The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[explorthis]

Howdy all!

Back from a week (almost a week) at the beach with the Family, where I actually enjoyed life as I wanted - not fat! Each of us sees ourselves and others differently. (I am going back and forth here, so be patient with me as I type as I think) I see people now, wondering if they see me. I doubt they see me, I look pretty “regular” under normal circumstances. This means, I shop in the normal section of the clothing store. I wear non-large size clothes. Clothes are plentiful for me, for the first time in my life, thus I see life now as a normal sized person. This is something we (you) are all striving for. YOU MUST GET HERE!

I spent about 4+ days shirtless! Yes, shirtless for the first time since my teen years. For those of you that don’t know me, I am 42. First time I removed my shirt, exposing the “fair-skinned-white-boy” really made me nervous. Was I being watched? Nope. I think the only person watching was my teen, as she has never even seen me shirtless (maybe on a rare occasion) in daylight. I looked (hidden by the shaded Oakley’s) at others, and no one was even giving me a second look. This fear of being watched still haunted me every minute of my shirtless experience. I guess I am at a weight where it does not matter anymore (quiver-quiver). I had a great time, and am looking for many more times in the near future to come. Especially since summer is fast approaching and I live in Southern California – home of the endless beaches.

Anyway, Medifast…

Many thoughts roll through my head daily, as they do yours. Besides Nancy, none of you are at a goal weight, (some close) but will I am sure experience the exact same feelings/fears, as well as euphoria, as I am. Will I gain the weight back? Do I have to watch EVERYTHING I put in my mouth? This past week I decided to go “dietless” and eat what I deemed normal. I am not regaling you with exact details, but I did eat, and drink alcohol (no Ta-kill-ya-Saturday’s). I went to restaurants, and ordered the normal things I used to with some exceptions. I ate normal portions, and was EASILY able to push the plate away from me when I knew I was getting full. Yes, it actually happens. It’s been about 4-1/2 months since I last “shook and sipped” a Medifast supplement. I have learned for the first time in my life that if – IF – I wait a few minutes, and eat a human pace, I do get full pretty fast. I no longer need to shovel until the plate is empty. I no longer need to order the largest thing on the menu, fearing I will be hungry. You do get full as your stomach shrinks, comfortably full.

Now the problem…. I have a food addiction. (say it with me) I can easily see how I could go back to the forbidden days. I can EASILY understand why I became obese and out of control. I am destined to be fat. I am destined to be fat my entire life. I know for a fact I will be on a diet or maintenance type of thing forever. I will never be able to let my guard down again. Is this bad? No. I would not trade the feeling I have of being thinner for anything. I like this feeling. You will also like this feeling. You will love this feeling enough to not ever let your guard down either. This is a life change for all of us. We cannot become complacent. (say it with me)

I was speaking with Jeanette this morning, her words:

“Something I have discovered about myself: It seems that, whenever I reach a milestone loss that is when I feel the most out of control. Why is that??”

My answer - Let me explain how I think it can get lost from your grasp/control... (From a large-loser perspective) I weigh 223-224-225. I have some extra "skin" or what ever you want to call it. It's still FAT. Everyone I come in contact with, that knew me before the "change" says I look perfect, even my wife. Well I know different. I want to lose another 15-20 pounds, just to say I can do it. I know since I am OFF Medifast, this will almost be impossible. How can it be? I just lost 114 pounds, what's another 15 pounds? Since I am eating (and have a continual ADDICTION to food), I know if I do not go back on Medifast, I cannot lose that 15 pounds. My brain just will not cooperate. It would be virtually impossible. This will be hard. FOOD has power over us, that we will NEVER be able to fully control. Ever!! We will have to do our BEST to control what we can.

The answer I think is COMPLACENCY! I see some of us, starting, and re-starting over and over. This is an addiction we all have, and unless we take accountability, and constantly watch ourselves, monitor what and how much we eat, we will lose sight of the end/gained result. Do not let this slip out of your hands, E-V-E-R.

Dieting is boring. Eating is fun. Don’t fool yourself. If dieting was easy, we would all be thin.

Nothing is wrong with falling off the wagon on occasion, as most of us probably have (Tami and Jeanette, I am speaking to you also). Stress, work, family, whatever we go back to our trusted friend F-O-O-D. Sitting at those dining tables in the restaurants was tempting. The fat guy still alive inside of me wants to STILL order the large fat guy size. Screw it, it’s only a vacation, it’s only a few days, I can start over again. Well, I can’t start over again and again and again as I have all my life.

