The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[24KaratGold]

"I can do anything for a ___________ [fill in length of time]"

What is your length of time? Can you do anything for an hour? A day? A week? A month?

This is a one day at a time -- sometimes one hour at a time -- process. One nice thing is that once you get one day behind you, it gives you confidence that you can make it through another day.

I know at the beginning the days just dragged on and on and on. "Dang, I've been doing this only two days? And I have HOW much weight to lose?" But all of a sudden, it's been nearly two months for me. I started out with the idea that I would order one 4 week starter kit, and then decide if I wanted to stay with it. I figured I could do almost anything for 4 weeks. Shoot, I've been pregnant for nearly two and a half years (no no no, not all at once! Sheesh, you people! ). If I could live through that, I can live through this. And I won't have to send the "newly birthed" me to college when I'm done!

I second the suggestions about (1) eating your bar on the way home in the car, and (2) not taking any cash with you in the car. If you have to have cash with you during the day, then lock your wallet in the trunk when you get to your car after work.

Good luck, Jen. You can do this. We'll help as much as we can -- we owe it to each other, because we all get help here, too.

[doglover]

Jene, I've been thinking about you all day since I read your last post this morning. I love the suggestion of eating a bar on the way home. I was going to suggest having a shake on the way home. Can you call a friend and chat while going home? Do you sing like a maniac in the car like I do? Put on your favorite CD or tape when the urge hits you and sing your guts out!

Let us know how you're doing.
Donna

[cthrn007]

Me too!! I have been thinking about this one all day...

I consider myself somewhere inbetween a 5&1 and a full faster. I will bring a cooler to work with some combination of: my shakes, 4 bottles of fruit-2-0, a sugar-free jello, pickles, 3 stalks of pre cut and measured celery with a little container of MF dressing, Oatmeal Cookies, a fast-soup in a thermos and emergency MF bars. That way, if I am hungry or goin' nuts about eating "off plan" I make myself eat the whole cooler and by then I am in physical pain I am so full and change my mind. When you are compliant on MF - and I bet when you are mostly compliant - you cannot possibly eat all of that and still have room in your shrinking tummy for a super-size anything!

I read somewhere on here that you can freeze the Medifast and make popsicles too....but I have a freezer at work. I know all of that could maybe get you past the fast foods...

Maybe - take off all your makeup and wear a mud mask home - then it will be a little harder to stop by the drive throughs and not feel like a goof-ball. I dunno. At least you will get skinnier and have great skin after a few trys!

I will keep thinkin cuz we are going to get you through this!!!

~C

[cthrn007]

OOOORRRRRRRRRRR...

If you ARE on the 5 & 1 you could maybe plan it so that your Lean & Green is something you can eat on the way home while you are in the car...

APPETIZER
Sliced Green pepper, broccoli, celery and tomato veggie medely dipped in the scrumptious MF Dressings (that can be a one hander when resting the dipping dressing in your car cup holder )

MAIN COURSE
Several Small Toasted Bits of lightly salted MF Multi-Grain Crackers piled high with the savory MF Chicken or Tuna Salad seasoned (by you) to perfection (Again very possible one handed choice if planned and stored in cup holder sized ... uh holders )

DESSERT (2 1/2 to 3 hours Later)
Davinci Peanut Butter Flavored Maple Brown Sugar Cookies
OR
Creamy MF Chocolate Pudding (1/2 portion) with (1/2 bar) Crumbled chocolate MF Peanut Butter Chunks.

Uh-oh I have made myself hungry
~C

[jene115]

24KaratGold - Girl, I loved your suggestion about putting my purse in the trunk when I leave work. I would never pull into a fast food drive up, get out of the car, open the trunk and go back to the car. I will do that starting Monday.

I made a promise to myself that I'm back on track tomorrow, come hell or high water. ALL the attorneys are in New Orleans at an annual firm meeting so it's going to be a great Friday, plus tomorrow is casual day, woohoo!! I can get up when I feel like it and make a shake.

For the people who suggested I carry no cash with me, that won't work. Most fast food places in Houston accept debit or credit cards.

