Hello MFP Medifasters!

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nikki_zav
nikki_zav Posts: 320 Member
Found this group while I was browsing around, avoiding real work here at the end of my workday. I've been doing Medifast on and off (mostly off through the holidays) for the past few months. I always struggle with eating well when I don't have a program setup for myself, so this makes it so easy!! I've lost the 7 lbs I gained back through the holidays by sticking to a strict diet. If I don't eat enough, even on Medifast, I end up craving and binging, so I am for eating 1200 cals a day and more if I workout. A spoonfull of Almond Butter is my favorite snack.

Have a great day!

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  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
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    Welcome to MF. Be sure to log all your meals, bites, licks, and tastes. It is crucial that you follow the program as outlined in the Quickstart guide, this is how your body gets into that fat burning state and burns the fat and does just think its on another low calorie diet. If you consume more than 100 carbs a day, you are out of fat burning.

    If you exercise for more than 45 mins a day and are experiencing hunger or a slowing of the scale, you can increase your lean protein by 2-3 oz each day to help with hunger.

    Peanut butter was removed from the approved optional snack list about 2 years ago. Good to you on your journey :)
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
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    Hi Nikki,
    Glad to meet you. I love to hear success stories like yours - even though you were "off" for a bit, and have modified the program to meet your needs, it sounds like you're making it work for you. That inspires me!

    I'll probably stick pretty close to guidelines for the most part, but I've got a great health coach, and she's been a real asset as I've been starting out.
  • nikki_zav
    nikki_zav Posts: 320 Member
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    Thanks ladies. Overall I've lost 23 lbs doing Medifast.

    Appreciate the input on the protein luv2ash. I've stuck to the diet much better with hitting 1200 calls before exercise. Especially on days where I'm burning 600+ calories, I couldn't survive long enough to chase my boys around the house after work!

    Artesmisa, how long have you been following the program?
  • tgibbons1935
    tgibbons1935 Posts: 85 Member
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    Hey, Nikki! Welcome back to MF. I have been on it since August and absolutely love the program. I have lost 25 pounds but also about 25 inches! I went from a size 12 to an 8! I still have 15 pounds to go and it is going slower than I want but it is because I haven't been following the program as closely as I should but life gets in the way. I am working out 3 days a week so I think that is slowing me down. However, I look at it this way, I am losing it slowly and more importantly, keeping it off so you should do whatever works for you. Most importantly for me is that it has changed my whole lifestyle and it is worth every penny that I have paid into it! We all have to be here to support each other because it is working for us! Good luck to you and I look forward to watching your progress!
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
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    Hi Nicki,
    I had lost 60 pounds with MFP counting calories, and then got off track and started gaining weight back. I kept trying to get going again but struggled with cravings. I decided to start up on MF in December and placed my order, but due to a family crisis, had to leave town before the meals arrived. I came home on January 6 and started on January 7, so I'll be completing week 2 soon.

    Diana
  • muscat_princess
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    Hi, I love medifast. I have been on it off n off for two yrs. I first lost 50 pounds last yr. Then got pregnant. ( yuppie) now baby is. Six months I am back doing the nursing mothers guide to medifast. I eat about 1500 cals cus I'm breastfeeding. And excerise four days a week. I lost 7 pounds in one month and I'm breastfeeding. I think this is great cus I don't want to take it off quickly as this will be bad for my supply of milk.
    Ihavealways 50 pounds I want to lose.....slow n steady right? I hope maybe 5 or 6 months till goal.
  • nikki_zav
    nikki_zav Posts: 320 Member
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    Wow! Size 8, congrats tgibbons!! I can't wait to see that number again...it's been since high school.

    Diana, sounds like you are back on the right track now. I'm sorry to hear about the family crisis. How are you liking everything so far? Have you found ways to help make some of the blah foods more flavorful?

    I applaud you for sticking with the diet while nursing muscat! I have 10 month old twins and nursed for the first 4 months. I lost weight but was also producing 40+ oz of food for little ones, so I was ravenously hungry and ate a lot of high fat foods. The problems is I didn't stop those habits once I went back to work and stopped nursing. Slow and steady is absolutely the right way!!

    Have a great day ladies!!
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
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    Diana, sounds like you are back on the right track now. I'm sorry to hear about the family crisis. How are you liking everything so far? Have you found ways to help make some of the blah foods more flavorful?

    The only food I've found that I've felt was nearly inedible is the oatmeal. Maple and brown sugar oatmeal is usually my favorite - I'd never met a variety I didn't like until MF. Yikes, that stuff is NASTY. But even that, I've manage to reclaim to some degree. For the M&BS variety, I make sure I get the texture just right by playing around with the amount of water, and add just a couple of drops of liquid Stevia. I add a drop, stir and taste, because I am trying to allow my taste buds to adapt somewhat - particularly where sweet is involved. I have found that adding more cinnamon and the Stevia to the Apple and Cinnamon flavor makes it passable. I was surprised that the Oatmeal was literally a powder - I think it would help the texture if they would allow at least a few larger pieces through. I have always loved Oatmeal of any variety, so in my opinion, it is difficult to butcher. MF managed to do it. My next order will have some blueberry, which I am hoping will be better. I am also considering trying some Vanilla Almond Milk as a condiment to see if I can improve the flavor a titch.

