Losing 20 pounds in 30 days almost sounds too good to be true. Medifast says its possible. With programs designed specifically for men, women and diabetics, Medifast can be responsible for helping people lose 2-5 pounds a week. This rate of weight loss makes it one of the fastest ways to lose weight, amongst popular weight loss programs. Medifast also boasts the support of 15,000 physicians who recommend it as “safe and effective in multiple clinical studies.”

What is Medifast? It’s meal-delivery meets meal-replacement. You’ll follow a low calorie diet, about 1200-1400 calories/day, that is low in fat, offers balanced nutrition and has been proven successful in clinical research. Critics suggest that a diet this low in calories is counter-productive as it forces your body into starvation mode, where the body begins holding on to fat stores for survival. However, Medifast clarifies that limiting caloric intake will let your body use those fat stores for energy rather than packing on more calories.

Following the Medifast 5 & 1 plan means eating 5 Medifast “meals” and 1 Lean and Green Meal each day. Every two to three hours throughout the day you will eat your choice of Medifast shakes, bars, oatmeal, soups, scrambled eggs, pudding and a variety of other meal replacement foods and snacks, all of which are delivered directly to you. For dinner, you’ll eat one Lean & Green Meal that you prepare with your own food. The L&GM consists of a small portion of lean protein. This can be 5-7oz. of chicken, fish, beef, seafood, pork or turkey and can be cooked any way you like- just not fried. You’ll accompany this protein with three servings of vegetables from the Medifast Vegetable List, which might include fresh spinach, cucumbers, asparagus, eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes and green beans. During the beginning of your Medifast program, higher carb vegetables are removed from your diet to help you jump start your weight loss. Things like carrots, peas and corn will reintroduced at a later stage.

Medifast also recognizes the importance of regular exercise in order to lose weight and maintain health. Many programs dismiss exercise encouraging you to change little about your lifestyle to lose weight. This is not realistic. While Medifast does not provide clear-cut guidelines to follow for your exercise regimen, it does recommend that you find time each day to incorporate physical activity. Depending on your current level of exercise- don’t over commit or strain. “Listen to your body” is what they suggest and do no more than your body will allow. Many Medifast customers make walking their activity of choice because it conveniently fits in with their schedules.

The Medifast site features dozens of testimonials from real people who found success with the program, as well as blogs of six current Medifast customers. The site also offers many tools and support that have become popular amongst online weight loss programs such as weight trackers, community message boards, BMI calculator, online ordering and more.

What sets Medifast apart from many of its notable competitors in the diet market is that it makes the distinction that this is a lifestyle change and not a quick fad diet or even fast approach to dropping pounds. So while other diets help you shed pounds quickly, after that they leave you hanging. Medifast teaches when you should eat, how to eat and what to eat- so that long after you’ve bid farewell to the program, you’re still maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle.

Learn more with the Diets In Review Medifast review.

Go ahead and start Medifast today with this special offer- Buy 4 weeks of food and get one free! Use code PROMO at check out.

I’ll turn 38 years old this Summer. I’ve never hiked a lick in my life. So, why not take on the highest mountain in the lower 48 states? As crazy as that sounds, it’s a challenge that I’ve taken up with my best friend. Said friend, who lives in Virginia (I, in California) called one day and said he was going to climb Mt. Whitney this year, and I blurted out “I’ll go!” He’s had a solid history of hiking and bi- and tri-athlons. I have, none.

California Mt Whitney

Mt. Whitney resides in east central California. Interestingly, the highest peak neighbors the country’s lowest point – Death Valley – which is 282 feet below sea level. The most trail we will be taking is about 22 miles up and down. And by up, I mean about 14,500 feet above sea level! My motivation is twofold: I have been interested in being more “outdoorsy.” I spend way too much time cooped up in an apartment at a computer (like now). Second, I’ve wanted to get back into shape, and in fact better shape than I’ve ever been in my life.

So, I started training last December and promptly strained my lower back on, of all things, the elliptical machine. Stretching does wonders (especially when you are pushing 40). So one wonders why I didn’t do it before getting on the elliptical machine. I worked through that thigh burn, and I was rewarded with what my massage therapist says are knots in my quads and hamstrings, which radiated up to my lower back. If I want to look at the glass as half full, the back injury has been a positive in that it finally hit home how important core strength is. In physical therapy I’ve done low impact core exercises, mostly involving a fitness ball. It can be real challenging, but at the same time not as unpleasant as simple crunches.

A little background on me: I am not a schooled professional in nutrition or fitness. I have no official certifications. Only my 8 years working in the diet and fitness world as a writer and editor. I have been in and out of shape in my adult life. I’ve never been too terribly out of shape, weighing 15-20 pounds more than my ideal weight. I guess you could say I “wear it well.” Most people were shocked a few years back when I told them that I was 205 pounds. At 5′ 9″, that’s too heavy, even if it just appears that I’m “big boned.” That weight gradually dipped below 200 pounds when I moved to California last Fall. Then December came, an elliptical machine, and the physical therapy I currently find myself in. Considering that my family and I moved to Sacramento, California, knowing virtually nobody, I’ve been pretty happy with my dedication to getting in shape for this trip.

So far, I’ve lost about 10 pounds, weighing in at about 185. My goal is to lose at least another 10 pounds, and see if there is time and room for a few extra. Because every pound lost is one pound less to drag up 14,500 feet!

