The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[BerkshireGrl]

Good evening all!

I have two questions for you all:

First, what was your breaking point that made you decide This Is It? That is, what made you try such an unusual diet in the form of Medifast?

Second, what good side effects have you noticed since starting, besides the awesome weight loss?

I thought both of these would be fun to read about, both for the newbies and the seasoned MF veterans on the forum force!

[ljm498]

Two great questions! Well, for me, my breaking point was that I was the largest I had EVER been and just plain old felt lousy. I had also allowed (sp?) my picture to be taken and for some reason I didn't know how big I really was until then. I mean I knew, but the picture really made it really clear to me that something had to be done. I knew that I had tried Optifast before and it did work really well for me but it was very expensive and really no variety. I did some research on-line and remembered Medifast and checked it out. I knew this is something that would work for me and I really wanted to do it. But still wasn't sure if we could afford it or not. And then, a very odd sequence of events happened that provided us with some extra cash and then I was suddenly seeing MF advertised here and there and I had never seen MF advertised before. I became convinced this was something that I was meant to do and that God was leading me in this direction. So, here I am on the road to healthyville.

Second question, side effects. As far as the first three days I had very little side effects thankfully. No headaches or anything like that. But, one thing that has happened to me is I have SO MUCH energy it's crazy! Before, if I had free time I would plop my tail down on the couch and watch tv and had no ambition or energy to do anything. NOW, forget it, as soon as I put my son down for his nap, I have my lunch and then I'm busy busy busy for the next 2 to 3 hours while he sleeps. I actually built our railings on our back porch this summer and painted them with three coats of white paint. After that we built a new side porch and I did the dress boards and painting etc for that. I'm also so organized with housework now. That was completely unheard of before! If I sit on the couch after eating lunch, I get antsy and say to myself, well, nothing's gonna get done sitting here and off I go!

So, there ya go! Looking forward to reading everyone else's responses!

[Tk]

Ok, my breaking point was because I have sever edema. I swell very bad and very painfully. Dr told me to loose weight and the edema will be less sever and less painfull. I saw an Ad in my magazine and decided to try it. The awsome side effect was the energy level, and the get up and go to excersise after a long day at work. I still get edema, right now my legs and ankles are 2 big ballons, but it's been very hot and muggy. The Dr. told me today that when the weather cools down, my ankles should go down.

[mytime]

I had lost 40 pounds in order to get pregnant with our daughter. I had lost it on Atkins, but it seemed like after she was born I could not lose the weigth on Atkins or anything else. And I had gained it all back and then some. Then 3 things happened - 1. A girl I went to school with in my moms office lost a bunch of weight very quickly and was keeping it off my mom said she was always eating oatmeal My mom looked in the trash and read the lable and low and behold !!! MF - but I did not want to try a "liquid diet." 2. Then I was having some hormone problems so I went to the endo and he said I had sooo much weight to lose I would never get it off on a regular plan - he is the medical director of an Optifast clinic and thus he recomended it - I told him no, b/c everyone who I have seen do this has gained their weight back Oprah etc. He said 95% of people who lose weight gain it back but on Optifast it is only 75% 3. A guy at my work mentioned he had done Optifast 3 times in the past and done very well. I went on to tell him that the MD recommended I do it and how angry I was - I asked if he would recomend it to me and to my shock he said yes - he had kept his wt off for three years at one time and thought it was great - I told him about MF and then the next day I was talking to him and he had gone on the TSFL site and ordered the starter kit for MF. That did it for me, I too thought it was some kind of a sign and I started reading the site ordered 1 week later and well here I am.

2, I am happier - didn't think I was sad before but I think I am just happier in general. Also my skin is clearing up so yes, I am very happy with life in general and MF in particular. Mytime

[doglover]

My breaking point was when clothing wasn't fitting, I felt tired and lethargic all the time and I saw myself in pictures. YECH...

I have experienced so many wonderful things- I feel so much better. I feel younger, I love my clothes, I am a better wife (you know what I mean ) I am a better mother. I just FEEL good.

Nothing compares....
Donna

[Guest]

I got SO tired of having to buy bigger clothes. I was tired of trying every diet and exercise plan known to man. I was just tired of always failing (or at least never making progress) and I was desperate. I needed something drastic.

