The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Taszi17]

Hey guys I am venting here. I am really ticked off today. My scale has been stuck at 191.5 since Sunday. And today it went up to 193. I don't get it I am not cheating and I am drinking my water and last week was a slow week. I am sooooooo frustrated I am ready to cry. I don't know what to do. I feel like my body is just not wanting to get out of those 190s and it just really suxs. I just can't believe that on a 800-1000 calorie a day plan I manage to gain weight ughhhh I am just so mad. The only thing that I have changed is adding Metamucil tablets to my day and the dose is 5 but that has 3 carbs so I only take 2. I can't imagine this has caused it. Please help me get through the 190s I am so upset about this and just think this is one more time that I am going to fail and it is so upsetting. Tell me what should I do. Should I go to 6 shakes a day for the rest of the week and no problem I will do it but if I do can I have a bar or is it strictly 6 shakes??? Help please

[supermom]

I really wish I knew what to tell you. I will say don't give up. I don't think the metamucil would affect you negatively. Do you feel like you are losing any inches? Have you talked to your HA about this? I know that some people have reported that they stopped adding "extra's" to their shakes (like sf syrups) and that got them over their plateau. Try not to weigh yourself everyday. I know it is hard, but it just puts undue emotional stress on you. And, a stressed out body doesn't respond as well as a happy body. Send your HA a pm and see what they think. Look at everything you are consuming. Add some water. Maybe add a little lemon to your water. Make sure you are measuring your L&G correctly. Then, just be patient. If you follow the plan EXACTLY as it is written, you will start to lose again. Everyone loses at diferent rates. Some lose faster than others. It is really encouraging to see all of the rapid weight loss before you buy the products. Then when you get your stuff in and you don't lose as fast as some other people, it is really discouraging. Keep your head held high and don't give in. You will make it and it will work. Just remember it is working with your body and your body just might be a little slower at losing pounds. I hope you start to have a better day.


<img src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/10/10_8_11.gif" alt="Fat Woman 4" border="0">

[dede4wd]

Don't give up! My body did the SAME THING when I plateaued...it went up 2 and then 3 lbs! After I was done, I lost that plus 3...so I was pretty happy. Also, even when I wasn't losing weight, by measurements were still dropping.

I cut out my bar, cut out my extras, added water...and then added an extra shake (believe it or not) because I was exercising a bit more and it helped me.

As for the metamucil, are you using the SF? I switched to plain psyllium husks as I didn't want ANY carbs...but it's YUCKY! I had a RD suggest colace for when I'm plugged up, so I use that infrequently as well.

I agree completely with supermom, she gave you a GREAT response!

PM or E-mail your health advisor, you'll get through this! Post/vent ANYTIME you want!

DeDe

[sheila]

Hey, I too have been there, ani sux, you re right. But it will get better. I thought about taking metamucil or something for const. but instead, I bought a bottle of magnesium citrate from the drug store. It tastes BAAAAD, but sure does work. You have to drink the whole bottle, but i like to pretend I am drinking a sprite. But its not something you would want to use everyday. It mainly used for occasional const. I looked on the bottle, it didnt have any carbs or anything listed on it, so I am unsure about that.

[Shana]

My 2cents on Magnisium Citrate: DON"T DO IT
I don't know how anyone convinces themselves it tastes like Sprite... Just thinking about it makes me want to and I haven't had it in years!
*shudder**Shudder*ew ew ew ew

So, I'd recommend sticking with SF metamucil or taking SF caplets - typically the carbs are all fiber which isn't digested by your body in the same way a *normal* carb is digested.

[Ct. Yankee]

Hi Taszi

Regarding taking Citrate of Mag, that is really a very potent laxative. In medicine, we frequently use it as preps for various tests. Have you ever tried Senokot tabs? They are more gentle than Citrate, and accomplishes the same result and without turning you inside out-- !!!

You mentioned doing 6 shakes. I imagine that it is alright to do 6 shakes once in a while to try and break a plateau. Better to ask your HA. You asked whether you can also have a bar--do you mean in addition to the 6 shakes? That would be a no-no.

Be patient, the scale will move, and in the direction that you want it to. Like Supermom said, not everyone loses at the same rate, but with Medifast and patience, you will lose! Good luck, Joan

[LovenElvis]

Please remember what is happening to you is very very very common with people. There are going to be times where you feel like you are just maintianing and then other days that you are going in the other direction.

However, if you are having a bar a day, DeDe is right, try skipping that once in awhile and maybe doing another MF meal. Once you see yourself moving again, start the bar again

Just stick to it, you are going to move again and you are going to see that you are going to lose those pounds and more. Just as everyone has said, talk to your HA and they forsure whould help you figure out what is going on if it is more than we are covering.

Laura

[vacationak]

Cold hard facts coming if you choose to read farther. Medifast is a starvation diet, even though it has a lot of vitamins, etc. Unless you have a huge amount of weight to lose, after a few weeks on Medifast, you will have to do everything in your power - cut out bars, choose only the lowest carb Medifast meals - go "off-plan" to fool your metabolism - to keep losing more than 1. 5 pounds per week. If Medifast is not a starvation, metabolism destroying diet, have you ever considered why Nancy Pettit still seems to be on such a strict dietary regimen, foregoing what even approaches a normal eating lifestyle if you believe her (increasingly more infrequent) posts, even though she has kept her weight off for 3 or more years.

This will probably be my last post considering the responses I expect. But I am close to goal. And, I have used non-Medifast products (lower carb and equivalent vitamins) since the end of my second week on Medifast. I posted in the Maintenance section several days ago, sincerely hoping to get some responses. One (1) response. Enough said. Starvation diets allow you to lose weight. They don't allow you to live a normal life and keep the weight off. Goodbye.

