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Maintenance
The beauty of Medifast is that the products
are all nutritionally balanced with proper ratios of protein to
carbs (low Glycemic carbs – there is a difference in the carbs
we can ingest) and fats. Medifast is a good choice for
hypoglycemics as it stabilizes their blood sugar. The
pharmaceutical grade food is designed to be low in calories and
when one eats every three hours, they will not be approaching
the food trough like a Starvin’ Marvin but with a sense of
control and power.
Terry and I eat nutrient dense foods - we get a lot of
nutritional bang for not much caloric buck. We eat less
processed food than ever before. We don't usually eat chips and
crackers - we DO eat Medifast Multigrain crackers
or we choose Wasa™ or Ak Mak™ crackers. We do not
eat white bread nor do we purchase bagged balloon bread at the
grocery store but rather whole grain non fat bakery bread. We
have a lovely bakery near us that bakes 6 days a week. I buy
bread only if we are going to have company so there are very few
leftovers, and then send the leftovers home with our company, or
I will eat it…
When a person is on maintenance and still using some Medifast
food items, it is best to also have another real food item with
a Medifast product since we are no longer in the mild
state of ketosis. The mild state of ketosis (the fat-burning
state our bodies experience while on a Very Low Calorie Diet
program) is a narrow playing area - a small sandbox, if you
will, and if people step outside the boundaries of it while on
the weight loss program - like having a handful of chips and a
brownie, the body is confused and slips out of ketosis. Hunger
(cravings) returns and then people overeat and get out of
control. So it is a balancing game for us once we get to
maintenance – continue to eat every three hours, choose
fresh vegetables and fruits, foods that are low fat and low in
sugar, avoid processed foods, balance meals properly, and when
you cannot eat healthy, use some Medifast along the way .
Hence, continue to use 2 to 4 Medifast products per
day and now with the Autoship discount, you can save up
to 12% monthly after six months on the Autoship program
– if you’re not sure as to how the Autoship program works, send
us an email and we’ll explain the benefits of signing up for it.
This is the secret to maintaining your optimal weight and health
after achieving your weight loss goals – using 2-4 Medifast
products every 3-4 hours instead of going back to your old
eating habits that originally put that poundage on your hips in
the first place.
Often I will have a shake midmorning and some vegetables, too.
If I am strapped for something quick, I'll have a bar and a
shake or Medifast soup and a small salad. In place of
hormone replacement therapy, I prefer to approach menopausal
symptoms nutritionally and use the Medifast Plus
Women's Health shakes and my brother-in-law Tim uses two
Medifast Plus Joint Health shakes a day to
increase his mobility and minimize joint pain, the result
of injury and occupational wear.
When a person has been Medifasting - in particular
utilizing the complete program, it can take a while for the
body's metabolism to return to a normal state. That's why
exercise is important during transition and maintenance.
Weight loss and maintenance is one of the hardest things I have
ever done for myself, but it is the very best thing that has
happened to me. This is really the first time in my life where I
put my needs before the needs of other people's. This is foreign
territory for me. It's weird that I am such a perfectionist in
many areas of my life and yet was such a mess in taking care of
my own health. I have learned so much through Medifasting.
I love my new Medilife and I know that others do, too!
Conference
We recently attended a corporate conference in
Baltimore, Maryland, “Training the Trainers” to learn
more about the Blueprint for Success. Dr. Andersen reminded us
that Medifast is a non-surgical and non-pharmaceutical
approach to deal with the nutritional pollution Americans
currently face. We have a world class product available in each
little packet of Medifast.
A meeting with Chairman and CEO of Medifast’s Brad
McDonald with the Take Shape For Life’s business
development council emphasized the importance of using
Medifast in improving the health of America by means of
disease prevention and health management. He was in the audience
when Newt Gingrich advised the pharmaceutical companies
that they are on notice, that their heyday is over; no more will
pills and disease management be the norm but the focus shall be
on HEALTH management. Out with dangerous products such as Vioxx
and in with nutritional products that our bodies crave and
immediately respond to. Nearly 45% of Americans take
prescription drugs and they are faced with escalating prices
and fighting the nasty and dangerous side effects that bring
nothing but dis-benefit to them.
