You're a little confused about when you eat your meals...and even how much to eat. LOTS of questions.
Don't worry. There's help!
Consider getting a Health Coach. A Health Coach is someone just like you who has gone through the program and lost weight. In many cases health coaches are at 'goal' weight and are successfully maintaining their losses. Yes, I am a Health Coach now and proud of it! We try very hard to help our clients when they are stressed, feeling like they want to give up, have questions or problems, you name it. We GUIDE them. We are their 'bosses', we do NOT lecture them or weigh you in, we simply are there for SUPPORT when you need it, because WE'VE BEEN THERE! We've been through the program. We sat where you are and we had the same questions, the same problems, and the same fears. WE UNDERSTAND.
Health Coaches, unlike Weight Watchers' lecturers, do NOT talk to an entire group of people...their support is 'one on one' and is private between you and her. And you don't weigh in with her...(you're a big girl now, right? LOL).
You determine, with her, what type of support/status check you want and need. For some (like myself with my Coach, yes, Coaches have Coaches, too!) it's emails when I have a problem....and phone calls if I'm really in 'crisis' mode.
For others it's a simple status check weekly or even monthly. But in all cases, a good Health Coach will be available via email to answer your questions...and will schedule phone calls if you are in a jam. Remember that health coaches are busy people, too...be considerate. Health Coaches typically have many clients....and they help them and learn FROM them at the same time. (it's a two-way street!) But most of all, Health Coaches BELIEVE in the program and want you to succeed. They are there to help you!
A health coach can separate the 'truth' from 'fiction'....because let's face it, sometimes people get off on tangents...even online...and they can create all kinds of scare stories that aren't true (a perennial one that's a favorite of mine on Facebook is that they will start 'charging' for it.....LOL...talk about krazy....FB would NEVER do this, they'd lose all their customers! And they don't HAVE to do it, advertisers pay BIG BUCKS to show up on your FB pages, believe me!)
Health Coaches can be invaluable. I managed to lose most of my weight without a Health Coach (I was stubborn, to be honest with you LOL...)....but once I hit Transition, I felt like I was stepping off a CLIFF and that's when I decided 'enough is enough', I needed HELP if I was going to get through Transition and successfully progress to Maintenance ("NIRVANA" in our world LOL....)....so I ASKED for a Health coach, someone whose blogs I had been reading and I identified with. Someone with experience with the program.
And she's been worth her weight in GOLD.
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER:
When you first start the program, you're going to want a good set of measuring cups, measuring spoons, and baking and serving dishes. Chances are your dinner plates are large and white. Studies show that reducing the size of your dinner plate, and getting a darker colored one, can actually make your food seem like 'more'! Every trick like this that works? I'm all FOR!
When I started I bought two sets of measuring spoons - because one set (plastic) I put in my purse for when I was eating out. I can surreptisiously (and nonchalantly) measure one tablespoon of my favorite MF approved salad dressing for my salad before anyone even realizes what I'm doing....and then I KNOW I'm not overdoing it on the salad dressing (ALWAYS ask for your salad without dressing. It's criminal how many restaurants 'drown' their salads in gooey way-too-fattening salad dressings! We eat...we MUST eat...healthy fats every day to lose weight, but there's a LIMIT....sheesh...LOL).
I also bought a set of glass measuring cups PLUS a set of plastic measuring cups. Again, you'll be surprised at how often you're using these. And try to find a set of measuring cups that includes a 1/8th cup measure! You'll need it!
Go with smaller, 9" COLORED dinner plates and your lean and green meals will feel like 'banquets'. And get yourself some salad forks to replace the large dinner forks....again, 'less is more' on this program...it will force you to take smaller bites and that can increase the amount of time it takes to eat, and that's a GOOD thing (by now EVERYONE knows that it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to communicate to your brain "I'm FULL!"...so GIVE it that time).
While you're at it, if you don't have a pretty set of teacups with saucers, go for it. You will want these....a nice cup of herb tea like Celestial Seasonings "Tension Tamer" or "Sleepytime" can really make you feel special and remove the urge to binge.
