How Perfect Do You Have To Be on Medifast

One of the few famous quotes that has majorly affected my life is Voltaire's "The perfect is the enemy of the good."

Having to be perfect is a perfect excuse not to do something.

Sometimes good enough is good enough.

Even on a diet like Medifast.

If you go on the Medifast forums there is a lot of conversation about such minutiae as whether you can you have one sliver of avocado in your salad or two.

Really?

While rapidly losing 30 pounds in less than four months, I never worried about exact amounts of this or that. Sometimes I even had a few beans in my Chipotle chicken salad and used avocado and salsa as my dressing.

Having to track and measure everything just seems to compulsive for me. If that's what I had wanted to do, I would have joined Weight Watchers and become an obsessive point counter.

Most of Medifast is very prescribed; so a little modification here and there does not mean you will be kicked out of ketosis.

Within reason.

You cannot drink a margarita or mindlessly munch on chips at a Mexican restaurant. Or eat a fluffy bun with your hamburger. But an extra ounce of chicken in your salad or a handful of almonds will not sabotage your weight loss.

At least, that was my experience. Individual results may vary.

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for no extra 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.

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Why Medifast Works When Other Diets Fail

Almost any diet can help a person lose some weight, and I should know. I've tried most of them in my five decades on this planet. But how many diets can not only help you lose all your excess pounds, but also keep them off long-term?

Counting points and calories can be tedious,
even if you have an app for that.

Medifast is unique in that it is one of the easiest diets to follow and stick with. Compared to other diets that require a lot of shopping and food preparation, you only have to prepare one meal a day on Medifast -- the lean & green meal. And that meal can be as simple to cook up (or purchase) as a big green salad with grilled chicken or salmon with caramelized roasted cauliflower.

The five replacement meals (yes, you get to eat six times a day on Medifast!) are convenient low-calorie portion-controlled foods like ziti marinara and chocolate brownies that are a cinch to whip up -- or even on-the-go chewy bars or cheese puffs you can stash in your purse.

Compared to Weight Watchers, in which you can eat anything as long as you count the points, Medifast is very structured. If you order that key lime pie for dessert, you could potentially be kicked out of ketosis -- the magical state in which you burn fat instead of muscle. Since that could stall your weight loss for a few days, you learn how to say "no," which after a while becomes a habit that sticks with you long after your fat has melted away.

The convenience and structure of Medifast make it a unique option for people who have failed at other diets. Combined with Take Shape for Life -- a psychological approach to exchanging bad habits for good ones -- Medifast can seem like a miracle for those of us who have not been successful with other diets and weight loss programs.|

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for no extra 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 replacement meals on Amazon

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Follow Nancy's board Medifast on Pinterest.

How Often Should You Weigh Yourself on Medifast?

Today I'm going to weigh in on the big scale debate. Should you weigh yourself every day, once a week ... or never?

As usual, the answer depends on what kind of person you are.

As long as you're not too obsessive
or easily discouraged, weighing yourself daily can be
a great accountability and data collection tool.

For me, weighing myself once a day works best. My scale provides me with a report card for how well I ate the day before and keeps me from consuming empty calories because I don't want to see the needle move in the wrong direction.

I realize that moving up a pound on  the scale does not mean I gained a pound of fat. Sometimes I've consumed too much sodium and am retaining water weight. Yet consuming too much sodium isn't good either so the scale reminds me to cut back on salty foods.

Another reason I weigh myself daily is to ensure my weight does not creep back on. It is easier to lose a small amount of weight than a larger one; so if my scale stubbornly stays at a higher number I can quickly recalibrate my food consumption and reverse the trend.

Weekly weighers -- especially those in the rapid weight loss phase of the Medifast 5&1 plan -- prefer to see dramatic changes when they weigh in and don't want to be discouraged if their weight doesn't drop each day.

Of course, some people thumb their nose at scales altogether, thinking you should not define your health by a number. How you look in the mirror, how your clothes fit, whether you can still slip off your wedding ring are all good non-numeric measures.

The beauty of Medifast is there is not one right way to measure your progress. Just as there are multiple ways to prepare a Medifast brownie, you can experiment with and find the measurement method that works best for you.

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for soon to be lower 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.

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Is the Perceived High Cost of Medifast Part of Its Magic?

After losing 35 pounds in less than four months on the Medifast Take Shape for Life program, I have heard some people say Medifast food is too expensive for them.

If one is subsisting on minimum wage or smothered in debt, that excuse makes some sense. But for anyone with disposable income -- who goes to the movies, takes vacations or gets regular manicures -- the cost of Medifast should be viewed as a plus, not a minus.

Here's why:

Part of why Medifast works so well is the program puts you in a mild state of ketosis that promotes fat burning. It can take up to three days to get into this state -- and a slice of lemon meringue pie or frosty margarita can boot you right back to day one. I liken this deterrent to Antabuse for alcoholics.

The cost of Medifast replacement meals
could be one of the reasons why
the program works so well.

During my weight loss phase of the Medifast 5&1 program, I thought long and hard before eating anything that was off the plan. Was that moment of pleasure from that freshly baked chocolate chip cookie really going to be worth not only stalling my weight loss, but also wasting the money I had spent on my Medifast replacement meals?

The way I figured it, my Medifast cost was a short-term expense, and the longer I prolonged my weight-loss phase, the more it would cost me. I had a financial incentive not to cheat.

That, coupled with my desire to see the needle move on my scale the next morning, was powerful motivation for me to "just say no" to whatever was tempting me.

For me, the slight extra cost of Medifast was part of the magic formula of why the plan helped me lose 30 pounds in just over three months. As an added plus, I developed the psychological muscle to continue resisting most temptations and am successfully maintaining my weight loss.

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for no extra 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.

