Looking to save some money on your next Medifast purchase in 2012? Using a Medifast coupon is a great way to save money on the most effective diet on the market today. The coupons are only available until the end of the month, so be sure to use them before the expire.

$66 off purchase of $250 or more*: Click Here To Activate Coupon

Free shipping with purchase of $150 or more*: Click Here To Activate Coupon

* Requires enrollment in the Medifast Advantage program

How To Use The Coupons

To use the coupons, go to the official Medifast website and place your order like you normally would whenever you order your product. When you are finished adding products to your cart simply click “Checkout” and look for the box that says “Promotions and Discounts” (see the red arrow in the picture below for the exact location). Just enter one of the two codes above in the box and click the “Apply” button. As long as you reached the minimum amount required to use the coupons your discount will be automatically applied.

They say April showers bring may flowers, well they also bring in the latest Medifast promotions that can save you up to $132 when you order your next shipment of Medifast. We all know that Medifast is one of the most effective diet plans that you can use, with an average weight loss of 2-5 pounds per week, and up to 20 pounds in a single month so if you are looking to lose weight and have that beach body ready for summer now is your last chance to try the Medifast diet to help you look and feel great.

Spring is finally here! That means no more snow but it also means that it’s time to start losing some weight so you look and feel great for when summer rolls around. The Medifast diet has some fantastic coupons and promotions available right now to help you save on the most effective weight loss program on the market today. If you are ready to place your order then you can save $66 on orders of $250 or more, or get free shipping on orders of $150 or more. These coupons expire on April 30 so be sure to get them while they last!

It’s almost spring and even though a little snow is falling, peak swimsuit season is right around the corner. To help you lose weight to look great we have Medifast coupons for March 2012 are now available on the homepage. Be sure to take advantage of these offers so you don’t pay too much!

Although many public and private schools have taken steps to ban sweet and salty snacks from the lunchroom and the classroom in recent years, a new study titled Competitive Food Sales in Schools and Childhood Obesity and published by Pennsylvania State University suggests that junk food availability in schools does not have an impact on childhood obesity rates. The study followed around 20,000 middle school children to determine if schools that sell popular junk food items experienced a higher incidence of obesity among students.

Published in the January issue of Sociology of Education, the Penn State study tracked the body mass index (BMI) of students in the fifth through the eighth grade and compared the weight of students in schools where junk food is available to the weight of students in schools where it has been banned. In addition, the study accounted for eighth graders who transferred to schools that sold junk food and compared the results of kids who had always been given access to snacks at school with those who had transferred out.

“Food preferences are established early in life,” shared Jennifer Van Hook, lead author on the study and professor of sociology and demography at Penn State. “This problem of childhood obesity cannot be placed solely in the hands of schools.”

Interestingly, the study found that in fifth grade 59% of participating children attended a school where junk food was available, while by eighth grade 86% of participating children had access to unhealthy snacks at school. Regardless of how researchers manipulated the data, they were unable to find any connection between childhood obesity and whether or not the schools offered junk food. There was a statistically insignificant difference of 35.5% of kids in schools with junk food found to be overweight, compared to 34.8% of kids in schools that did not offer junk food.

“Children’s environments at home and in their communities may provide so many opportunities to eat unhealthy foods that competitive food sales in schools have little influence on children’s weight,” Hook stated. “Schools only represent a small portion of children’s food environment.”

Earlier studies with smaller sample sizes have shown a connection between obesity and junk food availability in schools, prompting a number of public and private educational institutions to ban the sale of unhealthy snack foods such as chips, soda and candy, from their grounds. In fact, in 2007 the American Beverage Association announced it would stop selling sugar-laden soft drinks in public schools, and California schools now feature vending machines that offer fresh fruit and bottled water instead.

Hook admits to being surprised by the results of the new study, and suggests that perhaps time constraints while at school cause at-home eating habits to play a greater role in determining weight gain. Hook also points out that our eating habits are set early in life, making it essential for parents to teach children about health food options before they reach middle school. In addition, most of the schools in the study were found to offer junk food for sale, with those in low-income neighborhoods the most likely to do so.

ABC News, Yahoo, New York Times

Photo Copyright Kanko, Flickr

Somewhere dieters who love chocolate cake are high fiving each other right now as new research from the Tel Aviv University in Israel shows that eating chocolate cake for breakfast can actually help you keep unwanted weight gain at bay. The study showed that participants who consumed a piece of chocolate cake in addition to a breakfast high in protein were able to lose more weight than those who merely focused on consuming a low-carb or low-calorie breakfast.

As it turns out, the research has revealed that morning is actually the best time to consume sweets like cake because your metabolism is functioning at its peak when you wake up and also because you have the rest of the day to burn off the added calories. In addition, eating cookies or cake for breakfast, along with other proteins and carbs, can help curb cravings for sweets later in the day.

