I guess if you judge it in terms of pounds, I am a Medifast success story. But I think the real success is in how I have changed my life. I am much healthier, I have much more energy, I am much more confident, and I see food (and how it relates to my body) in a whole new way. I finally believe that I am worth something and I am as important as anyone else. I will offer tips and advice on how to be successful with this diet in the following article.
As simple as it sounds, follow the instructions and trust the process: When I tell people that the first piece of advice I would give them is to follow directions, I sometimes find myself sighing and rolling my eyes. But I have a lot of experience on this diet and on weight loss forums and I can’t tell you how many people (myself included) think they know more than the doctors who developed Medifast.
It is very tempting to look at the plan, to know that you are eating six times a day, and to think that you can do better. Countless people cut out the number of meals they eat or substitute one of the Medifast meals for one of the larger, fresher, “leaner and greener” meals. I can tell you with 100% certainty that the weeks that I lost the least amount of weight were the weeks that I skipped meals or skipped lean and green meals.
You will only consume about 1,000 to 1,2000 calories per day with Medifast, so you no longer need to cut back. Doing so runs the risk of slowing down your metabolism and depriving your body of the nutrients and energy it needs. Eating so frequently may seem strange at first, but you quickly get used to it and there is a reason the diet has been designed the way it is. It has been tested repeatedly by institutions like the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and countless people have had success, so trust that you will too and just accept the program even if you resist all six meals at first.
Know yourself well and do what works for you: Some people like to surround themselves with others when dieting and others feel that it is a personal process and prefer to do it alone. No matter where you are on this spectrum, you can make this work for you. The company’s website offers a wealth of free support, resources, and advice. You can interact with other people online or in person. Accountability really helps and while I am by no means a member of the group, I have found these resources to be very helpful.
Some people are introverts and are uncomfortable having to interact. That is also perfectly acceptable. The company offers you tons of resources that allow you to go it alone if you want to.
Finally, I would say know where you have failed before. I know I need a lot of variety. Therefore, I add “safe” ingredients to my food, such as sugar-free syrups, fat-free whipped cream and cheese, etc. I knew this would be necessary to keep this going and it certainly hasn’t slowed down my progress at all.
Don’t let the traps derail you. Accept it and move on: It is a fact of life on a diet that you are going to cheat. It is highly unrealistic to think that you will never have a bad day with your diet. Maybe you eat at a restaurant and choose not to go “slim and green.” That’s perfectly fine and not a big deal. However, it becomes a big problem when you allow this to discourage you from repeating the process the next day.
When you cheat, shrug your shoulders and promise to do better tomorrow. It is not the act of cheating that sabotages you, it is allowing cheating to become a habit or a derailment. Essentially, you are trying to get into the habit of a new lifestyle. This will happen as you start to have many more good days than bad. So, don’t let bad days feed on themselves and prevent this from happening.
Understand how ketosis works: Ketosis is the metabolic state that makes this diet so effective. Because Medifast is low in carbohydrates and high in protein, your body will burn fat instead of carbohydrates. And, when you hit this state (which you can try with ketone strips), you will have less hunger and more energy. The best way I can put it is that once you are in ketosis, you no longer think about food as intensely as before. You don’t think about diet that often anymore. You start to lose your cravings and this is usually when you hit the beat.
Obviously, this is your goal and the place where you want to stay. When you cheat, it takes 2-3 days to regain this state. And while you can test yourself, you can generally feel ketosis when you’re in it. So, use this as motivation and know that if you falter and knock yourself out, all you have to do is regroup and move on.
Know that it is the small victories that change your life: Many people feel intimate and reject diets. They feel very pressured and allow themselves to be hit even before they start. What you must realize is that it is the small victories that count, the victories that are repeated and added up. Two pounds becomes five and then ten. Ten becomes twenty. Keep repeating your success until you’ve reached your goal. Don’t see it as a big change. Look at it as little baby steps over time.