The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[finalstraw]

Anyone besides myself doing the full fast? I have sooooooooo muuuuccchhhh to loose I figured I would do the full fast. Am I doing myself any favors? It is really hard, I have been 14 days and only ate 1/2 of fish and some broccli once at a dinner I could not get out of.

Does anyone feel my pain?

[Kimbob]

I go back and forth, and I find that it doesn't make much difference to my weight loss but I do seem to crave food way more when I'm doing the modified vs. the full fast.

Not much help, I know!

Kimbob the Trying

[Jeanette]

IF, by "full fast" you mean:

--using five Medifast products a day (three of them being shakes)
--using other things like boullion, pickles and sugar-free Jello

Then yes, I am on the full fast.

On occasion (once a week, usually), I will have a lean and green meal. This is usually if I go to lunch with co-workers or to dinner with a girlfriend.

I know there are some people who do the full fast M-F and modified on the weekend, and they still lose.

You gotta do what you gotta do.

[finalstraw]

Jeanette,

You are my hero, you have been doing this since November. Do you have any big secrets that keep you going? I am sticking with it, but when I allow myself to think of the next 7 months (approx of how long I think it will take) doing only shakes . I admit, I am only doing the 5 shakes with the freebies right now. When I order again, I am going to get some soups and crackers (do you eat crackers?).

[Maggie]

Stephanie.........You are stronger than I am and I do feel your pain. I had the same idea that you have. Do the full fast and this phase will be over much quicker. If I lived alone, I believe I could do the full fast, but when I have to prepare a full meal for my husband, the smells just overwhelm me. So to meet that enemy at the door, I switched to the modified on my 7th day. There are only a few days that I have not had a modified meal. I usually have fish , chicken or turkey but have had other lean meats. Sometimes I cut the meat up and add it to a salad. (I just purchase the bags of already prepared salad even though it does contain carrots. (carbs)) I use a light dressing. Or I have my meat and a green vegetable. This is usually the same meat and vegetable that I am serving my husband. I usually prepare one starchy vegetable for him, also. By doing this I don't feel deprived. I plan to lose 200 lbs. I would like for it to all go away tomorrow (even today) but I know that won't happen. So, I have developed a routine and I follow it. It has helped me to stay on the program.
My weight loss has not been as good as Mikes but I am more than satisfied. I know of no other diet plan where I could lose the amount that I have in 63 days on Medifast. I have lost an average of about 3/4 lb. a day. I will list my totals. Everyones metabolism is different. Your loss might be more or less than mine. You decide.
12-5 15lbs.
12-12 5lbs.
12-19 5 lbs.
12-26 4 lbs.
1-2 2 lbs.
1-11 4 lbs.
1-18 4 lbs.
1-25 2 lbs.
2-1 5 lbs.
Total 46 lbs.

I'm satisfied with my loss and my craving for real food is satisfied.
Maggie

[finalstraw]

Thanks Maggie,

That was very inspirational, you are having good loss on a steady basis. Are you excersing?

I just want it over with.

Thanks for posting your stats, there great and will be motivation to everyone.

[Jeanette]

Steph:

You asked me if I had any secrets of success. Here they are--in no particular order:

1. I drink a MINIMUM of 64 ounces of pure water. I have self-imposed a rule--no other type of drink until I get my 64 oz in. On occasion I may have a cup of coffee in the AM, but not much. I usually end up only having water in a day, since I don't feel much like anything else by the time I drink my 64! (See my post on The Importance of Water)

2. I exercise 30-40 minutes a day 3-5 days a week. I go to Curves ( a combination of aerobic and resistance machines). I make this a priority. I go on my lunch hour, and I always feel great after I come back.

3. A typical schedule for supplements:
8:30 am--Oatmeal or shake
11:30 am--shake (right before working out)
12:30 pm--sugar free jello ( a treat for working out!)
2:30 pm--bar or shake
5:30 pm--bar or shake (opposite of 2:30 plan--I have this on my commute home or on my way to my part time job)
6-8 pm--may have boullion, a fast soup with crackers or a pickle if I am home and feel the need to have something. (This is the hardest time of the day for me, so I try to stay focused or distracted!)
8:30 pm--shake
11:30 pm--shake (if necessary--usually on a very long day)

4. I read alot on the subject of weight loss, especially books on emoional eating. Life is Hard, Food is Easy by Linda Spangle is a very helpful book.

