The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[LongWay2go]

I had a rough night last night, struggling to resist the temptation to eat. I am alone in the house this week and had to force myself to throw away all the food in the fridge last night so I wouldn't eat it. Everything liquid went down the sink. Everything solid was dumped in the garbage, but it was one of the toughest things I've had to endure lately. Maybe I'm getting bored with the shakes. I had to eat one of the meal replacement bars to get past the urge...

I NEED GUIDO!!!

~Spidey

[explorthis]

Someone call GUIDO?

Well, the good news is that cravings only last a short time. I have found that over the past year these terrible boredom cravings last only about ½ hour or less (assuming your not sitting dwelling over a McDonalds menu in hopes of sneaking in a ¼ pounder of fat) and do and do not sit in our brains for hours on end. It must have worked, or you would be posting a “gave into temptation” post instead. My hat is off to you for not giving into the temptation. Trust me; I know it is HARD to stick to it.

On the bright side, (and it is pretty bright if you ask me) 60 pounds are gone forever in just 9 weeks. NINE-WEEKS? Unbelievable. Look at your stats, 412 pounds. You are just around the corner from being rid, and NEVER seeing the 400 pound mark ever again. I know it is only a number, but a dwindling number it is!!!

I have read, over and over and over your posts, and your emails to me, about having had enough of life, because of your weight. No more. You have had phenomenal success, faster than most, just astonishing results.

Additionally think of the people, friends here (and me) that would be SO let down if you ever tossed in the towel at this point. NO WAY can you ever do this.

Who recently said they no longer use a cane to walk? Who threw away their assistance chair in the bathroom? I believe, no I KNOW it was you, Gerald. Why? Because you have the support of this board, and your new friends, these friends that KNOW every feeling you have (yes – this is me)

You’re on a roll now, and there is no giving up. Bored? Yes, sipping chalk filled soy shakes SUCK, however weigh (yes – pun intended) the options – fat for the remainder of your life? Or thin and happy with years of life to enjoy? Pretty obvious.

Don’t forget, once you’re at goal, your flying mew out to New England for a topless cruise in the Beemer.

YOU are gonna do this!!!

No Guido, just a caring friend forever.

-Mike

[LongWay2go]

Thanks Mike, you're right, of course! Yes, I'm definitely getting bored of nothing but shakes but I'm trying to stick with it. I got triggered by an Outback commercial last night. It caused me to browse their menu (online) which only made things worse. I started opening/closing the fridge door, struggling to keep control and finally thought, if I don't do something right now, I'm going to eat this food! The only thing I could do was throw it all away, so that's what I did.

Even though that was the right thing to do, I'm still kicking myself for having the meal replacement bar because I had it for the wrong reason! Yes, it was in place of a shake (I skipped my last 2 for the day, actually) but that wasn't WHY I ate the bar. I ate the bar because I wanted to eat SOMETHING, and that was the WRONG reason to eat it.

That desire to eat is what's getting me in trouble, and always has. That is what I have to learn to control and I hope I can!

Yes, a ride in the beemer is definitely in your future. In fact, I think you'll enjoy it more if I let you do the driving!

~Gerald

[Carrie]

Gerald,

What do you mean you skipped your last 2 for the day???????

Listen bucko, you need that protein, and you need the balance of protein and carbs to keep your blood sugar nice and level. I'd bet you dollars to (eep!) donuts that the reason you had that trouble was because you skipped meals like that. No wonder you were hungry, YOU WERE HUNGRY!!!

We need these meals on a regular basis, darlin'. It's what keeps the ketosis fire stoked and burnin' and helps us keep down the hunger.

Have a care with yourself man, don't make it any more difficult than it is.

Carrie

[LongWay2go]

I didn't mean skipped as in "skipped". I meant that I had a meal replacement bar INSTEAD of my last two shakes for the day. Those darned bars have too many calories to replace just one shake!

~Gerald

[Carrie]

They are ONE MEAL REPLACEMENT, one shake. I know they have about 70 calories more. But look at the bigger picture - you need the protein in the prescribed amounts. You really don't want your body to cannibalize muscle to get some protein to use.....

Ok, I'll get off my mother hen soap box now, LOL

[LongWay2go]

hehe.

You're right, the protein is more important than the calories in this case. I've done that a number of times in the past. I guess I won't do it anymore, least I get another visit from "Guidette"!

~Gerald

[Sylvia]

Gerald,

What I've learned is that this is more of a journey than it is a destination. It is easy to think about this as "I will lose X pounds, never gain it back and live happily every after". But it just isn't that easy. One of the reasons MF works for us is because there are almost no choices - you are either on or off program. One of the challenges is that life after MF offers endless choices that we have by and large been unsuccessful at managing in the past.

