The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Mommy2girls]

Hello. You have another "newbie" on board! My name is Sheila and I have been on Medifast before. In 1998, I found a bariatric dr. who used Medifast combined with a strict monitoring program. I started the program at 262. I met weekly with a nutritional counselor and I did the all liquid Medifast diet for about 4 months. I lost about 70lbs in that time. I don't ever recall them offering or talking to me about the 5 & 1 plan but I know they had plans where you could eat food as well. I transitioned off the liquid and did more food and they taught me about exchanges and how many calories I should eat to maintain my weight ect. I finished the program after a year and weighed and basically lost close to 90lbs.

I learned really quickly how easily the weight can come back on. I gained some weight back the year after I had worked so hard to lose it. Then in 2000, I got pregnant with my first daughter and it was really easy to see the weight just all pile back on. 55lbs which did NOT go away after I had my daughter. I then got quickly pregnant with baby #2 (my girls are 19 months apart in age) and thus went the rest of the story as far as that weight just leaping RIGHT back on!

Anyway, I now have a 4 year old daughter and an almost 3 year old daughter and I'm right back where I started this journey! Last year I joined Curves and I religiously work out 3x a week sometimes 4. I love going to Curves, it's my ME time and last April to this April I loosely tried the South Beach Diet and had some early success with that but never lost more than 20ish pounds. Then the holidays hit and I just seemed to pile all the weight back on. So after South Beaching it for a while (earlier this year) with practically NO results I decided to look up Medifast again and give it a shot. When I did the program back in 1998 I did not know of any way other than through my doctor's office to BUY Medifast products. The dr's office closed their practice in mid-2000 anyway, which left me feeling like I couldn't go back and do Medifast again.

This time I'm just hoping that I will have learned some lessons in the past. I'm quite sure I would NOT have gained so much back so quickly if it were not for 2 back-to-back pregnancies, but gaining it back is definitely hard to fight. Something Medifast taught me (along with nutritional counseling) was that eating fruits and vegetables needed to be part of my daily life. I was skipping those items in the food pyramid for a long, long time.

I'm new to this type of message board, so bear with me as I stumble along here. I'm also on a Mac computer so sometimes that makes things look different than viewing on a P.C.

I've been doing 5&1 for 2 weeks today and I'm happy to report an –11lb loss. So at least it is WORKING!

Anyway, I wanted to thank Karen (LessOfMe) from Ohio for pointing out this board to me. I probably never would have found it without her!

Looking forward to getting to know you all and sharing SUCCESS along the way!

Sheila

[Jan]

Hi, I'm gald to see you on the forum-- you'll find lots and lots of support here while you lose weight and lots of support to maintain the weight loss. I want you to know that you're not alone in regaining weight -- pregnancy or no pregnancy. If we go back to our old eating habits the nasty fat just comes right back with a vengence Sometimes we gain even more!! Thats what happened to me!! But I think I've finally grown up with my eating habits -- at least I hope so and see food for exactly what it is. No more emotional eating and no more thinking "I'll just do it tomorrow!" I no longer live to eat and realize theres a lot more fun things to do than eat!! Great start with your 11 lbs!!

[Dean0408]

Hi Sheila and Welcome!

Your story was very interesting, thanks for sharing it. Even though you gained back the weight you worked so hard (and spent a lot of money) to lose, at least you know one thing.........the plan works!!

All you have to do is to get that "maintenance thing" down pat after you lose the weight again.

You will probably not have the same obstacles this time (unless of course you plan on having a couple more kids), and also you have learned a lot from your previous experience with the joy of losing and the agony of gaining it back. I feel certain you will have a different tale to tell next time.

You have made a fantastic start with the two week, eleven pound loss.......CONGRATULATIONS!!

Once again, welcome to the forum!

Dean

[doglover]

Hey Shiela - Welcome! I am glad you are here and thanks for telling your story! I am so nosey and love to know what people are like and how they've come to be who they are.

I too found that pregnancy played a major role in my weight. I gained 80 lbs w/ my first and 60 w/ my second! Yikes! Then I got busy being a mom and blah, blah, blah, here I am!

Keep reading all the posts and search above for anything special you are interested in. Check back often and you will be pulling up to the thinnieville station quickly!
Donna

[want2Bthin]

Hi Sheila! Just wanted to say welcome. This forum is so helpful. I gained 80 pounds 10 years ago with my pregnancy so I can relate. Won't it be nice to say we finally got our pregnancy weight off.

Angelia

[DonicaB]

Howdy Sheila~~ we are so glad to have you. We can't get enough newbies around here. I love every time I read "Hi, I am a newbie.", because I am so glad that people have decided to change their life for the better.

I think you will find we are a wacky bunch of people. Wacky and supportive, what a combination!

You are off to a great start and I'm looking forward to sharing in your journey.

Hey Donna (doglover) is blah, blah, blah anything like yada, yada, yada?

