The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[LeeannNH]

hi everyone! im not sure if anyone here remembers me, but i remeber you guys. i have been away and have fallen off the wagon in a major way. i have 50 pounds to lose and am in a really sad place right now.

i have been trying to get back on plan for a month or so. i had started for 2-3 days, lose a couple of pounds, get off the plan, gain 5 more. i did this over and over for weeks.

now, finally, i have been back on plan for a week and have not lost 1 pound. i have been eating on time, the right amount and everything. i am just discouraged. i am sure that i shrewed myself up by yo-yoing like that. also, i rode the stationary bike yesterday for 20 minutes hopiing that would set my bod in the right direction. nope! no luck!

i am just going to stick with it and hope for the best. has anyone else had this kind of experience? your insight would be GREATLY appreciated

your friend in mf
leeann

[falisamarie]

Welcome back! I am sure you know that as long as you stick with it and stay compliant that weight will start to come off!

Lisa

[FORMOMMY]

Hi Leann - I remember you. Well, from one NH chick to another - you can do this! You need to just stay with the plan 100% and eventually you will lose; I know it is hard once you've gotten off track but you know that this works and you know that you can be successful at this because you already have been!

So don't look back - come here often - and you will be a loser again

[LAwoman]

Hi Leeann,

I remember you, and I'm so glad you came back to MF to reach your goal. I can also completely relate to what you're going through.

March 2005-July2005 I lost 70 lbs. I kept about 55 of them off until about Oct when they started creeping back on as I wasn't watching what I ate, nor was I exercising regularly. I ended up gaining 40 of the 70 lbs. back, just in time for the holidays

I kept trying to restart in the fall with the same 10+ lb. losses and gains before finally throwing in the towel figuring I'd get back on-plan after the new year.

Well, it took me SEVERAL tries in Jan, but I managed close to 5 weeks on-plan and lost 20 of those lbs. until I went off-plan AGAIN (sigh).

As I kept trying to restart through Feb., then March, and even into April, I kept binging with the "I'll start tomorrow" mentality. I continued to come up with one excuse or explanation after another, after another, after another...

And of those 70 lbs. I had lost? By mid-April 2006, I had gained 60 of them back. I knew I did NOT want to go back to where I was before MF.

Of course I hated what I saw in the mirror. But for me, the worst, was how I felt: hard to get up in the morning, always tired during the day, eating 'til I had that uncomfortable/comatose feeling, poor sleeping, cranky and down/blue, unable to participate in the active lifestyle I've always been accustomed to... The list goes on, and I'm sure there are some things you can relate to here.

I just knew/know MF works best for me to lose weight. It's efficient, relatively healthy, provides me with more energy mentally and physically, and so easy to follow with a fairly rapid weight loss that I know I can stick to it and make it work.

Of course I'll have to deal with and make maintenance work for me once all the weight comes off, but that's true for me no matter what weight-loss plan I try (and we've tried 'em all, haven't we? ) And regardless of what people say, I actually do learn more about how much I need to eat everyday, discipline, small/healthy meals throughout the day... with MF than any other plan I've tried.

I've been on-plan for 3 weeks now with a 21 lb. loss, fitting back into that beautiful wardrobe I starting buying last year, and best of all I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!!!

I don't know why sometimes staying on-plan is harder and sometimes it's easier. It was unbelievably easy for me those first 5 months. In fact, it was weird for me how much I enjoyed MF and had no problem staying on-plan, 'cause that was truly a first for me. However, it was unbelievably hard for me in the fall/winter of this and last year. Who knows why???

Here's what I do know. I really want MF to work for me ALL THE WAY to goal. I really want to stay healthy and lean for the rest of my days so I can enjoy my life to the fullest. That's what I keep reminding myself of and it's been helping.

And what helps tremendiously is the amazing and constant support, motivation, and inspiration I receive from everyone here on these boards. May I just thank Nancy and Terry and Unca and all the other wonderful supporters on this board one more time please.

My loooooooong-winded response here is to say I can sympathize and empathize with you completely. MF is the only weight-loss plan I've ever returned to for several reasons, but most of all because it works.

YOU CAN DO THIS LEEANN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE CAN DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just keep coming back to this forum, keep reading the amazing success of so many people here, keep asking for help when you need it, keep providing support when you can and you'll be back in the groove moving towards goal in no time Leeann.

[dede4wd]

GREAT POST LAWOMAN!

What she said!

