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Issue
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MakeMeThinner September Newsletter |
September 2003 |
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--->Feature |
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It's "Hip" to be Thin...
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http://www.makemethinner.com/newsletter/
Greetings! It’s September and I spent the afternoon in our
backyard, reading in the chaise lounge wearing my two piece
leopard print bikini…because I can.
I have never worn a two piece bathing suit. Not ever. I’ll be 55
on October 20th. Who’dda thunk that I could do that? I hope my
darling husband reads this newsletter and gets me some red
leather pants for my birthday. Size 6. I want to wear them
because I can.
This summer has been a summer of new discoveries and firsts for
me.
The first week of August, Terry and I went to the first annual
Take Shape For Life conference. It was held in Orlando, Florida.
Sheesh! It is really el-hot-toh and humid there and I did not
wear the long pants and long sleeves that I used to wear
year-round because I was ashamed of my body. For the first time
in the summer, I wore Capri pants and little knit shirts.
Because I can.
Before the TSFL conference began we spent 13 hours at Disney
World. Before Medifast, I would have pooped out after several
hours AND I would not have fit comfortably in the airline seat
to get to Orlando from Vancouver, Washington and I would not
have easily fit into the seats on the amusement rides. I
discovered that I can walk through a turnstile, facing forward
and I fit! I did not have to stand on my tippy toes and raise my
stomach up above the turnstile and walk through sideways. This
summer I just walked straight forward and right through the
turnstile! I did it! Face on! This is a really big deal to mois!
I can do it!
When I ran into the BR between flights, the handicapped stall
was occupied. Drat! I have used the handicapped stall for years
because I fit in there easier. Getting into the stall was never
a problem. I could just open the door, whip in there and manage
all right. But the exiting of the stall was another matter.
Previously, I had to straddle the toidy in order to get the
stall door open so I could exit the stall. Guess what? I
discovered that I can go potty in a regular stall now! I fit in
there just fine! I use regular stalls now because I can…
Last week Terry and I went to the Oregon State Fair. We wandered
around for a while and then stopped to watch a hypnotist that
directed volunteers from the audience to crow like roosters and
act like Elvis Presley. I thought about how many silly things
I’d done over the years to try to lose weight. I will admit that
I ate gallons of cabbage soup, took pills containing wacky
herbs, and drank some concoction made from the urine of horses –BLECH!
But hypnotism was one remedy that I did not try. I did discover
something that I can do now while at the fair, however. I can
step up quite high without my knee buckling under me! I easily
stepped up to the third row on the grandstand. I can do it!
Just before the fair closed for the night, Terry and I stopped
at a food stand and ordered an elephant ear. BTW, it is OK to
have an elephant ear once in a while now that I have reached my
goal and am maintaining my weight. I don’t have an elephant ear
every day mind you, but I do have goodies! With Medifast, it is
possible to maintain my weight, to eat healthy almost always and
then have “fair food” once in a while – the fair does not come
every day nor does it come every week, Kids! We could come up
with a special occasion or a special reason to eat something
UNHEALTHY nearly every day of our lives now, couldn’t we? But I
choose to live long (and prosper health wise!) so I shall choose
to eat the healthy way almost always – I take shape for LIFE
now!
Anyhoo… While we were waiting in line for the elephant ear to
cook, a very large woman rolled her husband up in line behind
me. He looked relatively young – in his thirties. He weighed
close to 350 pounds and his leg had been entirely amputated. My
‘before’ Medifast picture is on my purse and he asked me about
it. I told him that I had been concerned about being obese and
developing diabetes and started a weight loss plan last summer
and lost 130 pounds. He told me he’d had his leg amputated due
to diabetes and was excited about receiving his prosthesis the
next day. Gulp! It was very sobering, indeed to be standing
there. It could have been me in the wheelchair…I was walking
because I can. He needs Medifast to get his blood sugar under
control. He told me he doesn’t need to lose weight. He said he
knows how to lose weight any time he wants to. You know, if we
keep on doing what we have always done, we will never reach
optimum health because it is virtually impossible to eat healthy
these days. That is, without Medifast, it is virtually
impossible to eat healthy all the time.
