Yes sir! although you might want to make sure and wait for another member to confirm my answer as I am unsure of myself. Better yet, why don't you e-mail the Medifast guys because they can assist you better...

Hi! Dilli is 100% right. The weight will come off if you stick OP but it's definitely on it's own time schedule, lol..

I also had a significant amount of weight to lose and boy it scared me too. So I focused on staying OP each week versus how long it would take. The year has FLOWN by and I'm down 158 lbs and within 10 lbs of goal..

I also would suggest setting yourself up on a food schedule. By a watch or set your cell phone with an alarm. I have always looked at Medifast like my meds - have to do it. My schedule today, if it helps, is:.

6:00 a.m. coffee.

7:15 ish = 1/4 cup of egg beaters scrambled + 1 tbsp of salsa.

9:15 Medifast oatmeal.

11:45 Medifast chix noodle soup.

2:00 Medifast chili cheese puffs.

5:00 Lean and green of 4 oz chix breast and cucumber & tomato salad (with spray dressing).

7:00 Medifast pudding or Medifast Bar.

9:00 Medifast cream of chix soup chips w/ 2 wedges of lite Laughing Cow Cheese...

Hi Lisbet!.

I'm sorry you're struggling right now. I have to agree with dilli and Angela both. If you set dates for the amount you want to lose and it discourages you not to meet those goals, try not to set them at all. I had at least 120lbs to lose when I started and I'm already 1/3 of the way there. Sometimes it seems like such a long way to go, but just think where you would be if you had not started Medifast. If you are concerned about your health at all, you can think the same thing as Angela.

If you've ever taken meds you know how important it is to take them on the regulated schedule. That's how I think of Medifast and the exercise I do. Everytime I go to the gym, I think to myself this is my obesity treatment, rather then pills (that might damage the rest of my body) or surgery. Good luck Lisbet. Lurk on the boards, or join up with one of the groups.

Jenn..

I think you've gotten some great advice here. Concentrate on getting 100% on plan first and foremost. This is the most important goal because you stand a chance of making yourself ill if you're not eating all your food. We wouldn't want that, the object is to make you healthy!.

I used the same method as Jenn with MF. I treated it as if it was medicine. I set an eating schedule. I set alarms each day on my cell phone and/or computer to tell me when to eat and I stuck with it. Even when I didn't like the food, I'd remind myself it was my medicine and it's making me healthier. I.

Have.

To do it. That thought pattern really helped when I struggled. Please remind yourself each day that you deserve to be healthy. You deserve to be the best you can be and that today will be an on plan day..

I wish you the best of luck!..

Yep, what they all said..

I am a planner so in the morning, I just write a list of times to eat across the top of my little notebook I keep on my desk by the computer. As I eat each meal, I cross it off. I always carry chips or puffs or bars in my purse in case I'm caught out (that's part of my "plan") when it is time to eat. I can buy a bottled water or take one from home when I leave..

I almost always have some kind of OP lean already cooked in the fridge (or freezer) so I'm not tempted to throw something fast and not OP together at the last minute (such as crispy chicken). If you are having "just a bite" of this and that, it.

Does.

Make a difference. Eat from the lower carb end of the list of greens..

I save my L&G for dinner because that's what works best for me but if we go out to eat for lunch, I just have a green salad with no croutons, carrots, beets, etc. and dressing on the side. I can still have my Lean and 1 portion of my Green for dinner that way. And I still have my scheduled Medifast meal at the time I'm supposed to regardless of what else I ate..

Losing weight slowly isn't a bad thing. Break your weight loss into ten pound increments and then just "do that" 10 times. Celebrate each milestone. Take pictures once a month. Accept the fact that "eating this way" is something you will do for the rest of your life with "this way" meaning small healthy meals and snacks..

Log your food and exercise in the "my plan" section and when you have a particularly big or small weight loss, look at the "report" or chart for that week and see if something was different. This way, you will learn how your body reacts to certain eating habits..

Good luck! Hang in there. Progress is progress...

Hello here are a few of my suggestions.

1) drink more water so you are more full and dont fall off plan.

2) eat your frist medifast meal earlier for 2 reasons. 1) this is a very low calorie diet skipping the meals is bad b/c if you are not getting 800 cal, you body might go into starvation mode where it starts to store extra fat. and the second reason is that this diet works well b/c eating every 2-3 hours keeps your matabolism up. if you skip a meal or 2, the slow matabolism does NOT compansate for the lack of calories..

3) cook your own lean and greeen, I assume since you said you went with crispy that you ordered. At home it's much easy to make a baked chicken breast then it is to make a cripsy one. Plus use spices that you like and you think taste good..

