The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[raederle]

Morning everyone! Just wanted to post that Phase A (= MF official Phase 4) is over. I spent 4 days having added a fruit serving, and today I add a serving of dairy and take away an MF packet. I decided to combine the fruit & dairy to replace my morning shake (boy was it weird not to shake up my breakfast!), and so now my menu will look like this, for 5 days:

7 AM - 1/2 cup blueberries (60 cals) stirred into 1 cup ff sf vanilla yogurt (120 cals)
10 AM - Oatmeal
1 PM - Soup; little bag of baby carrots (30 calories); diet pepsi
4 PM - Bar
7 PM - Lean & Green
8:30 PM - Workout
10 PM - MF Hot cocoa
(Plus 100 ounces of water throughout the day)

Doing well so far, still; no gastric distress, no headaches. My clothes appear to fit the same and I don't feel bloated, so I hope that on Sunday, when I weigh in, I won't see a gain. I've been staying off the scale because I know that a small fluctuation in the wrong direction, even if I expect it, would send me into a black mood for the entire day... Don't need that!

Since I started transition, I've been taking a supplement called CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), which I read about in Prevention magazine as helping to prevent fat from being regained after weight loss. (Prevention says it basically interferes with an enzyme that causes fat to enter fat cells for storage, hence it helps you if you've lost weight already but isn't likely to do much if you're still trying to lose.) Sounds like a crock, I know, and I usually am pretty rabid about not taking unnecessary supps (I don't even take aspirin unless my head is splitting in half!). But it's a naturally-occurring amino acid, so I figure it isn't likely to do any harm (especially since I'm not scarfing them down in vast quantities), and has a non-zero chance of helping... Who knows. Does anyone have any experience with CLA? Heard any news, good or bad, about it?

Hope everyone is havin' fun shakin' away today! Here's to another successful week for everybody!

[Sylvia]

Rae,

You are doing great and I am betting you'll see a loss rather than a gain on Sun.

As for CLA, I haven't heard of it but frankly would avoid it. Don't know if you remember triptophan (I'm sure that's not how it's spelled). It is also an amino acid and caused just horrendous problems for folks back in the 80's. You really can keep fat off the old fashioned way. When you went to Vegas and gained it was due to not properly transitioning and eating too much of the wrong things. You are far from that right now.

I am here to tell you that there is hope IF (and it's a big if) you can eat a normal and healthy diet. This doesn't mean you can never eat "bad" food again. Doesn't mean you can't have an occasional splurge. It does mean that you have to monitor your intake every day and make choices. You can't go to dinner and have the wine, the appetizer, the fattening dinner and the desert. But you can have one of those things.

You will be nervous and obsessive about this for a while and that's OK. But you really don't need any additional tools or aids to keep the fat off and I just don't think it's worth taking any risk - no matter how small - without a really clear reward.

[Dean0408]

Hi Rae,

I am glad your transistion is going well. Once again, you have a good solid plan to follow.

That CLA sounded interesting to me. I did a search and found a lot of articles on it. If you do a search, don't put the acronym "CLA" in the search box unless you want to sift through the "Canadian Library Assoc.", and a ton of other organizations with these letters. Use the whole "conjugated linoleic acid" (in quotes) and you will find some good material to read.

I also did a search for it in "Prevention Magazine", since you mentioned you saw it there. The only downside I could find was that in some cases, people showed a minor drop in "Good Cholesterol" and a slight increase in the "Bad Cholesterol". The benefits shown in other articles (far more than simply a drop in body fat), seem to outweigh the cholesterol issue.

If I thought CLA would not interfere with the "mechanics" of the Medifast plan, I may be tempted to take it now. To be safe however, I will wait till I hit goal.

Nice job on keeping us posted with your progress........it is always an interesting read for me..........so THANKS!!

Dean

[raederle]

Thanks, guys! I guess one obvious downside of taking CLA is that, even if it really does prevent fat from reentering fat cells after weight loss, I don't really want to have to take it for the rest of my life. It *would* be better to just know I can eat smart, in reasonable portions, and include exercise in my life, and not gain weight! But I guess that'd be just too easy and uncomplicated...

[raederle]

I've already posted my weigh-in results over in the Roll Call, but to keep all the info in one spot I'll stick it here, too. I weighed in at 124.3, which made me nearly choke, because I can't believe I managed to actually lose another half pound instead of gaining it. I know most people lose a little more in the beginnings of transition, but I just didn't think *I* would... it came as a huge relief that I didn't gain, because I really do worry every day whether I'm just on the road back to my old fat self now that I'm not on the strict MF plan anymore.

But this tells me I am on the right road, I'm doing things right, and I'm still in control-- at least for now! Woo-hoo!

Well, off to the gym. It's a little more fun to go now that I'm not *quite* so worried that people are staring at my fat arse and wondering how I could have let myself out in public wearing shorts....