This year I discovered that I can take off my coat and stand in
front of a very large crowd of people and not feel embarrassed.
Before Medifast, I used to wear a jacket or a coat. I can wear
jeans. I can wear a belt. I can wear a black suede mini skirt. I
can wear form-fitting sweaters. AND I can stand in front of a
large group of people and feel really good about how I look.
Because I DO look fabulous and not flabulous!
Speaking of flabulous vs. fabulous…with Medifast, the flab melts
away, not the muscle. I get a lot of inquires from people that
ask me if it is safe to lose so much weight so quickly. First of
all, let me tell ya, it is definitely NOT safe to walk around
hauling an extra 130 pounds all day. If you wore a back pack
with 130 pounds of pork chops day in and day out, your joints
were grinding away, you were out of breath and you were
constantly tired, you’d wanna dump that as fast as possible!
THAT is definitely NOT safe. People also say they are amazed at
how great my neck and face look. They boldly ask me if I have
had plastic surgery! Are you kidding? Have you checked into the
price of reconstructive surgery lately?
It’s interesting to me about how some people can subtly try to
find out about such intimate things about mois. Since I have
relatively few clothes that I am able to wear, people give me
clothing all the time now – I got rid of my entire former
wardrobe. All of it. I have absolutely NO intention of EVER
returning to it…. I have gotten some really great outfits! Brand
name items. Awesome silk blouses, belts, purses, scarves, animal
prints. Size 6. Radical, eh?
A few weeks ago my husband Terry came home from a Take Shape For
Life support group and he said that several women had talked
about me in their group. Of course I wanted to know ALL about
what they said about mois…he said that one lady had talked about
how I had come over to her house and tried on a bunch of
clothing in her family room and how I had stood there in my
leopard print underdoodies trying on garment after garment and
how great I looked. Then another woman said that she was curious
about how firm my skin was after having lost so much weight. She
admitted that she gropes me. When she sees me, she always hugs
me and feels my back and shoulders and waist to see if I am
flabby or firm! Hah! Now I have quite the reputation – I am
known as Leopard Woman. It has its benefits – I get leopard
print clothing items from people all the time now. I got a
fabulous leopard print scarf that I can wear as a sarong over my
leopard print bikini or with a yellow silk blouse and brown
leather skirt…believe me, Folks, Nothing tastes as good as thin
feels! You can have that same great feeling, too. Give Terry or
me a call and we’ll help you select a plan to optimize your
health.
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--->News, Articles and Special
Offers |
*The Voice of Victory -
Hey, folks! We have gotten some really great reports from our
readers and our MakeMeThinner community. We wish we had a huge
refrigerator because if we did, we’d have YOUR picture on our
refer door! We want to periodically share some excerpts from our
email files to encourage you and to let you know how proud we
are of our people who are doing so well on their journey to
improved health. These right-from-the-heart comments are from
real people like you and me.
Warning!...Medifast has side effects...:)
M writes:
Hi Nancy,
I have been having a little problum today. my pants keep
sliding. not bad yet but they started this is wonderful and I am
so excited.
K wrote:
...well my husband is off his gout medication of 10.5 years. The
medication was very hard on his kidneys and then there were
times he had to take a medication to make him vomit. His gout
was so severe he needed hospitalization a couple times each
year. After a few months on the full Medifast program Dr.
Andersen told him to stop taking his gout medication. He was
amazed he no longer suffered from gout, from day to day he had
the same results but he did find to maintain not needing his
gout medication, he has to have 2 shakes a day. This is a prime
example of nutritional intervention vs. medication intervention.
The Spice Rack - (Send us your Medifast Recipes)
New taste discovery! Christopher Renfro, our darling son-in-law
came up with this one. He said if you cut up a peanut butter bar
and a double berry bar into small pieces - put half of each bar
in a container and save it for another time - remember, you may
have ONLY ONE bar while on the weight reduction phase. Now, pop
a small piece of the peanut butter bar and a small piece of the
double berry bar into your mouth at the same time and thoroughly
chew. Voila! You have the great taste of peanut butter sandwich
right there on your taste buds! Yum.
