Before the point gets lost on the medifast issue, I wanted to comment on a great success that you had. That was THINKING about your choices and opting to get rid of the bagel. It is all about these kinds of moment to moment changes that make the next decision that much easier.

Free food is not a reason to eat. The time on the clock is not a reason to eat. Restaurant meals cannot be suspended from reality...every bite counts. It is how we think of these things, how we play out the games in our head to justify eating when we know deep down we simply don't need it.

Challenge the logic of your own thoughts. It helps not to make a thousand eating rules you will more than likely break, because that has been the pattern up to now. Instead, challenge the thought that pops up in your head. You see pastries, they look great....admire them! Think about how pretty they look and smile at the thought that you want one. Think about how many things in life you really want but cannot have for whatever reason. Does it cause resentment? Do you accept that if you eat one that the time it will take to lose weight will be delayed? How long do you want to be cycling the same pounds?

There will always be pastries. Not having one now won't mean that they will disappear off the face of the earth never to be seen again. Not eating a free food doesn't mean you've missed out on an opportunity of a lifetime. See how it is all a way of thinking?

And when you do make a decision to stay on your plan, feed your body well and make wise choices, don't think negative thoughts like "poor me" think about how well you will feel and how much closer you are to goal.

It is just my opinion and I apologize for not stating it more as my opinion.

I personally don't think a program that supplies all the food and takes the thinking out of it is sustainable but then again I am not a medifast expert. The people I know (small sample size obviously) who have been on programs like Jenny and Medifast have been very unsuccessful once they are off the program and I believe this has to do with education, knowledge, and most importantly habits. (Granted - someone who is on this site and doing Medifast probably has a much greater chance of success due to the excellent support they can get here for free.)

From what I have read of the major weight loss programs the one that has the best long term success is weight watchers. My guess would be this is because the point system is really just a simplifed calorie counting system and being in charge of your choices builds habits which are sustainable for the long term.

This! Excellent point and well stated.

JohnP, just wanted to point out that anyone who goes "off the program," no matter what it is, is likely to regain. One can't go back to the old habits and expect to keep the weight off. You have to stay with the "aftercare." This is true for WW just like anything else.

Jay

Of course. My point has more to do with making food choices and meal planning becoming habits compared to eating what you're given to eat.

I also am not a fan of the diet industry, in general, including Medifast, Slimfast, Jenny Craig, or any plan where you have to purchase special foods. That's neither here nor there, just a thought.

I was just thinking that turning down free food for me isn't about the food, it's the type of free food offered. I guarantee if someone at my office brought in free lima beans or free liver, I wouldn't eat it or obsess over it. BUT, bagels, donuts, pastries, YEP, I have a tough time with those as well. We used to have meetings in the morning at one of those long conference tables. Before every meeting, someone would make a long trail of mini candy bars down the middle of the table. I couldn't concentrate on what was being said at all. I was having a struggle in my head over whether to eat the chocolate or not. I felt like a crack addict must feel. It was ridiculous. Now that I don't eat any sugar, it's not a problem. The cravings went away. I'm so glad I did this. I feel so much better physically and mentally.

Passing up freebies is hard, especially when someone brings you a homemade treat. But self-control around temptation is the only way to lose weight. Sadly very few people can eat whatever they want all the time.

Not to turn it into a MF thread but MF is not a "for life" plan. Most people are on it from 6 months to 2 years it seems, depending on how much you need to lose.

And also if you think about it $300 a month isn't much because you not only cut out all eating out, you also only need to buy enough additional veggies and protein for 1 additional meal a day. Since I've been on MF my food bills have decreased because I don't worry about breakfast or lunch anymore- just dinner

People don't do MF because they don't want to work hard at weight loss but because this helps make things a bit less overwhelming. It's easier to worry about one meal a day while you are trying to lose weight and then like has already been mentioned when you transition out of MF you slowly encorporate more meals and overall learn how to continue to eat healthy. All the literature MF provides for free is a great tool to sustain the program for life. As with any program if you don't follow it you won't see results or keep the weight off.