For me, it took me almost a year to restart. Luckily, I'd only gained 6lbs back. I just DECIDED that I would do the plan for ONE MONTH, no cheating, no excuses and see what happened. 26.4lbs GONE happened! I didn't have to have that talk with myself again. I truly believe 85-90% of this program is MENTAL and I won't let THAT beat me, I KNOW this program works and I KNOW if I don't succeed on it, it's MY problem, so I'm working on my problem and have remained compliant to the plan 100% for 11 weeks now (well, tomorrow will be 11 weeks!) It's just second-nature to me now!

I wish you luck,
We're here for you!

DeDe

[mamabear]

Welcome Back and Good Luck!!

[lifelovinaries]

Welcome Back!!! Hang in there, you will eventually see the scale move, just don't give up. The plan does work, you have proven it before! We are all here for ya!

[LeeannNH]

hi guys!

sorry it took me so long to read responses. we got hit pretty hard with the flood, luckily no one was hurt and we only lost a few things in the basement. there are a lot of people that are really in a bind.

you guys all rock! i have been totally compliant since my post and am rockin and rollin on to my weigh in. lawoman's post is so right on. it is amazing how easy it is to let yourself get back into a "ill start tomorrow" mindset. i also find that i am ashamed of myself, seeing people that saw me once i had so much of my weight off. that humiliation would also drive me to medicate with food.

so, for today i am feeling strong and that is because i have this place to share my thoughts and to get advice!

i also am waiting the 4 weeks to start exercising. i had started doing my stationary bike, which was contributing to my weight not moving. nancy was nice enough to help me with that. i had actually forgotten how important that was.

also, i just tried the white cheddar soy crisps snack and they are AWESOME!!

it is nice to be back with you all and i look forward to talking to you soon!!!
leeann

[FORMOMMY]

Sorry to hear you were hit hard from the floods. We are in Nashua but live in the city on an incline so we were safe from any water in our basement; but it is so sad to see all the flooding as I go to work in Merrimack.

On a positive note, good job on staying compliant through it all. You rock!

[raederle]

(With sheepish grin:)

LAWoman and LeeAnn, it is so awesome to see you guys here. I dunno if you remember me, but I looked to you two for lots of advice and encouragement last year when I finally made it to my goal. I can *completely* relate to your experiences, cuz, well, here I am! Back to MFing because over the course of a year, I managed to gain the weight back (20 pounds). Sigh. Like LAWoman says, tho, I'm back to MF starting this Tuesday because it's the only time in my life I felt fully in control of my eating, and the only time I looked forward to getting on the scale, to putting on my clothes, to taking a walk around the block on a sunny day...

Anyhoo, I just wanted to drop a line to say hello to my old pals, and to give you some encouragement (while I take a bunch of encouragement from your posts, myself!). Hello, also, to the people on the board I've yet to meet-- glad to be here with you.

Now, time to take stock of my leftover MF supplies and order some of those soy crisps I hear raves about! ; )

[Nancy]

Dear Leeann (I'll greetcha, El Red Ear, too! Missed ya madly 'cuz I love ya forever!) ~

I am thankful to know you are shakin' along this week.

It is too soon for exercise. For people that have not exercised regularly before they started Medifasting, wait until week 4 of the program. Moving into the fat-burning state stresses the body; so does exercise. If you begin to exercise too soon, it is not good for us and weight loss will be hindered. If we've gone for three months without exercising, what's three more weeks?

re:

been trying to get back on plan for a month or so. i had started for 2-3 days, lose a couple of pounds, get off the plan, gain 5 more. i did this over and over for weeks

Many of us do great on the program for a while and then we take a detour.

Our body remembers its old habits better than it knows its new healthy habit.

When we get off track (planned or not), it IS harder to get back on - usually because we are not as desperate as we were the day we first started the program.

I am speaking from personal experience here...example time...

Clothes too tight.

Feel and look like a person 20 years older than chronological age.

Cannot do the things that need to be done or the things I want to do.

Do not dress/look the way I want to look.

Concerned about potential serious health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, vision loss, stroke, and cancer due to crumbum eating habits.

Emotionally distraught.

Feeling desperate.

Solution: lose weight

It will improve how I feel, how I look, how I am.

Bite the bullet, go on program and get results. Add the exercise component.

Feel better, look better, health is better. Confidence increases, portions do, too. Feeling sortta cocky. Let exercise slide, eventually stop exercising.

