Hello everyone!!

I'm new to the TSFL program, I am in week 3 now and I'm down 12 lbs!!

I was motivated to start this program after years and years of torturing my body with all of the wonderful things in life: bread, cake, Reese's, and couch sitting. How do I like my eggs, you ask?? In a CAKE!!

My cousin turned me on to this program after I went home (Kentucky) this year for Mother's Day. She had started in mid-January and I almost didn't recognizer her!! I returned home again for July 4th to find her down a total of 70+ lbs and have been asking all sorts of questions since then.

I finally bit the bullet and bought my first kit, I have found things that I love and things that I am not very fond of. I find that my palette is changing and some things that we great to start with don't taste so wonderful now. I read that once your body reaches ketosis some things start to taste different and sometimes those things that you shoved to the back of the pantry will taste good again soon!

I'm hoping to use this community as a tool for motivation, I have over 100 lbs I would like to lose and I'm hoping that TSFL will be the winner for me!! I don't plan on going off plan until Christmas when my family will be down visiting and then as soon as they are out of town I am will be back on 100%. I'd like to lose 30 lbs prior to Christmas so here goes!!!

Welcome to the forum. I'm also on TSFL and I love it. The program works really well if you stay committed. That doesn't mean it's easy, but it's definitely simple to follow. I started TSFL in mid-June and I'm down almost 50 lbs in 3 months. This board is not super active, but I think there are a lot of lurkers who just don't post for whatever reason. Best of luck to you!

It seems to me like everything to do with TSFL is so hush hush, it's hard to find recipes and information on your own. I have a coach, and I love her to death but it seems like everyone says "here, I'll add you to this group" or "look at this website". I'm a Pinterest JUNKIE, I find it so hard to find L&G meals that are up my alley as a picky eater.

CONGRATS on the 50 lbs loss!! I hope to be there myself before too long! I miss bread, a lot more than expected lol.

I think it seems more hush hush because it's a spin-off from Medifast and a lot of the tips for succeeding on Medifast are already out there. In terms of the program, I think that the Medifast 5 & 1 and the TSFL 5 & 1 are the same, so it might be the case that people are relying on all of the Medifast information that already exists. This board probably has a lot of info for L&G recipes. I like to keep mine simple and I pretty much eat some variation of the same thing for my L&G everyday. But I know that others need more variety so I totally understand wanting to find more recipes.

I would love to see this board be more active, which means I guess I need to start posting too!

I just started Medifast this past Sunday, but I am not doing TSFL. I am going to a center. It just happened to be right down the street from me plus I need MAJOR accountability so I like the idea of going in and stepping on the scale each week, plus the monthly measurements.

The first few days were NOT fun. Day 3 was especially brutal as I just felt weak and strange. It didn't help that my period came 2 weeks early and brought cramping and cravings with it. Today was day 5 and I finally felt "normal" again BUT it was also my first day back in the office and eating every 3 hours did not happen. I am on the 4-2 plan and I only got 3 of my MF meals in. I will definitely try to do better tomorrow. When I buy food Saturday, I think my focus will be on the bars, since they will be easier to carry in my purse and eat at work.

I look forrward to keeping in touch with y'all!

-Nichole

You beginners are such an inspiration! I am trying to decide between Ideal Protein and Take Shape for Life. Glad to see it looks like there could be some community support here.

Hi guys!

I was trying to find a forum for TSFL/Medifast beginners and found this thread. First, congratulations to you all on your weight loss so far! I really like the idea of posting and reading other peoples journeys because it helps stay motivated and accountable so I am definitely willing to post when I have spare time and also exchange recipe ideas because I am a foodie - I have already read some great recipe ideas online. Maybe all of us in this thread could share a Pinterest board w/ recipe ideas? Let me know if you're interested in that idea because I am going to put my own board together anyway.

I just started the TSFL/Medifast 5+1 program yesterday (Sep 16). I really had a easy time on day 1. I weighed myself the morning I started, and this morning and have already lost 4 pounds in 1 day! My start weight is 297 and I am down to 293. My short term goal was to get to 277 within 4 weeks but this may happen faster than I thought so depending on how things go after week 1 I may have to adjust that.

The lowest weight I have been in the past 10 years is probably around 265-270 which was after a gallbladder removal surgery about 2.5 years ago. I had been around 320 in 2011 which was the first time I ever weighed myself as an adult and I had already lost some weight so not sure what I had been before that. In 2012 I got down to about 285 and hovered there a while until that surgery when I got down to around 265-270 (due to an all liquid diet for 2 weeks). But I soon gained all that weight back, plus a little more. I have been hovering around 295 for the past year.

