Is Medifast Becoming the Donut Diet?

Move over shakes.

Ever since some Martha Stewarty Medifasters got the idea to use Medifast replacement meals to make donuts in the Babycakes Donut Maker, the Internet has been riddled with recipes for miniature Medifast donuts.

People are mixing everything from pancakes to brownies to mashed potatoes -- and, yes, even Chai tea -- to make tasty meals that are crispy on the outside and doughy on the inside.

They may look like bagels but, trust me,
they taste like knishes.

Can you say delish?

Beginning to feel like I was the only Medifaster on the planet who hadn't tried this cutesy kitchen gadget, last week I broke down and finally ordered a Babycakes Donut Maker from Amazon.

My first attempt at donuts was inspired by one of my favorite Medifast vloggers Andrea, a.k.a. MetallicaMom Doing MF, who turned Medifast mashed potatoes into what she described as a knish. (See her video here.)

Click on link at right
to purchase... you won't be sorry!

Babycakes DN-6 Mini Doughnut Maker, Yellow, 6 Donut

Many moons ago I lived in New York; so I can remember how good that potato delicacy is. Sorry, Andrea, but I was a tad skeptical that the Medifast powder would result in anything remotely close.

Oops! By accident I bought the
Babycakes Donut Maker
that makes only four donuts.
Buy the one that makes six!

I was wrong.

The crispy potato donuts that came out of my Babycakes Donut Maker were as close to knishes as you can get without all the starchy calories. Dipped in Dijon mustard, they were to die for. And because they are high in protein (as are all Medifast meals), they were filling, too.

Since I am no longer in Medifast weight loss mode, I mixed one packet of Medifast sour cream and chives potatoes with a whole egg instead of a quarter cup of egg whites, and I added a quarter cup of water. The batter made 10 mini-donuts.

I'm sold. Medifast and the Babycakes Donut Maker are a marriage made in heaven.

Now what should I try next?

My Cat Doesn't Know He's Fat

Of my three cats, Christopher, Colombo and Gucci, I probably love my middle cat the most. I know we're not supposed to play favorites with our kids, but Colombo has that hapless undercat thing going that never fails to melt my heart

Whereas Christopher and Gucci are lithe and agile, Colombo must struggle to climb a tree or hop over the fence. Like a feline Avis, he has to try harder. And when he succeeds I am as happy as the mom at the soccer game whose child finally scores a goal.

So, this morning when I walked into the bathroom, I had to chuckle when I saw Colombo on the scale. I took a series of pictures of him to which I added anthropomorphised captions to show the folly of determining our worth by a number on a scale.

"Uh oh, I ate five bowls of cat food yesterday. I'm afraid to look."

"Gained another pound? I'm pathetic."

"That's it! Monday I start my diet!"

Seriously, my cat has no idea he is fat or clumsy. He is really happy with himself and enjoys his life to the fullest. He is always the first and last cat at the table, and he's cool with that.

To Colombo, the scale is just another comfy place to sit.

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for no extra cost -- through the co-branded website of a Medifast TSFL health coach. Medifast does not recommend purchasing its products from third party vendors, but if you choose to do so, you can find them on both Amazon and eBay.

Medifast replacement meals on Amazon

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Gabourey Sidibe, Weight Loss and Self Love

Though it may seem easier to love yourself if you're at your ideal body weight, you may never reach your ideal body weight unless you love yourself.

Talk about a vicious circle.

Should your shape dictate how you feel about yourself?

What the woman in this picture knows is that if you feel good about yourself -- at any weight -- you can accomplish almost anything you want.

Take Gabourey Sidibe, who has taken more heat for her weight than almost any woman on the planet. When Barbara Walters asked her to name the downside of fame, the "Precious" actress said, "Public opinion," adding: "The upside is that I've never felt more powerful. And I'm strong. And I'm amazing. And I know that."

At the 2012 Women In Entertainment Symposium, the 300+ pound Sidibe said, 'When I was 21 or 22 I just decided that life wasn’t worth living if I wasn’t happy with myself so I just took all the steps that I could to figure out how to love myself and become confident."

Gabourey Sidibe at Sundance

Before she became famous, the Brooklyn native received disturbing advice from actress Joan Cusack. "Oh honey, you should really quit the business, it's so image-conscious."

