The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[iammissruth]

HHHMMM.... I know that I have set goals for myself. I have 70 pounds to lose, but I am doing this for myself, husband and infant daughter. Every ten pounds that I lose, I get a reward. A massage, pedicure, new jeans, etc. Does that make sense? I have been on a lot of diets, and this is the first one that I am HOPEFUL about. I was debating between WW and MF, and after 3 months of "cheating" on WW, I decide that I needed a program that I didn't have to think on or count calories, carbs, or points. MF has been scientifically proven to work, and after reading so many true success stories, with trials undergone, I made up my mind to take this diet one day at a time. It's like i was reading in another journal, you can do anything for a few hours at a time. And once you get in the habit, it's easy to stay in the habit. It takes 21 days to make or break a habit, can you promise yourself 21 days to become healthy? Just 21 days of pure dedication? This is a life style change for YOU, no one else.

[rodeomom]

You have to get it in your mind that the only thing that will work is pure dedication. A single crouton is enough to kick some people out of ketosis. Set a date, maybe November 1st would be a good day (11/1) the start of a new you. On what ever day you choose start your 5 & 1, No cheating, no excuses! You can do this. Everyone says it "You can do anything for 2-3 hours". Type out your conversation with the person that asked if you were pregnant and make sure you include how you felt about it. If it helps put it on MMT, if you don't want to that is fine. Everytime you get the urge to cheat look at that story. Feel that embarassment again and use that to fuel your desire to change. You say you feel the guilt after you eat something off the plan. Instead of waiting, write down those feelings and tape it to your fridge or pantry or where ever you keep the stuff you shouldn't be eating. Let those negative emotions work for you when you need them.

The plan is easy 5 MF meals and 1 Lean and green (follow your quick start guide closely). No figuring carbs, calories, fat grams... that is too much work and makes things difficult. 5 MF meals and 1 lean and green. Set your goals small right now. Maybe you can put $2 in a jar for everyday you stay on plan. Then for every say 20 pounds you lose you take that money and buy a new outfit or get a manicure or what ever you want as long as it doesn't involve food. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

[Mike]

Melissa,
As all have said, and we have discussed, this is a program with a design for a reason. Its unlike any other program in that, if you follow the program and do the 5+1, your body will completely switch from burning sugars and carbs as its source of energy, to converting fat into ketones and burning them for energy. When we "modify" this perfectly designed, and scientifically proven program, it doesn't work as it is designed.

Once you get past the 3rd or 4th day of strictly following the program, you will lose weight. Its basically all about 1 thing: what do we want? If we want it bad enough, we will do it. I'm guilty of straying and have realized of late that I need and want to finish this initial phase of my journey.

This is not a diet... diets do not work. This is a lifestyle change, a program that leads to becoming healthy for the rest of our lives. Some treat this as a diet, and very few of those people are successful in keeping off the weight that they lose.

My advice, read the Quick Start guide, take what is there to heart, decide for you what is best for you, and lean on the people here for support and encouragement (including Diana and myself).

Hang in there, you can do this.

[melissa07]

I REALLY understand why dieting can be so stressful. I try and look at Medifast as a lifestyle change that i know will benefit me forever. Fighting my old habits is the biggest challenge in my life so far. Food has overcome my daily life, my mind is always set on food. I am always counting in my head, is this okay? is this too much? will i gain weight if i have this..? If i follow the 5&1 then i wont have to think about these things. I will probably release a lot of stress off of my shoulders. I did the MF plan for 2 weeks strictly. Many people say it will get easier, but after my 2 weeks i started craving things again, i had one bite, and that is when down hill started for me. My body started to crave the old foods again. Now, trying to stick on 5&1 like my first 2 weeks, i have to train my body all over again to become adjusted to the foods, deal with the aches pains and headaches, and have that strong control and motivation and willpower i had my first two weeks on plan. gosh, it seams so long ago. I need to find it within me to do this. Today i have, tomorrow i don't know if i will have it. Every day is different for me. I either have the desire to lose, or don't care. It is such a terrible emotional problem i have but i swear i have 2 sides of me. One that pushes me, the other that says just do it, who cares. I am constantly fighting the battle with my 2 personalities. does anyone else ever get like this? i am also doing beachbody work outs. Ever hear of it? it is another huge encouragement to eat healthy. what is the point if working my butt off if i can't eat healthy, right? starting these workouts have encouraged me to keep track, hopefully i will be able to kiss that old negative personality goodbye!

[rodeomom]

Melissa, it really sounds like you are on the right track. Taking it one day at a time is good. When I first started, I had to take it one meal at a time. Remember those lists of why you want to be thin and how being thin and healthy will change your life for the better. Keep them handy and look at them when you get tempted. It really does get easier, but I still get cravings now and then. When my mom went back in the hospital yesterday I so badly wanted to go to Dairy Queen for a banana split, instead I carried firewood into the house. You have to make those decisions conciously. MF is easy, but you HAVE TO WANT IT!

[Mike]

It is such a terrible emotional problem i have but i swear i have 2 sides of me. One that pushes me, the other that says just do it, who cares. I am constantly fighting the battle with my 2 personalities. does anyone else ever get like this?

