The other day someone emailed me and basically said, “I’m very interested in the Medifast diet. I’m very intrigued by the dramatic results my friend has had, but I want to know if I can substitute the Atkins diet.” shakes at the grocery store for those on Medifast.” I have to say that probably the most questions I get about this diet have to do with the shakes. There seems to be a perception that this plan is defined by them. I get this a little. These items are tasty, filling, and quite convenient, so there’s a lot to like about them. But, there’s only one of the many food options. I’ll answer the question about substituting Atkins shakes on, though. the next item.

Why Medifast shakes are so popular and beyond compare:I think these shakes get a lot of attention because they are known to be quite tasty and at the same time very low in calories and carbohydrates, and very high in protein and fiber. There aren’t many diet foods that are able to retain decent flavor and texture while being as nutritionally healthy. This combination (along with the other foods) puts your body into what I called the promised land, which is technically defined as ketosis. In this metabolic state, your body starts to fire up and burn your fat stores because you’re not giving it the excess carbohydrates that commonly help with this job.

If you pick up and examine, say, a slim and fast shake, you’ll see that there really is no comparison. Most “diet shakes” are actually full of sugar, calories, and carbs and therefore not that effective in achieving ketosis.

Medifast Shakes versus Atkins Shakes. Which is better?:Well, let’s take a look at them side by side. I’ll be looking at the chocolate royale for Atkins and the dutch chocolate 55 for Medifast. And know that I am evaluating them based on their ability to put you in fat-burning mode. (Although I have to say, the Atkins shake has that chalky aftertaste that is off-putting and typical of so many diet foods. I don’t find this in the 55 version.) Regardless, these two shakes are pretty similar in terms of protein, carbs, sugars, and fiber. In all of these categories, either one would put you in ketosis (as long as you ate the diet meals for the rest of the day). However, the chocolate royale has a whopping 170 calories per serving. This is almost double the 90 calories of Dutch chocolate.

I think this is a decisive factor. That’s almost like eating two meals (at least in terms of calories) instead of one. The goal of this is to keep calories low so you can get into fat-burning mode. Why go through all the work and trouble and then consume a product that has twice the calories?

What are you really saving with the Atkins shake?: I asked the person who sent the email why he wanted to substitute the other shake. He said that she liked being able to pick them up at the grocery store and that he perceived them to be a little cheaper. This is actually not really true. These shakes average over $2 each. It’s about what you’d pay for Medifast too, sometimes less.

And, I can’t stress this enough. You’re eating a variety of foods on this diet, and many of them are non-liquid. You will also eat eggs, chili, oatmeal, bars, etc. And, most people order monthly and have food delivered right to their door. You don’t need to buy products from the grocery store on top of that. If you do, you’re spending more money than you need to on something that has a lot more calories than you would otherwise get.

If you use coupons or discounts, you can basically get 5 Medifast meals each day for about $8 each day (less than $2 each). $10 – $12 a day for foods you don’t need that are giving you more calories. It’s just unnecessary when they give you everything you need.