Joyce ~

This is such a great article. #5 is what you and I keep coming back to and reminding ourselves that you can't just pick and choose when you will and when you won't be on plan.

We are in WORK WORK WORK mode. It can be harder some days than others but staying on plan always make the next day easier. :)

I'm with you on this!

Karen

Hi there,

Newbie here. Anxiously awaiting delivery on my starter kit so I'm not on the program quite yet. Really excited to be here and have read this entire thread from beginning to now.

I start on Saturday. I had to plot out all my meals for 30 days to include a business trip in February that coincides with the last days of the 30. I wanted to start sooner but I calculated that I would run out of food while away if I started before Saturday. As it is, on the last day of the trip, I need to get home by 3pm or I will be out of food completely as I'm relying on the new shipment for the other two meals! My February shipment will likely arrive when I am out of town so I'm literally planned out to the last detail to ensure I have all the tools I need to succeed.

I'm encouraged by both the success stories I have read and the strong underlying message that it works if stuck with 100%.

Tonight I put away my maintenance foods for a few months until I can eat them again. I have been doing my best at clean eating for the last year or so, but have also allowed myself too much eating out so I didn't see the benefits. Had a health scare earlier this year and even that didn't wake me up enough to do something about it. My MIL just happened to mention she was doing something in the new year, and out of concern for her I researched it. I liked what I saw and decided to join in the journey.

A little about me: back in 2009/2010 I lost 120lbs on a medically supervised LCD with supplement shots and made the mistake of not having a good maintenance strategy. Over the course of the next seven years I have slowly gained it all back. Usually in 30lb increments for some reason. I was 60lbs up by the time I got married in 2011, gained another 30 when we moved to our new home that suffered water damage and had us hotel living for 8 days (where I'm convinced eating out all my meals packed on 20 alone) and then 30 in the last three years. Looking at the Medifast program it is not unfamiliar and not intimidating to someone who was eating 850 calories a day and getting shots 3x a week. I'm liking the grab 'n go aspect of it and that I can share my Lean and Green meal with my husband at dinner time. As it is now, the only meal we share is dinner. He is responsible for his breakfast and lunch. He wants us to do the Mediterranean Diet, which I will make for him and modify for my meal; my maintenance plan includes returning to the Mediterranean Diet within the caloric parameters set by the program.

I know that a good maintenance plan is the most important part of this journey. Having lost and regained weight since 1980 the common failure issue has always been no maintenance strategy. That changes this time around!

Looking forward to getting to know everyone better!!

Cheers,
Laura

Laura ~ :welcome3:

We are so glad to welcome you to our little corner of the world! I am so glad you read through all the posts - it is our short history and record of our fantastic results that have motivated all of us thus far. Plus there is a wealth of encouragement and hope embedded within our words.

Thank you for sharing your history. I speak for myself when I say I know where you are coming from. I have a long story of diets tried, worked , failed and tried again - plus financially I can't even begin to calculate the money I spent!
I don't even want to think about it.

As far as we all are concerned, this is it. We are pre-planning our maintenance strategy NOW. We are following the MF rules NOW to achieve the expected outcome. We are discovering that no longer can we eat like we used to: that for me sugar is the trigger, the disguised demon that I cannot ingest or else my resolve is damaged.

There is a cognitive behavior therapy technique (Judith Beck) that states if you give in to your immediate desires, you are exercising your "give in muscle." The more you do it, the easier it becomes until finally you have created the same habit that got you into trouble in the first place.

Sorry for the rant (kind of) but acceptance of all the above is a definite.

You will be a great asset to our group. Share with us what you have learned on your life's journey.

Oh and kudos on all your preplanning the MF meals while you are traveling. HalfPass and TWINCA also travel and I am sure can be of assistance!

Karen ~ Oh my gosh...5 pounds is awesome! :dance: :dancer:

I know you are on cloud 9! :cloud9: All your effort: the coffee detox, the learning to knit, the devotion to adherence to the MF rules is paying off big time!!!

I am so happy for you! Did you record your stats in the New Year, New You challenge??? It is so satisfying to see that loss in black and white!

