Defragged

I agree that a diet name that references the word "fast" does sound suspicious. I'm glad I didn't let that stop me from trying Medifast anyway. But I'd have to disagree with the old wives tale that losing weight fast is bad for "everyone".

Take a look at my Medifast before and after photos. In my before photo I was miserable. I didn't realize how miserable until I saw the photo.

If you've been reading my blog then you know my body forced me to do something about my weight by retaliating with severe foot and back pain. You can read my article, "Why I Started the Medifast Diet", if you haven't already.

In cases such as mine, losing weight fast despite what health officials might claim to be in the best interest for everyone, was good for me. I had to get rid of the weight as quickly as possible to help relieve the severe pain I was experiencing. I also feel that if you are committed to keeping the weight off forever regardless of what it takes to maintain your goal weight, losing weight quickly isn't bad either as long as your doctor is aware of your progress and monitors your medications, if applicable.

I'm done with yo-yo dieting and living from one day to the next struggling with health issues that being overweight or obese brings to my body. Medifast is my last diet ever and I'm determined to change anything in my life to make that happen.

Everything I did and learned in the past obviously didn't work, so it's time to make those lifestyle changes to ensure history doesn't repeat itself. This means I need to pay close attention to how I'm eating, how much I'm eating, why I'm eating, when I'm eating both during the weight loss phase and into the maintenance plan.

I believe that most diets fail because a person does not commit to lifestyles changes. Once we lose the weight, we think we have it made and go back to old eating habits because it's more comfortable then trying to make changes. Obviously that type of meal planning doesn't work for yo-yo dieters in the past and it won't work again.

So whenever I think that I know better than Medifast, I stop. I step back and look at the bigger picture. I keep reminding myself that my old habits of not exercising, eating larger portions, or ignoring the maintenance phase of a diet didn't work for me - ever. I also remind myself that to truly be successful with Medifast, I need to permanently change my old mindset and step out of my comfort zone until I can create new, good eating habits that I can live with for the rest of my life.

I also firmly believe that most people who have a considerable amount of weight to lose will fail on any weight loss program if the weight loss is too slow. A One pound weight loss per week for someone who has 100 or more pounds to lose is far too long. The slower the weight loss, the more likely most people will be to quit the diet.

So far with Medifast I have lost an average of 3.5 pounds per week. That's just enough to keep me motivated and still be healthy. In addition to being motivated, most people on Medifast will noticeably experience more energy and will want to do something physical to burn off that energy. Even if you never exercised before, you'll be ready to go on that walk you never thought you'd ever want to do.

Don't let the word "fast" in Medifast discourage you. You will lose weight and if you want to keep it off, Medifast teaches you (without you really knowing it at first) how to do it.