The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[SharonR]

I have been reading the new Medifast Book called, " The secret is out, the medifast diet". I am learning that I am over doing it on the condiments. One person says you can have a tablespoon, another a teaspoon and so.

If you have coffee in the morning and you have cream in it, does that count as your one snack a day? If you have a pickle spear or two is that all the snack you can have for that day?

I know some days I have had two baby dills and a bag of soy crisps.

In the past week I cut out all pickles and soy crisps and still only lost 1.3 pounds.

How about the SF Popsicles? Only 15 calories each. The SF jello is another one with very little calories.

I just get so many mixed signals on this...

........PLEASE ENLIGHTEN ME!

[ChiNut]

I believe it is just one snack per day. Either 2 pickle spears, 3 stalks of celery, 1 cup of sugar free jello, 1 sugar free popsicle or one of the Medifast snacks. If I am wrong I am sure someone will correct me, but I believe that is correct. I mostly eat pickle spears and an occasional sugar free popsicle.

[DogMa]

That is definitely the protocol. That said, a pickle is not the same (calorically or carbwise or even nutritionally) as a packet of soy crisps, and neither is a sugar-free Popsicle or sugar-free Jell-O. So it doesn't make much sense to me for Medifast to consider them interchangeable.

[ChiNut]

Robin, I thought that was strange too about the Soy Crips as they are so much higher in calories (70 or so?) than the other allowed snacks. To me 70 calories a day really can add up.

[SharonR]

Thanks girls, seems I might not be the only once confused. I'm hoping that Nancy will clear this up for us.

[Drama Queen]

I have always thought it was weird that they would list all the legal snacks and make them interchangeable since they are so different in calorie count. My thought on the one snack a day protocol is that it is a retraining issue for us on how to eat.

I know before MF I was used to snacking all day. Sometimes eating just for something to do. My mind would tell me it was just a snack, but I was stuffing myself with foods high in fat, sugar and calories. Hence the extra pounds.

Since MF, I limit myself to only one (legal) snack a day on the days I'm a little hungry between meals. It has taught me to be much more aware of snacking, why I want the snack and what is a healthy snack.

[Janae]

The thing that has helped me with snacking on MF is that we can have a "meal" so often. Somedays, I do want to munch on something in between. But, usually- if I drink all the water I try to drink plus have all my meals...I am pretty full and don't think about extra eating. I like the fact that I can eat my meals from 2 to 3 hours apart...So if I am wanting a snack, I can usually just bump up my next meal to two hours from the last one...and when I realize how soon that is- I decide I can wait.

One thing I learned from a dietician I went to concerning the diabetes...she said, many times it is not just about eating...it is about eating now...and teaching yourself that when you get the urge to eat, tell yourself you can have that thing....just not right now. Many times the urge will be gone later.

I do believe that eating several small meals a day...as a lifetime way of eating will be helpful to me. Small, planned meals instead of "mindless grazing" throughout the day!

My opinion on snacking. And by the way...I have done it right...and I have done it wrong. And I will admit to rationalizing as in "well....two SF popsicles does not equal a bag of soy chips!!" I know.....I know...!

Janae

[dede4wd]

I agree with DQ...

I have always thought it was weird that they would list all the legal snacks and make them interchangeable since they are so different in calorie count. My thought on the one snack a day protocol is that it is a retraining issue for us on how to eat.

I know before MF I was used to snacking all day. Sometimes eating just for something to do. My mind would tell me it was just a snack, but I was stuffing myself with foods high in fat, sugar and calories. Hence the extra pounds.

Since MF, I limit myself to only one (legal) snack a day on the days I'm a little hungry between meals. It has taught me to be much more aware of snacking, why I want the snack and what is a healthly snack.

I mostly do a bit of celery every few days...other than that I don't snack at all!

DeDe

[DogMa]

I LOVE the sugar-free Popsicles lately. I started with one every few days, but lately I have one after my workout every day. I figure it's basically extra water, and it's SO good when I'm all hot and sweaty and disgusting.

[mousehouse62]

Thanks to all of you for posting replys to this snacking thing! Hub and i find that we are a little hungry in the evening after our L&G, so I brew up a fresh pot of coffee with a little SF creamer and a splenda packet and we find that satisfies that crave. And then having a shake a little later so we are all good!
Thanks again for your advice!

