The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Diana]

My email to Dr. Andersen:

"At the certification training, and again when I was listening to the Business in a Box cds, I heard you refer to a minimum of 2 shakes a day as part of the 5&1 plan. I'd greatly appreciate some clarification and direction. Did I hear you correctly? Is this a change in protocol? My previous understanding is that all MF meals were interchangeable. Although, I also heard Lori say on the Nurse's Call last night that there are, in fact, some meals that have slightly higher carb content (chili and oatmeal for example...makes perfect sense). Does this have any bearing on the 2 shakes deal?"

Dr. Andersen's response:

"Yes, although they are interchangeable we want to assure our clients get the right start and celebrate early success. Most people are successful if they use the shakes and so it is a great starting place. Other products maybe a little higher in their glycemic index!"

[LiLYipper]

My personal observations are these:
People who use several shakes a day have better control of hunger because of the natural appetite suppressing attributes of soy.

Very VERY interesting!! Gonna give this a try....thanks

[Arklahoma]

Thanks for sharing your information.

[FORMOMMY]

I agree - thanks for the info - very interesting indeed.

[DogMa]

My personal observations are these:
People who use several shakes a day have better control of hunger because of the natural appetite suppressing attributes of soy.

But so many of the products have soy, this should be true of all of them, as well. I HAVE always been surprised that they'd say the shakes are interchangeable with products that have more calories, carbs and sugar.

[Diana]

We have clients that have consistently lost weight on the 5 & 1 Program eating nuthin' but Chocolate Puddin' five times a day and chicken and green beans.

Hey!! Someone else did this, too?? That was my Month 2 menu! In fact, I STILL have 3 boxes of choco puddin' in the pantry! And, IMHO, it's hard to beat a tasty piece o' chicken and green beans! (Garlic one night, chili pepper the next, 2 tsp of terriyaki...)

[Nancy]

re: the soy content of the shakes...

But so many of the products have soy, this should be true of all of them, as well.

It does seem that would be true but the shakes have slightly more soy than the other items. Many of the products that contain soy protein also contain whey protein. Others are totally soyless! (the products that are soy-free include all three of the Creamy Soups, Hot Cocoa, Cappuccino, Chai Latte, Tropical Fruit Punch, Cranberry Mango Fruit Drink, Peach Iced Tea, and the Raspberry Iced Tea. I especially enjoy the Chai Latte, Hot Cocoa and Cranberry Mango but find my stomach feels empty sooner than when I have a 55 or 70 shake.)

The pudding and oatmeal are satisfying and seem filling for me but again, my tummy experience is that hunger break-through occurs before it does with a shake. The oatmeal contains 6.7 grams of soy protein.

The meal bars have 6.26 grams of soy. Do not have a bar for the first or the last meal of the day. If your weight loss rate is slow, eliminate the bars or eat them only on occasion. Some people lose weight consistently eating one bar per day; others do not. See what works best for your own bod.

The Medifast 55 (11 grams of protein and 8 of them are soy protein) and the 70 shakes (14 grams of protein, 10 of them are soy protein) have slightly more grams of soy per packet than the other soy products.

At the recent TSFL Convention, Dr. Joe and Dr. Andersen both indicated that weight loss rate is best when a person uses two shakes a day minimum. Again, the original Medifast protocol was for a minimum of three shakes a day. Weight loss for many of us may be enhanced when we have more shakes because they are low fat, low calorie and have good protein.

Some people are able to stick to their program easier when they have fewer food choices; I am one of them. Others handle weight loss easier when they have a variety of food choices. That’s the beauty of the program – it works for most people.

Some of the studies today, including the FDA heart claim indicate that meal plans with low fat and 25 grams of soy protein per day may reduce the risk of heart disease. My family has a history of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and osteoporosis so when I reached my turning point and got scared straight - turned toward health and abandoned my flabby ways, I decided to adopt the recommendation and include the 25 grams of soy in my daily food supply. I still use a minimum of three packets of Medifast per day just for the heart health of it and I exercise to keep my heart movin’.

Again, the soy content may differ only slightly from soy product to soy product and we all have our own preferences. I just find that for some of us, the higher soy content aids with hunger issues. I appreciate the ease of the program and the Medifast products. For years, I struggled with remaining program-compliant because I always felt hunger. I did not take the time to weigh and measure my foods properly and often times ended up eating loaves (yes LOAVES) of sourdough bread slathered with butter, bags of microwave popcorn drenched in butter and plates of spaghetti with garlic and melted butter (yes, more cubes of golden butter!) because it was easy, it was fast and inexpensive. I found out that inexpensive can result in expensive consequences to my health.

There are some things in the products that may not suit all of our personal preferences or desires and because there are a variety of products, we may choose the ones that match our preference. I love the bars, they provide a great protein source and are super for the times I need a fast meal but I have a bar problem – they are higher in sugar and carbs than what I can easily handle and I have the tendency to scarf more than I need. The diabetic bars are a better choice for me – I don’t like them as much as I do the regular line and that keeps me in bar-balance! True confessions, eh?

For effective weight loss rate, use 2 – 3 shakes a day and whatever other products you like. Some of us just want to get to our goal in the most direct way, along the shortest path – the shakes will do it. If you are not a hardliner like I was/am, then go the Chili or the Chicken With Wild Rice or the Puddin’ path – see what works best for you, stay within the 5 & 1 Guidelines, especially weighing the meat and measuring the veggies, strictly following the snackage guidelines and you will march across the goal line and enter the Healthy Zone.