I did not gain a single pound on Vacation. In fact I actually lost about 2 pounds. My weight fluctuation, based on what I eat normally is about 3# up and 3# down. I know its water. My lowest point since starting Medifast over 7 months ago (225 days today) was 223.4. Sunday morning I expected to be up in the 228 range. I weighed in at 223.4. Odd? Maybe not. I stepped on the digital fat-o-meter again, and it was 223.4 what a relief for a couple of reasons: I did not gain weight. I ate NORMALLY, or what I thought was normal, not counting anything and maintained my weight. I still fear every time I eat something that it will affect my weight for the bad. This might haunt me for my entire thinner life. Oh well, if this is what I get to look forward to, then so be it, it is much better being thin, than fat. Trust me.

Bottom line, get the weight off. Try your hardest. Don’t give in. I have said before, it’s a short stint in the general scheme of things to lose the weight. Being thin in this world (not my doing) is what we are supposed to do. I am destined to be fat, but I refuse to let this ever become a burden for me. NEVER AGAIN. It took us (me) a lifetime to become overweight. Lets take a short jog over to “thinville” (it is a short jog - I promise)

Sorry for the jumping all over, I typed as I thought!!

-Mike

[TamiL]

Mike....ITS GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK...god did I need one of your posts...THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! so glad to hear you went shirtless...and you had a great time!! you are truly inspirational...


Tami

[Guest]

Thanks so much for this post Mike! I am going on the third week of the full fast now, and finding it so hard these days to stay positive. This post was just what I needed!

Newbie

[Carrie]

Hey there SD,

Glad you're back. Quite a few of us are (were) having some difficult days and it really helps to hear you living the life we're all striving for. I don't know about the rest of us, but I read your posts and think 'I will be GLAD to have the 'problem' of maintenance.' It's the difference between an attained goal and a goal that seems far off and sometimes unattainable. And you are living proof that it can be done.

TTD

[marge]

Starting my second week it is so wonderful to read your post and I admire you for your determination to strive to your goal and obtain it. I have a young very handsome 24 year old son who is overweight and never takes off his shirt in the pool or the beach because he is ashamed. At one time her had lost 65 pounds and worked out hard in the gym and had an awesome shape and even went to the extreme to have liposuction in his boobs but now I see that was all in vain..He has gained the weight back.....He has a girlfriend who loves to eat out and fast food need I say more?

I got off the tract Mike..just wanted to say thatyou you be very proud of you and thank you for sharing.

hugs

Marge

[Jeanette]

Mike:

What would I do without you? Thanks again, from the bottom of my heart.

[shineface]

Hi Mike ---

I'm trying to catch up on posts and yours is amazing ---

First - I AM SO HAPPY YOU HAD A GREAT VACATION!!!!

Second - you are awesome - you help me everyday to be true to my MF program - everything you said added to my strength and recovery and success!

Thanks for sticking with the forum even though you are at goal - you're my hero...

WE WILL do this togther!!!

[kimay]

Hi Mike:
First of all, LOVE all of your encouraging posts and your dedication to all of us who are struggling to get to our goal. You definately ease the pains of the struggles and make it so much more bearable and doable.
What's been on my mind, concerning you and your successfulness is this:

1. When you first reached your goal weight and went off Medifast, did you immediately go to full food or did you gradually add back foods?

2. Do you tend to cut back on high carb foods such as breads, pastas, potatoes and the like?

3. When you catch yourself up 3 pounds or so and panic, what do you do about it? Do you a) Just cut back until you're back to goal wt. or b) Go strictly back to MF shakes? or c) Something else?

I am terrified about going off MF once I get to goal and I WILL get there I know, but it's what am I going to do when and after I get there that has been of great concern to me. I mean, I think I know since I've been at that weight before and managed for a pretty long time and actually I did exactly what you describe yourself doing now. I think. But I just wondered if you might answer those questions for me, I'm just really curious. And you are just doing so wonderfully and you are such an inspiration to me that I just want to be just like you! Cuz you Rock Dude!
Thanks so much for listening and I hope you have the time to answer.

Bye Mike,
Kim

[Nancy]

Hi, Mike and Kim, etc.

Yes, I was afraid to eat very much at first, too. It is hard work getting to goal. Medifast makes it easier than any other weight loss program because the weight comes of faster than other weight loss programs and because hunger goes away. Maintenance is a life-long battle.

1. Kim, it IS VITAL that you go through the transition phase. See my previous newsletter. One does NOT go from drinking shakes to eating steak unless you have been on the Five and One plan. Even if you are on the Five and One plan, you don’t go directly to cheesecake!
2. I don’t know what others (including Mike) do about cutting back on carbs but yes, I cut back on carbs compared to what I used to eat – BM (Before Medifast), or I’d boing right back up there to 265…I DO have carbs now – I DO have bread, I DO have cookies, pie, etc. just don’t have a LOAD of them - portion size, well-balanced meals are where it’s at now. Most often I just have limited carbs except for when I want something really carby and then it is high quality and my fave kind. Wouldn’t think of eating an Oreo.
3. When I go up 2 pounds, I determine if it was because I hadn’t been drinking my water, if I had had more salt than usual – I analyze why – if it is fluid retention, I don’t worry. It will be off the next day. I use several Medifast products every single day. The Medifast Plus Women’s Health shakes keep me from becoming Sweaty Betty and the MF Plus Joint Health keeps my arthritic hands happy. So I usually have two or three shakes every day for good nutrition, and because the calories are low and the soy protein is heart healthy. I have a bar every day, too because I Love them and because they are so convenient. I have whatever I want for supper; often have veggies or an apple during the day.

