The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[alley]

Hi there.

I'm new to the medifast thing. I haven't started yet, but have ordered 2 weeks of materials to give it a shot.

I'm sort of at my wits end with myself. I'm only 24 and I weigh an absolutely disgusting 250 lbs. Just thinking about it makes me start crying. Some people have the excuse of being big bonned, but I don't. I was a really petite little kid, but since my family are a big bunch of emotional eaters, they taught me to be that way too. We never cooked dinner, we ordered a pizza. It's a lifetime of bad habits.

I've been about the same weight (or at least I assume I have...I only recently worked up the nerve to try a scale....I have been in the same jean size though) for about 5 or 6 years. This leads me to believe that I don't have a problem with maintenance. I have a completely different schedule than my relatives ( I live with my sis and bro in law), so their eating has nothing to do with me. I don't eat that much most of the time. My main problems are getting bored/depressed and then having a binge session. Gross.

I decided to try medifast because I just need something to jump start this whole process. I need to show myself some solid results that will motivate me to continue losing. I also want to get down to a point where I feel good again...where I don't hate myself. I don't remember what it feels like to not be fat. I'm sick of being the fat best friend and having everyone tell me how cute my friends are and ask me how to hook up with them. I just need out of this body.

I have some concerns. Mainly, three. One, I work at a tourist attraction and there's nothng healthy to eat around there at all, so temptation is all around me. Not to mention that once a week, I'm expected to go out with my co-workers to have lunch at one of these less than savory places and if I say I'm not going, people will think something is wrong with me. Second, once a week I go out with my co-workers for drinks and pool at a bar near work. I love going, and I would miss doing it. If I don't drink, they're going to think something is wrong with me. I know the answer to this would be to tell my co-workers that I'm on medifast, but I don't want to. When I talk about weight, I start to cry, not to mention, I'm positive they wouldn't approve of losing weight as quickly as is possible on medifast.

Thirdly, since I am on the heavy side, I'm scared of having excess skin....there's no way I could afford surgery to have it removed and my insurance probably wouldnt cover it because it would be considered cosmetic. I'm worried that I'll feel even worse about myself standing in front of a mirror with a bunch of skin hanging off of me than I do being fat.

I guess it's all pretty trivial. I just need some guidance and support.

(and an editor..wow...this is a long post! )

[Guest]

First off, this is NOT trivial. I read this and completely related to every single thing you listed.

I will address the loose skin issue first. Honey, you're 24. I am about the same age as you and weigh about the same. Unless you have has kids it's probably not going to be a big issue. Your skin will firm up. You're young and have great elasticity. I wouldn't sweat that too much. Once you have been on the program a month start incorporating exercise a little bit. That's what I plan on doing. I think you'll be fine.

As for your friends...It's tough doing this secretly. I am not sure what to tell you on that. I think it really comes down to sacrifice. Or maybe telling one of them in private? Possibly? I think they will understand. I always was hesitant to tell people about my weight issues. But honestly... it's not like my friends couldn't SEE that I have them. Once I realized that it was easier to talk about it with them. But everyone is different.

I wish you the best of luck.

[Zinkette99]

Ok sorry that Guest was me.

[pinkflamingonewsgirl]

Hey Alley!

I don't think your concerns are trivial at all! I agree with Zinkette99 about the skin thing. I'm 21 and losing weight on Medifast, so I've had a lot of the same concerns. As for your friends, you don't have to worry about not going with them. You can have your Lean & Green anytime during the day. So when you go out to lunch, just make sure your food fits in with that and do Medifast for the rest of the day. As for going out to the bar, just don't have alcohal. You can have a Diet Coke (or Pepsi) or water and still have fun with your friends. You don't need beer to have fun.
My family is full of emotional eaters as well. We did a lot of eating out and fast food. Then my mother had a stroke because of her diabetes in December '05. So we all decided to lose weight. We started off with changing some of our diet and that didn't work very effectively. That's when we heard about Medifast. We've all been on for 7 weeks now (my dad, mom, and I) and the results have been great. My dad has lost almost 50 pounds, my mom has lost nearly 20 pounds, and I've lost 15.5 pounds. I have thought about the difficulties when I get back up to school and having to be around friends not on the diet, but I just keep my goal in mind. Like you, I don't want to be the fat friend anymore. If you ever feel alone in your battle, just know that you're not. I understand you.