I am someone who tends to binge eat like 1x per day. I am usually someone that skips breakfast, lunch (I might have a protein shake once during that timeframe) and then binge at dinner time because I am super hungry, then have a late night sweet snack - I have a bad sweet tooth. I think this program will help me to obviously control what I'm eating but also get that habit of eating 5 small meals per day. I never eat fast food, don't drink soda and always drink water anyway so this program isn't really overwhelming me or making me feel in total shock lol.

I really like the food I have tried so far and I could see myself eating these things a long time as my small meals because I like to just grab and go and this program's food really supports that idea. I haven't tasted anything I absolutely hate yet but I was very careful when selecting food in my first order - I basically did some research online to see what everyone on this program liked or didn't like. If you haven't tried any of the OPTAVIA products yet, I definitely recommend - they are really yummy and good quality!!

I have tried the following so far:

Mocha Shake (Medifast) - Both the "ready to drink" and powder mix - Great! I mixed the powder one with some coffee this morning and it was fab!
Dutch Chocolate "ready to drink" shake (Medifast) - Great!
Optavia Chipotle Mac & Cheese - Really yummy and has a little 'kick' which I like
Caramel Crunch Bar (Medifast) - I probably liked this the least but it was still fine and I will finish the box but may not order it again
Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes (Medifast) - I thought these were actually really good for what they are - instant diet mashed potatoes lol
Optavia Cinnamon Cream Cheese Swirl Cake - AMAZING if you like sweets/cakes

I also had one of the Sour Cream and Cheddar Popcorn pouches for a snack which is approved on the plan. This was REALLY good - if you like that sort of thing.

For my lean and green yesterday I had mahi mahi with Broccoli and a little salad - I was able to add 1 tablespoon of a vinaigrette, tomatoes and a little parmesan cheese to the salad (condiments/fats allowed on the plan). The ability to add these condiments/fats is a lifesaver for me because I love condiments lol. I also incorporated 1 of my allowed medifast meals (the sour cream/chive mashed potatoes) w/ this lean & green meal because it felt like I was having mashed potatoes w/ fish which I like.

I also like to eat meatless a lot so I like how this plan has that option and you can make some really great/creative things with the options allowed under the meatless. I could see me doing an egg salad with romaine leaves and maybe the new Herb biscuit as a egg salad sandwich! Or omelets, etc. If you like buffalo chicken I recommend the morning star farms brand of buffalo chicken wings - they are really great for a meatless chicken and they are allowed on the meatless plan for your lean protein!

Hi Porcelina,
I loved your post. I just ordered my food....will be starting soon.
Keep your meatless green and lean meal options coming. I am not a big fan of meat
How are you going to make egg salad? Just trying to learn and get ideas.
Do you have a health coach or you ordered directly from Medifast?
Hope you are having a good weekend,
nelcin

Thanks! I saw on the condiments list we are allowed Mayo - so I will mix the eggs w/ mayo. We can use 3 hardboiled eggs for a meatless protein serving.

I started to make a Pinterest board w/ recipes. This forum wont let me post any links yet so just add this part after pinterest.com - /porcelina_ts/tsfl-recipes/

I also started an Instagram here: Porcelina_ts or access instagram.com and add /porcelina_ts to end - Please follow me to see what I'm cooking/making!

I joined the BeSlim club when I purchased my first TSFL order because you save some money etc. so a coach was just automatically assigned to me. I am ordering my food from the TSFL website here: tsfl.com (click the shop button and appropriate foods are listed under each plan on the left bar).

I did Ideal Protein several years ago, and while I lost weight, there is no way I could force myself to do it again. The 4-2 plan from Medifast seems much more reasonable and sustainable. My struggle last week was actually eating enough. Work was so stressful that I did not get in the 2 MF meals I needed to during the week or drink adequatr water.

This is a new week though! I think I tried too many new things last week and just didn't enjoy them. Right now I am in love with the S'mores bar and actually crave it. Wish there was a shake I liked but so far they are all just tolerable.

I seem to have more trouble on the weekends than I do during the week. I, however, have a desk job that allows me to freely eat as I please... but I have to set a reminder to DRINK and eat because I get busy and sidetracked easily. Luckily, I have a good support group at work and I have people on WW plans that are constantly competing with me to see who has drank more water, etc. It's nice!!

My weekends are usually either crazy or boring, there is no in between. When I find myself sitting at home I just want to eat everything whether I am hungry or not. I had this problem before I started on plan but I have found that running to the Farmer's Market or just getting out of the house for a few hours really helps me on these days. 99% of the time, I am not hungry... I'm just bored! When we are out boating on the weekends I change my plan up a little and do a small lean and green for lunch and dinner, I pre-make brownies and take them on the boat so they don't melt and are perfectly warm when it's time to eat. I tried taking a couple of bars and putting them in the cooler but I almost broke my tooth off because they were frozen!!