I will never go back to my old eating quantities again. It is not good for me, it doesn’t feel good and I want to live more than I want to eat. Rather than living to eat, I eat to live. I have a new exterior and the interior is changed, too. Ain’t gonna go back to bein’ Flabulous when I can be Fabulous.

I have allowed myself to go way beyond my limit. I am 11 pounds over my goal weight. This is the first time I’ve allowed IT to happen. I am on the Five and One Plan until they are history. No more fudgin’. I weigh absolutely every day. BM, I rarely weighed.

Everyone ought to get the Lifestyles, Medifast Program of Patient Support by Linda Spangle. It is a book you can get through our website when you order your food and you may be able to get it at some bookstores.

The keyword here is LIFEstyles. I did this for my life. To save my life, to increase the quality of my life and so that I would HAVE a life. I hated my fat life. I love my thin life.

I LOVE being able to tell people that I lost a lot of weight because it gives them hope that they too can do it. I’m no one special – I'm just like you. I mow the lawn, wash the underdoodies, change the sheets, go to work every day and pump my own gas for my car. I have choices to make about what I will wear, how I will comb my hair and what I will eat. I no longer allow the pressure of my peers or the power of the TV to tell me what I ought to be eating. I eat because I need fuel. I eat food that is good for me. I try to limit the amount of processed food that I eat.

I recently spoke to a lady that told me she hardly ever goes number two any more compared to how often she used to go. I told her, (pardon moi phrase here…) “Crap in, crap out.” When we eat good quality food, NOT the food the mind wants and thinks it needs but the actual food our body needs – the bod uses it up for restoring, energizing and repairing itself and there is very little waste.

While we change our pant size, we must change our mind - change the way we think about food, the way we approach food. Food is not our friend. Especially in today’s society and marketplace. Oh those French fries and tater chips and cartons of Ben and Jerry’s and Breyers, etc. taste mighty fine to the tongue buds but they sure don’t look mighty fine when they are living on our thighs, our buns and encasing our heart and other organs, do they?

I choose which party to attend and I am choosing the party called LIFE and FREEDOM from FATNESS!

It is not easy. But together we will get there.

Cheers (I’m having a Choc MF Plus Women’s Health shake with a snort of instant coffee crystals in it.)

[explorthis]

Kim, I am responding to your comment, and taking snippets of Nancy’s reply. It is so true and perfect.

Nancy is in Black.
Mike is in Blue

Kim, it IS VITAL - transition One does NOT go from shakes to eating steak unless you have been on the Five and One plan.

I agree. I did not go instantly to eating once I finished Medifasting. I took Nancy’s advice, and introduced over about a 4-week period all the necessary food groups.

I DO have bread, I DO have cookies, pie, etc. just don’t have a LOAD of them - portion size

As do I, exactly as she said. Everything is now portion size, and the type of portions I choose, and it is MY choice. Today (Sunday) has been a hard day for me not to run to the pantry. I have just been hungry. I don’t know why. I KNOW for gospel truth, these cravings subside. I went to the pantry and did get a small tuna sized can of Chicken white meat, and grabbed a hand full of trail mix that my 13 y/o loves. ½ hour later (2 hours ago) I was fine, and now I am not even hungry. Patience, newfound knowledge of WAITING for the hunger to go away, which it does. Not running to the fridge, or the pantry, because we think we are hungry. It is a lifestyle change. No lie.

Wouldn’t think of eating an Oreo.

This is true and (maybe) false. She probably would think of eating an Oreo, or 2. But that’s it. The past Mike, would have grabbed a huge glass of milk and about 15 Oreo’s (no lie – anyone else see themselves here?) Now I know it’s only going to hurt me later. Funny thing, and I have said this before, the more you go without, the less you want it. I guess it’s a habit. Oreos are not even on my wish list.

I use several Medifast products every single day. I will never go back to my old eating quantities again. I have a new exterior and the interior is changed, too. I have allowed myself to go way beyond my limit. I am 11 pounds over my goal weight.

