The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[raederle]

Well, it looks like I have officially completed transition, according to the schedule I set up for myself. Because I was already on the 5 & 1 plan, and because I had already added an extra serving of veggies in my last couple weeks on the program, I essentially started at MF's "Phase 4," and completed that phase, thru phase 6, in 14 days. In those 2 weeks, I ended up losing another couple of pounds, which was very gratifying because I *really* thought I'd screw something up, and was desperately afraid that the pounds would return overnight. Irrational, I know, but part of me feels like this goal weight is just a fleeting dream, and one day I'll wake up and be 150 or 180 pounds again...

Anyway, the MF Transition Guide advises us to follow a 1200 - 1500 calorie plan, ideally low-carb, for a little while. Not sure how long that means for me (I imagine it's a very individualized decision based on length of time on MF and your own metabolism and experience), and I'm not sure how long it'll take my metabolism to reach a point where eating 1800 - 2000 cals a day won't make me gain. I think I'll just continue to eat 5 mini-meals a day plus a lean & green dinner, which will probably include some whole grain carbs now. I guess my goal will be to focus my eating around lean protein, whole-grain carbs in moderation, and fresh veggies and fruits. I'll aim for around 1500 cals and will continue to exercise nearly every day-- about 30 minutes of moderate to fast walking on the treadmill plus a light weight routine 3 times a week. I think Success In a Shaker Jar is right when it says consistency is more important than intensity when it comes to exercising thru transition, because I haven't been breaking any land speed records on the treadmill, but the weight continues to come off despite added calories, albeit more slowly.

Sooo... here's my plan for this week:

7 AM - 3/4 cup kashi cold cereal (they make a hi-protein, hi-fiber version that's awesome) with 1/2 cup skim and 1/2 oz dried cranberries just for fun -- 175 calories

10 AM - 3/4 cup ff plain yogurt and a small banana -- 200 calories

1 PM - MF soup, bag of baby carrots, bag of baked soy chips, diet pepsi -- 250 cals

4 PM - Soy protein bar -- 240 cals

7 PM - Lean & green dinner, plus serving of grain (1/2 cup rice, couscous, pasta; or small baked potato) -- 400 cals or so

8:30 - Workout

9:30 PM - MF hot cocoa or low-cal frozen fudgie pop-- 100 cals

(Plus the usual daily deluge of H2O!)

That adds up to 1365 calories, so I figure that, on any given day, I should be staying within the right calorie range. I just need to be careful to weigh everything before eating, plan ahead so I always have a legal meal or snack at hand, and avoid buying foods that come in bulk containers that are easy to pick at (like roasted peanuts, candies, ice cream, cool whip...). I gotta become queen of the single serving size container!

Cross your fingers, everyone! I'm takin' the leap!

[24KaratGold]

Linda Spangler needs to write a "Life After Medifast" book.

Blaze this trail for us, Rae. I have said before that I know how to gain weight, and I know how to lose weight, but I don't know how to stay at the same weight. Good luck, and stay with us!

By the way, about the ff yogurt: I found a new Yoplait lo-fat yogurt product at the grocery this last week -- it's lo-carb too. It has 2.5 grams of fat, 8 grams of protein, 8 carbs, and 90 calories. My grocery carries blueberry creme, strawberry creme, and peach creme. Because I'm trying to prepare a bit for some different foods while in Hawaii next week, I have tried the blueberry and the strawberry this past week (replacing one MF shake), and they are quite yummy.

[doglover]

Oh my gosh Rae - you really are taking a leap! I know you can do it and your prep sounds fabulous! From this side of things it sounds like a lot of food, but I know in reality it is not! Please stay with us and let us know how it is going. Let me know if you are having any physical/emotional/mental things going on as I want to prepare through you! You don't mind do ya??

Thank you for being such a good role model!

I know JUST what you mean about this being a fleeting deam! I am so afraid to step on the scale that it will not be hard at all to wait until next Sunday! I am still so worried that I saw the numbers wrong - even thought I stayed there for a full minute looking at the scale!

Thanks again friend!
Donna

[want2Bthin]

Rae-
It sounds like you have really got it together. You are going to do awesome. I am confident you will maintain your wonderful size 4. Great job.

Angelia

[scrabbler7]

Thank you Thank you Thank you, Jodie.

So many of us have the fear of "after Medifast". And we all are waiting for our day to come to forge out on our own. You are making that so much easier for all of us -- showing us all the "right" way to do this. It's all about planning, preparing, and setting yourself up for success. Those are things that MF has taught us ... but also has provided the tools to succeed at it in little tiny packets. You are showing us it is possible to succeed at it in the world of food.

I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate it - as I'm sure others will be along to say.

A huge hug to you for all your efforts and your giving nature.

[bikipatra]

as others have said...thanks so much for allowing us to benefit from your experience. I need to hear it. I was quite thin 117-125 and 5'7 most of my adult life. I was one of those annoying people that ate anything she wanted. Of course, I drank too much coffee and smoked cigarettes but I still ate some yummy food in big portions. A part of my mind thinks when I get thin again I will be like that again. However, I need to remember my metabolism is different and I am on meds that promote weight gain. I also have led a VERY sedentary lifestyle for a few years. I used to be on the go from 6am to 11pm! In a few weeks I will start exercising again. In a resaonable sensible way not my all or nothing addictive way!!

