Anyone here currently on MediFast?

[ncovert]

Please don't take this the wrong way... I'm sure there are other health coaches here, so let's Please not make this thread about 'let me help you'/'I'm a health coach' etc. Yes, we all love that commission and helping others, but if people are already on MF/TSFL they already have a source to order from.

 

We are not allowed to solicit business as travel agents etc here, so I would think that would also apply to being a health coach. (guilty on both accounts... LOL)

 

Sorry!

 

Thank you for keeping the thread on track

[whiteway906]

Jeez...I cracked myself up with the title.:D I swear I've got the sense of humor of a third-grade boy.

 

Today is my first day on MF. I did a similar program in 2005. Lost 100 lbs. Managed to keep off almost half of that since. I was inspired to try MF by the newly discovered arthritis in one of my knees and my boss, who's lost almost 50 lbs. I've done WW so many times, I should be a Leader. Well, except for the whole not getting to Goal thing.

 

The first week or so will be a real challenge but once I get in the habit, I should be okay. I'm working the program directly with my local MF center.

 

For those of you who have already sailed while on MF, can you share your experiences? Hints/tips? My cruise isn't for a few months but there's no time like the present to get mentally prepared, right?

Edited December 30, 2011 by whiteway906

[ncovert]

Jeez...I cracked myself up with the title.:D I swear I've got the sense of humor of a third-grade boy.

 

Today is my first day on MF. I did a similar program in 2005. Lost 100 lbs. Managed to keep off almost half of that since. I was inspired to try MF by the newly discovered arthritis in one of my knees and my boss, who's lost almost 50 lbs. I've done WW so many times, I should be a Leader. Well, except for the whole not getting to Goal thing.

 

The first week or so will be a real challenge but once I get in the habit, I should be okay. I'm working the program directly with my local MF center.

 

For those of you who have already sailed while on MF, can you share your experiences? Hints/tips? My cruise isn't for a few months but there's no time like the present to get mentally prepared, right?

 

Our cruise is in 17 days, I will be able to share what it is like to be on plan and on a cruise at the same time after we get back. I think I have it figured out with the pre-made things like the bars and bites. I will keep a look out for other things and let you know how it goes.

[Deliamc]

I started Take Shape For Life (MF with a coach) in April for a cruise I had end of July. I began the program knowing I would NOT do MF during the week of the cruise. I ate everything my hub ate (he was not on program at the time) even mid afternoon snacks and coffees, midnight hamburgers & ice cream even after our 6 PM supper. The difference was that I made sure I had breakfast every morning and ate something every 3 hours.

 

When the cruise was over, my hub had gained 12 lbs. I had only gained 1 lb. I have now lost 104 as of last week and hub has lost 35 and in maintenance already. I became a Certified Health Coach in August!!

 

I love the difference this program has made in my life - I no longer take BP meds after 33 yrs and I no longer have aching knees from osteo arthritis (I don't take meds for them any more either!)

 

I wish you well on your MF journey AND on your cruise! Keep us posted :-)

 

I'll be on John Heald's bloggers cruise March 4-11 on the Magic and should be really close to goal by then!!

 

Dee (Delia Fuller McLaughlin on Facebook)

 

Jeez...I cracked myself up with the title.:D I swear I've got the sense of humor of a third-grade boy.

 

Today is my first day on MF. I did a similar program in 2005. Lost 100 lbs. Managed to keep off almost half of that since. I was inspired to try MF by the newly discovered arthritis in one of my knees and my boss, who's lost almost 50 lbs. I've done WW so many times, I should be a Leader. Well, except for the whole not getting to Goal thing.

 

The first week or so will be a real challenge but once I get in the habit, I should be okay. I'm working the program directly with my local MF center.

 

For those of you who have already sailed while on MF, can you share your experiences? Hints/tips? My cruise isn't for a few months but there's no time like the present to get mentally prepared, right?

