The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Lexy]

Hi,
If you follow this program to the letter will you definetely lose all of your extra weight? Are there any medical issues where this diet wouldn't work??
I hate to be negative early on but i am desperate to lose my weight. these are the other options i am considering alongside medifast.
Liposuction(in the stomach ) heard they can remove 4 inches off the waist and it would be a great motivator.
2nd would be trying something my dr. recommended along with medifast.
called xenical.
and 3rd lap band surgery(dr. also recommended it)
I am 5'5 166 pounds well now 165 since starting medifast.

Would love to hear all opinions

[GucciGoo]

I would be very surprised if your doctor recommended Xenical + Medifast at your weight. That scares me a little. Xenical is designed to block 1/3 of fat from in the food you eat from being digested. I don't see how that can be beneficial on Medifast as you would also lose some protein and vitamins along with that and basically be starving yourself.

Just like everyone tells me: have some patience!

[krissss]

Ahhhh...did i read that right ....5'5 and only 166. I am 5'5 and I want my goal weight to be 135-150. Which actually is a good size for me.

Lexy what doctor?????????? would recommend the lap band for someone your size.I think thats for people at least 75lbs overweight. Not for someone like your size.How much do you want to lose?

I think medifast is perfect for you .You will be tiny before you know it.After a few months you will realize you didn't need anykind of drastic surgery.....just Medifast.

Kriss

[Lexy]

At my dr. for recommending the lapband but i have been trying to lose this weight with no luck for the past 5 years. I have been on medifast before and lost some weight not alot though. its the only thing that works so far.
but i think dr. was concerned because of my high cholesterol.
I was very suprised that he recommended the lap band as i thought it was for someone much heavier. but i read on the internet people who only have 30 pounds to lose have done this.

I will be happy at 130-140
and of course thrilled wth 120 but ill take 140

[MusicalMomma]

Hi Lexy...well, medifast is a balanced, low calorie, vitamin rich program. Even if you did have Lap Band, you'd most likely be placed on a diet VERY similar to medifast (if not actually medifast). MANY people who have weight loss surgery are placed on medifast. So, I'd recommend sticking this out for a few months and the weight WILL come off in time. You don't have a lot to lose, so it will most likely come off in smaller amounts over time. You've chosen a VERY healthy program. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you stick with it

[Lisa in NY]

Personally, I think you'd be NUTS to go under the knife so unnecessarily! You're already "thin" in my mind!

Having said that, I firmly believe that Medifast works for EVERYONE - and that is because it is the only diet that works for ME - and I take medications that can slow down or halt weight loss - but with Medifast I have still managed to lose 57 lbs.!

Xenical will do NOTHING for you unless you eat massive amounts of FAT. If you don't eat alot of fat, it will do absolutely nothing.

Surgery vs. Medifast - NO CONTEST!

MEDIFAST RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pixiewhispers]

I was on Xenical, it did not work for me. It actually gave me very bad loose bowels. And I did not lose any weight. Sometimes, and this is my opinion, but I think Dr. push surgery and prescription drugs, because that is what they are taught-instead of a healthy more natural supplement.

[Tiolazz]

I took Xenical also, and it had the same effect on me. If you did eat anything with alot of fat in it, you would be sick, sick, sick....

I didn't even last the first 30 days, and it was a very expensive RX to buy....

I say, go for the Medifast, try it first, give it a true 30 day commitment, trust me, you will stick with it.

Terri

[aphrael]

Ditto to what a lot of people have said.

I have done the Xenical rout before and found it to be a very bad experance. If you ate anything fatty you are misserable for days... not just the day you eat bad. I had several very embarrising moments becuase of xenical even when I was eatting healthy.

I too am surprised by the lap band surgery recomendation. Since you do have less to lose than the "traditional" canidates, one problum you might have is insurance. I know any sugery sucks so hopefully you wont have to resort to that.

As for the 20 - 40 pounds you have to lose, for some of us that doesn't seam like a lot when some of us have so much more to lose, but even 20 extra pounds is a lot. My son weighs 26 pounds and I struggle to carry him up the stairs, or hold him for too long. I think everyone relizes that when they stop to think about it. The last pounds are the hardest to come off. I think Medifast will work for you. It might not be rapid results like 5 pounds a week but instead maybe 2 a week. Everyone's body is different but it seams (at least to me) that those last few pounds are the ones that everyone struggles with the most.

Stay motivated, don't give up, and give Medifast a fair shot to see if it really is right for you.

[falisamarie]

First off Medifast will work. You will most likely lose a little slower than other with a bigger amount to lose but you will lose. I would give this a shot first before going the surgery route. I am also shocked that your Dr. would recommend that for you. Like Vicky said, My dad is very thin and is on cholesterol medication, I am really surprised that your Dr would recommend surgery rather that medication. I would at the very least advise you to get a second opinion should you decide to go the surgery route. As for the Xenical while doing Medifast I personally would not do it as while on MF your fat intake is minimal and you do need some fat in your diet. Ultimately the decision is yours but please carfully consider giving Medifast at least a month, it is worth it.

LIsa

[dede4wd]

I have A LOT more to lose than you, but I'll try to help. Liposuction is a lot out of my price range (plus, if I don't change how I react to food, it's only temporary), drugs scare me (plus, it doesn't teach you not to eat the fatty food, it just blocks some of it...and there are side effects).