[SharonR]

I wish I could drink coffee that late, decaff no doubt would keep me up till 3 am! lol

[ascicles]

This has always been my biggest problem with Medifast. Everyone says that you need to stick to the Quick Start Guide, but unfortunately, they leave a lot of areas open to interpretation...and based on who you ask, you get a different response.

I generally stay away from snacks unless I am really hungry. As for condiments, I don't really measure those out as I should. I mostly use sugar free/low carb versions, so I doubt I am over the limit. It's usually less than a tbsp, I'm sure.

[Sarya]

I do snack every day lately, but it's with sf jello which is just 10c and 1g of protein. I'm ok with that.

As for condiments I also try to use low carb sf versions. I have 1 carb ketchup (which should be easier to find than it is), and carb free bbq sauce. I use spice blends, but I stay away from any blend with sugar added. I make my own marinades and teriyaki sauces.

I have soy crisps, but I am trying to stay away from them. They're good for me to have around when I really need the crunch (apple cinn crisps with chocolate pudding... MMM) or when I go to the movies as a sub for popcorn. I also carry a snack (mf crackers or crisps) with me to work in addition to all five of my daily packets, just in case. I never eat them though, but there may be a day when I want them. They'll be there instead of the vending machine

The snacking thing on MF can be dangerous if you are borderline on your carb intake already. Not all snacks are created equal as we've already mentioned, and I don't think we should treat them equally. My rule of thumb on snacking is that I can have SF jello everyday if I want it because my calories are usually low and a few extra grams of protein is ok. I don't think it's ok for me to have soy crisps or crackers every day. It changes my carb level, and I'm noticing that my willpower has a lot more backing it if I keep my carbs on track. I could have celery but cucumber is similar in nutritional value so I would have that instead if I was choosing a veggie snack. I steer clear from my pickles unless I can't stop thinking about them because of the sodium content (and truth time: my favorite pickles are these sweet hot garlic pickles that have sugar in them.. so I only get to have them once a month at the most.)

[ascicles]

I eat pickles quite often, but given the amount of water I drink, the sodium doesn't seem to affect me. I also use lite soy sauce daily, which is still high in sodium as well.

I am probably near my 100% recommended daily allowance of sodium (according to the US National Guidelines) almost every day.

The bread and butter pickles with splenda are great...I just wish they sold them as full pickles instead of small slices.

[Nancy]

Hello, MakeMeThinner Peeps ~

So it’s the old snackage question that’s popping up again, eh?

This is one of those multiple faceted questions that appear frequently and I thought I’d pop in here and give some Medi-background and then my personal viewpoint. Sorry if I add my own tidbits a bit too often to suit some of you but I am fairly experienced with the program here.

I’d like for us to look at a couple of issues…

For people who have overactive forks and hands that indiscriminately grab & stuff (poke food into their mouths without consciously thinking), eating snacks can be problematic.

Before I started Medifasting, I did not always realize how much food I actually ate and I certainly made the wrong food selections. Simple sugars and carbs were my grub of choice. I loved foods with high fat content – rich and buttery and very sweet, and loaded with nuts.

It was easy to pull a box of crackers down from the cupboard and munch away, increasing the daily caloric load very quickly. Before Medifast when I was out of control with food, not in the weight loss mode and eating willy-nilly, I was not always sure how much of a food item was considered to be normal – as if I would really read the label and then measure out the actual serving size. To me, a serving size was way more than what I could grab ith my man-sized hands!

On other diets, not pre-packaged portion controlled weight loss programs like ours, I was not successful because I did not know how much was truly allowable. I easily ate more than I intended and then shortly after the meal or snack when my blood sugar level dropped, I found myself huntin’ for more.

Many people with weight issues don’t know when to quit.

It is my opinion that many people today seem to always be suckin’ on a drink or munchin’ on a snack. We eat continually.

As I write this, my Mom is having knee replacement surgery and I am in the waiting room at a hospital. There are 24 people here, 11 are holding beverage cups, several are eating Krispe Kremes from a box, some have snacks and it is about 10:30 AM.

We are oral people! TV commercials, newspapers and magazines constantly entice us with things we ‘need’ to eat or drink. It is very difficult for even well-meaning people to escape high fat, high caloric foods these days.