Hurray...you made my day! :hug:

Thanks for the welcome, Joyce!!

Luckily I only travel once a quarter but the challenge is that the hotel does not have microwaves in the room and I don't know if there is one in the public areas. In case not, I made sure I planned microwavable/hot water stuff for the hours I'm at the office. Also, since the hotel restaurant, while lovely and healthy, isn't as Lean and Green as I'd like, so I shifted my L&G meal to breakfast where I can get a vegetable egg white omelette (hold the potatoes, hold the toast). The travel also involves two four plus hours drives to and from so I had to plan the bars for then. It was quite the planning undertaking - but I love building things in excel so it was in my wheel house.

My mother decided when I was 13 (omg I just realized that was 1979 not 1980!) that at 180lbs something had to be done. We went to a weight loss clinic where they restricted you to 800 calories. I think I lost about 30lbs and then we bailed. I tried it again on my own in 1983 and got down to 160 I think. I was cycling to and from college which was quite a distance and one day I was at the clinic and they paced my resting heart rate at 48 and sent me to the doctor. He immediately wrote me a note excusing me from participating in their program so I could get out without penalty. Each time I stopped it short and didn't have a maintenance strategy.

Fast forward 30 years and now I'm up to 275; guess 180 wasn't so bad after all. I tried running (which I love) but it never got me below 250. Late 2009 saw me at over 300 and I decided it was either do this Doctor program (in Canada) or get the surgery. Knowing they don't do the surgery until you've lost some weight I figured I'd try the Dr. B program and see what happens. With the help of my mom who was retired and lived with me, she did a lot of the food prep, I was able to lose 120lbs from September 2009 to May 2010. I was 190 and felt like I could manage the rest with running and eating smart. Since I was not at the weight they set for me, they would not put me on maintenance so I was out in the cold. The day I quit the clinic was the day I took up running. It was like running through mud, my muscles were so weak. I reintroduced carbs and started gaining - not a lot, not anything I didn't think I could get a handle on. I figured once I stopped being in ketosis, there would be some minor regain. Then, I stopped weighing myself. Big mistake. One I do to this day. Once my weight starts creeping up, I stop looking at the scale.

I moved to the US to marry a wonderful American and the first year of our marriage was so stressful due to immigration delays and work permit stalls. I am pretty sure I gained 20lbs in the first year of marriage due to stress. As I mentioned earlier, we had another stressor two years later when our house flooded. It's always something and my husband & I tend to enable each other to convenience eat.

For Christmas, my husband gave me a book - he addressed the gift to both of us meaning it was a gift to him as well. It was The Mediterranean Diet for Beginners. By giving me that, he was expressing his commitment to eating better and I am fully behind him in this. Since we got married he has slowly changed his bad habits from being a bachelor for his whole life. He sees the impact of making better choices. He is supportive of me as I embark on my Medifast journey and I will do my best to give him healthy choices.

Really happy to be here, and thanks again for the lovely welcome!

Cheers,
Laura

KAREN - CONGRATS on FIVE pounds! I can only hope... :carrot: Glad to hear coffee rehab has paid off!! The ONLY thing I drink is water, and same for past 6 weeks. I am convinced it has aided in my weight loss.

JOYCE - CONGRATS on the weight loss! :carrot: 4 lbs is SUPER, and good to know still achievable this far into the plan. Thanks also for thoughts on Optavia. I'm writing a separate post about that.

STEPH - CONGRATS on your weight loss, too! :carrot: Slowly but surely is a good healthy way. How have things been going?

CARMEN, SELEXI & LAURA - Welcome to the group! We are a fairly active bunch and feed off of each other's energy and weight loss. So far, so good! Please be sure to continue to check-in. Accountability--even to a bunch of strangers--works wonders!!

I am on a business trip RIGHT NOW and did early planning exactly as Laura did, so kudos! A couple weeks ago, I set aside 3 quart zip-loc bags with fully "portable" meals for my 3 day trip so I knew I would not run out. Each has 4 different bars, one bag of cinnamon pretzels, and a cheddar cheese popcorn for a snack (just in case). After many cancelled / delayed flights yesterday due to weather, believe you me that I was happy I had those meals with me! I'm admittedly worried though after Joyce/Karen comments re: 2+ bars per day seemingly stalling weight loss. Oh well, desperate times...