"I think she really, really meant it in a good way," said the woman who has won myriad best actress awards from film critics, "but I was like 'Oh, please don't tell me to quit my job!'"

As a Medifast Take Shape for Life health coach, I believe people are healthier when they achieve a higher level of fitness, but I don't equate being skinny with being happy. I love having my jeans fit without having to hold my breath when I zip them, but that doesn't mean I love myself more than I did when I was 35 pounds heavier.

Instead of being horrified by Gabourey Sidibe's large size, I am inspired by her large spirit. Earlier this year she put haters in their place after they tweeted mean comments about her appearance at the Golden Globe awards. "To people making mean comments about my GG pics I mos def cried about it on that private jet on my way to my dream job last night. #JK," she tweeted back.

Some of my best friends weigh more than I do, but they exude self-confidence because they love and accept who they. Numbers on a scale do not dictate their worth.

So change how you eat if you want to be healthier, but figure out how to love yourself first.

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for no extra cost -- through the co-branded website of a Medifast TSFL health coach. Medifast does not recommend purchasing its products from third party vendors, but if you choose to do so, you can find them on both Amazon and eBay.

Medifast replacement meals on Amazon

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Ode to OPA Salad Dressing: Good Food Review in Bad Verse

Ode to OPA Salad Dressing

For many years I've searched to find
A salad dressing that would blow my mind
It had to be thick; creamy too,
And come in my favorite variety, blue

Cheese (that is)

Then Lighthouse introduced its OPA line
Of salad dressings so sublime
Not only do they taste home made
They're low in calories that aid

Weight gain (that is)

Greek-styled yogurt is the secret ingredient
Full of protein and so expedient
Just two tablespoons out of the jar
Only 60 calories and no sugar*

The evil white powder (that is)

So if you're looking for a salad dressing
That with your diet won't be messing
You'll find the OPA jars in the lettuce aisle
And henceforth eat salads with a smile

*rhymes with cigar

OPA salad dressing comes in four varieties: Caesar, Ranch, Feta Dill and Blue Cheese. So far I have tried the blue cheese and ranch and love them both. They are perfect guilt-free toppers for any salad and will forever have a home in my refrigerator.

Why You Should Shed Pounds Instead of Lose Weight

As a former hypnotherapist, one of the first things I learned was not to use the phrase "lose weight" because when we lose something we subconsciously try to find it again. Instead, we say "shed pounds" as if we are shedding our fat like dog fur (though, come to think of it, dogs do manage to grow that fur back).

I personally like to use the phrase "melt fat" and picture my body as a furnace that is melting my fat like candle wax.

What messages do you send yourself through the words you choose?

The point is that words matter when it comes to motivating ourselves to do something.

If you have trouble finding time to exercise, for instance, find time to play instead. When I was a kid, my mother never said, "Go out and exercise." She said "Go out and play." So even though that meant I was going to burn calories and build muscle by playing tag or kickball or riding my bicycle, I just thought I was having fun.

Even the phrase "go on a diet" can be self-defeating since it implies a diet is a carnival ride of which we will eventually get off. What happens then? Do we suddenly have license to eat every fattening food we see? "Changing our eating habits" is a far more permanent way to look at making different better food choices.

Medifst Ziti Marinara is one of my
favorite replacement meals.

Ironically, Medifast is a term that brings to mind an outmoded image of someone subsisting on protein shakes all day. Though the company started as an all-shakes diet, it has since morphed into a far more sophisticated program in which participants eat five replacement meals (of which shakes are only one option) and one lean & green meal consisting of lean protein and low-glycemic vegetables.

Take Shape for Life, on the other hand, implies a more holistic approach to taking control of one's life life by permanently changing our habits. Though many of us start the program merely hoping to fit into our skinny jeans, by the end of the journey we have gained a more profound awareness that the ultimate goal is optimal health.

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for no extra cost -- through the co-branded website of a Medifast TSFL health coach. Medifast does not recommend purchasing its products from third party vendors, but if you choose to do so, you can find them on both Amazon and eBay.

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Medifast Multi-tasking: Tighten Your Muscles While Waiting for Your Replacement Meals to Microwave

When I was on the Medifast 5&1 Plan, I remember spending a lot of time waiting for my Medifast replacement meals to cook in the microwave.