[angel24_ga]

I love MF. I started it back in Oct and only did it for 2 wks. I lost 14lbs in 2 wks. Had my tonsils out so I stopped the program.

 

Down 21lbs since 11/28. Starting MF again today. I will post results when i get them!

My cruise is 1/5/13. Since it is all inclusive bar card cruise, I expect to gain! lol

[whiteway906]

Dee...thanks for sharing. That's good to know. I'll have 4.5 mos OP when I sail in April. NCovert is sailing in 2 weeks or so. We can all contribute to the body of practical knowledge to help each other.

 

I'm going to get my goal dates when I weigh in on Wednesday. I need to set up rewards for each goal met. I saw on one of the MF website message boards that one person was throwing $10 in a kitty for every lb she lost. Wow! That kind of jing would certainly pay for all the new clothes I'll need before my cruise. I'll have NOTHING to wear because I will have gotten rid of so much weight by then. ;)

[ncovert]

Dee...thanks for sharing. That's good to know. I'll have 4.5 mos OP when I sail in April. NCovert is sailing in 2 weeks or so. We can all contribute to the body of practical knowledge to help each other.

 

I'm going to get my goal dates when I weigh in on Wednesday. I need to set up rewards for each goal met. I saw on one of the MF website message boards that one person was throwing $10 in a kitty for every lb she lost. Wow! That kind of jing would certainly pay for all the new clothes I'll need before my cruise. I'll have NOTHING to wear because I will have gotten rid of so much weight by then. ;)

 

I really like that idea of rewards/ saving as you lose because the new clothes really become a must have.

[Deliamc]

Just don't do what I did and buy them too soon or they will SWALLOW you before you get to wear them!

 

Our cruise is March 4th so I'm not buying new ones til mid February!! At least they will fit good during the week I'm on the cruise!

 

I am absolutely LOVING being a coach for this wonderful program - it's a life changer and I love helping/watching others transform themselves into a healthier, new version.

 

I've lost 104 and still have about 60 to go before I hit my goal weight....I'm pulling for the end of February but if not then, it will happen :-)

 

Happy, healthy New Year to everyone!

 

Dee

[whiteway906]

Dee...thanks for the heads up about not buying clothes too soon. I'm sailing in April. If I wait until March, all the new spring clothes will be out. It's been so long since I've shopped in Misses. It will be exciting to be overwhelmed by choice!

[Seago2]

Hi everyone- just placed my order. Not entirely thrilled- actually, a little bit scared. I have done this before and lost weight (not sure how much- cant seem to remember!) but the thought of gagging down the oatmeal and choking on puffs is giving me a sad face right now. I am just desperate to lose and I know I had success with this program. My birthday was 1/1- anyone want to guess how many times I've been on WW since then?:o

 

Ok, I got expedited shipping so I will check back in in a few days.

 

Cheers!

[ncovert]

Hi everyone- just placed my order. Not entirely thrilled- actually, a little bit scared. I have done this before and lost weight (not sure how much- cant seem to remember!) but the thought of gagging down the oatmeal and choking on puffs is giving me a sad face right now. I am just desperate to lose and I know I had success with this program. My birthday was 1/1- anyone want to guess how many times I've been on WW since then?:o

 

Ok, I got expedited shipping so I will check back in in a few days.

 

Cheers!

 

Best wishes as you begin the program. Hoping the meals are better for you this time around. I know everyone's taste buds are different. I have found a number items I really enjoy and stick to ording those items.

[Seago2]

As I sit here listening to the Costa conference call on my phone.... My weight loss issues seem very unimportant.

 

I did like the oatmeal, actually. I know a lot of people hated it but I liked it. It's just that when I look back I remember a few times when I let it sit too long and it turned into wallpaper paste, right? I think we have all been there....

 

I won't get into my personal struggles at the moment. Suffice to say that there is a glimmer of hope arriving soon from Medifast and I was very happy to wake up to both of your comments.

 

More later. Thank you!

