NEVER! That should shock some of you. Diets by themselves have according to recent research an 85 % chance that you are going back to the way you where. This type of reporting had me ready to give up and die. I mean after all doctors tell you the only thing they can do is give you medication. Fitness gurus tell you that they have the only answer with exercise and when you are out of shape that looks impossible. Then there are the pills, patches, oils, and fruit drinks that are going to solve it all. Quick fixes won’t work! There has to be more behind it for behavior to change.

So here we have a weight loss coach saying “Never” when it comes to diets. Well let me explain. My definition of a diet is to do something for a short period of time to reach a certain weight goal and then go back to life as usual. Truth is that this creates yo-yo dieting and is actually more hurtful to your body then to just being overweight.

So if you are going to shed the weight make a decision to make it a phased in approach. Do the first phase as the weight loss phase. This normally can be done quicker on a planned program for smooth and easy weight loss. Phase two then would be the transition phase. This is taking the fact you have reached your target weight and are ready to go back to “normal” eating. However your normal was what got you into this mess. Transitioning back to healthy portions and other habits done during this phase will determine you success into phase three.

The last phase is to maintain your ideal weight. This requires nutrition, proper diet, and exercise. Without these habits you will go back to your old ways of adding the pounds right back on. Many people need their coach or support the most during this phase at the beginning as they need to be encouraged and reminded to monitor their weight and continue to make progress in their journey to health.

So is today a good day to start that journey for you?

 

Suggestions I found on the MyMedifast site that I thought where helpfulI believe they where written by prairielady

A carpenters' ruler with centimetre divisions
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DAY ONE:
First thing you do is potty. After going to the potty, weigh yourself in the buff. Take your measurements with a good old fashion measuring tape if you have time, if not, you can do them later today. Write the measurements down and then hide them! But be sure to put them in a place where you can find them again (but others can’t) so you can record the inches that will be soon falling off!

You WILL be HUNGRY! You will be GROUCHY! BUT You WILL live!!! Drink lots of water this day, trying your best to get those 8 glasses in. You’ll get used to drinking more water so just hang in there.

Be sure to take some tylenol with some of that water. You’ll probably get a headache for the first few days. Take the tylenol and keep on drinking the water. The headaches will go away and take some of your fat with it!

Water, water, water….

Also make sure you have access to a nearby restroom. You are going to PEE like you’ve never peed before. Think of the potty as your friend. You are going to be spending a lot of time together.

Some of the food you are just going to love right off the bat, but others you will come to love kind of like a stray/matted dog that comes to live at your house. It kind of grows on you. So fret not! Your taste will get used to the ones you aren’t so sure about now. Give them time.. try them again in a few months and you might be happily surprised.

Get a watch with a timer/alarm on it. Set it for every two hours. You are going to eat every 2 hours. At about an hour and half after your first meal you are going to be counting, counting, counting down until your next meal. Wait the half hour….hold it, hold it….just a few minutes more! Now! The alarm goes off! You have the green light to go ahead and eat your next MF meal.

Log your weight and preplanned MF meals into the “my plan” section on the website. As you eat the MF meals, write them on a small note pad on your desk. When you eventually log on to the website that day then you just check off the things you already have recorded. The small note pad is so you don’t forget what you’ve eaten before you can make it to the website and check them off.

Also put all the things you think you could possibly want down for each meal. The calorie intake is going to look huge but don’t worry, you aren’t going to eat them all. They are just there so you can “copy” to all the next days (months) to save you some time. For example, under “breakfast” you are going to put in “oatmeal and eggs” but you are only going to check off one of those as recorded as actually eaten. The other choice just sits there and doesn’t disturb anything. This is the fastest and easiest way I have found to keep your food log up-to-date.

Drink water every time you have a MF meal. Take small, super-small, bites of your MF meal. Use a smaller than normal size spoon. Make the MF meal last as long as possible. If its a MF bar then eat a teeny-tinny bite in the top right corner. Then eat another one right next to it and then finally after about three or four nibbles you’ve eat across the top millimeter of your bar. This is how to make it last a long time and that is so important! Can you make one MF bar last two hours…you can try!

The longer you take to eat your MF food, the shorter time it is between meals.
And the fuller you will feel. Keep drinking that water.

You are going to be tired. Don’t exercise yet. Be a good MFer and wait until the third week like recommended. Trust me! Your body is going to be adjusting to enough these first few days. Let it rest for now. But for the next two weeks start talking to yourself to psych yourself up to start exercising on day one of week three.

Because you are tired and grouchy and hungry, I highly recommend you saying goodnight to your family. Warn them a head of time that you will NOT be doing much in the way of parenting for the first three days. Hubby/spouse, can be the sweet one for a few days and tuck the children in bed while you, shower, and climb your grouchy-self into bed EARLY and go to sleep.

DAY TWO:
Wake up, potty, weigh, eat oatmeal for breakfast, drink water.

The scale is going down already! whoa! What’s in this magic powder?!

Now is the time to get on the MF blogs and discussion boards. Read a few to confirm to yourself that, yes, others have lived through the first three days of MF AND lived to tell about it.

Set up your blog picture, avatar, About your blog, description, figure out just how to work that ticker thing (have to put it in the HTML side). Jane (J2K00) has a great description on how to do this.

Be sure to read about my predecessor, GBS, goalbysummer, the original, that lost half her body weight. She has had a miraculous transformation that is sure to inspire!

You are going to think about turning back….just having a little wee-bit bite of something. —DON’T do it. You have to be 100% on program to get into that beautiful weight loss state of ketosis.

Still a little tired but a little less cranky. In order to protect your family, go to bed early again tonight.

