The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[holberry]

Hi Mary,
Good to hear you are back.
I hope that you and your brother can agree on the best care for your mother.

Your mucsles are more defined, love it
That is so good that you take care of yourself every 2 weeks. After my spa day/night last week, I am thinking massages, mineral baths, soaks, should be on maslov's hierchy? of needs!
thinking of you,
hol

[SuzyQ66]

Hi MerryMerry - so glad that you are back. I hope everything works out for your mother. I cannot believe how expensive assisted living/nursing homes have gotten. My great aunt was in one early last year and it was a newer home so you would think that things would be great. They had the worse food on the universe. She lost so much weight and so did her roommate. My family used to bring in food for her. She wanted to be transferred to an older home but there wasn't any room. It's the first come first serve stuff.

That is so great that you were able to stop at the small popcorn. Going to the movies without the popcorn is so hard. I have done it - but it's hard. MF is just a great teaching tool - I have learned that I can screw up and still get back on program - I used to throw in the towel when I would screw up on other programs. It's amazing how MF taught me that - still don't know how it taught me - but it did.

Glad to have you back!!

[SuzyQ66]

Oh and I forgot to add....congratulations on the 80 pounds club!! You go girl!!!

[HappyHomeMaker]

Hello Mary,
I'm glad you're back and I'm glad you had a good time with your brother...I'm also very, very impressed you stayed on the plan during your trip. You've inspired me!!

[MerryMary]

I hope that you and your brother can agree on the best care for your mother.

Thank you. I'm sure he will come around sooner or later ... hopefully sooner for Mom's sake.

Your mucsles are more defined, love it

Don't you though? I laughed when he said it--he was trying to be so tactful and kind. LOL It must have been hard to massage muscles hidden under layers of fat!

Hol, I really love your clever sense of humor! Keep it up!!

[MerryMary]

I hope everything works out for your mother. I cannot believe how expensive assisted living/nursing homes have gotten.

They are expensive ... but if you can find one that's suitable the patient can actually thrive. Right now my Mom's nutrition is very poor unless someone cooks for her. At the nursing facility her meals would be prepared for her and her diet would be closely monitored. This is important since dimentia patients often don't remember when/if they ate!

That is so great that you were able to stop at the small popcorn. Going to the movies without the popcorn is so hard. I have done it - but it's hard. MF is just a great teaching tool - I have learned that I can screw up and still get back on program - I used to throw in the towel when I would screw up on other programs. It's amazing how MF taught me that - still don't know how it taught me - but it did.

Well, like I explained to Queenie ... I only "stopped at the small popcorn" because it was all I allowed myself to have! During my pre-Medifast life there were times I went to the movies just for the popcorn! Since Medifast I've abstained from popcorn but that's not been as difficult as I thought it would be. Breaking the old habits is more difficult (getting the large bag, layering the butter, emotional link, etc.). I won that battle ... and before I ordered the popcorn I knew how many calories/carbs I could allow without it affecting my weightloss efforts. Rather than thinking of it as a "screw up" I look at it as a great accomplishment (maintenance training )!

[MerryMary]

Oh and I forgot to add....congratulations on the 80 pounds club!! You go girl!!!

Thanks! It was a wonderful milestone on this medifast journey!

[MerryMary]

Hello Mary,
I'm glad you're back and I'm glad you had a good time with your brother...I'm also very, very impressed you stayed on the plan during your trip. You've inspired me!!

I'm glad you are inspired but in all humility I must say it was pretty simple. I just did at my Mom's house what I do at mine! Others on the forum have stayed compliant under more challenging situations. Biki traveled to China with her Medigrub and food scale! I seriously doubt I would have done that... I am all about experiencing a culture in all ways possible, including cuisine!

You have many role models here to emulate, both losers and maintainers. I think we each offer something unique in addition to our common determination to be healthier individuals and to respect our divinely created bodies! You are doing well, Laura ... keep up the good work!

[Serendipity]

Rather than thinking of it as a "screw up" I look at it as a great accomplishment (maintenance training )!

