[HourglassNYC]

Hi!

I started medifast a few days ago and have not yet had a "100% stuck to it" day.

I have cheated a little... All with good food, but still food.

Here is what I ate the past 2 days. If anyone can give me suggestions on how to alter my eating to stick to the plan, it would be much appreciated!

Tuesday:
9:30- caramel nut bar and cup of black coffee
(I was pretty full after that.)
1:00- chocolate shake, few bites of kid's pasta, 1 slice of cheese, and 1 was a cracker
(ugh... Pasta! I know... Totally off the plan! But the kids I nanny for were eating it and I honestly was just hungry.)
4:00- small spoonful of pent butter, black coffee.
7:00- chocolate to-go shake

Wednesday:
10:45- cup of black coffee, 8 tiny turkey sausages. (220 calories in total.)
12:30- 1 chocolate to go shake.
4:15- vanilla shake
7:30- small bowl of cut up fresh mango.
(I know fruit isn't on the list of foods we can eat, but why not?)
10:00- to go shake and puffs
*800 calories all day.*

Ok, so now that I see that written down, I see that I am not sticking to the plan. I know that. But to be fair, I am not binging on carbs (except that slip up on Tuesday lunch... That was rare, I swear. Lol .)
I'm craving meat... I am a vegetarian. I have been one for 10 years and hav enot craved meat. Now I am craving and eating a small amount of meat.

I have lost about 5 lbs in 3 days, but know that this is all water weight.
Any suggestions on how I can improve my daily eating habits?
I feel like I need more in the morning, and less @ night. I feel like I need real food in the morning and can live off shakes and soup @ night.

***I Aldo must mention that I am a nanny to 2 very active kids. They eat a lot! And they are actually underweight, so I have to feed them highly caloric food (butter, pasta, meats...). That makes it tough to stick to the boring MF shakes.***

Thank you!!

[JayEll]

My opinion--and that's all it is, of course--is that you either do the Medifast program or you don't. There is really no room for cheating. If you eat off-plan foods, you are off the plan--it's that simple.

If you don't stick with the program exactly as written, then you are wasting your money. Stay with it, or give it up and see if you can return the unopened foods.

Sorry if I sound harsh, but Medifast is not a free for all.

Jay

[Riddy]

OK, you asked....

You're not even close to on plan. Medifast WORKS, but you have to stick to it. Fruit is off limits because of the sugar. The whole idea is to restrict carbs and calories enough to just barely drop you down into ketosis (fat burning). Even a small amount of extra starch or sugar will take you out of the fat burning state. Then it takes another 3-5 days of eating on plan to get you back into fat burning.

Tuesday - you were probably so hungry at lunch because you went over 3 hours between meals.

I don't see your lean & green meals in there - did you not include them, or did you not eat them?

Medifast is expensive. If you're not going to do it full throttle, you're wasting money and making yourself needlessly hungry. If you're going to give it a serious commitment, plan out what you'll eat each day. Don't go more than 3 hours between meals - closer to 2 is usually better at the beginning. Bring dill pickles or celery to work with you in case you get really hungry. Have an extra Medifast meal if you're starving - it's better to eat a 6th MF meal than to cheat with pasta or crackers or fruit. And remind yourself that the kids' food is NOT your food.

Sorry if I sound harsh, too. Medifast is pretty hard core, and it took me a long time to be in the right place mentally to do it. If you're not willing to do it correctly, maybe you're not ready, or maybe it's just not for you.

Are you doing this all on your own, or do you have a coach? If you have a coach, I would definitely check in with them and see if they can give you some encouragement in person. Good luck!

[HourglassNYC]

No, you guys are totally rightl. I was crap @ sticking to the plan this week.
I'm going to start tomorrow and be seriously strict about it. I know I can do this... This week was terribly crazy and in hindsight, probably not the best week to start a new diet. (I am having renovations in my house, faily staying with me, and working 14 hour days. Ha...)

Thanks for the honest feedback. I knew I was not doing this correctly... Sometimes you just need to hear it from other people.
Thanks!

[Riddy]

Hey Hourglass,

If work is a big trigger, maybe take tomorrow off and start on Saturday. Unless having family around is a bigger trigger. Then I don't know what to suggest.

Good luck - it is doable!

[londonlove]

i find it's easier to do when im at work with no distractions. keep up with your meals on time and keep up with your daily pills. as long as you work the program you can do it.. just like everyone else says.. you're throwing away your money if you're not letting the plan work for you. it WORKS. the first 2 weeks were the hardest from me and though it's a struggle but now that i'm nearly down 30 lbs (to date it's 29) in about 2 months.. how can ya say no. stay strong and try your best to stay on track!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!