The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[dlr2424]

Pati............that was a great post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......an eye opener for alot of newbies........ ...........
donna....dlr2424

[Lisa Renee]

Hello again...I am a little concerned. I finally found the ingredients for the shakes and there is an artificial sweetner in them called Acesulfame potassium. This is some info I have found on it: The FDA approved Acesulfame potassium, also known as acesulfame-K, in 1988. It is a derivative of aceoacetic acid, a synthetic chemical. It is considered to be heat stable, and is 150 ý 200 times as sweet as sugar. It is found in dry beverage mixes, instant coffee and tea, gelatins, puddings, chewing gum, candies, baked goods, soft drinks, desserts, and most recently as a tabletop sweetener. Some researchers believe that acesulfame-K causes tumors in laboratory animals and should not have been approved by the FDA. The ADI (acceptable daily intake) for acesulfame-K is 15-mg/kg body weight.


I am concerned because I get horrible headaches with nutrasweet and I hate putting synthetic sweetners in my body. I was thinking it would just be for a year or so on medifast, but aren't people expected to continue on these shakes even on maintance? PLEASE POST YOUR THOUGHTS

[24KaratGold]

You don't HAVE to continue with the shakes on maintenance. Heck, for that matter you don't even HAVE to have the shakes while losing weight, anymore. The protocol used to be that of five or six Medifast products a day (depending on which plan you are using), three had to be shakes. Now you can have five or six oatmeals, or puddings, or chicken soups, if that's what you want. I'm quite fond of the oatmeal, and have it at least twice a day.

Life is a balance. There are lots of things that MIGHT kill me, down the road. The weight is the most dangerous at this point, so I want to take that off as quickly, and as safely, as possible. Lab rats seem very susceptible to cancer to me, especially when force-fed amounts in huge quantities that would never be duplicated in humans.

The headaches-from-artificial-sweeteners thing would bother me more, but the only thing you can do is try one and see whether this particular one works for you. Perhaps there is some other product you know of that you can buy at the grocery that has it in it to test? Of course, the problem is that you'll be anticipating it now, but it's worth the shot.

[Lisa Renee]

Yes, I understand that, however, most of medifast products contain this synthetic product, not just the shakes. Sorry I didn't state that in my other post. I just want to be on a program I can do for life Still thinking this over

[Emma]

Strawberry -

I don't know if this helps, but I get terrible headaches from Nutrasweet and the MF products have never given me headaches. Splenda hasn't either (thank goodness).

I think you should just try it and see how you feel after a week or so. Like 24K said, just about anything "could" kill us - but we have to balance our lives and do the best we can to lead healthy productive lives. MF is giving a lot of us that chance.

emma

[Lisa Renee]

ok, it can't hurt to try it and see. I guess I am worried about long term neurological affects of artificial sweetners. Other than Spenda, I haven't trusted any. I just want to be healthy any way I can. Beleive it or not, I have great cholestrol etc., even at 370 pounds. I got fat on healthy foods for the most part, I just want to stay on healthy foods


PS, here is a pic to introduce myself. Cept I weight abotu 50 pounds more and have gone back to brunette...lol

[mytime]

Dean and Vicky - thanks for the info on the OTC MF. I was going looking for chilli in the morning - instead I think I am going to set up an auto ship at the site. You can't beat that price and I am not taking any chances.

Strawberry - I am with the other posts - the only way you will know if it gives you a headache is to try it. In the meantime you can figure out how to do maintenance on the products you now like to eat that are healthy but underminding your desire to weigh less. No matter the outcome know that we are thinking of you and wishing you the very best. Mytime

[Lisa Renee]

i did not think you were harsh at all! I completely understand the risks of staying obese... I have talked to one of the advisors over the phone and we will be talking again soon. I will let you all know what happens.

[Lisa Renee]

I forgot to ask...How does the shakes etc., taste? Is this something you think you can do for the rest of your life? I just read a ton of stuff online about how people lost a lot of weight on MF and gained back twice as much when they went on maintainence. I know I sound negative, but actually I am very hopeful about this, I just have a lot of questions. Also, how often do they change the formulations on their food? Does anyone see MF ever using splenda in the future? Thanks for all your wonderful replies!

[victoria7]

You're asking people that believe in this product, in this plan and have really made changes that are dramatic in their own lives. We all really like it! I wouldn't be here otherwise.

