[aam369]

Hi Everyone!

I just put my order in for my first month of MF. I am super excited and nervous at the same time! Taking a gamble that this will really work for me so we put together some money for the order that we really couldn't afford.

(Positive thinking!)

I did a lot of reading online (and on this board) before choosing MF.

I am 5'2", about 185 right now. I would like to be back to around 140-150 and about a size 8 by the end of February. Do any of you think this is doable?

I've done a 23 day all fresh fruit juice cleanse before, so I'm not to worried about the taste of the meals as long as they work.

I am pretty active, doing P90X/weight training several times a week and cardio (treadmill incline/intervals) for about an hour several days a week.

I also have a thyroid problem that my doctor is still working to stabilize and is one of several reasons (also stress, emotional eating, etc.) that I have put 30 pounds on in the last year and a half.

I feel horrid. I want my fiance to have the light in his eyes when he sees me in my dress. He is worried if I don't lose the weight I won't enjoy myself on our honeymoon (in a bikini), which is true.

I have tried every diet out there and the weight just keeps going up. Then I get discouraged and binge. Then the cycle starts over again.

I want to fit into my nice clothes again, to not be hiding out at home all the time. I want to really and truly look and feel healthy and beautiful on my wedding day. I have problems with self-sabotage and feelings of not deserving things, which I am going to therapy for and is a part of my overall weight issue.

MF told me I should have my first month of food early next week.

I really need some support and guidance from anyone here, mentors would be awesome. I don't want to do this alone and I also want to be prepared for what kind of weight loss I can realistically expect, tips and tricks some of you may know, etc.

My dress does already fit, but I would like to lose as much as I can before my first dress fitting 1/21.

Sorry for the long post. I am so over being overweight and MF is my last shot. I don't want to give up!

(Any feedback, support very much appreciated!!!)

Thank you all so much,

[JayEll]

Hey! Yes, you can lose weight with Medifast. But, I think your expectations may be a little high if you think you'll lose 35-40 pounds in two months.

Rather than set a number as a goal, I'd suggest you make your goal STAYING ON THE PLAN! That will guarantee you lose weight, and you'll be much happier when the end of February rolls around, even if you don't hit some arbitrary number.

Stay with the plan! Get all the information you can from medifast1.com. Be sure to check out the condiments list, the snacks list, the vegetarian options, and so on. Be sure you measure your lean and green foods--you will probably be amazed at how much 6 ounces of chicken breast really is. But it's important that you eat as much as you are told for the lean and green. Also, drink the water you're supposed to! And don't go longer than 3 hours between meals.

The first few days can be rough, but things get much better once you get past them.

Good luck!
Jay

[Maurene]

Based on the weight loss I've seen in others on MF (and mine), I would estimate you'll lose about 4-5 lbs the first week and then 2-3 pounds/week after that. Thats assuming your thyroid problem doesn't inhibit weight loss.

So, if I'm doing my math right - that would be 15-20 lb approximately by your first fitting. That is a lot in just over a month! I wouldn't expect your loss to be quite as big in the second month.

None of that takes in stress from wedding planning. I wanted to lose weight before my wedding but due to the stress I think I was lucky to maintain. (I'm a huge stress eater.) But, I think MF will be great for you because its simple. You only have to plan one meal a day.

Good luck!!

[Riddy]

Hi aam369 - welcome!

I think you need to adjust your expectations. You'd have to lose 5 pounds a week every week to meet your goal by late February. I know Medifast says you can lose 2-5 pounds a week, but I haven't met anyone yet that loses 5 pounds every week. For example, my start weight was over 100 pounds above you, and it took me 4 months to lose 50 pounds. I think 20 pounds by your dress fitting is a more likely outcome.

Like Jay said, I wouldn't give yourself a huge amount of weight to lose on a deadline. I would commit to staying on plan, with the expectation of losing as much weight as you can.

It's great to have a goal, and great to push yourself, but I don't want you setting a goal that's d**n near impossible to reach and then getting discouraged and quitting.

Good luck! Medifast works - I've been on it since mid-April, and I'm still motivated to keep going.

[aam369]

Thank you all so much for the support and advice, I really don't want to do this alone.

I will be continuing to work out most days a week since its the weight training that will help me tone up, so I guess I also need to expect slower loss due to adding some muscle too.

I will make my goal to stay on the plan, no matter what. I think I've really messed up my metabolism from years of yo-yo-ing, so I have to give MF a shot since nothing else that used to work for me works now.

I am excited to begin, I will be sure to check in regularly with my progress and before/after pics.

Again, thank you all very much and have an awesome weekend!