The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Maria1026]

Hi I'm new to the MF plan. I don't have a huge amount to lose about 35 lbs. I started the plan and the first few days were so rough I felt like i was dying. I guess that is due to all the sugary foods I was eating the past few months. Anyway, today is the start of my 2nd week and I'm finding it so hard to stick to the plan. I have 2 small children and always eat after them and today without even realizing what I was doing I scooped up the fries that were left on their plate. I didn't let that ruin the rest of my day but each day I fight the cravings and everything around me and keep praying they will go away. I don't mind the MF food I actually like them but I still feel hungry after a shake or the soup, oatmeal etc. I love reading how people have energy and doing so well. It gives me hope that this too will work for me. I've heard the statement "If you stick to the plan it will not fail you" but my question is How? How do I stick to the plan? I'm trying so hard but I keep wanting to eat. Any tips/advice or success stories would be so appreciated. I really want to do this. Also I wanted to know about how this affects the metabolism? It would be terrible shame to gain it right back once I get to goal. Sorry to go on so much. Thanks for your help. Your great people and I'm so proud of everyone.
Maria

[DogMa]

Maria, you can do this and everyone here is here to help you. First, some questions. Are you eating every two to three hours? That will help you avoid being too hungry. Are you drinking plenty of water? If you're still hungry, have you had a snack (either pickles, the Fast Soups, Medifast crackers or celery)? Have you tried adding some bouillion? That can help fill in the gaps, too. There's also a Medifast shake that's supposed to help ease hunger. Maybe you could try that?

You can also add an extra shake (for a total of seven meals) if you're starving, at least in the beginning.

Hang in there, and don't beat yourself up too much over the fries. The important thing is to stick with it.

[Jan]

Hi Maria,
Robin is right -- check to make certain you are eating every 3 hours or so and make certain you never never skip a meal. Otherwise you will be hungry and prone to splurges. I find that hot liquids help me when I'm feeling hungry. Bouillon is great as are tea and coffee. Another very helpful thing is the Robust Tomato Soup (it's a fast soup so a snack.) There is a wonderful cream of tomato soup which can be made from the Robust Tomato --( 2 pkg Robust Tomato 10 oz hot water l pkg splenda 2 tsp milk). This can be used as a "I'm starving" rescue . Water is also very helpful.
Now to the "snagging" of the kids french fries. We all have a lot of re-learning to do. Some of our eating habits are almost automatic. Sort of like we are functioning on auto-pilot. Thus off the plate with the extra fries and right into the mouth. The same thing happens to some of us when we pass a candy dish. Before we even think about it there is something sweet in our mouth Don't beat yourself up -- you are still learning (as are the majority of us) and don't worry -- just keep taking it day by day, be as compliant as possible, think about what you are putting in your mouth and keep on going. You'll make it and soon those extra pounds will be a thing of the past. We have a terrific maintenance plan so they won't be revisiting you.
jan

[Gwenski]

Howdy Maria-

Hey, snagging fries and getting back on track is fabulous. Working this around little ones can be quite a challenge. Perhaps you can have your supplement first and then feed them and work on healthier options for them too? I don't know how little your kids are but what about putting them on a similar eating schedule as you and all eating together? Also, if you take your time to have your supplement with a glass of water, it makes it last a little longer.

Timing is everything so make sure you get your supplements in as regularly as possible - even if you have to set an alarm. Fast soups, SF Jello, pickles, celery and crackers can help ease you into it if you need your counted and free snacks. Sounds like your body is detoxing and trying to trick you into thinking you are starving. It is lying to you -- you are getting exaclty what you need to function - no more and no less -- it will take time to adjust.

Heck, if you are able to leave your kids to eat on their own so you aren't tempted and get them to put and throw things away as soon as they are done, you will really be ahead of the game for your MF and parenting?

Hope some if this helps. Also, make sure you are getting as close to 8 hours a night to give your body the rest it needs while it is pounding out those calories and stored fat for you.

Keep up the good work and be extra mindful of where you hands are when it is not MF food. That takes some getting used to. Baking and cooking for others is an eye opener as to how mindlessly we tend to put things in our mouth.

