Someone emailed me the other day and basically said, “I’m very interested in the Medifast diet. I’m very intrigued by the dramatic results my friend has had, but I want to know if I can substitute the Atkins diet.” I have to say that probably most of the questions I get about this diet have to do with the shakes. There seems to be a perception that this plan is defined by them. I understand this a bit. little. These items are tasty, filling, and quite convenient, so there’s a lot to like about them. But, there’s only one of many food options. I’ll answer the question about substituting Atkins shakes in, though. the next article.
Why Medifast Shakes Are So Popular And There’s No Comparison:I think these shakes get a lot of attention because they are known to be quite tasty while being very low in calories and carbs, and very high in protein and fiber. There aren’t many diet foods that are able to retain decent flavor and texture while being so nutritionally healthy. This combination (along with the other foods) puts your body into what I called the promised land, which is technically defined as ketosis. In this metabolic state, your body begins to fire up and burn its fat stores because you’re not giving it the excess carbohydrates that commonly help with this job.
If you pick up and examine, say, a quick skinny shake, you’ll see that there really is no comparison. Most “diet shakes” are actually full of sugar, calories, and carbs, and therefore not that effective for achieving ketosis.
Medifast Shakes vs. Atkins Shakes. Which is better?:Okay, let’s take a look at them side by side. I’ll be looking at the chocolate royale for Atkins and the dutch 55 chocolate for Medifast. And know that I am evaluating them based on their ability to put you in fat burning mode. (Although I have to say that the Atkins shake has that unpleasant chalky aftertaste that is typical of so many diet foods. I don’t find this in version 55.) Regardless, these two shakes are pretty similar in terms of protein, carbs, sugars, and fiber. In all of these categories, either would put you in ketosis (as long as you ate the diet meals for the rest of the day). However, the chocolate royale has a whopping 170 calories per serving. This is almost double the 90 calories of Dutch chocolate.
I think this is a deal breaker. That’s almost like eating two meals (at least in terms of calories) instead of one. The point of this is to keep the calories down so you can get into fat burning mode. Why go through all the work and trouble and then consume a product that has twice the calories?
What are you really saving with the Atkins shake?: I asked the person who sent the email why he wanted to substitute the other milkshake. He said that she liked being able to pick them up at the grocery store and that he perceived they were a little cheaper. This is actually not really true. These shakes average over $2 each. This is about what you would pay for Medifast too, sometimes less.
And, I cannot stress this enough. You are eating a variety of foods on this diet, and many of them are non-liquid. You will also eat eggs, chili, oatmeal, bars, etc. And, most people order monthly and have their food delivered right to their door. You don’t need to buy grocery store products on top of that. If you do, you’re spending more money than you need to on something that has a lot more calories than you’d otherwise get.
If you use coupons or discounts, you can basically get 5 Medifast meals each day for about $8 each day (less than $2 each). $10 – $12 per day for foods you don’t need and are giving you more calories. It’s just unnecessary when they provide you with everything you need.