Hi all! Well the holiday weekend is almost through and then we start January work weeks with no days off for most of us for some weeks to come! I for one and looking forward to getting back to normal!

I calculated my loss beginning with Thanksgiving week through today to be sure and include the Christmas and New Years holidays and I lost 14.6 pounds for that time span! I am both proud and amazed that I did it!
This "vacation" from food has, if nothing else, taught me that food is not my friend and it is what got me in this mess to begin with! I will never be able to eat like a "normal" person again - but that is ok. I can pay that price for a fit body and hopefully no diabetes and blood pressure medication! I still have a little more than 50 pounds to go to my temp. goal and then we will see how much more I want to lost then. By current weight loss calculations, I should hit that goal in May!

Dan! - I am so happy to see your posts! I had been wondering how you were and where you had been. Your losses for the holidays were fantastic too! I am proud of you for just "saying NO"!!!!!

GTG - hope the Optifast is the answer for you. It is so important to have a program that you can live with and enjoy. It makes the journey so much easier.

ssflbelle - welcome to the board. We are here to help and support. Don't be a stranger!

djay - how are things with you? Looks like you and I will make goal together! You said your birthday is in February - so is mine! I am Feb 6, when is yours?

Beachy - hope all is well with you. Hang in there - 2009 is going to be a good year for you and yours!

Susan - where are you? I miss your shining face and upbeat posts.

Jacque

I had been living quite well with MF and as of today's weigh in I have lost 79.6lbs!

MF is a GREAT plan and it has helped me a great deal. I just don't know why the taste is "getting" to me.

I totally love the MF scrambled eggs! In any event, I sure hope that I will reach my goal in 2009 as that is my "wish" and like my doctor said, maybe I just need a break from MF and I am not ready to do something like Weight Watchers.

Congratulations on your previous loss! That is great. What is also great is that you are taking control and doing something good for yourself. I know dealing with the regain can be difficult but you are catching it before it gets way out of control.

If you do the program, it will work. It has helped me lose almost 80lbs since March 08!

Good Luck to you and I wish you a Happy & Healthy 2009!!!

WOW!
Just this morning I found another group I thought might be good for me since I weight over 300 pounds, and they had a challenge starting today. I posted I wasn't sure what to eat as I haven't gotten my MF foods yet and I feel like the the first poster basically shot down my desire to start the MF program. I guess I might just stay here where you don't criticize a program. Only I didn't see a weight loss challenge over here.
Thanks Jake Babe and getting to goal in 2009 that is the kind of encouragement I was hoping to get.

Hi Amanda and Welcome!
I know what you mean about some of the militant posters out there. I join alot of other challenges and discussions on other groups...but I rarely say what plan I am following for that very reason. There is alot of ignorance out there about Medifast...I think they see Fast in the name and think it is another new gimmick. They have no idea how long it has been around, the clinical trial results or the doctors that recomend it.

I liken some of the weightloss programs to religions...And there are some zealots who truly believe that if you do it any other way than the way their program preaches...You are doomed to weight loss ****.

So enjoy the other groups...but we are here to support you and cheer your Medifast success!

DJ

Thanks DJay As unfortunate as it is I do appreciate hearing that others had some problems in other groups as well. I wrote her back a post saying I had researched it but I wasn't thinking clearly enough to state the clinical trials and how long the program has been around and the wonderful results that people such as Dan and the rest of you have had with the program. Oh well I did say my peace over there so hopefully that will end it. But I so wanted to be in the challenge as that helps to keep in on track. Do you ever do any here?

I did the 3fc Biggest Looser Challenge last season...and won it actually!
I am doing it again for this season.
I also post on the 100lb points challenge each month. It has nothing to do with weight watchers and everyone is welcome. Here is the link.
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=159654

Amanda:

The program that we choose is a personal and indiviual choice. I feel that WE ALL need to respect each others decisions. I think Weight Watchers is a GREAT program....for some people.....but.....it did NOT work for me. I could not lsoe weight no matter what! I started with having to lose 152lbs. I could NOT deal with the first week of a 2lb gain then the 2nd week a loss of .2! I needed something different and was Medifast. It worked and it has been working. I am choosing with the help of my doctor to transition to Optifast for a 12-20 weeks full fast. BUT...That is my decision and we all have to do what we have to do.

When I was waiting for my MF shipmement and one time when I was not sure I would have enough supplements to get me thru to my next shipment, MF Nutrition Support suggested following this meal plan:

the best suggestion would be to stick to the lean and green meal parameters and try to keep your calories, carbohydrates and protein as similiar to the Medifast 5 and 1 meal plan as possible (800-1000 calories; 80 to less than 100 grams carbohydrate; >72 grams of protein).

This may mean having approximately 12-15 ounces of lean protein in a day (consider having 3 meals with 4 ounces each and two "in-between" meals of 1-2 ounces each). Given your circumstance it seems reasonable to allow 9-12 servings of vegetables from the recommended vegetable choices. These very loose guidelines may need to be adjusted to stay within the nutritional parameters listed above. Take a multivitamin daily.


Calorieking.com is a great place to get calorie and carb values. Also, check out: http://www.medifast1.com/community/index.asp

This link is to a comprhensive guide that should be helpful:

http://mfboards.mymedifast.com/attac...0&d=1227651990



All the guides are there and they will help you should you choose to follow the above plan.

