The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[vegasmedifast]

This post is to test my ticker...thanks!

[DogMa]

Yeah, the plan's changed a bit from my day, but bacon and blue cheese? And do you get the ranch dressing on the side and just dip your fork, or are you adding it to the salad? Seems like an awful lot of fat, once you add all those things plus the egg yolk.

[vegasmedifast]

I just ate two chocolate puddings. I made one, ate it and then was craving more so bad, so I ate another. It was my 4th and 5th meal and it's 7:30 PM so I am not too worried about it. I would have rather spread out the meals, but I feel like if I give myself what I want (in moderation), then I am saving myself from a potential cheat.

I lost another pound today. Down to 241 even. It seems to be dragggging...but I am only on it a month. It's not going to be immediate, I keep telling myself that. I cannot wait to hit 230, then 220 then 200.

We've been going on long uphill walks still. Phil's winter break ends this week (he's a teacher) so it's going to be up to me to head out on walks with the girls.

My boss invited me to dinner last night. I met him at a restaurant near the house called Half Shell. I planned to order the Ahi Tuna salad or grilled chicken breast. But it turns out he was basically telling me that everyone in the company had to take a 50% salary cut or he would have to fire someone. I was the LAST to know (even though I've been with him since day 1) and I just had no choice. I burst into tears at the table (boss is also a good friend of 10 years) and didn't even order dinner. I am just so worried about finances. I am luckier than many, I still have HALF my income which was better than losing it all. But we are looking at serious cutbacks in the household. Don't worry, Medifast is still in the budget.

Anyhow - I can still make extra money in commissions - so if ANYONE knows ANYONE who buys promotional items for their company, let me know. (Sorry - is that soliciting)?? If so, disregard!!! I don't want to mess up the board!

Anyhow - it was enough to make me want to chuck it all and eat everything on the way home (all fast food stops). But I didn't. I just came home, cried to Phil, wallowed, and then decided to make the best of it!

I hope EVERYONE had a nice new year - I cannot believe I took a financial hit like that on New Years Eve! Super start to 2009. Anyhow, if business picks up, I will be back on track, so I have to stay positive.

Watching Flirting with Forty on Lifetime right now. Heather Lockler was not the best choice for this role as she seems to have aged well beyond 40!

OK - that's it for now.

[nickieluv]

I'm so sorry for the bad news. I know what you're going through to some extent as our income was cut in half this year - but we planned for it, it wasn't a surprise! I'm glad you're going to still be OK, and as the voice of experience I'll tell you that you get used to those cutbacks pretty quickly. It's amazing how much we spend money on that we really can live without, and doing with less becomes the new normal. You'll be fine - stay positive!

[vegasmedifast]

Thank you Nickie! I sat down last night and immediately worked up an excel spreadsheet - just to see what we are looking at. We CAN make it...but no more online shopping for me <-besides food, that is my other vice!

BUT - we count our blessings and we can pay our mortgage and we are much better off than most. I can live without material items, that's for sure! Health and happiness are not gained from shopping, right? Well, maybe happiness, LOL.

Yes - we will see what we can live without. If you have any tips or advice, send them my way!

[nickieluv]

Well, we shopped around for the cheapest satellite deal (dumped cable which was way too expensive - but can't go with just an antenna because my husband has certain *standards* that he can't live without) and we went to a slower internet connection. The food budget got cut way back because we switched to a discount store - that was my thing, I had to get used to generic stuff because I was a brand name snob, but once we made the switch we literally cut our food budget in half.

We changed car insurances and saved a ton of money (no, it wasn't GEICO) , set the heat on a slightly lower setting, even changed life insurance companies to cut our premiums in half (but still had better coverage - being a teacher has some perks).

So my main advice is to look at each and every bill and see how you can cut it. Even saving $5 or $10 a month on a bill will add up over time. It gets to be kind of like a game, seeing where the best deal is. It makes me wonder why I was so content to waste money on things before.

I'm glad you can make it! Paying the mortgage is a huge stressor but now you know you have the money (I love Excel spreadsheets, too - I have about a dozen going all the time with different calculations and stuff for both the budget and my weight loss).

Hope you're feeling some relief from the stress now that your budget is set out on paper.

[nickieluv]

Oh, and I should mention that the online shopping vice can be a horrible thing. I think I doubled our credit card debt at least in the last two months, all in the guise of Christmas shopping or that most insidious of reasons - it was too good a deal to pass up! So beware - but I think for me the shopping was because I was bored being home all day with no adults (love my kids but miss good conversations!) so if you can keep busy when you're home you should be fine. Funny, since my husband has been on vacation I haven't had any desire to shop or even to be online that much. Which just proves to me that I need to have some more human contact.

[DogMa]

I'm so sorry about the financial news. Half a paycheck is definitely better than none at all these days, though. I know it's still hard, though.

I don't know your financial situation at all, obviously, but if it's a possiblity, you might also look at refinancing while interest rates are so low. And if you've saved clothing in various sizes through the years, that'll help as you lose weight.

[katieb920]

Wow I am so sorry about the half pay cut. But like Nickie say's there are so many ways to cut things out, or just to by generic. When I went to culinary school they told us that mostly everything that is generic is made by the big company's that have the name. Yes there are a few things that I will not switch like my Hellmans mayo, Heinz Ketchup, and Toilet Paper. But on everything else is generic in my cart. Right down to the Tampons I also cut out my dunkin donuts. I took long distance of my home phone. Because now a days everyone has cell phones. And I have Verizon and so does most of my friends.. It will work out. I am praying for you.

[vegasmedifast]

Hi everyone,

In the past week i have GAINED .4 pounds. I am now 240.4, I was 240 last Sunday.

I am getting so mad. It is not TOM, I have been compliant 5/1, I drink tons of water and even throw in Momentum powder occassionally. We've been doing the long walks 3 times per week.


Today marks the end of week 5 or 35 days on plan. I am ready to scream.

What do I do???????

[vegasmedifast]

Leigh,

Thank you so much. I am just in a funk but I do realize that I am doing the right thing for my health so I keep moving forward. I will keep going full force and hopefully within the next two weeks I will have a nice loss to report!

I have to catch up on everyone else's journals and quit complaining

Thanks again!

[nickieluv]

Remember too that stress can mess with your weight fluctuations, too - and you had plenty of stress this last week with the news about your job. Take a deep breath, take a walk, and get ready to keep losing.

[vegasmedifast]

Finally a breakthrough! I lost 2 pounds overnight and I'm down to 237.6! I hope this trend continues and I really need to stop weight everyday. But I can't stop.

OK - bring on the 220's!!!!

[nickieluv]

I don't know if you should stop weighing every day. Only you know best about your reactions. But if it were me - it's easier for me to handle no loss from one day to the next, but if I only weighed in once a week and didn't see a loss I don't think I could handle that as well.

Congrats on the two pounds!!! I hope some of that mojo rubs off over here!

[Tawanda]

Glad you saw an end to your stall so quickly.

Be aware that stalls and plateaus *will* happen multiple times during your weight loss journey. Some of these will last up to or over 2 weeks. It is disheartening when it happens, but just keep following the program, drinking your water and the weight will start showing on the scale, once again.

Remind yourself that a stall or plateau is *not* a good reason to go off plan or throw in the towel (speaking from experience ).