A lot of this is about making better choices. Yes, you probably shouldn't have had a bar out of boredom but you made a really good choice to have a bar instead of the forbidden foods you could have eaten. I decided early on that if all I could do was drink meals I would not be able to follow this program. So I started from day one with the full suite of MF products. I also confirmed with Nancy that one small green salad per day was OK on the full fast and had that every day along with soup for dinner. The ability to have an almost "normal" dinner made me able to do this longer term.

So you need to make this program work for you and you know you best. If you can't handle the bars b/c you will want to eat 6 of them or they will tempt you to overeat, by all means don't use them. If however, the variety they offer will help you stay true to the program, go for it. The additional 60 or so calories per day you will eat if you substitute a bar for a shake are negligible so you need to focus instead on how this program works best for you.

Might I have lost weight more quickly with no bars at all or shakes only or not having moved to the modified plan? Possibly yes. Might I have been unable to stay true to the program had I not designed it how I thought it would work best for me? Also possibly yes. All in all, I am happy with the choices I've made and with how far they've allowed me to come in this journey. So I think the choices you make need to focus more on the long haul than the shorter term

My 2 cents worth.

[LongWay2go]

Sylvia-

That was worth AT LEAST $1! Thank you! Everything you said makes perfect sense and you're right, what works for one does not necessarily work for all. That is what is wonderful about the MediFast plan. It can so easily be customized for anyone. Your post should go in "The Elevator" as a static post! Beautifully said, thanks!

~Gerald

[Carrie]

LOL Gerald, just wait - sooner or later I'll need a task master and you can 'tough love' me, LOL

[hawaiiwhatnot]

Gerald,

Hey, just having shakes IS boring! Why not order some oatmeal, chili, and soups? I did all shakes the first month. The second month I was tired of only the sweet taste from the shakes so the savory soups and chili helped. You could still stick to your shakes-only regime but have one when you experience a tough time like last night. Doctored up as suggested in the Lean Cuisine section, they are pretty darn good, and help me during those brain blips of wanting enemy foods. I commend and congratulate you in your fortitude seeking out and destroying the enemy foods last night. You are truly medal worthy.

You make us all proud my fellow comrade.
Camille

[MomJackieLee]

Gerald -

We ALL have those days. Those days when you are bored and maybe a little lonely being at home alone and you start walking around the house and make it to the kitchen and stare into the pantry/fridge looking for COMFORT. Because food has always been a comfort fix, you can almost go on auto-pilot into binge mode before you know it. BUT YOU DIDN'T and that is the key. Realization is a big part of the battle. Don't go beating yourself up about yesterday because you made a GREAT CHOICE.

And just think, when your sweetie gets home the fridge will be all cleaned out (he he) . I do so hate that job...

[LongWay2go]

Camille,

I do have some of the chili and use it on salads about once a week. Makes me feel like I'm cheating or something! It sure does need some doctoring up though. Wow! A little garlic, chili powder and cumin and it almost tastes good! LOL

I haven't tried the soups at all. I've been trying to stick to shakes only for as long as I can. I really want to top that first 100 pounds before I make many modifications to "the plan". It's just getting extremely boring at this point! That concerns me a little because this is only week 10 for me and I figure I'll have to stick pretty close to the full-fast for close to a year.

MomJackieLee - The fridge is easy to clean when everything goes in the trash and the glass shelves go in the dishwasher (with the top shelf removed). hehe

~Gerald

[NE gal in South]

Do try the Chicken Wild Rice Soup. Cook it on the stove top in a sauce pan, it is better that way, the chicken, rice and mushroons expand better. I have tried adding extra water and some chicken bouillon so that I get more for my bowl. I find I really enjoy it. I try to do it every other day for lunch. I do 4 shakes and a salad with 3 oz. of grilled chicken or the essential 1 meals - Chicken Salad every other day - Mon, Wed & Fri. For my 6 meals a day. Tuesday and Thursday I alternate between exchanging the soup for a bar around noon or 3, never later in the day. On the weekends, I go all out and cook and eat and have only 3 shakes, I use the essential meals chicken and have a salad and 1 1/2 cup of allowed cooked veggies, I have shake at 7am, oatmeal at 10 am, soup or chili at 1 pm, shake at 4 pm, essential meal with veggie & chicken at 6:30 pm and then Fr. Vanilla Shake in Diet Root beer at 9:30 or 10 pm.

I walk my 3 small dogs at least 4 times on the weekend when the weather allows, run errands, clean house, garden and am on the go pretty much the whole weekend. The scale has always rewarded me on Monday with a 1 1/2 to 2 lb. loss except for the 8 day 50 lb. plateau.

Medifast works for all of us who do it faithfully - day in and day out!!!
Your results are AWESOME!!!

[LongWay2go]

Thanks NE, I haven't tried any of the soups yet. Maybe it's time to expande my MF menu!

~Gerald