Again, Best of luck and IF YOU FOLLOW the plan as written, you will have amazing results!!! And DRINK YOUR WATER!!!!!!!

That is sad and believe it or not, there is a Team on the Medifast website that is very militant! They have a 100% on plan philosophy and literally "BASH" other MF users if they fall off plan or decide to have an off plan meal for WHATEVER reason.

I believe that evryone is entitled to follow whichever plan they choose and NOT be mistreated for that decision, isn't that what "FREEDOM" is all about? While I would NEVER encourage anyone to eat off plan, THAT also is a personal choice and NO ONE has the right to "BASH", "INSULT", "DEGRADE", or "HUMILIATE" anyone! PERIOD!!!!!!

Thanks Gettingtogoalin2009 for all the info and the links. I will follow what you have suggested here until I get my order. I ordered on Dec 23 but I guess the 2 Holidays slowed the delivery down. I saw a lot of recipes and I am hoping I don't have to do too much to the food to be able to eat it as I want to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen for breakfast and lunches.

Amanda,
You may want to check with MF. Mine was shipped on the 29th and I have already recieved my order. Could be because you are anew customer or further away...but I usually get my shipment in 2-3 days.

The recipes are for folks that want to have a treat now and then. I would not recommend that you start off using the recipes. In fact, I started March 08 and I ate the food as is, no recipes. I did not try a recipe til September and I made a "shake cake." I have tried and for the most part still try to eat the MF foods as is.

I also want to spend as little time as necessary in the kitchen. I try to make my Lean & Green as simple as possible too. I rarely "cook" anymore. I use vegetarian patties (Boca or Morningstar Farms), tuna in a pouch, the 7 oz family size is a Lean & Green serving! Hormel chicken, 1 6 oz pkg is 1 L&G serving. Sometimes I will cook up a bunch of boneless skinless chicken breasts and weigh out 6 oz and put them in ziplock bags. I used bagged salad or the veggies that come in a steam bag for the microwave. I also do this with ahi tuna steaks. The tuna steaks or chicken breast are great over a salad with Newmans Own light viniagrette dressing.

If you have any questions and if I can help, let me know!

I do wish everyone could see it your way. I think the advantage the 3fc forum has over the Medifast forum is that the Moderators here don't let it elevate to the point of bashing.
I for one have had enough bashing from people that I have to associate with in my life...No way I'm going to take it from a "support group"...It's to easy to take my unsupported booty elsewhere!

No so called "Support Forum" should allow anyone to be mistreated. At that point, it is no longer a support forum. The group on the Medifast Forum that is doing that has scared people away, got people kicked off the boards, made people afraid to ask for help or an opinion. And yes, Medifast allowed this to happen. I saw it happen and I was totally amazed. Many people do not have the time or the money to join a local support group or weight loss counseling and forums like 3fc are a great way for people to reach out to their peers and get help, ideas, support or just good conversation. Sadly, there is always at least one person to ruin it. We are human and we will have slip ups. It happens! What is important is that we learn why we had the slip and try to figure out how to avoid it or if we "choose" to eat off plan, then we have the strength not to fall down that slppery slope and get right back on plan.

A weight loss plan is a very personal choice and it needs to fit our needs. Personally, I think Weight Watchers is an excellent plan and I applaud it, however, I had to lose 152 pounds and I was NOT losing on WW! I needed something that worked for ME! Not my neighbor, not my sister, not anyone but me. I don't feel that I have to defend my choice of plan to ANYONE, they sure in heck aren't paying for it, I am! And no one has to explain their choice of plan to me! Last January a few people at work decided it was time to lose weight, the proverbial New Years resolution. My boss and her assistant chose South Beach, another oerson chose Jenny Craig. I chose Medifast and I started in March not January as everyone else. I needed to be ready and March 3, 2008 was when I was ready. To date, I am the ONLY one still on plan and I am the only one who is losing. Everyone else lost 10-30lbs and they have ALL abandoned their programs and gained back all the weight plus! But, I was supportive of all of them and will be when I go back to work tomorrow because they ALL said that in January they are starting a program! I am so glad that I started the New Year already on a program and 80 lbs lighter! And yes, I ate off plan on Christmas day because I wanted to!

Goal,
I was nodding and smiling all the way through your post. I can so relate! Every year my office does a Biggest Looser contest form Jan-May. They wanted me to join last year but I wasn't ready. In June I was and there is only 1 other person imn my office who has sustained any weight loss for the year.
I guess the biggest argument I've seen against Medifast is that it doesn't teach you how to eat for the rest of your life. I agree somewhat with that argument. But I do know I cannot go back to my old lifestyle. I feel more confident in learning my new relationship with food after I have lost some weight rather than before...I'm not sure why people think that we don't know that wecan't go back to our old lifestyle after we loose the weight nor why they completely ignore the fact that people from EVERY diet plan can and do often regain weight.
I am also a fan of WW. I just have a hard time loosing weight that slowly when I have so much to loose. I end up discouraged and go off plan. I like the healthy choices it promotes and the structure it provides. I plan to do weight watchers for Maintenance until I am very confident in my lifestyle.
Do you plan to keep posting here after you switch to Optifast? Do they even have an Optifast forum? We won't kick you out because your taste changed!
DJ