Stop staring at the microwave

Okay, so maybe two-five minutes isn't a lot of time relative to the whole day, but it's an awkward amount of time because it's not long enough to do something else but enough time to make you feel foolish just standing there next to the microwave watching the seconds count down. 

That's how I got the idea to do micro-exercises whenever my food was microwaving. I've taken enough enough fitness classes -- from Yoga to Pilates to Jazzercise -- to have a nice repertoire of muscle toning, balancing and stretching routines.

One very simple exercise, for instance, is the flamingo. Just stand on one leg as long as you can with your other leg bent so your foot is resting on your inside calf or pushed straight out to the side. Engage your core muscles as you do this and see how long you can balance without putting your foot down. You can also get fancy by doing side leg lifts instead of holding your leg in one position.

Another easy exercise is knee lifts. While standing straight with your hands behind your head and your legs even with your shoulders, raise your left knee while lowering your right shoulder so your elbow meets your knee. Repeat on the other side and keep alternating until you hear your microwave beep.

The possibilities are endless. Keep a set of dumbbells in the kitchen (or use tomato sauce cans) and do some bicep curls. Run in place, lifting your knees as high as you can. Do a set of jumping jacks or squats.

The point is, there is a lot of wasted time in the day in which you can either stand around and do nothing or make your body meaner and leaner.

And don't just stop at the kitchen. I have been known to stand on one leg while waiting for my car to fuel and do side leg lifts while brushing my teeth.

There are many great articles and videos on the web if you want more ideas or need pictures or videos. One of my favorites is The Standing Crunch-less Ab Workout video by Sarah Dussault a.k.a. Sarah Fit. Her routines are a snap to follow, and you can actually see her ab muscles contract as she does each exercise.

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for no extra cost -- through the co-branded website of a Medifast TSFL health coach. Medifast does not recommend purchasing its products from third party vendors, but if you choose to do so, you can find them on both Amazon and eBay.

Medifast replacement meals on Amazon

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You Didn't Get Fat Eating Fruit

One of the concerns some people have about Medifast is that fruit is not allowed on the Medifast 5&1 Plan.

"What, no fruit?" they say, as if they have been told to give up oxygen.

The fact is, people do not get fat from eating fruit. They get fat from eating fruit along with a lot of other sugary foods and drinks, like cola, cookies and candy bars. To lose the fat, they may temporarily have to give up eating fruit, but they can add it back later in moderation after they have achieved a healthy body weight.

Sure fruit is healthier than candy, but it still has a lot of sugar.

So why is fruit so bad when you're trying to lose weight? If you're trying to burn fat instead of carbohydrates, you must limit the amount of carbohydrates you consume each day. Although fruit contains a lot of healthy antioxidants and fiber, it also contains a lot of carbs. And don't even get me started on fruit juice and fruit smoothies.

A serving of apples, bananas, grapes or pears has anywhere from 15-30 grams of carbohydrates. This may not seem like a lot, but a serving of lettuce, broccoli or cauliflower has less than five.  To put it another way, a three-cup serving of low-glycemic raw vegetables has about the same number of carbs as one apple.

You can eat a lot more veggies than fruit on a low-carb diet like Medifast and feel far more satiated.

But that's not all. Medifast puts your body in a state of ketosis in which your liver breaks down stored fat for energy. In contrast, the liver uses uses fructose -- the sugar in fruit -- to create fat.

Food pyramids often lump fruits and vegetables together as if they were one type of food -- fruitsandvegetables -- but they are not the same.

Even though I am no longer in weight loss mode, I limit the amount of carbs I get from fruit and prefer to obtain most of my fiber and anti-oxidants from vegetables. And if I do eat fruit, I eat it with a protein -- like cheese, nuts or unsweetened Greek yogurt -- so the sugar does not cause a huge insulin spike. (I think of the protein as a chaperone that keeps the fruit from causing a sugar rush and can actually feel the difference if I eat fruit by itself or with a protein.)

Losing weight on the Medifast 5&1 Plan was a great way for me to learn the effects too much sugar has on my body -- even the sugar in fruit.

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for less cost -- through the co-branded website of a Medifast TSFL health coach. Medifast does not recommend purchasing its products from third party vendors, but if you choose to do so, you can find them on both Amazon and eBay.




More from Diet Skeptic:

Fruck You! Fructose

Can You Drink Alcohol on Medifast

Medifast Centers Vs. Take Shape for Life

Planned Exceptions: What Is Your Pie Policy?

