I lost those "last 10" pounds

I was only trying to lose those “last 10” pounds, so why choose a meal replacement diet like Medifast?  Well….because I’ve tried limiting calories and exercising 4-5 days a week and didn’t get the results I was looking for.  I was willing to take more drastic measures- and Take Shape For Life seems like the perfect option.

Why Medifast foods?

Well, the science is there, for one.  It’s a medically proven program that is supported by doctors and medical staff.  It’s easy to follow for someone as busy as I am- many of the foods are grab-and-go, and the rest only take a few minutes to make.   I can still make a normal dinner for my family and slightly modify that meal to meet my Lean and Green requirements.

How do Medifast Meals work?

Basically, it tricks your body into burning it’s own fat stores.  It literally starts melting off.  It is a low calorie “diet”, but because you are eating so much protein and fiber you don’t feel all that hungry.

Here’s some excerpts from their website:

The clinically proven results of Take Shape For Life are based on the use of a structured meal plan featuring Medifast Meals, which are nutritionally designed with a proven combination of protein and carbohydrates, allowing you to successfully lose weight while minimizing loss of muscle. The Medifast 5 & 1 Plan, our standard plan for weight loss, is medically designed to create a calorie deficit, allowing your body to burn fat for energy.  It provides approximately 800 to 1,000 calories per day and 80-100 grams of carbohydrates, depending on your personal selections.  The Medifast 5 & 1 Plan consists of 5 portion-controlled, nutritionally balanced Medifast Meals plus one Lean & Green Meal each day.

The LEAN portion of the Lean & Green Meal includes 5-7 ounces (cooked weight) of  lean protein or meatless protein (serving size varies depending on your protein  choice) and 0-2 servings of healthy fat ( serving size varies depends on your protein  choice).

The GREEN portion of the Lean & Green Meal includes 3 servings of low- carbohydrates/non-starchy vegetables.  Each  serving of vegetables will be either 1/2 cup or 1 cup depending on the vegetable(s)  you choose; choose any 3 vegetable servings to make up the full Green portion of  your Lean & Green Meal.

Plus, if you do the program right, you get a Health Coach to guide you along the way!  This person makes sure you are following the program, helps you out when you have questions, gives you various meal ideas, and basically is there to support you.  What’s even better is that this person is also on the program so they know exactly what you are going through.

I was told that Days 2 and 3 would be the absolute worst- to expect severe headaches, lethargy, be irritable and grumpy, low motivation, starving starving starving.  (I experienced the super hungry- but never the headache or lethargy.  But that’s probably because my Coach gave me a few pointers on how to prevent that.)

I was also told that by day 7-10 to expect to feel better than I’ve ever felt before with lots of energy and clarity.  (I felt amazing by day 4- tons of energy- and I felt amazing during the whole process!)

Why didn’t I consider other plans like Weight Watchers or Slim Fast or …..?

Honestly, I’ve never looked at Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig or any of those types of programs- mostly because I’ve seen too many people regain their weight.  Plus, I felt like I only needed to lose 10 pounds and I wasn’t sure those programs would work for that.  I’ve already tried watching what I eat.

I know a few people who have used Medifast and each person lost oodles of weight and kept it off.  I figured it would be a good program for me because I’d only need to follow it for a month (hopefully).  So…I looked into it, then shuddered when I saw the cost.   So I started looking at other meal plans and realized that Medifast is really the way to go.  For several reasons. It’s the only one that is Medically Approved and prescribed by doctors, it works, it’s easy to follow, all the meals are right there for me to eat and there’s a huge variety.  Jim was completely on board, even though it meant going from a $300 food budget for the whole family….to a $300 food budget for JUST ME.

There’s just not a way to duplicate the food.  There’s something to be said about the cost of convenience.  Each medifast meal is 110 calories, 10-13 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 4-9 g sugar, 11-14 g protein.  Doesn’t matter if it’s the pancakes, a shake, a brownie, a soup or chili, a smores crunch bar or a fruit and nut crunch bar, hot cocoa, scrambled eggs, pudding, cereal, mac’n’cheese…it’s all the same.  You simply CAN NOT duplicate that in real life.

Why do I feel the program worked so well for me?

It worked for me because I need things that are quick and easy to eat.

It worked for me because I’m very routine driven so it was easy to eat every 2.5-3 hours (ie> 6:30 am, 9:30 am, noon, 3pm, 5:30pm, 8:00pm every weekday).

It worked for me because we don’t go out to eat, so I didn’t have any temptations from restaurants or fast food.

I kicked my coke habit because of the plan.

I eat more vegetables (and like them!) because of the plan.

But it only works if you stick to the plan.  You have to follow it EXACTLY.  One bite of a chocolate bar or cinnamon roll can throw your body out of the fat burning phase and it takes 2-3 days to get back in it- complete with feeling tired, getting a headache, etc.  It’s just NOT worth it.  Not to mention the expense wasted- as each meal costs about $2.40.  That one bite of a Cinnabon cinnamon roll sample now cost you three days of progress plus about $30!  Hope it was worth it!  NOT.

In a nutshell, it works, and it works crazy fast and I’m so happy that I did it.  I’m someone who maintains weight relatively easily, so I’m confident I’ll keep it off as long as I don’t go back to eating all the crap I’ve been consuming the past several years!

If you want more information, please visit my Team Buckley TSFL page:  http://teambuckley.tsfl.com

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