Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Can you drink alcohol on Medifast?

One of the most common question people ask me about Medifast (besides Is that the diet where you only drink milkshakes?) is if it's okay to have some wine or other favorite adult beverage and still lose weight.

The answer is yes.

And no.

The carbs in alcohol can take you out of ketosis, the fat burning state that is the magic behind Medifast and other low carb, high protein diets.

When I first started Medifast, however, I didn't want to give up my nightly drink so I just limited it to one or two ounces of wine or gin. When I went out to dinner, I ordered a Bloody Mary, which is one of the low carb crowd's recommended adult beverages. And I still managed to lose weight.
Many low carbers favor Bloody Marys

But after a couple of weeks, my weight loss stalled, and my TSFL coach advised me to ditch the alcohol altogether. Since I do not fashion myself an alcoholic (oh, denial, you are not just a river in Egypt), I gamely accepted the challenge.

I subbed my night cap for hot tea or ice water, and the pounds started melting off again.

Since then, I have indulged in an occasional alcoholic beverage, with no adverse effect on my weight loss. But I do not drink reflexively, partaking only on special occasions and limiting myself to only one small, relatively low-carb drink.

As the ads always say, your results may vary. But that is my personal experience.

If you are stalled on your Medifast weight loss and having a nightly cheat drink, consider foregoing it and see if that tips the scale in your favor.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Giving Thanks to Medifast on Thanksgiving

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am thankful for my wonderful family, loyal friends, furry pets and amazing job. But this year I have a new thing to be thankful for -- Medifast.

For the past five years I was convinced I could not lose my middle-aged fat. The media supported this myth, maintaining how difficult it is for women to shrink their menopausal bodies as their metabolism slowed down.

Don't let anyone tell you that you
can't lose weight after you turn 50
I know it's not Christmas yet, but Bah Humbug!

Trying to lose weight is not the same as doing it. Thanks to Medifast, I have lost 18 pounds of fat in less than two months, and I feel confident my final 10 will melt off by the end of January.

Oddly enough, I feel a bit guilty taking any credit for this accomplishment because it has been so easy. When people comment on how great I look, I want to tell them, "It's not me; it's Medifast."

Medifast is so simple, convenient and flexible, even a monkey could follow this diet. The food does not taste wonderful at first, but over time my taste buds acclimated, and I began looking forward to my lunch time bowl of macaroni and cheese with a creamy Laughing Cow wedge melted in the middle and my chocolatey brownie batter night cap. In fact, I can totally picture still including Medifast foods in my diet for the rest of my life.

Five turkey feathers for Medifast
Not only that, the Lean & Green meal portion of the Medifast plan has made me realize how little I need excess carbs in my diet. When I do start adding pasta, bread and even high glycemic vegetables and fruit back into my diet, they will be decorative accents, like throw pillows -- not the whole sofa!

Medifast has taught me a different way to diet -- one that does not involve deprivation and suffering, but the pure delight of hopping on the scale and losing yet another unwanted pound. As my old "skinny jeans" slip down from my waist, I can't believe how fortunate I was to find this amazing diet.

As for Thanksgiving itself, I look forward to enjoying a festive meal with all the trimmings, feasting on turkey and green vegetables and, most importantly, the warmth and love of my family. If I choose to indulge in a taste of this or that, so be it. It's not the end of the world. The next day I will get right back on the wagon with my Medifast oatmeal and chicken soup.

Thank you Medifast for helping me lose my excess pounds and regain my healthy weight body. On this Thanksgiving week, I award you five turkey feathers!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Best Medifast Tips Ever

I stopped blogging for a while. Got busy. MF became a WOL (way of life).

But recently I found an amazing thread on the Medifast forums called "Things I Wish I'd Known When I Started Medifast" and couldn't believe how many great ideas my fellow MFers shared. To help me remember them, I'm highlighting a few of my favorites here.

Tip: Try every food once-- if you don't like it, hold onto it and look for suggestions on the forum for ways to make it more tasty (like soaking the soups and chili). I was shocked when I tried some of the foods a second time and really liked them. Your tastebuds DO seem to change!

My Take: This is SO true. I am still waiting to try the pineapple mango smoothie again because it was that terrible, but I am determined to find a way to make it palatable.

Tip: You can call MF on the phone and purchase single meals to sample. No single packets available by the internet. 

Medifast allows you try single sample meals
so you don't waste money on a whole box.

My Take: Haven't done this yet, but it's a great idea. Why invest in a whole box if you're not sure?

Tip: You can split your lean & green.

My Take: This is a great way to eat more "normally" throughout the day. Recently I attended a meeting at which bagels and cream cheese was served with sliced tomatoes and sliced cucumbers. I ate the veggies only (with a shmear of cream cheese) and just had fewer veggies later. Couldn't believe how good it was without the bagel. Who knew?

We taste with the eyes first.
Doesn't this infused water look delicious?
Tip: If you have trouble drinking all your water, squeeze a small slice of lemon into it. It's barely a tsp, so minimal calories-- but I love the taste! Just like at a restaurant. (Similarly, try adding TRUE LEMON or TRUE LIME- ZERO calories.)

My Take: Anything you can do to drink more water is a good idea. My coach suggests drinking half my body weight in ounces, and I notice I lose more when I do. Besides lemons, I have tried cucumber and limes. Looking to buy an infuser water bottle to experiment with other interesting combos. Also found out there is a True Orange and even True Grapefruit, and you can cook with all these. See recipes here.

Tip: Dollar store plastic bowls clean the easiest.

My Take: Haven't tried this yet, but I will. My good dishes have a mystery film on them.

Tip: Don't fret if the scale doesn't move. "A stalled scale is money in the bank. It will come off next week."

My Take: This is a very motivating quote. Weight loss is so not linear.

Tip: I'd wish I'd had the good sense to keep this diet to myself and just tell everyone that I am drinking LOTS of water and eating six small meals a day and just wear a MONA LISA smile whenever someone commenting on my weight loss. It would have saved alot of unnecessary talk of is this diet healthy, you are wasting away, THAT'S your goal weight... you'll be anorexic!!!!! BLAH, BLAH, BLAH

My Take: Be judicious about whom you share your weight loss method with. Some people could really benefit from this program. Skinny Minnies don't need to know.

If you're interested in learning more about how you can lose weight safely and more rapidly with the Medifast 5&1 plan, please visit my Take Shape for Life website.

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