From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank 24Karat, Kassilou, Rae, and Sarah for their thoughtful and helpful posts. I actually printed out everyone of your posts and highlighted the parts that either touched me or I thought would help and I will read them whenever I feel weak.

I heard one of my all time favorite songs on the radio driving home tonight -- Owner of a Lonely Heart -- and I was singing my little heart out driving down I-10, I didn't care who saw me. I'm a huge classic rock fan and during the drive time hour my station plays great music and it actually makes the hour drive home enjoyable.

When I got to the point where I pass Wendy's, McDonald's and Taco Bell, I started screaming at the top of my lungs NO MAS, NO MAS! I'm going to program myself this way, lol

Seriously, the words that you ladies took the time to write mean everything to me. I mean that. Something in me clicked this afternoon after I sat there and highlighted the points I want to remember in your posts, and I said out loud (no one was around) "Jen, you are starting this tomorrow, no looking back." Tomorrow is the 25, 10 months until Christmas and on Christmas day I will be reborn having lost a whole person. 10 pounds (minimum) a month will be 100 pounds off by Christmas. I want to surpass that, but that would be great nonetheless.

Again, sorry I whined. I hate it so much when I do that. I'm stronger than my cravings, I'm stronger than any fast food restaurant and I vow to take better care of my body and my health.

[Nancy]

Have you read my Newsletters? There are some ideas there, too.

Wear teeth bleacher strips on the ride home.

Take a different route home.

Duct tape...

[raederle]

I LOVE the idea of wearing a mud mask in the car! That would *definietly* do it for me! Of course, if you happen to get pulled over by the police, it could be quite embarrassing....

Jen, just wanted to say that you never need to apologize for "whining"! You weren't whining; you were coming here to the forum to vent, figure out your feelings and target your weaknesses, and ask for help and advice. It's what we all do, isn't it? That's why we're all here! Never, ever worry. We're not here to judge, we're here to help, as you've been helping all of us by sharing our own insights. Just wanted to say that...

[Guest]

I agree with Rae,
You are not whining, you are merely voicing what we want to voice but are afraid to!!!! We have all been there done that and grown out of the T-shirts!!!

I love the mudpack idea too. You can lock your wallet in the truck credit cards and cash...put it in the compartment where your spare tire is...then it would be really hard to get to!!!!!

Chicken and wild rice here I come!!!

[smartiegrrl]

Hehe that mudpack idea is funny. I can just imagine running into a nieghbor in my building or in the elevator.

I think most of the people in my building think I'm nuts anyways. I have crazy colored hair (currently burgundy-pink). One day I was in the elevator and a neighbor got on and asked me if I was the "rock and roll goddess". I was all "um... what?!"

He then went on to say that someone told him that some girl in our building was in a band and he thought it was me because of the hair. Hehe so that was an awkward few minutes in the elevator.


Anyways. I'm feeling much better. Yesterday morning the scale said 195, this morning it said 189, and I still feel a little bloated but not nearly like I did eariler in the week. These last two days I've been living mostly on hot cocoa. Partly because its a warm drink and partly because I have 2 boxes left and they expire at the end of this month. My sleep schedule is still all messed up from being sick, but its improving.

Which leads me to the question: what happens when your daily schedule gets all messed up? how should one space their shakes? Like yesterday I woke up at 7am, took some TheraFlu and promptly went back to bed. I woke up at 2pm and decided I better have two hot cocoas back to back since I hadn't eaten since 11 the night before. I slept on and off yesterday and more than 2-3 hours passed between a few hot cocoas and my lean and green (which actually was this time ) Today I woke up at 4am and had a bar, some water and more TheraFlu. Went back to bed and woke up at noon, had a hot cocoa and I'm about to have another now.

Tea. I drink tea by the coffee pot fulls. My coffee pot now only makes tea these days. <snip>no urls please - Mr. Snippy</snip>, she hand blends all her tea. Its all loose and its *really* good.

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[Nancy]

If you have to have a double, then do so but it isn't the best situation - better to have a double than to skip meals - have them closer together when you are awake.

Hope you get to feeling better real fast!

