I have been doing Medifast since June. Having had minimal success and re-gaining in the past on weight watchers and Jenny craig and calorie counting. I had to really think about where I had failed and how to break the cycle.

I liked that Medifast had been around for 25 years and had been the subject of several successful studies. It also provided what I needed to be successful for the long haul that it would take to loose 100 lbs. That is.

1. It was medically proven to be safe.
2. It gave me a clean break from foods I could not get control over. Sort of a de-tox from junk food.
3. It relieved my cravings.
4. It teaches me to eat small meals throughout the day and gets me used to eating alot of vegetables.
5.When the weight loss portion is over it re-teaches me how to eat healthy choices.
6. I could loose noticible weight consistantly so that I don't get discouraged and give up.

I have lost 80 lbs. so far. After going through the Medifast maintenance program, I plan to join weight watchers for the support until I feel comfortable making the right food choices on my own.

I would like to add on the exercise question: I started out at 15 min WATP and then progressed to 45 minutes and hour when I am feeling particularly pumped. Right now, I haven't exercised for losing the 12.6 lbs. I just don't have the energy with having 18 hour days hardly at home.

I count calories using FITDAY and consume an average of 1800 a day. I also calorie cycle so have high and low days. I eat a whole foods diet and concentrate of getting over 100 grams of protein every day. I try to limit fat to less than 30% as well. Lots of whole grains, fruits/veg, lean proteins, good dairy and healthy fats.

I've been "dieting" (but this is for life) for 4 months TOMORROW! and I've lost 68 lbs :)

I exercise but not as much as I should. I do yoga and walk three-five times a week.

For exercise I do it 5 days a week....I combine cardio (running/jogging 3 miles a day now, pilates & bellydancing) and strength (free weights)

If I don't exercise when I'm supposed to I feel like I missed out lol It's been a very important part of my WL journey.

My WL is starting to slow down but it's mainly my fault for splurging (my brother left for Germany recently & Mardi Gras is starting up) so I've buckled myself down :)

I am using Alli, so I am cautious about how much fat I am consuming but I am not counting anything.
I need to change the way I see food in general. Stopping or limiting the mindless grazing I have been doing is a big first step!

Right now for excersize, I grab my hand weights and sort of march in place for 20-25 minutes. I also have a pilates DVD that I will do. That's 20 minutes. Somedays I do both. Somedays, I do one or the other but I try my hardest to do some sort of excersize everyday.

I have 4 little boys and am a stay at home mom so, there is all of that too.

It is hard. My youngest is only 6 months old and he does NOT nap. The three year old loves lots of attention too.

Now that it is tax time, I will get to join the recreation centre! All sorts of new excersize opportunities are going to open up for me soon! :carrot:

I'm a calorie counter. I do 1400 cals a day and at the moment I do not excersize. I plan on starting once I lose 11 more lbs. (That was the last weight I felt a little 'healthier' at, and able to excersize without feeling like I'd just fall over dead.)

I've lost 28 lbs, but I started on other diet and they didn't work well though I lost about 13 lbs it took FOR EV AR. Now I'm back to good ole' calorie counting which always works, now if I would just STICK TO IT! LOL

This time is for good!

I lost my 30 pounds on Southbeach. I love that Southbeach taught me how to eat clean. Now, I do a combination of SB and calorie counting.

Counting calories. Lost 70-odd lbs in about 14 months. Been a slow journey, but so worth it. I've never had to cut anything completely from my "diet" just make sure it fits into my allowed calories for the day....

I'm going ww......in 06 I lost 40lbs in 4 months....
I just started 2 weeks ago and go for my 2nd weigh in tonight.

I am also calorie counting. I use a range - 1300 to 1800 a day with an average of 1500/day over a week's time. My weight loss has not been as rapid as some members of this forum but it has been steady at 1 to 2 pounds a week. I am older than most of our members so I suspect this is why my loss has been slower.

I have analyzed my failures of the past while on this journey. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. My changes from past efforts:

Diligence – write every bite in a food log and count those calories
Water – It is amazing what a difference 6 to 8 glasses of water makes
Vegetables – I have always been a meat and potatoes person. I make sure to get at least 2 or 3 servings of vegetables a day.

I was not able to exercise much at first but now I am walking. I use a pedometer to count steps. Each month I bump up my daily number of steps. I have gone from about 1000 steps a day to 5000 a day.

Hope this helps! My best advise is chose a plan that makes sense to you and stick with it. You can do this!

I'm on Nutrisystem since Sept (08) and have lost 50lbs. I had tried Atkins, WW and just cutting back but hadn't been successful. I decided I wanted to use a program that took the guess work out for me. I like NS because it's easy. I always doubted these meal delivery diets wondering what they taught you but the first lesson I learned was portion control, I've also learned the importance of vegetables (which I knew but I don't love them so I always avoided them) and how they help keep me full. When I'm done with NS (in a couple more months I think) I will likely take what I've learned and try WW again or possibly calorie counting. Either way I have a substantial loss to support me and that's what keeps me from straying, not wanting to sabotage myself.

The best program is different for everybody...best of luck choosing yours!!!

Hi - I do a mish-mosh of different things. It's basically calorie counting combined with mindful eating,meditation and guided imagery. I do mostly stretches and strengthening exercises. I have a recumbent bike.

