The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Swift3260]

Ok, i got to thinking when I was at the store the other day. Aside frm the extra vitamins, what is the difference between the soups that medifast has and other soups. So, i got a can of Campbell's Select Roasted Chicken with Rotini & Penne Pasta. I compared it to the Minestrone and Chicken and Wild Rice Medifast soup. And there is practically no difference except for salt content. But you are allowed to add salt to you medifast food anyways. Here is a comparison of the nutrition.

..............Medifast Chicken..........Campbells............Medifast Minestrone

Calories..........100.........................100..........................110
Fat cal.............10...........................5.............................10
Total fat...........1g..........................0.5g.........................1g
Satur. Fat........0g...........................0.5g.........................0g
Cholesterol......15 mg.....................10 mg.......................0 mg
Sodium............330 mg....................860 mg.....................290 mg
Total carb........ 12 g........................16 g.........................19 g
Dietart fiber......3 g..........................2 g...........................4 g
Sugars.............1 g..........................2 g...........................2 g
Protein............ 11 g........................8 g............................9 g


There is practically no difference except that Campbells tastes 10 times better and costs 4 times less!!!!! And its not like the loss of vitamins is going to kill you if you're just eating one soup meal a day.

[Patti]

Oh boy.....I can't wait to hear the answer to this one. But, I think it will be along the lines of specific amount of ingredients and balance.

Patti

[lauradr]

Patti, I Am with you I Can't wait to hear

[Nancy]

So you are all huddled around your computers waiting for me to reply, huh?

Some of you have mentioned some of the differences already, thank you very much...

Yes, each packet of Medifast does contain the 24 essential vitamins and minerals; it is a complete meal in and of itself. Patti, you are right - it is the balance of the macronutrients that is significant. Medifast uses a specific ratio of protein to carbohydrates to fat.

There is a difference in the kinds of ingredients as well.

First of all, Medifast uses the finest commercial soy protein available; it is grown in the United States - 25 grams of soy protein a day is deemed heart healthy. All of the product ingredients are chosen specifically for their high quality. The leanest chicken is used in the products.

Every single ingredient is listed on the label and it is manufactured and processed on site in the Jason Pharmaceutical (Medifast’s) FDA-inspected facility. I like knowing that. I have been through the processing plant several times and will most likely visit it again next month when I am in Maryland.

Medifast could save the consumers some money if they purchased less costly ingredients but that's not their way.

(BTW, just to let you know, Medifast owns its tools of manufacturing - it owns the plant, the distribution center, the printing machines for the labels and program materials, thus cutting their costs and ours...that's a good thing!)

The Medifast Minestrone does contain a few pieces of pasta and most likely, the Campbell's soup you list has more than 5 pieces of pasta if it has Rotini & Penne Pasta listed in its ingredients. I don’t know, I haven’t tried it.

The chemist and nutritionists work carefully to be sure that the structures of the food items are properly balanced. That is why there are so few peas in the Chicken W/ Wild Rice soup or just a few pieces of pasta and beans in the Minestrone. We get all that we need in each single packet to do the job of thinnin' us safely and quickly.

The bottom line for people really is calories in and calories out when it comes to weight loss but there are different kinds of calories and they react differently in the body.

Our program is proven to work, hunger goes away and it is easier to stay on the program until we reach a healthy weight because we lose weight rapidly and safely without losing muscle tissue.

A person theoretically could eat the balanced items on our 5 & 1 Program and consume about 850 calories or they could eat 5 servings of the Campbell's or for example 2 Classic 6" Tuna sandwiches from Subway (approx. the same amt of cals) and they may lose weight, too. I should think that if a person was using regular foods one would most likely need to up the caloric intake in order to not harm muscle tissue and then it also raises the level just enough that there would not be the benefit of ketosis - that's what gave me the ability to stick it out and lose 135 pounds.

There is a big difference however in the way the body reacts to the types of carbs (pasta, beans, bread in a Subway sandwich, etc.) and the fact that it is eaten over the course of a day.

One could cut up their tuna sub and eat it in 6 meals and yet it is still composed of different types of carbs or the pasta and the tomato may react differently, especially for diabetics. I would suspect that one would feel hungry sooner and their energy level would not remain consistent.
When my husband was younger, he used to eat a lot of complex carbohydrates but he had to run his shorts off daily to burn up the carbs. He ran 10 miles a day every day. Most overweight people are not able to exercise that much nor do most of us have the time to do so. When I weighed 267 pounds, I could not walk 10 miles a day, let alone run 10 miles! Complex carbs are assimilated differently by the body – if we don’t burn them off, they are stored and my hips do not need more complex carbs sitting around on them!

The Medifast products are structured so that they are low glycemic and are not reactive for diabetics - however, we do not recommend that diabetics have the Chicken With Wild Rice soup because of the rice.