[weisla]

So I lost 65 lbs. on Medifast 5/1 from Oct. 2010 - June/July 2011 transition. I'd maintained within 5 lbs. of goal since July, until I cruised on Enchantment of the Seas the week before Christmas. I found myself slipping back into pre-MF habits on the cruise (eating when I wasn't hungry, eating for entertainment, etc.) and continued pretty much through New Years Day. Since Mid-December I've gained back 12 lbs. I made up my mind to draw a line in the sand and go cold turkey back to 5/1 but then I caught a bad flu the first week in January and couldn't face the packets (though I managed to stick to it when I was sick on 5/1 before).

 

I've started most every day on plan in the last week but by dinner I'm eating carbs again. I'm terrified because I'm going on another cruise in March and I'm afraid I will allow myself stay in 'cruise eating mode' until the next one is over! I had my first appointment with a new trainer today, so that should help me get back on track. For some reason the idea of going back into ketosis freaks me out this time which doesn't make sense, because I had a iron will on 5/1 for 8 months until I reached goal.

 

But, my question for any frequent cruiser MF maintainers out there is: how do you break out of 'cruise eating' once you get home (or do you even let yourself get into cruise mode in the first place...)??

 

Thanks!

Lauren

[Seago2]

Cruise eating NO DOUBT put me where I am. I had huge pregnancies but I always got back to normal. But then I started cruising twice a year in '05. Half of my year is "why should I start a diet when I'm leaving on a cruise in two months." and the other half is "eff it, it's such a bummer to be off the cruise that I'm not going to add dieting into the mix". Started cruising at 150 in '05, currently 220. I was on MF in........ I am going to guess and say 2008. I lost 40 no problem, struggled through the next 15 and then sold the rest of my stash on Craigslist. Let me say that the 40 I lost, while not without challenges, was easy. If I cheated at all it was to put a little bit of shredded cheddar on my chili- like a tablespoon at most.

 

So here's where you come in, Lauren: I firmly believe, like with Atkins, that you can only do this once every couple of years. Your body will simply refuse to go back into it. It's not a Matter of willpower- it is beyond willpower. So you may be fighting an impossible fight right now and be better off going a different route.

 

All I know is that I have been on WW three times since my biirthday- January 1! Plus Atkins once. Plus isagenix, which I used to sell and lost 40 on last year (never felt better). It's time for the hardest of the hard core, it's time for complete abstinence: MF.

 

I will let you know how I do. The stuff should come today or tomorrow. I can't fit into any of my work clothes- yesterday was another embarrassment. I can't wait for this stuff to arrive. It's been years- I should do okay.

[weisla]

So you may be fighting an impossible fight right now and be better off going a different route.

I don't know if its completely impossible but I certainly don't have the drive that I did when I started 5/1 originally, but I'm not eating very healthfully now. I got so used to being in no fruit/restricted veggie mode on MF that even in transition and maintenance I never really regained interest in fruit or some veggies that I used to eat. Most days now I eat 2 or 3 MF meals during the day, totally blow it at dinner and don't eat much in the way of fruit or vegetables at all. This is NOT how I was eating pre-cruise:( Its time to get back to the basics of eating well and tracking what I eat!

 

I will let you know how I do. The stuff should come today or tomorrow. I can't fit into any of my work clothes- yesterday was another embarrassment. I can't wait for this stuff to arrive. It's been years- I should do okay.

Good luck! The first couple of days are rough, but once that ketosis kicks in you should feel pretty great! I hear from people on the MF boards that the difference in food options between now and several years ago is tremendous. The chocolate chip pancakes are great (I mix them with other packets to make portable MF 'cookies') and I love the new bbq/pizza puffs. I had a wake up call after new years when I tried on some of my work pants and felt like a sausage, if I could even zip them. I made a promise to myself that if I started to gain I wasn't going to buy bigger clothes like I'd done in the past - this is a good motivator! Keep us posted on your progress.

