The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Susan.in.GA]

I'm on day 4 of full fast and decided to test with some ketone strips I had leftover from low carbing. Nothing. I'm not cheating at all.

Just curious!

[fatBgone]

Hi Susan,
I've read that the ketosis level that Medifast puts us in is so minimum that often it won't show up on those strips....How do you feel though? If you've got increased energy and no hunger - then you're probably in that mild state of ketosis that Medifast puts you in.

[Susan.in.GA]

actually a little bit hungry, mostly in the evening though. I do have increased energy!

[Nancy]

Dear Susan ~

It is unlikely the keto strips will register anything for you as you will be in a very mild state of ketosis. If you followed the program, you will be there. Some people do continue to experience some hunger for a few days - especially right at meal time but for most folks, physical hunger disappears and energy levels improve.

[Unca_Tim]

Hi Susan and welcome to the forum,
Got any Atkins buddies? I'd give your keto-sticks to them or throw them out the window....

There's really very few similarities between Medifast and the Atkins plan. The "mild" state of ketosis with Medifast will rarely, if at all, show up on keto-sticks. Just know that if you follow the program, you'll be right where you should be.

If you do a search here on the forum for "ketosis" or "keto" and "sticks" (without the quotes), you'll find it's discussed pretty thoroughly. Be sure to use the word "and" (without the quotes) if you're seaching for more than one word.
ie...keto and sticks

Happy Shakin',

[tink]

I was just about to ask the same question about the ketosis! I am glad to see it answered here. I am a former recovering Atkin'er myself and I know when I was in ketosis it was always very dark. It is nice to know that I don't have to worry about it so much now. I am throwing out my "sticks" today!

[Nancy]

Yup. No need for them.

When you follow the plan precisely, you will need not question the fact.

There are really no similarities to Atkins here.

I am having a hard time with a couple of my clients understanding that it is NOT ok to have cheese in their chili or on their beef patty, no butter on their vegetables and no bacon and cheese on their salads.

They have been Atkins-indoctrinated and they cannot get it through their noggin that we are not a no carb diet.

Diets do not work.

Carb-free food plans create future raging carboholics.

Medifast is a nutritionally balanced plan – the protein and the carbs are designed to be in a 1:1 ratio.

Our bars have higher carbs just because of the process used to fashion the soy into the solid form. That’s why we limit foks to one bar per day.

Our products are not carb-free – research shows the body requires some carbs.

If you have bread, cookies, candy, chips, etc., the balance of the macronutrients is unequal, possibly jeopardizing the fat burning state and hunger and cravings return.

In the beginning weeks of Medifasting head hunger may be present – oh, the desire for food, the longing for our foody friends may be there but true physical hunger goes into hiding.

We are usually ready to eat at feeding time but not starving.

Hunger is easily statisfied when a person has their meal and drinks their water.

People who mess with the plan lose weight more slowly, do not have an increase in energy and risk the dangers of yo-yo dieting.

I have an impaired metabolism from all the years of yo-yo dieting. Trust me, it is NOT worth messing with Medifast.
Do it right or don’t do it.

This is a way of life – if we want to reach a healthy weight then this is what we do for life: we eat healthily nearly every time.

Then we can have Marionberry pie ala mode on Sunday afternoons and honkin’ oatmeal cookies on Wednesdays and maintain our weight for life!

Yikes, didn’t mean for this to turn into a mini-lecture. There are a lot of newbies on board right now and I made this into a teaching time.

Because taking shape with the Take Shape for Life Programs and our Medifast meal replacements are different from traditional weight loss plans, we need to look at this like a student – we need to be teachable, we need to do our homework and we need to be ready at all times to do it right or we risk the beauty of Medifast: it is healthy, it is fast, it is simple.

It simply works simply.

For me, there came a time when I realized that what I was doing did not work; if I wanted to have different results then I needed to do things differently.

Medifast works for all people but not all people do the work of Medifast.

Happy shaking!

[LilMsTexas]

Medifast works for all people but not all people do the work of Medifast.