Old in-grained eating habits slowly return, flabbage returns. Because portion sizes/ fatty calories increased rapidly at a time when the metabolism was low due to weight loss phase, the body did not have time to adapt to the increasing calorie load. Exercise slacked off, weight gain occurs. Fat cells remember being plump and because they were not empty for long, they rapidly re-fluff and stretch just a teensy bit more. We end up weighing more than previously and flabbage happens in a relatively short time.

The cycle begins again.

Finally after all these years, I've learned these lessons:

1.) A healthy thinner body (healthier weight) and foody wantonness do not go together. It is one or the other.

2.) If I want to remain at a healthy weight, I will need to eat low fat/low calorie foods most of the time.

3.) I will never be able to eat as much as I used to eat or I will regain the weight I worked so hard to lose.

4.) I may eat any thing that I want, just not all of it.

5.) I HATE having to control what I eat but I HATE being fat even more than I hate controlling my portions and food selections.

6.) I am always just a forkful away from entering dangerous Chubbabubbland - I need to be accountable, I need support.

Some things to consider if you are wondering why it gets harder to get back on the train to Thinville...

Are you as desperate as you were when you first began?

Have you given up on yourself? We haven't. We're here for you.

Have you thought about what you want and what you don't want?

Do we wanna be physically unhealthy or mentally and emotionally bankrupt?

If what we're doing isn't working (not exercising, eating foods high in fat, sugar, and carbohydrates), why do we keep on doing it?

If eating small portions of low fat/ low calorie food every two or two and half hours makes us feel better, look better and 'be' better health-wise, why don't we do it?

When are we gonna flip the switch?

What can we do so we are no longer dependent on food?

What do we need to do to enjoy life fully?

Sometimes we do not believe that we can change, that we can be set free from our foody ways. That alone can cause tension.

Some of us have been told 'no' or told that we 'cannot' do something for so long that we no longer believe it is possible to win at the losing game.

Last evening during the Leopard Woman Live! Chat, DeDe mentioned that some skanky co-workers told her to not give away her big clothes because she was gonna need them again...what's THAT all about?

Sinister destructive talk like that chips away at our Little Engine That CAN person that lives inside of our heads. That kind of crappage creates pressure and tension inside of us.

We need to want WHO matters the most.

Life is filled with pressures; unbelievable pressures. We were created to enjoy life and to live it to the fullest.

When I began to dive deep into my thinking and think upon what I want and do not want; I flipped the switch.

I want who matters most.

Leeann...often you write your name with a lowercase 'l' I write it with a CAPITAL 'L' 'cuz you are important.

You matter most. Much more than cheesecake.

El Red Ear, LA Woman, DeDe, Vicky, For Mommy, Life, MaMa, Lisa, you matter most.

[jump4joy]

Many of us do great on the program for a while and then we take a detour.

Our body remembers its old habits better than it knows its new healthy habit.

When we get off track (planned or not), it IS harder to get back on - usually because we are not as desperate as we were the day we first started the program.

I am speaking from personal experience here...example time...

Clothes too tight.

Feel and look like a person 20 years older than chronological age.

Cannot do the things that need to be done or the things I want to do.

Do not dress/look the way I want to look.

Concerned about potential serious health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, vision loss, stroke, and cancer due to crumbum eating habits.

Emotionally distraught.

Feeling desperate.

Solution: lose weight

It will improve how I feel, how I look, how I am.

Bite the bullet, go on program and get results. Add the exercise component.

Feel better, look better, health is better. Confidence increases, portions do, too. Feeling sortta cocky. Let exercise slide, eventually stop exercising.

Old in-grained eating habits slowly return, flabbage returns. Because portion sizes/ fatty calories increased rapidly at a time when the metabolism was low due to weight loss phase, the body did not have time to adapt to the increasing calorie load. Exercise slacked off, weight gain occurs. Fat cells remember being plump and because they were not empty for long, they rapidly re-fluff and stretch just a teensy bit more. We end up weighing more than previously and flabbage happens in a relatively short time.

The cycle begins again.

Nancy, I know this cycle ALL TOO WELL after losing it all and gaining it all on MF two previous times! What you wrote was exactly what happened to me...that was my story too. This is going to be the LAST TIME I do this....I'm determined to learn and DO those very important lessons you listed. I'm finally looking ahead to maintenance (even NOW) and what I will be doing next year in my new thin life, and I'm ready to make the necessary changes and sacrifices to KEEP OFF the weight that I will so painstakingly lose (again). And I will lose it.....there is NO doubt in my mind.....been there, done THAT over and over....so I've proven to myself than I can. What I need to learn to do permanently is to do as you have done and make those permanent, lifetime changes. I NEVER want to be fat again OR continue living my precious life in a fat-prison....and I'm leaving it behind me one day, one pound, at a time.