Last year I actually got down to 192 - then I reinjured my foot - I had a difficult time and gain alot back.

But, like my Margaret Thatcher said, "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."

I count calories and Fat.. I just started Alli also.
I walk a mile 3 days a week. I have a gazelle that I am trying to like. I just do not feel I get a good work out with it. I use to love the elliptical. I am trying to justify buying one..lol

REDREINE I would like to comment,I lost 13.3 my first month with no exercise Just by cutting down calories to 1400~I Was losing so quickly I didn't wanna look all saggy when I am done so I started with my walking. (3 times a day 20 minutes each ~Now I usually walk 45 minutes 2 times a day just in my home 7 days a week sometimes 5 days a week from my living room to my kitchen~Nothing major~I have severe asthma and its hard to do much more for me at moment) I also wanted to add the below thing (I KNOW MANY HAVE SEEN ME POST THIS ~I AM DOING IT AGAIN FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION~BECAUSE I FOUND IT EXTREMELY HELPFUL~GOOD LUCK EVERYONE :goodluck:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight management may be difficult to achieve, but it certainly is not difficult to understand. When you consume food or drink, you consume calories. Your body burns calories to function, burning significantly more calories when you exercise. If you consume more calories than you burn, you gain weight. If you consume fewer calories than you burn, you lose weight.
Because your body requires energy simply to stay alive, you burn calories even when you are not exercising. In fact, you burn calories directly in proportion to your body weight. On average, a male burns 11 calories per day per pound of body weight. The average female burns 10 calories per day per pound of body weight. These figures are just averages. Some people will be higher or lower, since everyone's metabolism is a little different. Fitness Record allows you to specify the value which is appropriate for you. If you don't know, it is suggested that you start by using the average value for your gender.
For example, if John weighs 150 pounds, he burns approximately 150 x 11 = 1,650 calories per day. If he exercises, he will burn additional calories on top of that, depending on the exercise activity. However, if he does not exercise, he must eat 1,650 calories per day, just to maintain his body weight. If he eats more, he will gain weight. If he eats less, he'll lose weight.
For the purpose of calculating expected weight gain/loss, one pound is 3,500 calories. Each time you consume an extra 3,500 calories more than you burn, you will gain a pound. For example, Jane weighs 130 pounds, never exercises, and eats exactly 1,400 calories every day. Her metabolism is burning 1,300 calories per day, so she are consuming an extra 100 calories each day. If she does this indefinitely, she will gain a pound in 35 days, since 35 * 100 = 3,500.
Fitness Record uses another term, called Behavioral Weight. The idea is that over the long term, your weight is determined by your behaviors, and is best illustrated by example. Consider Jane above, who eats 1,400 calories per day. After 35 days of this behavior, she will weigh 131, instead of 130. This means her metabolism will burn slightly more calories than before. If she continues to eat 1,400 calories every day, she will continue to gain weight, but at a slightly slower pace. Eventually, she will weigh 140, at which time her metabolism will be burning 1,400 calories every day. At this point, she will stop gaining weight, since she is consuming the same number of calories that she burns. Therefore, by eating 1,400 calories in a day, Jane is behaving like a 140 pound person. Her "behavioral weight" is 140.
Exercise contributes to your calories burned. If Jane were to exercise, burning an additional 100 calories each day, then her calories burned would be in balance with her calories consumed. She could eat 1,400 calories per day, exercise 100 calories per day, and continue to way 130 indefinitely.
You may now be asking, "Why can't I just eat low fat foods?" You can eat whatever you want. But, non-fat foods can still have calories. Check the food label to find out if eating the non-fat version of a food is really saving you any calories -- sometimes it's not. Many programs recommend moderating your dietary fat intake, and that is obviously good advice. Eating low-fat foods happens to be an excellent guideline for keeping your calorie intake low. In addition, moderating your dietary fat intake may contribute to your health in other ways. However, it will not alter the mathematics of weight management -- you still have to eat fewer calories than you burn if you want to lose weight.
The problem with the way the human body works is that calories counting is tedious and difficult. Most weight-loss programs, as well as the so-called "fad diets", focus on other guidelines which are simpler to follow than calorie counting. However, none of these guidelines alter the underlying principles of weight management.

Atkins. I've been on Induction (<20 grams of carb/day) since 8/14/2008 and I'm on track to lose 100 lbs the first six months, which will be Valentine's Day. I have another 100+ lbs to lose after that.

This is my third time on Atkins. I was successful the first two times--maintained the first loss for four years--but then life intervened and I went off Atkins and gained it all back the second time. It's different this time because I'm not depressed and I'm doing this for me, because I'm worth it.

I think any plan can be successful if you 1) love yourself, 2) know you are worth it, and 3) understand that it's a lifestyle change, not a temporary diet "until you get down to X lbs then you can go back to eating X, Y and Z."

I am a carbohydrate addict, so I finally have accepted and dealt with the fact that moderation does not work for me. I have to totally avoid starch and sugar for the rest of my life. And that's OK, because I also finally understand that food is neither a punishment or a reward. It's just food. The only power it has over me is the power I give it. And I elect not to give it anymore power over me.

Best of luck to you on your journey!