[Taszi17]

Holy toledo bugs bunny!! I have read all the posts and really appreciate EVERYONES input. This seems like a pretty deep subject. I do have alot to lose around 50 more pounds but I do understand what vacationak has written. I have heard that about this diet and I am hoping that I will be able to lead a normal life after this is over. I am very focused on this plan and will stay compliant and do the maintenance which should lead me to a very normal life when all is said and done. I am sure there will be some feedback from this post but I hope everyone will agree that this is what the post is all about being able to express your thoughts and feelings. I do not have a HA because I haven't ordered anything except directly from the Medifast site. But I do have a doctor and 2 nurses in my family and they have all said that this should be a quick start but you should not stay on this for an extended period of time and that it does affect your metabolism in a negative way. But hopefully by doing the maint when this is over I can build that back up. Once again I appreciate all the responses and will stick with this to see the results that unfortunately I have not seen with other plans whether it was my fault or the diets fault.

[LovenElvis]

Taszi17,

Please consider that MF is a safe and effective way to lose weight. Everyone sees this plan in different ways, however, for me it has been a life saver and I have not seen it as a starvation diet. I have followed other "popular" diets and I felt as if I was hungry all the time.

You have to remember when your on maintenance that you are what you make it. You take everything that you have learned about food, MF and things you are putting into your body and you carry that over. Knowledge is power and the key to keeping your weight off. Just like all the other eating plans, you don't carry your knowlege and discipline then you are going to say "that didn't work for me" or "I gained it all back and then some".

Just remember you following a safe and effective "eating plan" and you aren't starving yourself because you are eating every 2 to 3 hours and that more than normal people eat in a 3 day period.

Keep shaking and you'll do great!
Laura

[DogMa]

I'm not sure what a "huge" amount of weight to lose is. I started with 72 to lose, and after more than 10 months I'm still losing. Without doing "everything in my power" to continue to lose. Do I go off-plan sometimes to jolt my metabolism? Yes. But considering that on my previous non-"starvation" diets, I wasn't losing at ALL anymore, I certainly don't blame Medifast or have any problem with occasionally tweaking things to continue losing.

I also wonder about the "normal" life part. How many of us who had more than a few pounds to lose were living "normal" lives before? How many could eat whatever they wanted without gaining weight - and how many "normal" people can even do that?

And I don't think Nancy's posts have become less frequent; if they have, it's because she's busy. I'm not sure WHAT the implication was supposed to be there. I'd like to see anyone who needs to lose more than a few vanity pounds get down to a healthy weight and then NOT follow a "strict dietary regimen." All plans include maintenance plans, and none that I know of consist of eating whatever you darn well please.

You didn't have much to lose, vacationak, so maybe you'll be able to eat what you want and keep the weight off. I hope so, for your sake. But if you think that a normal life means eating whatever you want to eat, then you'll get the same results that got you here (except usually if you lose weight on a diet and then gain it back, you gain back MORE).

This is a support forum for people on Medifast. I'll never understand why people who aren't following the plan or don't approve of the plan come here to post. You don't see me going to the Weight Watchers (or Atkins, or Zone, etc.) site to tell people that the plan didn't work for me and that it won't work for them.

If you don't like Medifast, guess what? Don't USE it.

And Taszi, hang in there. Just about everyone stalls at one point or another (on any plan). It'll break.

[dede4wd]

Amen Laura and Robin...

People keep bashing the ONLY eating plan that has ever worked for me. If it is a "starvation diet", why am I not losing muscle? Why am I losing weight faster than fasting? Yes, I had a plateau and had to make some changes for a few days, but I'm back to how I was eating pre-plateau now.

This is my second time on MF. I quit last year before reaching my goal. Do you know how much weight I gained back after I went off my "starvation diet"? Six pounds in a year. My plan wasn't working, I wasn't gaining much of it back, but I wasn't losing on "DeDe's plan" either.

I then got back on the MF program to finish my weight loss (when I was ready). I learned several things...to eat breakfast...to eat smaller portions more times a day. That learning stuck with me.

Will I watch myself after I reach my goal (still a long ways and potentially several MORE plateaus off)? You bet! If I need to have a shake or two every day the rest of my life to maintain my startling weight loss, will I? Yes! (because I like the soy benefits, the ease to prepare and how easily they travel). Will I still have a few fries every once in a while after my weight loss? Yes. Will I have smaller portions of dessert and pasta? Yes. Will I be more careful to never get to where I was again, you bet!

Just posting my feelings, experiences and ideas, no ill-will meant.
DeDe

[lauradr]

Laura,Robin and Dede Take a yall said it all.

[falisamarie]

I am writing this post specifically to Taszil as I feel that hers is the only one that merits any response whatsoever.

Honey first off, you are doing remarkably well. No matter what weight loss program you go on there is the possibility of hitting plateus and as a woman there is also the added frustration of our weight fluctuating due to hormones and what not. Stick with it and the scale will move down again. This program is 100% safe and I know that because my doctor who is totally against fad diets or starvation diets fully supports Medifast. The only way to mess up your metabolism is to lose a lot and gain it back and repeatedly do that process over and over again. I know if you stick with it you will be happy. I really do not think that John Hopkins would put their stamp of approval on a starvation diet, I mean gimme a break!

Honey we are all here for you and well support you as long as you need us.

Not everyone is like me but I know that I have made the decision that MF will be part of my diet forever. If that is what it takes to keep myself at a healthy weight then so be it......I have no problem with that at all!

Lisa

[DogMa]

Amen, Lisa. My metabolism is as bad as it is because of other diets. That I can lose weight slowly but relatively consistently for this long tells me Medifast is INCREASING my metabolism.