[dede4wd]

I LOVED your posts! Your concerns DEFINITELY aren't Trivial!

As for the skin...I'm 10 years older than you and have lost 85 lbs on MF. My skin is firming up nicely! I have no problems with it! With your youth, it should bounce right back!

I also am an emotional eater...But I just PROMISED myself I'd stick to the plan for ONE MONTH, no cheating, no excuses, no BS and see what happened. Well, 26.4 lbs happened in a month. I didn't have to make that promise the second month! If you decide that getting the weight off, being healthy and being more attrative are more important than the things that tempt you, you'll do GREAT! The first 3-4 days SUCK, don't get me wrong, but after you get through that, the hunger is gone and I just felt better!

As for the job...I work in TV for Nascar and IRL racing. Nothing there but carnival food. I do my MF meals while I'm at the track and then when I get to where I can have a legal L & G, that's when I do it.

As for the meals out with the group...I can find something to eat that's allowed almost anywhere...just order meat and veggies.

I go out with the "boys" 3+ nights per week. Only a few people in this group know I'm on the program. I just get Diet Coke in a rocks glass with a twist of lime. They don't know what I'm drinking. If you choose not to tell people, you don't have to! If you DO choose to tell them, they can be helpful keeping you on the program. It's up to you. I waited about a month until I was sure I was going to stick to it, then I told people and most have been VERY supportive because they just want me to be happy and know the weight was one of the things making me unhappy and compounding the other things...

Sorry I went on so long, but you sound like a young version of ME! Ask us anything you need, PM me if you need to, I KNOW you can do this!

DeDe

[Laura]

Welcome. I am new to MF, started on 5/5. I was reluctant to tell family and friends more out of fear of failing in front of everyone than anything. I recently went on a vacation with 17 family members and it would have been very difficult not to tell them. All were VERY supportive. Be prepared that people will be "concerned" about something they may consider to be drastic. I am doing this because I decided it was time and I believed MF would work for me. One of the primary reasons I chose MF is because like so many obese people, I eat emotionally. I feel like if I can take food out of the picture and still deal with life then at the end of my weight loss journey I won't just go back to the old habbits that got me here in the first place. If you have truely made this choice for yourself then stand up for yourself and do what is right for you. If you can't be in a particular place with friends and co-workers and stay on target, don't go there. I consider this a battle for my life. I started at 340.5 and who knows how high that number would climb without serious change!!? After 5 weeks, I had lost 41.5 pounds. Be proud of yourself and celebrate each and every little victory. You have the power to make your life what you want it to be. Let go of excuses and just do it!! I know you can succeed.

[Elke]

Welcome to the group, I hope you find strength in yourself thru loosing weight.

[Arklahoma]

Welcome to the boards!!!

You've already received great advice, so I don't think there's really anything new that I can add. Just keep coming to the boards. Read/Post often. It is often the only thing that keeps me compliant.

[MyFriendTT]

Hi Alley. Welcome to the board. Most people have similar concerns to yours. I take an evening class and when we have a break in the middle, I'll eat my bar or a shake. In fact, several of the people in my class who are not on MF eat a protein bar or have a protein shake at that time, so no one looks twice at me.

You also mentioned that you were from a family of emotional eaters. If that is the case, you may consider getting some additional support to help you with that. My family is the same way and so I grew up being an emotional eater. I did a program like MF 15 years ago when I was your age, but I couldn't maintain it because I only solved the symptom (weight), not the cause (emotional eating) so eventually I gained the weight back as stress mounted in my life.

I tried tons of programs and finally found one that worked for me -- in fact, for the most part, food is just fuel to me now, and not something to comfort myself or help me through depression, boredom or whatever stress of the moment. I don't know if its appropriate to post the program I'm using here, so if you are interested, send me a PM.

Welcome and best of luck to you.

TT