There is no perfect time to start MediFast, there is always something coming up that could have been my excuse to put it off until that something had passed. But I was tired of waiting to focus on me. Tired of bursting out of one more "this is the *biggest* size I will ever purchase!" pants. Tired of not being comfortable on a plane. Tired of seeing my families' eyes when I walked through the door at holidays and was a little bigger than the last time they had seen me - that knowing look that they are worried about my health and my self-care, that I might be following in my mom's footsteps.
So, when the box arrived, I went ahead and started. I figured I would work around the Halloween Parties, Thanksgiving, Christmas and our trip to Vegas in January - I could make good choices for all of them. Five days in, my motivation friend (the one who got me here) asked me and my husband to join her and her husband at a bar - she said she'd feel stronger with another person on MF for support. When we both got through the evening making great choices AND having a good time, I knew I could handle anything. I had forgotten about our dinner theater tickets.
This particular production does dinner and cocktails in courses and in conjunction with the plot - it is a pris fixe meal, no choices. I could have skipped it, or sent someone else in my stead. But, I *love* these shows. I love the way the chef plays with food - and this was a Twin Peaks themed show. So much fun.
So, I planned my day. I went to yoga in the morning, and planned my meals so that I had added a little extra green and lean throughout the day (added an ounce of turkey and a cup of spinach to Original Eggs for Lunch and Dinner). I ate my meals so that by the time the food started coming during the show (around 8:30), I would be neither hungry nor out of calorie/carb room. I sipped the first cocktail - then promptly redistributed it among my husband and friends. And drank a glass of water. I tasted the donut (mashed potato with chives baked to look like a plain donut - tasty, but not worth the carbs/calories) and then redistributed it to my husband. And drank a glass of water. I did drink my vodka collins w/ cucumber and seltzer water - yummy and refreshing. I ate the beef borscht - there were very few beets in it. And skipped the bloody mary. More water. I had planned on the salmon sausage to be my true "Lean" for the day, but when it came out, I tasted it but just couldn't swallow it. (too much like my mom's salmon loaf and I've had more than enough of that for my lifetime). I was kind of sad, but really glad I'd eaten the borscht. So - that got redistributed as well. And, more glasses of water. By this time, my friends were joking every time the lights came up that I'd be headed to the bathroom (they weren't wrong). I skipped the hot rum "tea" completely and the creme brule, but did eat the parsnip and apple "hashbrowns".
And I really enjoyed the show.
I made it - and when I logged every bite and every sip into my meal log - I had only consumed 105 g of carbohydrates and had burned 1033 calories for the day! We parked kind of far away and a couple of hills over - so there was walking to and from. My fitbit registered that I had climbed the equivalent of 11 flights of stairs! This morning I was down 1.5 lbs.
In general, no one advocates going off program. But worse is feeling like you can't participate in something because you are restricted. I was restricted - before MF, I would have eaten and drank everything except the salmon sausages and probably agreed with my friends to go for pizza beforehand. (On WW, I would have probably eaten everything as well - but not done the pizza and would have tried to make it up later, probably why that system doesn't work for me.) But because I was restricted on MF, this time I could still participate and stay as on program as much as I could. And that is a fabulous victory!
I'd also like to say that it felt really good being honest with my friends. We talked before the show about being on MF and what that would mean for me but also why I was doing it and they were FABULOUSLY supportive. I knew they would be, but it feels so much better to have them express it. Being honest about my weight, discussing it in straight forward terms and how frustrating it had been at Yoga that morning and knowing they had been watching me lose control of my health was freeing. In only the way that someone who has gotten a divorce can understand. Those times when you tell your friends about why your life isn't working - that is a healthy and important step of the process.
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