The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[gillian]

Ok. I have this goal that by Easter, I want to have lost another 20 pounds, which will bring me right below the BIG 200 mark. I will do this, as the weight is FALLING off me. People laugh at me because my clothes are falling off too... Anyway, I want to eat some chocolate and Mexican Food on Easter, as opposed to cooking a big ham and mashed pots like I usually do- do not want left overs... Is the only down side to this the falling out of keotosis? I can deal with that- but, I want real chocolate in a BIG way.
I know I should not reward myself with food, but I think I NEED chocolate. What do you recommend? How do the rest of you handle holidays?

[ascicles]

I'm kind of in the same boat. I am going on a trip to Las Vegas in May and while I can say that I will stick with the plan while I'm there, it simply isn't practical. When we go to LV, we generally leave our hotel at around 11 and don't return until after midnight.

My plan is to eat as healthy as possible, and start back on the plan as soon as I return. I know that this isn't the suggested route, but it's one that I knew I was going to take before I started the diet.

I'm sure I'll get yelled at for doing this, but I promise, I'll be back on medifast the day I return...hopefully without a big weight gain.

The ketosis headache is something I'm not looking forward to, but I am going to have to deal with it.

[FORMOMMY]

Gillian,

I have the same goal as you do!! I want to be down 40 pounds by Resurrection Sunday!!! Thankfully we go to my in-laws for dinner after church so I don't have to worry about leftovers. I am PLANNING on staying on track that day. I know that they always have veggies and ham since it is a brunch so I will have my Lean and Green for lunch instead of dinner. But if I do "mess up" it is good to know that on Monday, I can be right back in the groove again.

I was really blessed and never experienced the headaches when I started - actually I didn't have any hunger or headaches. But I may not be so blessed this time.

I guess I am going to do my best to stay on program but if something happens I am not going to beat myself up over it. I have made mini goals for myself and that is what I am focused on. As many people have said on this board, we are human and things happen. But with MF we know that weare 3 days away from being perfectly on track again.

You gotta love that!!!

[Lauren]

Hey, Gillian and Ascicles-

At the risk of seeming totally militant and relentless here, I think you should treat the holidays like any other day on MF - a day full of food you choose not to eat! I went through Thanksgiving by cutting up lots of extra veggies to have around the house (in case of emergencies!), preparing my own turkey (w/out all the butter) and being really proud and thankful that I could be there feeling good about myself. And then I went to Aruba over Christmas, and for a week I stuck to MF the whole time. I made oatmeal in the mornings, brought RTDs to the beach, ate L&G for dinners, had bars as mid-day snacks, and RTDs as dessert! It worked, and I lost several pounds while away.

So, why? Why shouldn't you go off the diet for a couple days? Why not have chocolate if you really want it? Look, you can choose to do anything you want, and you are the only one who knows if you have the power and desire to jump right on back after the event. I didn't want to take any chances, for one thing. But more importantly, I didn't WANT to go off the diet. Every single minute that I am on this darn diet I am losing weight. There has not been a moment of time that weight hasn't continued to fall off, and I refuse to take a single step back, because moving forward feels so good. Besides, the power that food has had in the past has been replaced by the power of feeling so much better.

Just like Nancy and others have said, one great way to stick with this diet is to really see it as medicine. We NEED this medicine to get better, feel better, make life better. You wouldn't stop heart or diabetes meds while on vacation, why stop this? Is the food that important?

An interesting thing: I am Jewish and while I am not super observant, I've always observed the high holidays, including Passover, which is the week when we can't eat bread or a million other things. I mentioned in passing to my mom about not knowing how to deal with MF during Passover, and she said out loud exactly what I was thinking: that our religion says that if you have any medical reasons you can't observe a holiday (like fasting on Yom Kippur), you should always honor your health first. Well, I am going to honor my health first, and do exactly what I would normally do on any other day. I am not going to break it and eat yummy macaroons or kuegel or any delicious Passover treats. I am not going to break it because it's not the right choice for me and because I have to believe that losing weight and getting really healthy is the best thing I can do for myself, my loved ones, and for any higher power looking down on me. :-)

Just my 2 cents, err, perhaps a nickel's worth. Whatever you all decide, I hope you have wonderful holidays and vacations and all good things!

Lauren

[Unca_Tim]

I've been patiently waiting for someone to comment on this one.
Lauren and Vicky....my exact thoughts.

