The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[BumbleBee]

Hi Nancy,

I was just so taken by your profile. Wow what a loss! I wanted to hear from someone who has had to maintain to keep it off. Please tell me your secret. The loosing part seems to be easy compared to keeping it off. Do you still drink the shakes in place of a meal? 5 small meals a day including dinner?? Please share. I have 25 more pounds to go and want to make sure that once I meet my goal I will be able to maintain.

Thanks bunches

[Nancy]

Hey there, Miss Bee ~

Thank you for your kind note.

You are SO right - losing weight is relatively easy compared to weight maintenance...

This is a lifelong battle of the bulge - it is easy to become overly confident if one is not careful. I will never ever be able to eat the way I did BM (before Medifast) if I intend to maintain my weight loss.

I believe that many of us think that this is a temporary thing- pizza denial is only temporary and to a certain extent, that’s true because once we get the job done, we may indeed have it all – just not have ALL of it. ( Unlike people who have gastric by-pass surgery who for the most part, cannot have it all or they will get sick ).

I do the things that have proven to be the 'secrets' for permanent weight loss – Dr. Andersen’s BeSlim Philosophy is where it is. It mirrors the findings for those successful losers on the National Weight Loss Registry, too.

Every day I eat breakfast. Since the first day I started my weight loss program on July 15th, 2002 I have eaten breakfast. For nearly 7 months, I had a shake for breakfast and now I always have Medifast oatmeal. Without fail.

I endeavor to exercise most every day. I have been remiss lately because of the things currently pressing in on me and it shows – it is a great stress buster and it keeps my metabolism in prime working order. The years of yo-yo dieting and my autoimmune disorder have messed up my metabolism big time.

Support – accountability is vital. I weight every day – unlike my BM days – the only time I used to weight was when I had a doctor’s appointment. I have to keep my weight at a normal range or I would not be able to do what I do…

Lean and low is my motto for the foods I choose.

Yes, I eat Medifast every day – it keeps me fueled, the cals are low and the protein/carbs/fats are in perfect balance. We recommend that people have 5-7 small meals a day, spaced out every two to three hours to maintain a steady blood sugar and to avoid cravings. I have frequent small snacks – I eat broccoli, cauliflower, green olives stuffed with garlic (or jalapeño peppers or blue cheese!), pickles and pickled vegetables.

Hopefully this doesn't sound like a DO NOT list - these are some things I CHOOSE to do for my health and mental well-being:

I don’t eat fruit very often and when I do, it’s an apple or Marionberries (a wonderful northwest berry – sort of a combination blackberry/loganberry) or blackberries. Fruit really spikes my blood sugar. I am diabetic but fruit really twangs my blood sugar up there and I feel it. When I eat fruit or pie, I eat it with protein - not on an empty stomach.

As a rule, I do not eat rice or white potatoes (unless I am visiting Red Robin and I eat French fries….). I love baked yams. I do not eat much bread – just my favorite bakery bread or occasionally Cheddar Bay biscuits at Red Lobster…

I have a healthy dinner – grilled chicken or fish, a big salad and steamed veggies. For lunch, I sometimes have cottage cheese or a poached or boiled egg and shrimp with a green salad.

We usually have dessert on Sundays – Marionberry pie with ice cream or an ice cream sundae at Cold Stone Creamery.

When I have something I want, I have it and I have the best that there is. I am careful how I spend my calories – wouldn’t ever think about eating an Oreo – why waste the calories on a bland cookie filled with Crisco when I can have some of my favorite home-baked oatmeal cookies with raisins and walnuts?

Why eat plain old greasy tasteless tater chips that clog my arteries when I could have fresh salsa and crunchy celery?

I haven’t eaten pizza since the summer of 2002. Haven’t had any popcorn either since July 14th, 2002. I could have them if I wanted to…pizza won’t easily wash off a plate with hot running water so I think my body would have a hard time washing it outta my arterial system and it is not the best look for my hips so I choose to not have it. Just haven’t had to have any so far!

It is sort of like balancing a checkbook. Some days I am over-drawn, I get busy and get on an austerity program, and then some days I am even! I have a plan that works for me – you are younger and may very well be able to eat more than I do and not gain weight.

I suppose in a way I eat a modification of the 5 and 1 - sort of a 4 and 2 with nibbly snacks sprinkled throughout the day.

Breakfast: Medifast Oatmeal
Morning: Women’s Health shake
Lunch: salad and meat/fish/cottage cheese/shrimp/egg or a shake or a bar
Afternoon: Women’s Health shake
Snack: fast soup and crackers or a wad of raw veggies with salsa
Supper: lean and green-green (salad with low fat/low cal dressing and steamed veggies)
Snack: Medifast shake and olives or a few almonds, a wedge of cabbage or pickled garlic, hot peppers…
Nightcap: Medifast Chai Latte or French Vanilla oatmeal
Middle of the night: sometimes I have a RTD or half a bar about 3:30 AM I keep a RTD bedside and a partial bar or a few almonds. If I awaken and feel hungry, I have it!

We all have different furnaces and some of you lead very active lives and can better tolerate carbs. Some of us have resistant metabolisms.

Research shows that for best weight maintenance, we need to keep our calories and carbs low, have a good source of protein and exercise – within reason. I love it that I do not have to run a marathon every day to keep my weight under control. Some of you are exercising machines – if you are, you can eat a lot more than I can. I’ll watch you sweat it up and hand you a towel when you’re through as long as it doesn’t interfere with my coffee slurpin’ and magazine lookin’.