Ok everyone, I am reallly concerned about maintaining any weight loss from this diet! I know now that the weight can come off and that it is healthy etc... but is it realllly effective at maintenance. I can't help but think of Oprah

Did Oprah do Medifast?

OH yeah... she got really really really scary skinny had this huge debut with her walking out on stage like a size 2... she gained it all back really quick!

Google it if you get a chance... it is interesting

Oprah used Optifast, a doctor supervised program. It was similar to Medifast. She walked out on stage in her size 10 Calvin Klein jeans, which was her goal, and she pulled a little red wagon filled with the amount of fat that she lost. It was quite a vision! And you're right, she didn't maintain. Maintenance is very hard no matter which plan you use, but it is even harder when you lose on a very low calorie diet. It would probably be better to transition to a higher calorie plan before you reach that point. Medifast offers tips based on their studies that should be useful

OOOPS I was wrong.... she did Optifast

I too was worried that as soon as I started to eat again that all of the weight would just come flying back on. Not so-you need to follow the maintenance program.

I went on a cruise and went off plan for a week. Watched what I ate, but still had wine etc. I gained one pound which I quickly lost when I got home, so it is possible to live again!

My advice is to take the transition part of the MF program very seriously... this time when I lost weight, I knew I HAD to learn to maintain. I knew this had to be a lifetime change, not some short-term starvation thing and then back to the junk. So I followed MF's transition plan BY THE BOOK.

In the end, I believe it's not the diet that makes maintenance work -- it's us!

Well, I'm happy to say I've maintained my goal since June 2007! Reading the posts from fellow maintainers here on this site is crucial for me, it keeps me focused.

Thank you guys soo much for your posts.. I feel like there is hope!

AmazingP, your starting & goal weights are similar to mine! One of the many things I learned while losing my weight is that I can NEVER go back to my former overweight lifestyle of little physical activity & huge portions of foods. I didn't really eat bad stuff just way too much of it & year by year my weight creeped up. And as I got larger I became less active.

Now I am at my goal weight & I watch what I eat. Not crazy watching like I did when I went into Transition & first began Maintenance but I am very aware of the calorie range needed to maintain my weight now. Some days are a little higher & I balance it off the next day with more sensible eating.

Surprisingly, my food choices have also changed to a more whole foods diet w/ a lot of vegetarian meals. Yeah, I have goodies but I take time to enjoy a proper or reasonable portion of them rather than wolfing down a ton of it. And I don't have them every meal or every day.

During the little over a year it took me to lose weight I also found some exercise plans that I actually enjoy & can stick with. Started w/WATP as it was fast & something I could do when I was heavy. Still use those DVDs a couple of times a week. Discovered Zumba...LOVE & use those DVDs a LOT. A bunch of us over at MyMF are doing the Body For Life Challenge (waving to gatita!) & I really love the results from that...plus I always loved weight lifting & glad for the opportunity to get back into that.

My point of this ramble is that over the months that you are losing weight you will have time to develop new habits that will carry on into maintenance. You WILL be a new you. Really really. With Medifast it is crucial to go thru the Transition Phases to properly introduce carbs back into your diet. Simply going back to a regular eating routine will pack on pounds quickly. The last phase of Transition is really the beginning of Maintenance. It is then that you fine tune an eating plan that you can live with permanently. And there are lots of people here on 3FC & on MyMF that can help you along the way. Good luck with your weight loss journey & hope to read more of your posts in the future.

Suesully,
Wow, you are a true inspiration. Thank you for your wonderful reply....