It doesn't hurt to have a food calorie counting book - preferably paperback - just in case, by the way. By and large we do NOT count calories, but occasionally you will wonder 'which is the leanest choice' in meats or poultry or fishes...or 'which is the lowest carb veggie' in your greens....and you won't have access to your Quick Start Guide.
Which always always SAVE that Quick Start Guide (it comes with every shipment of food) along with the Food diary that accompanies it. Make copies of the food diary/food log, you can then track your food by hand throughout the day, and then last thing at night you simply transfer that info to the food log on the MF community website.
Some people like to go the whole FitBit route or FitnessPal or BodyMedia....especially after Week 3 when exercise is allowed (and I personally encourage and recommend it)....and if this type of thing works for you, go for it! Personally I've tried these and I tend to get overstressed and obsessive about them....and then I get all upset because I haven't lost the 1.2 lbs it SWORE I should lose this week (LOL). Better, for me anyway, to just STAY ON PROGRAM and trust, have faith....and weigh in weekly.
And you DO have a good scale, right? As well as a food scale? These are very important. You want to monitor your progress...WEEKLY weigh-ins is what I recommend (although you'll see, lots of folks on the MF community website weigh daily and that's their choice, personally, again, I think it's too easy to get all stressed out over it...the scale DOES fluctuate on a daily basis and it may just be 'lying' to you when it swears you gained 2 lbs so don't get in a tizzy about it....) And frankly, things like that? A minor fluctuation on the scale like that? Could send me into such a state that I'd 'psyche myself out' and QUIT the program! That's nuts....had I just waited it out and weighed weekly I would have been fine.
So it's up to you....try both ways if you want and see what works for you.
A good MEASURING TAPE for your body is essential! When the scale doesn't move, TAKE YOUR MEASUREMENTS (especially if you're exercising) because chances are you've lost inches!
Start a log and have someone take a picture of you when you first start...I know you hate cameras right now but believe me, you will WANT this picture later on as a reminder of how far you've come! And periodically along the way take pictures...if you can pose in the same location with the same basic clothes on, all the better for comparison purposes. (I wasn't that smart...LOL...and my 'before' picture my husband found for me because I was very, very good at hiding from the camera by then).
You DO have a good pair of sneakers, right? Walking sneakers. You will need these for after Week 3 when you start exercising. Although...you DO NOT HAVE TO EXERCISE ON THIS PROGRAM.
Repeat: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO EXERCISE. It's not a requirement. Lot of folks lose ALL their weight without doing a single exercise. And that's their choice.
But personally....well, I believe in exercise. BIGtime. Not so much for the weight loss (remember, weight loss is only 30% exercise, 70% DIET!) but for the 'body awareness' it can provide. You FEEL better. You increase your flexibility. You can SEE progress you've made.
Plus it benefits your heart and your sleep and a myriad of other wonderful things in your life...but I don't need to lecture you on the benefits of exercise, the media deluges us with that info nowadays.
I will say this, though. If you do exercise? FIND SOMETHING YOU LIKE!
Don't force yourself to start jogging if you HATE it. Or buy a treadmill if you are bored to tears (hint: for the treadmill? Try an iPod Shuffle in your ears with your favorite tunes loaded on it....it helps!), or start weight training if you hate it with a passion. Find something you can 'tolerate', start doing it, and as you improve and lose the weight, I betcha you'll grow to LOVE it and even MISS it (believe it or not) when you can't do it!
Last but not least, ORGANIZE your home and your kitchen, especially.
THROW OUT that ice cream in the back of your freezer! Get rid of all the junk food you can't have that 'calls' to you. If you have family members who aren't doing the program, fine....sit down and discuss with them how they can have their goodies without driving you NUTS. Maybe store them in a separate drawer that you 'never' go into? (Hubby and I do this and it works). Or if it's a big trigger food for you, they store it in their cars or something...or have it OUTSIDE the home. They will 'live', believe me. You do NOT have to torture yourself making cookies for everyone when you can't have a single bite! Don't DO that to yourself! TALK TO YOUR FAMILY and explain how important this is to you, how you want to give it every chance to succeed and how you would like their help and support. TRUST ME, if they love you, they will want to know what they can do to help.
