The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Daisey523]

I am frightened I will fail, and that I will remain overweight forever. This is my second attempt at Medifast. Two years ago, at 5'2" I weighed 196 pounds. My family doctor introduced me to medifast, so I started medifast with his supervision. My doctor had me come in once a week (I was doing 100% shakes, 5 a day) to be weighed, check my vitals, and ketones. In addition, my weekly doctor visits brought me much needed moral support. Well, I went down to 142 pounds. Although I had more weight to loose, I went off of Medifast. Also, towards the end of using medifast, I occasionally cheated, I would have a pint of ice cream or bag of candy. However, when I weighed in at the doctor's, I had still lost weight. My doctor told me that my brain sometimes thinks like a two year old--that since I got away with cheating once or twice, I could do it again and still get away with it. And that is basically what happened. My cheating increased and next thing I knew I was back to eating sugar everyday. As a result, I gained back about 16 pounds. I do not want to continue on this insane eating cycle, so I decided to go back on Medifast. But first, I first tried the low carb thing, I had been successful with that several years ago, but that didn't work because whenever I ate, I always craved sugar real bad, no matter what or how much I ate I never felt full, so I was not successful. So then, I started medifast again with my leftover shakes but only last one morning! I did not want to give up sugar! My problem isn't really food, it is sugar (chocolate, candy, cookies, ice cream, brownies), I binge on sugar foods!! So I went on the 1000 calorie a day diet. I planned out my foods, totaling 1000 calories with most of the calories being from chocolate. Well, that last three days. A few days later I got sick and tired of being sick and tired of feeling fat. I want to loose weight to be healthy, not so much for vanity reasons. Of course there is some vanity involved, but the biggest reason is that I want to live a long and healthy life.

Which brings me to where I am today, back on medifast and already feeling like a failure. This time around, I am ordering medifast online, instead of going through my doctor. While I would really appreciate the emotional support of my doctor, I can’t afford to go. I am just barely affording ordering medifast online. Anyways, while I was waiting for my medifast to arrive in the mail, I figured, hey, why not have one last good day of eating whatever I want?! Which, the mail came late, and I ended up binging on absolutely anything I wanted for a few days. I went from around 154 to around 158 in just a few days. My medifast arrived and yesterday would have been day three. It was in the evening and I was feeling good that I was about to completed the first three days. But then I got real bad cravings for chocolate and ended up, at 9:00 p.m. going to the store and buying chocolate! Eating the chocolate brought me a feeling of relief, it felt good to eat it. Also, I do have regret, but I am trying not to waste time beating myself up over it. I am trying to gain from it in the sense that when I was eating the chocolate, it tasted different than it used to. To me, it tasted much more salty and just, I dunno, it just didn’t seem to taste quite as good as before. So I am telling myself that this is because I was at day three medifast and my body was not used to chocolate so it just wasn’t as natural eating it. Well, at least that what I am trying to take away from my mishap. All last night I was debating on whether or not, the next day (today) if I should continue on Medifast. Is it worth it? Can I do it again? Can I have some level of success again? Can I actually live without eating my yummy sugar foods? How does one live life just putting things in their mouth that are healthy and only serve the purpose of nourishing my body? That sounds like something other people can do—not me!!!!

But here I am, I have decided to medifast today. But I am very afraid I will soon again, if even tonight, fail again and go on another binge!! My boyfriend and I are breaking up, my best-friend and I recently were in a huge fight and are no longer friends. I was so busy before with school that I didn’t have much of a social life besides my boyfriend and best-friend, and I have already completely lost one of them, and am in the process of loosing the other one. Food sure would be a good companion during this troubling time! But I don’t want to think like that because it will just make things worse, make me feel worse about myself. I want a healthy lifestyle.

Well, thanks for anybody who actually read this entire entry, I know I wrote a lot. I am really scared that I won't make it, really really scared!

[buffybegood]

Hi Daisey, It sounds like you have come to the right place. I would guess to say that we are all afraid of that. Failure "stinks"...and lots of other words that I won't say on here. It hurts to loose a friend or boyfriend, but we can't stop trying to have friends or relationships or our life would be very lonely and dull. The same thing goes with trying to make ourselves healthy and attractive to ourselves. I have also gone up and down in my weight, lost bunches of boyfriends and friends in my 50 yrs on earth. I look back and wouldn't have changed a thing, except maybe taken more chances, lost more boyfriends, made more friends, probably loosing more too. Do the best you can, you don't have to be perfect in anything, try the best you can on Medifast, keep getting back up and trying things and you will succed. This is a really good program, I have lost 10 lbs this week and feel so good about things. I hope you will join us and do the same....I still have 50 lbs to go, I am sure I will be in situations that I may go off the diet....but I am going to keep trucking...because it is true, life goes by very fast and it will be a shame to look back and have too many "I should have done this or thats"....There are lots of good people on here that want to help.

[Nancy]

Daisey523 ~

Sheesh! I could have written this!

This is ME.

This is MY STORY with every other DIEt I’ve been on…Medifast helped me so much. I need the BALANCE that the Medifoods provide and the BALANCE that the Take Shape for Life Program and the BeSlim philosophy provides.