Between 48,000 and 98,000 patients die every year because of
medical error and many others needlessly die from diseases that
are related to overweight and obesity but Medifast,
nutritional intervention, education and the tools we provide can
turn around the health of many Americans. We desperately need an
army of Health Advisors to proclaim and take this healthy
Medifast solution to America. This is an exciting
vocation and we invite anyone who is tired of their 9-5 job to
contact us and see if Take Shape For Life is a business
you may excel in and help us to get people healthy along the
way.
Our Fearless leader.
Dr. Andersen reminded us of how we can meet his challenge
to get a million people healthy using the free services of
Take Shape For Life and our featured Medifast
products. His easy plan is an acronym: Be Slim.
B = Breakfast - Fully 1/3 of Americans don’t eat
breakfast. Successful losers and weight managers eat within
an hour of awakening to fire up their metabolism and get
their brain and body functioning on good nutrition .
E = Exercise - Develop a progressive approach to activity
beginning the fourth week of your Medifast program.
Include walking and weight resistance.
S = Support - We are here to help you to lose weight, to
reach an optimal weight and to manage your weight for a
lifetime. Engage your family and MakeMeThinner Forum of
Friends to hold you accountable. Check with your health care
provider several times a year for weight and blood pressure
monitoring.
L = Low fat, low calorie five-six meals a day.
According to the National Weight Loss Registry, the average
American diet consists of approximately 38% fat, the
average Asian diet is less than 10% fat. Fat is
important for proper growth and development for infants and
children and beneficial when eaten in moderation for maintenance
of good health. Both plant-derived and animal-derived food
products contain fat and while unsaturated fats
(mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats) eaten in moderation
are beneficial, saturated and trans fats are not. Trans fats ,
present in ALL processed foods and saturated fats raise the LDL
levels in the blood. Cholesterol contributes to heart disease.
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of
the National Institutes of Health, more than 12.5
million Americans have Coronary Heart Disease, and more than
500,000 die each year. That makes Coronary Heart Disease
one of the leading causes of death in the United States.
While we all know how fat makes foods taste good and helps to
make you feel full, it is advisable to choose foods low in
saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol as part of a
healthful diet.
A small amount of trans fat is found naturally, primarily in
dairy products, some in meat, and other animal-based foods.
Unlike other fats, the majority of trans fat is formed when
food manufacturers turn liquid oils into solid fats like
shortening and hard margarine. It is made when manufacturers add
hydrogen to vegetable oil--a process called hydrogenation.
Hydrogenation increases the shelf life and flavor stability of
foods containing these fats. Trans fat can be found in vegetable
shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods,
and other foods fried in or made with partially hydrogenated
oils (essentially in ALL processed foods).
Since 1993 the Food and Drug Administration has required that
saturated fat and dietary cholesterol be listed on food labels
and beginning January 1st, 2006, the listing of trans fat will
be required as well. With trans fat added to the Nutrition Facts
panel on the food label, you will know for the first time how
much of all three (saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol)
are in the food and it will help you to make wise food
choices that help reduce the risk of Coronary Heart
Disease.
I = Individual Plan - To combat the hostile food
environment in which we live, successful weight managers need a
plan. Medifast products are portable calories. During
weight loss and transition, we learn how often to eat and how
much to eat. Our portion controlled meals help us to
maintain our weight and health because when we are unable to
prepare and eat healthily, we have the convenience of eating an
ever-ready Medifast meal. Our new Preferred
Customer Club – Autoship makes it possible to never run out
of Medifood AND to save 5-12% on our products.
M = Monitor your weight - Weight maintenance is easier
than ever before. Monitor your weight by weighing weekly or by
periodically checking the fit of a body-hugging pair of jeans.
Transient weight fluctuations can occur when processed foods are
eaten as they contain too much sodium and not enough nutrients
and antioxidants. When things get snug, incorporate a few more
Medifast products. To maintain a healthy weight for a
lifetime, we must make healthy food choices nearly every
time we eat.
