Medifast & Me

It started with a pair of blue jeans.  Last summer, I lost about 30 pounds. So last fall, when the weather got too cool for capri pants, I needed to buy new jeans.   Smaller jeans.  That part was cool.  But I still had somewhere between 15 and 20 more pounds to lose, so I only bought two pair of jeans.  I figured I would shrink out of them before they wore out, so I didn’t want to get more than two.  Guess what?  I noticed a small, frayed hole in one of those jeans yesterday.  They’re wearing out.  I haven’t dropped any more sizes, either.  In fact, I gained about 6 pounds during radiation and another couple over the few weeks before my last mammo when I was stress eating all the time.   I’ve got at least 25 pounds to go now.  Maybe more.

With that in mind, I went back to what worked for me last summer: Medifast.  On paper, I don’t like the idea of Medifast.  It’s a program of prepackaged meal replacements, and it is darn expensive.  My ideal plan would be to incorporate “real” food in healthy recipes, add in regular exercise, and turn it into a lifestyle.  Um, yeah.  Great on paper but in real life?  Forget it.  I have no time to shop, no time to cook, and no time to look up interesting, healthy recipes that I actually have the tools and skill to cook properly.  If left to my own devices I would eat Cheerios four times a day, take a multi vitamin, and call that good enough.  And, at times, I have done exactly that.  The plus side of Medifast is, it’s easy, and of course, it works.  For me, it was much easier than I expected, and though I didn’t follow the plan 100%, I lost weight.  Thirty pounds in four months.

 

It occurs to me that one reason it worked so well for me could be because I had cancer.  I guess we’ll find out, as I’ve ordered another few weeks’ worth of food.  I’m going to give it another go.  Due to the cost, I won’t be following the plan 100% this time, either.  Instead of eating Medifast food for the prescribed five times a day, I’ll go for three times.  The other two mini meals will be a low carb snack.  Greek yogurt is a favorite.   A hard boiled egg.  Reduced fat string cheese.  Something like that.

 

Anyway – I hope plan to be in smaller jeans by the time I pack my capris away again this fall.  With overweight being a risk factor for breast cancer, I have extra incentive to get to my goal.  I do not want to go through that again.  It’s time to get serious about getting healthy.  Wish me luck!