Hi ther Ms KB!!! I found this info on the MF site, because someone had the exact same question as you. So, to paraphrase the Medifast nutritional advisor:

"The MF 70 shakes have only 10 calories more and only 3gm of additional protein than the MF 55 shakes. Using either of these products will not hinder your weight loss efforts. Medifast 70 shakes are generally recommended for men and very active women, those wanting a higher amount of protein each day or those individuals with difficulty achieving a higher protein level (such as those following a vegetarian diet). Overall, using the Medifast 70 shakes instead of the Medifast 55 has the potential to provide an additional 50-100 calories per day (again depending on the flavor selected) and an additional 15 grams of protein when compared to 5 of the Medifast 55 shakes, but would still likely fit within the calorie, protein and carbohydrate parameters of the Medifast 5 and 1 program."

PERSONALLY, I think that unless you are very, very active, OR are a vegetarian and have trouble getting in your protein in the FIRST place, you won't need the Medifast 70 shakes. Due to the higher calorie count, my personal thought is that you might experience a slower weight loss IF you don't seriously regulate the rest of your intake for the day. BUT, it is TOTALLY up to you!
Let us know what you decide!
Maya
:)

New one here! Any advice greatly appreciated!
 

Greetings, Maya & all - After following this thread with great interest, I've taken the plunge - just won 11 Medifast puds on Ebay that I plan to make into shakes, as described by Yay. (I thought I'd better sample the goods before committing the big bucks to the Medifast plan in its entirety.)

I'm 5' 6", somewhere around 215 lbs (exact figure unknown to me, idiotically by choice - 'twould send me straight to the cookie jar if I had to own it:o), older than y'all (big hint: it really DOES get MUCH harder to lose weight after age 50!), very active until felled by severe osteoarthritis in both knees (sigh - my "weight loss plan" formerly centered around 60 - 90 mins of aerobic exercise daily - if I also dieted very stringently, I'd lose weight (just down to the 190's, when, invariably, Mexican food would call my name & the diet would end posthaste!) If I merely tried to eat like a "normal" person, all the aerobics just maintained my weight...& now, of course, as I'm unable to do weight-bearing exercise (although I do cycle, row & swim often) I'm hard pressed to avoid getting bigger by the day!) When I get the Medifast, I plan to use the puddings as an occasional meal replacement in my diet, which is similar to South Beach (tons of produce, low fat, adequate protein, but more carbs - sorry!) I doubt if I'll lose much weight in this manner, but it should help me decide whether to commit to the full program or not. Any advice/encouragement greatly appreciated, & best of luck to all of you - your willingness to describe your efforts & progress is so very helpful! Thanks!

Hi to all! Snowbound, here!
 

Hi everybody, thanks for thinking of me, Maya.

I am officially snowed in. The only person I can find to plow us out has a first day route of 18 hrs. so I am on day 2. ...foot tapping, waiting, waiting. 10 inches of the @$^%&^%#^&^ stuff.

Good news, bad news, though. Shoveling is weight bearing exercise and I got my share of that today. The other good news is that I ran (OK, *shuffled*) over to the neighbor's to check on her today. I was really grateful for being in good enough shape to do that at a fast clip through 10 inches of snow, 'cuz it was mighty cold!:carrot:

The other good news was two days snowed in and still ate OP...If I do decide to do it, I won't start Medifast 'til Jan. but have plenty of time to do some sensible eating!:D

Keep going, all!

Hello ladies,
Like many of you, I've been wondering when to begin. I WANT to enjoy the holiday season. I NEED to lose this weight. I'm having a hard time enjoying myself, and I keep telling everyone I don't want anything for Christmas. For the first time I mean it. All I want in the world is to go to the mall and buy a cute little pair of jeans. Is that so wrong??

I lost some weight last March on MRC (Metabolic Research). I only gained back 5 pounds; it could have been much worse. :moo:

So here I am, ready to take the plunge, but worried because I have so little self control. Tell me it's gonna be okay. Tell me it gets easier. Tell me I'm doing the right thing.

