So I ran across "Medi Weight Loss" while looking for foods that would fit the MF profile.

Not interested in going to anymore "centers" - can't afford it, not even the maintenance anymore...


So back to this medi weight loss clinic...they do the ekg, blood work. Then there are weekly b12 injections (I'd rather just take a pill!), group sessions, weigh in, the usual.

Here's how the food works, sounds much like what many of us are trying to do, the MF on a budget with "real" food (first week is like a VLCD, however, I'm not endorsing this without doctor supervision - just passing on information!):

Week One: 500 cals/day in lean protein only
Week Two: 500 cals/day in lean protein PLUS two cups low-glycemic veggies OR one cup low-g veggies and one cup low-g fruit
Week Three: same as Week Two, but with one lowcarb snack added

Continue Week 3 until the weight is off. So, 500 cals/day lean protein is like our MF shakes; then when you are for sure in ketosis, they add the "green" like the MF lean and green 5+1.

Lots of chatter about it on a subforum in the lowcarb friends forum.



And here is a great blog about it:

mymediweightlossrecipesandtips.wordpress.com/why-i-started-this-blog

It's interesting though, she says as soon as she stopped, the weight came back on, which was my experience with the Optifast type center I went to. I just gotta chug away at lowcarb, lowcal, myself, I guess.

Here's lots of recipes:
lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/medi-weightloss

from jlpeterson, who has the blog I listed above:

WEEK ONE
1. Eat 500 calories of lean protein. Examples:

*Grilled Chicken
*Roasted Turkey Breast
*Lean cut of steak
*Rotisserie Chicken Breast
*Deli shaved chicken or turkey breast (buy good brands that have no more than 1.5 grams of fat per serving)
*Lean burgers (with mustard)
*Lean Ground Beef with taco seasoning mixed in
*Pork tenderloin
*Broiled or Grilled Fish
*Grilled Shrimp and Lemon-pepper seasoning
*Canned Tuna or chicken
*Egg substitute, or use 1 whole egg and 1 egg white
*cottage cheese (sprinkle with sesame seeds)
*protein shake

2. Try different seasoning salts, seasoning packets, rubs, fresh and dried herbs to keep things more interesting.

3. Drink lots of fluid:

*4-8 glasses of low-calories fluid, preferrably water
*Fluids with electrolytes
*Crystal light
*One Caffeine-free Diet coke or decaffeinated coffee

4. Take supplements and appetite suppressants

5. Exercise for 30 minutes 3 x per week

6. Test urine daily to determine Ketosis level

7. Get plenty of sleep

WEEK TWO
Second Week Eating Plan

I was told to continue eating 500 calories of protein, and add either two cups of vegetables or one cup veggies and one cup fruit each. The vegetables needed to be in the low glycemic index and included:

Artichokes & artichoke hearts
Asparagus
Green Beans
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Eggplant,
Green onions
Collard, Kale, Mustard, or Turnip greens
Leeks
Mushrooms
Okra
Onions
Peppers (all)
Radishes
Snow Pea Pods
Salad Greens
Sauerkraut
Spinach
Summer Squash
Turnips
Water Chestnuts
Water Cress
Zucchini

I did some research and learned that Jicima is very low glycemic so I added that to my shopping list. If you’ve never had it, it looks somewhere between a potato and turnip and has a wonder crunch!

Fruits on the list are:

Apples (1 small)
Blueberries (3/4 cup)
Cherries 3 oz (appx 12)
Grapes 3 oz (appx 17)
Grapefruit 1/2
Oranges (1 small)
Peach (1 small)
raspberries (1 cup)
Raspberries (1 cup)
Strawberries (1 1/4 cup whole)
Tomatoes (I cup raw or 1/2 cup canned)
Grapes

They recommend fresh over frozen, frozen over canned. Strive for the most nutrient dense vegetables for optimum nourishment. Also, if buying canned fruit, check the sugar content, even when purchasing fruit that indicates no sugar added.