I think anybody who battles with obesity experiences this. We have been dealing with this all of our lives and we just have to be stronger than the urge more than the urge is stronger than us.

Hang in there and keep up.

[Mike]

Just wanted to check in with you and encourage you. Haven't seen you in a few days and we all just want to remind you that we are here for you. Support is the one thing that one needs to get through difficult times... and that is why we are all here.

Hang in there, and let us know how you are.

[melissa07]

Hey Mike and everyone,
I haven't been on the computer in a couple of days. I got sick about a week ago with a cold and it turned into an upper respitory infection. My step mom is a doctor so I finally got smart and called her today so she can call in a prescription for me. I am taking inhalers because it is hard for me to breathe and my chest is really tight. I haven't been doing any of my exercises, or doing Medifast plan. I have been stressed out with school midterms and papers and I can't wait for it to be over! Thanks for everyones concerns. By this week some time I will be back on Medifast, back with exercising and back in the groove! I hope everyone is hear to push me and stick with me through it because it will be hard to get back in the game of things. I have done it plenty of times so I know i am more than capable to do this for myself...I know i can do it, it will take a lot of confidence on my part. I have to believe in myself, and quit putting myself down telling myself "i will always be fat" The more I say it, the more i believe in it, ya know? If we say positive things to ourselves we attract that positive energy and things start working with us, not against us. It is all about the law of attraction, and I believe in that theory a lot. This past week being sick and sleeping a lot, I have been really bringing negative attention to me, almost giving up all hope. Well frankly, I felt like i was going to die in bed so i can understand how i feel lol but now i am starting to feel better and everything is going to be fine
Ill keep in touch in between my classes and what not, and I will talk to everyone soon.
I am going bowling tonight, we'll see how bad my cough gets...putting myself to the test lol
Goodnight everyone,
Melissa

[Mike]

Don't overdo it... and remember, you've lost 11 lbs... and you will lose the rest.

[lifelovinaries]

melissa, you have to decide within yourself that you want to lose the weight at a steady pace. Once you have that in your head, commit to being on plan one hour at a time. It may be daunting to look at it for a whole day because sometimes we get the idea of "oh i cheated once today, i will keep on cheating and start again tomorrow". This is the wrong attitude to have and we will look at ourselves a month later at the same weight we were a month prior. c'mon girlie, you can do this. Commit to the program the way it is described and watch the weight melt away. You will feel so much better after the first couple of days. It will become second nature. If you do have a cheat, don't beat yourself up, just jump back on program for the next meal. AND STICK TO IT! Hang in there, good luck.

[melissa07]

Sometimes I wonder if I am ready or not to commit. I have tried hundreds of diets and failed with all of them. I want to lose the weight so bad, but I cannot commit. Everyone says your time will come, and maybe this isn't the right time for me. But in my opinion, I am 20 years old and this should be the perfect time for me to lose weight. It is hard for me because I was 192lbs about 4 years ago and ever since last year I was maintaining a weight of 155lbs. All of a sudden the weight came back and here I am 187-189lbs. I think I am having a hard time accepting the fact that I am not 155lbs anymore. Oh, what I would do to be that weight again. I don't get it. Within a year I gained all my weight back. How can this be? I wasn't even dieting when I was 155lbs. I wish I can go back and look at my eating habits and see what was different when I was 155lbs verses how I eat now. The only thing I can think of is the fact that ever since I gained the weight back I haven't been able to stick to one diet. I have been yo-yo dieting this whole year and It has really messed with my head. My hypothalamus gland is completely screwed up, all I ever do is think about eating. When I wake up I think about what am I going to eat today. My boyfriend discuss what we will be eating for dinner when it is only 2:00 in the afternoon. My whole life is based around food. Instead of dieting, don't you think I should correct this mental problem I have first?? I cannot diet, if I cannot correct my thoughts in my brain, and my emotions. I do not feel that Medifast is teaching me anything besides how to lose weight. I need to correct my malfunctions I have within my own thoughts and feelings before I can go any further. I wish there was a way I can switch my Hypothalamus gland back to normal. I read a lot about it, and I am fascinated with healthy eating, and the way your brain operates with the relation to food and I know there is just so much more to following the MF plan and losing weight. If I cannot stick to it, and I always go off plan, and I feel guilty afterwards, then I know there is something more than simply not being able to commit. I went from 192lbs to 155lbs and my lowest was 146lbs a couple of years ago. I know I am capable of losing this weight again, but I have this funny feeling that something is not kicking in. It is ironic because I want to lose this weight just as much as anyone else out there, and everyone says take it one step at a time and I can do this, and the support is there for me, but it is my own fault for not sticking it out. It is so much easier said then done. Everyone has their transitions in their life, and maybe I am not ready for mine. I don't know what else to say. Today I had one MF shake, and one slice of light whole wheat bread with peanut butter. I think I need to focus on what fits MY needs and since I have a lot of knowledge on dieting, maybe I should "invent" my own way of eating, and my own style of dieting. Possibly incorporating MF with healthy light foods can still do the trick. I want to enjoy my life, I want to be stress free over food, I don't want to think about it anymore. If I start thinking and feeling like a thin person, then maybe I will start eating like one. I do know however that eating 5MF shakes would kill me, the taste is disgusting to me all over again, and I cannot even bare to have all 5. I will come up with something, but it will take some time. OH and I am still doing my research paper in Human Bio based on MF because I do believe and I have seen perfectly good examples of how easy it is to lose the weight with MF. I am in no way against using MF as a diet, and I cannot keep telling you folks how inspiring you guys are to me. I know how great MF can do wonders for me, but I don't have that gift like many of you do. You guys truly have a gift to stick this out, and everyone on here is honestly a role model for me. I wish I can have that self control, and power to face my worst enemy. You guys are great, and I hope you guys will be here for me for whatever decision I make, or whatever diet I decide to incorporate into MF. Thanks for letting me vent, see u all later.
Melissa