[Seago2]

Thank you! Had my four and one, still have one "in the pocket" for tonight. Feeling ok but definitely ready for the keto-effect. There are a few new items- WTH am I supposed to do with these pancakes and no syrup? Dream of syrup while I eat them:rolleyes:.? The puffs were totally gross last time but I ordered them. I found the chili to be horrifying at first (water plus rocks) but I grew to love it. I add some hot sauce. What else.... Oh, got the twists again.... One thing that is new is "soft serve". Mango. Sounds scary but I will try it tonight.

 

What can I say? Back on board. Just in the nick of time- I have nothing to wear.

Edited January 19, 2012 by Seago2

[Seago2]

Doing well on Day Three. I've avoided going to the MF boards because that became a little bit compulsive to me last time, and truth be told, there was a bit of bullying going on (and one person was a complete mental case).

 

Just want to say that the mango soft serve was very chemical-y but delicious. Brownie was awful. Everything else fine. Had a headache most of yesterday but my keto stix turned purple so I should be flying today. Feel better already.

 

Happy Saturday!

[ncovert]

Back from my cruise. We had a great time!

 

We went on the Carnival Inspiration. The menus in the mdr had a heart symbol next to the healthy options. Tried the different dishes and they were very tasty. The other meals of the day we ate our mf meals. At lunch time we also would go to Lido or dinning room for a good salad. The hardest thing for me was staying up on my water intake.

 

4 day cruise and I lost 4.2 pounds. My wife lost 4.0 pounds.

 

The guess there is need for will power needed to stick to plan on a cruise but I do not feel like I missed out on anything because of it. The bigger thing I have got out of it is one can eat healthy on a cruise. However every day had to be a choice for me.

 

Biggest tip I can give is to think about your goal, what are you trying to achieve. My personal motivators are different from anyones and it personally motivates me. I have to be healthy to honor the memory of my mom who I lost a year ago due to complications caused by a life time of being overweight. For me I cannot afford an excuse of a cruise to go back to those other habits. But like I said that goal everyone has is very personal and make those choices that work for your goals.

[Robin122]

Forum Rules

 

Cruise Critic has strict guidelines prohibiting blatant advertising, commercial sales and solicitation posts on all of our message boards.

 

Our Cruise Boards are meant to be a cruiser's exchange of advice and tips where cruisers can talk about their travels -- not a marketplace for advertising and selling services.

...

The bottom line is: an ad is an ad. So, please no posting of "looking for roommate" type posts, tour shares (except in ROLL CALL threads), giveaways, ebay links, coupon books, coffee cards, etc. etc.

Edited January 25, 2012 by Robin12265

[Robin122]

This is AWESOME Nick!!! Way to go!

 

Back from my cruise. We had a great time!

 

We went on the Carnival Inspiration. The menus in the mdr had a heart symbol next to the healthy options. Tried the different dishes and they were very tasty. The other meals of the day we ate our mf meals. At lunch time we also would go to Lido or dinning room for a good salad. The hardest thing for me was staying up on my water intake.

 

4 day cruise and I lost 4.2 pounds. My wife lost 4.0 pounds.

 

The guess there is need for will power needed to stick to plan on a cruise but I do not feel like I missed out on anything because of it. The bigger thing I have got out of it is one can eat healthy on a cruise. However every day had to be a choice for me.

 

Biggest tip I can give is to think about your goal, what are you trying to achieve. My personal motivators are different from anyones and it personally motivates me. I have to be healthy to honor the memory of my mom who I lost a year ago due to complications caused by a life time of being overweight. For me I cannot afford an excuse of a cruise to go back to those other habits. But like I said that goal everyone has is very personal and make those choices that work for your goals.

[Seago2]

Things are going great here. Not crazy-great like the first time, but ok. Good loss last week and 100%OP except for the extra protein I can't seem to stay away from. Not a huge deal. This week I am striving for that 100% with no excuses and more water.