Root Beer Floats for Breakfast? Huh? For Real? Well, yes and no.
We are fortunate enough to have an A&W Root Beer stand not too
far from our home. We got some DIET A&W to go and poured 1 cup
of it into the blender, added a packet of Vanilla Medifast 55
shake mix and whirled it for a minute or two. Then added ¾ - 1
cup of crushed ice and whirled it until well-blended. Yum! I had
it for breakfast – what a way to start the day! It was healthy,
it was fast and it was go-o-o-o-od. Way cool, eh?
This is a great lean & green meal for the Modified Plan. Safeway
had tiny cocktail shrimp on sale for $1.99 per pound this
weekend. I carved out the center of a home-grown tomato, filled
it to over flowing with tiny shrimp, chopped cucumber, celery
and onion and gave it a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. I served
it on a bed of Romaine lettuce with a packet of our Multi-grain
crackers and enjoyed it on the patio. In my leopard print
bikini. Because I can.
Raspberry Ice Tea. I can’t wait to try the NEW raspberry Ice
tea, can you? I already have it all planned out – I will shave
some ice, mix up the Raspberry tea and pour it over the shave
ice. I really like the Peach Pro Tea that way – sometimes I add
a tiny snort of fresh lemon juice to the Peach Tea. Remember,
Folks, the Tea is a MEAL REPLACEMENT it is not a bonus or an
extra item. Treat it as you would a shake in your meal plan.
*Tips and Tricks -
Havin' Trouble Drinkin', Bunky?
When I first started Medifast®, I really struggled with trying
to consume 64+ ounces of water a day. I mean, my tongue dragged
across water only on my toothbrush. Before Take Shape For Life,
I didn't drink lots of pop or coffee either, I just wasn't a
drinker! Oooh, how I have LEARNED to drink water and to
appreciate it - for its health benefits, for its taste, for the
fact that my skin looks and feels better and the ol' bod just
functions better when I drink all of the recommended water.
Our water here in The Couve does not taste that great so we buy
bottled water. My "Rule" is to daily have one 16 ounce bottle of
water in the morning before I leave for work. I have two hours
to consume it. I have a shake within the first hour of crawling
out of bed at 5 AM. You NEED to have a shake within the first
hour of arising. If you are waiting longer than that, you are
not starting your day with a full tank and you'll become
fatigued and not be at optimum strength for your day. Just Do
It!
I have another bottle of water on my commute to work. Then I can
make a stop at the sandbox before I begin my work day at the
college…during the morning at work, I have a couple of mugs of
hot water - I have a microwave in my office and just nuke a cup
of water and sip away. Sometimes it is easier to get a cup of
hot or warm water down than a bottle of icy cold water.
You may have herbal tea and there are so many wonderful herbal
teas available on the market today. They have great fragrances,
too. I especially like Tazo® Passion Herbal Infusion (it is a
blend of hibiscus flowers and herbs) and Stash® Tea has a great
non-herbal tea called Chai Spice Tea. I take the tea bag for a
quick dip and use the tea bag several times over the course of
the afternoon.
I have another bottle of water in the afternoon. Bottles are
great ways of accurately measuring your water consumption.
Have a race with an office buddy. Check in with one another
every couple of hours just to see if they have had their water,
too. Another co-worker and I often meet during our breaks just
to walk around the building and to have a slurp together - it
gives us a tad bit of exercise, a change of scenery and a time
to encourage one another to drink to our health.
On my commute home, I have another 16 ounce bottle of water and
a "Bar in the Car." I feel satisfied and am NOT a Starvin'
Marvin the moment I walk in the back door. I feel energized and
my tummy is not growling. I used to come home from work and raid
the refer BEFORE preparing dinner. Now when I get home, I change
my clothes and go outside and putz for a while in the garden or
visit with my family.
