Have you considered getting a health coach? I started Medifast in February and my health coach has been a true life saver. When I started out, I felt so isolated and alone on this journey that I almost gave up. But then I found a truly awesome lady (group of ladies) that motivate me and encourage me. We share recipes, discuss highs and lows, and just walk through this together. It has made a tremendous difference. Here I am 7 months later, over 50 pounds lighter, and feeling better than I have in years. You don't have to do this alone.

Plus there are so many other foods besides shakes and bars. Try the soups, oatmeal, and pancakes. You can use these to make toast, bread, muffins, crackers. I also love the hot cocoa and the puddings and the soft bake. I mix with cream cheese or PB and freeze for a "Reese's" type candy treat.

Trust me, this is so worth it. I'm now doing an extended version of transition but I truly can't imagine not having some of my favorite MF meals on hand for snacks and treats.

You can do it.

I think you definitely need a coach. (And I say this as a person who does not have a coach, and doesn't want one for myself.)

Some of us need the camaraderie, and the one-to-one support. I am not one of them, but I think that you probably are.

The coaches are there, for free, *for you*. You should make use of them!




That said, I believe that you have some unrealistic expectations. You say, 'since the end of June'. That's what, 13, 14 weeks?

Twelve pounds. TWELVE. That's just under one pound a week. That you probably wouldn't have lost if you *hadn't* been on MF, right?

Weight loss, for *anyone*, at a pace of about a pound a week, is an EXCELLENT result.

Some people are hard-losers. I am one of them. At some point, you just have to accept that, and let it go. Do what you can, and don't compare your results to anyone else's results.


And sometimes, you may need to take a break. It depends on your mental state - and if you can treat a break as just that - a break - and not a 'quit', then a break may ('may') be beneficial.


I have been doing MF since the beginning of March. That's nearly 29 weeks.

I've lost 23 pounds. And I'm not complaining - I'm jumping for joy! Twenty-three pounds that I plan to never see again.


I have also taken numerous 'breaks' during that time. Sometimes a couple of days, sometimes a week, and this summer, I took what amounted to nearly two months 'off'. (I couldn't face not having some of the wonderful summer fruits in my area, plus there were a lot of celebrations.) I did my best to watch what I ate, though, and kept portion sizes down, and didn't go food-crazy. During that time, I didn't lose anything more, but I maintained at the point I'd reached. And I would often be kind of 'half on-plan' - I would still use a lot of the MF foods, and it kept my calorie and carb counts lower than they might otherwise have been, although I was missing out on the weight-loss benefits of being fully on-plan, with the mild ketosis. But I knew that, so the lack of loss was something I was fully prepared for.

Understand, I'm not necessarily 'recommending' this - it works for me, but for another person, it might not - especially if they feel like any 'break' is somehow a failure. I only state my situation to make it clear that a break is NOT a failure. *You* get to decide when you'll get back on that horse, and you can do it.

I got back on the horse a week ago, and I've lost another two pounds from my summer state of maintenance. I don't expect to keep losing at that rate, but it was nice to see. And this is all without exercise, so don't beat yourself up if you're not exercising. Exercise only helps a little bit for some people (and not at all for me), what you put in your mouth is the most important thing.


But most of all - stress can also make you hold on to the pounds. If you're worrying about MF and stressing about the rate at which you're losing - that in itself might be contributing to your difficulties.

Maybe if you can put yourself in a mindframe of 'this is just what I eat, now', rather than 'gee, when am I going to lose this weight so I can stop eating this stuff??', you'll be able to just take it all in stride, and even 'forget' about it enough release all that stress you're building up over it.


Bottom line - you're losing just fine. Don't compare yourself to others. Don't overthink it. Just keep plugging along. It's not always easy, but if you just keep plugging along, the trend WILL be downward, and that's the direction you want to go. Don't shoot yourself in the foot and start climbing back up, just because you aren't jogging downhill!

:-)