I have a friend who had a lap band. It didn't stop her from eating the things she wanted to eat (because she's an emotional eater), it just made the things she ate but shouldn't have come back up and made her really uncomfortable and sick a lot. Plus, she misses carbonated beverages, HATES picking what combinations she can and can't have. I'm now familiar with the term..."uh oh, I think the bread's STUCK." and she's now on Medifast ANYWAY after spending all that money on the lap band.

The thing I like about MF is that I'm learning to break my emotional eating. It took me a while, but I now consider food fuel or medicine only. I don't think any more of it than I do the gas I put in my car. For this reason, I KNOW I will succeed. Food is no longer comfort to me. Food is no longer a friend. Food is no longer a crutch. It is fuel plain and simple. None of the things you listed mentioned nutrition and fixing how you eat, so I feel that you may just be back in the same boat and that these are quick fixes. Not that Medifast isn't quick. People lose dramatic weight on this plan. You may lose a bit slower because you have so little to lose, but I believe you WILL lose. I also believe you will feel better.

My only suggestion is that I KNOW your doctor knows you are MISERABLE and is trying to think of ANYTHING to help, but dollar for dollar and for what it's worth in your head, I truly believe that giving a commitment to do MF for A MONTH with no cheats, no eating off plan and no excuses will have you feeling so good that you'll want to continue. My sugar high's and lows are gone, my mood is steady all day, my nails and hair are growing much faster and I just plain feel good.

What you do is up to you, but I think MF is the safest, most proven, least intrusive, least dangerous thing out of everything on your list. Just my 2 cents worth. Plus, with those other options, you don't have us! Hope this helps at all!

DeDe

[Arklahoma]

Hi Lexy. I am a nurse and it does not surprise me that your doctor recommended the lap band procedure. I see doctors recommend and proceed with procedures that are not in the best interest of the patient all the time. I would not suggest a surgical procedure unless it was a last resort, as I work with post-surgical patients. Many patients do very well, but there are a few that go bad and there's just no reason to risk it unless you're in "dire straits" per se. My opinion is that your are not in this position, no matter how high your cholesterol is.

I would only consider Xenical if you're continuing on a typical diet with regular food. It does block a lot of the fat from being digested so you do experience bowel issues. It's almost a reminder not to eat fat.

Medifast, in my opinion, is a very good option. Everyone loses weight at different rates, but everyone DOES lose weight. Sometimes it takes some tweaking to get the best results for you, but it is possible.

I would suggest giving MF a try. Good luck with whatever route you decide to take.

[sheila]

Lexi,
Everyone on here has given you really good advice. The only thing that I can add, which has already been said, is that Medifast works! I have been on it since feb 2, and as of today have lost 36 lbs! How great is that? At the rate I am going lately, I wil surely be in the 160's sometime this week! Now, I am a lot shorter than you, Im 5' 2", so, I have a ways to go still. But I know I will get there. And you know what? I would probably be in the 160's right now, had I not cheated this weekend. 2 days in a row I had a cafe mocha from starbucks, and this one I havent told anyone, but I helped my family tear up a bloomin onion at the OUTBACK!!! The funny thing is, I was expecting to gain this week, I was ready for my punishment when I stepped on the scale. And low and behold if it didnt drop! All I can say is Praise the Lord! So, see what I mean, it works, even for us cheaters! But I have to try to do better, so the results will keep comin and even faster. I hope you chose MF instead of the other alternatives. Good luck in deciding.

[Nicole81]

The fact that your doctor recommended the lap band to you even though you have tried to lose weight and not succeeded concerns me because according to the qualifications list you don't qualify.

What information is required to qualify as a candidate for LAP-BAND surgery?
A. You must be between the ages of 18 and 55, and at least 100 pounds overweight, or a Body Mass Index (BMI) of between 35 and 40+ to be eligible for this surgery (or a BMI of 35 with significant co-mobidity). You should be in reasonably good health and your health information should include any current or past medical problems. Patients with severe and irreversible medical problems are considered ineligible for this surgical procedure.

according to the charts your BMI is 27 your excess favorable body mass is 2 and you max weight for your height is 150 so you don't really have much to lose.

I think you should try medifast again and stick to it because your cholesterol should go down and I'm sure you can lose at least 20 pounds

[Jan]

Hi There Lexi,
Hmmmm you've received some good advice. Parting with the pounds should help with the cholesterol problem unless it is a non-weight related cholesterol issue.Some people just manufacture cholesterol and must be on medication. Liposuction won't help that either nor will other "diet solutions" That's why we have skinny people on cholesterol lowering meds. As a general rule though your body will respond quite quickly to MF and the cholesterol levels go down. Until recently I wasn't aware of the fact that liposuction is very painful. A friend had it done on her hips and it hurt!!! She also turned black and blue from the hips to the toes and spent about a week in bed. Ohhhhhh!!! not for me!!!! Too often we think of it as just a simple proceedure to "vacuum" out the fat. Nothing is really a "simple proceedure". I would ask you to go ahead and use the MF program for at least one month. If the scale is discouraging stay off it. At the end of the month you can make a more informed decision. But, I'll bet if you are very very compliant for the month the pounds will be going.
jan