Hope it helps,..

Look at it this way: you're down 20 lbs, keep going. That's all, Just keep going. I have another 193 lbs. to go, so you're not alone. Heck, you don't have as far to go as I do, so that should pump you up right there. lol.

Stick to the diet as it should be, that's the BIGGEST key! Only lean and green and Medifast and it WILL come off! And drink at least your 64 oz. of water! As my trainer says, 85% of it is what you eat! And he is right!..

This is day 1 for me and I have quite a bit to lose too. Sorry I cant offer any advice but I know how overwhelmed you feel. I decided to take this in 10lb increments. Eat my 5 Medifast meals and my leand and green. Keeping it simple...

Hi Lisbet,.

Everyone has give you great advice! The only thing I'd like to add is DON'T GIVE UP! No matter what. I have been struggling on Medifast for 11 months now and have definately had more non-OP days than 100% OP days. I've certainly not lost as much as I could have (and that can be very discouraging sometimes), BUT have lost 104 pounds so far and have even begun jogging a little bit. If someone had told me a year ago, that I'd be here, I never would have believed them. This is so worth it. Medifast works, but we also have to work on ourselves, on our thinking, on beginning to exercise, to do things that are uncomfortable at first.



Here's a quote from "One-Day Way" by Chantel Hobbs, who lost 200 pounds by changing her lifestyle completely:.

"If you want to really change your life, you have to understand that you change it in one day. And that day is today. What you did or failed to do yesterday is in the past. Don't let it drag you down. And what you hope to do tomorrow doesn't matter either. Tomorrow is beyond your reach.

You change your life with what is immediately in front of you. You have been given today, so use it well. ".

Good luck to you! Join a group! There are some awesome people here that you could connect with...

I too am new to Medifast and find this food diary incredibly helpful. Sometimes I feel as if I am floundering on what to eat, when to eat..

Perhaps we could start a thread (or is there a thread) where we can see what and other people are eating. Many of us overweight because we don't know how to eat. I cannot tell you how helpful I found seeing how a successful MFer (LOL) is eating...

I agree with what everyone else has said. Also, go to the section on the discussion board where success stories and photos are posted ("Share your success" I think, or something similar). Look at some of the photos, and know that you can do it too!..

Oh, I forgot. Visit the section on recipes. You would be amazed at what people come up withfrom lemon meringue pie out of the vanilla pudding, to cauliflower "potato" salad, to pizza out of portobello mushrooms. (I could go on for a while here, so I will shut up now.) There are many ways that you can feel less restricted in your meal choices...

Good evening all!! I'm new here and on Day FOUR having just begun Medifast this week. I'm hurting, tired, nauseous, and have splitting headaches. But I'm hanging in there. I happened to pop in here and I cant tell you how helpful it just has been reading all these posts. So THANK YOU ALL so much. I could def use the support.

I'm a single mommy with two very young children both with Autism. I'm all they have so I HAVE to start taking care of my self and get "my old self" back. Healthy and strong...

Welcome Jennifer. Wow you have a lot going on there at home! I hope Medifast helps you with your fibro. A girl in my belly dance class has fibro and says the dance and losing weight (she did WW) has helped her a lot. Doing this for yourself and your children are great reasons to stay on plan. The first week or two of detox is rough, so virtual hugs and commiserations. Just have faith in the plan.

Best of luck to you on your journey!..

Lisbet,.

This is try number 4 for me: 220 to 145 as a teen.. 240 to 175 in college.. 313 to 220 9 years ago. I finally had a brilliant revelation.... I can loose weight with the best of them! My issue is that I have never mainained the changes that brought me weight loss! DUH!!! So I have begun this journey with a totally different focus...the changes. If I focus on the changes that will maintain weight loss, the numbers will come as a by product.

I also know that I am abandoning pre diabetes, knee and hip pain, and a whole host of other things that I am lugging around (like embarassment and shyness). I am solidly motivated by those things..

I'm sharing this because I think in the past my struggles with a plan came when motivation to eat whatever I wanted overrode my desires to drop pounds. When I had a couple of bad weeks, I threw all of the learning and all of the work out the window. So, I would suggest that it's a good time to think about what is motivating you. I also think that you need to think about what you see as a failure. Choosing crispy chicken was a bad choice...not a failure. Life isn't all or nothing and God didn't create humans to be perfect. He made us with intelligence so that when have the ability to recognize imperfect behavior and make different choices the next time around...

What an incredible group here! ....and a great discussion as well. I have been on Medifast since October and have struggled daily for the last two monthsalmost three really. Shelly and Karen have said it best, I think, and I know that I will be doing my best to follow some of this excellent advice..

