[mom2sweetT]

Hi- I was on Medifast for the first week and have lost 6 lbs. I can no longer stand the food. Some of it is ok like the shakes and bars but the rest is so unappealing to me. Honestly, as a former chef I really doubted I could stomach the food. It's more realistic to have to deal with real food anyway.
I think that I will continue with having the shakes and bars for certain meals. I liked having the 6 small meals throughout the day and have learned some good portion control in just a week. For the rest of my meals I think I will do calorie counting.
I don't want to loose the momentum of the weight loss since I'm really ready to be rid of it for good now.

[lasttime]

Good luck. If you are interested in having a weight loss buddy. let me know and we can exchange emails.

[Candeka]

I've tried the prepackaged diets before and I just couldn't last on any of them. I have ventured into calorie counting and it has made a world of difference. I suggest not having to many choices. I usually rotate between 5 different breakfasts, 5 different lunches and about 6-7 different dinner ideas. If I have to many choices, I always make bad decisions and I will never calorie count since its to much of a hassle to count every single new meal each time.

[kirsteng]

I've never tried one of the packaged-meals diet plans.. but it seems like a better plan to me to have to figure out now how to eat 'real food'. You'll have to face that hurdle later on anyway.

GL and KUP on how you're doing on cal counting!

[Zumbachica]

I have done both Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem in the past. I hated the Nutrisystem food but the Jenny Craig food was tolerable..depending on what you chose from their menu. I couldn't stick to it after a while, especially because I still had to cook meals for my family. I got bored and missed "real" food. Still, you lost six pounds so it wasn't a total loss! You have other options, counting calories is one of them.

[mom2sweetT]

I like the idea about having limited choices. I don't think that's doable when I'm cooking for the family, but it's totally doing for my other choices throughout the day.

I will be joining the calorie counters as I think that is the most realistic plan (along with exercise). I was so relieved to be able to eat half an apple today w/ some nonfat Greek yogurt!

Best-
G

[KittyKatFan]

When I first started, I relied on packaged foods (mainly Lean Cuisine) just to get the diet kick-started. Then, after I saw some success, I started to cook my own meals. I still do eat the occasional frozen meal (like tonight!) but have found that I prefer cooking when I have the time because then I can control the flavor and portion size.

Have you tried the Kashi chicken enchilada? I'm not a fan of the Kashi cereals and some of the granola bars are very bland, but I have been pleasantly surprised by the flavor of their frozen meals. I actually really like the chicken enchilada entree, the whole grain pilaf is pretty good, and there's a lot of fiber. I haven't tried Medifast, but I found Nutri-System to be unbearable.

Another possible option, if you do have some free time to cook once per week, is to make a big batch of something that you can portion out and freeze. You could cook six chicken breasts, some brown rice or whole grain, and maybe some veggies, put it all into six individual serving dishes, and refrigerate/freeze them. Then you have a full week of dinners. Or if you want fresh veggies, you cook the veggies fresh and add a salad.

Good luck. My cousin does well on Medifast when she manages to stay on a weight loss program.

[mom2sweetT]

I didn't even know Kashi had frozen food. I had some of their cereal in yogurt today though.

I think I just need to stick to a few options for each meal and snacks as someone mentioned. I've been counting calories and have fallen in the 1400 range and still managed to loose a pound in one day. Tomorrow I have surgery and won't be able to eat most of the day...not looking forward to it but hope that my foot will feel better.