You are going to be great!!

[sidrah]

Hi,
I feel the same and am sometimes more hungry after a soup or something like that. I did find that I make the oatmeal into cookies and I can get 5 cookies per pack of oatmeal and if I have that with hot tea or a bottle of water, I feel more full and it can help take the place of a late night meal or breakfast on the go. I tell ya!! I can live on oatmeal alone, especially with the addition of cookies in place of a shake or soup. I try to save the hot stuff for when I can sit down at home and have it.

I know you will do great if you just get through that first leg of the race...You will hit the finish line in no time at all

[Dayna]

You can do this! I keep hearing Nancy's mantra in my mind: "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels." I think I'm going to make a poster of that and put it on my fridge.

If, after you've made sure you're eating at appropriate intervals and are taking care of true hunger issues, you find you still have cravings to eat eat eat, I have a few suggestions. (Disclaimer: I'm only on day four of medifast, so my "expert" status is still a ways off ) I think many of us deal with the same "mouth has to be doing something" issues that smokers face when trying to stop smoking. I know I've been struggling with it. Here are a couple of things that have helped:

- Try chewing some sugar-free gum. I believe we're allowed 5 pieces a day. The sweet flavor is nice, and we get to chew something!
- Celery was my saving grace last night, while I was cooking dinner. I tend to graze while I'm cooking, and I was about to pick up everything that was bad for me and put it in my mouth. Instead, I got out three stalks of celery, poured some kosher salt (nice big crystals! yum!) in a saucer, dipped my celery in the salt, and munched away. It got me through until it was time to eat dinner, and the crisis was averted.
- If I think what I'm feeling is a craving, and not true hunger, I can sometimes use a "deferment" tactic. I look at the clock, and I say to myself, "okay, if I'm still really desperate for a snack in 30 minutes, I'll do something about it then." 99% of the time, when 30 minutes rolls around, I've forgotten about the craving altogether.

Another suggestion I've heard before is to come up with three or four MAJOR personal motivations to lose weight, and to balance those motivations with the object of a craving. For me, one of my primary motivations is that my husband and I want to start a family, and I absolutely have to lose weight in order to increase the chances I will get pregnant, and to increase the chances of a healthy pregnancy. There have been a few times when I've had to look at a piece of chocolate and ask myself, "Is having this chocolate right now worth postponing pregnancy later?" Extreme? Probably, but sometimes it's the only thing that can restore my focus to long-term goals, instead of instant gratification.

You can do this! You really can! And you'll be so proud of yourself for sticking with it. Keep us updated!

- Dayna

[Susynne]

Well this is silly but the first thing that popped into my head....
Put on rubber gloves when clearing plates. I have the same cooking and snacking issues without the little kids. I have two big ones. And I love the odds and ends they leave behind. So when I realized the subconsious error I almost made I started wearing rubber gloves, who whants to eat out of those things?? I even where them when I'm cooking and don't want to lick my fingers. The other day I walked into my local credit union, a friendly little place I can't call a bank, and reached right into the candy jar. It's my fav kind, and I got it right to my mouth before I caught myself. So yesterday I put my driving gloves (I live in Vermont where it's soooo cold) on when I got in the car to go there, the act of reaching to take them off caught me from another error.

If you want this bad enough you'll find ways to make it through. Thirty five pounds seems huge, but look at Nancy, she lost almost a hundred more than that. I have a daughter (21) who is always visiting and a husband (my biggest kid) who like real food. So I buy them all the things I don't like along with the things I can have....they eat healthier, and my temptations are reduced. For instance, fungus in meals is a yuck to me. So is peanut butter in anything but a sandwich, so I get them those kinds of things, and force them to eat lotsa veggies. There must be some ways that you could adapt for kids, I mean, french frys would just be hard to resist, so they aren't allowed in my house......

The hunger will subside, altho cravings are a b***h, but remind yourself why and you'll make it. IF not in five years you'll need to lose 70, and what kind of an alternative is that!!!!???

Good luck!