Having just completed by third month on the Medifast diet plan, yesterday I did the InBody Scan at the Medifast Center.  This simple, fast body scan gives me great insight into how my body is changing on Medifast. It shows my levels of fat, lean muscle and water.

It’s pretty cool.

Here are some highlights:

• The scale says that I lost 11.5 pounds over the past month
• But, I lost 14.5 pounds of fat
• During that same time, I gained 1.0 pounds of muscle
• My water weight went up by 2.0 pounds

So my results are better than what I could have seen with just the scale and I know my exercise program is working.

My total body fat mass is 85.3 pounds. Just doing some back of napkin type calculations, if I want a 10% body fat composition and I end up around 200 pounds, that’s 20 pounds of fat. So, I need to lose another 65.3 pounds to get there! Wow – that seems a long way off and a little overwhelming. I have a feeling my fat loss will be slowing down from 14.5 per month. Even at 14.5 pounds/month, I’ll make it in a little more than 4 more months and if it averages going down to 11 pounds/month it will take more than 6 months!

I think I’m better off just thinking about getting a new goal – getting down 60 pounds by my birthday – April 29 and not worrying about anything beyond that.

So, that’s my new goal – down 60 pounds (total) on Medifast by April 29. I have 3 weeks to go and 4.5 pounds – I should make it easy.

Related posts:

1. Wow! Down a total of 43 pounds Latest Medifast review – I did my weigh in yesterday...
2. I Gained 3 Pounds on Medifast Since Last Monday… Bummer.  I’m sure my cheating on Friday hurt and some...
3. Down 50 Pounds on Medifast I did it. I reached my goal of being down...

When I first started Medifast, I thought I would be losing muscle mass on such a low calorie diet.

This concerned me because muscle burns fat and losing muscle lowers your metabolism. What I’ve found is the exact opposite. With a good exercise program, I have gained muscle on Medifast. Most of my exercise ideas have come from Clarence Bass and his AMAZING fitness, health and longevity web site.  Nobody knows more about being lean and fit than Mr. Bass. If you aren’t an exercise fanatic, don’t be intimidated – when you start to read the articles, you’ll find them inviting, informative and motivating.

Here is my program:

1. Every Thursday, I do a slow motion workout with a trainer at the Perfect Workout. This is a form of HIT (High Intensity Training) that is also very safe. Safety is very important because I’ve had to stop lifting when I was younger because of different injuries from poor form or questionable attempts to set new personal records. I want lifting to be a permanent part of my ongoing fitness so I need something I can do injury free. Since it’s so intense, you only have to do it once or twice a week. I’m finding that I’m getting stronger and making progress every workout.  I decided to use a trainer because – especially early on – I could use the accountability of having a scheduled appointment.  Long-term, I’m not sure what I will do, but if I can continue to afford it, I will use all the help I can get.
2. Every Saturday, I go on a hike. When I first started, I couldn’t complete even relatively easy hikes but lately, I’ve been getting much stronger and doing longer and longer hikes. This past Saturday, I climbed to the top of Mount Woodson starting from Poway Lake. It’s a 8.2 mile trek with about 2300 feet up and down in elevation. Since I’m still carrying about 70 extra pounds, it was plenty challenging! My goal is to complete Rabbit Peak when I have lost 100 pounds. That would be something!
3. I spend Sunday with my son and so this is more of a physical activity day than an exercise day. We’ll do a hike or walk around the zoo or play basketball or go swimming. Something like that. What’s great is I’m actually doing these things with him. I wasn’t before I started exercising and losing weight on Medifast.
4. On Monday, I do a Tabata Protocol kettlebell swing workout. This is SUPER INTENSE and I’ve only done it for about 5 weeks. I’ve noticed that when I hike I can go much faster with less effort since I started doing them. I believe this is the very best (and fastest) way to get in shape, but also one of the most difficult from a mental perspective. It’s really hard.
5. On the other days, I go walking for anywhere from 25 to 80 minutes. I do this more to get the blood flowing and to move than for any specific health benefit. I go slow and easy.

So there you have it – my exercise program.

The results speak for themselves. For example, the last time I got measured, I was down about 5 inches across my waist but my thighs are basically the same size from the weight lifting and hiking I’ve been doing. Clearly, that indicates I’m building muscle. Also, I am hiking further and faster practically every week. My energy is through the roof.

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I did it. I reached my goal of being down 50 pounds by April 1st!!!

After my cheating episode, I wasn’t sure I would make it and even at weigh in at the Medifast Center, there was a bit of drama.

When I first stepped on the scale, it showed I was down 49.9 pounds. Damn! So close… For a second, I even thought of peeing to get to 50, but thought better of it. My goals are more long-range.

I had accepted that I was going to miss by just a tiny bit when I was told the scale was calibrated the previous week and found to be off by a pound. So, my original weight was really 313, not 312.

So… this meant that I was really down 50.9 pounds since my start on Medifast Jan 6th.

Cool.  I really did do it. Amazing… feels great.

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Bummer.  I’m sure my cheating on Friday hurt and some of the weight gain might be related to what I was wearing or how much water is in my system, but this sucks.

A week ago, I was CERTAIN I would reach my goal and be down 50 pounds on Medifast by April 1. Now, it seems unlikely.  I’m going to do my best this week and we will see on Thursday.

On the other hand, my fitness is improving by leaps and bounds. I did a couple of hikes this weekend and I noticed how much stronger and fit I feel. I even did some running yesterday, which would have been impossible just a short time ago. Every week, when I lift weights, I’m stronger and adding weights. I’m noticing my cloths fitting differently – looser in the waist but the scale says something different.