 

Good for you, ncovert! How is it possible to cruise AND lose? Awesome! I have the ticker ticking away, as you can see below, and that is freaking me out in a way. It seems like there has been a ticker ticking for the last year- "why should I start a diet now, it's a month before Thanksgiving, it will be impossible through the holidays...." "I have a cruise in a month" (three times).... Etc. I know that there is no way on God's green earth that I will bring a single packet on a cruise. The most I can hope for is to cruise the way SugarFreeSheila does. Low carb, high veg and protein. But we shall see. The main thing is to leave feeling good about having lost whatever it is between now and then (down five- can I make it a total of fifteen by then?) AND being totally determined to get back on it when I get back. I am disheartened about the thought of going off of MF so early in the game, and I know full well it is the cruising that has established these horrible eating patterns, but it is not realistic for me eat MF meals on board. Tried it once!

 

But I will limit the damage and get right back on.

[ncovert]

This is AWESOME Nick!!! Way to go!

 

Thank you :D

 

Things are going great here. Not crazy-great like the first time, but ok. Good loss last week and 100%OP except for the extra protein I can't seem to stay away from. Not a huge deal. This week I am striving for that 100% with no excuses and more water.

 

Good for you, ncovert! How is it possible to cruise AND lose? Awesome! I have the ticker ticking away, as you can see below, and that is freaking me out in a way. It seems like there has been a ticker ticking for the last year- "why should I start a diet now, it's a month before Thanksgiving, it will be impossible through the holidays...." "I have a cruise in a month" (three times).... Etc. I know that there is no way on God's green earth that I will bring a single packet on a cruise. The most I can hope for is to cruise the way SugarFreeSheila does. Low carb, high veg and protein. But we shall see. The main thing is to leave feeling good about having lost whatever it is between now and then (down five- can I make it a total of fifteen by then?) AND being totally determined to get back on it when I get back. I am disheartened about the thought of going off of MF so early in the game, and I know full well it is the cruising that has established these horrible eating patterns, but it is not realistic for me eat MF meals on board. Tried it once!

 

But I will limit the damage and get right back on.

 

I would say without MF you can still do well enough. Try eating as close to the lean and green as possible all of the time. The MDR will have "hearts" next to lower cal options which DW and I both found very tasty. Sorry no WCMC or pizza or ice cream. I am pretty sure they had no sugar ice cream. Also we used the stairs about twice as much as we would normally. Did not use they everywhere we went but more then usual. Just an idea, you might try a 3 and 3 option (meaning 3 MF meals and 3 lean and greens). My HC suggested this during the holiday season. Just over a month for you!!!

 

 

 

On a personal note. I ahve reached my half way point 15 weeks in. I have dropped 75 pounds and just 75 more to go to the 180 I hope to be some time this summer!!! :D:D:D

[whiteway906]

Seago...FWIW, I've found a great challenge group on the MF boards. No pushy hard core people. All the participants are kind and supportive. These women have been awesome. I think we've lost over 300 lbs as a group since Jan 1.

 

The soft serves rock as shakes. I can't be bothered to do the whole ice crush thing. Shaker jar with some really cold water from the freezer. Also, I just stocked up on Watkins extracts, like chocolate, orange, and peppermint.

 

Co-sign about the brownies. I'm really hoping the peppermint will help me get past the nasty chemical taste. I've got six more. don't want to waste them.

[Seago2]

Whiteway, I just flagged the post below- no advertising on cc. Just FYI. I bought a really good blender now- works as a bullet and a regular blender and an ice crusher. So mango soft serve is now a fave! The brownies are little tubs of chemicals, just vile, but as others have said- your taste changes. The first time I tasted the chili I laughed out loud. Now I love it. I just ordered some more portable things (bars, twists) and some more oatmeal. I can't have too many bars- they are higher in carbs and will trigger hunger for me.

 

Definitely not losing like I did the first time- no 8 pound first week or anything like that but it's going down every day!

 

What group is it?? And do you have an iPad? I can't seem to load a picture onto my profile from this thing or from my iPhone.