Thanks for the inspirational post! I'm printing this one out and saving it in my Maintenance File.

[raederle]

It sure didn't take long for me to be reminded of why I was able to lose the flabbage the first time-- because the people on this board picked me up and hugged me every time I needed it.

Nancy, you've given me my new mantra: I RESENT having to watch what I eat for the rest of my life while skinny people all around me are pounding cheeseburgers and margaritas with abandon; but I HATE MUCH MORE how I feel when I give in to foodiness and find myself buying fat clothes again.

Thanks, Nancy, and thanks, Vicky (I do remember you!). It's good to be home!

[Serendipity]

"Flipping the switch"

There is no other way to describe what finally happened to me. It took me 15 long years to find that switch. That pesky thing was buried so deeply that I had to dig through endless piles of dirt to find it. I was so angry at Medifast for causing me to gain the weight back (of course I had nothing to do with it!), that I swore off all diets. "Medifast ruined my metabolism, the doctor left me hanging, etc, etc." I found fault with every new diet that came along and convinced myself that this one or that one just wasn't for me. I looked at every diet out there as a fad that was only making the creator rich and a whole lot of people look stupid. I just knew that all I needed to do was eat less (duh!) and I could do that if I wanted to, just not right now. Then I would try for a bit, fail, and swear off again......and again......and again.

Every day, it amazes me that I found that "needle in a haystack" of a switch that has converted my feelings of desparation and failure to an attitude of "nothing will stop me from succeeding".

The last time I lost my poundage; I mean the very minute I was done, I flipped that switch back to off! This time, I am older and wiser. I have a plan and I have the determination to carry it out. Every day, I think about what lies ahead. I know that I am in the easy phase of this life plan. Maintenance looms as the unknown. It scares me, quite frankly. I'm working on that. Nancy could tell you that I'm pretty low maintenance right now. I'm having no trouble - don't ask for much support......well, Nancy, let me tell you. When maintenance arrives, I'll be sitting in your lap, honey. I'm gonna need all the wisdom you can offer. Thanks to this forum and Medifast, each day I'm getting a little more of my life back.

[jump4joy]

"Flipping the switch"

There is no other way to describe what finally happened to me. It took me 15 long years to find that switch. That pesky thing was buried so deeply that I had to dig through endless piles of dirt to find it. I was so angry at Medifast for causing me to gain the weight back (of course I had nothing to do with it!), that I swore off all diets. "Medifast ruined my metabolism, the doctor left me hanging, etc, etc." I found fault with every new diet that came along and convinced myself that this one or that one just wasn't for me. I looked at every diet out there as a fad that was only making the creator rich and a whole lot of people look stupid. I just knew that all I needed to do was eat less (duh!) and I could do that if I wanted to, just not right now. Then I would try for a bit, fail, and swear off again......and again......and again.

Every day, it amazes me that I found that "needle in a haystack" of a switch that has converted my feelings of desparation and failure to an attitude of "nothing will stop me from succeeding".

The last time I lost my poundage; I mean the very minute I was done, I flipped that switch back to off! This time, I am older and wiser. I have a plan and I have the determination to carry it out. Every day, I think about what lies ahead. I know that I am in the easy phase of this life plan. Maintenance looms as the unknown. It scares me, quite frankly. I'm working on that. Nancy could tell you that I'm pretty low maintenance right now. I'm having no trouble - don't ask for much support......well, Nancy, let me tell you. When maintenance arrives, I'll be sitting in your lap, honey. I'm gonna need all the wisdom you can offer. Thanks to this forum and Medifast, each day I'm getting a little more of my life back.

That is EXACTLY what happened to me, Jo! I've spent the last 2 1/2 years in the No Man's Land of Restarts. Then, in March, I found my "switch"....and committed to 30 days of compliance to Medifast come hell or highwater! That got me going again and I feel that ole' confidence again that I WILL lose it. So I'm hard at work reading and planning for Maintenance-land and SO SCARED and nervous about it, because the last TWO times I lost it all on MF, my switch turned OFF too. So I'll be dependent on my HA, Jan, and I'll be on the Maintenance forum and looking for you, Jo, and anybody else on maintenance there....I'll really NEED the support and interaction because I just can't go through the regain and despair it brings AGAIN.