Take Shape For Life featuring Medifast Meals

There are many reasons why it is important to drink water, especially when you are trying to lose weight on the 5 and 1 Program:

• Cravings are really a sign that your body is thirsty. So when you feel a craving coming along, reach for your water.  It’s the cheapest, safest appetite suppressant there is.
• Your initial weight loss is largely due to loss of water and that is why you need to drink a sufficient amount of water in order to avoid dehydration.
• When your body starts burning calories, it needs an adequate supply of water in order to function efficiently; dehydration slows down the fat-burning process.
• Dehydration causes a reduction in blood volume and this causes a reduction in the supply of oxygen to your muscles which can make you feel tired.
• Burning calories creates toxins in our bodies (think of the exhaust coming out of your car).  Water plays a vital role in flushing these toxins out of your body.
• Drinking water before and with a meal makes you feel fuller and will make you eat less.   However,  drinking water alone may not have this effect. In order to feel satiated (not hungry), our bodies need protein, sufficient calories and nutrients.  All of which can be found in each of the Medifast Meal Replacements and in your Lean and Green Meal.

Read our other post:  WHY WATER IS GOOD FOR YOU

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When you’re on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan, you have clear guidelines on what, when, and how much to eat for your daily Lean & Green Meal.

But what about when you’re dining out?

You can stay on plan with healthy Lean & Green Meals—or healthy options for the Transition and Maintenance phases—pretty much wherever you go. All it takes is a little planning and creativity. Most restaurants have choices that are compatible with the program, or can be, with a bit of modification.

The most important thing to remember is that it’s okay to ask your server questions about “customizing” your order. Most places are more than happy to accommodate special requests and many offer healthier substitutions for free, or for a small additional charge.

Here are some more tips:

BEFORE YOU GO

1. Review plan-friendly options so you know what to look for on the menu.
2. Do your homework. Check out the restaurant’s menu online or in person, or call ahead and plan your order in advance.
3. Get the support you need from family and friends who will be dining with you. Inform them ahead of time of your commitment to your health goals so there’s no pressure to explain at the table.

CHOOSING WHAT TO ORDER
When deciding how to have your food prepared, keep in mind that certain cooking methods can add unnecessary calories and fat to your food.

1. Choose foods that are steamed, poached, baked, broiled, grilled, roasted, or “garden fresh.”
2. Avoid foods that are fried, crispy, creamy, buttery, or served in pastry or with gravy or rich sauces.
3. When eating beef, choose filet, loin (sirloin), or round, and always trim any visible fat from the meat.
4. When in Maintenance, choose items made with whole grains such as brown rice and whole-wheat bread and pasta.
5. Get your food “naked”—with sauces, dressings, or toppings left off or on the side.

Since May is the fifth month, and getting to a healthy weight is the first step on the path toward Optimal Health, now is a good time to review the basics of the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan^TM.

If you can eat every two to three hours and pick foods you like from a menu, you can lose up to two to five lbs a week on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan.

You eat five Medifast Meals a day, plus one Lean & Green^TM Meal (lean protein and non-starchy vegetables) that you can prepare yourself to eat at home with family, or enjoy in a restaurant.

For your “5,” each day you can choose any combination you like from over 70 different Medifast Meals, including shakes, soups, stew, chili, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, fruit drinks, iced teas, hot beverages, bars, cheese puffs, pretzel sticks, puddings, and brownies.

Medifast Meals are easy to bring along wherever your busy day takes you. All of them either mix up easily with water or are ready to eat right out of the package.

For your “1″ Lean & Green^TMMeal, you can combine a serving of lean poultry, fish, beef, pork, tofu, or selected veggie burgers with three servings of non-starchy vegetables such as salad greens, green beans, spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms, and much, much more. The plan materials provide detailed lists of all the options available on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan.

Once you master the basics of weight loss and weight control through the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan^TM, you’ll be ready to start learning all of Dr. A’s Habits of Health, including the BeSlim® lifestyle and other secrets to living a happier, more fulfilling (and maybe even longer) life.

