The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Serendipity]

Hi everyone. My name is JoAnn. I've been on MF for 5 weeks now and have lost 22 pounds. I was just searching for MF forums and found this one. It looks to be very organized and busy, busy, busy. That's great because I like alot of feedback and support.

My short story is: I lost 113 lbs. on MF 15 years ago. I was a very successful dieter then, but did not spend any time worrying about how I would keep my weight down. I thought that my desire to be thin would be enough to keep me in line. Well, NOT! As soon as I started eating real food, my weight began to skyrocket. I believe I gained back 20 lbs the first month and slowly put every pound back on. My next really bad choice was to swear off diets forever. I did that very successfully, lol, and actually have maintained my weight albeit very high for over 10 years. Now at age 49, my health is starting to suffer. When my BP medication failed to keep me in line, I had an almost immediate change of heart about diets. I guess as long as my health was good, I could stay in denial. Of course, the first "diet" I thought of was Medifast because I had been so successful before. I started on 10/15 and haven't looked back. It is so much better now with so many choices and an actual real food meal to boot! I'm losing very steadily, feel great.....just like last time with one exception. This time, I'm planning my maintenance strategy now. I figure, I have about a year to plan that and I will learn from people here, from reading, and from the support at MF just what I need to do. I'm thinking the key for me will be to make MF a life choice and to incorporate it partially in my life for good......I know there is no perfect answer, but I'm sure gonna try to make this my last trip down the scales.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you. You seem like a nice group.

Jo

[Unca_Tim]

Hi Jo and welcome to the forum,


Sounds like you've got 'er figured this time. With the help of our community and TSFL, you'll keep those pesky pounds off forever.

Stay in touch.....

[Michelle1210]

Hi joann,
what a happy accident, that you found us. that is the way I felt too
Welcome I just popped in for few seconds then back to preparing my home for company and dinner
I just started medifast oct 31 and i'am down 13 lbs.
Michelle

[Jan]

Hi Jo
You are soooo right, Diets don't work. We have to make a lifestyle change. If we part with the weight and then go back to our old eating habits another old part of us comes back too!! --the extra pounds. You will do well this time because you have learned this. Now, you are looking at things as a life change. Sure, once you are at goal you will be able to eat a goodie once in a while but you have learned to keep and eye on it. That's how we all maintain our weight loss. That is also why we refer to this as a program -- Take Shape for Life -- rather than a diet --diets and the "diet mentality" doesn't work!! Unless of course you want to live a weight loss yo yo life for ever
jan

[Serendipity]

Hi and thanks for the welcome. I'm a little surprised at how little action there is here. From reading old posts, seems it used to be much more lively. Anyone out there wanna make it that way again? I love communicating with fellow shrinkers.

[Hyperion]

Yeah, personally I'd love to see more action in this forum

[Michelle1210]

Ditto

[Lauren]

I'm here too, dying for some more activity! :-) I am at work all day, so I can't always be responding, but I keep it open on my desktop as a constant motivator, and I am always peeking to see if there is new conversation. Also, I am on the East coast, and it seems more of the posters are on the West, as it gets more lively around noon my time every day...hmmm.

How's everybody doing today?

Hyperion, I read your note yesterday about your mom, and I found it bitter sweet. Bitter for the obvious reasons, but sweet because you can take this time of challenge and use it for good, to improve the quality of your own life. Best of luck to you on that, and wishing your mom improved health and happiness.

Lauren

[Hyperion]

Hi Lauren, thanks for your kind words!

Me too, I keep the forum open at work as a motivator! And so far, it works!

As for my mother, bad & good news...

Good news is that it was not as bad as we expected. She can now walk "ok", without any help, she can get in the car, drive, etc... She just cannot do that for too long.

Bad news is that this experience, as freaking as it was for me, didn't seem to affect her as much as me. In fact, she just went back on her old habits: restaurants, bad eating, etc... You know, like when you go (went!) to McDonald's and get a ranch salad to give yourself good conscience. Then you spit a whole deal with an extra of ranch sauce, which in the end makes your salad fatter than a Big Mac. That's how she does now.

Or then, she goes to those "eat as much as you can" restaurants, and say that she was a good girl: "I only ate two plates". Indeed, two plates is better than her usual three, but man those plates were taller in food than the Everest mountain

Anyway, all that to say that I gave up on her. I'll concentrate on myself, and see how she reacts to my success. Right now, I have to face her reaction when I tell her at Christmas that I won't eat her food (which is delicious by the way) because I don't want to cheat on my diet.

I know if I cheat at christmas, I'll get depressed after seeing the results, and I'll eventually abandon. I always have been like that. And I don't want that to happen this time!!!

[Lauren]

Thanks for the reply, and letting me know about your mom, Hyperion. You are right to sort of "give up" on her for now, and take care of yourself. I sort of understand I think where she is in her head. It's like the weight is so bad that it has physically crippled her (briefly), and instead of being motivated now to make things better, she's sort of resigned herself to it. She probably feels like "what's the point?" You know? I never got that bad, but I can certainly recall lousy moments when clothes don't fit, or walking to bars with friends and getting tired because of my weight - and instead of that motivating me, it made me want to bury my face in food. So I understand it, and I suspect you do as well.

I think that she probably also has guilt for watching you struggle with your weight now, and that when she sees you lose a lot of weight, it will be a great stress lifted from her shoulders. That might prove helpful, and could get her spirits lifted and motivated. But the truth is, you are at a perfect age to be taking your life into your hands, you can turn it all around and have a happy and fulfilling adult life living as a normal active man, without the craziness of these food issues.

