You guys know that I’ve been really living my 2011 mantra of Doing Life lately, going to tons of exercise classes some that I’ve loved and a few others that were comical misses. But still, I’ve been really active and feeling terrific about all that I’ve been doing. And yet the scale has been a yo-yo. I was down 2.4 this past week, but then the very next day (after the killer step class from hell), I was up 3 lbs. Now granted, that may be because I have been hungrier lately because of the increased activity, but I’m doing my best to keep things between 1400-1600 calories, and for someone who weighs as much as I do, that’s definitely a good range to lose significant weight.
When I look at my progress over the last month, I see that I’m basically back to where I was when it started. And all of the sweat, sacrifice, and planning just doesn’t seem like it’s working. And that gets so frustrating. Because I need to lose 38 lbs to qualify for the lap band surgery, yet that seems like 308 at this point. I know the reasons why they want to see that someone can stick to a regimented lifestyle, but damn, the reason I want to get the surgery is because it’s increasingly difficult for me to lose weight as I get older and my metabolism gets slower. It seems ridiculous for them to require me to lose so much, but it is what it is, so now it’s time to do what needs to be done to get the f-ing weight off and qualify for the surgery.
By any means necessary. Well, within reason. I’m not trying to cause permanent damage or do something completely unsafe or cut off a body part just to lose the weight. Although believe me, all of those things have probably crossed my mind lately.
And so I’ve decided to go back on Medifast. Carina suggested that I try it again some time ago, because she remembered how successful I was on it. And when my mom and I were talking the other day, she also said that maybe I should just do it, if I could afford it, because she knows that I am getting frustrated and that I want to get the lap band surgery sooner rather than later. On Friday I went back and re-read my old posts from when I was on Medifast, and I remembered all that I liked about the plan.
- It is just costly enough that I will take it seriously and not impede my own progress by overeating or completely going off plan.
- It’s affordable at around $300 a month.
- They’ve added quite a few new items since I was last on it two years ago, and variety is important.
- They require one “Lean and Green” Meal per day. So in addition to the 5 meal replacements, I’ll be eating real food which is what will make it more do-able than the medically supervised fasting plan I was on where I was only drinking shakes. I like to chew!!
- It’s not forever.
- It’s a means to an end.
- It will enable quick, yet healthy, weight loss.
Now if I was just trying to lose the 150 pounds with Medifast, I know it wouldn’t be the best option; I know that it isn’t something that is sustainable for the long term, because as soon as I go back to eating 3 meals a day of real food, I would gain weight. Except that this time I’ll be going on a liquid diet and then getting surgery to make my stomach capacity smaller, and I won’t be eating normal-sized meals anymore. So this seems like the perfect solution to get these 38-40 lbs off in a short amount of time and get on with my real weight loss goals.
Remind me I said that if I complain about this.
I ordered the meal replacements today, and I was excited that I found a $50 off coupon online (it was almost like fate or something). So in 5-7 business days (luckily after the Superbowl), I’ll begin the program. To give you an idea of what I’ll be consuming, I ordered:
- shakes – Dutch chocolate and strawberry creme
- iced tea – raspberry and peach
- soups – chili and creamy tomato
- bars – caramel crunch and peanut butter crunch
- snacks – honey mustard pretzels and Parmesan cheese puffs
And then for dinner I’ll eat a salad/veggie with a frozen entree of some sort. And I will definitely be taking my vitamins (which I’ve totally slacked on since the holidays) as well as a fiber supplement.
They had a lot of other options that I could’ve chosen like oatmeal (not terrible, but not great), coffee drinks (a strong maybe), brownies (definitely), fruit drinks (sounds refreshing) and scrambled eggs (sounds a bit scary, but maybe once). I’m sure that I’ll try everything so that I can keep the variety in my eating.
The nice thing about this plan is that it allows for dining out. The Lean and Green Meal can happen at any point during the day, so I’m free to go to lunch or dinner with friends and family without too much hassle. And every now and then I’m going to allow myself to enjoy a glass or two of wine or some other cocktail, because I enjoy a good happy hour as much as the next girl.
Between this new eating plan (which will total around 850-1000 calories/day) and the new-found quest for activity I’ve been experiencing, I’m sure the weight is going to drop off. It better!!
Bella on the Beach 
I’m sure you’ll hate it at times, just like before, but sometimes you’ve just got to suck it up for a few months for the sake of a long-term goal that’s more important to you than a few months of sacrifice. (Trust me, I’m telling myself the same thing right now…)
Keep up with all the activity though. You know the whole point of the pre-surge loss reqt is to develop sustainable habits. And while doing a kind of shortcut (I don’t mean easy, just not something you will/should keep doing lifelong) with the shakes is probably a great call for you in this case, make sure you keep up with the activity since that is going to become a lifelong habit that you’ll continue after the surgery.
Plus, selfishly, I like reading about all the things you’re trying and how you feel afterward, even if it’s a class you won’t repeat!
I’m definitely going to keep up with the activity, because I really like the way that I feel when I’m taking the classes, and also the way that I feel afterward. Plus, I’m addicted to burning the calories!
And I know that it’s not going to be all roses & lollipops on this Medifast, but knowing that it’s only for a short time will be what helps keep me going. Remind me I wrote this, please.
Excited to see how it goes! You know I’d support any choice (well safe ones) so we are all here for you!
I’m catching up on 5 posts at a time! I love that you’re sharing about the new classes you’ve tried – we’re living vicariously through you! And the Medifast decision is one I wholeheartedly support given your thoughtful approach to this choice. It can be a healthy way for people to lose weight and you are using it as a relatively short-term means to an end. Good luck & keep up the great work!
I read a blog called Escape from Obesity http://escapefromobesity.blogspot.com/
and she does the medifast and has don’t some reviews on their food in case your interested before you try them she also tells of some tweeks she does to them that are ok to do.
Good Luck
Cool, I’ll check that blog out, for sure.