The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Lizabette]

WOW, NOVA,

You have received some great advice and counsel and you are right to ask for help when you need it.

You have done so great! Over 70 pounds lost and only about 10 more to go!
I know it is much slower the closer you get to goal, but hang in there and you will be in mainenance land soon!

While I didn't have the set back you have had and it can be soooooo discouraging, experience tells us that if you continue your compliance it will turn around.
You may experience a bigger jump when that happens.
But whatever happens, keep up the good work...you are eating healthfully.
And in the process you are learning maintenance.

How about your inches?...sometimes that continues to drop, even if the scale does not show it.
My inches kept shrinking and even in maintenance still coming off. My clothes are getting smaller and I'm getting happier!
And so will you soon, sweet girl. Hang in there.

Lizabette

[mackinac]

Hello Nova,

I've been lurking for a few weeks, and this is my first post, so I am a bit nervous. You have gotten lots of advice already, but one thing I didn't see considered is the issue of goal weight. Perhaps you might want to re-evaluate your goal? Your body may be trying to tell you that 165 lbs. is a good weight for you. In your situation I would try to listen to my body and sort of follow what it seems to be implying. Just a thought.

Best wishes,
Heather

[Nova]

Thanks, Heather. The issue of goal setting is one I've been struggling with for a long time. I've never been at a good, healthy weight in my adult life, so how do I know what I'm supposed to weigh?

I could go by the BMI chart, but it's really only good for populations, not always for specific individuals. I've always loved weight lifting, and i've been a competitive weight lifter for many years. The BMI chart is always wrong for body builders, football players, power lifters and many other atheletes. I tried to calculate my body fat based on measurements, and it came up around 30%. That's still 5% over optimal, but a heck of a lot better than the 44% I started with. I could try skin fold caliper tests, but 1) I don't know where to find that, and 2), I have a lot of (icky) loose skin that I think might skew the test.

So I looked in the mirror. I'm not perfectly happy, but I'm an American woman, and we're trained never to be happy with our bodies. So throw that one out the window.

Next, I asked my husband. He think I should have stopped a month ago and says I look fabulous. However, he's my husband, and he has to say that.

Next, I asked my friends, some of whom are doing Medifast too. They all say that I look great and I don't need to lose anymore weight.

Finally, I looked at my trend line over the past month. I've held steady, and actually gone up in the past week, while sticking to my diet faithfully.

After careful consideration of all these factors, I decided to reset my goal to 165. I intend to keep exercising and eating according to the transition plan guidelines, and hopefully I can lose another 5 pounds. My winter coat still feels a little snug across the shoulders. But otherwise, I'm thrilled with my results.

My next goal is to maintain my weight loss and do more exercise.

[mackinac]

Nova,

Sounds like a great decision, and very wisely considered. I wish you luck on your continuing journey!

Heather

[Nooney]

I'm losing hair (the reason for the fish oil and the flax seed) and getting further from my goal.


If anyone has any suggestions, advice or words of wisdom, I'd love to hear them.

If the diet is high in soy, there is a chance anyone with a soy sensitivity could have their hair fall out. It is not what you aren't getting in your diet, its what you ARE getting. I'm thinking of starting medifast but this is a major concern of mine. When I was using protein bars when I began exercising I started losing clumps of hair every now and then. I couldn't figure out why for the longest time.

It turns out many people with Lactose intolerance, fibromyalgia and other conditions have a sensitivity to soy. Since some types of soy can be up to 6 times more harsh than dairy in your system, it is not unimaginable that they might have some strong side effects with certain people.

I believe you're one of the people now in the transitional phase but I figured I'd post this for everyone elses viewing even if you no longer need medifast.

For those of you on Medifast with hair loss, try to find the medifast products with lower amounts of soy and see if that helps. It may not be the source of everyones hair loss issues, but for some its a possibility.

[Unca_Tim]

Hi Nooney,

Since some types of soy can be up to 6 times more harsh than dairy in your system, it is not unimaginable that they might have some strong side effects with certain people.

What does 6 times more harsh mean?

For those of you on Medifast with hair loss, try to find the medifast products with lower amounts of soy and see if that helps. It may not be the source of everyones hair loss issues, but for some its a possibility.

Where are you getting this info?

A study published in the journal Biology of Reproduction reveals that both prostate cancer and hair loss in men can be prevented by consuming soy products.

[vb]

Nova-
I was glad to see your post because I have been in a bit of a funk myself about some weight gain.

After losing 40 pounds pretty quicly I've been stuck around the same weight since September, but I did start working out w/a personal trainer and doing at least 30 min of cardio daily, so I was thinking that some of that was muscle gain, but this week when it went up 8 pounds I just sat and cried. I am actually crying now just thinking about it.

It seems like no one is very understanding about this, they all just congratulate me on my loss and my husband, god bless him, said "I don't know what you are so upset about, you are getting in great shape." But today when I put on the pair of jeans that I was soooo proud to buy, my first pair from the Gap in years, and they were tight and did the "muffin top" (you know, so tight around the belly that your stomach hangs over like a muffin) I felt like all that work had been for nothing.

It is funny becuase when I was heavier weight gain or loss never bothered me, but now that I am working so hard toward a goal gaining 8 pounds has made me really depressed.

I am going to take Lizabettes advice and do some measurements and use that as a tracking tool also.

Best of luck to you.

[Nooney]

Unca Tim,

Sorry, I should have clarified, its people with soy allergies that sometimes experience hair loss. Its a very small percent of the population, which I just happen to be a part of

It is possible some of the ladies here might be sensitive to it, if not allergic.
It can cause problems with some peoples thyroid which leads to the hair loss.


Here's a few articles about soy (Note these are for the "other side" so there may indeed be bias in them):

<snip>no urls please - Mr. Snippy</snip>


Soy is good, its just not for everyone.

[Unca_Tim]

Hi Nooney,
Thanks for clarifying.

If you'd just like to state the source for your comments, that'd be fine.
(we don't allow links here)

We like to have verifiable sources behind such statements that people can research and draw their own conclusions.

[Nooney]

Hi Nooney,
Thanks for clarifying.

If you'd just like to state the source for your comments, that'd be fine.
(we don't allow links here)

We like to have verifiable sources behind such statements that people can research and draw their own conclusions.

"About" (Can't include the full name as it would equal out to a URL)
WebMD (For allergy references)
ABC's 20/20 has also done a feature about it.
Weston A Price Foundation has information on it
Nexus Magazine

Some of them fail to clarify that its an allergy though, or someone with a predisposition to thyroid disorders.


Sorry about the links, I must have missed that rule when reading.