Hi there!
Welcome back MaryBlu -- SNOWED IN??!!!! YIKES! Here's hoping the plow gets to you. It hasn't stopped snowing for 12 hours now, but it is wet dirty snow that is miserable to shovel.
Michelle -- :hug: welcome! I know how you feel -- I really, really DO. I've SO been there, and like you know, my highest RECORDED weight (I didn't eat for 3 days prior to weighing in at the doctor, was 243lbs -- really close to where you are now. And we are practically the same height. And I sense just a bit of "desperation" -- "GOD please let me take this weight off RIGHT NOW because I AM SICK OF CARRYING IT AROUND and I feel like CRAP and I feel like I LOOK like crap..." Sound familiar? We've ALL been there!
So I CAN tell you that, although I am new to this, I have found this plan SIMPLE to follow. Notice that I didn't say EASY TO DO! Following the plan is easy, but making the committment to do so is tough at times. That's where you have to have your head in the game. So, I WISH I could say that this was the "magic bullet" I've been looking for (quick, easy, painless weightloss with NO change in my lifestyle) but I would be lying to you.
What I WILL say is that, if you have your head in the game, the plan is so very simple to do AND you will have amazing results, which is motivation in itself. You will find the food tolerable (strawberry shakes SO aren't my thing!) to excellent (heLLO Caramel Nut Bars!), and it really is simple to prepare -it is convenient and RIGHT THERE.
SO, here's a thought! LOVE yourself right now, acknowledge that you are doing the best that you can do, and if you choose Medifast, place an order and make a committment date. If the holidays and the food rituals around them are important to you, then start DECEMBER 27th! Or January 1st! Or WHENEVER. But make the date and stick to it.
Then, just commit yourself 100% for one month. ONLY one month. Just try it. 30 days. You can do ANYTHING for 30 days (29 sleeps!). Check your results, and decide if you want to stick with it. Personally, I think that after 30 days, you'll have lost 15-20 lbs (seriously) without feeling horribly, terribly deprived.
And if I can do it, so can you! You just have to decide to do it!
SO, DON'T beat yourself up -- right now, your weight is what it is, and feeling crappy about it won't change it. All that'll happen is that you'll feel crappy and the number will STILL be there. So why torture yourself?
Instead, you can decide to make a change, pick the date, and then FORGET about it until then. Enjoy your holiday, and ask for Medifast for Christmas!!!!!
Please post back here, we want to know how you are doing! You ARE doing the right thing; THERE IS HOPE; Everything is going to be JUST FINE. Promise. :hug:
Maya:)

Morning All,
You know Maya, you are really good at this.
I printed that post and put it on my mirror for inspiration.
Well chosen words! Whoo-hooo!
Maybe you could start a thread, "the daily inspiration for weight loss" by Maya and when all of us are feeling that way we could read it every day!
Not snowing in Houston but chilly this morning...
Mimi I also am one of the not so younger ones here, and I can relate..
Have a great day...
Fab50TX

Hi, I am having major computer problems so I just wanted to say howdy. I am lurking and reading every word, but typing is hard for me right now.

Hi . . . :wave:

Have been out running around most of the day, taking advantage of a little lull between blizzards. :mad: Got home really exhausted and discovered one of the cats threw up a hairball (and accompanying mess) in my computer room and while cleaning it up, I threw a half glass of water all over my printer and keyboard. Things will get better, I hope.

:welcome: to MIMIMAB . . . :hug: . . . and MICHELLE . . . :hug:

See you all later.

Hi Everybody!
 

Well scale finally moved 1.5 so I'm down to 198. That's 13 lbs in 4 weeks. Not as much as I had hoped. But pretty good. I'm happy. :carrot: Although I wasn't that bad on THanksgiving (didn't gain and stayed in ketosis)... I'm sure it set me back a pound or two..... Yesterday, I wore a knit suit outfit to church :D! A month ago somebody would have harpooned me if they had seen me in it!

My Boss had been away and out of the office all last week, hadn't seen her for 10 days. She noticed the difference this morning immediately and commented. Too bad not as much is coming off my rear end and thighs as is coming off my face and neck... but there is only so much fat in my face so it will have to eventually!! ;)

I picked up some a few MF items I hadn't tried before on Ebay which arrived over the weekend. Loving the Wild Rice & Chicken, the Hot Chocloate and the Crab soup.

Maya! WAY TO GO!!! That is fantastic for 30 days! AND Thanks for the scale support! My Scale is a pain in the..... :devil:

Meowee Hope you are well.

Hate to hear about all the snow some of you ladies are having to deal with.

Hang in there! We CAN do this ladies!! Just think we will have a huge jump on all the resolution folks!

Talk to you later!