5. I use this forum constantly! I am on several times a day (boy that is an understatement!) to read encouraging things and to encourage others. Reading things that all of you contribute helps me so much!!

6. I have the support of a very close friend that has experienced the same things I have experienced and will experience, and will NOT give me any slack if I start whining! I am constantly reminded to "keep my eyes on the prize!" Accountability has been and will continue to be crucial for me. (PS: Thanks--you know who you are!)

Please know this: I AM NOT PERFECT. I still have my times of stumbling, just like all of you. I will ALWAYS struggle. This is a DISEASE. I will never be cured from this disease. BUT--I am learning to control it. The disease I have is no different than diabetes or alcoholism. I have the tools to help control it IF I use them properly.

As Mike has said on more than one occasion: "If I can do it, anyone can!!" And it is so very true!

Thanks to all of you for your contributions!!

[/u]

[star85]

Jeanette, Maggie, & Kimbob,
Thanks for all the tips and information. I'm glad I read your posts. I am doing the full fast also and it is hard. Especially when I have to cook three meals a day for my husband and 5 yrs. old twin boys. I tried the modified a few times in the beginning, but everytime I ate regular food I would just keep eating and go off plan, so now I stick to the full fast. When you have little ones it's hard too because of course you have to have snacks in the house for them. I only buy nutritional snacks for them. No candy or junk food, but even the nutritional snacks look real tempting when you haven't eaten real food in almost 3 weeks! My husband is a junk food junkie, but he's the type that eats as much as he wants, whenever he wants and doesn't gain an ounce. I get very upset sometimes about the way my body looks now, and thinking how right after I had twins I went right back down to a size 4 up until almost three years ago. I weigh way more now than I did at 9 mos. pregnant carrying full term twins!! I don't understand what happened to my body. I know it was from stress eating from all the severely stressful events I had gone through over the past few years, but I didn't see it happening ( or maybe I just didn't have the time back then to even think about it or care.) I was too busy dealing with other things higher on my priority list at the time, and I wasn't one of them! I'm now making myself a priority because I finally realized that after all the smoke had cleared and settled, I'm important too! I have learned that once you let yourself go as much as I have, it is very hard to get back to the way you were, but it is also very doable. You have to be very focused and I know at times like anything else in life, I will make a mistake and "fall off the wagon" every so often, but I will keep getting back on each time I fall off until I have reached my destination, which is " Route 140! " Here I come!!! Well thanks again girls for all your valuble input. Keep up the great work and thanks for listening.

Kelyn

[SneeeezyKitten]

Thanks to all of you for posting this thread! I have been wondering the same thing myself for a couple of days now. I was frustrated because I only lost 3 lbs this past week. I know it is ridiculous...I should be elated I lost three lbs! I had been wondering if it was the modified plan that had slowed me down, but judging from this, I don't think it is! I also appreciate all of your candor and the matter-of-fact manner in which you shared your experiences...

Thanks again,
SneezyKitten
(forgot to sign in!)

[finalstraw]

Thanks, Thanks, Thanks to everyone for sharing. I suppose after reading all the wonderful informative post that I will stick with the full fast for now. I do believe that if I change to the modified at this moment, I might enjoy eating too much.

I see post all the time that say - it gets easier, for me, although I am not hungry, the 'giving up of real food' is not getting easier.

Thanks again,

[Jade]

Good morning all,
My thoughts are that although this is a wonderfully collective effort on this forum, it is still very individual. I think we each have to do what works for us. We are all battling our own demons. I find it personally way easier not to think about cheating with the modified plan. At first I found the food to not be "enough" since I was used to bigger portions. Now after 3 weeks, I find it very satisfying and I don't approach my meal ravenous. Iv'e lost 17 lbs in the last 20 days. .I look forward to some variety...I'm very into cooking. I use fresh herbs, carb free marinades, fresh organic veggies. I think the secret for me is to weigh my chicken, fish, etc. when I buy it and put it in individual serving containers. Then I just cook it up and can't be tempted to have a bite, another bite, etc. I'm worried about my ability to eat in "the real world" after Medifast. I've lost weight before, although I've never had this much to lose, and always gained it back. In the coming weeks I'd like to try some full fast days to see how I do, but until then, this works for me. Jeanette, you are also my hero . Your posts have really encouraged me. Thanks to all of you for being here and sharing this climb with me. Jade

[shineface]

Good Morning All-----
Great stuff out here today!!!! Thank you all for sharing.