Glad we're getting some interaction on this feed, let's keep it up!!

Hi Everyone!
I finally started and am on day 5. I have noticed a few strange things going on with my body that I am concerned about. I am getting hot flashes every time I eat a meal replacement (it starts with my hands feeling really hot about 30 minutes after eating). Then before you know it I am in a full blown hot flash that lasts about 30 - 45 minutes. The next thing is I am getting bad cramps in my feet (while driving) and last night both thighs had cramps from my knees straight up to my upper thighs. Anyone else experience these symptoms? I have a friend doing Ideal Protein and they have to take supplements...she suggested to me that it sounds like my body needs potassium. I can deal with the hot flashes and hope they pass as my body gets used to the new style of eating.

Nelcin, hello! It sounds like you are losing mineral salts (magnesium, potassium, etc.) along with first week water loss. How are you doing now? Still having those hot flashes? I don't get the flashes but I definitely have gotten bad cramps before. Taking a Magnesium-Potassium combo supplement helps me

Porcelina, I am now following you on Instagram and Pinterest, thank you for your tasty recipe inspiration! I also *love* your skull & crossbones theme in cookware & drinkware on your Instagram photos! I will have to attach a photo of my favorite purse here!

All fellow Medifasters, hi there! I am back on Medifast after slowly gaining weight back while doing off and on again Paleo or low-carb. Last year, I weighed 275, my heaviest ever, and succeeded in getting to 242 about 6 months ago, but as of today, I have crept back up to 258. Uh oh!

I am married to a lovely Italian man who loves to cook, and likes me chubby... We also love wine, and carbs, so this will be a challenge, ha!

My blood pressure & sugar are okay, but my cholesterol is not at 294, and LDL at 205 (should be under 130), boo!

I also now live in San Francisco and climbing the crazy hills here is TOUGH when I weigh over 200 pounds. Heck, it'd probably be tough over 175, ha! But baby steps!

Today, so far, I have had the Medifast Chocolate Chip Pancake (YUM!) with 1 Tb. of sugar-free syrup, and coffee with cream. Later, we will be out and about, so I packed 3 MF bars in my purse along with a MF Ranch Flavored Soy Crisps (also very good!) snack so I have something to eat at the movies -- we are planning to go see "Queen Of Katwe" with my husband and 11-year-old stepson. I LOVE popcorn with butter and salt, so this will be my replacement, heh!

Good health today to all!

Hey everyone!! I'm having an issue, I just hit -26.4 pounds in 8 weeks

Everything I have eaten over the last few days has tasted absolutely horrible to me, taste and texture. I have had to resort to brownies and shakes... I'm miserable!! I miss the days when my PB crunch bar or Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal hit the spot

Anyone else have this issue? And NO, I am not pregnant.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone! I'm new to this thread but not MF. I first did MF in 2013 and lost 70 pounds in 6 months. Prior to that I lost 35 pounds on WW, for a total of 105 pounds lost, going from a size 24-26 to a 6! I loved my new body and life but got complacent, went back to old ways of eating sugary, high simple carb foods and regained 35 pounds. Now, I'm back on MF to lose those 35 plus maybe 5-10 more.

I recently had an iffy-MF week under my belt (lots of hunger, excessive snacks, etc). So, I went off plan for two days but now I'm back on it. I've had 2 MF meals so far and determined to power through the hunger. I love this plan and know it works phenomenally well, when followed. Tonight's L&G is salmon and salad.

Mal-I never had that change in taste you described. Hmm...do you take any supplements? Could it be an electrolyte imbalance? (I have no idea, just tossing out ideas). Are you on any meds that could be affecting taste?

Berkshire - I love when people write what they're eating and do mini-reviews. It reminds me of foods I haven't had in a while but also enjoyed. I plan on adding some pancakes to my next MF order.

Nei - no hotflashes here. Matter of fact, if I go off plan and eat too much sugar, I wake up with hot flashes. For whatever reason (soy/estrogen?) the MF foods help me avoid those hot flashes. How is the Mg supplement working?

Porcelina - Wow! So cool that you have a Pinterest and IG for MF! I love that kind of online immersion and will be checking out your sites! Thanks and as always, it's so great to see people excited about MF. When my motivation is waning and I'm sick of packet meals 5x a day, it's refreshing to see someone making the best of this diet. Thanks for your efforts!