Use of the Medifast Meal Replacement Program for Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Clients: A Retrospective Chart Review of Three Medifast Weight Control Centers (MWCC)

Abstract

Objective: A chart review was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Medifast (MD) meal replacement (MR) plan in a Medifast Weight Control Center (MWCC) on body weight, body composition, and other health measures at 4, 12, 24 weeks, and final weight loss visit. Methods: Charts included adults aged 18 -70 (n = 446) with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 who attended one of three MWCCs and were following the MD MR program. Data were collected electronically and included weight, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse, lean muscle mass (LMM), body fat mass, % body fat, and abdominal circumference. Compliance measures included attendance at weekly visits, intake of MRs and supplements, food journals, and ketone testing. Results: Significant weight loss and % weight loss were achieved at all time points with clinically significant weight loss (>5%) occurring in just 4 weeks. Additionally, significant improvements in body composition were seen at all time points coupled with increases in % total body weight as LMM (% LMM improved by 3.5%, 9.8%, 16.0%, and 13.9%, respectively). Blood pressure and pulse were significantly improved, demonstrating the clinical benefit for clients. Multivariate regression revealed a strong inverse relationship between weight change, % compliance with attendance, and the number of weeks that MRs were taken as recommended as well as a positive association with number of ketone tests. Conclusion: The MD MR plan, combined with the support and accountability available in the MWCC, is an efficacious program that promotes significant weight loss and improvements in body composition. These results reveal significant associations between components of compliance and weight loss, but particularly highlight the importance of attendance, a focus of the MWCC model compared to non-clinic models.

Translation of Evidence to Clinical Practice for Use of Meal Replacements in Weight Loss and Obesity-lessons Learned from Research Studies

“…Despite the success reported in clinical trials, the rate of weight loss among patients using meal replacements have not been as good in actual clinic settings. Several studies have reported poor adherence to using meal replacements up to 50 to 70% in uncontrolled settings [9,61]. As shown in Table 1, subject retention varied between 48% and 100%.…”

“…Davis et al reported an overall attrition rate of 43.2% in obese adults receiving meal replacements as a result of dietary fatigue [8]. Adherence has been recorded as highest only during the initial first month of use and often could not be retained during subsequent weeks [9].…”

Effect of JumpstartMD, a Commercial Low-Calorie Low-Carbohydrate Physician-Supervised Weight Loss Program, on 22,407 Adults

“…JumpstartMD weight losses were compared to those reported for other commercial programs (Weight Watchers [6,8,[11][12][13][14][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42], Slimming World [12, 13, 15-22, 37, 43], Rosemary Conley [12,13,37,42], Biggest Losers Club [25,44,45], eDiet [46,47], Jenny Craig [23,24,33,[48][49][50], Itrim [26], Nutrisystem [9,33,[51][52][53], Medifast [28,29,[54][55][56], Health Management Resources [30,[57][58][59], Metabolic Balance Nutrition Program [27], and D...…”

“…Patients prescribed these drugs were more likely to be females (23.7%) than males (17.4%), younger (prescribed vs. nonprescribed mean ± SE, female: 51.0 ± 0.17 vs. 52.0 ± 0.10; male: 51.0 ± 0.46 vs. 54.2 ± 0.23 years), and were slightly leaner if female (30.82 ± 0.08 vs. 31.29 ± 0.05 kg/m 2 , P � 1.2 × 10 − 6 ) but not male (34.31 ± 0.22 vs. 34.26 ± 0.10 kg/ m 2 ). Among female completers, those prescribed phentermine or phendimetrazine lost 6.1% more weight by the end of the first month (difference±SE: − 0.24 ± 0.04 kg, P � 2.2 × 10 − 8 ) and 4.1% more weight by the end of the second month (− 0.26 ± 0.06 kg, P � 4.9 × 10 − 5 ), but only Ahern [11] Dixon [12] Mitchell [14] Avery [16] Avery [16] Dixon [12] Stubbs [22] Stubbs [20] Stubbs [21] Hutchesson [25] Hutchesson [25] Collins [45] Collins [45] Womble [47] Collins [45] Collins [45] Womble [47] Cook [9] Coleman [28] Coleman [29] Coleman [29] Martin [24] Martin [24] Furlow [30] Anderson [57] Anderson [57] Furlow [ Dixon [12] Dixon [12] Heshka [35] Heshka [8] Avery [16] Avery [16] Dixon [12] Stubbs [22] Stubbs [20] Stubbs [21] Collins [45] Collins [45] Collins [45] Shikany…”

“…is report presents weight loss data from over 20,000 selfpaying adults who participated in the JumpstartMD program in the San Francisco Bay Area between 2007 and 2017. Uncontrolled longitudinal patient data have previously been reported in peer-reviewed journals for Weight Watchers [11][12][13][14], Slimming World [12,13,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22], Rosemary Conley [12,13], Jenny Craig [23,24], Biggest Loser Club [25], Itrim [26], Metabolic Balance Nutrition Program [27], Medifast [28,29], and Health Management Resources [30]. Mean weight loss for JumpstartMD patients are compared to the published weight losses of other commercial programs, taking into account covariates reported to affect weight loss success: BMI, sex, and age.…”