Mini-goals were helpful to me at the beginning. I worked for ten pounds at a time. Now, my goals are smaller yet.....one MEAL at a time, OP, followed by a bottle of water (liter and a half size). I am hoping it will get me back on track..

Take care, stay OP,..

Hi All,.

Well, I'm back after being on Medifast about a year ago.... I gained all my weight back & some more... now I'm starting over. I really would like to have some weight loss buddies to team up with to help encourage each other to get this done once & for all.....

Anyone interested?.

Shannon..

Thanks to all who took the time to post encouragement here. I've read thru too many success stories from people who only had 60 lbs to lose. I don't mean to belittle their success, it's just their world seems very far from mine. Seeing folks on this thread who really have taken a LOT of weight off with Medifast is a great encouragement to me..

Tomorrow is my first weigh-in, one week after starting Medifast for the first time. My watchband is loose, my hands are less puffy, and my face feel thinner, so I'm hopeful....

May I hijack slightly?.

I do have a question for those who have had 150 or 200 lbs to lose: in the beginning, did you find that you are really thirsty? My blood sugar is borderline, so no reason to suspect out-of-control diabetes... but I'm.

Really.

Thirsty. I drank 120 oz yesterday without really trying to. This morning, I'd downed 60 oz by 10 AM. (I'm especially thirsty first thing in the morning.) My "health coach" was absolutely no help with this question. I'm just wondering if this is something unusual, or if it's related to my excessive weight...

I don't know that I will be that much help with this one as I am diabetic, BUT the more water you drink, the better your liver can process and rid your body of fat. That being said, the recommended water is half what you weigh in ounces. I weigh 194 so I should be drinking 97 oz. of water at least. I find that the more I drink, the faster I lose (and it also helps me feel full longer and faster).

As my friend Nora says, "Happy Melting!"..

Well, that IS helpful. Thank you! With that recommendation, I'm actually drinking less than the recommended amount. It makes sense that those of us with more weight would have greater water requirements..

Is this a Medifast recommendation, or something you found elsewhere?.

"Happy Melting" love it!..

I was sooooo thirsty during my first 1 - 2 weeks. It was horrible! I could not drink enough water! Oh man, and the bathroom trips were crazy - all day and all night! It has gotten better now though. I do notice I am still pretty thirsty after I eat a Medifast meal, but the rest of the time is not so bad..

Tracy..

There are boards for people with 100 and 150 plus pounds. I find it helpful to stay here in this area. Glad you found it. Lots of great advice..

I would encourage you strongly to plan out your food, preferably the night before. If you get hungry, use some egg whites (and deduct from protein at night) to shore you up. Drink, drink and drink. I make up a 10 glass jug around noon (after my coffee and diet soda!) and make sure I get that down by around 7 pm so I am not up all night peeing..

The final thing is that the fluctuating is what makes it hardest. I should know. I was OFF this last weekend and it makes getting back OP hard. I also have had huge issues with my insulin. It is hard, tearful really, to be OP all day, then wake up with crashing BS and have to have carbs and blow that day. TODAY is the first day I have had no crashing at night AND not high in morning.

So while I am starving today, it's a super OP day which I hope will be followed by many more. It has been hard, but it is so worth how much healthier I feel..

And finally, let me add in what the others say. Follow the plan, don't set weight goal dates. Read a while and you'll see the weight comes off when it will, as it will. Same food, same level of activity... 1/2 pound one week, 5 pounds another, 1 for several weeks... it is our body's way of driving us insane if you let it.

Make being OP, logging every bite, your goal. The weight will follow. Scout's honor..

Oh yeah, and honest... My goal is 290 by my birthday... 11 pounds in 3 weeks. So yeah we all do secretly have weigh wishes, but I know if I work hard to stay OP, that not the pounds lost is the measure of my success...

The half your weight in ounces was from a dietician. I have heard it from the Medifast dietician, my diabetics dietician, AND from the Medifast dietician. I reckon someone had it right! LOL As for being thirsty after eating MFwell, yes. Think about it...this nutrition has been dehydrated somewhat...we need additional WATER to make it easy to process. It is recommended that you drink at least a full 8 oz of water each time you eat. I like to make it 34 oz myselfand ice water at that!.

Hang in there, Folks! Ciao,..

The absolute TRUTH is that research doesn't support even the need for 8 glasses. Not one scientific study ... much less half your weight in ounces..

But sometimes we know scientific studies are hooey. I know without a doubt I feel better and do better when I get at least 10 to 14 glasses a day of fluids...