In the coming weeks and months I would like to share my progress, including trials and tribulations as the all-important date approaches. There is a lottery system in place that assigns you a climbing date, due to the popularity of Mt. Whitney. We should find out in the next week or so.

Next week, I’ll share a little more detail on my diet and fitness strategy, and more about safety and skills that need to be learned for long distance hiking.

Men are from Mars, women are from Venus. And our dietary habits are light years away from each other as well. It’s not all that surprising, but a study shows how different our choices are. As you might suspect, women make better choices. Here’s the press release from the American Society for Microbiology.

This new book from Weight Watchers, “He Loses, She Loses,” also looks at the differences of men and women in the way that they approach diet.

Two very good reads if you and a spouse or opposite-sex friend are looking to partner up in your weight loss or plan to get healthy.

If you plan on sitting on your duff this weekend watching the March Madness Sweet 16, do yourself a favor and don’t fill up on the typical watch party snacks. Greasy potato chips, fried chicken wings and calorie-packed cheese dips are common fare at these parties. Whether you’re hosting the crowd or have been invited to attend, be prepared with healthier snack options. Your guests won’t notice the difference and you’ll look like you’re helping out the host if you are the guest. These are our top two seeds:

Cherry Almond Clusters are a sweet, crunchy twist on traditional popcorn balls.

Ingredients
19 cups air-popped popcorn
2 cups granulated sugar (substitute Splenda, with zero calories)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp. almond extract
1 cup maraschino cherries, cut into quarters (use fresh cherries to reduce calories)
1/2 cup blanched, whole almonds, toasted

Preparation
1. Keep popcorn warm in a 300 degree F oven
2. In a heavy medium-size saucepan, combine sugar, water, corn syrup, vinegar and salt
3. Bring to a boil; clip candy thermometer to pan
4. Cook syrup to 250 degrees F (hard ball stage)
5. Remove saucepan from heat
6. Quickly stir in almond extract
7. Scatter cherries and almonds over the popcorn
8. Slowly pour syrup over all; toss lightly to coat evenly
9. Spread popcorn on sprayed cookie sheet and let cool
10. Separate into clusters with a fork

Caribbean Chicken Kabob have a refreshing flavor and offer plenty of protein and fresh veggies.

Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 lime rind, finely grated
2 Tbs. lime juice
1 Tbs. rum
1 packet sweetener
1 tsp. cinnamon
Fresh veggies and fruit like mushrooms, peppers, onions, zucchini or pineapple

Preparation
1. Cut chicken into bite sized chunks
2. Place in a bowl with the lime rind, juice, rum, sweetener and cinnamon
3. Marinate 1 hour
4. Save the juices and thread chicken on 4 wooden skewers with desired vegetables
5. Cook the skewers under a broiler or grill for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally and basting with the juices

Click here to find hundreds of free recipes at Diets In Review.

People often need a friendly face with an authoritative voice to encourage them to live healthy lives. For many, Ellie Krieger is the personality whose face and voice gently inspires them to continue the struggle toward a balanced, healthy lifestyle. As the host of the highly-popular Food Network television show “Healthy Appetite,” she greets her audience with the ease of a long-time friend, offering health tips and recipes that promote losing weight. As the author of the bestselling “Small Changes, Big Results,” she has gained both media attention and a ever-growing base of loyal fans. Today, her momentum continues to build with her new online program “Healthy Living With Ellie Krieger.”

Building Her Following Through Exposure

Krieger, a registered dietitian, has been slowly building a fan base with regular appearances on popular TV shows such as “Today,” “Saturday Early Show” and “Your Total Health.” She has also contributed articles and columns to print magazines such as “People,” “Parenting” and “Woman’s Day.” Catering primarily to women, Krieger offers her expertise in both health and nutrition to an ever-growing legion of female fans who are struggling to lose weight and live healthy lives.

The Ellie Krieger Method For Healthy Living

Krieger maintains that most fad diets are ineffective for living healthily over the long-term. For example, while some diets that encourage its followers to avoid consuming carbohydrates to lose weight, doing so for a prolonged time can have physical and health impacts. Instead, she promotes eating foods that people find delicious while getting into shape and keeping fit through exercise. Krieger contends that this balanced lifestyle of eating the right foods, not depriving your body of foods that it naturally wants to enjoy and being active is the only healthy way to lose weight and keep it off while feeling energized and staying healthy.

Through her book, Food Network television show and online program, Krieger emphasizes that people should focus their attention on the quality of foods they eat, not simply the quantity. For example, eating desserts that you crave is something you should allow your body to enjoy. Just don’t eat desserts in excess. Plus, she claims that if you’re going to indulge, make sure you do so with foods that are worth indulging. That is to say, don’t indulge in horrible-tasting muffins simply to “fill the void.” Indulge in great-tasting muffins so that you’ll enjoy your food more.

Through Krieger’s online program, you’re encouraged to stick with a schedule that includes 3 meals and 2 snacks each day. Nothing is off-limits, including the desserts you crave. A critical component of the program is getting exercise. In the program, you’ll be provided with a customized activity schedule to help you stay active each day.

Healthy Living Can Be Simple

According to Ellie Krieger, living a healthy life isn’t mysterious. It’s simple. It merely requires sticking to a diet that focuses on the quality of foods you give your body and ensuring that you maintain an active lifestyle. By doing these things, you can feel better, lose weight, live healthier and enjoy life more fully. Often, the best solutions are the simple ones.

Article by Damon Zahariades