Welcome Newbies! Helpful info for week 1.

[crobyninc]

Hi Jerseyguy

Welcome and congrats on the success you have had so far!!!! You should definately take all you meds and supplements while away. You also need to follow the plan as closely as possible. You will notice that all the members on this board travel quite a bit and manage to stay on plan and lose weight while traveling. This is a WOE and it can be done.

When eating out look for grilled fish, chicken and steaks. Ask for no sauces, no breads and no vegetables that are not allowed on the plan ie potatoes. Do ask for sauted, steam or grilled vegetables. Most waiters will be happy to accomodate your requests. But you must ask!!!

Good luck and enjoy your trip!

Robyn

[Desert-Rose7]

Originally Posted by jerseyguy

I started 2 weeks ago and I just found this board. There is a lot of great information here. So far i have lost 19 pounds. i am a little worried as i am going to Aruba tomorrow. I am not sure if I should be taking my meds while there. any opinions?

Take the meds with you in the prescription bottles they came in. And enjoy Aruba!


Jo

[arabrider]

Originally Posted by Desert-Rose7

Hello! and to the group! It is nice to have another Phoenix person here. Congratulations on making the decision to live happier and healthier. MWL is an amazing program. I wish you great success!

This particular thread has a lot of really good tips and helps for week one which is by far the hardest you will encounter. And with the heat we are
experiencing out here, be sure to get all of your water in! That is truly important...even more so in our heat.

Jo

Hi Jo, I am in the Sun City West area and I love it here, even with the hot weather!

[chrislaurie]

Originally Posted by SDC2

Welcome to your Medi weight loss journey and welcome to this forum. You've made a great decision by chosing this plan. If you read through some of the threads you will read many success stories. This is the plan that works.

I thought it would be helpful to give you some tips about week 1 from those of us who have made it through. Week 1 is the toughest week of the whole program, but many of us have made it happily through, so don't be discouraged. Once you see your week 1 weight loss you will be very encouraged and motivated. Please feel free to post any helpful tips or experiences you have had.

What to expect from week 1
Your body is going through a dramatic changes in week 1 and is going through excessive calorie and carb withdraw. You may experience headaches and weakness. This will go away, so hang in there. You may experience feeling jittery from the appetitite suppressants or even have trouble sleeping. Your clinic is the best place to ask about this. You may need to start your suppressants slowly. You will begin feeling better around your 5th day.

Survival Tips

1. Drink lots of noncaloric liquids. I personally think water is the best and try to drink 75 to 100 oz per day.

2. Be sure to eat all of your 500 protein calories. Eating less than this can put you into starvation mode and shut down your metabolism.

3. Do not eat veggies or fruit in the first week. After the first week look at your medi materials to see what veggies and fruits are allowable as not all are. Some veggies/fruits have to much starch/sugar and will throw you out of ketosis.

4. If you are hungry, get some College Inn low sodium chicken broth and drink it freely. A 32 oz carton only has 20 calories. It will help with the hunger.

5. Try to add variety to what you are eating. For breakfast make egg white or egg beater omelets with different ingredients such as canadian bacon, lean ham, turkey sausage, veggie slices or fat free cheese. Change it up.

6. I ate lots of cooked frozen shrimp, which I thawed and ate with a cocktail sauce I made out of 1 carb ketsup and horseradish. Shrimp is low calorie and you can eat a lot for the calories. Skinless grilled chicken, turkey, fish and crab are good choices too.

7. Read labels carefully. There are carbs in things you would never think of and stay in touch with the things you are allowed to have in week one.

8. Get some EAS Advantedge protein drinks. BJ's sells them by the case. They are 110 calories, 4 carbs, 2g fiber and 17g protein. Many have reported that they help with the headaches. Try to limit these to 1 per day as you need to eat solid food.

9. Be sure to take your calcium suppliments while you are in ketosis.

That is all I can think of for now. I invite others to share as well. I will post a grocery list that I came up with, but it includes items that are not allowed in week one. Be sure to visit the recipe thread after week one.

Good luck. You will do amazing!

Susie

Today is day 5 of week 1 for me and I am still constantly starving. I take ap 3x/day and couldn't drink any more water. Does the hunger go away week 2 cuz I am beginning to think this is to rough/ drastic. I do not have any other symptoms like headache or fatigue. I am just constantly aware of hunger...I space out my meals etc and have added fiber mix to my water in between meals and this helps some but I am going crazy. I am trying to be a trooper but dont know how much longer I can hold on! Any suggestions?? Broth on momentarily helps.