I started MF on 11/10, and have lost 15 pounds. But more than the weight coming off, the best thing I have noticed is that I don't spend nearly the same amount of time and energy thinking about food. I truly have more time on my hands - especially in the evenings. I quit smoking 7 months ago, and the best feeling was not always being worried about replenishing my cigarettes. I have the same feeling about food right now.

It's going to be a struggle for you during Christmas, but try to change what you associate with the holiday. It doesn't have to be about mom's cooking, it can be about relaxing, hanging with family, opening gifts, whatever. You know?

Lauren

[Hyperion]

Thanks Lauren,

You almost made me cry at office

Don't be so right next time

Everything about my mother makes me really emotional, because I don't think she realizes how I care for her. However, I cannot do both at the moment, and I have to understand that she must have some will in order for me to help her!

By the way, your loss is really impressive! And you really are good for quitting smoking, I never had that problem but friends told me it REALLY is hard: studies proved that quitting cigarette is harder than heroïn.

As for Christmas, yeah it's not all about food; however, for my mother, it is very important that the christmas meal is huge, good, etc... You know, turkey, bread, wine, cheese, homemade soup, cheesecake, etc! I suspect she thinks I'm having a hard time with MediFast, even though that's not true and I told her so. Going to the Christmas night and eating my soup/shake while the rest of family eats like porks (which is the word at christmas ), it's just not acceptable for her.

That's strange, because I warned my mother-in law that I wouldn't eat her food because of MF, and she was really happy for me to see I take my weight into consideration. She even proposed to tune down the meal for me not to get too incitated to her food. I laughed and told her that there was no problem, only letting me eat my food was enough. No need to throw away the traditional meal

I wish my mother would do the same...

[Lauren]

Ha! You already have a mother-in-law? Aren't you only 21? How old were you when you got married? I keep thinking about who I might've married if I married my boyfriends at 19-20-21, and it's not a pretty thought! :-)

Your mom NEEDS Mf to be hard for you, because she is still telling herself that there's no way a diet can work so easily, you know? So she is running a tape in her head that it's a waste of time, blah blah blah, it makes her feel better, and "allows" her to make the decision to not diet. Just prove her wrong.

Anyway, don't try to be a martyr during the holidays. If you are eating a lean/green, then save that for the meals, and have veggies and turkey or whatever. Or, if you aren't doing lean/green, then perhaps include a fast soup or crackers. Just make sure you feel your needs have been met - both physically and emotionally, or you will start picking at little things after the meal, when the stakes don't seem as high, but can be even more dangerous. You know?

I don't celebrate Christmas, as I am Jewish, but the holiday season is difficult no matter what the religion. The amount of cookies and cakes in our office has already tripled, and it will only get worse. So we will just have to be extra vigilant and keep chatting on these boards to get through it!

[Hyperion]

Hehe !!

Sorry I speak french so hmmm mother-in-law would be for me the mother of my girlfriend

We're not married yet, give me a break

Yeah, no matter the religion, it seems like commercial Christmas is becoming universal!!

I'm doing complete fast (only shakes/soup/oatmeal and sometimes bars), and so far I've been excellent at it. I just want to keep on this way.

I'll probably take your suggestion though; a fast soup + crackers will do me some good added to my usual shake/soup/bar

As for my mother, I think exactly the same as you. Seeing those diets in a negative view makes her life easier in accepting how she is. If MF actually worked and was easy, she would have problems with her body. Or maybe she will say that MF worked for me, but would not for her, as we don't have the same body, blah, blah blah


You know, when you're not ready to accept how you are, and what you have to do to correct that, you find all the best excuses in the world. I remember mine: "I'm not fat, I just have a big natural skeleton". Hahaha!!

[Lauren]

Ha! Yeah, that "big-boned" thing only goes so far...pretty soon people can't even see the bones, because they're covered in all our fat! :-)

Thanks for clearing up that married thing, I was wondering if people in Quebec start young! ha! I hope your girlfriend has been supportive. Does she have weight issues as well?

You are doing a kick-ass job on the diet, and just keep on keepin' on. Just do what you are doing, it's working so far, and it will continue to work.

[Hyperion]

Haha, no we don't get married that young in Québec. Usually, kids become before wedding, and I must say these days that official religious weddings tend to slow down.

In Québec, one wedding out of two breaks. That explains why people tend to marry in front of a lawyer instead of the church. Approximately, I think the average age for wedding here is about 23-25. However, there are exceptions. The cousin of my girlfriend married himself as he was 18!!!

Now THAT is young. Hmm, one year later, they split up.

My GF has been very supportive. I consider myself very lucky to have her as she's part of my success. Yeah, she has some weight issues too. After I took the decision to follow MF, she took the decision to get a hold of herself (2 weeks later). She's not on MF though, as she cannot bear the shakes. She is following another diet that her doctor recommended her; it's in a clinic. She eats things like muffin, cookies, pastas, etc, and she has the right to eat a salad with some 5-calories dressing on it.

Actually, it's not that bad. It's just that her food doesn't seem to have some appetite suppression ailment. She is often hungry. It's also 3 to 4 meals/day. A cookies's a meal. But she says that she prefers it that way because she still "eats" instead of "drink".

We try to support each other, and look forward to our future. After our "cure", we plan on maybe have a baby. Then, wedding may come, and who knows, a house near a lake? Haha, gotta dream!!