DAY THREE:
wake up, potty, weigh, eat oatmeal and drink water for breakfast.

You are hungry but you have made it this far so you figure you better hang on until the end of this day. After day three, things start getting better.

Spend time on the blogs and the MF boards. This is your lifeline. Your fellow warriors are in this battle with you. If you get that urge to BTL (bite, taste, lick) then quickly PM (private message) Patty the Warrior Princess to chase you in her Volvo –or if you can, save that for week three when you begin to exercise! lol

Your main objective today is to move your bowels. You heard me. You input less, so you output less. Your first bowel movement is going to be a killer. You’ll want to make sure you are drinking PLENTY of water to help things along. After this initial bowel movement since starting MF is over, you are home free!

DAY FOUR:

wake up, potty, weigh, eat oatmeal and drink water for breakfast.

You are starting to get into a routine on MF. You think to yourself, “you know… it has been a rough few days but maybe I can do this”.

Read more blogs between your meals. Don’t forget to eat every 2-3 hours. The blogs are getting kind of fun now! You are encouraged and inspired by others! You are looking forward to your first weekly weigh in and moving that ticker of yours down!!

Brush up on your MF acronyms.  You’ll need to be able to talk the language so you can communicate with other MF bloggers.

Your fellow bloggers will become your friends and family in blogland. You’ll meet new people, make new friends and realize that there are MANY others out there who struggle with the EXACT same issue you have.

You are not alone– You ARE a MF blogger!

DAY FIVE:

wake up, potty, weigh, eat oatmeal (with one package splenda and add some cinnamon to it–that’s how I ALWAYS eat mine, no matter the flavor) and drink water for breakfast.

wooo-hoooo! The scale moved down again!! These white packages are worth their weight in gold!

You realize you CAN DO THIS! You realize the scale is moving down and you aren’t even hungry anymore! How can this be?!! This is wonderful!!!

You want to run around the block! You are so excited that you have finally found something that works! MF WORKS! But don’t start exercising yet. Just keep to the 5/1 and drink your water. Wait until the third week.

Your first two weeks are going to be great loses for you. Then you’ll start exercising on the third week and get that “MF third week slump”. You’ll still loose but it won’t be as much as you did in the first two weeks. Hang in there….more weight is coming off, just a little slower now than the first two weeks.

By the end of DAY FIVE you know you can do this!! You are so amazed that you are loosing weight, you aren’t hungry, you aren’t grouchy. Matter of fact, you are in an AWESOME mood because you are loosing weight and it seems just a little tooooo easy! (The first three days on MF are a lot like childbirth. You forget the pain and can only think of that great thing you have accomplished! In this case, the weight loss!)

Congratulations!!
YOU ARE A MF-er!!!

 

Well the first two months are done.  I am down 42.6 lbs. A third of the way to goal.  Doing the happy dance.  And I feel great.  I was talking to someone yesterday and they said you must feel great.  And boy do I .  That is like taking off four bowling balls off my frame.  More energy, more joy and more commitment to continue on with the journey.

 

I have averaged 20 lbs a month weight loss.  I have exceeded my best attempt to loose weight in over 20 years.  My blood pressure is back to normal.  My energy level is through the roof compared to what it was just 2 short months ago.   Heck I even got two more compliments on my dedication to become healthy.

 

Now to the stuff that really matters.  This next week my brother and my mom will start with Medifast as well.  So now I have begun the journey that helps others as well.  To inspire them to loose the weight and become healthy.  It touches my heart to read mothers who write how they want their children to grow up healthy go through their journey to inspire them to live well.  I know there will be more to follow.  But for now I get a great chance to save my brother from diabetes and stroke. 

 

It reminds me of the little boy at the beach story.  An old man watches this young boy picking up on star fish at a time and throw them back in.  The man ponders the action of the boy and finally goes up to ask him what he is doing.  The little boy says I am saving the life of that starfish.  The old man chuckles and says but there are so many on the beach how can you possibly think you can make a difference.  The little boy looks up at him and says “I made a difference for that one!” as he smiles and moves on to the next one.

 

I saw a tv program not too long ago that was sort of a weight loss scared straight kind of show.  They took overweight families and brought them all in to be checked and looked at their diet and trends within the families.  They the did aging pictures to show the parents what their kids would look like at various ages down the line of time.  The one show I remember the most was when both parents (about my size) where told that they would love to show them their sons at a certain age but sadly based on all the evidence they would be dead before they reached that age.  The mother broke down in tears.  The family took the advice from the show and changed the way they eat and interact with each other.

 

So when I read about the holidays and think about going off plan.  I remember these things.  I remember that each choice I make means that I take longer or shorter to release these pounds hanging around my body.  I remember that each choice effects my life, which by design and grace effects others lives, and I make the choice that works best for me.  As each one of us should. 

 

So for those that go on and off plan and it works for them, may your journey bless your desires and goals.  For me, I knew when I went into this there are always holidays.  But, when it is all said and done for me, there is only one now, and now is the time for me to shed the fat.  Now is the time to stay on track.  Next year there will be another Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.  Next year there is Easter, and 4th of July BBQ’s.  And next year a healthy me will enjoy the same holidays through the years with those that are dear to my heart the same way I always do.  With the love and the joy from deep within me.  And just maybe God willing and I embrace the choices I am learning there will be a lot more holidays to enjoy.  For now it is back to one day at a time.  Each day to make a difference in me.  As it is so often is said around here that is what it is all about, me.  For when I am good with myself, then I show up for others as well.

 

Please know from the depth of my heart that for each of us this is our own journey.  Each one travels it their way.  And may each be blessed to travel it in a deep and inner peace towards their wholeness and health.

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