I started Medifast last Wednesday and things are going pretty well. I didn't weigh myself in the beginning and still haven't, but I can tell I've lost some by the way some clothes fit and one area that used to be a bump is now a dip. I haven't really had any problems, save for headaches. Have you experienced that? Is it normal?.
I haven't really had any great cravings since I started, but have found that it's more bearable if I allow just a smidge of a good thing (one hershey kiss as opposed to a handful, etc.). I know it isn't recommended, but I eat it slowly and stop at that point. I figure it's better than getting frustrated and just writing off the whole thing as another failure. I've been disciplined about it, which is a step in the right direction for me..
I also have a question about eating out. Over the weekend for example, I had a beer and then only water to drink and had a turkey and bacon sandwich, but didn't eat the roll it was on. I ate some of the chips, but not all. Is that a fairly reasonable meal? I know it wasn't perfect, but I thought that it was leaving a lot more on the plate than I normally would have. Otherwise, I had a good day plan-wise. I think the most significant change has been how much Coke I drink overall. If I went to that place before, I would normally have gotten that beer and a Coke, plus at least one refill and that was just at that meal for the day, there would be others..
Do you have any tips for eating out that help keep you on track?.
I'll give you my disclaimer first: I have been 100% on plan with absolutely no "cheats" for nearly 8 weeks..
Now... the headaches are totally normal when you first start Medifast. However, in my opinion, you're likely to continue to have them if you keep adding off plan food to your day I believe the headaches are caused by our bodies "withdrawing" from the sugar and carbs... so, by still adding the extra carbs occasionally, you're likely to continue to experience those headaches each time you get back on plan..
Medifast works so great because it keeps your body in a mild state of ketosis which is induced by a very limited and specific amount of carbs. I'd say you're probably not in ketosis since you're adding an occasional beer and/or hershey kiss..
I HIGHLY recommend just sticking to the plan. It takes 3 days of 100% on plan eating to get your body in ketosis which isn't bad when you only do it once but those 3 days add up when you have to do them over and over again after a weekend with extra carbs. Someone once figured out that those 3 days cost something like $70! Yikes!.
My advice for eating out is to order that grilled chicken or steak with steamed veggies "splurge" on a diet coke and stay on plan. It's certainly not easy when all your buds are eating the other stuff... so, if possible, avoid those situations until you're "strong" enough to make the right food choices..
You chose Medifast for a reason give it a fair chance you'll LOVE the results!!.
I have to agree with Amy2012. I am just completing my fourth week and have been 100 percent on plan as well. I know for me it would be infinitely more difficult to stay on this program if I were cheating on a regular basis. When you get used to it you may find a chocolate shake or mint chocolate softserve will be an adequate substitue for that Hershey's Kiss. My friends have been very supportive and understand why I have a diet soda at the bar instead of a beer..
I'm going to jump on the bandwagon too...my wife and I just finished our 4th full week with no cheats for her (I had 2 glasses of wine with dinner with friends the other night.
)...my wife is down 14.5 lbs and I'm down 28.5. The headaches could also be from removing caffeine from your diet..
If you're out on the town, try the diet soda...we eat out once a week, typically at a local steak joint. Not hard to eat a grilled 6 oz steak that cooks down to close to 5 oz, and get the veggies naked. I can't say enough good things about the plan thus far..
One other thing cfdchief mentioned - if you feel as if you need to cheat...miss your chocolate, my counselor told me it's better to cheat with an additional Medifast meal than going off plan..
Best of luck! I know you can do it - because I am!.
Thanks, everyone! I know that it wasn't the right thing to do, but I was making an effort to keep it from being a total blowout. I hate diet soda, whether it has diet or zero in the name, I'm not interested ;-). I'll have water first. But it brings me to a different question, what about aspartame? Turkey Hill makes a great diet iced tea that is Zero calories, but will the aspartame interfere with ketosis at all? I've already lost some weight, but does A slow it down or anything?.
Welcome and congrats on starting MF. One reason Medifast works so well (and quickly) is because we enter the fat-burning stage. The headaches you have had are from your body de-toxing. Congrats on only eating a few chips, but that alone could knock you out of the fat-burning phase..
As they said above, it take 3-5 days to get back into it..
Medifast works fantastic, but you have to follow the plan or it don't work the way it should. I strongly suggest you commit to 1 month of staying on plan. I've never had a problem eating out by ordering the salmon or chicken with salad and/or veggies. No potatoes, rice or bread. I find I am totally satisfied and don't miss what I'm not eating..
Some say that aspartame, or any other sweetener, causes an insulin reaction that makes you hungrier, but it doesn't interfere directly with ketosis. For me, before starting, I think this was true as I drank diet soda and craved sweets constantly. Now that I'm OP, I do not crave sweets, yet I drink Mio, diet iced tea, diet coke, etc..
As for eating out, I recommend not giving yourself any latitude to eat anything other than a L&G. I prefer to eat fish or rotisserie chicken when out because restaurants usually do a better job on these than I do. I also don't settle for the standard sides that come with my entree - find the veggies you want elsewhere on the menu and ask for them instead of the potato choice. Most places will do it without question, but sometimes I need to say that I cannot have starchy vegetables by doctors orders..
If you can, commit to 100% OP and give it your best effort for 60 days. You'll like what happens. It's been 60 days for me and the only cheat I've had is one (weak) bourbon and a few extra condiments from time to time. I couldn't be happier with MF..
