Using Medifast as a Stimulus Change -- Or How I Kicked My Quesadilla Habit

My daily breakfast before Medifast was a cheese quesadilla made with a fluffy flour tortilla and generous scoop of grated cheese in my Cuisinart Griddler.

If I was out of tortillas, my husband would actually go to the store and procure a new package -- that's how addicted I was to this breakfast (and how lucky of a wife I am).

My favorite breakfast before I started Medifast.

No doubt this breakfast was a contributing factor to my getting fat, but I was hooked. Or thought I was.

Here's how Medifast helped me kick this bad habit.

On Medifast, the foods you eat are strictly prescribed by the 5&1 plan. Quesadillas with cheese oozing out of the sides are not one of the replacement meal options. Thus I was forced to go outside of my comfort zone until I could find another breakfast option that would be as satisfying as my quesadilla.

It took a few weeks, but I finally happened upon a perfect replacement -- chocolate chip soft bakes mixed as directed and microwaved for only 30 seconds. Somehow the texture and combination of saltiness and sweetness hit just the right note for my morning taste buds, and I again looked forward to getting out of bed to have a great breakfast.

Had I not started Medifast, I would likely still be indulging in my former high-fat, high-carb breakfast, perhaps cutting back on the cheese a bit or opting for a higher fiber tortilla. It took a drastic change for me to give up this habit altogether and find a radically different alternative.

Will I keep eating Medifast chocolate chip soft bakes after I reach my goal weight? Possibly. Or I may find another healthy alternative that will become my new breakfast habit.

The stimulus of starting the Medifast plan successfully changed my breakfast habit after several years of just trying to eat healthier and cut back on bad food.



Subscribe to Diet Skeptic Does Medifast by Email

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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Medifast Centers Vs. Buying Medifast Online

It used to be the only way you could follow the Medifast weight loss program was to join a fancy schmancy center and spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on coaching sessions, blood and body composition tests, and other personalized services.

Medifast Centers remind me too much
of going to a doctor's office

That didn't even include the cost of the food!

Many people still shy away from Medifast because they think it is too expensive, not realizing you can now do Medifast without joining a center. I was surprised when I did some research on Medifast last fall that you no longer have to sign up with a brick and mortar Medifast center to purchase the replacement meals. You can buy the food online via the Medifast website or through a free Take Shape For Life (TSFL) coach, the latter of which is the least costly method. The coaches earn money by getting a percentage of the profit on the replacement meals sold via their co-branded websites.

Everything you need to know about Medifast is included on its official website, along with information-packed forums that offer all the tips, tricks and support you could ever need. I started out buying directly from Medifast before availing myself of a Take Shape for Life Coach from whom I now order my replacement meals. We talk on the phone sporadically, although she is available to me at all times via phone or email. I just don't need that much support since the diet is so easy to follow even a goldfish could figure it out.


Aside from the official Medifast website, a quick Google search turns up myriad independent blogs with great recipes and other helpful information. Two of my favorites are Sandy's Kitchen Adventures and the 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community.

If you have money to burn and prefer to have a place to go, get weighed in, and talk to a person face to face, joining a center may be the right choice for you.

Me? I'd rather save my dinero to buy new clothes for my 30-pounds lighter body.

How Medifast Helped Me Develop Better Habits

Many people scoff at replacement meal diet programs like Medifast, predicting that as soon as you go off the plan you'll revert to your bad habits and gain your weight back.

That could be true for some people, but I don't think it will happen to me. Thanks to Medifast, I have formed some great new habits that I plan to continue long after I lose all my weight.

Good habit #1: I drink way more water

Plain water tastes great after I exercise,
but other times I need my Mio
to make it more palatable

My free Medifast coach impressed on me the importance of drinking half my body weight in ounces by explaining how the water was needed to transport the fat globules out of my body. Just that visual was enough to make me want to comply with the water requirement since I was more than happy to give my fat the nudge it needed to walk out the door. Sometimes I sip on water mixed with Mio to make it more palatable; other times, I'll drink a full eight ounces at once to help reach my quota.