Mary,

I coined the phrase "maintenance training" and it wasn't meant to describe off plan eating, lol. It was meant to encourage those who are experiencing a plateau by explaining that maintenance is one big plateau. Popcorn, cake, cookies, candy, etc. all have their place in maintenance if used in moderation, but they won't help in the weight loss process.

Waiver:
Just MHO.......trying to give equal time to compliance when it seems that so many are having "planned off plan eating, so it's ok".

[bikipatra]

I'm glad you are inspired but in all humility I must say it was pretty simple. I just did at my Mom's house what I do at mine! Others on the forum have stayed compliant under more challenging situations. Biki traveled to China with her Medigrub and food scale! I seriously doubt I would have done that... I am all about experiencing a culture in all ways possible, including cuisine!

I actually did leave the scale at home. I probably would have been more open to sampling the local cuisine had I not been there almost two weeks. I was just not going to start something that I wasn't sure I could finish. There was more than two weeks of food for me to try and a little bit here and a little bit there could have really added up especially since there was a language barrier that made it virtually impossible to order Medifast compliant food-which would have made it inauthentic anyway! So once I made the choice and committment that in Hong Kong I would be compliant, it really wasn't hard when I got there at all. I wish it were always as easy here to stay compliant as in HK. I don't think they make a special Chinese Jam Sammich though.

[MerryMary]

Rather than thinking of it as a "screw up" I look at it as a great accomplishment (maintenance training )!

I coined the phrase "maintenance training" and it wasn't meant to describe off plan eating, lol. ... Popcorn, cake, cookies, candy, etc. all have their place in maintenance if used in moderation, but they won't help in the weight loss process.

Hmmm ... I did eat the popcorn in moderation (which was my point) so I guess I adapted your coined phrase to my circumstances! It's amazing how the English language evolves, isn't it?

Waiver:
Just MHO.......trying to give equal time to compliance when it seems that so many are having "planned off plan eating, so it's ok".

If you read my post carefully you would see that I covered that very fact. I'll repeat it here in case others missed it as well!

Just so there is no confusion, popcorn (buttered or not) is not on the approved list of Medifast snacks--it is not a "lean" nor is it a "green"-- it was merely my choice to have some. I did account for the extra calories/carbs in my food diary but have no idea how it may have affected my weight since that was 3 days before I got home (and I don't travel with a scale).

Overall, I lost the same amount of weight I normally do for the week, which is good since I did not exercise like I do at home. However, I did more strenuous work than usual and was up and down stairs (which I don't have at my house) so I guess that may have balanced things out.

While eating off-plan is not part of the Medifast program and is not recommended, I think whether or not it's "ok" is really subjective.

[nickieluv]

I think it's all relative to the person, Mary, you're right. I'm not saying perfect compliance is not the best route for people - but if you're in control of your off-plan eating that seems better to me than mindlessly eating perfectly compliant food.

I could not do what you did, though - I have cheated enough now to know that there's no such thing for me as allowing something off-plan and moving on. That popcorn for me would have turned into pizza or something later, it always does. The major victory I've had is always coming back to the program. Like Sue said in her journal, it didn't used to be that way, and it's wonderful that my thinking has changed enough to allow that to happen.

I think my transition phase is going to be all about learning how to stop myself. I can see saying 'oh, I'm allowed more veggies this week, why measure at all, veggies are good for you after all' and then that would extend to eating more meat, more everything. I have a problem with moderation, like I always think there won't be enough food later so I have to eat it all NOW.

Well, this is your journal, sorry! I just wanted to say that like a true fence-sitter I see your point and Jo's, too. I think I would be a lot farther along in my weight-loss if I hadn't kept testing the non-MF waters - but on the other hand I've lost over 50 pounds and will lose more, so MF is working despite my best efforts to sabotage it.

[Tawanda]

I think it's all relative to the person, Mary, you're right. I'm not saying perfect compliance is not the best route for people - but if you're in control of your off-plan eating that seems better to me than mindlessly eating perfectly compliant food.