Wabi Sabi Dieting & Renee Zelwegger's New Face
Follow Nancy's board Low Carb Recipes on Pinterest.

Women's Magazines, Diets and Mixed Messages

I'm not a conspiracy theorist... usually. I really do think we landed a man on the moon back in 1969, and I do not own a tin foil hat.

But when it comes to women's magazines, I'm pretty sure there is a conspiracy to keep women on the wrong side of crazy.

The red half of the pie chart says "Accept yourself -- you're beautiful just the way you are."
The orange half says, "How to lose 20 pounds in 4 weeks."

These are the same magazines, mind you, that often promote the diet du jour on their cover next to a picture of a triple chocolate cake you'll die for (if not from).

Without even opening the magazine,
I'm guessing the cake is not part of the
"Drop 10 Pounds Fast" plan

Now I'm all about self-acceptance. I have practiced EFT professionally, and one of its key tenets is to accept yourself. That is the starting point for all growth and change.

But there is a difference between acceptance and complacency. As humans, we have the power to change the things we can, and one of those things is our body composition. A high fat-to-muscle ratio often correlates with diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and other health problems.

But women's magazines rarely deliver this message. The usual article mix includes a trendy new diet plan, a fawning (and mostly fictional) celebrity profile and recipes for fattening desserts -- presumably to comfort you after you read about the celebrity.

There is nothing emotionally healthy about this mixed message casserole. The best way to feel better about yourself is to stop reading crazy-making magazines and nourish your soul with a good novel or movie instead.

Now here's a woman's magazine I might actually buy!
Courtesy of PsychCentral

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for no extra cost -- through the co-branded website of a Medifast TSFL health coach. Medifast does not recommend purchasing its products from third party vendors, but if you choose to do so, you can find them on both Amazon and eBay.

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How to Handle #FirstWorldHungry

Louis C.K. did a great bit on "Saturday Night Live" in March explaining the difference between hungry and first world hungry.

"I'm hungry, I'm a little hungry. I mean, I should say, 'I feel hungry,'" he said in his opening monologue.

"Hunger is a real thing. I don’t have Third World hunger, I have First World hunger. I would like a doughnut."

The star of "Louie" did not stop at the predictable laugh line. He said it was "offensive" for people to whine "I'm starving" if they have eaten within the past day.

"Don’t say that because some people are starving, and they don’t say it. You never see a little kid in Africa with his ribs showing and he’s like, 'I am starving right now. I’m, like, literally starving to death. It’s, like, annoying.'"

As with most good comedy, the humor was laced with wisdom. Most people who like to eat say they are hungry when they really just want the pleasure of consuming food. Their stomachs are not rumbling, and they are not about to faint from lack of fuel.

I plead guilty to saying "I'm hungry" when I really just want to eat.

A diet blog post I read awhile back addressed this issue in a very interesting way. The next time you want to eat something, even though your body does not require calories to function, say, "I'm not hungry. I just want to eat this doughnut/pizza/whatever." You may still eat the whatever, but you will be candid about your motive. The blogger hypothesized that over time you will break the habit of eating when you are not really hungry -- or just #firstworldhungry.

Interestingly, Louis C.K. was not the first to riff on first world hunger. Michelle O'Mirth ‏@gobsmackd tweeted in April 2012, "You know a meeting has lasted too long when you reference the Donner Party & lament your lack of provisions. #3HourTour #FirstWorldHungry"

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for no extra cost -- through the co-branded website of a Medifast TSFL health coach. Medifast does not recommend purchasing its products from third party vendors, but if you choose to do so, you can find them on both Amazon and eBay.

Medifast replacement meals on Amazon

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How to Lose 40 Pounds in One Month

In our fast-paced microwaved world, where waiting more than a second for a web page to download can seem like a lifetime, who has the patience to lose only 10 pounds in thirty days?

Apparently, not a woman named Caitlin who may have been serious when she asked, "What can I eat to lose 40 lbs in one month?" 

I loved the facetious answer -- air. But the question was even funnier.

About the only way to realistically lose that much weight would be to lop off various body parts or consume a parasite. No food or drink could melt off so much fat that quickly.

