The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Lainie]

I started MF yesterday. I did fine yesterday, but today I was feeling a little "weird" so I added about 300 calories of "real" food. I'm sure that is a mistake....but I felt better after I did. Any advice on how to get past it? Does it happen to everyone or am I just weird? I was feeling light headed, cold, headache, and shaky. Any advice would be great. I'm very inspired from the before/after pics in here. I am 5' 3" and weigh 250 pounds.

[falisamarie]

Lainie

The first three days your body has to adjust to the program and you will probably feel really yucky but this is just your body getting into ketosis and by the 4th day or so you will feel much better. I know the first 3 days are hard but trust me well worth it!! You can do it and welcome aboard.

Lisa

[Unca_Tim]

Hi Lainie and welcome to the forum,


It's much better to add and extra shake (or two), if you need.

Press on and get through those first few days, and you'll find it gets MUCH easier.

Keep us posted,

[MusicalMomma]

Hi Lainie! Welcome

A couple of questions. When you said you added "300 cals of real food", is that in addition to your 5 medifast suppliments & Lean and Green or were you doing the full fast (6 suppliments)? If you are doing the full fast, are you under a doctors supervision? Do you have a health advisor?

As Lisa said, the first 3-4 days you can feel like the pits! Your body is detoxifying and entering into Ketosis on about the third day. You can feel pretty yucky, but shouldn't add any food. You can add one extra medifast suppliment if it gets too bothersome. If the lightheadedness and shakes are "scary" (meaning you feel like you are going to pass out) I'd highly recommend consulting your doctor.

Again, welcome!! We're glad you're here

[Lainie]

Thanks for the advice. I think another problem for me is that I've starting taking Effexor this weekend as well....so that is adding to the "spooky" feelings. I have a month supply of the Medifast....shakes, bars, cereal, soup,etc. so I will give it a shot and see if I can get past the first few days! I do have an appointment with my doctor in a couple of weeks, so if I'm still having trouble I will discuss it. Thanks!

[Loribug]

I feel, correct me if I am wrong, if you have to cheat and have extra real food, if you stick to the meat and green categories, at least you won't ruin the ketosis process, just the calories.

[falisamarie]

Below is something I read in FAQ forum written by our wonderful Nancy regarding the lean and green.

Please note: It is important to follow the guidelines regarding the food choices and to actually measure the food in the Lean and Green meal because it is our experience that individuals that experience hunger and have a slower weight loss are most likely not in ketosis because they are exceeding the food portion levels recommended.

Like the others said if you have to have something extra add an extra shake or something for the first few days.

Lisa

[cydj21]

Lainie...Joyce, Lisa, and I all started on the same day. I backup everything they have already stated. Days 2 - 4 were pretty rotten for me. I was cold, tired, and I had frequent headaches. After about a day I figured out a few tips which helped get me through to the beauty of when ketosis began and I felt wonderful again.

1) Make sure your supplements, meals are spaced properly. It is very important the first few days to be sure you're eating/drinking approximately every 3 hours. If I was late or skipped something the first couple of days, I felt awful.

2) Drink, drink, drink that water. I cannot stress how important that water was for me. The water helped keep the headaches at bay, and also kept my stomach filling full. The first few days I was probably drinking 100+ oz. a day as opposed to the minimum of 64 oz.

3) Make sure your Lean & Green (as Lisa hinted at) is measured properly. Remember that the allotted ounces of meat are based on cooked meat. You might also consider changing what time of day you have. Sometimes I have a nice grilled chicken salad for lunch if I'm feeling a bit tired earlier in the day, and then finish my supplements throughout the afternoon and evening.

I cannot say that these things work for everyone, but I know for me, those three things were key to getting through the first few difficult days.

Nancy said something once that gave me inspiration and that might help you along too....she said, "Don't go through the first three days again. Do it right. Do it right now." She hit the nail on the head. The first few days are but one difficult part on the amazing journey to success you have started for yourself. Push yourself through it and you will succeed.

Congratulations on taking the plunge, and remember we're always here if you're in need. Good luck!

[Dayna]

If I understand correctly, another source of weird feelings can be loss of sodium/electrolytes, because of all the liquid we're consuming. If you're confronted with another episode of feeling-weirdness, try having a cup of bouillon. If low sodium/electrolytes is part of the problem, the salt in the bouillon should perk you up. If it doesn't perk you up, well, then, I suppose you've eliminated that as the source of the problem.

- Dayna

[Lainie]

Thank you all for your advice. Today I followed the program to the letter and am feeling good...no problems I think perhaps the Effexor getting into my system was what was making me feel weird. I even took a 30 minute walk at lunch today and felt just fine....I will take your advice to heart though and press on for the next few days to get past the "bad place". From what I've seen and heard, it's totally worth it!!!!