I am thinking of starting Medifast. I would probably be starting around mid-June.

I wanted to know what happens if you go off plan? I'm specifically thinking of a July 4th BBQ that I would be attending. I need to go but I don't think I can go and just eat Medifast products. I'm not talking about going crazy but it would obviously be more calories than the plan would allow...

Does Medifast allow for "cheat" meals? How big of an effect do you think it would have? Would it ruin the whole thing and I should start after that?

Thanks.
Christine

Hi Christine! If you've read the May Chat thread, you've probably already read some of this...but I recently went off plan in a big way! I'm talking about three brownies and turtle pie off plan. I know I'm gonna pay for it by not losing this week. In fact I've gained a pound. I'm hoping it's water weight and that it will be gone by my next weigh in.

Medifast does not allow for cheat meals. If you do cheat, it will set you back. One good thing is that it's pretty easy to get back on the wagon. At least as long as you haven't been off for too long.

My advice would be to plan ahead for your BBQ. Make sure there will be a healthy lean meat, chicken or even a steak or lean hamburger, on the menu and plenty of vegetables that are on plan. That was my big downfall right there. I've been to plenty of social dinners since being on Medifast and have gotten through them with flying colors because there were foods that I could eat. This last BBQ really bit me hard because of the lack of approved food and I ended up getting so hungry I didn't care what went in my mouth anymore.

But, if you do end up cheating like I did, don't give up! You can get right back on and continue losing afterward, though it will probably set you back.

I hope that helps, if you have any questions, feel free to ask! Or PM me if you need to.

MF doesn't allow for cheating, but I do. We had a pizza safety meeting last night and I had two small pieces. Before I would have had an entire pizza. FOR ME PERSONALLY it's OK. I wish they would offer something besides pizzas when we have those meetings, but they don't. I didn't drink the pop, just my tea. Tomorrow, we have a company BBQ. I'll stick with the most appropriate choices.

This is just my way of doing it. I'm still losing and I'm not miserable. I figure I'm going to go into transition when I get to goal anyway. So if once every week or two I eat like normal people do, I'll be fine. I didn't get fat when I was going overboard every so often. I got fat when I started doing it all the time.

Disclaimer: The previous statements are my own opinions and feelings. They are not meant to be taken as advise or suggestions on how to run your program. The person posting accepts no responsibilities for what you do with it.(Man, I shoulda been a lawyer.)

I have been on MF for almost 4 weeks now, but for the 3rd week I was on a 4 day trip with my dh. I ate and drank what I wanted. I gained 4.5lbs, but got right back on plan when I got home and it was gone in 3 days. I had TOM this past week and still lost 1lb. The moral of this is Medifast does not build in cheats, but if you cheat get back on plan and you will lose.

BTW, I am finally below 200lbs!!!


This weekend is Memorial Day and I plan to eat some of what I want that day too. Life is too short for me to not enjoy it. I am losing and that is what's important.

mommy23monkeys, Congrats on being below 200!!!

It's good you can get back on and not feel too guilty about it. Me, I'm kicking myself because I feel like I've wasted a weeks worth of MF food...and that's not cheap! And while I'll most likely lose the weight I gained by my weigh in, I'm upset because it could have been that much more I would have lost this week...down two or three pounds instead of at zero change. And it's that much longer I'll have to be on the plan. Grrr! I'm still upset with myself!

I'm pretty flexible with the MF plan as well. If it can't be avoided that I eat off plan, then I try and make the best choices, and move on. You won't have the best results doing this, but I'm not using the plan as a "how fast can I lose this weight," but as a tool to making better choices and eating healthier.

As I see it, I do not socialize with friends and family nearly enough, so if the opportunity pops up, I'm not going to deny it because of MF.