Well, I have five weeks completed on the Medifast Program and I weighed in this morning and found I had lost another 5 pounds last week! That brings my total 5 week loss to 28 pounds! It has been an up and down ride thus far, which for the first time seems to have stabilized. If you have been following me progress, you know that there has been more than one occasion when I was starting to bum out a bit due to plateau or slow loss. But, those days are hopefully behind me as I have been using the last 5 weeks to figure out what works and doesn’t work for me on this plan. Here are some things I learned:

1. Water, water and oh yeah…MORE WATER! I am now drinking a half-gallon jug of water per day to ensure I’m staying properly hydrated. Water is an important part of any weight loss program and Medifast is no different. I have noticed that when I drink water throughout the day, I’m not hungry and I feel better.
2. Eat all 5 Medifast Meals plus the Lean & Green Meal just as the program calls for, regardless if you are hungry or not. In addition, I have noticed that this is most effective when meals are equally spaced throughout the day. I typically have a Medifast Meal every 2-3 hours throughout the day, that way I’m not stacking up 2-3 meals towards the end of the day or having 2-3 first thing in the morning. Now I wasn’t drinking 2 shakes at once or anything like that, but I was having them within an hour of each other and that isn’t really how the program is supposed to work.
3. Use my tools! Medifast has put together a huge assortment of tools including MyMedifast an impressive online community to support the folks following their weight loss program. You don’t have to be alone or fail if you have questions, just look online and get help!
4. I realized food is a necessity and not a luxury. Last night was a perfect example, my parents and mother-in-law came over for Sunday dinner and brought two kinds of pie, pumpkin and my favorite, banana cream! Although I was resenting everyone in the room for about 20 minutes for eating it, I realized that I wasn’t really hungry and that I in no way, shape or form needed the pie. To ensure I would not cave in to temptation, I had a Medifast pudding and my craving was gone. I have to thank my wife as well, she made her mother take the leftovers with her to avoid any unnecessary temptations I might develop knowing it was here.
5. Finally, stay positive and keep the lifestyle change in mind! I know it might sound corny, but I really do think of what I am doing as more than a weight loss program, but as the start of a new life with new habits and new points of view. If I don’t keep a positive attitude and change the way I think about food in general, this is all for nothing as the weight will come right back after I reach goal and re-enter the “real world”.

That is it, that is my 5 week wrap up and concludes my “looking back” spiel for this morning. Now, looking forward, I plan to start biking again today after nearly a year of absence. I love riding my mountain bike and had given it up last summer. Knowing that the initial 30-45 days of weight loss on any program is by far the most dramatic, I need to make sure I do some things to keep that level of loss up. Exercise is a big part of doing that and an even bigger part of keeping the weight off once I have finished the program. I have said it before and I will say it again, there is no cure in a pill, in a diet or in a can. Weight loss and maintenance is about life style. If you watch those diet commercials for the “miracle pills” you’ll notice that they always have a little disclaimer at some point you can barely read which says something like “…when accompanied by regular diet and exercise”. Gee, why is that do you think? I’ll tell you why…the pill isn’t the catalyst to weight loss your diet and exercise are! Although I’m looking forward to the Medifast Maintenance Program, I do know I will not be on Medifast the rest of my life, I need to ensure I am getting exercise and a proper diet. Lifestyle, lifestyle, lifestyle!

Hope everyone is having a great start to their week and remember you are not alone if you don’t want to be! Seek out other folks in the Medifast community…it’s free and it’s an invaluable resource!