Determine your reasons for reaching a healthy weight: If it is truly for improved health…look at the ramifications of not eating healthfully.

That’s what did it for me. I got scared. Scared straight.

My original goal was to look decent and to avoid getting diabetes. Now I want to STAY healthy, I want to BE healthy.

Looking better is the gravy – just Being is the best part of my journey.

I still have sugar crazies – been having one lately. BIG TIME.

When my auto-immune disorder whacks out, I have to up my meds and I sometimes feel a bit cwazy and cruise for candy.

When I am program-compliant, the cravings go away. Totally.

I know now how to prevent “failure.” I just don't always choose to do the right things that lead to success. When I mess up, I am like an Irish setter - I shake it off and run away toward the bone (I know that good health is now my bone).

I have come to the conclusion that I need to avoid most sugar.

I limit myself – I establish my own personal rules: not more than two times a week.

Eons ago there was a commercial for a nat’l pizza company that said to “avoid the noids.”

For me, sugar and unbalanced carbs are my personal NOID – I feel annoyed when I eat ‘em, I get annoyed at myself when I cave in and eat them.

I do best when I avoid the noids. Sadly sugar is my noid.

Come on!

You have come at the right time.

Yes, you are over the weight limit where you want to be but you are not so far over that you cannot ever get it back.

One shake at a time, one day at a time.

Little by little we get there.

Read my October newsletter it might help a little:
http://www.makemethinner.com/newsletter/medifast-october-04-newsletter.htm

This is NOT an easy task, Medifast makes it easier to get the job done.

[Jan]

Hi Daisy,
It is a struggle. Sugar tastes pretty good to most of us. But then we get the sugar blues and are regretful. Why don't we learn??? I was reading an article this morning -- yup I am a reader -- that talked about weight and stress. It seemed to indicate that when we eat due to stess we actually do feel better for a short time. Notice I said "short time" because as we all know the good feeling doesn't last for ever -- in fact we feel even worse -- sugar blues and guilt. But, we seem to concentrate -- even have our mind set so that we forget the bad feelings quite quickly and just remember the good. Plus an added disadvantage is when we eat for stress reasons we are more likely to add weight around the old middle.
That's a real problem for the heart. And those pills that advertise get rid of "belly fat" have proved to be really inaffective. We all knew that!!
So what to do??? I think we need to identify our stress points. We all have them , and be really careful about our eating when we are feeling stressed. Don't even have anything that seems sugary (except the bars -- and only l per day-- in the house) Don't vary one little bit from program because you can't be trusted Put notes in the kitchen reminding yourself -- no sugar binges and if necessary one in the car to remind yourself just as you are heading off to the store. Try really hard to look at the long run-- not instant gratification. I know this is really really hard. I personally don't have nuts in my house because I will search them out and eat all I find. I have even asked my husband to hide them and then spent 2 hours looking for them!! I found them. We all know what triggers us. Get your mind set -- know you can overcome and you'll find the longer you are on program the sweeter the meal replacements taste -- some of the bars are even tooooo sweet for me now. You'll make it -- keep checking in and let everyone know how you're doing. Be honest. You'll find you don't want to let the forum members down -- it's great accountability
I'll be watching for you
jan

[martha]

HI DAISY---

I am feeling your pain all the way over here in Mississippi Sorry about all the trouble and cravings you are having.. Stress will cause all kinds of things to go wrong in your life..You seem to have a bunch of different things spinning out of control at this time .. You just need to step back and look at everything from afar..Then decide to start and try to stay compliant for the first week. Easier said than done in some cases but only you can decide to start and really give it a go.. Yes you can succeed with MF..As you already know from before it works.. You just need to try to make it all the way through the 1st 3 days and the cravings should let up.. Mine did.. Never thought they would..I was a skeptic at first but after 3 months and 60# off I know it works.. I don't crave the sweets anymore and the best part is it seems to have fixed my being so depressed all the time..I am alot more mellow since starting this program.. I won't tell you that you will not think about all of the stuff you use to eat because I still do.. I am exposed to it everyday and last night I kept telling my hubby I was hungry over and over.. He went up town and called and asked if I wanted anything..I said NO!!! I am not really hungry just thinking about all the junk I use to eat.. I sucked a SF mint instead and it did the trick.. I want this so badly now.. You did right by coming here to this forum.. These people are going to be your best buddies through thick and thin.. they will be here for you..no matter what you can tell it here and someone will answer all of your questions and try to soothe your doubts..This is the greatest group of people I ever had the pleasure to meet. They really care about you and your success.. What I have found to help is being accountable to my friends on Sunday weigh in.. if we slip they help us to get it right again in our minds and to stop beating ourselves up for slipping--To restart and only think about the positives of the program.. They are real TROOPERS!! I hope to see you restart and stay with us as we would love to have you in our family ..Good luck this week and I will be praying for you..Martha

[sprgrammy]

Daisy you are in my prayers. There are so many beautiful people here to help us all. The support on this forum is awesome. Be faithful to yourself and your body. I wish I had lots of advise to offer you but I am a newbie (day 2) and don't have the knowledge that all of these others have. Listen to them they know from struggle. Just know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. Hang in there kiddo.
sprgrammy (Carol)