I suppose in a nutshell, the difference may be listed as:

Healthy
Balanced
Quality ingredients
Proven program
Nutritionally complete

Just curious here...I wonder if Campbell's will reduce our cholesterol and blood pressure? Will it help diabetics get off their oral agents? Maybe we have some volunteers who will use their body and blood, go on the Campbell's diet for three months and have their doctor do a ‘before and after’ CBC and then go on the TSFL 5 & 1 for three months using the Medifast products and have the before and after CBC done and see if there is a difference in the blood chemistry and weight loss.

Before I got started on the program and lost weight I was totally out of control with food. I know that it would have been very difficult for me to open a can of soup and to eat only part of the can, unless it was a single serving size can, I'd have eaten the entire can which most likely served two or three. I would also have crackers with my soup and were it not for the itsy bitsy bag of Medifast MultiGrains, my usual habit was to eat the entire stack of crackers - to me, that was MY portion.

I am not a nutritionist or a physician so my reply may not be complete and it may not be enough to satisfy you, it is merely my opinion. There are other ways for people to lose weight, there are ways using ‘real’ food that work just fine for some people. All I know is this, I felt defeated and discouraged before I found the TSFL Program. Because of past failures to follow programs all the way to the finish line, I was determined that I would not mess with the program, that I would do everything within my power to stay on the plan. It was easy to do so because the food cravings went away, I had excellent energy for my body’s needs, and the program was simple and convenient.

Best wishes to you as you consider your ways to a healthier weight!

[falisamarie]

Wonderful post Nancy

Lisa

[Jan]

There is lots and lots of nutritional information available concerning differences in types of protein, vitamins, minerals etc. Plus Nancy is a wealth of information herself. She is very very well aware of the differences. I'd just like to point out a couple of things that you may not have thought about. I understand we are all out there looking for the "best deal" But please remember generally "you get what you pay for"

Have you forgotten what our program is all about??? Balance Did you notice the Campbells Chicken Noodle has 3 less grams of protein.. That may not seem like much to you -- but on a program where every calorie counts and every ingredient counts -- it's a big thing.

Ok, now I guess this is the most important thing. Do you want to part with the pounds in the safest quickest way possible?? Remember Health Advisors are not nutritionists nor generally Dr.s But, we do know our program. Many of us are certified and have had advanced training dealing with our program. When you stray we can't advise as to what effect it is having on your body. We don't know --nor do we pretend to.
It's a slippery slope. You may be fine, but then again you may not be.
I honestly can't say. How important is your muscle tissue to you?? I know when you follow our program exactly it is spared. That's a good thing. If you try other kinds of products -- I don't know -- no scare tactic just simply the truth. As to vitamins I have no idea which to recommend. We deal with the vitamins in our products.

It certainly is your choice as to what you want to do. As for me I highly advise that you stick to the things in the Medifast package. The program has 25 years of research behind it. Much done at Johns Hopkins.
My personal weight loss and health is toooo important to me to fool around. Plus, I've had many many people tell me they love the chicken noodle soup.
jan

jan

[falisamarie]

OK first off I am not trying to step on any toes here....however when we look at this realistically..I don't know about the rest of you but I make the chicken noodle soup using 2C of water and add a chicken boullion cube and this is quite feeling. Out of total curiosity I went to the store and looked at the label on a can of Campbells Select Chicken with Penne pasta and it says that there are 2.5 servings per can thus 1C per serving. I honestly do not know of anyone (overweight or otherwise) who eats just 1C soup per sitting for an entire meal. Everyone I know usually if they are having it for an entire meal eats the whole can. So if that is the case it would be

300 calories
12.5 fat calories
1.5g total fat
1.5g Saturated fat
25mg cholesterol
2133mg sodium
40g total carbs
5g dietary fiber
5g sugar
20g protein

Now I don't know maybe you could just eat 1C and be satisfied for 3hrs but I know I personally could not.

Also the precentages based on a 2000 Cal a day diet are low
Nutrition Facts**

Amount Per Serving (serving size) = 1 Cup

% Daily Values***
Vitamin A 30%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 2%
Iron 0%

Medifast has the following also based on a 200 calorie a day diet
Vitamin A 50%
Vitamin C 35%
Calcium 30%
Iron 30%
in addition you get
30% vitamin D
20% vitamin K
35% Vitamin B6
20% Vitamin B12
and so forth and so on

I can only speak for myself here but I have seen real results using the MF products and I will not risk slowing or stopping my weight loss by eating things that are not on program. We can eat whatever we want but when you do you are risking stalling your weight loss or even worse gaining weight. I guess if you want to risk that it is ultimately your decision but for me personally I will stick with MF products!

Please know I mean no offense to anyone just stating some simple facts.

Love you all

Lisa

[MusicalMomma]

Lisa You rock!!!

[Nancy]

My motto:

“If you prefer to put lower quality food in your bod, go ahead! As for me and my bod, I choose to use the best because I'm worth it!”

