The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[laramedifast]

Hello! I am new to this forum and somewhat new to Medifast. Today is day #6 for me and I have to say that I have really been staying true to the plan without "cheating" and don't think I have lost ANY weight yet! Can this be true? I did get a new scale, but it may be inaccurate. I have a few questions:
How long can it take for the first weight loss to actually happen? SHould I have lost something by now??
Are you supposed to feel hungry? Does that indicate any fat burning?
Are no carb/no calorie things allowed? I know that another low carb plan has lots of treats out there but didn't know if they are allowed.
Any tips??? I maybe should mention that i'm 5'6" and 200 pounds. I had lost 60 pounds in the past then regained it. ANyway, I am very eager for success on this plan! Thanks for any help or advice!
Lara

[scrabbler7]

Hello Lara -- Welcome to the forum. You have some very good questions -- but there is no one answer to them. As you read through this forum, you will see that the weight loss is very individual. What you usually see posted from most individuals is a goodly amount of weight loss the first week - which is usually a lot of water weight. This tapers off to a more realistic loss in the following weeks. Normally a 2 - 4 pound weight loss per week is average. Those with over 100 pounds to lose may see a slightly higher number than that through the beginning of their weight loss. Our wonderful coach through this journey, Nancy, lost 128 pounds in 28 weeks -- which was an average of 4.6 pounds per week.

Don't fret - there could be many factors that attribute to the scale's non-movement:

You could be retaining water for your TOM.
Your scale truly could be "different" (probably not inaccurate) -- if your beginning weight was with a different scale than the one you are now using. That happened to me -- when I recorded my starting weight it was with my old clunky scale. Two weeks in I replaced it and my weight on the new scale wasn't showing much of a loss.

If you are 6 days into the plan, you really shouldn't be feeling "stomach" hungry. You could definitely still be having "head" hungries -- but if you are truly stomach grumbling hungry - then you probably need to add another shake (this is allowable on days when you are really truly hungry). Are you drinking all of your water? Another thing that may be keeping you hungry is the spacing of your replacements -- you may not be spacing your meal replacements at the optimum intervals.

As for no carb/ no calorie foods being allowed -- there are a limited number of "extras" you can having while on the 5 & 1 Plan.

You should have ALL 5 of your replacement Medimeals
one lean and green consisting of 4 -5 oz of lean meat and 1 1/2 cups of cooked veges (careful to be using only non-starchy veges -- no corn, peas, etc).
Additional: you can have 2 cups of bouillion or 2 medifast Fast Soups, 2 dill pickles, 3 stalks of celery and 1 packet of medifast crackers.

All of the additional items listed can really help when you just feel like you need to eat something.

Why don't you tell us your eating schedule, that will help Nancy and others to give you some solid advice.

Stick with it and stay reading in the forum. You can do this!

[Mrsshrinkinglady]

Hi Lara and WELCOME!
Scrabbler gave you excellent advice and I concur.
You should wait a week and then weigh again on your new scale and you will see a difference!!
Be careful of the no carb foods out there. I try to stick to fresh veggies and the allowables that MF gives you and it works great!
I think the low carb/no carb packaged stuff is a trap for those of us still in the active weight loss phase and would avoid them until closer to goal.
Hang in there and stay true to plan and you will see GREAT results!
I am just short of 80 pounds lost and I will be on the plan 20 weeks tomorrow.
Best wishes and Keep Medifasting
Shrink aka Mary

[dlr2424]

Lara...Hi and Welcome...It more than likely is the scale...Stick to ONE scale only ...be sure it is easy to read and accurate...I purchased a very accurate..very basic...digital as this was the easiest for me...it weighs within .2 of your weight. If you follow the plan 100% that weight will melt off.....Trust and don't get discouraged (I know easier said than done) but plug into Nancy and everyone else here on the forum and you'll get all the love support and knowledge you need. My best to you on your MF journey.

Donna...dlr2424

[laramedifast]

Thanks so much for all of the above advice and counsel. I truly do appreciate your encouragement and suggestions. As for my eating schedule, I generally have a shake in the morning around 7-8 before work, then grab a bar mid-morning, say 11 or so (though I work rounding in the hospital all day and must admit I sometimes have trouble getting anything in!). Then for my lunch I have a soup (any tips for the chix and wild rice? I find it very unpleasant I see that most folks really love it). Mid-afternoon I usually have another bar and then often that's it until supper. Here I've probably been messing up. I did have peas one night and didn't realize they were carby. I have had green beans (measured about 1-1.5 cups), limas (are they carby too?) and broccoli. what are the legal veggies and how many cups? I have generally been probably getting about 60 oz of water a day. I have not exercised yet but am eager to add that in as soon as I can. I used to be a runner (in my thin days) and want to get back into that as my primary exercise after walking for a while. Could eating veggies with too many carbs really stop me from ketosis? I have not been really hungry (except on Friday my stomach did growl) and in fact have had to MAKE myself eat the last "meal" (#5). Is there a time of the night that all the eating should be complete? Sorry, I know this is a ton of questions. I am just eager to have this lifestyle change work for me. I know I can do it since I lost 60 pounds before. I mainly just don't want to be working so hard thinking I'm doing things right and not see any fruitful progress. Thanks so much to all and stay true!
Lara

[dlr2424]

lara...there are so many posts on this one...but hopefully this will help you for now until the experts come on

Full Fast....5-6 Medfast Meals a day...example...3 shakes..1 oatmeal...1 soup....( if you do have a bar we are only allowed 1 bar per day )

5 & 1 plan....4-5 MF meals a day same as above except replace one MF meal with a lean & green

Both plans allow 3 stalks celery...2 dill pickles...2 bouillion or Fast soups...1 pkg. MF crackers...diet soda

Space meals out 3 hrs. apart

DO NOT SKIP MEALS !!