For those with a tad more patience, however, losing 10 pounds in one month is doable. Though people lose weight at different rates, the Medifast Take Shape for Life program helped me lose 35 pounds in less than four months without feeling hungry or deprived. (Results vary. Clients can expect to lose 2-5 lbs per week for the first two weeks and 1-2 lbs per week thereafter on the Medifast 5&1 Plan®.)
I was able to eat six meals a day, none of which were air.

The replacement meals, such as ziti marinara and chocolate brownies, were filling and contained all the vitamins and nutrients I needed.

I did not have to work out like a gym rat.

I learned how to prepare and enjoy lean & green meals -- high protein dinners with loads of low-glycemic vegetables.

Sample lean & green meal: meat lasagne
Courtesty of Sandy's Kitchen Adventures

I was able to resist temptations at work and social events.

And I have maintained my weight loss through the healthy new habits I gained.

It didn't take me a month to gain 35 pounds, and it would have been unrealistic to lose them that fast. For me, 10 pounds a month was rapid enough to keep me sufficiently motivated to continue On Plan until I reached a healthy body weight.

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for no extra cost -- through the co-branded website of a Medifast TSFL health coach. Medifast does not recommend purchasing its products from third party vendors, but if you choose to do so, you can find them on both Amazon and eBay.

Medifast replacement meals on Amazon

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Diet Psychology: Why You May Not Really Want to Lose Weight

If you've ever seen a gaggle of nutritionists at a professional gathering, you'll notice some of them are overweight. It's not that they don't know how to melt off pounds. They may not want to.

Not all nutritionists are at their optimal body weight

With the myriad health and aesthetic reasons to slim down, you would think the people who know the most about nutrition would all be wearing pencil skirts. But the key to dropping pounds is not just knowledge. It's motivation.

And the surprising secret is that some people may think they want to lose weight, but they are more motivated to maintain the status quo.

Here are a few reasons:

Avoiding Sex

Some people subconsciously remain overweight to avoid having sex with their partners. They keep themselves less attractive to limit physical intimacy. In some cases, this may stem from childhood sexual abuse. An article in the Obesity Action Coalition newsletter on the link between obesity and sexual abuse confirms that some overweight people have "a desire to 'de-sexualize' to protect against further abuse."

Avoiding Deeper Issues

Another reason people remain overweight is that focusing on their food intake distracts them from other aspects of their life that need to be addressed. They may feel stuck in a dead end job or stale marriage; but instead of working on solving these more difficult problems, they use weight loss as a surrogate goal.They delude themselves into thinking if they were slimmer they would be happier, not realizing their other problems would still be there. By subconsciously sabotaging their diet, they can perpetually aim at a more comfortable target.

Loving Food

Many people really do want to lose weight, but they want to eat fattening foods more. With all of the temptations around them, it can be difficult to say "no" to a moment of food-induced bliss. The motivation to lose weight must be stronger than the temporary pleasure of biting into a buttery croissant or polishing off half a pizza. Without a a true commitment to losing weight, they will continue to eat themselves into the next size.

That's why some people use a mantra such as "Nothing tastes as good as (choose one) skinny/healthy/thin feels" as a reminder when they are tempted to consume foods that do not align with their healthy eating plan.

Mental imagery and mantras can serve as reminders and bolster their resolve

Before making the decision to embark on a new diet, it's a good idea to be sure you really do want to lose weight. If so, the Medifast Take Shape for Life program is one of the easiest and most effective ways to achieve this goal. You'll not only receive the tools, encouragement and support you'll need to melt off pounds, you'll also develop new habits that will help you maintain optimal health.


You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for no extra cost -- through the co-branded website of a Medifast TSFL health coach. Medifast does not recommend purchasing its products from third party vendors, but if you choose to do so, you can find them on both Amazon and eBay.

Medifast replacement meals on Amazon

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How Medifast Helped Me Develop Better Habits

Medifast Centers Vs. DIY Medifast

Irrational Numbers: Doing the Math on Medifast Popcorn

Medifast Vs. Lean Cuisine Diet

Visit my other blogs:

Fit Kitty

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Bookish

Dictionary Woman

Follow Nancy's board Medifast on Pinterest.

Diet Psychology: Why Optimists May Lose More Weight Than Pessimists

I'm not a psychologist, though I play one on this blog. But I have long suspected -- without any actual data to back me up, mind you -- that optimists lose more weight than pessimists on any given diet program.

Here's why.

