Many people want to lose weight but are not sure how to do it effectively. Eventually, you might end up starving yourself or eating the wrong foods. As a result, more and more people are seeking out quality membership programs to avoid situations like this. However, starting a diet can be difficult, especially since there are dozens of diets to choose from.
In this comparison, I am comparing two well-known diet programs, Weight Watchers and Medifast. Instead of losing weight quickly and then gaining it all back, these programs are designed to help you lose weight and keep it off.
Therefore, I will guide you through a comprehensive review and comparison of Weight Watchers and Medifast to help you choose the diet plan that works best for you. Let’s start by examining the differences between the two diet plans.
WW started its weight loss program in the early 1960s. In addition to helping people learn healthy habits and lose weight, it claims to be a scientifically proven program. WW offers individualized counseling about attitudes, behaviors, and habits related to food, activity, sleep, and mindset. The process begins with a personal assessment, matching people to appropriate food plans.
Food plans feature varying combinations of SmartPoints, which the company calls food points. WW uses food points to encourage people to make healthy food choices. Some foods have higher points than others, but no foods are completely off-limits.
WW also provides the person with recipe suggestions in their app as part of the assessment. It also provides action plans and support to encourage physical activity, foster a positive mindset, and improve sleep. Along with trackers, expert content, and other tips, coaching online and in-person is also available.
On the other hand, Medifast was developed by a physician in 1980 and has been recommended by more than 20,000 physicians for well over three decades. The company has grown and merged with other health organizations in recent years.
As of right now, the company offers weight loss, health, and multi-level marketing-related products on its website and via franchises. This diet plan focuses on low-fat protein and fiber to help you lose weight easily without feeling incredibly hungry.
Medifast meals consisted of exactly the right number of calories, portions, and carbohydrates. There were over 24 different vitamins and minerals in each meal. With the Medifast diet, you were able to lose weight and maintain good health at the same time.
When learning more about Weight Watchers and Medifast, there are a few basic differences to take into account. First, both diets need to be evaluated according to their types and natures. Weight Watchers is a low-calorie diet that requires women to consume 1250 calories a day and men to consume 1600 calories a day.
The Medifast philosophy holds that consuming foods low in fat, calories, and glycemic index forces the body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates. They provide meals and support staff to help you along your way. You can lose fat while keeping up muscle mass by consuming protein and carbohydrates.
Depending on the type of diet you choose, Medifast is an extremely low-calorie diet plan, with only about 800 to 1000 calories consumed per day.
According to reviews, both weight loss plans are effective as long as you are dedicated to losing weight. With Weight Watchers, you can eat whatever you like, but you need to keep track of how much you eat, which can get annoying pretty quickly. Alternatively, Medifast provides a pre-planned diet, which can get a bit boring pretty quickly. Choosing a plan is important, but more importantly, a plan that you will follow until you achieve your goal.
The WW diet contains foods that are easily available in most grocery stores. In contrast to other diets, WW doesn’t require you to purchase branded products, although there are hundreds of them to choose from if you want them. The price of healthier foods tends to be higher than unhealthy ones, but WW plans aren’t necessarily expensive compared to other dieting platforms.
The WW diet doesn’t feel restrictive as a whole because you buy only healthy, whole, and natural foods at the grocery store to follow the program. Dieters can still eat “regular” foods, making the diet sustainable in the long run since they can buy fresh produce, meats, grains, and more at virtually any supermarket.
Medifast, however, claims that its carbohydrate-controlled and low-fat meals contain nutrients to reduce hunger and preserve muscle tissue. It’s no secret that Medifast’s shakes are popular, but there are 65 different Medifast Meals to choose from today.
There are no differences in the nutritional makeup of Medifast meals. The low-fat, high-protein meals are carbohydrate-controlled, with vitamins and minerals added.
Designed to be eaten every two to three hours, the meals are interchangeable and ensure that you never feel hungry while losing weight and inches. In addition to shakes, Medifast meals provide bars, cereals, pancakes, savory entrees, crunchy snacks, and sweet desserts.
There is a fee for several activities at Weight Watchers, including registration, weekly meetings, and counseling. There are no meals included in memberships, only a plan with recipes you can follow. Memberships use the app to access what’s available, including access to recipes. You can choose from four types of memberships.
This membership starts at $10.00/month for the first three months and includes a fully personalized food plan and recipes designed to help you reach your fitness goals. Additionally, you can track meals, water, exercise, weight, and sleep to see your progress. In addition to the basic WW plan, you also get workouts for all levels, live coaching 24/7, and audio coaching for 5 minutes. WW offers guided meditations, music, and bedtime stories through Headspace if you are interested in combining wellness for your mind and body.
