and how much of them to eat.</p><p>Medifast is certainly not a fad diet. It's a lifelong diet!</p><p>For more tips and information about <a target="_new" href="http://www.medifastcoupons.org/" rel="nofollow">medifast coupons</a>, check out <a target="_new" href="http://www.buzzle.com/articles/medifast-diet-review.html" rel="nofollow">medifast coupons</a></p>