Hey guys..thanks to all for your posts!!!
a few of you wrote and asked just how badly I went "off" the program when I did...because you have similar weight loss goals...and want to know how long it will take you to reach them!! well first off let me say that everyone is different....when it comes to loosing weight. I have learned that when I hit that big "30" year old mark, that my weight loss slowed down BIGTIME!! I have been off and on weight loss programs my whole life..and truly beleive that it messes up your metabolism..and your body gets to a "set point" and stays there at times!!
When I said I "fell off the wagon" on my medifast...it started out at first having a few nibbles of this and that...which then turned into full fledge binges for a day or so...but I never went more than 2 days of it before my body KNEW where it was headed...and Id go back on the plan!! now I didnt do this too often...but you have to know that when your body is in Ketosis..it is burning fat for fuel....when you are not in ketosis anymore...and you overeat..your body stores fat TOO EASILY!!
in the book "SUCCESS IN A SHAKER JAR" (I think thats the book) they explain what NO MANS LAND is....its when your not in ketosis (from cheating) and your not fully on the program either...your in a land where your body is trying to figure out what you are doing....and that is where I stayed a bit too long...I would do great for 2-3 weeks..on full fast..loose 10 pounds..then binge for a day...and gain a few pounds...and it would be a vicious cycle..so my body never really stayed in Ketosis!! when I say binge..I mean just eating JUNK if it was around...or Carbs...whatever was in front of me at the time...mostly it was at work..the guys would cook and I couldnt say no...especially on the days we were out and busy all shift...I would let myself get to the point of starvation....and then just eat whatever I could get my hands on!! then the next day feel so guilty cuz I knew it was going to take my body 3-5 days to get back into the fat burning mode.....and those days would come...I would do great for weeks..then mess up again......
so my friends, that is why it took me so long to get here....a few pounds away from goal!! but all the while..I also noticed that I was getting flabbier ....probably from the yo yo affect...so I started working out...with weights and MOVING MY BODY in some form...and THAT is what made all the difference! some people dont have to work out on this program..and they can loose all thier weight the first time around!!! as I said..everyone is different....perhaps if from day ONE I didnt cheat..and have so many "DAY 1's"...I would have made it to goal in alot less time....but cant do the "what if" stuff..its here and now that matters!!!
so to all of you who think about cheating..or seeing what you can get away with...your only SLOWING your progress....your body will get stuck in NO MANS LAND...and it wont burn off that stubborn fat!!! instead it will hold on to every little fat cell and refuse to give any up!!!
FOOD can no longer be my comfort....putting on my sneakers and going for a nice long walk can be...putting on some music and dancing around my living room laughing at myself is comfort...anything to get thru those MOMENTS when our heads tell us "just one bite wont hurt".....that my dear shaker friends is where all the craziness begins..if you listen to the food demons we all have!!!
stay strong and faithful to those shakes.....dont stray..and you will have the sucess the first time around!! I promise!! and dont be a slave to the scale...numbers change every day, find a pair of pants or an outfit that you want to wear...and try it on every once in a while!! that is the best measurement...those clothes dont lie..or vary....only your body does!! IT WILL BE GETTING SMALLER!!!!
THANKS AGAIN TO ALL OF YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT ALONG THE WAY!!!
this forum has been one of the many reasons I didnt give up hope along the way!!
Tami