So if you’ve read any diet and weight loss websites, you surely have seen a Medifast coupon code and ads all over the place, but what is the Medifast plan? In a nutshell, the Medifast diet plan works by limiting your intake of calories. If you eat less, you will lose weight. It really is as simple as that. The trick, of course, is to not break the diet by splurging or snacking outside of the plan. Naturally you want to be able to keep the weight off and avoid the yo-yo of ballooning weight once you are off the diet. Fortunately this area is one of Medifast’s strengths.

While on the Medifast program you will cut your caloric intake severely. Most plans call for between 800 and 1,000 calories per day. However, the plan is designed to manage your hunger during the first few weeks by encouraging you to eat frequently. There are 6 meals a day that consist of five replacement meals and one “normal” lean and green meal that you prepare yourself.

Since you never go more than a few hours without eating, you are not as hungry as you might think on a low calorie diet. Medifast has also created a ‘fullness index,’ which is really a calculation of protein, fibre and calories and their meal replacements are designed in such a way that they achieve the highest fullness index scores possible.

Medifast vice president of research and development Lisa Davis, PhD, says, “successful weight loss comes from eating a high-protein meal every few hours, which helps modulate blood sugar levels, control hunger [and] cravings, and preserve muscle mass while burning fat.” There is no question that if you can successfully manage your hunger that you will have a much better chance of staying on the diet and achieving your weight loss goals.

The Medifast plan does take work and discipline. The adjustment to such a low calorie diet is probably not going to be easy for some participants. Indeed the company’s own literature states: “Until you reach the fat-burning state, you may feel hungry, tired, or slightly irritable. You may also experience headaches and feel lightheaded.”

Once you have reached your target weight the plan allows you to transition into the ‘maintenance’ phase of the program. During this phase you gradually increase the proportions of fruit, high carbohydrate vegetables, low-fat and non-fat dairy, lean meat and whole grains. This transition period can last anywhere from 4 weeks to 4 months, depending upon how much weight was shed. It is during this phase that you learn how to control your portion sizes, choose healthier foods and adjust to increasing your calories.

Exercise is an important part of any successful diet plan and Medifast comes through in this area as well. It is recommended that participants engage in mild to moderate physical activity, but not to overdo it during the initial few weeks. “Energy levels may be low due to fewer carbs and the adjustment to the very low-calorie intake,” says Ms. Davis. However, once you have been on the program for three weeks you can increase your exercise regime, and in the transition period and maintenance phase you should be exercising five times per week.