I researched my hotel, too...no microwave or room service (bummer). I got in around 9PM, and was starving so I stopped at the bar in the lobby on the way up to my room to order a "to go" meal. I got a hamburger with lettuce, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, with a side salad instead of fries. When I got to my room, I took it all apart, tossed the bun, chopped up the burger, added ketchup, and made it "deconstructed" style burger "salad." Good to go. For better or worse, you need to get creative sometimes.

I'm still doing well otherwise. Haven't gotten on a scale for a while (since 01/03) but will do so this weekend. It's "that time of the month," and I always bloat up, so figured I might as well wait so as to not get discouraged! :-)

Here are my menus since last week...some days better than others but nothing that would throw me off plan.

01/04/2017 (Day 36) - French vanilla shake, cinnamon pretzel sticks, ziti marinara, s'mores crunch bar, L&G taco salad (shredded beef). :devil: BAD - Only 4 MF meals today. 609 cal, 69 g protein, 69 g carbs, 21 g fiber, 24 g fat.

01/05/2017 (Day 37) - Dutch chocolate shake, sour cream & chive mashed potatoes, oatmeal raisin crunch bar, chicken noodle soup, cheddar & sour cream popcorn (snack #1), L&G Flavors of Home beef stew with rosemary sea salt crackers (snack #2) & 1 Laughing Cow creamy white cheddar cheese wedge. :devil: BAD - 4 MF meals and 2 snacks. I was having what I chalk up as serious PMS food cravings this day. STILL -> 875 cal, 71 g protein, 70 g carbs, 20 g fiber, 25 g fat.

01/06/2017 (Day 38) - strawberry shake, sour cream & chive mashed potatoes, blueberry muffin soft bake (NEW!), ziti marinara, L&G taco salad (shredded beef), chocolate crunch bar. 853 cal, 71 g protein, 70 g carbs, 20 g fiber, 24 g fat.

01/07/2017 (Day 39) - Coco's California omelette (1/2, no sides except a bite of my son's bacon), Five Guys hot dog with ketchup (no bun), chocolate crunch bar, hot cocoa (NEW!). :devil: BAD - Ok, we ate out TWICE today, but stayed low carb, and as a result, only ate 2 MF meals today bc I was "scared." STILL --> 795 cal, 67 g protein, 64 g carbs, 18 g fiber, 28 g fat.

01/08/2017 (Day 40) - Optavia Chia Bliss Smoothie (NEW!), L&G taco salad (shredded beef). :devil: BAD - Yeaaaah...so this was not a great day. I was sick most of the day and barely left my bed. Upside of laying in bed is that I got to be OCD about my next two months of MF orders/meals (will write separate post). 488 cal, 64 g protein, 59 g carbs, 17 g fiber, 25 g fat.

01/09/2017 (Day 41) - Dutch chocolate shake, sour cream & chive mashed potatoes, cinnamon pretzel sticks, beef vegetable soup, oatmeal raisin crunch bar, L&G taco salad (shredded beef). 828 cal, 68 g protein, 64 g carbs, 18 g fiber, 28 g fat.

01/10/2017 (Day 42) - TRAVEL (DELAY) DAY - French vanilla shake, sour cream & chive potatoes, chicken noodle soup (all before I left for airport as flights ended up being cancelled/delayed), oatmeal raisin crunch bar, peanut butter crunch bar, Parmesan & olive oil crisps (snack), angus beef burger on bed of lettuce (see above). 873 cal, 69 g protein, 64 g carbs, 18 g fiber, 28 g fat.

Thoughts on NEW (to me) foods this week:

Blueberry muffin soft bake - Good, not great like a BB muffin should be. Like other soft bakes better. Probably won't order again.

Optavia chia bliss smoothie - Just so-so. Didn't love it. Didn't hate it. Lacked any real flavor, which I found odd. Technically healthier from the Optavia line. Will drink remaining ones (see separate post), but will likely not order again.