[jene115]

Sometimes you actually do get the answers to your questions. I've been trying to figure out for a long time why I haven't been able to follow any diet since 2000, since the last time I was successful in losing weight. Yes, I had some setbacks, job loss when my firm closed, divorce, mom passing, etc. but something else happened inside me during the ensuing years and I stopped doing the things I was doing to take care of myself. I stopped working out when my knees were too painful and the rest is history. I found myself going from 209, slowly back up to my then all time high of 260, then up and up until I saw the number 3 on the scale. How did this happen?

I've been struggling with this program like nobody's business. I know this is the right program for me. I like the food. It fits into my lifestyle. What's the problem? I got my answer yesterday

I had a dream Wednesday night. In it, I was in a situation where I was happy and doing what I wanted to do, working to complete a project, when someone came and said I had to come with them, that I didn't belong there, that I belonged with them. I did everything in my power to stay where I was, I didn't want to leave, I was happy there. When I first woke up and remembered the dream, I thought it had to do with my family. Then about an hour later, I realized what it was really telling me. I want to stay where I am. I'm comfortable here, I know what to expect. "Here" is fat, "here" is eating junk, "here" is not changing. That's the sabateur in me, the subconscious mind who wants to stay here where she's comfortable and not venture into a strange world.

This may sound oversimplified, but to me it was a powerful breakthrough. The reason I've been struggling with being totally compliant is I'm comfortable. This is the world I know. Well, you know what? I'm not going to give in to that part of me that wants to stay put. I'm stronger than that. Yes, I do have a strong sense of wanting to stay here in this realm -- fast food, no exercise -- equals no life. Why would I want to stay here? Because it the only world I've known for the last five years.

I know what it's like to lose a lot of weight. I know how I felt when I lost 51 pounds. The feeling is indescribable. That's is the feeling I am on this journey to find. I want change, I want to be thin and I won't let anything stop me. I will not waste the next five years of my life. I've squandered the last five. I won't let the "lesser" part of me take away my hopes, my dream, my desires.

Now that I know a part of me wants to stay here, doesn't want to give up my fast food, and doesn't want a vibrant life, well it's time to start working on changing that, isn't it? I figured it's time to learn to love myself again and start taking care of me and stop doing the things that are hurting my body and my mind. I'm going to remember the confident, cocky, bubbly girl I was in 2000 when I was losing weight. OMG, did I feel good! THAT'S what I want. I want that confidence back, I want the feeling that I can do or have anything if I want it bad enough. I want to have that smile back on my face everyday and give 100% to everything I do.

Yes, I had my shake this morning and I'm back!

[Karen]

Great to have you back too! I can relate to that dream for sure. A few years back, when my ex and I divorced, I thought my world had come to an end. Who in the world would want a fat, forty something mother of four with a stack of bills?? I too quit doing what I needed to do to stay mentally and physically healthy. I was just so angry at the cards I had been dealt I just flat out didn't care anymore. Take care of the kids, that was the only thing I lived for. Thank goodness for supportive sisters, great kids, and wonderful friends in my Sunday School class. I just managed to stay afloat. THEN, when I wasn't even looking, I found a wonderful guy who loved me for who I am, not for what I looked like. It took a while to convince me, but slowly and surely, bit by bit, my self esteem which had been dormant for so long started growing again. I found this MF stuff, started losing weight, the more I lose the better I feel. The better I feel the stronger I get. The stronger I get, they more I return to the real me. The one who cares for people and cares about herself. My husband loves the fact that I am healthier, off buckoos of medication. Fact is, if I gain all that weight back and then some, he is still gonna love me. But now, I love myself enough not to let that happen. I have never been so determined to accomplish something in my whole life. I am gonna get it done, thanks to MF and the great people on here who allow me to vent, to gripe, to say hallelujah!

[Nancy]

Jen ~

I am so pleased with your thinking! What a great breakthrough! We love you and I DO understand how you feel. I came to the same eureka point in my life, too. I discovered that if I was to regain my self-respect it was up to me to make a major change and I just didn't know if I had it in me to do it again. Once I realized how crappy I felt and looked, I changed my thinking, my way of life and I am happier than I have ever been.

