Take it off | Week 55: What do they think?

I get a lot of questions from people regarding Medifast. 

• Is it a hard/easy plan?
• Weight loss is never easy. However, as weight loss plans go, Medifast has been the easiest I've ever tried. Perhaps that has a lot to do with my readiness to lose weight. But the Medifast program is nearly full-proof - as long as you can find it in yourself to stick to the program. 
• What is the cost?
• People look at the cost of Medifast and sometimes get sticker shock. I get it, I'm a cheapskate, so anything beyond the dollar store and I get twitchy. But when you break down the cost, Medifast is one of the less expensive programs on the market. The plan costs roughly $11 a day. That's a lot less than the $16 a day the average American adult spends on food.  (Other plans range from $13 to $28 a day and do not provide the added benefit of nutrion support and counseling like Medifast.) Also, you can use my code TURNIP56 to save money!
• How much can I expect to lose?
• The average loss is about 2-5lbs a week. You'll probably have larger losses the first few weeks but taper down to that range.  
• What do I really think of the food?
• I like it a lot. Seriously. Like I've said before, it's an adjustment. I mean you don't go from eating McD's every day to loving broccoli and meal replacement shakes in an instant. But I truly enjoy the Medifast meals. As I get closer to transition I find myself savoring my brownies, shakes and bars even more because I will miss them once I am no longer eating from the 5&1 Plan.

But I got a question this week that caused me to pause and at first, I didn't have an answer.

First, thank you Sara. Thanks for following along, your incredibly kind words and for making me stop and think about a surprisingly complicated question.

What does my family think?

Short answer: I can't be sure.

The long answer is far more complicated. First let me break down who my family is - because I have a rather small family. 

• My husband, Christian, and my daughter Izzy
• my mother, Edna and my Dad, Gurnie (the name is a story for another post) whom I don't see regularly but live nearby. But we talk on the phone every week or so.
• my brother Kyle - I'd have to say for the most part we are estranged. Again, a story for another time. We have a friendly relationship but rarely talk or see each other. There is a large age gap between us and completely different life paths.
• I have a niece, Cassy, and nephew, Mason
• a great aunt
• grandmother
• My extended family, consisting of my husband's parents, brother and in-laws, we don't see them much as they live in other states.

I know what Christian thinks, he is very proud and impressed with what I've accomplished. He's even setting his own fitness goals now so that we can do this together. He doesn't need to lose weight but he wants to exercise and eat healthier. And he's super excited to have  a 'hot wife'.

Izzy is indifferent. She's too young to really understand this process right now. But she knows that mommy eats 'special food' and goes outside to exercise (run). I do hope one day though that she knows I'm doing this for her and feels a sense of pride about it.

My niece and nephew don't see me often enough to appreciate what I'm doing. Also, they are both teens and in their own world anyway. However, in the past year my nephew has taken a great interest in getting fit. This came about after a pep talk from Christian and I about how he could use his size to his advantage to fund his education in the future. At 12 years old and over six feet tall, the boy practically has Defensive Linebacker stamped on his forehead. So I'd like to think that he has noticed what I am doing and in some way motivated by it.

My brother sent me a text last week to congratulate me on the TV appearance. That was really nice, I didn't expect that he'd be interested at all. It was a nice surprise that he not only watched it but felt compelled to acknowledge it.

My great aunt likes to tell me over and over how I should be eating to lose weight and stay thin. Uh...yeah, I got this. No, I don't want any homemade fudge. But thanks!

My grandmother is proud of me but tells me in a really weird way. Every time she sees me she tells me a story about this woman she knows. We'll call her Sue. Apparently Sue, in my grandmother's estimation, weighs nearly 400lbs. Sue has decided to count calories and go to Over Eaters Anonymous. I think that's awesome and said as much the first 15 times I heard the story. My grandmother on the other hand is not impressed by this method at all because 'it took her 3 months to lose 20lbs'. She says I need to show this woman how its done. And the first 15 times I heard the story I tried to explain to my grandmother that everyone needs to find their own path and it's great that Sue is making an attempt. Now I just let her tell the story, realizing that its her way of saying she is proud of what I've accomplished. And then I pray that poor Sue is never alone in a room with my grandmother to receive any of her helpful advice.