BTW, according to Dr. Wayne Andersen, our friend and the Medical
Director for Take Shape For Life and Medifast, bars should NOT
be eaten for breakfast - after having fasted overnight, it is
important to have a shake or oatmeal for the first meal of the
day. The process to manufacture soy in the solid bar form
requires a tad bit more carbs and it will spike your blood sugar
level too much if it is the first thing to drop into your tummy
in the morning. Therefore, save your bar for later in the
afternoon. I find the commute an ideal time - it is tasty, gives
me the energy I need to fight the fierce traffic and arrive home
calm, cool and ready for the evening. Be sure to drink plenty of
water with your bar.
Keep a tally sheet - one of those Post-It Notes® with hash marks
on it for every glass of water you drink. Drinking water is
something that you can learn to do, make it one of your "rules"
to become healthier. You will optimize your health by including
water slurpage as part of your daily routine. Lift a glass and
say, "Good health to you!"
September Specials
Fit! Chocolate Ready- To-Drink was $2.49 NOW $1.99
Fit! Chocolate Bar was $50.50 NOW $42.50
Fit! Peanut Butter Bar was $50.50 NOW $42.50
Ready-To-Drink 55 French Vanilla was $2.49 NOW $1.99
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal was $13.00 NOW $11.00
Recipe Guide was $4.49 NOW $3.99
*while supplies last
Medifast Factoids - (Courtesy of Kathryn Huson taken from
an excerpt from an email sent to a new health advisor)
Because Medifast is medical food, we have the strictest
regulations, no other meal replacement/supplement out there is
under this classification and since we are Medical food we must
have the highest quality ingredients, though others may claim
they are and may be, they must understand we are regulated. Our
manufacturing plant is a FDA Certified facility. Also because we
are medical food we are required to list every ingredient on our
labels. All the other products you can buy since they are not
Medical food do not have the same regulation, thus if they have
less than 2% of any ingredient it doesn’t have to be listed.
Medifast lists everything, even if it’s a trace amount. Our
product line is 85% Kosher too.
When people say Medifast is expensive, they typically are
looking for an excuse and/or need to be further educated.
Medifast meals do average $2 a meal. You literally are
exchanging grocery stores. There is no sign up fee, weekly or
monthly dues, strictly the cost of the meals. When I started on
the program I was a single gal, just bought a house and had lots
of debt. I actually saved money with Medifast. I had 5-7 meals a
day which averages $10-14 a day but I didn’t do my usual trip to
Starbucks at $6 a whack for a latte and a muffin ($6 is three of
our meals for a day), no fast foods or eating out. This was my
plan of attack as I wanted to lose the weight as fast as
possible and in a manner that was safe and supported by the
clinical studies and abstract provided by John Hopkins
University, the premier teaching hospital in the world. (I know
of no other program with this kind of study and backing).
Literally, all I bought at the store was celery, bottled water
and bagged dog food for my Lab Cinnabar. Finally, one day at
Albertsons, a gal asked me what kind of diet are you on, as you
are losing weight right before our eyes. I must admit only
buying those 3 items week after week must have looked a little
odd. I laughed until my side ached and now she’s maintaining her
weight loss from our TSFL program too!
Notes
We have had several people call or email us for the $25
promotional discount codes after they have ordered. We'd just
like to let you know that you MUST contact us BEFORE you order.
Once your order is entered into the system, we can't credit you
with the $25 discount, so please call or email us 1st.
Well, we've torn off another page of the calendar - how time
flies! The holidays will soon be here. If you start "ripping
off" the top of a packet of Take Shape For Life's great products
this week, you'll be in great shape for the holidays! By the
time next month's newsletter rolls off the press, you could be
20-30 pounds lighter! Honest! Register as a new customer on our
website, call Terry today for the latest promotional code and
place your order.
For those of you already experiencing success on the program,
don't forget to tell your friends and loved ones that they too
could be 40-50 pounds lighter by the holidays..
Take Shape For Life - because YOU are worth it and because YOU
CAN! |
Medifast/Take Shape for Life are registered trade marks of Jason
Enterprises, Inc.
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