[dlr2424]

Rae...I am so happy for you... ... ... .... .... too
many emotions to display...it must take sometime to rid ourselves of our fatty thoughts and how we view ourselves...while YOU may have been thinkin others were saying..."how could that fat arse be out in public wearing shorts"...instead they were probably saying... ..Oh My Gosh...I wish I had an arse like that....look at her ...She's Gorgeous...
Have a great day
Donna...dlr2424

[raederle]

Ha ha... that's a lot of emoticons, Donna!

Funny story (not really funny ha-ha, but you know what I mean): I went to get my haircut at a new place yesterday. My stylist turned out to be overweight, and we got chatting about local gyms in the area because she was excited that she had just joined one. (I *swear* I did not bring this up, in case anyone would think I'm such a cad as to to say, "Hey, you know, you might want to join a gym..!" ) Anyway, we were talking about how self-conscious we feel at gyms populated by crazed stairmaster freaks and muscle-bound egomaniacs; she said to me, "Yeah, I can't stand working out in front of a bunch of-- NO OFFENSE-- skinny, pretty people..."

I nearly cried. For a lot of reasons. I was astounded that this person considered me skinny and pretty; I was astounded at this hint of me being on The Other Side of the Tracks, in Thinville. I felt so elated, but I felt so horrible at the same time. I never wanted to become one of the people who make heavier people feel bad!!! I mean, *I* used to feel fat and bad!!! I still think of myself as fat! I don't even recognize myself sometimes when I see myself in a mirror or a shop window as I walk to work or troll around the mall!! I hated skinny people!!! Now, am I really One of Them?

I actually feel guilty for being "skinny".... How messed up is that? Gaaah!!! Why must everything come with a price!?!?!?!

[doglover]

Oh Rae - First and foremost I am so happy for the successful transition week! Do you feel so much pressure w/ all of us watching?! I wait w/ bated breath as I really see you as a role model!

On the skinny thing. I can so relate. I was "skinny" most of my life. I so clearly remember my mother, who was heavy, and then lost 70 lbs when I was a teenager. She sauntered around like a hottie and was such a snob. I vowed I would never be like that. When I get more control of my weight (post children where I have really had the trouble) I am so self conscious about how I am acting. I feel myself "judging" my good friends when we go out to eat and they choose the really bad stuff. I then hate myself instantly for feeling that way bec. I have made really bad choices too. It is a double edge sword. I feel like wearing a sign that says, "I am a work in progress, please do not judge or take me seriously"!

Thanks for sharing that story. That really was personal and hit home. I am trying to work on this self sabotage issue this week and wonder if all this has something to do w/ it?

We'll figure this out. Thanks again for being such a great Medifaster and so dedicated to us here on the forum!

Donna

[scrabbler7]

Jodie - AWESOME post. You deserve every second of that "skinny" moment. All of us here know what dedication and hard work it took for you to reach that finish line!

We also know that you would NEVER be one of the skinny people to make heavy people feel bad. You've been there ... you understand ... and I'm sure you showed that compassion in your conversation with her.

Looking forward to the Transition "C" menu post!

[Mrsshrinkinglady]

Rae,
That is SO awesome that you lost while transitioning!!
We all know you would never make anyone heavy feel bad about themselves, because you have walked a mile in their shoes, and know how frustrating it is.
Look at it this way you could be the catalyst that makes someone else
see the light and WANT to change their bodies, once she said you were so skinny and pretty, you could have shared your weight loss story with her, and she may have realized that we all may have issues with our weight, no matter what size we start at.
I am going to carry before and after pics of myself once I hit goal and
if someone brings up the weight loss issue FIRST, because I never would
bring it up unless someone asked me about it, I will be happy to share my story with them and let them then make the decision as to how they want to handle their weight issues.
I think you should CELEBRATE your pretty, skinny self and never feel bad
because you took charge of your life and health and chose to change for the better!!! She has that choice as well, just as we all do.
I am SO happy for you!
Shrink aka Mary
I think that we can probably empathize better than anyone with someone who is struggling with their weight.

[raederle]

Thanks, guys... I needed that! I felt like such a schmo for not having something brilliant and pithy and comforting to say back to her; I was just so stunned that I just kinda brushed off the compliment (I've always been very ungracious when it comes to taking compliments because I just *never* believed that a fat failure like me deserved any compliments), sympathized some more, and asked her about the gym. The rest of the day, I kept going over in my head all the things I wish I'd said to her. I don't know why I didn't just say, "Well, thank you, but you know, I didn't always look like this..." It seems so obvious now! But I'm going back in a couple weeks for some highlights (okay, I admit it-- it's to help cover the gray streak I'm developing at age 30. Thanks, mom!); maybe I can find a way to say something to her without putting my foot in it.

Mary, I love your idea of carrying pictures around--- it's not only a great way to show other people that there really *is* hope, it's also a great way to remind yourself every day of how far you've come, and how much you've accomplished! MF should make Fat/Skinny lockets just for that purpose!