I feel that first of all its not cheating we are not taking a test this is a means to a permanence life style change and daily while on Medifast we can make the choice to stay OP 100% and reach our goals quicker or stay whatever other % OP and reach them when we get there. Personally for me I tell my clients to stay 100% OP I let them know about my experiences and how hard it was to get back OP and still is I will be back OP Oct 1st taking a break from it all after being OP for a year and losing 60lbs on Medifast. But I do let them know if they make that choice for example one of my clients her husband wanted to take her out for her birthday well I did my best to explain to her this outing is NOT about food but about other things and celebrating their love and life together..I let her know of the consequences she would face going off plan and if she was ready to deal with the 3-4 days set back and $30-$40 down the drain etc etc etc then fine..this isn't a rat race u will get to your goal when u r ready to put in the work it takes to get there;) So I don't feel people should get beat up or beat themselves up for going off plan but understand why,how to make your situation better next time and set yourself up for success;) It's all about what u as an individual wants for me my goal is to drop 60 more lbs by 8/20/2013 then I will be at my 2 yr mark OP...I know for me 100% is totally possible but out of the year I was OP I was only 100% my first 5 weeks so for me I know 100% isn't where I am right now but that also dosent mean with more push Oct 1st I can start out fresh and be 100% I should have been at goal weight before my 1 yr mark on 8/20 but because of MY CHOICES to eat off plan I got down to my lowest of 177.2 on April 15th and gained back up to about 210 around July;/ Still I was 90lbs down from 268lbs starting weight and it sucks,stings a bit sometimes,but I made the choice now I have to deal with it!! How??? By making better choices and the biggest one of all staying OP...all other occasions and food will be there next year;)

For me, I feel like it's not about eating x or y, it's about just getting into the "groove" of the plan. I did this once before, and went off a little here or there and it got to the point where I just had too many times to "choose" if this was a time to go off. I'm only on my first week back but am finding that every time I exercise my "no thank you" muscle, I feel a little stronger.

I think it's personal. For me, going off a little bit led to going off completely so I don't want to go there this time. For others, it doesn't seem to stop them from getting to their goal weight. We're all adults, all individuals, so just find what works for you.

Good luck and happy losses either way!
Emily

I'm not sure I would have stuck with Medifast long enough to lose almost 45 pounds if I didn't indulge every now in then in something I wanted. I'm one of those people who gets consumed with what I 'can't' have and obsess about it until I have it. If I can have a small bite of cake at a birthday party then I'm satisfied. I now have more willpower, I don't HAVE to have the entire piece of cake (and seconds). My can't live without cheat is wine - I'll have a glass or 3 every now and then, but I know exactly what I'm doing - I'm stalling my weight loss.

Since MF depends on the low carbs to curb hunger and burn fat faster, it isn't the best plan for people who like to go on and off (in my opinion). My husband is such a person. I think he would do much better on weight watchers where going a little off plan won't set you back a week as you struggle to get back into fat burning mode. He has been on MF for almost 2 years and has lost and regained a LOT of weight. If you do feel the need to go off, try to keep it low carb- like a glass of wine or a little extra steak. A few extra calories might slow you down a little, but it wont' throw you off like extra carbs do. It also depends on your personality- I'm more of a goal oriented "get 'er done" kind of person, so I stayed strictly on plan until I had lost about 90% of my weight- I did start experimenting a little as I approached goal and transition, but not enough to throw me off track. You can definitely learn a lot when you fight to stay on plan, but you can also learn from going off plan and struggling to get back on. The most important thing is to keep going and keep trying to get healthy.

I also hate the "cheat" word. You are just making choices.

It is definitely a personal choice, so what's okay for one person is up to that person to decide. It's not okay for me because in my world I have made a commitment and ordered my priorities accordingly. I am able to enjoy my life on plan and don't find that it takes away from any experience to choose not to eat a particular food. In fact, I think I enjoy my life MORE because my relationship with food has evolved in this way. Again, it's a very individual question with no answer that applies to everyone.

Apparently, eating medifast bars all day and then spaghetti and meatballs at night is a recipe for massive weight gain. I'd try so hard all day and then get home starving and there would be no healthy food and i'd end up eating something off plan. Anyway, i'm not sure I'll ever be able to get off medifast, but it seems to me to be the only thing that relably works. I'm going to stick to it for the next 2 months anyway, until i eat all of the food i have stored up. Then we'll see. maybe there is something out there that doesn't stall when you go a little off plan.
I also found that since i was depriving myself so much, when i went off plan, i went off in a BIG WAY. Like mac and cheesy way.

I have been on the plan for 3 months and lost a total of 27 lbs and I was incredibly strict until i got into the groove. One thing I do every week is I go into trader joe's and try their sample. Whatever it is, on plan or not. That one little bite of "cheating" has really helped me stay sane.