[big ron]

I too am not filled up with 1 cup of soup so I double sometimes tripple by adding water and boulion to get volume. This does help Ron

[Swift3260]

Well, I was slightly surprised to see the responses to my post. But then when I started to think about it. Not so much. I noticed that no one had any strong opinions until Nancy came on and stated her opinion, at which point everyone had the same. I posted a few times on here when I started medifast late in August. I found everyone here to be very encouraging and nice. But I also noticed how blindly everyone plays follow the leader. Nancy is a very open and modest person, always stating if something is simply her opinion or if she is not positive of what she is saying. I think this is a lucky thing, because I fear if she said that new research had reported that if you go and eat 9 pieces of cheesecake a day followed by 3 grapes you would loose weight, many people here may actually do it. Now, thats not meant to be "stepping on anyones toes" as a few others have so politely put it. "It's just my opinion." But notice how the riot mentality sets in. Each post gets more and more bold as you fuel off of each other and feel you have people who are going to back you up. No body wanted to state their opinion about how putting low quility food like campbells select chicken soup into to your body was going to eat up all of your muscle tissue and make you fat, for fear someone else, like Nancy, would get on and contradict them. Also, people go to such extreme lengths to try to prove there point. Someone even mentioned something about the "campbell's soup diet" or something...like i said you could or should eat campbells soup all day every day. That would obviously be a loss of major nutrients. I didn't say or even imply this. In fact I think I said one meal a day. I wish people wouldn't deliberately take things out of context in order to try and prove their point. It only weakens their argument.

I have been on medifast for 6 months. I have went from 235 to 165 and I have eaten an average of 3 cans of soup a week (1 meal a day) for the last 4 months. My weight loss progressed at pretty much the same speed the last 4 months as it did the first 2 taking into account lower loss at the end when I was near my goal. I still have all of my muscle, and actually more because I tone with a little weight at the gym. And I have saved about $312 dollars in the process. Also, I get to eat fabulous food once a day without packing in the extra calories of the lean and green or having to go thru the trouble of cooking it. (I dont do the lean and green). I get chicken soup or vegetable soup or like 10 other fabulous soups that have pracically the exact same nutritional value. Only I dont have to soak them for 20 minutes so that i'm not eating crunchy peas.

Also, for the people who like to add water and boullion to bulk up. It works the same for real soup also. It's still not adding anything extra to it. Although, by the time you add quite a bit of water I guess it kind of takes on the taste of the boullion rather then the soup so it doesn't matter what soup so much. But I dont add anything so it tastes totally different.

I should have simply got on and stated what I did and how great it worked for me. And how it helped me stay on the diet knowing I would get some really good tasting food once a day and still loose the weight. I guess it back fired on me by asking people for their opinions (not that they wouldn't have given them anyways). I had meant to get people to simply think. What ended up happening is that no one will think at all. They will see Nancy's post and other posts fueling off hers, and simply go back to their quiet little Medifast shell eating hard peas and crunchy chili, reciting the "makemethinner" chant that anything that is not expressly written in the medifast book is doomed to make you fat, break down your body, and utterly ruin your life. (That was me exagerating to make point, although I doubt it weakened my argument).

Again, not meant to step on anyones toes. Just my opinion. (Thats what you're supposed to say when you want to justify any insulting you may have just done, right?)

[big ron]

Big Ron decided to delete this post

[big ron]

[Swift3260]

Well, first of all, I am not attacking any person in this forum. I have simple stated my observations and opinions as freely as everyone else has here. And I have even stated that they are simply my opinions. I did not attack Nancy. In fact, I complimented her on being so modest and always making known exactly what was fact and what was opinion. Although I thought her last comment was slightly out of line (making a point she had already clearly made with no potential benefit other then to continue the spirit of bashing anything not medifast), I have respect for her effort to be such a help to others. In fact it is with that same reason in mind that I posted in the first place. I struggled in the beginning of my program and found that this helped me tremendously. Never did I say people had to do this or anything of the kind. It was simply a comment. Put out there. And what you apparently think is anger on my part. Is simply an observation about the general feeling people have about sticking to medifast to the letter. I certainly am not angry, as you suggest, if people don't do it also. I don't care HOW people succeed in their goals. I simply posted a suggestion that might help one or a few people. Also, never did I make the claim that I knew anything more then the researchers at Johns Hopkins. This is ridiculous. Again, it is simply a post to possibily help others. As far as the 20# club goes. I said in my last post that I posted a few times when I began in August. I have not posted since and have not visited that often. I have lost 70# now (235-165) as I also said in my last post. I don't need to think about my choices. They have got me to my goal weight with out any problems. You are the only person who is angry here and making attacks on other people like the last comment to me in your post. I have not attacked anyone. I have treated everyone here in the exact same manner that they have treated me. I have stated my opinion, as many others have. And like many others i have been careful to state that they are only MY opinions and observations. I don't know why you are so riled up over this.

[big ron]

Ron deleted post nuf said