Good habit #2: I eat six times a day

The Medifast 5&1 plan requires me to eat six high-protein meals a day, which does not give my body enough time for my blood sugar to spike and crave carbs. Even after I stop eating the Medifast replacement meals, I plan to continue having high-protein snacks, such as an apple with a wedge of sharp cheddar, Greek yogurt with blueberries or a handful of almonds.

Good habit #3: I gave up my seafood diet

Prior to Medifast, I had the mindset that if a plate of cookies was within my visual field, I had the right to indulge. My thought process was that if God didn't want me to eat it, it wouldn't have been in my presence. So even though I would not have gone to the store that day and bought a cookie from the bakery counter, I

Prior to Medifast I was on the
seafood diet. If I saw food, I ate it.

gave myself permission to eat as many "free" cookies as I saw. When I started doing Medifast, however, I knew that even one cookie could kick me out of ketosis, which made me think twice about cheating. I realized the "free" cookie may not have cost me any dollars, but I would pay a steep price in pounds.

Good habit #4: I look at restaurant menus online before I go out to eat

Since the Medifast lean & green meal has to consist of lean protein and vegetables, I got in the habit of checking out menus before I went out to eat and deciding ahead of time what I would order. I plan to continue this habit after I reach my goal weight so I won't be tempted to order an entree that is too decadent. I had learned this trick doing Weight Watchers a decade ago, along with visualizing myself placing the order with the waiter, but I had somehow gotten out of the habit. Hopefully, this time I have learned my lesson.

Good habit #5: I weigh myself every day

This last habit is a tad controversial since there are two camps on the scale question: Daily Weighers Vs. Weekly Weighers. Obviously, weight can fluctuate for a variety of reasons, but when I weigh myself every day I have more motivation to eat clean since I do not want to see the scale move north the next day.

What new habits have you developed from doing Medifast? Weigh in (pun intended) below.

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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Medifast Helped Me Cure My Addiction to Whites

One of the easiest ways to lose weight is to give up white foods, and by that I don't mean cauliflower. The two "bad" whites are sugar and refined flour. Along with corn syrup, these ingredients -- used in most processed foods -- made me fat.

If you are addicted to empty calorie carbs like I was, giving up the whites is hard to do. It took me following a rigid plan like Medifast to finally say "sayonara" to those wily whites.

Here's how I found out I am cured:

I used to be addicted to foods that
contained sugar and white flour

Last night a box of goodies arrived from my husband's daughter loaded with chocolate peanut butter balls and to-die-for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. I pondered the idea of ignoring them altogether but decided to have just a taste of each to honor the sender.

Mmmm... chocolate peanut butter balls
from my daughter-in-law. The insides
have that delicious malt-bally crunch.
Last year I ate more than  a dozen.

Interestingly, instead of wanting more or going into a feeding frenzy, I felt that old familiar jittery feeling coursing through my blood that I used to get from eating too much sugar. It was surprisingly easy to resist the temptation to keep eating these delicious confections since I knew I would feel increasingly worse if I continued.

Instead, I drank some water to cleanse my palate, then mixed up some Medifast brownie batter. I thoroughly enjoyed my substitute chocolatey nightcap that left me feeling satisfied without jangling  my nerves.

Even after I lose my last few pounds I plan to continue to keep Medifast brownie mix and a few other no-sugar sweets on hand to satisfy my sweet tooth without making me feel shaky.

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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Losing Weight Without Will Power

When people find out how much weight I lost on Medifast they often say, "That's great, but I don't have your will power."

As much as I wish I had it,I lack the super power named Will

I honestly admit to them I don't have much will power either.

The great thing about Medifast is that it does not require any special powers to resist daily temptations -- from the office doughnuts to the fresh-baked banana bread dropped off by a well-meaning neighbor.

It's hard to resist sweet treats on most diets,
but not Medifast -- and it has nothing
to do with will power

Here's why:

Unlike most diets, which leave me hungry and craving forbidden foods, the Medifast program requires me to eat every few hours. By the time I begin to get hungry, it's time for another "meal."

