Both the Flat Belly Diet and Medifast Diet, two of the most popular diet programs in the market, are interesting ways of reducing your weight. Either of these two diet programs may be able to help you accomplish your weight loss plans. In this article, we will explain what these diets are exactly, including the pros and cons of both diet programs to see which one works better in terms of reducing weight. It’s also a good idea to read a few more healthy weight loss and dieting tips before you choose which diet fits your lifestyle.

1. Flat Belly Diet

Flat Belly is one of the most popular diet programs among dieters at the moment. In its program, it offers special meal plans with fat-fighting ingredients that combat cravings. According to the program’s founders, the diet works because it is full of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) which target and destroy stomach fat while at the same time promote fullness and prevent overeating. These plant-based fats can be found in foods such as seeds, chocolate, nuts, avocados and olive oil. The program calls for such servings as part of your food consumption.

Advantage: It’s Medically Sound

Flat Belly Diet falls within the medically accepted ranges for the nutrients and the amounts of fats, carbohydrates, and protein you should be getting. According to the program’s theory, monounsaturated fatty acids target and destroy the fat in your belly while at the same time promote overall fullness and prevent overeating. These plant-based MUFAs are present in food such as seeds, chocolate, nuts, avocados, and olive oil. The diet program calls for servings of these foods at meals and snacks.

Compared with saturated fats that are found to harden and clog the arteries, these plant-based MUFAs can keep the blood vessels in your body soft and generally pliable after digestion. The diet program, apart from focusing on these healthy fats, is also patterned after a Mediterranean eating way.

The key ingredients, such as veggies, legumes, fruits, olive oil, whole grains, and fish – are thought by the plan’s creators to help keep weight off.

Advantage: It’s for Everyone, But Especially for Women

Both men and women can adopt the Flat Belly Diet approach, but admittedly, it’s more oriented towards a female audience. Women will probably like the style of the diet. This makes the Flat Belly Diet an interesting diet option for women. However, there’s a slightly separate program for men. The plans for both women and men are almost identical, but men consume more calories in theirs.

Advantage: Other Healthy Benefits and Not Just Weight Loss

While it may not be the best diet program out there in terms of losing weight and in the overall sense of diet, it is considered a heart-healthy diet—separating it from other diet programs, including Medifast. Its focus on health eating is also an additional point for the program. What’s more, it is considered one of the easiest diets to follow. Another bonus is the fact that the Flat Belly Diet is a fairly satisfactory method against diabetes.

Advantage: Recipes Are Not Only Healthy; They Also Taste Well

The diet plan offers very tasty menu recipes for dieters. If other commercial diet plans offer food selections that are healthy and good for your body they usually taste poorly, but menu selections offered by the Flat Belly Diet are very tasty. This makes it easier for dieters to switch to the diet without any hitch or guilt. Imagine eating a food that you know targets your belly fat, but actually tastes well too.

Advantage: Abundant guidance and resources

The diet plan offers dieters a trove of information, helping them with a lot of resources that can guide them as they go along with their path to reducing weight.

Disadvantage:  The Flat Belly Diet’s “Good” Fats Still in Question

MUFAs, according to this diet plan’s theory, target and destroy the belly fat while promoting overall fullness and preventing overeating. It sounds great, yes, but in truth, the jury is still out there when it comes to its actual role in destroying the fat in your belly—also known as the “bad” fat.

Disadvantage: Fewer Days of Menus Compared With Other Plans

Compared with other diet plans in the market today, there are fewer days of menus offered by the Flat Belly Diet, making the choices rather limited for the dieters.

2. Medifast Diet

One of the more popular commercial diet plans out there, the Medifast Diet comes with meals that are tailored for specific dieters, including teens, vegetarians, diabetics, seniors, and nursing mothers. One drawback of the program is its possible side effects, including dizziness or fatigue, leg cramps, loose skin, hair loss, headaches, gas, diarrhea, rashes, bad breath, menstrual changes, and constipation.

What separates it from the Flat Belly Diet is that it gives you far fewer calories than what is recommended generally. This calorie reduction leads you to lose weight.

The plan’s theory is this: If you strictly follow consuming Medifast-made products supplemented by one meat-and-vegetables entrée every day, you would still be nourished from lots of fiber, protein, and key nutrients while at the same time getting only very few calories.

Advantage: It is Nutritionally Sound

The Medifast Diet is nutritionally sound, giving you sufficient amounts of protein, fats, and other important nutrients in your body.

Advantage: Does Not Count Points, Calories, or Carbs

Unlike other commercial diet programs, the Medifast Diet does not ask you to count any points, carbohydrates, or calories in the foods you take. So, it is less tedious and burdensome for dieters.

Disadvantage: Medifast Diet’s Foods Are Powdered Drinks

If you are planning to try the Medifast Diet, make sure you are okay with consuming powdered, just-add-water food products instead of actual meals. Sure, you may be okay with consuming powdered drinks for a few days or a week, but for a long period of time, it will take your patience and dedication getting used to.

Verdict
The Flat Belly Diet offers slight advantages over the Medifast Diet in terms of your short-term and long-term weight loss plans. It also does not rely on powdered drinks to help you lose weight. Instead it offers you healthy and tasty menu recipes to guide you in your goals.