I used to eat continually; once I got started for the day, I just kept on munchin’ and wolfin’ for the day. I didn’t eat breakfast because I was still full from the night before.

In order to make our weight loss permanent, Folks, we must make permanent changes to the kinds of foods we eat and also to the amounts of foods we eat.

For me to change and to change permanently, it meant that I wanted to reduce the number of eating events, change my attitude about food and my relationship with it; I realized that it is not my friend, my comforter, or my helper but merely fuel, to enable me to do the things I like to do. It is nothing more. It is now an ‘it’ and not a sensual, pleasurable relationshipy kinda object.

Many of my family and social events take place around the table where fuel is served.

Just because it is there on the table does not mean that I need to pick it up and eat it.

I do my best now to make the foods I eat truly ‘count,’ to provide me with the energy I need to do stuff with my family, etc.

I DO eat non-fuelly stuff, too. I met with some friends the other evening and I had some French fries. I really wanted two basketsful but I restrained myself.  I had some of them. Not all of them and certainly not as many as I WANTED. I exercised restraint. Yeah, it was reluctant restraint, but if I intend to remain at a healthy weight, I need to consciously select what I eat and how much.

My point is I intentionally changed my eating ways because from the beginning of my weight loss journey on the Take Shape For Life Program, I intended to be successful; to lose all the weight I needed, to reach a healthy weight and to stay there for the rest of my life.

When I began the program, I had a snack of celery the first few days on the program. As time went by, I did not need a snack any more. Occasionally, if I was especially active and felt hungry, if I was unable to push away hunger pangs with water or a cup of tea, I had an extra shake.

Medifast recommends that a person has one snack a day.
The approved snacks include:

3 stalks of celery

1 cup of bouillon (Folks, this is so low in cals, I you have 2 cubes or bouillon, it will not push you out of the fat burning state!)

2 dill pickles (regular size dills, not those honkin’ deli dills that ya need to use a forklift to lift to your mouth and a chainsaw to cut it up so it fits in your mouth…remember, dills contain quite a bit of sodium and it can cause water retention…)

1 cup of sugar- free Jell-O

1 serving of Medifast Fast Soup (these are snack soups, not the complete meal replacement soups and they differ from the regular line of soups such as Cream of Broccoli, Creamy Tomato, Chicken Noodle, etc.)

1 packet of Medifast MultiGrain or Garden Vegetable crackers

1 packet of Medifast Soy Crisps

Now…there is room for discussion here…some points have already been brought up. I agree with the comments made above. There is a significant difference between a pack of Soy Crisps and a cup of bouillon.

I like the Soy Crisps, we have them on hand and just because we have them, it does not mean that we eat a bag a day. Some days we have ‘em and sometimes we don’t.

Most people quickly determine if they can have a pack of Soy Crisps and another snack a day in addition to their regular 5 & 1 Program. Some also figure out that snacking is not the best thing for them, it triggers eating episodes that they wish to avoid.

When a snack attack comes on, it is good to try to analyze things somewhat.

Is the snack attack a result of seeing something on TV or smelling something tasty in your environment?

Is it the result of opening the refrigerator door and seeing left-over birthday cake?

Is it because you’ve gone more than three hours since your last meal and your blood sugar has dropped? Is it because you have been especially active and perhaps you need to have your meals a bit closer together or because you over-exerted and burned up a lot of calories?

My experience is that most of our clients have lost weight having one Medifast snack (Fast Soup, or crackers or soy crisps) plus one of the other non-Medifast snacks (Like the Jell-O, popsicle, etc.)

The nutritionist at Medifast says, one snack a day is allowable.

Our Quick Start Booklet says we may have ‘up to three stalks of celery or two dill pickles’ a day – it does tell us that we MUST have it, we may have it.

The Quick Start booklet gives the warning to limit sugar-free gum or mints to 5 a day.

It ‘implies’ that a person may also have bouillon in addition to the celery and gum/mints.

The Quick Start booklet then goes on to say that in addition to the above snacks (celery OR dills), gum/mints, we may have one Medifast snack.

Again, the “Medifast snacks” would be a serving of the Medifast crackers, Medifast soy crisps or Medifast Fast Soup.

The bottom line:
If you must snack, ONE Medifast snack and celery or Jell-O or sugar free popsicle, etc.

Snacks can get some of us in trouble so use discretion; we’re establishing new eating habits here.