Since Medifast replacement meal options range from sweet to savory, I can resist almost any kind of temptation. If I am confronted by some cookies or candy I grab a chewy bar or chocolate chip soft bake instead. And knowing I have a Pavlovian craving for popcorn when I find myself in a movie theater, I smuggle in a bag of chili cheese puffs, which has a similar salty crunch.

If I had to depend on will power to lose weight I would still be 30 pounds heavier and insisting that it is impossible to lose weight at my age. Thanks to Medifast, I found a way to melt off pounds that does not require special powers or months of suffering.



Subscribe to Diet Skeptic Does Medifast by Email

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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Is Medifast Expensive?

Is Medifast too expensive?
It depends on what price you place on your health.

When people find out I lost 25 pounds in three months with Medifast, the first question they typically ask is "Is it expensive?" My usual response is "Not really," followed by "It depends on what you consider expensive."

I then let them know the cost of the food, about $12 a day for the five Medifast replacement meals plus about $4-$8 for the lean and green meal I purchase or prepare myself. Though that may be more money than I usually spend on food, I am also saving money on alcohol, coffee drinks, vending machine snacks and other wallet shrinking purchases from my pre-Medifast days. Overall, the extra expense is either a wash or only slightly higher than what I was spending before on edibles and potables.

I'd rather shrink my waist than my wallet with frivolous food and drink purchases

Since I do not participate in Medifast through one of its centers, I do not pay for any coaching or guidance. Instead, I have a free health coach through Medifast's Take Shape for Life program and also get support from the free Medifast forums, independent blogs and a couple of Facebook groups to which I belong. I buy my food through my health coach at the same price I would pay online buying through Medifast direct, and sometimes I purchase or swap foods through one of my Facebook groups or eBay.

For me, there is no price too high for getting into a healthy weight zone and feeling comfortable in my own skin. Every penny I have spent on Medifast has been worth it, and with every pound I've lost, my odds of getting diabetes, heart disease and other chronic health conditions have gone down.

Plus, it doesn't hurt that I look better in my clothes and can go shopping in my closet again.

If I were living on a subsistence wage, I could not afford to do Medifast. But I am fortunate to be at a place in my life where a minor extra expense is not only within my budget, but almost mandatory if I want to reclaim my fit and healthy body.

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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Amazing Things You Can Do with Medifast Brownies

You'll heart this legal fudge
from the Medifast California website

If I had to choose one Medifast food I could not live without, it would probably be the brownies. My last “meal” of the day is usually made with the magical Medifast brownie powder mixed with three tablespoons of water. I don’t microwave this delightful mixture... just eat it straight out of the bowl for a chocolaty nightcap.

Another thing I like to do with Medifast brownie mix is blend it up with crushed ice and water for a different spin on a chocolate shake. Sure Medifast makes its own shake mixes, but I prefer to make my shakes with the brownie mix because it tastes better and has chocolate chips in it that I can eat after my shake is gone.

Another delicious variation on the Medifast brownie mix is adding water as directed and rolling the mixture into several small balls. I freeze the brownie balls for a few minutes, then eat them like candy.

Recently I found a cool way to use the brownie mix that I can’t wait to try -- a brownie cookie made with brownie mix and the Medifast S’more Crunch Bar.  The recipe involves softening the crunch bar a bit, then mixing with the brownie batter. You can form the dough into one big or two smaller cookie-shaped objects and microwave until done. Here’s a You Tube video with exact instructions. When my next order arrives with a box of S’more Crunch Bars, I’m going to try this and let you know if it's as good as it looks.

In the meantime, what is your favorite way to improve Medifast brownies? Let me know in the comments section below.

Subscribe to Diet Skeptic Does Medifast by Email

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:

Medifast Stock Price Falling -- How Healthy is Medifast the Company?

Medifast Centers Vs. DIY Medifast

Irrational Numbers: Doing the Math on Medifast Popcorn

Medifast Vs. Lean Cuisine Diet

Visit my other blogs:

Groovy Movies

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Bookish

Follow Nancy's board Medifast on Pinterest.