Hot Cocoa - So I got my hopes up after hearing from Steph and Karen. I obviously did something wrong bc (a) it bubbled over in my mug in the microwave and got all over everything, and (b) was chunky as it did not all dissolve. Taste was good but needed to filter out the chunks!

Ok, now on to my quest for new products / menus. This post is too long already, so I'll write a separate one.

Yes, I'm a little OCD-No judgements! MF Meals for 69 Days.
 

So here's the thing... When I set my mind on something--in this case my goal weight--I go "all out." I meticulously plan each step so as to not derail my efforts. I think we will see this OCD manifest itself in future posts as I get closer to goal (May/June--fingers crossed) and start planning transition. Also probably pretty obvious from my prior posts! :)

For now though, I am looking at the next 69 days. That should take me to St. Patty's Day, and if my goal stay true, that should be the week I reach 199--ONEDERLAND!!!

I decided to try some of the Medifast Optavia products. It still blows my mind that you can't get them from the Medifast site, and only via TSFL. As a kind of "revolt"--and against my better judgement, I ordered some boxes off of eBay. Yes, they seem to be reputable sellers with high number, 100% feedback. Yes, they have mid-2017-2018 expiration dates. In retrospect, I will not do that again, though, and just suck up the TSFL order next time IF I end up liking the products.

I mentioned that I had some time on my hands sick in bed last weekend. The results are below...

First, here is what is coming for me this week between my MF order #3 (slightly changed since prior post), and the new Optavia products:

MEAL #1 (46)
Dutch Chocolate Shake - 14
French Vanilla Shake Box - 7
Strawberry Shake - 7
Original Pancakes - 7
Optavia Chocolate Covered Cherry Shake - 7
Optavia Chia Bliss Smoothie - 4

MEAL #2/3 (112)
Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks - 28
Cinnamon Cereal Crunch - 14
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal - 14
SC & Chive Potatoes - 7
Optavia Cinnamon & Honey Hot Cereal - 7
Optavia Wild Blueberry Hot Cereal - 10
Optavia Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits - 7
Optavia Honey Sweet Potatoes - 18
Optavia Cinnamon Cream Cheese Swirl - 7

MEAL #4 (50)
Beef Vegetable Soup - 14
Chicken Noodle Soup - 7
Macaroni & Cheese - 7
Optavia Chipotle Mac & Cheese - 6
Optavia Spinach Pesto M&C - 16

MEAL #5 (69)
Peanut Butter Crunch Bar - 14
Chocolate Crunch Bar - 14
S'more Crunch Bar - 7
Chocolate Pudding - 7
Optavia Honey Chili Cranberry Nut Bar - 20
Optavia Chocolate Cherry Ganache Bar - 7

Then, I added my current "leftover inventory," and broke that down into 69 days worth of meals. I'm going to bag each one into quart size zip-locks over the weekend. WHY? Three reasons...(1) So that I get good variety, (2) so that I use up all the product before next order, and (3) so I don't have to think each day, "hmmm.. What should I grab today?" I will just throw them in a big basket on my shelf and grab as I walk out the door each day!

Here are my bags 'o meals for the next 69 days:

BAG CONTENTS - 69 DAYS!
1. XXX - MONDAY (01/09) - Dutch Chocolate Shake, SC Chive Potatoes, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Beef Vegetable Soup, Oatmeal Raisin Crunch Bar

2. XXX - TUESDAY (01/10) - Bars/Pretzels (Packed)

3. XXX - WEDNESDAY (01/11) - Bars/Pretzels (Packed)

4. XXX - THURSDAY - Bars/Pretzels (Packed)

5. FRIDAY (01/12) - Dutch Chocolate Shake, SC Chive Potatoes, Chicken Noodle Soup, Hearty Veggie Sloppy Joe, Oatmeal Raisin Crunch Bar

6. SATURDAY (01/13) - Pancakes, SC Chive Potatoes, Brownie Soft Bake, Beef Vegetable Soup, Oatmeal Raisin Crunch Bar

7. SUNDAY (01/14) - Peanut Butter Crunch Bar, SC Chive Potatoes, PB Chocolate Chip Bar, Ziti Marinara, Caramel Crunch Bar

8. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, SC Chive Potatoes, Macaroni & Cheese, Choc. Cherry Ganache Bar

9. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Caramel Crunch Bar, Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits, Chicken Noodle Soup, Chocolate Crunch Bar

10. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Beef Vegetable Soup, Chocolate Crunch Bar

11. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Cinn. Cream Cheese Swirl, Chicken Noodle Soup, Choc. Cherry Ganache Bar

12. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Beef Vegetable Soup, Chocolate Crunch Bar

13. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits, Chicken Noodle Soup, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar

14. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Spinach Pesto M&C, Chocolate Crunch Bar

15. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Cinn. Cream Cheese Swirl, Beef Vegetable Soup, S'more Crunch Bar

16. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Chicken Noodle Soup, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar

17. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Cinnamon Cereal Crunch, Chipotle M&C, Chocolate Crunch Bar

18. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Macaroni & Cheese, S'more Crunch Bar

19. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Wild Blueberry Hot Cereal, Cinnamon Cereal Crunch, Chicken Noodle Soup, Peanut Butter Crunch Bar

20. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Cinn. & Honey Hot Cereal, Beef Vegetable Soup, Chocolate Crunch Bar

21. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Cinnamon Cereal Crunch, Chicken Noodle Soup, S'more Crunch Bar

22. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits, Spinach Pesto M&C, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar

23. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Wild Blueberry Hot Cereal, Cinnamon Cereal Crunch, Chipotle M&C, S'more Crunch Bar

24. Dutch Chocolate Shake, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Spinach Pesto M&C, Peanut Butter Crunch Bar

25. French Vanilla Shake, SC Chive Potatoes, Cinn. Cream Cheese Swirl, Beef Vegetable Soup, Chocolate Crunch Bar

26. French Vanilla Shake, SC Chive Potatoes, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Chicken Noodle Soup, Choc. Cherry Ganache Bar

27. French Vanilla Shake, SC Chive Potatoes, Cinn. Cream Cheese Swirl, Spinach Pesto M&C, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar

28. French Vanilla Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Macaroni & Cheese, Chocolate Crunch Bar

29. French Vanilla Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits, Chicken Noodle Soup, Choc. Cherry Ganache Bar

30. French Vanilla Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Beef Vegetable Soup, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar

31. French Vanilla Shake, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Cinn. Cream Cheese Swirl, Chicken Noodle Soup, Peanut Butter Crunch Bar

32. French Vanilla Shake, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Beef Vegetable Soup, Chocolate Crunch Bar

33. French Vanilla Shake, Cinn. & Honey Hot Cereal, Cinnamon Cereal Crunch, Spinach Pesto M&C, S'more Crunch Bar

34. French Vanilla Shake, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Spinach Pesto M&C, Peanut Butter Crunch Bar

35. French Vanilla Shake, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Cinnamon Cereal Crunch, Beef Vegetable Soup, Chocolate Crunch Bar

36. French Vanilla Shake, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Wild Blueberry Hot Cereal, Chicken Noodle Soup, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar

37. French Vanilla Shake, Wild Blueberry Hot Cereal, Cinnamon Cereal Crunch, Spinach Pesto M&C, Peanut Butter Crunch Bar

38. Strawberry Shake, SC Chive Potatoes, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Spinach Pesto M&C, Choc. Cherry Ganache Bar

39. Strawberry Shake, SC Chive Potatoes, Cinnamon Cereal Crunch, Chicken Noodle Soup, Peanut Butter Crunch Bar

40. Strawberry Shake, SC Chive Potatoes, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Beef Vegetable Soup, Chocolate Crunch Bar

41. Strawberry Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Cinn. Cream Cheese Swirl, Chicken Noodle Soup, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar

42. Strawberry Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Macaroni & Cheese, Peanut Butter Crunch Bar

43. Strawberry Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits, Spinach Pesto M&C, Choc. Cherry Ganache Bar

44. Strawberry Shake, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Spinach Pesto M&C, Chocolate Crunch Bar

45. Strawberry Shake, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Cinnamon Cereal Crunch, Beef Vegetable Soup, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar

46. Strawberry Shake, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Wild Blueberry Hot Cereal, Chicken Noodle Soup, S'more Crunch Bar

47. Strawberry Shake, Cinn. & Honey Hot Cereal, Cinnamon Cereal Crunch, Spinach Pesto M&C, Oatmeal Raisin Crunch Bar

48. Strawberry Shake, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Cinn. & Honey Hot Cereal, Chipotle M&C, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar

49. Strawberry Shake, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Cinnamon Cereal Crunch, Ziti Marinara, Peanut Butter Crunch Bar

50. Strawberry Shake, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Wild Blueberry Hot Cereal, Beef Vegetable Soup, Chocolate Crunch Bar

51. Chocolate Cherry Shake, SC Chive Potatoes, Cinn. Cream Cheese Swirl, Chicken Noodle Soup, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar

52. Chocolate Cherry Shake, SC Chive Potatoes, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Macaroni & Cheese, Peanut Butter Crunch Bar

53. Chocolate Cherry Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Cinnamon Cereal Crunch, Spinach Pesto M&C, Choc. Cherry Ganache Bar

54. Chocolate Cherry Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Spinach Pesto M&C, S'more Crunch Bar

55. Chocolate Cherry Shake, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits, Beef Vegetable Soup, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar

56. Chocolate Cherry Shake, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits, Chicken Noodle Soup, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar

57. Chocolate Cherry Shake, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Cinnamon Cereal Crunch, Macaroni & Cheese, S'more Crunch Bar

58. Pancakes, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Chocolate Chip Soft Bake, Chipotle M&C, Chocolate Pudding

59. Pancakes, Honey Sweet Potatoes, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar, Beef Vegetable Soup, Chocolate Pudding

60. Pancakes, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar, Chicken Noodle Soup, Chocolate Pudding

61. Pancakes, Cinn. & Honey Hot Cereal, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar, Macaroni & Cheese, Chocolate Pudding

62. Pancakes, Wild Blueberry Hot Cereal, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar, Spinach Pesto M&C, Chocolate Pudding

63. Pancakes, Wild Blueberry Hot Cereal, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar, Ziti Marinara, Chocolate Pudding

64. Pancakes, Brownie Soft Bake, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar, Beef Vegetable Soup, Chocolate Pudding

65. Chia Bliss Smoothie, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Cinn. & Honey Hot Cereal, Chicken Noodle Soup, Chocolate Crunch Bar

66. Chia Bliss Smoothie, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Wild Blueberry Hot Cereal, Chipotle M&C, Peanut Butter Crunch Bar

67. Chia Bliss Smoothie, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Cinnamon Cereal Crunch, Spinach Pesto M&C, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar

68. Chia Bliss Smoothie, Cinn. & Honey Hot Cereal, Honey Chili Cran Nut Bar, Chipotle M&C, S'more Crunch Bar

69. Pineapple Mango Smoothie, Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks, Wild Blueberry Hot Cereal, Spinach Pesto M&C, Peanut Butter Crunch Bar


Honestly, I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Short reply for now: TWINCA you are my spirit animal!! I have an equally intense excel spreadsheet and the only reason I haven't plotted out the rest of my planned journey is because I haven't tried the food yet and don't know what I'll continue to get. I love the idea of bags! I would never have thought about that. Do you bag the whole shipment as it comes in or rotate a set number of bags?

I finally got my food today and immediately printed my spreadsheet and sorted between stuff to take to work, stuff to store at home and stuff to pack for Charlotte trip. I went low-tech putting each week for work in labelled grocery bags. I love organizing things so perhaps I will utilize some small boxes or baskets I have going spare at home and work.

Will write more after reading the new posts more thoroughly.

