The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[MissyK]

I've been reading some of the posts, and it saddens me that weight can be gained back so quickly. 5 days off the diet, and 8 lbs back...etc etc. I'm very dedicated to losing weight, but if months of hard work can be gained back just like that, it's very discouraging. I'm still waiting for my Medifast to arrive in the mail. Does long term weight maintenance mean having to drink shakes for the rest of my life?

Please enlighten me. I'm feeling hopeless here.

[Nancy]

Dear MissyK ~

Welcome to you – you ask a great question!
Re:

Does long term weight maintenance mean having to drink shakes for the rest of my life?

No, it does not mean that one must have shakes for the rest of their lives…

When a person has been on a weight loss meal plan such as ours, the sodium content as well as the fat, carb, sugar and calorie levels are lower than that of a regular food plan. Those that have rebound weight gain typically do not follow the transition plan properly and they pork out – of course we have no way of knowing exactly what people choose to eat but those who confess speak of having pizza (high fat and calories) and alcohol – which lowers the inhibitions and leads to carby eating or they have candy and ice cream, etc. Our packets are nutritionally balanced and do not raise the blood sugar level rapidly.

If a person goes to the effort and expense to lose weight, I feel they better go through the entire program properly and transition by adding foods back and taking away packets. We gradually increase the daily caloric levels, and add exercise to increase the metabolism. There is a progression of steps we want people to follow. When they follow them properly, there is some weight gain – it is minimal weight gain caused from fluid imbalances and adjustment to the food.

When I went through transition, my weight went up a few pounds the first few weeks as my body adjusted and rebalanced with the reintroduction of regular foods and then after a few more weeks I actually lost a few more pounds. I transitioned over a period of 6 weeks and then went into maintenance.

You may eat regular food and maintain your weight but it is really hard in today’s society to eat healthfully – it takes great effort to shop, prepare and eat food that is good for us therefore most of our clients who are truly serious about managing their weight actually prefer the convenience and ease of the program so they have 2-3 packets per day in conjunction with regular foods.

I LOVE the Medifast Oat meal and have eaten it once or twice per day for years now. I also have Chai Latte every night at bedtime and usually have a women’s shake or two during the day.

Permanent weight loss results when we make permanent lifestyle changes. Most every single dang day we must choose to eat the things that are good for us in the proper amounts. If we make no changes to our lifestyle, our weight will remain the same…

[Mommy2girls]

If we make no changes to our lifestyle, our weight will remain the same…

Ooooh, that is just SO SO true! It really doesn't matter how you lose the weight, how fast it comes off, or what method you choose to LOSE the flab, but when you return to past habits, the weight is going to come back on.

I'm glad that there is a safe, medically supported program like Medifast that makes losing weight simple and easy. I have lost/gained in the past and I would like to make the permanent change to keeping the weight off, but I realize that this is all up to me.

I saw something the other day that was so true (it was posted on a church sign out in front of a church I was passing by) it said:

Failure is the opportunity to start again, but with more intelligent decisions.

Ahhh, yes, that is very true!

[Nancy]

Excellent quote, Sheila!

Here's to greater intelligence for us all this time!

May this be the last weight loss phase of our lives - on to permanent lifestyle thinniness!

[Guest]

Thanks for your replies. This makes me feel much better. I've never had any problems with eating healthy, it's just that I'm an emotional eater. Yet my emotions respond negatively to my weight. So I figure once I lose weight, I'll at least have half my misery sorted out.