[crobyninc]

chrislaurie

You don't say if you are in ketosis. If you are, that will help with the hunger issue. You may also need extra AS, I would talk to your clinic about maybe prescribing you enough to take 6 pills a day. Are you drinking a full gallon of water, not tea, coffee or soda but just water? These are things that will help with hunger between meals. Also drink the low sodium chicken broth

Good luck
Robyn

[chrislaurie]

Originally Posted by crobyninc

chrislaurie

You don't say if you are in ketosis. If you are, that will help with the hunger issue. You may also need extra AS, I would talk to your clinic about maybe prescribing you enough to take 6 pills a day. Are you drinking a full gallon of water, not tea, coffee or soda but just water? These are things that will help with hunger between meals. Also drink the low sodium chicken broth

Good luck
Robyn

Thanks Robyn,

I am in ketosis and am drinking so much water and other non-caffinated beverages but haven't been keeping track. I am certain that I am exceeding a gallon of water per day. I did think of asking for more AS and wonder what they will say to this! I am leaving for a week vacation saturday and am afraid I won't be able to stick to it as I will be more active too! I really want this to work but it is so hard at this point. I look at the progress you all have made and keep telling myself I can. The broth doesn't seem to do a darn for my hunger. TOday I saved most of my calories for dinner and held off til 8:30 in hopes that'll help me get through the late night hours when I really am the most hungry. I guess I am just not used to feeling that true hunger feeling. Thanks for your suggestions.

[McBoo]

Originally Posted by chrislaurie

Thanks Robyn,

I am in ketosis and am drinking so much water and other non-caffinated beverages but haven't been keeping track. I am certain that I am exceeding a gallon of water per day. I did think of asking for more AS and wonder what they will say to this! I am leaving for a week vacation saturday and am afraid I won't be able to stick to it as I will be more active too! I really want this to work but it is so hard at this point. I look at the progress you all have made and keep telling myself I can. The broth doesn't seem to do a darn for my hunger. TOday I saved most of my calories for dinner and held off til 8:30 in hopes that'll help me get through the late night hours when I really am the most hungry. I guess I am just not used to feeling that true hunger feeling. Thanks for your suggestions.

Chrislaurie,

You really need to measure the water. A lot of people think they are drinking all the water they are supposed to but don't even get close.

Good luck.

McBoo

[chrislaurie]

Originally Posted by McBoo

Chrislaurie,

You really need to measure the water. A lot of people think they are drinking all the water they are supposed to but don't even get close.

Good luck.

McBoo

Thanks, I plan on doing so tomorrow!

[katew1129]

Welcome Chrislaurie! I would definitely talk to your clinic about the hunger and the AS. I found that spacing out my meals helped me get through any hunger. So instead of 3 meals I eat 4-5 small meals a day and that seems to help! Good luck! It does get better in week 2 when you can add in the veggies and fruit.

[chrislaurie]

Originally Posted by katew1129

Welcome Chrislaurie! I would definitely talk to your clinic about the hunger and the AS. I found that spacing out my meals helped me get through any hunger. So instead of 3 meals I eat 4-5 small meals a day and that seems to help! Good luck! It does get better in week 2 when you can add in the veggies and fruit.

Thanks for your thoughts

[southern girl]

Originally Posted by chrislaurie

Today is day 5 of week 1 for me and I am still constantly starving. I take ap 3x/day and couldn't drink any more water. Does the hunger go away week 2 cuz I am beginning to think this is to rough/ drastic. I do not have any other symptoms like headache or fatigue. I am just constantly aware of hunger...I space out my meals etc and have added fiber mix to my water in between meals and this helps some but I am going crazy. I am trying to be a trooper but dont know how much longer I can hold on! Any suggestions?? Broth on momentarily helps.

I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL I WAS THE SAME WAY BUT I MADE IT AT FIRST I AM ON DAY 8. I WEIGHTED IN TODAY AND HAD LOST 7 POUNDS AND YOU MY NOT THINK IT GETS BETTER BUT IT DOES IF I CAN DO IT ANYBODY CAN JUST KEEP TELLING YOURSELF I CAN DO THIS IM NOT GOING TO BE LOSER AND YOU CAN DO IT AND AFTER THAT FIRST WEEK WHEN YOU GET THAT NEXT SET OF SHOTS YOU WILL FEEL GOOD .

[chrislaurie]

Originally Posted by southern girl

I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL I WAS THE SAME WAY BUT I MADE IT AT FIRST I AM ON DAY 8. I WEIGHTED IN TODAY AND HAD LOST 7 POUNDS AND YOU MY NOT THINK IT GETS BETTER BUT IT DOES IF I CAN DO IT ANYBODY CAN JUST KEEP TELLING YOURSELF I CAN DO THIS IM NOT GOING TO BE LOSER AND YOU CAN DO IT AND AFTER THAT FIRST WEEK WHEN YOU GET THAT NEXT SET OF SHOTS YOU WILL FEEL GOOD .

thanks for the support. Today-day 6- is the first day where I did not feel hungry til about noon..and I didn't even take my AS til 100! I am plan to take the am AS after dinner tonight to ward off hunger pangs and hope it doesn't interfere with my sleep. As it is I am away every 2 hours. I feel more optimistic today. I downloaded many recipes last night and went shopping this am for ingredients and am looking forward to eating come saturday! I weigh in tomorrow for the first time!