DonicaB

[doglover]

Yep Donica - except yada yada yada sounds too much like like peanut butter peanut butter peanut butter...
Ok there I go again, drooling! Thanks a LOT!
D

[dlr2424]

Shiela...........Welcome aboard!!!!!!!!...so glad to meet you............ ..........You are not alone..............
........we have all been on the roller coaster of weight losses & gains.........
..........but MF ALONG with this FORUM are the best tools I have found so far for continued success.............
.......really happy to be sharing this journey with you....... ........I do believe it will be a fun filled ride..........
..............filled with much excitement..... .....laughter.........
.....and support..... ...........oh and did I mention laughter...........
Donna...dlr2424

[LilMsTexas]

Hi Sheila............Welcome..........I am a pre-existing medifast user myself from 1989!! Back then it was ONLY shakes and I successfully lost the 30lbs I had to lose back then at age 19. Now today this plan is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better!! Wow I feel like I'm cheating because I remember what it was like before. So jump on board with this old time loser and we'll get there together. Sweetie if you could do it back then you can ABSOLUTELY do it now!!

I absolutely positively KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that I would have NEVER succeeded on this program without this forum of lovely wonderful people I now consider my friends. I know for a fact it would have been the same ole' same ole' try and fail routine for me. My commitment to my life and the life I want to live..........coupled with a very caring health advisor (Sue)........and all these great people are my recipe for success. Come here often and get to know people. Don't be afraid to "share to much".......it's not possible here. If you blush easily you might want to stay away from SOME of our conversations hehe But we sure have fun

Take care and as always..........talk to me here or talk to me in PM......I'm always available!
CHEERS!
Christi

[Nancy]

Sheila ~

Welcome, welcome to you our new Medfasting Friend.

It is interesting to know that the same wonderful products are still available after all this time plus a whole lot more. Working hand in hand with Take Shape For Life, the programs have been refined and we are working to develop more.

You and others may have some recent baby fat you are trying to lose but lemme tell ya, I couldn’t blame my flabbage on residual baby fat but only on myself. I ate all the wrong foods and a whole lot of them, too.

It’s interesting that you would mention the Food Pyramid because the US Government just released (April 19, 2005) a new updated version that includes exercise, standard serving sizes, age, gender and more clearly defined food groups or ‘bands.’ The Food Pyramid is designed to be used for weight MAINTENANCE not for weight loss.

As you lose weight and move towards maintenance, Health Advisors will be able to help their customers incorporate regular foods along with their Medifast meal replacements and meet the dietary guidelines of the Food Pyramid developed by our government.

We are happy for you, Sheila and wish you the best of success – you need a lot of energy to keep up with two preschoolers!

[Mommy2girls]

Thank you!!! Each and every single one of you! I really appreciate your response, insight and support.

Dean, thanks for your comments and no (in case anyone is wondering) we really are not PLANNING on any more children. It could still happen, but as far as we are concerned 2 children is enough for us. So hopefully you are right and next time I won't fall into some of the same pitfalls and hopefully come through the otherside with MORE knowledge than I had before.

Nancy, thanks for your warm welcome! YOU ARE SO RIGHT! PREGNANCY did NOT get me weighing 262 lbs. I gained all of those completely by myself without any children to blame!!! I mentioned the food pyramid as just a small example of my BAD eating habits. Not eating fruit and vegetables really helped those pounds pile on during college. Also NOT exercising regularly helped me get to that high weight. I mentioned the pregnancies because honestly I would have liked to just "see" what would have happened with my weight had I not gotten pregnant after losing so much. I KNOW I would have gained some back but I would have liked to see how much and how I delt with it had I not been pregnant at the time. Alas, I am now 33 years old and I did not want to put off having children and in fact lost weight BEFORE getting pregnant in hopes of being a smidge healthier for the effort.

I do want to say that my doctor had warned me that only 5% of people who lose weight can keep it off. Of course that is not at all what I wanted to hear. I just sort of chucked that information out the window and thought "not me". Well, yah, it was me. I guess at this point I'm done second-guessing myself and I'm done blaming myself and my pregnancies for gaining it back and I just want to try again. I know (not for a fact, don't quote me!) that in 7 years that statistic hasn't changed much and honestly I don't know if this is going to stay gone or not. I just have to live for today and hope to have learned from my mistakes of the past!!!

Again, thank you ALL for your posts and support. I'm definitely going to be coming here for advice, help and information. I really appreciate the nice welcome!!!

Sheila

[Nancy]

Sheila Sheddin' the Pounds ~

re:

honestly I don't know if this is going to stay gone or not. I just have to live for today and hope to have learned from my mistakes of the past!!!

Yup. That's my hope, too.

Every day we have a choice: to do the things that lead toward my goal or to do the things that lead away from my goal.

It is not easy to make the right choice every time but I am making better choices than I ever did before - perfection doesn't happen on this side.

I am doing my very best to defy that 5% statistic. Using Medifast everyday helps me to do so!