How to Prepare For the Medifast Diet
Sometimes, I hear from people who are getting ready to or have just placed their first medifast order. In the meantime, they often want to know what they should be doing to prepare for their order’s arrival. In short, they want to know how to set it up so that they have the best chance for quick success. In the following article, I’ll offer some tips on how to best prepare yourself to get started.
Gather Up Some Lean And Green Meal Recipes And Understand What Is Required: It’s my opinion and experience that most people who are attracted to medifast really like the fact that most of the work is done for you. For the most part, many of us love that we don’t have to do all that much cooking and food preparation. But, the company does want for you to eat one larger, main meal each day. This is called your “lean and green meal.” I remember that when I first read about this, I was reluctant. I didn’t want to have to think about anything other than what was provided for me.
But, the lean and green meal is there for some very good reasons. You need the fresh foods. You need to learn how to shop and prepare for healthful meals. And, you need regular fuel so that you can get and stay in ketosis. So, it makes sense to be ready for this when your shipment arrives.
All that is really required of this meal is 5 – 7 ounces of lean protein and three servings of vegetables. This doesn’t need to be elaborate or difficult. You can do this with a serving of meat and three sides or a salad. You can make or assemble a stir fry or one pot meal. You can have a soup or stew. Or, you can try some slow cooker or crock pot meals. You’ll want to make this easy on yourself, especially in the beginning.
Take some time to gather up some recipes that you’d find appealing and shop for their ingredients before your shipment arrives. You don’t want to be scrambling once it’s time to really get started. You want for the process to be as easy and stress free as possible.
Find Something To Focus On Once You Start The Diet: I believe that one of major pitfalls that some people fall into when starting medifast is that they over think this whole thing. They make the process harder than it is. For the most part, you’re provided with everything that you need. You’re basically only responsible for one meal per day. Worrying about more than this is really make things too difficult. When people over think this, they start sabotaging themselves.
It really can help in the early days of the diet if you place your focus on a balance of things. You don’t want to place too much pressure on yourself. I also hear people tell me that they don’t want to start medifast when they are busy. But honestly, I think being busy is an advantage. This diet is very convenient. You just grab the food and go so it doesn’t take up a lot of your time. And in the beginning, you just want to create new habits. This is really just repetition. There is no need to over think it or make it more difficult than it really is.
So, it really is OK to continue on with your regular life. In fact, I really advocate being kind to yourself and incorporating pleasurable and fun things in your life when you start medifast. You want to have a positive experience. I began walking every afternoon with my dog and daughter. This gave me positive perceptions on my new lifestyle and it really helped with stress and doubt.
Don’t Put Too Much Pressure On Yourself, But Set Yourself Up To Succeed: There’s no question that seeing results as soon as possible is the primary goal of most people. This is understandable, but the diet is designed to work relatively quickly. Once your body gets into ketosis, you should begin burning fat more rapidly. So, there’s no reason to put additional pressure on yourself. Sometimes, you just have to trust the process.
With that said, you can set yourself up to be successful. Don’t skip the meals. Eat all five, plus your lean and green. And, while you don’t have to go crazy with the exercise because again you don’t want to stress yourself, you most certainly can incorporate walking, biking, or something else you enjoy into your routine to help with both stress relief and to ensure that you see the quick results that you want, especially at first.