The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[lookinfinein09]

oh thank you soo much i was losing hope with the medifast people..and no i have a personal trainer that trains me in the gym. I would love to have a health coach as well this would be great. Ok I will call nancy when i get back into town on Monday. Thank you soo much.

[Nancy]

Dear LookinFine and Guest ~

I wanted to chime in here and welcome you to MakeMeThinner. I wish you the best and am so thankful that NickieLuv was right there alongside Unca Tim to assist you. Thank you both for your excellent support and assistance!

(I apologize for being absent - one of these days, I'll fill you in on the details.)

During the first few days to a week on the program, some people experience a headache. It is nearly always the result of not drinking enough water. As your body adjusts to the program, you will feel great and the headache will be gone. I've found that sometimes when people begin a healthier regime, they reduce or eliminate the amount of pop and coffee/tea that they were drinking prior to the the program. They also increase their activity level. When one goes cold-turkey or significantly reduces their usual caffeine ingestion, it may result with a nasty headache.

The Medifast meal replacements are slightly dehydrating and it is necessary to replace that which you eliminate: you will be running to the potty a lot initially! Drink a MINIMUM of 8 glasses of water per day.

It is important to wash away the by-products of fat-burning - it will wash those toxins right outta your bod! Herbal tea, iced tea or hot tea, calorie-free/carb-free pop or drinks like Crystal Light or the Medifast Momentum Flavor Infusers or the Antioxidant Flavor Infusers can be part of your intake. Be careful with the caffeine though because you may be more sensitive to it and we don't wantcha feeling too wild or getting shaky and spill your shakes! It is best to not have more than three caffeine-laden drinks during the weight loss phase.

The actual recommendation is to take your current weight in pounds, divide that number in half. Once you have that number in your noggin, drink that many OUNCES of water. So...a 200 pound person would need to drink a minimum of 100 ounces of water. Yeah, I know. That's a lotta water - like slurping a swimming pool, eh?

Re: your workout regime...during the first three weeks of the Medifast Program, it is needful to not over-do it. Since you mention you have been exercising for two months, you do not need to stop exercising but it is needful to cut the length of your workout and the intensity of your workout in half while your body is adjusting to the program.

It is a good idea to have a shake about 15-30 minutes prior to your workout and a bar about 15 minutes to half an hour after the workout. That will provide your body with the fuel it needs for the work session. Drink more water than usual during your workouts. The maximum length of time a workout should be for people on the 5 & 1 Program is 45 minutes. If your workout is longer than that, it will be necessary to add more fuel; a health coach can assist you with a customized program.

Have a good weekend and keep on keepin' on - this program is excellent

[lookinfinein09]

Nancy,
Thanks So much for all the great info. I have one more question. I was doing only shakes but I switched to the variety pack so I can actually "EAT" something is this going to slow down my progression of weightloss? I hope not I just couldnt handle only shakes. Not right now anyway? Happy Medifasting everyone and thank everyone for making me so welcome like a member of this Happy Medifasting family....

[Nancy]

Dear LookinFinein09 ~

Naw, having other meal replacements will not slow down your progress; going off the program i.e. eating larger portions of the L & G, skipping packets, eating foods not on the program such as fruit, alcohol, crackers, bread, cookies, etc, you get the idea...WILL slow down the progress. Modify the program, you get modified results.

The meal replacements are all designed with just about the same nutritional footprint. The protein/carb/calorie levels are very similar.

The only items that are NOT similar are
* the Medifast "Maintenance" meal bars that have the green wrappers - limit yourself to uno (1) Maintenance bar per day as part of your 5 & 1 plan - they have more cals & carbs than the other meals replacements. Most people prefer the Crunch bars - 110 cals and nutritionally interchangeable with the other meals
* Snack items such as the Multi-grain or Garden Vegetable Crackers, the Soy Crisps, the Flavor Infusers - they are NOT complete meal replacements.
The MF snack crackers and the Soy Crisps may be scarfed one packet per day.
The Momentum Flavor Infusers may be slurped up to three times per day - watch out for the caffeine if you are a sensitive-type
the Antioxidant Infusers may be slurped responsibly.

Do not skip packets.
Do not skimp on the L & G - it may be eaten at any time of the day. If you can't eat it all, cut it in half (both the protein and the veggie portion) and eat half now and the other half a couple of hours later.
Drink that water!
You'll do fine.
It can be rough the first few weeks as you create new habits, learn to de-stressify yourself in new non-foody ways and keep your goal to get healthy and to BE healthy foremost in your mind, you are gonna be struttin' that mighty-fine-in-oh-nine self of yours and you'll feel so awesome you will wish you had started in '08!

[lookinfinein09]

i love you nancy! !

[Nancy]

Love you, too!

[lookinfinein09]

Ok, Nancy I have a question. I am still a little less that a month into this so I am trying to figure out how it will work for me. So I have decided the shakes are ok and I can handle them and I love the bars ALL OF THEM!!! I also work third shift so Can I do the diet like this

I wake up at 3pm so...

3pm shake

6pm Bar

9pm Shake

12am Bar

3am Shake

6 am Lean and green Plus my water I have been drinking alot of that then exercise when I get home to richard simmons (TONE & SWEAT ) HEE HEE

[Nancy]

Dear Newbie ~

You schedule looks great - I especially am pleased that you are having your 'breakfast' within a very short time of leaping out of bed! Good for you to begin your day with an important fueling plus it gets your metabolism engaged.

Your meals are evenly spaced which will enable your body to have consistent access to energy and nutrients - you will feel well and be able to avoid craving & caving in to tempting non-program foods plus it will establish one of Dr. A's Good Health Habits - eating small low cal/low fat meals regularly will maintain normal blood sugar levels.

Kudos on the water intake that you are doing all day long. That is good to know that you are not waiting until you get home to stockpile your water all at once, the body does need continual water refreshment throughout the day.

Glad to hear that you are spending time with Richard he will keep you motivated to move and you will have fun doing it. Start slowly...remember, the 5 & 1 Program provides enough fuel for the average person's daily energy needs and up to 40-45 minutes of exercise. If you exercise too intensely or for a longer length of time, you may need more food. Your Health Coach can assist you to devise an adjustment to the program if needed.

Exercise is not as important during the weight loss phase; once you reach transition and maintenance, it is needful for good heart (and mental!) health.

re:

so Can I do the diet like this

Yikes! Dr. A would harm me if I don't talk about that word in red ^ up there!
Diets do not work long-term. Pardon me for being bold, but I must be so!
Traditionally, people look at a 'diet' as a temporary thing they go on (and then go off of!). Our TSFL Program teaches us step by step habits that create a new way to live; we learn great information, coupled with the research and proven methods and by becoming engaged with others we will be able to enjoy a lifetime of health - not just for a month or two but for the rest of our days! Yeah! Those of us who have kept off the el-bees (lb), primarily do so by continuing to eat according to the BeSlim acronym
Breakfast
Exercise
Support
Low fat/low Cal meals eaten every 3 hours
Individual Plan
Monitor weight regularly

I'm so glad you've joined us; you are off to a great beginning. I love it that you are planning your meals in advance - that is a key for weight loss and wt. mgt. It also helps when you shop - it cuts down on time in the store which helps to eliminate temptations. Have a good Independence Day weekend!
When we follow the program, we will be independent of flabber!

[lookinfinein09]

I apologize for asking so many questions. But I have another one hee hee. Is it ok to have a can diet drink every once in a while? Or should I avoid those all together ?