I, too, got fat eating "healthy food"---I don't eat ice cream or potato chips, I shoped for (and cooked) locally grown, organic fruits & vegies, I used Olive Oil, I didn't butter my popcorn or eat the entire bag of cookies, but I got fat (some of that due to a sleeping disorder, but that's an entirely different post!).

And this program has been great for me. In three weeks, I lost 13.2 lbs and I'll have another week of loss to add to that tomorrow morning. I'm really proud of myself and I feel good---Could I live like this for the rest of my life??? Absolutely!!! It's great.

[Lisa Renee]

Awesome victoria, that is great to hear. By the way, I was jsut diagnosed with severe sleep apnea great than 70 Apneas per night--not sure if this is the sleeping disorder you found out you have. Anyway, I am really trying to get used to the CPAP, but on the nights I actually keep my mask on, I wake up feeling like a different person. I have only had about 5 of those nights in the last month, but it's enough to keep me trying..lol

As far as the food, I thought I read something about the soups in your newsletters on this site that said something about soups not being a meal replacement??? Did I misunderstand? Also, I am trying to find out what the sodium is in those soups, if it is high I will probably stick with shakes. And the bars...well it's true that people like them a little too much. I did the larry north program and binged on the bars regularly, so I better not have any of those either...lol...I am waiting for a call back from Lisa--health advisor, but does anyone know if the starter kits are customizable? ONE LAST QUESTION---What's the difference with medifast and if I just went to the grocery store and got adkins shakes or something equivalent to medifast--protein and potassium etc ingredients? What makes medifast so different?

Thanks for all the info guys!

[Sablebaby]

Strawberry,

The sodium in the soups are about 360 mgs each. They are quite good in my opinion. I have tried the cream of chicken and cream of broccoli. I don't eat them as much as I live in AZ and don't feel like hot stuff much, but I do have them once in a while. The "fast soups" are extras that you can eat, not the regular MF soups. I tried some boullion today and it was great instead of a fast soup.

If you are prone to bingeing on bars, I would really suggest either not getting them or only getting one box at a time. I really like them, but I can see where they can be dangerous.

And lastly, I'm pretty sure the starter kits are not customizable. I chose not to buy a kit because I wanted things that were not in the kit and didn't want things that were.

About the sleep apnea... my bf has this and is supposed to go for a sleep study. But his doctor was not very optimistic as the treatment is sleeping with the mask thing and most people end up not using it. However, I feel if it makes a big difference in his life than maybe he will wear it. I'm glad you mentioned that you feel so much better when using it. Can you tell me how it feels to wear at night? I'm very curious.

[Lisa Renee]

The mask is the biggest part of the treatment in my opinion. Tell him to try several and make sure he feels no leaks before purchasing one. I went through about 15 of them and only one fit correctly. It was very clostrophobic at first, then by the second night, I had gotten used to it. Tell him not to get discouraged and keep trying. It is very hard at first to get used to it, but it will save his life. I can't tell you how different I feel when I have a good night. I wake up feeling euphoric--spell check please...lol...Anyway, it is a life saver, I had no idea how severe it was until my sleep study. Don't mess around with this, he needs to take it very seriously. I had dreams that I couldn't breathe for months before I made an appointment. My husband was the deciding factor--he told me he watched me gasping for air in my sleep for hours and he said he woke me up several times, which I do not remember.

Good luck

[Sablebaby]

Thank you so much!

I noticed his sleeping a few months ago. It seemed to be about every ten seconds he would stop breathing and then a big snore (like forcing to get air). It's kind of creepy. He gets quiet and no breathing for about 5-10 seconds and then a big snore. I don't know if it goes on all night long. But I do know he has problems sleeping through the night. He gets up a few times and goes out in the living room to sleep/watch tv. He always feels tired and drained (he blames this on his job that he hates). I told the doctor it can't be healthy to lose oxygen every ten seconds and felt that if he could get this resolved than he might feel like a different person.

Also, have you heard some studies about adhd and sleep apnea? As he has adhd (not medicated). I also asked the DR and he said the studies didn't seem very relavent. I should be researching this as this pertains to my field of study, but I haven't had much time with other studies.

(Sorry guys for using this space for an off topic subject. I'm just really needing info!)

[Lisa Renee]

I don't know if ADHD would have any connection, but it's worth a google...Yes, he will feel like a different person if he is treated correctly. On the four days I did actually get successful sleep, I didn't get frustrated with my kids that next day, and my whole attitude was different. I wonder how many people are on anti-depressants, who actually need sleep apnea treatment. I woke up feeling like I took a happy drug, and I didn't take a thing but my machine and my mask..lol