Remember, Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
In our meetings we also learned about the advantages of the
research, product development and the health network that is
ours through Take Shape For Life. It is a thrilling
environment to meet with Dr. Andersen, the Medical
Director of TSFL and the other leaders in our
industry.
We want to met YOU!
For us, on-going training is one element within a larger
purpose. The greatest moments are when we open our hotel door to
meet with some of our MakeMeThinner clients.
It was a magical moment to meet and to talk with Kat who has
lost 59 pounds. The night before a crew was scheduled to
re-carpet her home, she took time out from moving furniture to
come by our hotel for a first-time visit. Kat’s face lit up as
she recounted comments received from coworkers about her weight
loss. Shortly afterwards, a brand new Health Advisor, her
husband and several others interested in losing weight arrived
to our hotel room and later that night, Carol, another
successful loser arrived after driving in from North Carolina.
We talked until nearly midnight. Imagine our joy to see
first-hand a radiant Kat and then to meet Carol, just a
matter of a few days away from reaching the 100 pound weight
loss mark.
Next month the MakeMeThinner gang is happily going to
Las Vegas to meet Gerald and Mike, two more of our superb
and dedicated hundred pound losers. We are blessed nearly
every day with stimulating conversations with you our clients
and we appreciate the opportunities that are ours. This is an
invigorating environment in which to work and we encourage you
to visit our web site or to meet with us in person. Feel free to
email me at any time and to interact via our MakeMeThinner
Forum.
This is a moment of great opportunity. We have an excellent
product that is designed to help you reach optimal health –
determine to seize it and to be transformed.
Are you regular?
I get phone calls and inquiries from people wondering if it is
all right to eat a Medifast meal after 7 PM. While a
calorie is a calorie no matter what time of day that you eat it,
the important thing is to eat meals every three–four hours.
Presuming that you do not over eat the recommended calories, it
is totally acceptable to eat after 7 PM. There is not a
magic time after which the metabolism stops working. When we are
sleeping, our heart continues to beat, to circulate blood and
our lungs and brains continue to function and calories are
burned. Medifast meals consumed just prior to hopping
into the snore sack do not have more calories than those
consumed earlier in the day. Over the course of days, weeks and
months, the total amount of calories consumed in relationship to
the amount of energy expended determines whether or not weight
is lost, maintained or gained.
Most people become calorically challenged when they skip meals
during the day, come home and ravenously raid the refer for
high-fat left-over pizza, grab a bag of chips, a can of squirt
cheese or a carton of ice cream and a package of high sugar
cookies. When a person is eating out of a container or a bag, it
is difficult to keep portion sizes within reasonable amounts,
making it easier to overeat.
Medifast Chocolate Pudding or the new Banana
Cream Pudding is a creamy and ‘legal’ delicious meal
replacement that's ideal for an evening snack to replace one of
your Medifast meal replacements. Forgedda ‘bout counting
the calories – it is low in fat, cholesterol free and
nutritiously balanced with proper ratios of protein to
low-glycemic carbs. Enjoy a late night snack and get the
vitamins your body needs.
Remember, success = plan (Medifast meal replacements)
+ action
Medifast is a successful product; we have the successful
plan for your success.
Your success will result from the action that you take (eating
every 3 hours and drinking a minimum of 64 oz of water daily);
from the way you live your life, moment to moment, day to day.
You can choose to make excuses for your failures, or you can
choose instead to set them aside, to put forth the real effort
that brings about success.
Make your choice, stick with it, and life will be whatever you
choose.
The real deal
There are many weight loss programs standing by
to offer you empty promises, to entice you with effortless
endeavors that take your money and leave you pound foolish.
Medifast has a proven track record with over 15,000
physicians across the nation and premier medical/research
institutions choosing to use our products for weight loss,
weight management and nutrition. Our weight loss statistics of
2-5 pounds per week
are consistent and substantiated by clinical studies
for over twenty years. Just last month Camille reached her
goal of 70 pounds and Sylvia reached her goal of minus 74
pounds.