Well, duh. Why didn't I think about that?.

I've been carefully counting every time I refill my 20 oz bottle of water, but counting 8-10 of them gets confusing, especially if I'm trying to think about something.

Other.

Than Medifast during my day!..

I love my big jug! I cram it full of ice, add in no calorie flavors and I am good to go. Then at night often add in a glass of water that I sip on between 8 to midnight or whenever I go to bed. I could drink a lot more, but then am up all night lol...

I suppose it all depends on your perspective. I spent two minutes on the web looking for research and discovered this in my search:.

BBC News - Drinking water before meals helps dieting, says s....

23 Aug 2010 ... Drinking water before meals can help people to lose weight, says a US study... The Institute for Public Health and Water Research....

Www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11057891.

- 51k - Similar pages.

Http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11057891.

Drink water to curb weight gain? Clinical trial confirms .......

23 Aug 2010 ... Drinking more water before meals can help promote weight loss, new research suggests. (Credit: iStockphoto/Lise Gagne) ....

Www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/1008231429.

... - 52k - Similar pages.

Http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0823142929.htm.

Water and Weight Loss.

29 Mar 2010 ... Water and weight loss are closely connected. Research is showing that ... Most of the preliminary research on water and weight loss has ....

Correct-weight-loss.net/2010/03/29/water-and-wei... - 73k - Similar pages.

Http://correct-weight-loss.net/2010/...d-weight-loss/.

Latest weight loss research notes on findings.

The latest findings for weight loss research and scientific studies... same effect because the water will simply pass straight through and be absorbed....

Www.weightlossforall.com/research-findings-bodyw.

... - 45k - Similar pages.

Http://www.weightlossforall.com/rese...bodyweight.htm.

The Truth About Swimming And Weight Loss.

In a similar study, University of Utah researchers compared the effects of aerobic exercise in water versus walking on land on weight loss [5]....

Www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/swimming.h.

... - 35k - Similar pages.

Http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/...h/swimming.htm.

Drinking Water May Speed Weight Loss.

5 Jan 2004 ... Researchers in Germany report that drinking water increases the rate at ... MD, and colleagues from Berlin's Franz-Volhard Clinical Research Center ... Bonci says the standard weight-loss plan dictates encouraging people ....

Www.webmd.com/diet/news/20040105/drinking-water-.

... - 109k - Similar pages.

Http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20040...ed-weight-loss.

Research Shows Weight Loss Through Drinking Water Before Mea....

26 Aug 2010 ... Losing Weight: Research released at a conference in Boston on Aug. 23 shows that drinking water before meals leads to significant weight ....

Www.suite101.com/content/research-shows-weight-l.

... - 48k - Similar pages.

Http://www.suite101.com/content/rese...e-meal-a278786.

Low-carbohydrate diet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

4 Scientific research; 5 Major governmental and medical organizations; 6 Criticism and controversies. 6.1 Water-related weight loss; 6.2 Exercise ....

En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-carbohydrate_diet - 176k - Similar pages.

Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-carbohydrate_diet.

Water before meals helps promote weight lossstudy | TheMed....

25 Aug 2010 ... According to researchers, drinking water before meals help dieters restrict their calorie intake and subsequently shed the extra pounds..

Www.themedguru.com/20100825/newsfeature/water-me.

... - 51k - Similar pages.

Http://www.themedguru.com/20100825/n...-86139829.html.

Drinking water is associated with weight loss in overweight ....

11 Sep 2008 ... Drinking water is associated with weight loss in overweight dieting women ... Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, ....

Www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18787524.

- Similar pages.

Http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18787524.

Even without all of that, I know that I have lost weight each and every time I stick to drinking water like I should! I carry two 1.5 liter bottles in my car. I drink one on the way to work, and one on the way home. I have another bottle during the day at work, being sure to drink AT LEAST 16 oz with my medifast meals. It works for me. I refill the bottles every night, ready for the next day. I get the shakes when they are cold, so do not always chill them.

Problem solving is important, as I tell my students..

Best of luck,..

My post was about need for 8 glasses of water, not whether drinking it before meals can help with weight LOSS..

It is called loading in some venues. And debated that one of the needs for dieting is to feel full without stretching your stomach and that loading with water may contribute to obese people not learning to feel FULL without really stretching the stomach. Which is one reason it says long term effect not known. Frankly if drinking 2 glasses of water before meals helped stay thin, I would call it a win win!.

