What Can I consume????

[explorthis]

Ok Board folks... (the very helpful ones)

I have read numerous stories/notes/comments/booklets about Medifast w/some conflicts. I would like to know EGG-ZACTLY what I can consume.

Lets assume I am on the TOTAL fast, and consuming my 5 (or 4) required suppliments per day as directed:

I have read that the body needs 64 (min) additional oz. of water and/or liquids. This can? be non caloric/non sugared items such as:

Diet Soda/Flavored waters/ Crystal Light etc, and "broth"

Lets talk about broth - My supplier provides a useful booklet saying 2 conflicting things about broth. Says you can sunsume up to 2 cups of broth per day, but then says consume 64 oz of liquids, soda, water, broth etc... HOW MUCH BROTH CAN I DRINK? I like broth, and could easily consume 6 cups a day (its like a treat) - though I know the sodium content is sky-high. (I have the cubed type)

Alcohol: Reading notes, says is can throw your body out of the "mild" Ketosis stage that occurs while on the program. Are ANY Alcoholic beverages allowed? If so, what are they?

Food: Some of the things I have read say you can consume as much lettuce as you want?!?!?!? Is this true? Can I consume lettuce (though I have not - but have had cravings for greens) I am not talking about substituting a meal, but as an added treat. What can I put on this lettuce, if allowed (and can I put other greens/veggies in w/ the lettuce?)

Are there any other additional items I can eat (as an addition)? - Read I could also consume celery - can I put salt and pepper on it?

Answers would be appreciated!

Mike

[Ellen]

Mike,
I'm about the farthest thing from an expert, but I have done a bit of research over the last two weeks and have visited a few sites on the net with some info on the Medifast plan. So, I'll tell you what I've read until the big cheeses come along with the real scoop.

What I have seen is:
You can add up to two packages of Medifast crackers daily (35 calories each). I have been having one package daily with a cup of bouillon, and I'll tell you right now it is the highlight of my day food-wise!! I read through every page of the Medifastdiet.com site and I don't recall seeing anything that limits us to two cups of bouillon per day. I think you just need to use your judgment. Even though bouillon says 0 calories, it can contain up to 5 calories and almost 1 gram of carbs, so if you had 12 cups, it might throw things off. If you have hypertension (high blood pressure) the sodium might be an issue, but I doubt that even 3 or 4 cups of bouillon could equal the sodium you were taking in prior to Medifast with fast food meals.

The Medifastdiet.com site says that we can have up to two stalks of celery per day. They also say that salt and pepper are allowed, as are most dry spices.

My understanding is that we can consume any kind of calorie free beverage that we want, in any quantity that we want. Diet soda is really really helping me with the plan. I drink Diet Pepsi, Diet Orange Sunkist, Diet A&W Root Beer, and Diet A&W Cream soda. It really helps to have some variety like that.

We can have no alcohol at all. Alcohol is like carbohydrates to the body and won't work with the Medifast plan, so were all dry till we're finished the plan.

The Medifastdiet.com site also states that we can have coffee and tea with milk and non-caloric sweetener. Since I don't like coffee or tea, this doesn't interest me.

Several helpful people have informed me of a product called Davinci's sugar free syrups. Evidently these are calorie free syrups sweetened with Splenda that are used to flavor coffees. They come in 44 flavors and can be added to coffee, tea, iced tea or MEDIFAST SHAKES!!!! Because they are calorie free and carb free, I have been assured that we can use them on the plan. I have ordered some. I ordered Chocolate, Orange, and Root Beer. I still am having trouble with the taste of the shakes. I drink them but really don't look forward to the shakes. I'm hoping the flavored syrups will help. Several people on another forum have highly recommended them. I'll let everyone know what I think after I receive them.

I've heard conflicting info about being allowed a small green salad, but I'm really afraid of that slippery slope thing, and I'm going to avoid that.

I'll tell you my personal plan:
Morning:Shake
Mid Morning: Medifast bar
1 PMish: Shake
Afternoon: Bouillon
Late Afternoon: Shake
Evening: Bouillon and crackers
Later evening: Shake (to be 100% honest, sometimes I have trouble getting this in as well)

I have about 6 diet sodas a day and several glasses of water. To be honest, this works great for me. I really have no appreciable hunger. I am amazed at how easy this has been. Bouillon has been a saving grace! My only real issue is trying to improve the taste of the shakes so I don't dread them so much.