[raederle]

Thank you, guys, for your support and encouragement! Interestingly, it doesn't feel like I've really left MFing, I guess because I still am following the MF pattern-- 6 meals a day, tons of water, daily light exercise, and planning all meals ahead of time in small portions. I still package all my meals for the next day ahead of time (the night before), and bring to work only what I will eat that day-- that way I won't be tempted to eat more than my allotted ration. Kinda sad that I need to use these tricks to keep myself from binging, but hey, recognizing the problem is the first step to solving it, right?

I also can't imagine not coming to this board to keep posting, reading, and checking in. I firmly believe that this support forum is at least 80% responsible for my success on MF-- I sure didn't have anything like this during my first 156 diets, and they didn't work out so well! So I can't give it up when I'm trying to maintain; I think I'll *always* need the accountability and friendship here! Who else would understand what I've been through? What we've *all* been through?

Anyhoo, thanks for the yogurt tip, 24K! I love yogurt and am always looking for new stuff to try. My favorite was always the kind with fruit on the bottom, but there's so much sugar in those that I have to pass 'em up now. *Sniff.* But thank goodness for Splenda and modern manufacturing-- they now make a Blueberry Creme flavor?!?! Awesome!

Oh, one thing I need to report-- I had pasta last night with my lean & green dinner (4-oz filet mignon on the grill with asparagus). We made it from scratch, and I used egg substitute for most of the required egg, and included some whole wheat flour to try and get some whole grains in there. Good start, right? But I snitched a few pieces of the pasta while making it, and then had a bigger serving than I think I should have-- I estimate about a cup after cooking. At least, I guess it was too much, because this morning I woke up with a mild tummy ache. It's gone away now, but I think it was a gentle warning to use white-flour-type carbs only in moderation, and in *small* quantities when adding them back in after transition. Sad thing is, I felt soooo guilty about how much I'd had last night that I hopped on the treadmill at 10:00 pm and racewalked for 45 minutes. I'm not sure what's worse-- slipping up and having an extra ounce of pasta, or reacting like a psycho and neurotically working out to "un-do" the damage. I'm just so afraid of gaining this weight back... I guess after I see that I can stay at this weight for several weeks, I'll feel more secure about it.... But like Donna says, I'm afraid to step on that scale and see a gain. I feel like I've won the lottery but everyone's out to steal my winning ticket from me before I can cash it in.

Man, maybe I need therapy more than weight loss!

[BSmith]

Rae, I can relate to what you are saying and doing before I even get to maintenance. This is the only diet that has ever worked for me in a very long while. Thanks for being so brave as to share your true feelings and your new journey with us all. Keep blazing that maintenance trail for all of us as you share what works!

Blessings, Bess

[raederle]

Thank you, Bess, for your kind words! You've inspired me to add an update for the week...

Not much to report, which is a good thing, I think! This week I basically followed a 6-meal-a-day plan, trying to stay at around 1300 - 1500 cals per day. I tended to have lean dinners most nights, but did "splurge" a couple of times by going out for Italian food (grilled chicken with white wine sauce, with a slice of bread & small side of spaghetti) one night and eating "dinner" (dry popcorn and diet coke) at the movie theater another night. I was petrified that I'd screw things up, but everything seems to be okay. I planned ahead to have those not-so-good dinners by eating especially light during the day and by exercising a bit more. (DH and I went for a walk, went to the driving range, and washed our cars in addition to my daily half-hour fast walks this weekend.) I didn't get sick or have any kind of gastric issues, which is nice, and the scale still shows 124, which I'm pretty excited about. I imagine that my weekly routine will probably be to eat pretty lean all week so I can go out on the weekend and have some extra calories without worrying about gaining. To me, a few extra calories means I can have sushi (with rice!), black bean soup, and the occasional glass of real beer. I don't ever want to return to the days of downing an entire plate of nachos by myself, or ordering (and finishing) huge cheeseburgers and cheesesteaks when I go to a restaurant. I want to stay in the habit of looking for grilled lean meats, steamed veggies, and green salads... only now, I can eat the side of black beans or baked potato! Yay!

On another topic... losing my flabbage has revealed muscles I didn't know I had, which is awesome. (I *like* wearing sleeveless shirts now! Can you believe it???) I'm inspired to get more active and stay that way, which is weird for me. I now look forward to hopping on the treadmill every night, and sometimes I get so into it I don't even realize I've been walking for 30 or 45 minutes or longer. Whoda thunk it?!?! I also decided to try and kick it up a notch and get more serious about developing some strength; after reading the posts in the Gymnasium about Pilates, I decided to give it a try-- I ordered a DVD and am gonna start adding it to my routine a few nights a week. Woo-hoo! Exercise is definitely more fun when you're not angry at your own body for being so misshapen...

Anyway, sorry for the rambling post-- short version is: so far, so good!

[bk]

Rae - I'm so excited for you how well you're managing transition! I think in an overall healthy eating plan, it's not if you have a "bad" day (or shall we call it a higher-calorie day), but that you compensate for it afterwards! I have done some calculating in my brain, and it is VERY few calories extra a day (50-100) that will cause a MASSIVE weight gain over time. The key is, as you're doing, to watch out for any gain and take care of it right away. Continuous feedback cycle!

Before we know it, Rae is going to be r-i-p-p-e-d!!!!!!

[BSmith]

Rae, sounds like you are making wise lifestyle choices. Something I am going to have to work on, when my turn comes. Keep up the good work!
Blessings, bess