I don't understand what you mean Nickie. While you are on program why would planned non-compliance be better than just putting yourself on the program with the idea of following the program as it is written?

I hope Mary doesn't mind me bringing this up in her journal---but maybe it is a good spot since it seems, from what you both share and do, that both of you feel that following the program is not of primary importance to you.

I don't mean to sound harsh, so my apologies if I'm not wording my thoughts in such a manner as we would be able to if we were talking face to face (I sometimes hate writing out my thoughts because they can be easily misconstrued at a time like this) but I'm just puzzled because I read about off program eating and I read it like it is a source of pride for some that they go off program---pre-planned and then get right back at the program. Why is that better than sticking to the program?

[MerryMary]

I think it's all relative to the person, Mary, you're right. I'm not saying perfect compliance is not the best route for people - but if you're in control of your off-plan eating that seems better to me than mindlessly eating perfectly compliant food.

I could not do what you did, though - I have cheated enough now to know that there's no such thing for me as allowing something off-plan and moving on. That popcorn for me would have turned into pizza or something later, it always does. The major victory I've had is always coming back to the program. Like Sue said in her journal, it didn't used to be that way, and it's wonderful that my thinking has changed enough to allow that to happen.

I think my transition phase is going to be all about learning how to stop myself. I can see saying 'oh, I'm allowed more veggies this week, why measure at all, veggies are good for you after all' and then that would extend to eating more meat, more everything. I have a problem with moderation, like I always think there won't be enough food later so I have to eat it all NOW.

Well, this is your journal, sorry! I just wanted to say that like a true fence-sitter I see your point and Jo's, too. I think I would be a lot farther along in my weight-loss if I hadn't kept testing the non-MF waters - but on the other hand I've lost over 50 pounds and will lose more, so MF is working despite my best efforts to sabotage it.

Nickie, please don't ever feel you have to apologize for writing in my journal! I thoroughly appreciate your thoughts AND how you process things for yourself. You are a thinker and you are concerned with the why/how/when of your eating (and other things as well). Like you said, your "transition phase is going to be all about learning how to stop" and eat in moderation. Being able to say that now, during the weight loss phase, means you are already doing some good analytical work. You have learned from your off-plan eating ("cheating" as you refer to it) that allowing yourself one thing only leads to more. I think that's an important lesson! It's maintenance training! (Sorry Jo, but it fits!)

I think you have made marvelous strides on your MF journey, and I agree that each time you come back to the program it IS a victory! As you admit, had you stayed 100% compliant you would be farther along in your weight loss--how much might you have lost? Still, I wonder, had you found compliance too personally difficult but attempted to remain compliant just the same, would you have left the program and therefore not lost those 50 pounds? What we do know is that your MF journey, with all its ups and downs, has given you the opportunity to attain the self-knowledge you have now and 50 pounds is a wonderful accomplishment! Perhaps your learning will be key in helping you reach your goals.

Thanks for stopping by!

Edit Note:
Nickie, I can relate to your sense of accomplishment in losing 50# though not always compliant. I started the MF program on Nov. 6. Before I placed my order I had given consideration as to what I would do for Thanksgiving and the Christmas/New Year holidays--remain compliant? put off my start date to Jan.? Be sensible and enjoy myself and socialize? (See, I analyze things too--might be the accountant in me. ) I decided to begin the program then but eat (and drink ) sensibly (although off-plan) over the holidays. In checking my weight loss log I noted no loss or gain over TG and a 3# loss for the period 12/15/06-1/1/07. Yes, my weight loss took a beating--but I began the New Year 20# less than I weighed on Nov. 6 (and I did not feel deprived over the holidays)! If I had it to do again, I would do the same. Will it take me longer to reach goal--probably. But goal is the rest of my life, not just a single event. It will happen when it happens.

[MerryMary]

It's time to eat and then I have to run to the store--I'm having a friend (and Medibuddy) over for a BBQ tomorrow. I'll finish posting my journal later ... ttfn!