I'll be interested in seeing what the experts tell us.

[Nancy]

Howdy Doody Gang ~

Yep, you have been doing your homework for the most part.

Yes, you MAY have THREE stalks of celery a day and you may dip it into all the salt and peppa that you'd like. You may even want to try a bit of mustard on your celery - yum. You may have up to 2 tsp of ketchup, mustard or barbecue sauce per day.

ONE package of Multi-gain crackers per day. 2 cups of bullion or broth per day.

One or two of our Fast soups are a great addition to your daily plan and serve as "treats" or bonus items. They are NOT meal replacements; do NOT take the place of a shake or a regular creamy soup. Just ADD them to your regular food plan as needed. The Fast Soups have added potassium which can be of benefit if you experience any leg cramps. In August Terry and I were in Orlando and spent the entire day and night at Disney World. I am from the northwest and certainly not used to the high temps and humidity of Florida. Although I drank a lot of water, it wasn't enough and I had horrible leg cramps the first night in Florida. About 2:30 am I got up, ran some water through the in-room coffee pot and mixed myself a cup of Fast Soup & slurped it down. My legs felt happy in a jiffy!

NO alcohol. Absolutely NONE. Zippo. Don’tcha even think of having it. Remember, nothing tastes as good as thin feels. You know what alcohol tastes like. You’ve had it before. You don‘t need it right now. It is not on the list of soon-to-become extinct items so it will still be around when you have reached maintenance.

Yes, you DO need to drink lots of liquids. 64 ounces of WATER. Water is really not THAT bad. Try it! In addition to your water, you may have non caloric drinks, too. We recommend that you limit your consumption of coffee and caffeinated drinks to three per day. Some people experience wildness – shakiness or the jitters from caffeine. We use Half and Half – usually one Tablespoon will do it. It tastes great and is low in calories. (Terry and I are on maintenance mode now, and here at the MakeMeThinner Cottage we use the Fat Free Half & Half but please know that it does have some corn syrup in it...) Stay away from the powdered creamers – they have corn syrup and sugar in them. You can use milk or non-fat milk & Splenda, Equal or Sweet’N Low.

You may have a small salad – up to two cups of salad greens and up to ¼ cup of chopped veggies – which may include tomatoes, celery, onions, cucumbers, radishes, mushrooms.
Use a low calorie salad dressing or vinegar or a snort of fresh lemon juice.

Don’tcha skip a meal either. I am looking at your plan and I don’t see enough meals on it.

FIVE - Six Medifast meals every day for the “full meal deal.” This is the plan that is all meal replacements and basically no regular food other than what I just wrote about above – this is where you MAY have the small salad, the two Fast Soups or bullion and ONE package of Multi-grain crackers)

On the Modified Plan, you have FOUR – five Medifast meals Plus the Lean and Green Meal. The lean and Green needs to be carefully measured – 4-5 ounces of lean meat, fish and poultry for women 5-6 ounces for men. The salad is as described above or you may have up to two cups of cooked veggies –NO CORN, ‘taters, carrots or other starchy veggies.

[DivinePro]

The website said to have at least 3 shakes a day.. So I ordered 84 shakes for a 4-week period. Then, I was going to have a bar, a lean-green meal, and then a soup every day. Is that the correct way to do it? Does a bar cancel out a soup? I noticed most people had four shakes a day. Is it ok to have just three?
My program guide is coming with the supplements. I wish the website was clearer. I think I may have ordered the wrong stuff. Also, when can I have the pudding??

I think I screwed this one up.

[Sylvia]

You need to have at least 5 supplements a day of which at least 3 must be shakes and no more than one can be a bar. Other than that, you can use the meal replacement products interchangeably. So you can have a 3 shakes a soup and a bar one day, 3 shakes a pudding and an oatmeal another. You can probably come up with other combinations and any are OK as long as you stick to the basic rules noted above.

[DivinePro]

thank you, sylvia.

now i know. =)

[JuliaMejia]

hey guys, I am a little confused here...

I am doing the full fast now that I got my order ( I was running low) Anywho
I know I need to have 3 shakes - which I've done today. I also had 1 pack crackers, 1 bar, and two fast soups. It's 7:30 pm...I'm full and still washing it down with water. I think I am at 4 MF supplements with the bar...

Does the bar count as a supplement? It should...

Can you have the two cups broth in addition to the two fast soups?

