The Medifast Diet and Exercise

As is true with any diet your results on the Medifast Diet will be greater if you exercise. The Medifast Diet starts the body’s metabolism through its low fat, low carbohydrate fat burning state. By adding exercise you rev up the body’s fat burning furnaces even more.

If you do not currently exercise you should check with your doctor first before beginning an exercise program. It is also recommended that you wait until you have been on the Medifast Diet for 3-4 weeks before beginning an exercise program.

If you do already exercise then it is recommended that you cut your exercise volume in half when starting your Medifast Diet. This will give your body a chance to get used to the reduced calories and the fat burning state. Increase your exercise weekly until you are back to your normal levels. I’ve found that for the first week or two your energy levels during exercise will be very low, so cutting back initially is a very good idea.

Exercise provides you with a double whammy when it comes to losing weight. First there are the calories you burn directly through the exercise. More important though are the calories you burn AFTER you are done exercising. Studies done with weight training individuals have found that the body continues burning calories at an accelerated rate for up to 18 hours after finishing exercise. And the total amount of calories burned during this time is GREATER than that burned during the exercise itself.

Even if you choose walking as your exercise you will see the benefits of this increased fat burning throughout the day. Start out slowly and increase your length and/or intensity each week. All the small changes will add up over time.

And it doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you do, just choose something that you enjoy. You can get the benefits of exercise through walking, jogging, biking, yoga, weight training, swimming….the list is almost endless. And the act of exercising will also help to motivate your Medifast Diet efforts as well.