Cheers,
Laura

I love the idea of deconstructing the hamburger! The nature of my work while I'm in Charlotte doesn't lend itself to meals out with others (which is actually a relief - the last time I went to Charlotte I was networking and there were many meals out and drinks to be had) and I'm working over a weekend so connecting with my teammates based there won't really be happening (they have families and lives to go home to, I on the other hand have only myself and my hotel room). I feel like it will be quite a hermit-y weekend. The teammate I'm travelling with is renting the car we're using so I'll definitely be hotel-bound...

TWINCA, about the hot cocoa, here is the trick. Put a little cold water in your mug and add the hot cocoa powder. Mix it with a fork until smooth (just enough water to make a paste). Then add boiling water and mix. It's smooth every time! If you have to microwave, use a different mug and just heat the water to add to the paste. I use a coffee maker to boil water in hotels.

I am down another pound (3 so far) and hoping for another pound before my second week is up. I am doing well with the plan but really wishing I had some of those mashed potatoes and ziti you all talk about. Also some of the Optavia bars look really good and I'd like to try them.

I find myself making easy Lean and Green by just taking 5 ounces of ground beef and browning it with a cup and a half of whatever vegetables I have on hand. I season with salt and pepper and it is a good, filling and simple meal.

Do any of you ever do your Lean and Green for breakfast? I was thinking it would be nice to have a big omelet. Then if I had something like the ziti I could eat it at dinner time.

I am planning on getting an egg white omelette with vegetables at the hotel I'm staying next month. Unfortunately I won't be able to report back until then.

Also, I had heard about the cocoa before, but couldn't remember where so thanks for posting that hint!

Cheers,
Laura

I haven't even read today's posts yet...but I was so excited to find the pdf file regarding weights of vegetables for your GREEN part of your lean and green.

If you use measuring cups to measure out your vegetable, most likely you are cheating yourself. You get so much more if you weigh them!

So here it is. It is also color-coded: Low, medium and high carb vegetables!

You can find the document here:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwkN...Tg0/edit?hl=en


This was found on YouTube under health coach Brianna Rangel.

Now whew!! TWINCA ~ You are amazing! I cannot believe how organized you are! You have this down to a science. If they had a Medifast magazine, you would win a prize for how to do the program 100% and then some. I can't wait til you transition - you are certainly going to teach us all how to do it!
Thank you for sharing.

Laura~ You are right up there with TWINCA! See how lovely this thread is! Sharing all these ideas make this program so much fun and exciting. I love it!

Steph ~ First of all, :cp: on the additional weight loss!! You are doing so well!
And second, thank you for the hot chocolate instructions! I had always just used it as a shake (which is awesome, btw) because I couldn't get the right consistency when hot. So you've just added another meal to my repetoire!

Y'all crack me up with all these meals planned so FAR in advance.

TWINCA ~ No OCD did not come to mind when I read your entire meals for the next 69 days. Sheesh girl you've got this planned to a tee! Good for you.

I think I am truly the most boring meal eater on here. I only buy a certain amount of the SAME boxes. Yep, I told you I was boring.

Here is a typical Medifast day:

7 AM - Medifast Bar
10AM -Medifast Hot Cocoa
1 PM - Medifast Pretzels
3 PM - Medifast Shake
6 PM - Lean and Green. Most times chicken breast on bed of greens
9 PM - Medifast Shake or hot cocoa

I drink a gallon of water each day from 7 AM to 7 PM

For some strange reason if I just stick to the same Medifast foods it is easier for me. I don't want all the choices. I really like everything on this list and so I figure why not just stick to this list until my mind tells me to order something new. The few times I ventured out I didn't really like what I ventured out to so I told myself on the next order to just get what I know I like.

Above all, it's working.

ps: stephgetshealthy - That is exactly how I mix my hot cocoa. It works perfectly.

Karen

I'm so glad to be on this forum. I really appreciate everyone sharing their menus because when I was unpacking my shipment last night I was truly concerned at the size of the meals. I have to go on faith that I will be satiated with these meals especially since you all are eating the same things and succeeding.

Ironically, I have noticed in the last few weeks that my appetite is much smaller than it used to be. I can barely finish the food I'm eating now and no longer plow through to clean my plate. Perhaps that means I'm ready to eat smaller and more often.

Cheers,
Laura