Dave - If you can't follow the plan 100%, then what I would recommend is to have more of the items that you know won't throw you out of fat-burning (i.e. Zero to Low carb items). What I did for the first couple months I was on this plan was I would sometimes eat some extra cheese (which listed zero carbs). I would also put extra half & half into my coffee. I would have diet sodas..
What I wouldn't recommend is occasionally splurging on carb items (chips, bread, beer, etc), because this diet is engineered specifically for people that enter and stay in fat-burning (ketosis). If you're going in and out, on those days you're out of ketosis and you stick 100% to the plan, then your body is looking for calories that aren't there..
The headaches are normal for the first week. Good luck sir!.
361 days ago
I started Medifast last Wednesday and things are going pretty well. I didn't weigh myself in the beginning and still haven't, but I can tell I've lost some by the way some clothes fit and one area that used to be a bump is now a dip. I haven't really had any problems, save for headaches. Have you experienced that? Is it normal?.
I haven't really had any great cravings since I started, but have found that it's more bearable if I allow just a smidge of a good thing (one hershey kiss as opposed to a handful, etc.). I know it isn't recommended, but I eat it slowly and stop at that point. I figure it's better than getting frustrated and just writing off the whole thing as another failure. I've been disciplined about it, which is a step in the right direction for me..
I also have a question about eating out. Over the weekend for example, I had a beer and then only water to drink and had a turkey and bacon sandwich, but didn't eat the roll it was on. I ate some of the chips, but not all. Is that a fairly reasonable meal? I know it wasn't perfect, but I thought that it was leaving a lot more on the plate than I normally would have. Otherwise, I had a good day plan-wise. I think the most significant change has been how much Coke I drink overall. If I went to that place before, I would normally have gotten that beer and a Coke, plus at least one refill and that was just at that meal for the day, there would be others..
Do you have any tips for eating out that help keep you on track?.
Thanks!.
Dave.
Post Reply
353 days ago
I'll give you my disclaimer first: I have been 100% on plan with absolutely no "cheats" for nearly 8 weeks..
Now... the headaches are totally normal when you first start Medifast. However, in my opinion, you're likely to continue to have them if you keep adding off plan food to your day I believe the headaches are caused by our bodies "withdrawing" from the sugar and carbs... so, by still adding the extra carbs occasionally, you're likely to continue to experience those headaches each time you get back on plan..
Medifast works so great because it keeps your body in a mild state of ketosis which is induced by a very limited and specific amount of carbs. I'd say you're probably not in ketosis since you're adding an occasional beer and/or hershey kiss..
I HIGHLY recommend just sticking to the plan. It takes 3 days of 100% on plan eating to get your body in ketosis which isn't bad when you only do it once but those 3 days add up when you have to do them over and over again after a weekend with extra carbs. Someone once figured out that those 3 days cost something like $70! Yikes!.
My advice for eating out is to order that grilled chicken or steak with steamed veggies "splurge" on a diet coke and stay on plan. It's certainly not easy when all your buds are eating the other stuff... so, if possible, avoid those situations until you're "strong" enough to make the right food choices..
You chose Medifast for a reason give it a fair chance you'll LOVE the results!!.
Post Reply
346 days ago
Post Reply
338 days ago
)...my wife is down 14.5 lbs and I'm down 28.5. The headaches could also be from removing caffeine from your diet..
If you're out on the town, try the diet soda...we eat out once a week, typically at a local steak joint. Not hard to eat a grilled 6 oz steak that cooks down to close to 5 oz, and get the veggies naked. I can't say enough good things about the plan thus far..
One other thing cfdchief mentioned - if you feel as if you need to cheat...miss your chocolate, my counselor told me it's better to cheat with an additional Medifast meal than going off plan..
Best of luck! I know you can do it - because I am!.
Jeff.
Post Reply
338 days ago
Post Reply
334 days ago
As they said above, it take 3-5 days to get back into it..
Medifast works fantastic, but you have to follow the plan or it don't work the way it should. I strongly suggest you commit to 1 month of staying on plan. I've never had a problem eating out by ordering the salmon or chicken with salad and/or veggies. No potatoes, rice or bread. I find I am totally satisfied and don't miss what I'm not eating..
Wishing you much success..
Post Reply
326 days ago
Post Reply
323 days ago
As for eating out, I recommend not giving yourself any latitude to eat anything other than a L&G. I prefer to eat fish or rotisserie chicken when out because restaurants usually do a better job on these than I do. I also don't settle for the standard sides that come with my entree - find the veggies you want elsewhere on the menu and ask for them instead of the potato choice. Most places will do it without question, but sometimes I need to say that I cannot have starchy vegetables by doctors orders..
If you can, commit to 100% OP and give it your best effort for 60 days. You'll like what happens. It's been 60 days for me and the only cheat I've had is one (weak) bourbon and a few extra condiments from time to time. I couldn't be happier with MF..
Post Reply
269 days ago
What I wouldn't recommend is occasionally splurging on carb items (chips, bread, beer, etc), because this diet is engineered specifically for people that enter and stay in fat-burning (ketosis). If you're going in and out, on those days you're out of ketosis and you stick 100% to the plan, then your body is looking for calories that aren't there..
The headaches are normal for the first week. Good luck sir!.
Post Reply