    The soups I tried just needed a sprinkle of pepper to add a little zing, and they seemed pretty blah on first taste. A little salsa on my eggs did the trick for them. So yeah - I think I'll manage on the taste front, but it's probably a good thing that I'm not a terribly picky eater. That being said, I'm not a fan of the Fruit and Nut crunch bar and the Banana Shake has a bitter aftertaste, so I won't order them again, although I did order some Banana Pudding. I hope it doesn't have the same issue. The first time I tried the brownie, I was not impressed, but it's growing on me. (proof that my taste buds are adapting) I changed up my second order quite a bit, to try some new foods. There are certainly enough options that I should be able to nail down a list of tried and true products that I don't have to alter too much. I worried the first few days about a grumbly stomach that churned and churned for up to 2 hours after I'd eaten, but that has gone down to 15 minutes or so, and I expect it will eventually disappear.

    Hahaha - I would make a terrible witness in court. It was a yes or no question...
  • tgibbons1935
    tgibbons1935 Posts: 85 Member
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    I bought the oatmeal on our first order because I love oatmeal too but it was so nasty that I just couldn't eat it and I have not gone back to try it at all. I think because it is so much powder that it makes like a paste and it just wasn't appealing to me at all. Since I go to the center every week, I check their single packs of things that are free and will take stuff just to try it before I buy a whole box of it. I tried their eggs but didn't like them either, but I heard if you mix it with some egg beaters, it is good. Below is a website that gives you recipes for the medifast meals to improve them. A lot of the recipes came directly from the Medifast forum website. I really haven't tried any of them, but I need to so I can get some variety. I do use a little salt and pepper in my stuff too because it just doesn't have any flavor at all. My favorite bar is the peanut butter crunch and I also like the chocolate mint because it tastes like a thin mint cookie. The smores bars are pretty good too. I like some of those to satisfy a sweet tooth. My favorite thing right now is the hot cocoa, plus it is sort of cold here in Texas so it makes it easier to drink hot drinks. I really do like most of their shakes and their new shakes that are not made with soy are so much better than the old ones.

    I hope everyone has a great weekend.

    http://www.desktopcookbook.com/cookbookshare/12880/20001.htm
  • nikki_zav
    nikki_zav Posts: 320 Member
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    The Oatmeal consistency is definitely sad. Depending on the day, I sometimes do the Maple & Brown Sugar or Apple & Cinnamon for my 2nd meal of the days. It's not the best but I can eat it while I am distracted and reading emails at work. For the eggs, try to mix in the water and let it sit in the fridge about an hour before you make them. I always do mine in the frying pan with some salt and pepper, then put some hot sauce on top.

    One of my 'cheats'/extra calories on high cal workout days is adding a teaspoon of organic almond butter to the chocolate chip cookies or brownies. Very yummy. Or, if you don't want to stray, make a 'Brookie'!!! Combine a packet of cookie and brownie mix and split it into two of the containers. Put in two and 1/2 tbsp of water each. Microwave for 1 min. Enjoy!!

    For my first meal of the day, I mix the Calorie Burn Cappuccino with about 1/4 cup of water, a tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder, and a tsp of Torani sugar free caramel syrup. Then I brew a cup of coffee, mix it all together, and enjoy! The same can be done with the other hot drink mixes and they have all turned out well for me.

    I couldn't agree more on the nasty-ness of the Banana flavor. Disgusting!

    Keep your water intake up for the grumbly stomach. It is definitely much easier once you find your set of products you are more excited to eat every day.
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
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    Today I tried 1/2 cup of unsweetened chocolate almond milk with the banana shake. It made all the difference in the world. No odd flavor, no bitter aftertaste, it was actually very good. I might just have to use that trick to get them used up.
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
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    Its funny to read your stories about the oatmeal. I have had clients feel the same way, and then later come to LOVE the oatmeal. Not saying that will happen to you all, but you just never know.

    To help you use up your oatmeal, you could consider making it into a cake/muffin/scone type of item by pouring it into a ceramic cereal bowl, adding 1 tbsp egg beater and 1/4 tsp of baking powder and enough water to make it a cake batter consistency, and microwave for 90 seconds.
  • nikki_zav
    nikki_zav Posts: 320 Member
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    That's a great idea! I love making muffins out of the pancakes...never thought about it for the oatmeal too! I finally discovered yesterday that I have to knock down the power level to an 8 on my microwave though or else it boils over.
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
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    I was eating my apple cinnamon oatmeal today and found that it wasn't as noxious to me as the last time. I was also thinking that next time I might try making it with some apple cinnamon herbal tea as the liquid instead of water ... it couldn't possibly hurt anything!

    Great info about how to modify the oatmeal into a baked good - I will try it! I confess that the pancakes and the brownie have been calling to me a lot, since they are the closest thing to "bread" that there is!

    I need to go and buy some egg beaters I guess.
  • cxdieselxm
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    Thanks for all the helpful tips! I think my biggest problem is being bored at work and thinking about food all the time!
  • nikki_zav
    nikki_zav Posts: 320 Member
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    Just made a Oatmeal muffin....and not too shabby!! I'm at work, so did not have access to the egg beater and baking powder. I just added enough water to make a thick consistency and microwaved for 90 seconds. Probably don't let it sit long for after because it would get tough. But it had a muffin like consistency and decent flavor. Plus I had it for an afternoon snack when a bowl of thick oatmeal just doesn't sound appetizing.

    I like the idea for the chocolate almond milk and bananas but I can't get over the thought of drinking what smelled like Banana Boat suntan lotion. Luckily there is plenty of other foods that work well for me!

    diesel....That is what my water bottle sits there for! Food thought = drink of water. That also means lots of opportunities to leave my desk (aka. bathroom break).