[ascicles]

While I can definitely agree with the Holiday discussions, I just don't see how I could possibly stick with the plan in Las Vegas. I can't carry a backpack or anything like that into casinos, and I'm certainly not going to carry a purse! I could easily stick a bar into my pocket, but that would only cover me for a maximum of six hours (assuming I eat three hours before and three hours after).

If anyone has some suggestions, I would be happy to take them...but I can't think of anyway to make Medifast work when I will have no way to get to my food for 14 hours or so.

I'm not planning on taking the "well, I'm off my diet, so I'll eat whatever I want" route, but rather, the "I have to be off my diet for a day or two, so I am going to choose health conscious meals for the week I'm here" method.

[Guest]

Well,
ascicles, I opened this can of worms- When you come to Vegas, I will meet you every three hours with a shaker in my hand if that would help you... I am glad to say, I live within 20 minutes of anywhere in Las Vegas- so whereever you are, I will be there too. (The stalker with the shaker)

I am so grateful and honored that you all let me have it. Everytime I have wanted to take a bite of my daughters burrito, or lick the iceing off a slab of cake, I go back to wanting to wear a bathing suit in July... Going and sitting with my kids at the pool, wearing jeans and a tee shirt has been the worst the past few years- when people say "COMMON! GET IN!", I would quickly comeup with a reason why not- knowing the reason was I am fat! You are correct. If I want a reason to cheat, I can always come up with one. But, if I want to be healthy and HOT, I could come up with more reasons then one. There is no holiday that will get in my way, and I will not make any more excuses. I have come almost thirty pounds in the last month. There is a new confidence in life and I thank you all. Here is a hug. Thank you.

Oh. Also, I own a chocolate fountain rental company plus I handcraft cheesecakes for different venues here in town. Your right, the chocolate will still be there later.

[ascicles]

Well,
ascicles, I opened this can of worms- When you come to Vegas, I will meet you every three hours with a shaker in my hand if that would help you... I am glad to say, I live within 20 minutes of anywhere in Las Vegas- so whereever you are, I will be there too. (The stalker with the shaker)\

I'm going to hold you to that!

[lauradr]

Lauren and Vicky are right don't plan to cheat it want help you. please think about it, it will only hurt you in the long run

[lauradr]

ascicles, I just spent the weekend in Vegas and i did stay on track i did carry a purse with a long strap for my rtg and bars it worked great

[gillian]

i am the "guest"- sorry- forgot to log in

[ascicles]

ascicles, I just spent the weekend in Vegas and i did stay on track i did carry a purse with a long strap for my rtg and bars it worked great

Yeah, but I'm a guy. Carrying a purse wouldn't work too well...and I'm not wearing a fanny pack

[just_julie]

Wow, Gillian! That's a very generous offer! This group is amazing, isn't it?

Ascicles,

I've never been to Vegas. Can you ask the waitresses for a cup of hot water? Then you could make soups. The packets are small - they'll fit in your pocket. You can do it!

[MusicalMomma]

Interesting topic...

I'm going to give you both yet another perspective on Off Plan Moments. I was in Orlando two weeks ago, for a week. I did not stay on plan. I did NOT over eat, but gave myself an excuse to "celebrate" by eating off plan foods.

WELL, let me tell you, IT WAS NOT WORTH IT! Not only did I gain 3lbs, not only did I not feel well WHILE eating it, not only did it NOT taste as good as I was dreaming, not ONLY did it give me heart burn AND acid reflux....I HAD the WORST intestinal issues for ONE SOLID WEEK after returning! Sorry if this is too graphic...but ammodium AD and Preperation H were my best friends for one solid week! I learned a VERY valuable lesson and I think it's cured me from "cheating".

Sure, you can get back on program...but why suffer if you can avoid it! Just some food for thought.

ascicles, have a great trip! Gillian, have a wonderful Easter!

[FORMOMMY]

I totally agree with Vicky and Lauren - I don't see why I can't stay on plan on Easter as I have for other occasions since I started in January. I didn't mean to make it sound like I was taking the day off and therefore gillian should too.

I am glad that there are veterans on board that can tell it like it is - we all need that some times. I guess I need to get tougher and not worry about hurting someone's feelings. I didn't want to come down hard on gillian but I guess our health is more important than worrying about sounding nice.

Kudos to you Lauren and Vicky for your straight , no nonsense talk. Thank you.