AMEN! And that's how I feel when I'm talking to people about the plan and they are interested. I want to encourage them to do it, but it's hard to figure out how to say "You can't do this half-heartedly like all the others". This must have total commitment or it won't work...plain and simple. That was the perfect statement Nancy. I'll have to remember that one

[Jan]

Yea Nancy!!! No MESSING with medifast!! I've had people add there own little touches too Then they wonder why" it's not working" -- I just tell them to be very thankful they're still losing a little and not GAINING. If you follow the program -- to the letter it can't keep fom working!!

[Guest]

Oh THANK YOU! This has been a wonderful thread. I too found I needed something different because after all what's the definition of insanity...doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? Traditional diets were NOT working for me.

Thank you for the explanation of ketosis and how it's so mild it wouldn't really register. I'll be looking for my results on the scale and in the fit of my clothes from now on.

[FitQueen]

Do it right or don’t do it.

Nancy, I like that quote. That is it in the nutshell. Either do it or don't do it.

Amen Sister.

Ruth aka FitQueen

[Nancy]

Hey, kids ~

I recently had a doc visit and got my labs back. They are awesome...anyhoo, I looked at my labs for the past couple of years.

I was not a cheater during my weight loss phase whatsoever. I mean it. I decided that since I had cheated on every other diet known to womankind that for once in my life, I was gonna do it right - 100% right.

In the olden days, before Take Shape For Life, I was on the 5/0 Plan and surely on a VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) I should think my wee-wee labs would indicate ketosis, right?

Wrong-a-roony...I had trace ketones for the wee-wee labs...

[Terri]

Ohhhhhh this brings back memories - Terry and Nancy were my health advisors. I too went and bought ketosis strips - kept checking, kept calling Terry saying "I am not in Ketosis, I am not in Ketosis" he asked how would I know that?
Blah blah blah
Lower hunger, higher energy - is when you are in ketosis
usually by day 4 you are in -
keep going you are doing great!!!!

Terri

[DogMa]

One small quibble here, though, from someone who was VERY successful on Atkins many years ago (less so now, when I've completely screwed up my body by listening to all the people who said it was dangerous and unhealthy) ... Atkins, along with any of the more popular low-carb diets, is NOT a no-carb diet. Vegetables are always a big part of it, especially after the stricter two-week induction period.

Sorry, but when I was on it, it would drive me NUTS when people would say how bad it was to eat no carbs. Well, yes, it IS. Of course, while they said this I would be eating an Atkins-friendly dinner of steak or chicken or whatever with a big pile of broccoli or asparagus. (By the way, I think that's part of the similarity people see here. The lean/green meal is basically a low-fat Atkins meal.) It's the packets that really vary from Atkins, with more carbs. And more sugar, which I still have some issues with. I sure wish they'd use more Splenda and inulin - which is basically a fiber that has a sweet taste - and less sugar. I find that a lot of the times the shakes actually GIVE me the shakes. My next order will be for the diabetic version, even though I'm not diabetic. But unfortunately, they don't seem to make the RTDs in the diabetic formula.

[Nancy]

Hi, Robin ~

Many people on the Forum like to know about the nutritional content of the various products.

For general info, here is a breakdown of the regular shakes, the RTDs and the Diabetic shakes so you can compare the carbs and the sugars.

The RTDs are actually formulated for use by diabetics, too. Many of our clients with diabetes regularly use the RTDs.

I only listed the Choc and the Vanilla for the following comparison.

The Medifast Plus for Diabetic shakes also comes in Strawberry flavor.

All the following shakes have 90 calories per serving.Dutch Choc Medifast 55 shakes
Total Carbohydrate 13 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 8 g
Protein 11 g

French Vanilla Medifast 55
Total Carbohydrate 13 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sugars 9 g
Protein 11 g

The Dutch Choc Medifast RTDs
Total Carbohydrate 12 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sugars 6 g
Protein 11 g

The French Vanilla Medifast RTDs
Total Carbohydrate 12 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sugars 6 g
Protein 11 g


The Choc Medifast Plus for Diabetics
Total Carbohydrate 9 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 5 g
Protein 14 g

The Vanilla Medifast Plus for Diabetics
Total Carbohydrate 9 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sugars 5 g
Protein 14 g

I hope that helps you to make your food selection.