Thanks Ms. Fab! And thanks Ms. Mroz!!!
OK, so who has cats here? I know that Ms. Meowee does!!! I am TOTALLY stressed out because we are having a huge renovation done, and I took our 4 cats and put them in a spare room. After the reno guys were gone I was able to get 3 of the four and put them in a safe place with me in the basement (that's where I've moved for the next 3 months) because the guys framed in a door for me, so I can stay toasty warm here with my gas fireplace. ONE of them, Miss Kira, wouldn't come out of the room. But I had to get her out because if the workers open the wrong door by accident, she is GONE. SO, I managed to get hold of her, and she was freaking out, and I brought her downstairs, where the other three are and it is comfortable. SHE IS NOT HAPPY. She is wailing a bit, and running from me, and hiding like crazy. I am TOTALLY freaked out because SHE is totally freaked out!
My instinct is to just let her be, and she'll get used to things, but I really, really, REALLY just want to pet her and calm her down. Unfortunately, if I LOOK at her, she freaks out and runs.
This is going to be a long LONG reno, like hopefully we'll be done in March. And this is only day ONE. I don't want to take her to a kennel but at the same time, I don't want her to freak out like this.
I AM STRESSED!!! HELP!!!
Maya
:)

Poor Maya!

Haven't you ever moved with that cat? I thought my cat was going to bang his head into a wall! He clearly lost all semblance of sanity and screeched all night long. But he got over it and I didn't kill him. Your cat will be fine.

I LOVE your response to me!! Wow you are sweet and so well spoken. I have some Medifast here. I've made a few half hearted attempts to "diet," but I haven't gone for it yet. I want to start and yet - it's Christmas!! My anniversary is Friday! My daughter's 17th birthday is the 27th! What a stupid time of year to try to lose weight!! Ugghhh!

I can't decide whether to try to tough it out or wait.... On the one hand, I'm not getting any smaller. On the other hand, I'm fat - I celebrate with food.

Thank you for the kind welcomes - everyone seems so wonderful!

WAY TO GO, Ms. Mroz! You can't control the numbers directly -- you can only be on plan and let your body take care of the rest. So don't worry -- 13 lbs is A M A Z I N G! Especially since with other diets, you'd only probably lose around 6 lbs! So WAY TO GO and KEEP IT UP!!!!

You know something, Ms Michelle, your family loves you JUST the way you are. I'll bet you that if you asked your daughter, she'd tell you just as much. SO, just BREATHE, recognize that this time of year SUCKS for dieting, AND remember that:
"People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas." ~Author Unknown
So don't worry! It'll be OK and if you start after the fun Christmas season, you'll be just fine!
Thanks for the cat support!!!! I have NEVER moved with Miss Kira, our upset cat. I got her from the SPCA 4 years ago when she was very, very young. On the UP side, today she is MUCH MUCH better. I think being in our basement with her mom and sister, and our other cat Sammy, is doing her a world of good. I also have found that classical music (!) tends to calm everyone down, so I have some on right now (I LOVE iTUNES!!!).
Other than that, everything is going well. The demolition for our reno is chugging along, and tomorrow we are hoping to take the roof off! This during the coldest December in 15 years...Ah well -- it'll all work out!
Maya
")

Also, WELCOME Ms Mimi! That is such a good idea to buy some trial products on eBay to see if you like them. Some MF users report soy allergies, but those are few and far between, but it does make sense to kind of give it a try. I saw an interesting show on TV the other day, where the commentators said that it takes up to 16 (yup SIXTEEN) tries before a person gets accustomed to a food! Especially with children! So, after hearing that, I decided that even if a MF meal isn't to my liking, I'll just keep plugging away at it. IF after the 1st month, I'm still not keen, I'll move on.
I've come to that realization with Strawberry Shakes. As I'm sure you are ALL sick of hearing, I don't like fake Strawberry. BUT, I got through 3 boxes of it and it isn't all that bad. Given a choice between that and another meal, I wouldn't take the Strawberry Shake, but if I had to, there would be no problems!
Do you all think that sometimes it is just a question of "mind over matter" or actually deciding that you like something? If you tell yourself enough that you LIKE it, then you do???
Thoughts?
Maya
:)

Day two and I'm surviving. I made two cookies this morning with the oatmeal - there are suggestions on the Medifast Board. They weren't terrific but sure better than the oatmeal as porridge.

The chili for lunch was good. I went out for the mail a while ago and came home to find that my dog, Hershey, had eaten part of one of the chocolate bars. Not enough chocolate to worry about but she knows she's in deep doo-doo!

Maya, I have a feeling the strawberry shakes won't be my fave either. I'll have to be more picky and choosey on the next order. It certainly is nice not to be planning meals all the time and running them through Fitday. Now let's hope this works for me.

It'll work, Ms. Ruthie! Absolutely!
Gotta dash for tonight -- ANOTHER party, another batch of excuses for not eating...sigh...
Maya
:)