I often hear from people who are very excited about beginning the Medifast diet and who want to lose weight as quickly as possible. Many are anxious to aggressively get started right away. To that end, many ask me about exercising when they first start the diet. They want to know if you’re restricted as to how much exercise you can do or if only certain types of activity are encouraged, at least in the beginning. I’ll share some of the Medifast exercise guidelines (as well as my own experiences and observations) in the following article.

Of course, you should address any questions about your health to your own doctor, but the Medifast guidelines on exercise suggest waiting a week or two before you start a rigorous exercise program if you are not currently exercising. The reason for this is to let your body adjust to it’s new calorie and carbohydrate level. If you are already on an exercise program, they suggest cutting down the intensity by half for a few weeks and drinking plenty of water when you work out. They also suggest (and this is just common sense) that you let your body set its own pace. In other words, if you feel tired, light headed or winded, you should rest or slow down before continuing on. You should not push yourself or your body beyond what is healthy or beneficial.

In a real world example, this would mean if you already bike two miles, you might cut that down to one mile and perhaps go at a slower pace until your body adjusts. Or if you currently push your body or muscles to failure, you don’t push nearly as hard during the first couple of weeks of dieting. And, if you haven’t yet started your exercise program, you may want to delay anything rigorous.

With that said, it’s been my experience and observation that gentle exercise like moderately walking or riding a bike is well tolerated by most. There’s no need to do tons of aerobic exercise when your body already has adjustments to make and is potentially working hard to get into ketosis (fat burning mode.) Also, from a psychological stand point, you don’t want to make the program too difficult right away. This truly is a long term process so there is no need to burn yourself out. I’ve found it’s best (especially initially) to try to incorporate exercise into your normal routine. Perhaps you try to work a little harder when playing or biking with your kids. But, there’s no need to hit the gym like a professional athlete when you’re adjusting to a new program, a new way of eating, and a new life style. It’s my opinion that changes are more likely to stick when they are gradual and feel easy and intuitive. Read the rest of this entry »