You have but one last opportunity to help your friends and
relatives begin their last New Year ' s weight loss resolution
ever by taking advantage our 4 weeks for the price of three
Starter Packs. But hurry and call us because this offer
expires at the end of December. The company will be closed
New Year's Eve.
Refer a friend
We've all seen what happens when someone has success on the
Take Shape For Life programs -- everyone else wants to know
how they did it. Well, now you can earn credit toward your
future food purchases simply by referring your friends to the
TSFL program. When you refer a customer to us and
they mention your name, TSFL will apply $10 credit
to your customer account and MakeMeThinner will also
give you a $25 credit when they place an order of $200 or
more. Referrals must be mentioned at the time of the order and
are valid only through our call center. TSFL will not be
able to retroactively apply credits for referrals, nor will they
be able to honor referrals sent in via e-mail or fax.
Overwhelmed?
Maybe you are like the formerly flabulous me – overwhelmed by
the number on the scale. I’ve had many people ask me how I
allowed myself to become obese, to be out of control with my
fork. In many ways, I believe it was similar to the idea behind
the Frog In the Kettle; the trouble began to occur so
gradually that I didn’t notice it until it was out of control.
Place a frog into boiling water and it will jump out immediately
because it can tell it is in a hostile environment but place a
frog into a kettle of room-temperature water and it will stay
there, content with its surroundings. Slowly, ever so slowly
gradually increase the temperature of the water and the frog
remains, unaware that the environment is changing. As the water
approaches the boiling point, so is the poor old frog.
We are faced with the very real possibility of dying from
weight-related diseases. We are being undermined by the
encroachment of non-nutritious calorie dense food. When
you let yourself become immobilized by the feeling of being
overwhelmed, what happens? You end up becoming even more
overwhelmed. The way to break the cycle is to step forward and
take action. Even when the task is enormous, you're much better
off moving forward than standing still.
Take the challenge
Dr. Andersen challenged us to become the masters of making
people healthy by developing a team to change the health of
millions of people – we are a movement to go! On our return
flight I met and earnestly spoke with two men about improving
the trilogy of their lives – their physical health, their mind
and their finances - one shake at a time, it’s totally
possible.
I like the byline of Mike, AKA “Explorthis” a member of
the 100+ pound club and frequent poster on the
MakeMeThinner Forum: “you CAN have it all, you just
cannot have ALL of it.”
Each day is an opportunity to make a positive difference – don’t
face it with resignation or resentment, but eagerly
anticipate your success - in an instant you can go from
feeling overwhelmed to being positively in control with
Medifast products and the support of MakeMeThinner.
Get busy, and get life going your way. Live life to its fullest!
For people on Weight Maintenance
Now that many of you have reached your optimal weight and are on
maintenance, I’d like to suggest an excellent tool for your
maintenance arsenal, a booklet entitled, My Daily Journal.
The booklet contains checklists to record daily calorie and fat
totals, water and meal replacement products ingested, exercise
plus space to record personal thoughts, feelings and notes to
self regarding eating triggers.
My Daily Journal can be used for people on the weight loss
phases as well as for maintenance. The two week journal contains
food exchanges adapted from the American Diabetic Association
and is small enough to fit inside most people’s briefcase or
purse. It sells for $2.95 each.
The Shopping Cart
I want to let you know about the December 2004 product sale
prices. While supplies last…
Just in time for the cold winter weather - Hot Cocoa with
Marshmallows $9.99 (Regularly $12.65) It is really
creamy and makes a good afternoon snack to calm your nerves
before you hit the highways for the cwazy commute home. Stir a
packet of Medifast Hot Cocoa into cool water until it is
smooth and then nuke for a minute, give it a little stir and
then nuke again for 30 sec – 1 minutes. The marshmallows get all
melty. It’s good with a bit of cinnamon an nutmeg, too.
Sometimes I add a teensy little drop of peppermint or spearmint
extract or a dash of Irish Cream Torani sugar-free syrup
– it is great! It’s hard to believe this is permitted on a
weight loss plan! 110 calories & 14 grams of soy protein.
Use it in place of any of the MF shakes. You may have 1 or 2
servings a day.