Myopia

The biggest challenge I have in coaching clients is myopia. I’m not talking about the ocular condition requiring glasses but rather the short-sightedness in your brain.  It’s a natural, human condition of which we all suffer. The good news is our year is still in its infancy.  But like January, it too will pass quickly into 2011.  And being myopic, or short-sighted, is the best way to NOT get what you want in 2010.   

 Myopic Offenders

 Some of the greatest myopic offenders of your 2010 goals include the bathroom scale, special events, stress and saboteurs.  So let’s look at each one of these and how to turn a potential stumbling block into a hurdle that—once you clear—only strengthens your resolve.

The Bathroom Scale:

The bathroom scale consistently messes with my clients heads.  What’s ironic is that very same scale is something that can exalt your emotions and resolve; but it’s a wily beast—SO BEWARE!  During Phase One it is highly recommended that you weigh yourself only once per week.  But how many people actually do that?  My experience says not many.  You think you can handle the truth??  Daily weigh-ins are quite adept at throwing you off track completely.  Some typical scenarios include: “I’ve been following the program to a T for the past four days but when I stepped on the scale this morning I hadn’t lost even one pound!  This program isn’t working!!”  Or another popular one goes something like “Yesterday I went out with friends and had just one Margarita and a few chips and salsa (fill in your own off-plan food of choice) and this morning I’ve gained two pounds!!  I did everything else right and been following the plan…etc, etc.”  In my opinion the bathroom scale is a main offender because it has this incredible ability to completely take your vision of a healthy body and reduce it down to a single number on a single day.

 Special Events:

The great American quasi-holiday, Super Bowl Sunday, was last weekend.  For a lot of my clients it’s a special event.  It may not be yours, but there’s plenty more every month.  The myopia associated with special events say “it only comes around once per year; I can allow myself a little time off and then get right back on plan Monday morning.”  Good luck.  Again, my experience says a special event can throw you off track for weeks, months or completely.  What’s the big deal?  In 2011 when you write your history, will it include you getting exactly what you wanted in 2010 or will it say something like “had some great hot wings, chips and beer.”  Special events are a main offender because all you see is that event.  What you don’t see is the same event in 2011 will include “off program” foods because you are at your ideal weight and you’ll plan for it and enjoy it!  Reminder: Phase One is not the rest of your life.

 Stress:

This is a tough one.  I’ve read that the majority of overweight and obese people are emotional eaters.  Stress can come from anywhere at any time and we are all susceptible.  The best thing you can do right now is to plan ahead of the stress because you know it’ll happen sooner or later.  This will not only help you stay on track but set you up for a lifetime of what you really want.  The last part of chapter 19 in Dr. A’s Habits of Health is devoted to de-stressing techniques.    Healthy behaviors include: De-stress your job, exercise, get out and about, go natural, laugh, focus on the positive, stop challenge and choose, breathe deeply.  I deem stress a main offender because it attacks emotionally and, at the time, makes itself more important than anything else including your vision of a healthy body.

Saboteurs:

Saboteurs are everywhere and can be your own family, your friends and the people you associate with.  They are what I call Trojan Horse offenders because their words are often shrouded in “good intentions”.  A saboteur can also be the voice in your own head.  Anyone or anything that says you CAN’T do what you really want is a saboteur.  Beware.  The myopia associated with these people, and these thoughts, is that words are more powerful than your vision of what you want.  But we know this is not true.  Support is one of the most critical factors in your success.  As your health coach I know YOU CAN!  And you know you can too.  You already have in your possession the vision, belief and passion to get exactly what you want in 2010.  So don’t let them play your mind.

What Do You See?

What you see is what you get.  Vision your healthy body right now regardless of where you are on the journey.  See it clearly in your head and pull up that vision frequently during the day.  See it the first thing in the morning and just before you go to bed.  Do this and the laws of nature will manifest in your life that which was already created in your thoughts.  Antonyms of myopia include far-sighted and wise.  How to get what you really, really, want is no secret.  It’s simply what you focus your thoughts on.

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Eric Freemyer lost 130 lbs on the Medifast 5 an 1 Program

If you missed Good Morning America’s feature story on Eric Freemyer, who lost 130 lbs with our Medifast 5 & 1 Plan this morning, you still have a chance to read about it and watch the segment by clicking on the link below:

Huge Weight Loss Success Stories – ABC News.