The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Nancy]

Hullo there ~

Great question, especially since it has been a long time since I wrote that post and our parent company Medifast has manufactured and released some new products.

The company is continually researching, refining and developing their products. At this point in time, all of the Medifast products except the Maintenance Bars (they come in a dark green wrapper and are listed in the shopping cart under the heading “Maintenance Bars”) are low-glycemic and approved for people with type 2 diabetes. Due to their higher carbohydrate content, it is recommended that if clients consume the Maintenance Bars while on the 5 & 1 weight loss program to limit their use to one per day to keep the daily carbohydrate total within the guidelines for best weight loss results and hunger control.

The Crunch Bars are lower in both calories and carbohydrates than the Maintenance Bars and can actually be used more than once per day.

I do have clients that regularly have three bars and two other portion-controlled meal replacements on the 5 & 1 weight loss program and lose weight consistently. I would say that the greatest issue with using multiple bar/pretzel/puff meals is that clients typically do not drink as much water as recommended. At least with the shakes, hot cocoa, fruit drinks, iced tea, and soups, a client is getting *some* water. When you have a bar, pretzels or the puffs be sure to have a large glass of water with the portion controlled meal replacement and have more afterwards. That will also help for those of us that experience tootage with the bars...drink lots of water!

I have been a health coach with Medifast/Take Shape For Life since TSFL’s inception in 2002 and will share my observations and experience with you:

Everyone loses weight at a different rate.

It is really truly pock-a-dooly not in a client’s best interest to compare their weight loss with another’s – it can be discouraging to know that you are following the program guidelines and experience a slower weight loss than someone else.

There are numerous factors to consider regarding the rate of weight loss.

Our premise is that we are on a journey to achieve improved health and day by day, as we follow the program, we will attain a healthier state of being. Do not give up; do not give in.

There will be weeks when the scale stalls. That is a given.

Intellectually we can know that the body does not drop weight hourly and daily and we can understand that; however, emotionally we have a very hard time accepting that but it is the truth.

There will be some weeks when the scale will not reflect a loss even though we have eaten the same meal replacements at the same time of day, gotten plenty of water and sleep; the body seems to need a re-adjustment period. (I think my scale is possessed and likes to mess with my mind!)

It is valuable to set a meal schedule and stick to it as much as possible. My experience is eating at two and a half to three hour intervals is best, do not go longer than three and a half hours without eating because the blood sugar level will get low, you’ll feel lousy and begin searching for crumbs in your desk drawer! Drink plenty of water.

If you are not regularly exercising when you begin the program, DO NOT begin to exercise until you’ve been on the program for a month. Exercise will stress the body somewhat, weight loss will slow down and you’ll be bummed when the scale isn’t moving southward. I understand the desire to get off that excess weight and to get it off yesterday! Honestly, doing too much exercise too soon slows the weight loss. I actually lost all my weight without any formal exercise; I added exercise three years ago because I wanted to improve my heart health, bone density, I and wanted to become stronger.

The nutritional design of the portion controlled meal replacements is quite consistent from product to product, making it an ideal situation for clients to select those items that they truly enjoy.

When I began the program in 2002 there were fewer options. I knew I was out of control with food and when I started mid-July 2002, I determined to change my relationship and my attitude towards food.

Food was not my friend and I did not have a good relationship with it. I chose to consider my meals as my fueling sessions, the packet of food was the vehicle to get what I wanted and needed – a better state of health. I strictly followed my fueling schedule, just as I would if I were taking an antibiotic for an ear infection.

I was seriously obese, seriously unhealthy, seriously scared of losing my toes to diabetes and seriously unhappy being an overweight, tired-out frumpy wife and mother. I knew in my heart of hearts that unless I made a drastic change to the way I was eating and living, I would not be living well. I felt like I was merely existing (and quite frankly, not doing a very good job of it at all. I was downright depressed and discouraged.)

I determined to give it my best shot. To follow the plan, to not ‘tweak’ it in any way – because my MO had always been to tweak diets to the point of tweaking my weight right up to nearly three hundred pounds. Tweaks don’t work. The Take Shape For Life program was based on a proven concept with decades of success and research behind it. If this was my time to do it, I was gonna do it right.

Because I know me best (and you know you best!), I determined to make my program very simple, to eliminate the tempting taste bud twangs that I am susceptible to and I went for five shakes a day initially – sort of plain-janed it. It helped me to separate myself from food. After three months (and a loss of 60+ pounds), I felt ready to branch out and had three shakes, a soup and an oatmeal.

When I had been on the program for three months, we went on a vaca in Hawaii. Since I was on a long kayak trip and a hike, a shake was not practical or convenient for me to make soup (!) or a shake; I did have a bar a couple of days but primarily, I stuck with my basic plan of three Orange Pineapple (now extinct! They are no longer available. Boo Hoo) shakes, a Creamy Broccoli Soup and Blueberry Oatmeal.

Shakes worked well for me – very simple to prepare and sip for my hectic life and it made me feel very safe!

Stay connected to your Health Coach – check in weekly.

Support In Motion was not in place at the time I was on the weight loss phase but I kept a daily journal – now you can do it electronically with Support In Motion. I recorded my weight, listed every single morsel of food that went into my mouth and noted the time of my fuel-up session – that made it easy for me to notice my body’s patterns.

Sending you a cyber hug. Stick to the program – you will be so glad you did!