[Mike]

Melissa,
You have said alot there, and the thing that I believe is the key is that you said you aren't sure if you are ready to commit yet. Being committed is the key, and I have been guilty myself of committing to this program.
Getting things straight in your head, and deciding what is most important will determine how successful you will be in losing and maintaining weight loss.

This program (and I say that because it is not a diet, as diets always fail), is proven to work if you follow it as it is set up. If there are things you don't like, find things that you do. There are over 70 products to choose from and there are lots of ways to make those things palatable.

The first thing though is getting yourself where you feel you can succeed, and that is to decide that you want it.

[iammissruth]

Hey Melissa, you did say quite a bit in the last journal entry. And I agree with Mike, committment is the key. I know that I, personally, was not able to deal with my weight when I was working through postpartum issues. And now that I have "fixed" my brain in that sense, I was ready to tackle my weight. So I completely understand not being in the right spot mentally to take on another mental "burden". Once you work through some underlying issues, things will clear up like a fog being burned off, and you will be ready to commit. Only you can decide when the time is right.
I maybe be a newbie here, but the support is overwhelming and I'm sure that is not going to change. So no matter what, we will be here through it all with ya.

[melissa07]

Well thank you..I was expecting everyone to criticize me in some way or another because I made myself out to be a failure. I don't want to think of it that way, I just wanted to make sure no one looked at me in that perspective either. I also agree that everyone has a time to change, a time to shine, and maybe right now in my life, I have other things going on that might be more important? Or maybe school has me stressed out, and self consciously I may not be ready to focus on my personal needs? I don't know, but I am sure to find out, and like you said the fog will clear and I will be able to see the road ahead of me again. Hey I do have some good news, I have maintained my weight of 187lbs for over 2 months now. LOL. I guess on the bright side, I know how to maintain Well at least I am aware that I will know how to handle maintenance when the time comes! For now, I will still be in touch with everyone and still let everyone know how my progress is doing. I have been receiving a lot of diet books in the mail that I have been ordering for free trials, and a lot of them say how carbs are needed but they need to be low Glycemic index carbs and they need to be 100% whole grains. This being said, it definitely contradicts the Medifast diet, and the more I read about these other "ways of eating and losing weight" the more it contradicts MF and the more I am stuck in a rutt. I am a very open minded person and I love to hear other people's points of view, so this being said I am looking into a lot of eating habits and seeing which one will ultimately fit into my life style. I don't think cutting carbs out so drastically can be that good for me because I have low sugar levels and I do need certain foods that will prevent the feelings of being light headed and having major headaches. Ah it is so frustrating! I thank this forum so much for letting me have a place to speak my mind...it is such a stress reliever! I think the perfect way of eating is eating foods in moderation. Getting your veggies, fruits, fibers, whole grains, and lean proteins in are essential. Now why can't I incorporate that into my lifestyle? Hm, let's see: My family owns a family restaurant that has everything BUT healthy foods, I NEVER cook at home because well I am young, in school, and my home is empty with no food because my family does not cook at home (only at work) I have a tiny kitchen with no cooking supplies, spices, cookware, etc and If I DO want to cook at home, I would have to go shopping (yeah with what money? I can't even afford MF anymore lol) oh and I would have to cook something for my boyfriend who doesn't diet AT ALL. Yeah, quite a dilemma huh? I am doomed, I can't wait to own my own house, cook my own food, and never eat out ever again! Most people go out to dinner as if it were a treat. I am stuck with eating out EVERY SINGLE NIGHT of my life, and I WISH I can have some home cooking meal. I am so tired of eating out, but it has become such a custom for me..ugh

[Mike]

Melissa,
You can do it, it just takes that decision to do so. I was 460 lbs and I had many of the same feelings that you do. When I was your age I think I was about 360, and continued down a bad road until i had had enough and decided to do something.... that's what it took.
When you finally do decide to do something, you have to just go full bore.

As for the contradiction to Medifast, I'm not sure how what you have read contradicts that. Medifast uses low glycemic foods, the carbs in the products are pretty much complex carbs, and the program rules out veggies that have high carb content. There is a science behind medifast that is solid, and its been used by physicians and others for over 26 years.

Hang in there, when the time is right, you will do this. Its all about living healthy, and that means reaching a healthy weight. Hang in there kiddo.