The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[imbaileysmom]

Just placed my first order, but I have a couple of questions. Are diet softdrinks allowed? Are there any salad dressings I can use besides the only one that Medifast offers?
I have over 100# to lose. I had stomach stapling 10 yrs. ago, and now weigh 30# more than I did prior to the surgery.
I work nights as an RN, but I will be going to days the end of August. I am taking over a $6/hr pay cut, but I just don't think I can stick to the diet working the night shift.
Keep me in your prayers!

[loriannk]

Hello & Welcome to a great support forum.

You can have caffine free diet soda. Lots of people use diet soda and mix the shakes with them. Make sure there are no carbs in the soda you choose. I use Walden Farms salad dressing. It has 0 carbs, fat, calories, & sugar. My local pick n save carries it but not all stores do. You can also order stuff from there website waldenfarms dot com

I know there is at least one RN that worked nights and did MF. Maybe they will chime in soon.

Good Luck!!

[DogMa]

Yep, there are several nurses here, including at least one who worked nights. I'm not a nurse, but I do work nights, too (4 to midnight). It's no different than doing Medifast and working days, at least to me. I have my first meal around 11:30 a.m. and my last around 2 a.m.

As for dressings, there are lots of other options. Walden Farms and Maple Grove Farms both sell dressings with 0 fat and carbs per serving. Or you can use pretty much any dressing as long as it's low in both fat and carbs and you watch your serving size. Or if I'm eating out and have a salad, I frequently just get regular dressing on the side and dip my fork in before each bite. You'd be surprised at how little you need.

Feel free to ask any other questions you have. And welcome!!!

[Jan]

Hi there,
You can have diet soda with caffeine, just limit it to a total of no more than 3 drinks with caffeine each day. The low calories of MF may increase your sensitivity to caffeine and cause a bit of edginess. I myself drink tea and have never had a problem but it's an individual thing. I personally think you'd be better off with a product like Crystal Lite only because the carbonation in the diet beverages is not toooo great for us. It has something to do with the oxygen molecule. Plus some have quite a bit of sodium. Some of us are sensitive to sodium too.
You may use a "store bought" salad dressing. Just find one with low fat and few carbs. I use Walden Farms dressings but there are some others out there too. I have a couple of clients who work nights. It works pretty much the same. Just eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours (for a total of 5 MF meals and 1 lean and green) while you are awake and then sleep during the day.
You'll do fine I'll be looking for you
jan

[Elke]

Hi and welcome

[dede4wd]

Welcome Bailey's Mom!

Glad you're shakin' with us!

DeDe

[Aerie]

Welcome to the forum. I am a veterinarian in a 24 hour hospital so I can sympathize with your scheduling concerns. I had the same but it's all seemed to work out just fine for me. I drink a lot of diet soda, but I choose the caffeine free, sodium free Diet Rite or Diet A&W. I also always have a bottle of water in my hand.

You can do this diet on any schedule. It's really that easy. The one problem I do have is sometimes getting too swamped to eat on time. This can be a pitfall if you let it because you'll suddenly realize you're starving and someone will bring in donuts. Just make sure you keep a stock of supplements and legal snack foods (I have a giant jar of pickles under my desk) to scarf down when you're feeling weak. I've actually never cheated at work, something which really surprised me when I first got started.

If I can do this you can too. Good luck.

[imbaileysmom]

Thanks for all the great input! I was driving in from work this morning and thinking about "should I start MF first and then wean off caffeine, or drop the caffeine and then start MF." I'm about a 6 pack a day diet coker!! hee hee. I like my caffeine. I'm really hoping I can do this! Thanks to everyone for your support!!!! I'm glad I have an outlet for when I am tempted!

[Jen]

I have some experience on the caffeine issue. I started MF and wanted to stop drinking coffee at the same time (due to my need to eliminate the sugar & coffeemate I used with it). I found that the first 3 days of MF when you feel tired and cranky completely overshadowed my caffeine withdrawals. Plus, I was so focused on reading these forums and excited about MF it took my attention from the coffee issue.

Good luck!

[smartipantz]

It's really weird for me but I was a coffee and diet pepsi fiend. A few weeks into the MF program and I didn't crave it. I still have 1 cup of coffee in the morning cuz I love the taste of coffee but very seldom do I have a diet pepsi anymore - it's just too sweet. It's more of a treat for me than a need anymore.

Good luck on the program!!

Smarti

[Arklahoma]

imbaileysmom ~ Nice to have another RN on board!!! I've been working nights for the last two years. Because of a job switch, I've been on days (and sleeping nights) for about a month, but tonight I go back to nights (11p - 7a). The only issues that I've had when working nights is that my days run into each other b/c my sleep schedule is so erratic. I tend to forget what day it is and did I get all my supplements in for each 24 hour period. I really have to live by the clock but it is totally do-able.

Best of luck to you!!! Congrats on getting a day schedule ~ I'm sooo envious.