I do not. I do not use Medifast products anymore. I, unlike Nancy have only been on maintenance for about 4 months, but I am glad to say, the most I have ever seen in gain is 3 pounds, which I know were water pounds. I KNOW what I am putting in my mouth, bar none; it’s not a double stack of Oreos. On the other hand, I still have a ready supply of Medifast, just in case, and knowing the change it made for me, if necessary, I will rip open a pouch. I will NOT regain the weight I have lost. I can stand on the scale, which I do every night before bed, and every morning right before the shower, and know within about .3 (yes that is 3/10 of a pound) what I will weigh. You know. You learn your body. I know when it’s going to reflect a pound up, or a pound down.


Perfect quote: Ain’t gonna go back to bein’ Flabulous when I can be Fabulous.

I think next to her stating, nothing feels as good as thin feels; this by far is one of the best quotes. I can attest 1000% I like the fabulous, far more than fabulous!!

I'm just like you.

Me too. We are all exactly the same people, just some made different than others. I was born fat, and I have proven it is possible, that I could lose the weight. I have lost 114 (115 today) pounds, and will never gain them back. It’s too much fun being thin!!!

I eat because I need fuel. I eat food that is good for me. I try to limit the amount of processed food that I eat. Food is not our friend. Especially in today’s society and marketplace. While we change our pant size, we must change our mind - change the way we think about food, the way we approach food.

As do I. I know food is not our friend, however it is not going anywhere, so we might as well be acquaintances with it, and learn to deal with it. I like food, but I am smarter (because I followed Nancy’s advice, and I admonish you to listen to her) now and understand it is FUEL, just like the car needs to run. I am only putting in enough to get by. Sounds like a broken record. We all know the more we eat, the more we gain. Well none of listened, we gained, and thus we are digging ourselves out of this hole, hopefully for the last time. We are not perfect, but at least we can try. Changing our mindset is the only way we can achieve this. We cannot just lose the weight (believe me, you will look back and say this was pretty easy) and think it’s going to stay off. We have to make a conscious life change to keep it off, or it will be knocking on your door, and barging it’s way in again.

Maintenance? I know I will be on forever. Define maintenance. Dieting forever? Watching what I eat forever? Never being able to go back to 15 Oreo’s? If this is the way it is, then so be it. I can’t tell you enough, thinner is better than fat.

-Mike

[Nancy]

Mike,

I really DO NOT eat Oreos. I eat HOME MADE chocolate chippers with Macadamia nuts or pecan brownies with caramel frosting! I choose wisely what I spend my calories on! Oreos are Terry’s fave cookie and he easily ate a stack or two of them dipped in a humongous glass of moo, too.

Just like you, many people do not use Medifast products once they reach their goal weight. I do because I am not on HRT any more and need the Women's Health shakes. I love the ease of my day with them, too. I don't like to pack a lunch for the day and we have a small cafe at the college where I work and it is pricey. Medifast saves me money and calories so I can have something carby if I want and not gain weight. Every day is a choosing day, isn't it?

Yep, every day we make choices. For a happy and healthy life, we now make great choices to stay that way. We LEARN to make right choices. We are wise consumers when we do our research BEFORE we buy a car, a new outfit, a new power tool and we need to do our research before we put something into the old yap, before we fork it in. We have learned to choose wisely now.

While you are in the weight loss phase, BEFORE you get to transition, began planning for how you will STAY at your goal. If you do, this will be the LAST weight loss program you have to go on. You can be thin for life.


Mike, when are we gonna meet?

Terry, Unca and I are going to Baltimore this summer. If anybody out there is in the area, let's get together! I wanna meet you in the skin and thin!

[Guest]

First of all- Thank you so much to Mike and Nancy for your words of wisdom.

Nancy, I do have the book "Lifestyles" along with the book "Success in a Shaker Jar". I will definitely make sure Lifestyles is completely read and understood BEFORE I reach my goal weight.

I have even thought of immediately checking into Weight Watchers after I reach my goal and have weaned off MF just to be safe and eat right. I'm not sure yet. But Mike, you're right, I think I will be very mindful and ready for Life as a thin person and making the correct choices when it comes to food when I "get there". I don't ever want to be that fat again.

Nancy, about your newsletters, I don't receive those, and how can I receive them? Is it through e-mail or through the mail? Please let me know how I will be able to get them, am very interested, especially the one you recommended in your response to my message. Thanks!

[explorthis]

The newsletter link is on the home page...

This takes you right to the newsletters:

http://www.makemethinner.com/newsletter/

[Nancy]

Well now, Mikey, thanks for posting the link! You Dudes are so techy. We love ya!

WHEN are we gonna meet? Like in the skin? I LOVE to meet the Forum Folks when we are able to.

[shineface]

Nancy & Mike ----

Thank you so much for everything you posted --- all questions I've run through my mind - I'm no where near goal so I haven't brought them up - but I'm so glad to get the info --- a lot of info to digest....lol

This forum is key to my success as are all the things I learn from the wonderful people here!!!

WE WILL do this together!!!