[VickyJ]

Thank you so much for the information! This is really helpful!

Vicky

[jump4joy]

Yes! Extremely helpful. Thanks for posting this, Nancy. Now I know that it wasn't just my imagination that the regular shakes and RTD's kept my hunger at bay longer. Also, personally I've found my weight loss to be faster/more consistent when I have at least 3 shakes (Choc. RTD's or Choc. 55 or 70) a day.

Joy

[DogMa]

Just shows we're all different. Half an hour after an RTD or a pudding, I'm checking the clock to see if it's time for my next meal. But give me a packet of oatmeal, and I have to remind myself to eat.

[Nancy]

Robin ~

I'm with you regarding the RTDs - I like them for the convenience factor but dang! I suck 'em down too easily and then I have on a bib, looking for another after 45 minutes in the gullet.

[Out*With*The*Old]

Hi, Ladies:

This was good reading :-)! I wonder what the recomendation is today? I *thought* three shakes a day but the variety pack didn't have enough for that..sooooo....

If it helps, I'd rather cross the goal line sooner rather than later and I'm pretty darn keen on the chocolate shakes! I could totally have one 5 times a day if that was most beneficial for my scale and hiney :-).

Thanks for your thoughts!!!

Kym

[Mike]

Gotcha covered in the other thread and e-mail I hope.

[Out*With*The*Old]

You did indeed, Mike! Thanks :-) I need to order more!! So far I am enjoying them alot and think I'll have 2 or 3 a day.

Thanks again!

Kym

[Susie Q]

re: the soy content of the shakes...

But so many of the products have soy, this should be true of all of them, as well.

It does seem that would be true but the shakes have slightly more soy than the other items. Many of the products that contain soy protein also contain whey protein. Others are totally soyless! (the products that are soy-free include all three of the Creamy Soups, Hot Cocoa, Cappuccino, Chai Latte, Tropical Fruit Punch, Cranberry Mango Fruit Drink, Peach Iced Tea, and the Raspberry Iced Tea. I especially enjoy the Chai Latte, Hot Cocoa and Cranberry Mango but find my stomach feels empty sooner than when I have a 55 or 70 shake.)

The pudding and oatmeal are satisfying and seem filling for me but again, my tummy experience is that hunger break-through occurs before it does with a shake. The oatmeal contains 6.7 grams of soy protein.

The meal bars have 6.26 grams of soy. Do not have a bar for the first or the last meal of the day. If your weight loss rate is slow, eliminate the bars or eat them only on occasion. Some people lose weight consistently eating one bar per day; others do not. See what works best for your own bod.

The Medifast 55 (11 grams of protein and 8 of them are soy protein) and the 70 shakes (14 grams of protein, 10 of them are soy protein) have slightly more grams of soy per packet than the other soy products.

At the recent TSFL Convention, Dr. Joe and Dr. Andersen both indicated that weight loss rate is best when a person uses two shakes a day minimum. Again, the original Medifast protocol was for a minimum of three shakes a day. Weight loss for many of us may be enhanced when we have more shakes because they are low fat, low calorie and have good protein.

Some people are able to stick to their program easier when they have fewer food choices; I am one of them. Others handle weight loss easier when they have a variety of food choices. That’s the beauty of the program – it works for most people.

Some of the studies today, including the FDA heart claim indicate that meal plans with low fat and 25 grams of soy protein per day may reduce the risk of heart disease. My family has a history of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and osteoporosis so when I reached my turning point and got scared straight - turned toward health and abandoned my flabby ways, I decided to adopt the recommendation and include the 25 grams of soy in my daily food supply. I still use a minimum of three packets of Medifast per day just for the heart health of it and I exercise to keep my heart movin’.

Again, the soy content may differ only slightly from soy product to soy product and we all have our own preferences. I just find that for some of us, the higher soy content aids with hunger issues. I appreciate the ease of the program and the Medifast products. For years, I struggled with remaining program-compliant because I always felt hunger. I did not take the time to weigh and measure my foods properly and often times ended up eating loaves (yes LOAVES) of sourdough bread slathered with butter, bags of microwave popcorn drenched in butter and plates of spaghetti with garlic and melted butter (yes, more cubes of golden butter!) because it was easy, it was fast and inexpensive. I found out that inexpensive can result in expensive consequences to my health.

There are some things in the products that may not suit all of our personal preferences or desires and because there are a variety of products, we may choose the ones that match our preference. I love the bars, they provide a great protein source and are super for the times I need a fast meal but I have a bar problem – they are higher in sugar and carbs than what I can easily handle and I have the tendency to scarf more than I need. The diabetic bars are a better choice for me – I don’t like them as much as I do the regular line and that keeps me in bar-balance! True confessions, eh?

For effective weight loss rate, use 2 – 3 shakes a day and whatever other products you like. Some of us just want to get to our goal in the most direct way, along the shortest path – the shakes will do it. If you are not a hardliner like I was/am, then go the Chili or the Chicken With Wild Rice or the Puddin’ path – see what works best for you, stay within the 5 & 1 Guidelines, especially weighing the meat and measuring the veggies, strictly following the snackage guidelines and you will march across the goal line and enter the Healthy Zone.

I wanted to check and see what the 2010 recomendation is for shakes vs the other meals? Also, I see that we shouldn't have a bar as the first or last meal - - is that still true now that we can have 5 bars a day?

I'd love to know the current recommended protocol Thanks