My parents, I'm pretty sure they are proud of me. But that's not something they really say. They've never said it much. I've learned they have their way of showing it though. Just this weekend my mother presented me with a dress she had picked up for me. And she will comment on how 'there will be nothing left' of me by the time I get to goal. Both of my parents will tell me that I look good too. 

I think with my parents though, in the beginning - and even in the middle - there was a lot of doubt whether I'd actually get this weight off. I think there was also a lot of doubt as to whether I could stick to this plan or meet the goal. I get it. On one side you have my parents who are life-long yo-yo dieters.  How could I meet this goal and stay there when they never did? Then there is me, who's been obese my entire life and have never even gotten close to meeting a weight loss goal. So it was disheartening to hear the stories over and over about the weight they had lost and regained. Obviously they are projecting some of their issues on me. 

Even though on some level this hurts my feelings, on the other hand, I don't really pay it much attention. Instead I focus on the compliments as they see fit to dole them out. Because  I know my parents want what every parent wants for their children. They want them to do better, have better, be happy and find success in the things that make them happy. So even though in the beginning I don't think my parents had a lot of faith in my plan and ability, I know they see now that I'm getting all those things they hoped for their children. 

So to answer your question: My family's reactions are varied, unique, sometimes inappropriate and riddled with years of food issues. But I know, in their own ways, they are letting me know they support me and are anxious to see me complete the goals that I continue to set for myself. And while they may not be as generous with compliments as my husband and friends are, I know they are proud.

• • • • •

Another small loss this week of a half pound. But I suspect that if I weigh in tomorrow I will see a greater loss (I'll come back and update). I had hoped for a larger loss but planned to not see much of one. Why? I ate really well all week long, even when we traveled over night to Baltimore mid-week. But I had not seen the scale move much by Friday. And because Christian and I had a date night on Saturday - something we haven't had  since I can't remember when. I decided early on that I wanted to have a couple drinks. This will almost always result in little to no movement on the scale. But I chose my meal wisely, a burger (1st red meat all week), no bun and veggies on the side instead of fries that come standard with the meal. I had also run seven miles Saturday morning (yes, seven! and I did it in a little over 70 minutes!) and then I ran another 3.5 on Sunday.

I'm satisfied with the half pound loss. The closer I get to transition, I feel like I need to test the waters a little bit. I feel the need to test my readiness to jump back into the world of everyday food. And that doesn't mean going hog wild. That means continued planning and making smart food and exercise choices.

Here's to another week of being on plan and hopefully a few more pounds closer to goal! No drinks this weekend either!

And last but not least - updated progress photos!

Click to enlarge, or just scroll down to see more foolishness. 

 

  

 

Month One: -16 lbs

Month Two: -5 lbs
Month Three: -6 lbs
Month Four: -6 lbs
Month Five: -6 lbs
Month Six: -8.5 lbs

Month Seven: -7.5 lbs

Month Eight: -5 lbs

Month Nine: -2 lbs

Month Ten: -5 lbs

Month Eleven: -6 lbs
Month Twelve: -4 lbs
Week forty nine: -2
Week fifty: -1
Week fifty one: -2
Week fifty two: -1.5
Week fifty three: -1.5
Week fifty four: -.5

Week fifty five: -.5

Total: 86 lbs gone forever! Current weight: 154 lbs Distance from goal: 14 lbs!!

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For your first order of $250+, use my code, and enroll in Medifast Advantage to receive 28 free meals. Do the same on your next order and you’ll receive ANOTHER 28 free meals! This offer is only valid if you enroll in Medifast Advantage, and it’s limited to one per customer. It’s not valid with prior purchases, any other promotions or discounts, or for Medifast Ready-to-Drink Shakes. Check out Medifast’s website for complete details on program and discounts.

*FTC Disclosure: Medifast provides their products for my personal use for free. I am not paid or compensated in any other way for mentioning their products. All thoughts written here are mine. I love complaining so I would tell you if I didn't like something in the program. :) 

Medifast products and the Medifast Program are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or illness. Any medical improvements noted while on the program are related to weight loss in general, and not to Medifast products or programs.

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