What they should NOT do? Is eat popcorn in front of you every night (the smell alone will drive you nuts). They shouldn't bring pizza in (please, spare me...!)
They shouldn't expect you to make them triple fudge delight cake when you are trying to stay on program. Instead they can have all those things OUTSIDE the home or when you're not home! Again, they will LIVE.
Oh - and speaking of cooking....silicone sheets and bakeware is invaluable. I use PAM on everything....to prevent sticking...but sometimes there's nothing like silicone to really do the trick. WITHOUT extra calories.
TOP PRODUCTS that you might want to check out that will help you:
- SUGARFREE JELLO: You can have 1/2 cup (which frankly isn't a lot but it helps...and as a coach myself I won't 'beat you up' if you have MORE than 1/2 cup....just HOLD the whipped topping or Cool whip, gang)
- PB2: This is lifesaver if you're a peanut butter fan. Two tablespoons equals your one "healthy fat" (see your Quick Start Guide for more info) for the day.
- AlMONDBREEZE or SOY MILK: Also very helpful....we can't eat dairy yet on the 5/1 plan, but we CAN have 1/2 cup of almondbreeze or soy milk on our MF cereal in the morning. Buy the unsweetened vanilla one, you'll never know the difference. I'm addicted to Almondbreeze now, I won't use skim milk even though I'm in maintenance!
- PAM - prevent sticking without using butter/margarine or a lot of extra calories. 'nuf said.
- SUPPLEMENTS: one of the things that a coach can help you with is when you're having...uh....'elimination' problems. (to put it nicely). This program CAN 'bind' you, since it's high protein. We get plenty of fiber with our 3 greens a day, but occasionally you may still have problems with hard stools or constipation. In that case I recommend the following supplements (CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR before taking any though):
- Citrucel Fiber or other Fiber supplements
- Surfak or other Stool Softener
- Ducolax laxative (for those times when you KNOW you need to go but just...can't...DO NOT OVERUSE....be careful with these).
You don't need any additional vitamins or minerals while on this program, it satisfies ALL your nutritional requirements...but if you're concerned, a good multivitamin every day should set your mind at ease.
The first week you may have headaches. This is entirely NORMAL. It's a by-product of your body entering 'ketosis' -- the state at which fat is released from the body. Cope with a couple aspirin and/or migraine pads, they are invaluable because there's no 'medicine' in them, they just give a nice cooling sensation like having a cold wet washcloth over your forehead without the mess! Lie down with one of these on your forehead, do deep breathing exercises and RELAX. You'll get through it. Week 1 is the hardest. By Week 2-3 you should start to feel better.
Always always work with your DOCTOR on any plan like this. Tell him what you're doing, giving him the physician's info your Health Coach can provide if he's concerned. You are NOT 'starving' yourself, despite the low calories on this plan. It's complete nutrition. You will also be drinking LOTS of water to hydrate (64 ozs a day). This is important. YES you will be in the bathroom a lot.
Don't worry about it. It goes with the territory, and remind yourself each time, you are LOSING WEIGHT! Which is harder...having to go to the bathroom often, or being FAT?
You know the answer to that one.
Take a deep breath, order your meals here, and mark your calendar....your order should come in in a few days to a week (depending on where you live.....the Medifast meals are shipped from Maryland) and you'll be on your way to HEALTH!
GOOD LUCK TO YOU!
Here are some of my favorite products, tools, and gadgets that have really helped me along the way. Check them out by clicking on them. Or use the searchbox on the bottom and find your own! (You'll hear many members of the MF Community Website talking about these -and other products - and recommending them on the forums and blogs as well)
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