193 clinically obese but non-diabetic participants were involved in the 32-week study and were separated into two control groups, both of which consumed between 1400 and 1600 calories per day, depending on the sex of the participant. One of these groups consumed a low-carb, low-calorie breakfast, while the other group consumed a 600-calorie breakfast, which included a piece of chocolate cake. However, the participants in the low-carb, low-cal group reported feeling less satisfaction and greater hunger throughout the day.

“But the group that consumed a bigger breakfast, including desert, experienced few if any cravings for these foods later in the day,” shared study researcher Daniela Jakubowicz of Tel Aviv University.

In an interesting turn of events, during the first half of the study both groups lost an average of around 33 pounds per person, but during the second half of the study the low-carb group actually regained an average of 22 pounds per person. On the other hand, the dessert group lost another 15 pounds during the second half of the study, which has surprised some experts.

“I would never, in a million years, recommend cookies or cake for breakfast,” registered dietician and author Katherine Tallmadge told MSNBC. “

Regardless, both sides agree that consuming a balanced, substantial breakfast is key to long-term weight loss. Eating breakfast helps reduce cravings and consequently causes you to be less likely to gorge throughout the rest of the day. For anyone concerned with maintaining a healthy weight, it is never a good idea to be hungry late in the day, as most people are prone to overeating at night, which can really pack on the pounds.

It is also important to point out that favorite food items – such as sweets – should be incorporated into your diet in moderation and should not be consumed in large quantities – regardless of the time of day. In addition, sugar can sometimes increase cravings for sweets, so it’s important to consume healthy lean proteins and complex carbs to counteract this effect. Luckily, eating a large meal at breakfast is good for overall body function and long-term weight loss. So next time you’re eyeing that leftover piece of cake while preparing breakfast, go ahead and indulge. If you remember to pay attention to everything else you eat for the rest of the day, allowing yourself an early reward might actually help you reach a weight loss goal.

Sources: MSNBC, The Telegraph

Photo Copyright: Matt Gibson, Flickr

A recent study by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology shows that people who don’t get enough sleep or suffer from insomnia could be at risk for a number of serious health concerns. This goes way beyond the standard grogginess and tired eyes to include anxiety, depression and heart attacks, according to the study findings.

Study participants who suffered from insomnia were found to be more likely to also suffer a heart attack. According to the results, those who merely experience difficulty falling asleep are 45% more likely to experience a heart attack, while those who find it tough to remain asleep are 30% more likely to experience a heart attack, and those who regularly wake up feeling tired are 27% more likely to experience cardiac arrest than those who sleep well and awake feeling refreshed.

“If the association is confirmed, addressing sleep problems could prove to be an important intervention to lower heart attack risk,” said study researcher Lars Erik Laugsand, MD. “Insomnia is quite common and it is fairly easy to treat.”

This most recent study merely seems to confirm what earlier research has already shown: That insomnia has a detrimental effect on the body’s cardiovascular system and can lead to heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. So how do you know if you are experiencing insomnia, or just the occasional difficulty sleeping? Insomnia can actually mean that a person has trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, or trouble sleeping at all. Furthermore, chronic insomnia can last for months or even years, and generally does not include just a few sleepless nights here and there.

According to a recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation, roughly 63% of those who participated said they regularly do not get enough sleep, while 43% reported regularly missing significant amounts of sleep on the weekend. Reasons for trouble sleeping include stress, medication, poor diet and inadequate exercise, so be sure to check with your doctor to regulate your sleeping patterns if insomnia becomes an issue.

The Norwegian study included direct participation from more than 50,000 adults between 1995 and 1997, as well as follow-up over the next eleven years. During that time, 2,386 of the study participants experienced first-time heart attacks and many of those affected also suffered from insomnia.

“Evaluation of insomnia might provide additional information in clinical risk assessment that could be useful in cardiovascular prevention,” stated study authors.

Study authors have acknowledged that more research is necessary before any definite conclusions can be drawn regarding the connection between insomnia and the increased potential for cardiac arrest. In addition, it is important for researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of sleep apnea on heart disease and heart attacks, as well as how to accurately define “insomnia.” For example, it is still necessary to determine if the occasional sleepless night can also have an effect on heart health, or if only those who regularly experience sleep-related issues are at an increased risk for heart attacks.

Sources: SELF Magazine, WebMD

Photo Copyright CarbonNYC, Flickr

It’s month two of your New Years Resolution… are you still going strong?

If you feel like you need a little help you should know that February 2012 Medifast coupons are now available, with a special new deal featuring a savings of $66 on deals of $250 or more (previously $50 off $275 or more), and now you can get free shipping with orders of $150 or more… both excellent deals and a great opportunity buy if you are thinking of giving the Medifast diet a shot.

Hope you’re all holding strong on your New Years resolution diets, I know it’s easy to get all psyched up at the start of the year, but now is when it really matters since beach season is right around the corner!

If you need a little help try one of our February Weight Watchers coupons. Weight Watchers is a tried and tested program for weight loss specifically for people just like you. It’s an easy program to follow and you can actually eat food you like and still lose weight.