Instant Cappuccino $9.99 (Regularly priced at
$12.65) Folks, this is really good! It is soy-free and
caffeine-free so you may have it as a nightcap and still be
able to doze off to Slumber land and dream of skinny days ahead!
It has 100 calories and 14 grams of protein. It
mixes easily with cold water and has a frothy head – just like
the cappuccino they make at the green front coffee shops on
every corner. It’s great heated in the nuclear box, too!
It’s legal. It’s Chocolaty. It’s cholesterol free. It’s
low fat. It’s rich tasting and it’s on sale for $9.99.
(Regularly priced $12.75) Chocolate Pudding is a
great dessert for the holidays. When others are placquing out
their arteries, spreading their hips, and enlarging their
bellies by scarfing high fat, calorie-dense and transfatty
acid-laced grub, you’ll be daintily enjoying a crystal goblet
with Medifast Chocolate Pudding and a teensy
dollop of Fat Free Cool Whip, and viewing your tiny hiney
in the wall mirror…because you can! You may add a snort of
almond or peppermint extract to enhance the flavor of this
wonderful chocolatized puddin’. Pinkies up!
Leopard Woman is in a crazed state! Her favorite food is
on sale! French Vanilla Berry Oatmeal is on sale
for $10.25! (Usually $13.95). I’m having Terry order a case to
go – hey, you DO know that all Medifood ordered by the case
receives an additional 10% off, don’t you? LW loves
French Vanilla Berry Oatmeal and has it at least twice a
day. We signed up for the Preferred Customer Club and
have this flave on Autoship. If you are counting your
shekels please consider signing up – you’ll save 5% for
the first three months; 8% for the next three months and
save 12% from then on. LW likes this idea – it means more
shoppage $ for skinny clothes…
Welcome to the Medifast Discount
Hardware Store!
Hey, there are GREAT sale prices on health maintenance items.
Add to your arsenal to get healthy and stay there with these
great Take Shape tools:
Before I started Medifasting, our bathroom scale was
outta sight but not outta mind. I lived in fear of what it would
report about the state of my health. Once I began my weight loss
journey I leaped on the old Health-o-meter every time I went to
the BR but it was frustrating because the needle fluctuated so
much and I couldn’t read it easily. The Take Shape
Electronic scale is digital and indicates those very
important tenths of a pound loss. Now on sale for $49.99
(regularly priced at $73.00). An accurate scale is a must for
weight maintenance, as well as weight loss. Write this on your
CHRISTmas gift wish list…
Got high blood pressure, Bunky? Not for long! As you Medifast
away your flabbage, most likely your blood pressure medications
will be significantly reduced or totally eliminated. Our
Take Shape Blood Pressure Monitor is on sale for half
price at $34.99 (regularly priced at $69.00). Be still my
beating heart – it measures your pulse rate, too. What a great
deal!
When you’re standing around at a holiday cocktail party,
avoiding the Hors’ Douvres, you can enliven the small talk
conversations by coyly mentioning your declining body fat. The
Take Shape Body Composition Analyzer measures body
fat in 5 seconds flat. This would make a great stocking stuffer,
half-priced at $19.99 (regularly priced at $39.00).
The old MakeMeThinner Cottage is gettin’ modernized.
We’re recycling our 35 year old toxic mercury-filled glass
thermometer and replacing it with the Take Shape
Digital Ear Thermometer. Sale priced at $24.99, regularly
$49.00. We just found out that Leopard Woman is going to be a
Grammy this summer so she and Papa Terry are putting a digital
ear thermometer in our daughter’s CHRISTmas stocking. Shh…don’t
tell!
For those of you who may want a simple way to take your
temperature, the Take Shape Digital Thermometer is
also sale priced for just $2.99 (Regularly priced at $5.95).
Often the holidays are a time to reflect on the year’s blessings
and MakeMeThinner truly has been blessed. Most of all, we
are grateful to have you as our Customer.
My husband Terry and I have enormously enjoyed the opportunity
to meet many of you and to express our pleasure in seeing first
hand your weight loss success. It reaffirms my conviction that
Medifast is a wonderful product with a truly great future
ahead.
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