Losing weight is a leap of faith. You have to believe that by following whatever food and exercise formula you choose that your pounds will melt off. An optimist is more likely to believe they will have the same experience as those who have lost weight successfully on a given diet, whereas a pessimist may think, "Watch, I will be the big fat exception."

The optimist sees the donut;
the pessimist eats the doughnut.

To illustrate, here's how an optimist and pessimist might look at a Medifast "Before and After" photo differently:

Optimist--"Wow, if that woman could lose two chins and get her waist back, so could I."

Pessimist--"She probably has a faster metabolism and worked her butt off at the gym. I could never look like that."

Before starting Medifast, I was neither an optimist nor a pessimist about losing weight on a diet. I was a skeptic. I assumed that even if I could drop a few pounds on a structured diet, I would gain them back the minute I stopped following the plan.

After losing 35 pounds in less than four months -- and keeping them off since January -- I still half expect to get on the scale each morning and be right back at my starting weight. But it hasn't happened yet, and I am optimistic it never will.

One of the main reasons for this is that Medifast is more than a diet. Through the Take Shape for Life Program, I have permanently changed my habits and make better choices. My daughter got married on Saturday and I ate only a few bites of her wedding cake because fitting into my dress was way more delicious than a dessert could ever be.

There's optimism and pessimism... and then there's delusionism.

Curious about my optimist vs. pessimist diet hypothesis, I did a little research on the web and found there is actually a study that shows optimists do better at healthy eating than their sour pickle counterparts. Using data from the Women's Health Initiative, University of Arizona researchers found optimists are more likely to adopt healthier eating habits.

Fortunately, even if you have been a pessimist all your life, you can learn to think like an optimist by reading cognitive psychology books, such as Martin Seligman's "Learned Optimism." Once you realize you can control your life -- which includes what foods you put into your mouth -- you might not only lose your extra pounds but also gain a refreshing new perspective on what is possible for you.

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for no extra cost -- through the co-branded website of a Medifast TSFL health coach. Medifast does not recommend purchasing its products from third party vendors, but if you choose to do so, you can find them on both Amazon and eBay.

Medifast replacement meals on Amazon

Similar posts: 

How Medifast Helped Me Develop Better Habits

Medifast Centers Vs. DIY Medifast

Irrational Numbers: Doing the Math on Medifast Popcorn

Medifast Vs. Lean Cuisine Diet

Visit my other blogs:

Fit Kitty

Food Trends 

Bookish

Dictionary Woman

Follow Nancy's board Medifast on Pinterest.

Medifast Flavors of Home Review: Turkey Meatball Marinara

Great meal or total fail?

That's what I wondered before tasting my first Medifast Flavors of Home entree,Turkey Meatball Marinara.

My sauce didn't look this thick. Maybe it was my microwave.

Let's just say it's better than meh, but not quite mouth watering.

After removing the cooked meal from the microwave, my first thought was it looked kind of soupy. I wondered if I made it wrong, but after reading other people's comments online, I think that's how it's supposed to be.

Here's how Medifast describes its new lean & green entree: "Turkey Meatball Marinara features hearty turkey meatballs and veggies in a tangy marinara sauce."

For me, the sauce was more bland than tangy, but I didn't really mind the taste. If I were to make this meal again, I would add some garlic, basil and maybe cumin -- or melt in a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese.

The meatballs were better than the sauce. They had a nice meatbally texture and were incredibly filling. In fact, I wasn't hungry for at least four hours after I ate this meal.

The vegetables -- squash, mushrooms, and red bell peppers -- are melded into the sauce a la Jessica Seinfeld so I can't comment on them. But this is probably the perfect meal for people who don't like veggies since you can hardly see or taste them.

Since I do like vegetables, I would probably add zoodles (noodles made out of zucchinni) to this meal if I were to buy it again. (I am no longer on the 5&1 Plan and can eat more than the allotted amount of  vegetables.) On second thought, this meal would be great with one of the new Medifast mashed potatoes varieties (either the garlic or sour cream and chives).

Medifast came out with the Flavors of Home meals to give people a way to stay OP (on plan) on those hectic days they can't make their own lean & green meal. At only 290 calories and with just the right ratios of carbs, protein and fat, the Turkey Meatball Marinara is way better than grabbing a salty Lean Cuisine from Safeway.

And that's saying a lot.