I have been cleaning out the closets and cupboards today - I found some interesting things - things that have expired, stuff that got stashed and then forgotten in the back of the cupboards. I have a mongo bag of garbage to drag out to the garage. While I have been tossing, I mentally reviewed some of the things that I have tossed out of my life in the last two and a half years - a toxic job, stagnant self thoughts, mindless TV shows, dangerous foods (I was killing myself bag by bag and fork by fork - I call it forkicide), and basement people - the ones who bring me down.

It is not particularly easy to change old habits because we are indeed, creatures of habit and enjoy our old foody ways and foody life but I do know that we can replace those old debilitating life habits with new life-giving habits.

When a person is sewing a garment, the pattern sometimes needs to be altered to make it fit properly.

I know that you are worth a price far beyond the tag that you have allowed to hang around your sleeve. We are all standing by, Jen and we want you to know that we are excited about the change in your thinking and are very happy to help you get healthier this year. It will be a long journey but you have friends who will walk along with you - sometimes we may need to drag you along and there will be times that you will run on ahead of us and pull us along!

Let's take it off!

[jene115]

Thanks Karen. You are very fortunate to have found a man who realizes your worth. Good for you. I hope I am that fortunate some day.

Nancy, it's been 19 days since the day I was going to start MF. 19 days of fighting myself, 19 days of wondering if I had it in me to do this. I've always believed that saying "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear." Well, that dream proved to me I was ready and a private message from a member made it clear to me that I need to change my inner dialog and starting thinking like a thin woman.

I've had 3 shakes so far. First one, orange with orange DaVinci syrup, second vanilla JH with B52 DaVinci (yum) and I just finished a JH vanilla with grape DaVinci - this one interesting, but weird.

I decided not to leave the house today, but to sit here with my thoughts. It's raining and ugly here anyway. Boy has fast food entered my mind a lot today. I just counter the thought now with "that's not part of my life anymore."

Yes, it's going to be a long hard road. I started today because I knew the weekend would be easier for me to get two solid days behind me before heading back to work on Monday. Yesterday was Go Texan day, as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is about to start up. They had a free lunch in our building and I just love good brisket, so I decided to just start today since I never get brisket. It was good, but I was making up time from being off on Friday so I kinda wolfed it down with the potato salad. I definitely feel now that no food will taste as good as being thin and healthy will be. I don't need no stinkin' fast food!

I have two shelves in my pantry filled with shakes, bars and puddings. I just updated my order on autoship today and I'm going to give the Chicken and Wild Rice a try, since everyone seems to rave about it. I also reordered the chili, but I really need to know how others make it, because it never tasted right to me, even though I changed the water, added hot sauce, etc.

I am so thankful for that dream that made me realize why I was sabotaging my efforts and thankful for the support I have received here.

Nancy, you are such an inspiration to me. I keep thinking, well I can lose 180 pounds in a year. Then the negativity starts and say no, no you can't lose all that weight in a year. Then I think, well Nancy lost 128 pounds in 28 weeks, surely I can lose 60 more pounds in 24 weeks. Honestly, I don't care if I do it in a year, or a year and one-half, just as long as I get it done!

Here's to the new 'tude and the new body soon to be mine!

[Nancy]

re:

I don't care if I do it in a year, or a year and one-half, just as long as I get it done!

Yippy! Jen ~ This is right on! More than having a certain number appear on your scale, we want to see your health improve - for you to be able to walk without huffing and puffing, to have lowered your cholesterol and blood pressure and to have happier knee joints will make all of us breathe a lot better for your sake.

When a person buys a home that has been neglected for some time, it takes a while to undo those years of neglect but what a joy it is to see the walls when they are scrubbed and painted with fresh clean color! It is a pleasure to walk from room to room and observe the new decor where there used to be cobwebs and dingy furniture.

You are gonna be renovated! You'll be a brick house, standing firm and proud!

I'm having a Chai Latte and heading out to pull nasty weeds and to trim away the result of winter frost and wind that burned and killed branches.

We have weeds in our lives that need to be yanked out and dead parts that need to be trimmed off!