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#13-Medifast: Part 2

Continued...
After ordering my Medifast food and a few days before it arrived I ate all my favorite foods. Kind of a binge good-bye to my dear friends...til we meet again. I had spent the day before my food arrived researching and reading anything I could find about Medifast including opinions on the food taste. Of course, everyone had an opinion and they were all different. Which means just about everything was sounding bad.
I received my box of Medifast food August 31st. I opened it up and looked at my months worth of meals. It also came with some literature for me to read. Most of the meals are in powdered packets. Oatmeal, pudding, soup, brownies, soft serve ice cream, eggs, pancakes, shakes. They also have bars, puffs and pretzels. Annie shouts "I want a granola bar!" I wave my hands over the pile of food now spread out on the table..."this is all for mommy, ok?" Then I proceed to give her an apple for a snack. Inside I start to panic just a little but wondering...what if I don't like this stuff? What have I done? The next day could not come fast enough.
Medifast works like this: The program is based on what is called the 5+1 Plan. 5 Medifast "meals" and 1 Lean and Green meal. The Lean being protein such as chicken, fish, lean beef, etc. The Green being vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli, spinach, etc. Then once you hit your goal you go through the "transition" phasing in other foods back into your diet slowly and limited. All the information comes with your first order of food. You can also get a lot of information on line.  http://www.medifast1.com/
Day 1: Sept 1st. After a couple days of practically binge eating, I get on the scale. I weigh 176 lbs. I start a log. I also take my measurements. I decide my first Medifast meal will be scrambled eggs. I make them in the microwave. Sprinkle some salt and pepper and take a bite. Boy was I relieved, it was totally edible. A little rubbery due to cooking in the microwave but still had a good taste. I planned out my meals for the day. I planned on having 4 MF meals then my L&G for dinner then 1 MF meal after dinner, something sweet for dessert. I made a dark chocolate shake and pour it over ice to take to work with me, that's MF meal 2. I also prepared my lunch, chicken and wild rice soup. I had read that it's a good idea to make the soup in advance so it has time to soak, otherwise some of the dehydrated pieces are still hard. Soup was MF meal 3. Then for an afternoon snack I had a caramel crunch bar around 3 pm. The goal is to eat every 2-3 hours. I work until 6pm. At about 5:30 I was starving. I thought, there is no way I am going to make it until dinner at 7pm. I text my husband who was off work that day, please start dinner asap, I'm starving! I sent a panicky message to my Health Coach. She called me right away. She said to go ahead and have an extra meal but only for the first couple of days, if you really need it. She also suggested that I split my lean and green, half for dinner and half for lunch. I was excited to hear that I could do that. Stubbornly, I did not eat that extra meal, I felt like it would mean that I failed on the first day and it would set me up future failure. I got home and my husband had made spaghetti for dinner. Ooops, I guess I forgot to explain that I can only have a L&G meal. Pasta is NOT on the program. Luckily I had a Plan B. I tossed together a salad and threw a small steak in a frying pan. While it cooked I ate my salad like a ravished hyenia who hadn't eaten in a month! I tried the chocolate pudding that night. Chocolate pudding is one of my favorite desserts but...not the Medifast one. It was pasty and I forced myself to eat it. I survived day 1. The next day was much, much better. I split my L&G meal and it definetely was easier. I checked in with my Health Coach later that day and she gave me a few more totally life saving tips. Seriously, if I didn't have her, I might not have stuck it out. I told her about the pudding paste and she gave me a recipe to prepare it in the blender, it tastes like a Wendy's frosty, I am not kidding, it's awesome. She also gave me a tip about the soups, stews and chili's. For example, in the beef stew, I add a small amount of canned green beans. In the chicken and wild rice soup I add a small can of diced chicken and in the chili I add a little bit of ground beef.
So Week 1 came and went and I lost a whopping 7.5 lbs. Amazing. Talk about motivation. Hell ya! Of course, after the first week, you never lose that much in one week again. But, I have continued to lose.
Here are my stats so far:

WEEK 1 -7.4 WEEK 2 -1.4 WEEK 3-.4 WEEK 4 -2.8 = 12 LBS
WEEK 5 +2   WEEK 6 -2    WEEK 7 -2.2 WEEK 8 -2.2 = 16.4LBS (4.4)
WEEK 9 -2  WEEK 10 -1.4  WEEK 11 -.2 WEEK 12 -1.8=21.8LBS (5.4)
WEEK 13 +.8 WEEK 14 -2 WEEK 15 -.2

I started at 176 lbs on Sept 1st, 2010. I am currently (Dec 18th, 2010) at 153 lbs. For a total of 23 lbs lost. I do plan on continuing the program to lose more weight. I am enjoying the program and the progress I have made. I have decided to start a separate blog about my quest to be a healthier me. Once it is up and running, I will share. (SEE PICS BELOW)

Comments

I love the before and after photos. You look great! You're so disciplined to stick to a diet, and it pays off!
Thanks! The diet is simple, it's a no brainer. But, the temptation is still there. I have fallen of plan a few times. Like when I went to Seattle! But I got right back on plan when we arrived home to California. It's worth it. Hopefully my current "after" pics will be called "during" in a few more months and then I will have some new "afters".
Anonymous said…
I am very impressed with your will power and determination. During the holiday season I see sweets everywhere. I wish I had your will power...What a woman. Rock on Hollywood. I go your back. Every pound and inch is beautiful to me.
Thanks Rae. My will power hasn't been so great since Thanksgiving but I'm not giving up just slowing down a bit. I like my curves, I just want to be a healthier version of myself.
realtorclaud said…
You look amazing Jen!!

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