However, would like to point out that your list of links look impressive til you click on them, lol. Nearly every link you gave from legit sites were about the same 2 studies... one older and most about ONE recent study with Brenda Davy, Ph.D. And the effect was an astonishing 5 pounds in a year on one study. Not saying I won't GLADLY take that 5 pounds since I already feel better drinking, but just saying it isn't that impressive. Not sure if you read them and just wanted to post the same study over and over or if you weren't aware you basically found one old and one new study..

A good way to search, btw, is using.

Http://www.searchedu.com/.

That way you get legit university research and not associated content and suite101 type fluff..

I found one saying the half your weight in oz of water, BUT add a glass for every 25 pounds overweight!.

The issue is really that we get about 20 percent of water from food, lol probably more with medifast. So we don't "NEED" the full amount in just water..

But I don't know why I am debating it. I think, research or not, we need it. I don't count my soda or coffee or water added into Medifast meals in my count. I get 10 glasses MINIMUM just in my water jug every day..

So on NEED for 8 glasses:.

Http://dms.dartmouth.edu/news/2002_h...02_water.shtml.

This one has lots of good links with it..

Http://www.med.umich.edu/umim/food-pyramid/water.htm..

Darn it UKButterfly, so now you have me thinking. I actually went in, filled my jug and poured it out to see. It holds 11 cups (88 ounces)..

At 300 pounds, I need ... according to the "half your weight" thing... 150 ounces. Then if the few sites that said PLUS (and these were .edu ones, not layman/sales stuff) another 6 glasses (48 ounces)... I'd need 198. Come on...



But even if I count my sodas (24 oz) and coffee (16 oz.. btw 1 coffee pod with BIG mug so not really much coffee in it).. That still puts me in straight liquids at only 128. And I usually drink at least another 16 oz water.. so I typically get 144 oz and that feels like all I do is drink. I couldn't chug down another 54 ounces.



I suspect that half your weight surely has an upper limit. Now I have to go see when it's too much water. Thanks. LOL. No really. SO MUCH FOR ALWAYS FEELING SMUG THAT I GET ENOUGH WATER...

Okay so healthy kidneys can remove 1 liter an hour..

198 US fluid ounces = 5.85555885 liters.

I guess that won't kill me. I'll let you all know how it goes if I ever get out of the bathroom again...

Drinking 4.5 to 6 liters a day led to me losing 85 pounds in just under seven months....just gotta say...and then I gained part of it back because I stopped drinking the water! Grrrrr....It will take me a while to gain my momentum back (drinking the water, walking at least two miles a day on the treadmill), but I am determined. Those two things PLUS remaining OP on Medifast will take the weight back off..

I know what works for me, now I just have to stick to it. LOL.

Good luck!..

I am having a hard time chugging down 176 ounces (2 jugs), my coffee (24 oz mug but only ONE pod.. very weak) and 1 soda, but I am indeed not hungry. If I could get it all in before 8 it would be better but last night was up at least 4 times going to bathroom. Going to have to set a schedule I think!..

I drink the first 1.5 liters before my first meal and cup of coffee (well, pot of coffee LOL). The next 1.5 liters I drink throughout the school day. The final 1.5 liters is on the way home from work....any additional water is through the evening and all depends on how thirsty I am. Sometimes I get up once during the night, depending on that evening consumption. I hope that helps......

My goal for today is to do just what you're suggesting, UKbutterfly. I've been drinking too much of the daily allotment after supper..

I make it until 4AM, but then.

I get up and can't go back to sleep!.

Dunno if it's the excitement of being hopeful with Medifast or it's perimenopause, but I've got to start getting more sleep!.

Usually, I can easily drink 80 oz by 10 AM, but then I forget about it. This shall be my main goal for today!..

Are any of you counting the water in your Medifast meal? Shakes especially have at least 10 ounces if you add ice and blend..

Hi, I just re-started and I remember water being key also. Today is my first day, and well, I'm glad I happened along this post. It's a good reminder to drink drink. Plus, I think even my first meal is making me thirsty..

Thank you..

Well even though I have been getting in the 2 jugs before 8, I am still up all night peeing so today goal is to have 22 glasses done by 4 pm. Uh. This is harder than dieting...

I am with you on the overwhelm thing!.

I have over 100 to lose too. I started in July and found this website in August, I am losing slow but steady, (mostly due to newly diagnosed hypothryroid).

MamaMast - I am waking at 4am too! How wierd is that? It was kinda fun at first to be up and so awake when everyone else is sleeping but it's been over 3 weeks and I am getting really tired during the day (and cranky).

One thing it is good for is I drink about half my water before 9am. But I don't like to start my Medifast meals that early obviously because I wold be done too early, so I don't start eating Medifast meals until 9 or 10am.

Anyway, I am glad to see this thread!.

Alexis..