When I started investigating "the next thing to try". I was surprised and inspired by the data on medifast. The research looked good and the testimonials seemed to support the research. I initially held off because of the price, but then I did the math. For less than $10 a day, I could eat healthy food and lose weight. I was spending at least that much just to eat out at lunch every day and that was just getting me fatter.

The side effects are that I feel good. Even if I have lost just over 10 lbs so far, I can tell a difference. 10lbs and I feel like a million bucks. I love not worrying about what I am going to eat. I plan ahead and enjoy fixing my medi-menu for the next day. I'm learning alot about portion size and how much I really need to eat to feel satisfied. I'm waking up everyday before the alarm clock and I bound out of bed ready to face the day. No wallowing in bed wishing for 30 more minutes now. I guess the main side effect of medifast is feeling good. I feel good about the program and I feel good about me. It has been a long time since I have been able to say that.

--jenute

[AlexisClaire]

For me it wasn't any one thing, but a loooong series of life experiences. I've always been overweight, couldn't lose much for even my wedding, and now I just want to feel good in my body! I want to have my hubby teach me to rock climb but I know now there'd be NO WAY I could haul my booty up there. I want to go to Jamaica but wouldn't dare until I knew I could have a really good time in a bathing suit. Most of all, we're going to want kids in the next couple years and I really want to have some skinny fun before then. . . not to mention pregnant + fat = REALLY huge. I know someone who had success with this program and figured that it was perfect in it's simplicity. I've learned so much with dieting in the past that I know I can maintain weight now (not just put it all back on) I just need to get at a healthy weight to maintain!

My skin is better with all the water, and my self esteem is up because I KNOW I'm doing it this time. I don't "hope" my diet will work out, I know it will.

[Mommy2girls]

I'm a former Medifast user. I did the full fast plan 7 years ago through a doctor's office and you know what? I simply cannot remember how I found them. They were a regular family practice with a bariatric side to their practice and I think I picked the family practice since it was close to my house and on my way to and from work. Then THEY told me about MF, and I lost around 85lbs. It was great, except for having my hair fall out, then after a year of dieting (about 4 months of full Medifast, then carefully switching over to real food) I had to have my gall bladder removed because I had stones and they were giving me terrible pain. So I somewhat maintained my weight for almost a year and a half (somewhat, because I did gain back around 20lbs in that first year, then took a Hawaii vacation of a lifetime, and came back 10lbs heavier) and then got pregnant with my first child (about 2 weeks post Hawaii! OOOPS!=never did lose the Hawaii weight!!! ) Then just as I found out I was indeed pregnant, my dr. office closed their doors. I'm not sure why, but they closed the whole practice and by that time I was in full swing of being cared for by my OBGYN, so I didn't give it too much thought. Although they had taught me what correct foods and amounts to eat it all sort of flew out the window when I got pregnant. I gained 55lbs. So you add 30 (original weight gain) plus 55 (for my pregnancy...which never did go away after my daughter was born and I even NURSED her for 8 months!) and viola, I was back at +85 RIGHT BACK where I started. I got pregnant with DD #2 when DD #1 was 10 months old (remember I nursed for 8 months) so 2 months after weaning I was back in the pregnancy saddle again. Gained 18lbs with DD #2 and lost all of that immediately and guess what...right back to WHERE I STARTED so many years ago.

So anyway, the short version is that shortly before my second daughter turned 2 I started using the South Beach Diet, lost about 24lbs, but had a stressful holiday season and gained about 20 back in around 4 months time. Somewhere in my head a little voice said "what about MF..." and the other little voice said "AGAIN?" And of course I was worried about what people would say, sort of like "um, didn't you TRY that and obviously it didn't work because you got fat again" but I had to push those thoughts out of my mind and focus on ME. And I'm SO incredibly happy I did.

Trust me folks when I say that Medifast has improved their products SO MUCH and added SO MUCH to their line of food. Seriously it did NOT used to be THIS GOOD! I've been there before and they are WAY better now than they were 7 years ago. I don't know if you could order from MF online 7 years ago (thinking not....either that or my DR. just wanted me to believe that. ) but I am SO GLAD to have rediscovered MF and other than the weight being gone I'm just so glad that I can really enjoy my life again. 40ish pounds has made a HUGE difference for me!