Tons of water...I drink at least 100 ozs...it has made a difference for me

No exercise the first 3-4 weeks ( love that part )


I would definitly recommend the book Shaker in a Jar...it's a wealth of information.....Hope that helps for now

Donna...dlr2424

[raederle]

Hi Lara, and welcome! I also concur with the great advice you've already gotten from the gals, and just want to add a couple things since you posted some more info. Firstly, you should be having 6 total meals (5 MF supps and then your lean & green); I wasn't sure from your post if you're having 5 or 6 meals per day. Also, you are only allowed to eat one bar per day, because they contain more carbs than the other MF supplements-- it looks like you're eating 2 per day. (I love the bars, so believe me, I know it's tough to have just one, especially because they're so convenient!) I would also recommend getting a bit more water if you can; I find that getting *at least* 64 ounces a day (ideally about 100) seems to help me lose better and feel less dried out and constipated.

As for exercise, it's generally recommended that you give your body a break for the first 3-4 weeks-- that is, don't exercise at all. Your body will be adjusting to the very few calories it's getting, and overtaxing your body with exercise will just make it want to hold on to the few calories it gets, so you'll actually lose less weight the more you exercise. After 3-4 weeks, you can add exercise back in, but start slowly. If you used to follow an exercise program pre-MF, cut the intensity in half when you take it up again. If you haven't exercised in a while, just pick something gentle (walking is great) and start slow.

And yep, if you have too many starchy veggies (corn, carrots, peas, beans, etc.), the carbs can take you out of ketosis, which would just end up slowing your loss and making you feel hungrier. So save the starchy veggies and low-carb "treats" (which are mostly empty calories from maltitol) for your post-MF eating. They'll still be there when you're done MF-ing! You can have a small salad or 2 cups of cooked veggies; legal ones are your "salad-type" veggies-- lettuces, cabbage, celery, peppers, tomaters, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, etc. Most beans are too carby. I don't think there's a hard-and-fast rule about how many grams of carbs per serving the veggies can have, but generally, if you can't have it on an Atkins-type diet, you should steer clear of them on MF. At least, that's how I do it!

As for eating times, it's okay if you need to slurp a shake right before you go to bed; it won't hurt you like late-night eating can on other eating plans. Your body needs the calories and nutrition, so fit 'em in when you can, preferably spaced about 3 hours apart.

Hope this helps; good luck and welcome!

[laramedifast]

Thanks so much everyone! So it is entirely possible I've made some significant mistakes in my first week. I feel rather silly and sad that I did fine "denying" the cheats and treats and all the while was still defeating myself. Ah well, week two will be better!
I was not aware that only one bar was allowed. I'll change that from this point forward. I'll also nix the starchy veggies. I'm just not a big salad eater, so if I want to have cooked veggies at night I would pretty much be limited to broccoli and cauliflower, right?
And the water. I'll try to float tomorrow!
Thanks again! Hey, can anyone offer tips on how to schedule the meals? Is every 2 hours optimum? Or 3?

[scrabbler7]

The general guidelines for spacing your medimeals are 3 to 4 hours apart. That's in an optimum setting. It will vary for each individual depending on when you get up and when you retire. Medifast recommends that you have at least three of the supplements by midafternoon (say 2 p.m)

Myself - I have a weekday schedule as follows:

7:30 am shake or oatmeal
10 am bar or shake
12:30 or 1:30 pm lean and green
3:00pm shake
6:00 pm medifast soup
9:00 pm shake or hot cocoa

On the weekends - my schedule varies considerably. It comes down to whenever I can fit a meal in. If I'm running around shopping, I'll throw a bar in my purse. If I know I'm going to be out all day, I'll pack a little lunch bag cooler with 2 premixed shakes or 2 Ready to Drink shakes. I just wing it; but always make sure I keep an extra packet or two in my bag in case I get side-tracked. I don't want to get caught with the hungries and no medimeals in my possession!


As for the veges - you aren't limited to broccoli or cauliflower only. You can also have asparagus, green beans (my fav at the moment), cabbage, snow peas, spinach, zucchini, or tomatoes.

You sound like you had a good first week -- and with the few modifications now that you have some info; you will be thin in no time! Hope this helps!

[doglover]

Welcome Lara! Everyone has given you so many details and good info, so I will just add a warm welcome! Don't forget to come here for support daily if possible! Good luck and let us know how you are doing!
Donna

[mindovermatter]

Welcome Laramedifast.

There are lots of other veggie options, how about zucchini, yellow squash, spinach (fresh steamed with herbs is the best), asparagus, green and yellow wax beans. Onions, peppers, mushrooms.......

I am a big fan of grilling veggies because it gives them a more interesting flavor and texture. Herbs and chicken broth are great ways to inhance the flavor.

Beth

[Lissakay]

This is tough for me too.

Hang in there! Everyone here is so nice, as you have prob. noticed!

Good Luck!

Lissakay

[laramedifast]

Thanks so much to all!
Today was a better day. I got in all my water, only had one bar, got in all my meals, and had the correct lean and green. Plus this morning the scale did show a 4 pound less so I was little more encouraged. Sincere thanks to all who are keeping me inspired and on track. I know we all can do this!!!
Lara

[scrabbler7]

Great job Lara! 4 pounds is awesome. It takes a lot of persistence to get through those first few days and now you will see how easy it becomes!

BTW - I did notice that you are still showing up as a guest. If you haven't already, on your next visit to the forum get yourself registered. That way you can see everyone's profiles, etc. and use the private messaging when you need some advice but don't want to post.

Keep it shaking!

[laramedifast]

Thanks, Scrabbler! Would be happy to register...if only I knew how! Can you clue me in? Thanks!