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Why Medifast Is More Than Just a Diet

The problem with losing weight on a diet is that I always find it again.

Most diets can help make me less fat, but unless they are bolstered by a foundation for permanent change, the pounds invariably creep back on.

The reason for this is explained by Dr. Wayne Andersen in his book, "Dr. A's Habits of Health." Borrowing from the paradigm of Robert Fritz's Path of Least Resistance, the co-founder of Take Shape for Life posits that a weight loss diet must be founded on the desire for long-term positive change.

In other words, my odds of permanently maintaining weight loss are slim if my goal is to stop avoid taking diabetes medication or feel less self-conscious in a bathing suit. I must be moving toward positive goals, such as attaining optimal health and feeling comfortable in my clothes.

When coupled with Take Shape for Life, Medifast is far more
than a quick fix weight loss diet.

One of the key tenets of Fritz's book centers on structural tension, the space between where a person is now and where she ultimately wants to be. If I lose weight just to solve a problem, I will probably revert to my old bad habits once my problem is solved and the discomfort eliminated.

Because Medifast is about moving toward something positive vs. avoiding something negative, it is far more than just another quick-fix diet with low-calorie portion-controlled replacement meals.  Coupled with Take Shape for Life, it has created a profound change in my consciousness that will keep me at a healthy body weight.

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for no extra 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 replacement meals on Amazon

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Will You Regain Your Weight After Medifast Diet?

Before starting Medifast, someone warned me I would gain all my weight back -- and then some.

So far that has not happened.

Aside from losing weight far more easily than I'd experienced with any other diet (and I've tried my share), Medifast taught me some great habits that are sticking with me instead of my former pounds of fat.

One of the main changes I made after starting Medifast was just saying "no." No to the boutique cupcakes passed around at meetings. No to the chocolate dipped butter cookies in the break room. No to the home-made fudge that arrived in the mail at Christmas.

Since losing weight with Medifast, it's easy to just say no to "free" food

I simply told myself each time that if I had really wanted one of these tempting treats, I could have stopped at the store and bought something similar. The fact they were "free" was only true from a financial perspective. Eating those foods would cost me pounds -- and we're not talking British currency.

Another new habit I developed was drinking more water. My Medifast TSFL coach encouraged me to drink half my body weight in ounces. Not only does water flush out fat, it keeps me hydrated so I don't mistake my thirst for hunger.

I am also eating far more frequently since doing Medifast. Just knowing I have another meal or snack around the corner helps me avoid the "Last Supper" mindset. Eating small low-calorie portion-controlled meals not only keeps my metabolism revved up, but also controls my reflex to consume as much as possible when I do eat.

Bad habits are hard to break
if you don't replace them with better ones.

The proof will be in the metaphorical pudding, however. Until many more months and years go by, I cannot claim that my body weight will remain in the healthy range forever. But one thing I have learned from my Take Shape for Life (TSFL) coach is that Medifast is far more than a quick-fix diet. She has maintained her 100-pound weight loss for more than five years by developing powerful habits of health that have the potential to last a lifetime.

Why I Became a Medifast TSFL Health Coach

After gaining 30 pounds in my fifties, I had become convinced that I was going to be chubby forever. I tried changing my eating habits, but I always managed to cheat just enough that the stubborn fat clung to my body as if it were bonded with Super Glue.

I needed to do something dramatic so I tried a diet plan that seemed to be working amazingly well for others who had also despaired of melting off their extra fat -- the Medifast 5&1 Plan.

Though Medifast has been around for years, it is gaining critical mass now that it has broken away from a Medifast Centers-only model. You can now purchase the over 70 different Medifast replacement meals online directly from Medifast or through a Take Shape for Life (TSFL) coach.

I began the program in late September by ordering directly from Medifast but quickly switched over to having a TSFL health coach because it did not cost any extra money. I liked the idea that I would receive help from a person who had successfully lost 100 pounds in nine months and maintained her weight loss for over six years.

With Dr. A's Habits of Health,
you can maintain your healthy
body weight for the rest of your life.

Since then, I have become almost like a missionary in my belief that Medifast is more effective than most of the other weight loss programs on the market. Not only did it melt my pounds off quickly (which provides powerful motivation to stay on the plan), it also taught me new habits that will help me maintain my healthy body weight for the rest of my life.

Since morphing from a size 12 to a size 8, many people have asked me how I lost my weight, and I am always happy to tell them. But there was a part of me that wanted to do more. If I had a friend or family member who was truly committed to losing their extra pounds, I wanted to help coach and mentor them through the process. I decided to become a TSFL coach myself.

As a Medifast TSFL coach, I now have even more incentive to maintain my healthy weight. By sharing with others information about the plan and its principles, such as the habits of health developed by TSFL co-founder Dr. Wayne Andersen, I will keep emotionally and physically healthy thoughts at the forefront of my consciousness.

More importantly, I'm looking forward to sharing what I've learned with others and helping them restore their health through one of the most effective and easy-to-follow weight loss programs ever designed.

Update August 2014: I am no longer a Medifast Take Shape for Life Health Coach. However, I still strongly believe in the program and would be happy to recommend a few excellent free health coaches if you are interested in taking advantageous of their seasoned guidance and support. Please contact me at nancyetracy(at-sign)gmail.com




You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for no extra 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 replacement meals on Amazon

Similar posts:

Can You Drink Alcohol on Medifast?

How Medifast Helped Me Develop Better Habits

Medifast Centers Vs. DIY Medifast

Irrational Numbers: Doing the Math on Medifast Popcorn

Medifast Vs. Lean Cuisine Diet

Visit my other blogs:

Fit Kitty

Food Trends 

Bookish

Dictionary Woman

Follow Nancy's board Medifast on Pinterest.