I’ll have a good week – stick to the Medifast plan, drink tons of water, get plenty of sleep and not worry about this sticking point.

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Last night I cheated off the Medifast program.

I’m not talking about an extra stalk of celery – I went WAY off for the very first time.

I’m not exactly sure why. I just going to list some things that were different about yesterday and not make any judgments at this point about why it happened. If it happens again, I can go back and look to find a pattern.

• I started eating the Medifast Bars after only drinking Medifast shakes for a couple of weeks.
• I didn’t have my fish oil. Forgot.
• I have cottage cheese for my meatless lean protein and even though is was 12 ounces, I was hungry afterward.
• I was hungry ALL day long.
• I was tired all day – just dragging. Felt sleepy.
• I didn’t work out for the first time in a long time because I felt my body needed some extra rest.

I’m going to go on a LONG hike today and forget about it. In fhe back of my head, I wondering if I will reach my Medifast goal of being down 50 pounds by April 1.

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Weight loss is as simple as calories. Cut your calories and you will lose weight. This is the basic principle that makes Medifast so successful in helping people lose weight.

Each Medifast shake has 110 calories and is soy protein based. Soy’s health benefits are mixed but it does appeat to help lower bad cholestorol levels and fight off some forms of cancer.

The 70 Dutch Chocolate Medifast shakes have 14 grams of soy protein, 1 gram of fat and 13 grams of carbs including fructose.

They taste pretty good – better than the typical protein shake, that’s for sure and it’s best mixed in a blender to give it some fullness.

I really like the Tropical Fruit Punch – it has 90 calories, 15 grams of protein, 10 grams of carbohydrates & no fat.

The Chili has 110 calories with 15 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat and 15 carbs – it tastes good with a little hot sauce!

The Hot Cocoa has 110 calories with 14 grams of protein, 14 grams of carbohydrate and 1 gram of fat. It really tastes delicious.

The Peach Oatmeal has 110 calories made up of 11 grams of protein, 16 grams of carbs and 1.5 grams of fat. It taste pretty good.

Related posts:

1. Lose 50 pounds on Medifast by April 1 That is my goal. Reviewing my current progress, I gained...

Earlier, I talked about the enormous hit my self-esteem took as a morbidly obese person but today, I want to talk about something different.

Before starting Medifast, I saw myself as a morbidly obese person. As I been losing all these pounds, its forced me to re-evaluate that self image.

I’m not skinny now. I’m not in shape, but I’m no longer a morbidly obese man who get winded going up stairs.

So who am I? I got a bit confused by that simple question on this past weekend.

I went hiking at Blue Sky Ecological Reserve on Saturday and it was great. I attempted this same hike (to Ramona Reservoir Dam) 4 weeks ago and couldn’t make it to the top because the last ¼ miles was very steep and too much for me. Two weeks ago, I made it to the top but had to rest twice during the steep section and it took me 2 ½ hours start to finish. This last weekend, not only did I make it to the top and back in 2 hours without resting, I wasn’t really tired when I finished.

As I was heading back to my car amazed my energy reserves, feelings of me when I was younger and in shape can flooding back. Deep inside, I was feeling athletic again. It was incredible – just a few months ago I would not have believed I would ever have that sensation again. Down 50 pounds, my whole body was moving differently too.

The endorphins were kicking in and I was feeling really good.

Then I got to my car and it all crashed.

I looked at my reflection in the car window and I was shocked to see a fat guy looking back at me. Yes, I’ve lost almost 50 pounds. Yes, I’ve gotten in much better shape the past 3 months. Yes, I’m no longer morbidly obese.

But no, I’m not the fit, athletic guy that I was feeling.

So, who am I???

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The other day I mentioned how I set a goal to lose 50 pounds on Medifast by April 1.

I’m almost there. I have two pounds to go and given the rate I’ve been losing (about 3.5 pounds/week) and the fact I have over a week to make it, it seems certain I’ll achieve this goal. Medifast works for me.

Sweet.

I’ve followed the program pretty closely. I’ve eaten extra veggies most days, but when I do, it’s celery or lettuce not tomatoes.  I still haven’t been hungry and I’m past the point where I feel tempted to cheat.  Sometimes, I might put too much flax seed oil on salad or I might eat a tiny bit more meat (because I didn’t weigh it) but I’m working out hard and that more than makes up for it.

I don’t want to set any long range goals because I don’t know if I’ll continue to lose at this rate and honestly, I don’t really care how long it takes. I now know I’ll make it.

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That is my goal.

Reviewing my current progress, I gained 1 pound on Monday, I have about 7 pounds to go in about two weeks. Definitely doable!

I have found that when I use more of the Medifast shakes, I seem to lose faster than with the bars. That doesn’t make sense because the calorie and nutritional make up are supposed to be the same. I definitely feel a bit hungrier when I’m doing shakes but, again, that shouldn’t make a difference.

Anyone else experience this? Losing more weight with the shakes?

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Eating one “regular” meal a day is a big reason why the Medifast program is easy for me to follow.  I’ve used a bit of variety in my choices. One of the things that has surprised me is how much I’ve enjoyed some of the meatless Medifast options.

My favorite is 2 Boca Burgers Original cooked on a skillet with a tiny bit of pam spray. By the time I’ve added my hot sauce, my mouth is watering. Although it doesn’t taste like a “regular” hamburger, it has its own delicious taste and when I can get them at Von’s for $3 for 2 meals, its a pretty good deal.

I’ve also had cottage cheese a couple of times. 12 oz of cottage cheese is quite a bit and is very filling.  Sometimes, I’ll make scrambled eggs with 2 cups!!! of EggBeaters, some mushrooms, tomatoes and squash. It’s delish and VERY FILLING!

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