If you are considering Medifast for fast weight loss, on the surface, it sounds great. Just eat five of their meals, which can be shakes, chocolate bars, pudding, soup and some other options, plus one "lean and green" meal, and the fat melts away. At a basic level, this is all true. When you get started, one of the first surprises is that 7 oz. of lean chicken or turkey is a surprisingly large amount of meat, and life seems good. The weight falls off, and you can report a 5, 10 or even more loss in the first week (mine was 11.5).
And then the first weekend challenge arrives. It may be the ball game, it may be Friday night happy hour, or your kid's birthday. Whatever it is, it is NOT Medifast friendly. So you figure, heck, I've lost some weight, and some people have noticed, so I'm feeling pretty good. I'll have just a small piece of cake, or some of grandma's potato salad, and then get back on the diet tomorrow.
Suppose you do pretty well, you don't go overboard for the party, and it's back to shakes on Monday. But by midday, you feel terrible. The headache is slowing you down, you feel like you could eat the cafeteria at work, and the three hour gap between meals feels like 3 years. The week's weight loss is slim or non-existent.
What happened?
The weight loss success in Medifast is in the method of burning off the excess carbs so your body turns to the fat stores for energy. The first three days are an adjustment period when you are getting rid of lots of carbs that are so much a part of our diets. That's one reason why you visit the restroom so often- the carbs are releasing a lot of water. After the adjustment, the fat stores start depleting, and the weight loss is, at times, amazing.
When you cheat, even a little, especially with lots of carbs, your body is taking what you give it and in effect, saying, 'thanks for the carbs! I can now stop burning my fat reserves and use this! More, more more!' When you get back on the diet, the tension between what your body wants and what you are giving it is the adjustment period. Again.
Don't get me wrong. Medifast is the fastest weight loss program I've ever encountered. The start of beach season is two months away and you could be down 35-50 pounds by then! If you are strong, and ready for a change,do it. But do it right, and be committed. Pass on the sweets; show up late for the party; do whatever it takes and you will lose weight.
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