Medifast Shake Review 2024: Does It Work?

C-

7.8/10

1001 votes

Medifast Shakes is a meal replacement shake made in both a ready to go and powdered formula intended for weight loss.

Several flavors are offered and each is meant to provide a wholesome source of protein, vitamins, and fiber. See which meal replacement shakes were featured in the top 5 list by clicking on the link here.

Arthur Berkowitz

"Meal replacement shakes used with natural foods may be an effective tool for weight loss. Drink the right shake at the right time by following our guide."

Do You Know the Best Diet Shakes of 2024?

Medifast Shakes Review

Both the ready to drink and powdered formulas contain mostly the same ingredients and similar nutrition facts, with the ready to drink having 11 grams of protein and 100 calories, while the powdered version has 14 grams of protein and also 100 calories.

These low amounts of calories and relatively high protein is good for appetite suppression, as well as for helping build lean muscle mass if one works out.

Here are some key ingredients added to both kinds of shakes:

Soy Protein Isolate: High protein soy extract which has a minimum of 90% protein by weight. This does contain all the essential amino acids, but it is likely GMO unless otherwise stated.

Soy has also shown multiple potential side effects as it can cause an increase in estrogen hormones.

Artificial Flavors: Added to give a consistent flavor, this man made ingredient is made in a laboratory and can potentially cause side effects. This can be extracted from common allergens.

Companies do not have to list exactly how they manufacture this additive, but it’s only included to replace natural flavors which may be difficult to keep fresh.

Carrageenan: Binder and thickener made from edible seaweed. There are studies which show this ingredient can lead to inflammation and digestive issues. It is only added to give a binding effect as to provide a more appetizing product which blends together better. While it can provide to a better body, it’s also cheap to add and potentially dangerous.

For the list of the best 10 shakes for weight loss click on the link cited here.

Pros:

  • You get many options via several flavors and powdered or ready to drink formulas. They also clearly list all their ingredients and nutrition facts labels.

Cons:

  • Artificial additives, high amounts of sugars, and all at a high price. These cheap ingredients may lead to weight loss and side effects.

Medifast Shakes offer a low calorie, high protein formula that’s also rich in vitamins and minerals. However they also include some unwanted processed ingredients, some of which can lead to side effects.

While it is good that they have decided to keep the nutrition facts label appearing wholesome, once you examine the additives it’s clear they decided to add cheap ingredients.

There are also some issues with the high price for what’s offered. You have to pay a premium for additives which can be found elsewhere at a reduced price.

Medifast 18Shake GNC Lean Herbalife Isagenix
Soy free protein
Helps with hunger
Low sugar
No artificial flavors or colors
Good taste
Money back guarantee

Sweeteners

You get a total of 6 grams of sugar per serving, some of which comes from cheap sweeteners like fructose, corn syrup, and Acesulfame potassium.

Fructose and corn syrup are cheap to add and have been shown to cause metabolic side effects. This can promote weight gain and cause blood sugar related issues.

It’s highly important to limit sugar as much as possible, as it has no dietary value. This can only add to the flavor, but if looking to lose weight its best avoided as much as possible. If you were to drink 2 shakes a day it would be 12 grams a day, which is significant. See which meal replacements made the top 5 list by following the link here.

  • Calories* (160)

    7.4/10

  • Protein* (18 g)

    9.2/10

  • Carbs* (20 g)

    7.4/10

  • Sodium* (70 mg)

    9.2/10

  • Price per serving* ($4.0)

    6.2/10

  • Overall Rating

    7.8/10


Business

The company has had issues with making false claims. The Federal Trade Commission fined them $3.7 million for claiming fast weight loss results from drinking Medifast Shakes.

They were told never to make similar claims about their shakes, but it calls into question what kind of business practices they follow. This major lawsuit may have forced the company to rethink their entire marketing campaign, as they have not kept their descriptions limited.

They do offer 30 day money back return as long as you purchase direct, return the product, and provide a receipt of the said purchase. Sales purchased from other websites are not backed by their money back return policy. Learn about which meal replacement shakes made the top 5 best of list by clicking this link.

EDITOR'S TIP: Check our list of approved diet shakes to make a right purchase decision!

Conclusion:

Medifast Shakes do offer a seemingly healthy formula, but this is until you examine the kinds of ingredients added. They decided to add soy based protein which is likely GMO.

Also added to this are artificial additives such as sweeteners, colorants, and thickeners. These are unnecessary and it may lead to unwanted side effects such as weight gain. They also add a high amount of sugar.

Our review experts have crafted a top 5 best of list featuring the best meal replacement shakes.