Does hot chocolate count as a supplement or an xtra?

FOR A FULL FAST - HOW MANY SUPPLEMENTS SHOULD I HAVE?

Sometimes it seems like different answers are posted...It says "5 & 1 plan" and then I read 5-6 for a full fast. Is that correct?

Thanks for whoever answers. It is a big help just to make sure I am doing this right. BTW I made spaghetti for the fam and did not touch it! I also wanted to say I tried the tomatoe fast soup today, I added a little beef bullion for flavor and I thought it tasted like campbells vegetable soup, then my daughter wanted to taste, and she said what I was thinking...it's really good! I love the variety you have with MF! Today Also I kinda was disappointed when I saw my hubby add a big plop of mayonaisse to his dinner. It made me feel like he will have a heart attack sooner because of his habits, but I am happy about the choices I am making and I know I'm not going to quit on the 9th day like last time 5 months ago. I have never made it longer than three weeks on and plan I'm think I can do it this time - I hope! I keep thinking of not being embarrassed this summer taking my kids swimming - all those things! I talk too much but it is nice to talk about feelings to people who truly understand! Good night to all!

Julia

[Nancy]

Good evening ~

It was great to read about your success at dinner tonight - you must be impressing your family by keeping your lips locked with spaghetti around!

You are right, Julia, the Medifast products are very tasty and more than palatable. It is a mindset. Success involves thinking you can, believing you can and then knowing you can make it to your goal. If you choose to not cheat, you won't.

Now lemme answer your questions

[JuliaMejia]

Nancy

Thank you Thank you Thank you

Now I have no confusion and know I'm doing the plan properly!



Have a good day all!

[Triskets]

I'd like to add a couple of helpful hints I've found -

Don't forget to try mixing your MF with different diet sodas. Diet Rite Raspberry + Dutch Choc MF
Diet cream soda + Dutch Choc MF
Diet Cream sode + Vanilla MF

Also, Nancy mentioned half & half in a previous thread. I found Coffee-Mate in liquid form - fat free of course. It has 0 calories, 0 sugar, 2 carbs, 0 cholesterol, 0 proteins but LOTS of good flavor. I used it in my coffee BEFORE I started the MF plan.

I've been eating 2-4 cups of steamed veges - brocoli, califlower, spinach and tomotoes with my MF. They really help keep the hunger pains away. AND the fiber is good for your (my) intestinal tract.

Happy slurping!

[Nancy]

Triskets ~

Medifast meals are complete in and of themselves. We do not add any other food to them, esp. not 2-4 CUPS of steamed veggies.

The vegetable portion for the Green of the Lean and Green meal is to be a small salad consisting of 2 cups of salad greens plus 1/4 cup of chopped raw non-starchy vegetables. If you don't want a green salad, then you may have up to one and one half cups of cooked non-starchy vegetables.

You may add a small amount of veggies to the Medifast soups or Medifst Homestyle Chili but certainly not 2-4 cups...watch the tamaters...

[Jan]

Whoops -- I was reading along and KNEW Nancy would see that enty with 2-4 cups of veggies -- boy is she quick!! But then she has to keep us all out of our cupboards/fridge and happily munching the M.F. grubb

[Nancy]

Yup, it's what I do. Keeping you on the straight and NARROW and thinny way!

Leopard Woman is trying to get caught up but I tell ya, you folks are busy typing away here on the Forum and I am pecking away at my Private Emails and pedaling as fast as I can.

We actually had a few hours of dry weather this evening and I prowled about in the MakeMeThinner garden - before I lost weight, I could never get down on my hands and knees and wrestle with the weeds. If I got down, I couldn't get up all by myself.

I can do so many more things now that I dumped 135 pounds.

[kellymedi]

I'm a little confused on this issue. I'm doing the 5 and 1. However as hot as it is here and I'm very busy with my children. It would be nice to be able to do only supplements/replacements instead of having to have my L&G. So here is my question. If I'm suppose to have 850 - 950 calories a day to not put my body into starvation mode, wouldn't that require a lot more than normal in supplement/replacements? Is that ok?? Which ones would you recommend and how often?
Thanks!!

[Jan]

You can switch from the 5/1 to a complete 6. Just have an extra shake, oatmeal, soup -- your choice remember only 1 bar per day though This is fine for a short time. However if you plan on this for an indefinite period of time you really need to be monitored by your Dr. If you feel really hungry have an extra shake.
jan