With this membership plan, you’ll receive all the features of the Digital plan plus virtual cooking demos, nutrition classes, and Digital 360 Coaches for only $10.00/month for the first three months. Through Digital 360 Coaches, you have access to on-demand sessions hosted by WW veterans who can help guide you through your journey. This section covers topics such as cooking with confidence, desk exercises and using the WW app.
As part of the Unlimited Workshops Plus Digital membership, you can participate in virtual or in-person workshops led by WW coaches who are believed to provide scientific behavior change techniques for weight loss. Additionally, you will be included in a workshop group to assist you in motivating yourself. Additionally, you will receive the same benefits as a Digital membership.
The One-on-One Coaching Plus Digital plan is available starting at $47.97/month for the first three months.
Instead of a Digital 360 Coach, you will have a private coach. Using the app, you can read all of the coaches’ profiles and select the one you prefer. Your coach will meet with you for a 30-minute session to learn about your lifestyle, preferences, and personality so that you can develop an action plan tailored to your needs.
After that, you can set up weekly check-ins of 15 minutes via telephone or video. In addition, you can message your coach 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Meanwhile, Medifast prices aren’t sure. There was never an exact price for each Medifast eating plan because it varied depending on which program you chose. However, it costs around $300 to $400 per month on average.
With Medifast’s 30-day Go program, you get 126 prepared meals, a dining out guide, a food journal, a welcome kit, and a blender bottle to make shakes. For new members, Medifast’s Flex program costs $466 but is often discounted.
The Go program offers a selection of nine microwavable meals, a workbook on healthy living, and three varieties of lean and green meals. Aside from that, Medifast’s Complete program adds 23 new meals, three new microwaveable meals, a cookbook, 20 snack choices, and a box of zero-calorie flavoring for water.
Since most of what you consume daily is premade, Medifast is one of the most convenient diet plans available. It could be a good choice for you if you don’t enjoy spending time in the kitchen or if you are frustrated by having to find food in the refrigerator.
For those looking for prepackaged meals and snacks, the Medifast weight loss program is ideal. This program works for those who want to lose a lot of weight quickly without counting calories, carbs, or logging meals.
In contrast, the Medifast weight loss program is not ideal for those who prefer to eat fresh ingredients most of the time. Additionally, this weight loss program is not for those looking for a lifelong eating plan and for learning how to select healthy foods on their own.
Weight loss can begin with a great deal of confidence, commitment, and even a head start. Diet plans fail at a high rate despite difficulty determining a precise percentage. With so many people going in and out of dieting and articles claiming diets don’t work, anyone might be skeptical or stop dieting altogether.
Dieting, however, fails for a variety of reasons, depending on the individual and the situation. Starting and then dropping off a diet is pretty much the most common reason why weight loss plans don’t work for most people.
Beyond food allergies, diets excluding an entire food group, eliminating threats, and diets with very low calories have a higher risk of failure. In the same vein, while low-calorie diets may seem like the best way to lose weight quickly, eating too few calories puts you at a higher risk of falling off or even developing an eating disorder.
It is important to eat a calorie-controlled diet, but most experts recommend that healthy adults consume no less than 1,200 calories per day. However, it should be noted that there are exceptions, but they pertain to those necessary liquid weight-loss diets as prescribed by a physician.
The likelihood of failure increases if you focus solely on losing weight. The reason is that any diet plan you choose should be suited to your tastes, preferences, and lifestyle. Ideally, the best plans will also allow you to eat with others or have a flexible schedule, so you don’t feel left out. Thus, you can also choose the weight watchers program since it allows you to choose from many foods.
As an overall weight loss program, Weight Watchers offers flexible food selections, workshops, and coaches that help lose weight. WW touts itself as a wellness brand, but it is generally a diet for weight loss at its core.
The WW program can help get you started on a healthy path, but as always, listen to your body and be sure to know that there are more indicators of health than weight loss.
Medifast is also an excellent option if you are trying to lose weight fast but lack time to plan and prepare your meals.
Medifast can help jumpstart your weight loss in a short-term manner. However, those drastic changes may make it difficult for you to maintain the program. Maintaining the weight loss requires you to transition from the weight loss phase to the maintenance phase.
In conclusion, WW is a worthwhile effort if you’re interested in a sustainable lifestyle change. In contrast, if you are looking to lose weight quickly, WW probably won’t be the best program, and you should look into Medifast.
Mike is one of the lead editors at Weighted Living and the author of this article. He's become fascinated with weighted products (a bit too much we think) and loves to see all the different ways they can improve our loves. He's written quite a few weighted product guides as well.
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