The 5 Best Shakes On The Market

Based on our own extensive research, the metrics provided by our Shake Reviews System, and consideration of numerous reviews by our Shoppers just like you, we've compiled a list of what we've found to be the top five products in this category, on the market today.

18 Shake New Formula

#1

A+

9.6/10

1515 votes

Buy Now >>Read Full Review >>
  • Calories* (80)

    10/10

  • Protein* (15 g)

    10/10

  • Carbs* (14 g)

    9.2/10

  • Sodium* (100 mg)

    8.8/10

  • Price per serving* ($2.5)

    10/10

  • Overall Rating

    9.6/10

Conclusion

This brand made it to the #1 spot as the best meal replacement on the market for many good reasons.

It's incredibly well rounded and features a high quality protein blend, an appetite suppressing fiber, almost no sugar, and it's completely all-natural.

18 Shake is also backed by exemplary customer service satisfaction ratings and is recommended by a highly respected doctor who specializes in natural nutrition. The benefits can directly target the root cause of weight loss by increasing metabolism, suppressing hunger, and aiding overall health.

18 Shake is a truly effective meal replacement rich in vitamins and minerals that is potent enough to get rid of the last stubborn pounds, or help reduce excess weight. Their return policy was also top of its class - a comprehensive, 30-day, risk-free, money-back guarantee, proving the company stands behind its products. This was a huge advantage versus the competition, along with total effectiveness projections that rivaled any other supplement we found. All in all, 18 Shake is our #1 pick.

UPDATE: 18Shake has a promotion that includes a 70% OFF discount, free shipping and a free weight loss e-book.

Expiration day: 07/03/2024

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: 18shake-official.com

Vega One Shake

#2

B+

7.8/10

68 votes

  • Calories* (160)

    8.7/10

  • Protein* (11 g)

    8.6/10

  • Carbs* (24 g)

    7.5/10

  • Sodium* (135 mg)

    6.5/10

  • Price per serving* ($3.49)

    7.7/10

  • Overall Rating

    7.8/10

Conclusion

Vega One shake is good, but it has some issues.

It’s sold at a high price and there have been many customer complaints about the taste. For many it was unpleasant to drink and that they couldn’t stomach drinking it regularly.

It does have a high amount of protein and it’s sweetened with healthy stevia, but better alternatives exist that were rated much more favorably by customers.

Yoli Shake

#3

B-

7.7/10

37 votes

  • Calories* (100)

    8.8/10

  • Protein* (12 g)

    8.6/10

  • Carbs* (28 g)

    6.8/10

  • Sodium* (55 mg)

    8.1/10

  • Price per serving* ($300/kit)

    6.0/10

  • Overall Rating

    7.7/10

Conclusion

This brand does have a quality whey protein and its ingredients are all-natural, but it’s very pricy and not well rounded enough to provide sufficient quality. In fact, the nutrients it does have is low and not enough to be a satisfying meal replacement.

Though its 2 patented ingredients sound impressive, they’re flawed since one is not proven to be effective, and the other is unnecessarily expensive.

The expensive price tag doesn’t reflect the overall quality, as its hunger blocking value is low. There is other more affordable and better quality alternatives available now.

Isagenix Shake

#4

C+

7.0/10

647 votes

  • Calories* (240)

    6.1/10

  • Protein* (24 g)

    8.9/10

  • Carbs* (24 g)

    6.5/10

  • Sodium* (240 mg)

    6.9/10

  • Price per serving* ($3.8)

    6.4/10

  • Overall Rating

    7.0/10

Conclusion

It’s been reviewed favorably for taste and its selection of flavors, but customers often reported not feeling satiated even though it has 240 calories.

There’s an incredibly high amount of sugar and calories added, which isn’t helpful for weight loss. The sugar added is also from fructose, which can lead to unwanted side effects and an increased risk for obesity.

Much better options are available that feature more wholesome ingredients for weight loss at a much cheaper price.

Shakeology Shake

#5

C-

6.9/10

300 votes

  • Calories* (160)

    7.1/10

  • Protein* (18 g)

    7.9/10

  • Carbs* (20 g)

    6.5/10

  • Sodium* (70 mg)

    7.7/10

  • Price per serving* ($4.0)

    2.4/10

  • Overall Rating

    6.9/10

Conclusion

Shakeology is marketed well and there are a lot of impressive videos offered that try to show how useful it is.

The main issues are that there’s a potentially harmful kind of sugar, it’s one of the most expensive meal replacements available. Customers haven’t reviewed this brand favorably in terms of overall quality and customer service.