To add my own 2 cents --- and God knows if I had 2 cents for everytime I've gone on a diet, bought a diet book, joined a gym, gone into in-patient treatment, starved myself, over-stuffed myself, took diet pills, drank God-awful concoctions, made resolutions, broke resolutions, got a therapist, changed doctors, cryed my eyes out in a dressing room, joined support groups, quit support groups - just to name a few ... I'd probably have enough money to retire!

At 48 years old, the truth is that I am thinking I'd like to be around long enough to retire before I expire!!!! I think Medifast can really help me and finding this forum is the (forgive me) iceing on the cake! When I isolate and that is so common to me when I'm feeling badly about myself, I only have ME to talk to - pretty scarey ... I've already heard everything I have to say to ME - and it's usually not very kind. I call myself a loser everytime I don't lose the weight --- this time out I want to be a REAL LOSER. It's time. Actually, I think I'm way into overtime!

When I saw Medifast on TV and decided to give this a try too, for me it was just one more thing I'd buy, try and fail at ---- thankfully, I am being proven wrong almost hourly ... Thank you GOD!!! I have no problem with the shakes, soups, bars or oatmeal - but I am praying hourly to be able to do this - one supplement at a time. It's true what I have read here -- given a chance, the hunger does go away -- or I have a chocolate shake mixed in the blender with ice and cold water ---filling... or I prepare a package of soup BUT also prepare 2 cups of boullion and mix the two together when the soup is done and this takes a nice long time and all that liquid is ---filling... or a couple days I have resorted to having 2 bars instead of only one because it fit into my schedule for supplements better and it kept me on the program ---filling... some days I eat modified and have limited my choices there because not having to make a lot of food choices is what's wonderful about this program for me. My food choices so far include going to the deli and ordering 6 or 8 oz or store baked turkey sliced thicker (as if for rolling) - I buy a bag of greens or salad (2 cups is a lot) - then my "sauce" right now my preference is honey mustard. Picture this, a stack of turkey slices, 2 cups of salad and the honey mustard bottle .... let me tell you, when I take a couple of pieces of turkey and put a big pile of salad on it with a few light squirts of honey mustard on it and roll it like a burrito and then eat it with my hands ------ I am so satisfied. The other option is to buy romain lettuce leaves and fill them like a hot dog roll with cut up turkey or chicken or whatever --- I think the crunching is what is so --- filling.

I admire you all so much --- we all fall - god knows my knees should be replaced but as long as I keep getting back up it means there is hope. I look so forward to going through my quest for sanity at the scale with all of you.

Thanks for listening!
Pam

[Kimbob]

Great post, Pam!

f I had 2 cents for everytime I've gone on a diet, bought a diet book, joined a gym, gone into in-patient treatment, starved myself, over-stuffed myself, took diet pills, drank God-awful concoctions, made resolutions, broke resolutions, got a therapist, changed doctors, cryed my eyes out in a dressing room, joined support groups, quit support groups - just to name a few ... I'd probably have enough money to retire!

I can SO relate!

I also love your idea for the turkey burritos! I'm gonna try that

Kimbob the Impressed

[Unca_Tim]

Great posts guys..(goils)
Pam, i really like your creativity with foods. This is exactly what you'll be doing from transition to maintenance with a modified plan. There's 100s of great (tastey) ways to alter your food habits.

Stick a little salsa on your romaine and turkey burrito. Fresh diced peppers and your fav herbs.

During the weight loss period, we're learning that continuous, nutritious, portion controlled meals are the key to reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.

Read, read, read....Search out all the info you can on healthy eating. Make it a priority in your life. After all, there's nothing more important than your health.

If you go back to the identical eating habits and lifestyle that got you here in the first place, there's nothing stopping you from returning to where you "were" before Medifast,

Keep up the great work everyone,
Unca

[HD]

I'm doing the full fast to and have decided it's in my best interest to stay that way. I tried the modified for a day and felt the need for more food (I'm such a whimp) so I thought I better stick to what was working for me. I'm only on day 9 so I know you will hang in there so you can tell me to keep up
Remember, it's the new people like me that count on you for info. Sorry to put the pressure on you......You can do it. I start doubting and I run to the comp. for support. I'm the one that sat in the background (like a ghost) and plundered through the wonderful forum and found the courage to try medifast, I know with the support that so many people are so willing to share that you and I will get to our goal.
Jackie (HD)