Reply #2: I lost 70 pounds on Medifast in 2003

[Longhorn]

but I wouldn't call it food. The program consists of shakes, soups, and bars, and, if you wish, one meal a day of lean protein and veggies that you buy at the grocery store. It's a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD -- only 450 calories if you stick to the five shakes a day.) I was a conservative loser -- it took me six months to lose the 70 pounds -- but I also started gaining as soon as I started going back to a normal diet.

This time, I'm using www.fitday.com to count calories and I'm getting about 1500 a day. If I can't lose on that, I'll decrease by 100 a day until I start losing. It will take longer but I think I'll be more successful in keeping it off in the long run.