I’ve eaten a cup of watermelon with 1/2 cup of cottage 5 out of 7 breakfasts every week I’ve been on the program and have consistently lost weight for 10 weeks.

After I had completed my second week on the Medi-Weightloss Program, I had lost another 2.20 pounds, a total of 10.41. I felt great!

WEEK THREE
During the third week of the Medi-Weightloss program, if you are progressing satisfactorily, you’ll be allowed to add 1 snack to your 500 calories of protein and 2 cups of vegetables (or 1 cup veggies and 1 cup fruit). The snacks allowed are spelled out and are portion controlled, and don’t start thinking you’ll be eating chips or popcorn. They are kept to less than 100 calories, keeping the low glycemic index in mind.

Here is a sample of snacks allowed:

Pork rinds, 1/2 oz, 80 calories, 5 g fat, 0 g carbs
Cheese Stick, 80 calories, 6 g fat, 2.5 g carbs
Almonds, 14 nuts, 85 calories,8 g fat, 2.5 g carbs
Raw Broccoli & Cauliflour, 1 cup, 25 calories, 0 g fat, 5 g carbs
Beef Jerky, 1 0z., 80 calories, .5 g fat, 3 g carbs
Hard Boiled Egg, 78 calories, 5.3 g fat, .6 g carbs
Sunflower Seeds, 1/2 oz, 82 calories, 7 g fat, 3.4 g carbs
5 celery sticks with 1 tbls peanut butter, 100 calories, 8 g fat, 3 g carbs
17 pieces of Hormel turkey Pepperoni, microwaved until crisp, 73 calories, 3.5 g fat, 1.1 g carbs
1/4 cup berries, with 1/3 cup low fat cottage cheese, 60 calories, .5 g fat, 9 g carbs

To Do List for Week 3:

Keep journaling your food and activity

30 minutes of exercise 3 times during the week.

Get plenty of rest!

Start entering your data into a diet tracking website, such as Caloriecount.com or Nutrition Data.com.

I am continuing my weight loss success by:

Determining the nutritional breakdown and glycemic index ranking of foods I plan to eat.
Keeping my foot choices low fat
Keeping my carb intake to a minimum
Eating protein with every meal
Eating pasta that is multi-grain or whole wheat in conservative amounts.
Eating in the correct portions (here’s the guide)

Eat lots of low glycemic vegetables!

Eat lots of low glycemic vegetables!
Eating more veggies, fruit, fish and fiber
Eating only reduced fat cheese
Following my own guide to eating out (read it here)
Walking regularly and doing 10-20 minutes of exercise bursts 1-2 times daily
Entering my daily food intake into Caloriecount.com
Removing my “too big” clothes from my
And Fruits!

And Fruits!

closet and replacing them with fun “skinnier” clothes. (Tips for Organizing Your Closet Here.)

I’m now enjoying:

Kashi Go Lean Cereal (140 calories for 1 cup/1 g fat/30 g carbs/ 10 g fiber and 13 g protein)
My Southwestern Tortilla soup (without the Tortillas!) Low Glycemic!
Tilapia with Pecans
Salads with Wishbone Spritz instead of a bottled dressing
Sandwiches on Fry’s bakery whole grain bread (55 cal per slice/.5 g fat g/10 g carbs/3 g protein).
Artichoke Fritatta often (a yummy egg dish) (recipe here)
Multi-grain spaghetti and shells and brown rice

Eat multi-grain or wheat pasta and brown rice!

Eat multi-grain or wheat pasta and brown rice!
Low carb tortillas (Misson Carb Balance) for breakfast burritos or chicken fajitas.
Diet root beer floats using Breyer’s Carb Smart Ice Cream.
My Spicy Chicken Wings (recipe here)
Lots of steamed veggies and my Cucumber Salad (recipe here)
Cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast or a snack.
Sunflower seeds for a snack in front of the TV or computer.


From me - one would assume you'd need a multivitamin as well as that B12!

Lots of recipes over at lowcarb friends - check the medi weight loss thread