Life After Medifast: Will I Ever Eat Sandwiches Again?

After losing 35 pounds on Medifast, I am transitioning out of the 5&1 plan in which the traditional American sandwich lunch is strictly forbidden. Four straight months of no-bread meals has turned me into a sandwich-phobe. I picture gaining all my pounds back with just one pastrami sandwich.

Obviously, this would not happen. It would probably take two pastrami sandwiches.

Seriously, though bread was not the only culprit in my gaining so much weight, I now have definite bread issues.

Since transitioning off Medifast, I have nibbled on some bread and even ordered a sandwich one time. I tried eating it open faced, but even that was too much bread for me. So I ended up eating the filling and a few forkfuls of bread for that nostalgic sandwich experience of which I had once been so fond.

That's not bread -- it's tofu!

Fortunately, we now live in a culinary climate in which other tasty options exist. Many sandwich shops allow you to turn your sandwich into some kind of salad. Even the fresh Mex places let you order naked burritos -- the filling sans tortilla -- served in a modesty-preserving bowl. Most burger joints will wrap your patty in lettuce instead of a bun.

Meanwhile, foodie blogs abound on the web with no-bread sandwich ideas, using everything from eggplant and cucumber slices to stand in as bookends for the protein. Buzzfeed had a beautiful spread last March which included a recipe for a ham sandwich that used pan-fried tofu slabs instead of bread.

A clever take on
cucumber sandwiches

A poster on one of my Facebook Medifast groups shared a picture of a cucumber sandwich with turkey, Laughing Cow cheese and green onions, subbing a vertically sliced and cored cucumber for a hoagie roll. And South Beachers know you can use turkey slices as tortillas to wrap almost anything.

Then there are all the wonderful skinny bread substitutes, including Noah's Bagels Thintastic bagels with fewer carbs and calories than the traditional doughnut-shaped bread, as well as whole grain wraps and high fiber tortillas.

Only time will tell how the flour will settle in my relationship with bread. After our four month separation, we could be headed for divorce or morph into a more casual but cautious friendship.


You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for less cost -- through the co-branded website of a Medifast TSFL health coach. Medifast does not recommend purchasing its products from third party vendors, but if you choose to do so, you can find them on both Amazon and eBay.

Medifast Custom Order - You Choose ANY 10 Boxes



More from Diet Skeptic:

Fruck You! Fructose

Can You Drink Alcohol on Medifast

Medifast Centers Vs. Take Shape for Life

Planned Exceptions: What Is Your Pie Policy?

Wabi Sabi Dieting & Renee Zelwegger's New Face
Follow Nancy's board Low Carb Recipes on Pinterest.