[weisla]

On a personal note. I ahve reached my half way point 15 weeks in. I have dropped 75 pounds and just 75 more to go to the 180 I hope to be some time this summer!!! :D:D:D

 

Congratulations, that is amazing, as is you and your wife losing more than 8 lbs. on a cruise! I like the 3/3 suggestion. I did something similar on a couple of non-cruise vacations, or sometimes 3 MF/2 LG and it worked well.

 

I put in another TSFL order tonight. I am excited to try the new chocolate chip cookie things - has anyone tried them? I also stocked up on lots of healthy L&G veggies and proteins. I am ending the post-cruise/holiday junk food binge!

 

Some food tips related to previous posts from Seago and Whiteway -

I loved the peanut butter and coffee soft serves, but mostly made them as drinks. Peanut butter as a shake with sugar free chocolate syrup is like drinking a peanut butter cup (like the sugar free syrups used to flavor lattes in coffee shops, not something like Hershey's - is this ok to mention or is this breaking forum ad rules?) I chose not to count the SF syrups as condiments as they contain no carbs and this worked for me, but might not work for everyone. I also liked the mango as a shake.

 

I don't like the MF cappuccino, so I mix the coffee soft serve with hot coffee in the ninja blender and its like a latte. I also use vanilla pudding for this with a few pumps of SF syrup blended until frothy. I have this for breakfast just about every day.

 

For the brownies, try extra liquid and don't cook as long as it says. I'd use almost 4 tbsp. of liquid (water mixed with SF chocolate syrup) and cook for about 1 minute. Some people report liking the brownies chilled in the freezer for about 30 mins. I assume this is after cooking, but I'm not sure.

 

I found low cal/carb salsa (5 cals. per tbsp.) and add 1-2 tbsp. of salsa to the chili, this makes it way more palatable for me.

 

For the pancakes there are low or no carb pancake syrups available, MF even sells one now. Not sure if its ok to mention brands, but feel free PM me for suggestions.

 

Another pancake idea, MF "cookies/biscuits" - I mix pancake and shake packets together, and sometime use soft serve, and bake them. I tried pudding in the mix but it did not bake up well. My favorite combo: 1 packet of pancakes (plain or chocolate chip):1 dark chocolate shake:1 peanut butter soft serve.

 

For each packet used add about 2 Tbsp. liquid (water or water mixed with SF syrup), and a 1/4 tsp. or so of baking powder if desired, though they will come out fine without it. The dough should be moist and fairly sticky, similar to bisquick or drop biscuit dough.

 

Stir and portion out (as many portions as the number of packets that you used) as evenly as possible onto parchment paper. I usually use 6 packets per batch for 6 portions/meals. You could probably also cook them on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray, but I always used parchment and they wouldn't stick. Bake at 350 for 5-6 minutes until puffed up and fairly firm to the touch.

 

Each makes one meal. I always weighed mine after cooking and found the portion sizes to be fairly accurate, within 0.1 oz each. I freeze these after baking and they keep well. Defrost at room temp. or microwave for 20-30 secs. from frozen. They keep better if frozen because the protein in the MF packets starts to oxidize and degrade fairly soon after preparation - hence the "MF stink". Once I left a travel mug that had my MF 'latte' in it in my car overnight, phew did it stink in there the next day, even with the lid on the mug.

 

I was also compulsive about the MF boards, and though some folks over there are SO holier-than-thou I did find a lot of nice people and very helpful support. I haven't participated there for a while though as the lectures and constant "100% on plan or not 100% on plan" battles were wearing out my patience.

 

Last tip - if you feel weak or dizzy, try drinking some electrolyte enhanced water (just plain water, not flavored like a sports drink - there are several brands available). My TSFL HC, who is a physician, suggested this and it really helped me. I found that my blood pressure was really low on 5/1 and this helped me to keep my energy up and not feel so dizzy.

 

Sorry this post is SO LONG!!!