[LISAinTN]

Hello,

I was wondering, is there a way to do this plan at home if there are no clinics near me? I'm sorry if this has already been asked. I tried to do a search, but couldn't find anything. Thank you.

Blessings,
Lisa

[bigmomof2]

I am going in for my initial consultation tomorrow. I feel excited and surprisingly prepared for the first week since I found this forum. All of the tips, recipes, and information on here is great!

I have been doing a similar type plan on my own for the past month & was able to lose 10 lbs., but I am hopeful that the Medi Weightloss Program will help me FINALLY reach my goal weight after battling with my weight for MANY years.

I will try to check in after a few days to let everyone know how I am doing.......hoping for a BIG loss the first week......We'll see!

~Carol

[Desert-Rose7]

~Carol~ to the group!


Jo

[McBoo]

Originally Posted by LISAinTN

Hello,

I was wondering, is there a way to do this plan at home if there are no clinics near me? I'm sorry if this has already been asked. I tried to do a search, but couldn't find anything. Thank you.

Blessings,
Lisa

Lisa,

Check out this link Medi-Weightloss Clinics® - Physician-supervised weight loss clinics for the basics. If you have a doctor that can prescribe the appetite suppresant it probably can be done.

McBoo

[katew1129]

Welcome Carol!

[jaybaby]

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to say that I am starting my third day with MWL. It has been a definite struggle to fit the urge to eat sweets. When I went into the clinic on last week, they were concerned with my high blood pressure and heart palpitations. So I was only able to half a rx pill on my first two days. The third day, which is today I am able to have the whole pill but half in the morning and the other half during lunch.

I am finally trying to stick with something to help with my health issues. Thanks for all the posts they are really helpful and encouraging.

jaybaby

[LISAinTN]

Would someone mind telling me if Medi-Weightloss Clinic's help you in some way to deal with the overeating? My problem has always been that I lose the weight and then go back to my old habits. I am an emotional eater (happy, sad, bored, stressed, you name it. lol) and need to know how to conquer that once and for all. I am not able to attend a clinic at this time as the nearest one is 3 hours away so I will be trying to do the program at home on my own. Would someone mind telling me here or PM-ing me any information/help that the clinic gives you for dealing with the emotional eating? Thank you.

Blessings,
Lisa

[Sunshyn141]

Hey Everyone!!! I just started the diet on Tuesday and am SUPER excited about it. I actually found this board while I was still considering the diet and couldn't believe the stories I was hearing. You guys are amazing!

Today I used my first Ketostix and it came out in the 8.0 range...which I guess means I'm probably dehydrated. I've been drinking 96 oz. of water a day on average and NEVER used to drink water at all.

Did anyone else experience this and do you think its a good idea to call my clinic or just wait until my next appointment?

Thanks for the input!!

[bigmomof2]

Originally Posted by Sunshyn141

Hey Everyone!!! I just started the diet on Tuesday and am SUPER excited about it. I actually found this board while I was still considering the diet and couldn't believe the stories I was hearing. You guys are amazing!

Today I used my first Ketostix and it came out in the 8.0 range...which I guess means I'm probably dehydrated. I've been drinking 96 oz. of water a day on average and NEVER used to drink water at all.

Did anyone else experience this and do you think its a good idea to call my clinic or just wait until my next appointment?

Thanks for the input!!

Sunshyn 141,

This is Day 3 for me & my stick was the same as yours. I have been drinking 125 oz. a day & using the Crystal Light Hydration. I noticed on the Ketosis info. sheet it says exercise may effect ketosis.......maybe that has something to do with it????

We started the same day! I'm super excited too---Can't wait for Tuesday's weigh in!

~Carol

[Sunshyn141]

Originally Posted by bigmomof2

Sunshyn 141,

This is Day 3 for me & my stick was the same as yours. I have been drinking 125 oz. a day & using the Crystal Light Hydration. I noticed on the Ketosis info. sheet it says exercise may effect ketosis.......maybe that has something to do with it????

We started the same day! I'm super excited too---Can't wait for Tuesday's weigh in!

~Carol

I'm so glad there is someone starting with me! And glad to hear I'm not the only one with the high levels! And I am DYING to get to my first weigh in!

Have you been doing much exercising? I went for a 30 min. walk on Wed. and have gone grocerey shopping twice (which I guess they considered exercise according to the back of the journal) but other than that, my councelor told me to take it easy for the first week.

[bigmomof2]

Originally Posted by Sunshyn141

I'm so glad there is someone starting with me! And glad to hear I'm not the only one with the high levels! And I am DYING to get to my first weigh in!

Have you been doing much exercising? I went for a 30 min. walk on Wed. and have gone grocerey shopping twice (which I guess they considered exercise according to the back of the journal) but other than that, my councelor told me to take it easy for the first week.

My counselor told me the same thing---I had already been working out so I've just been doing the same as I usually do. I've been doing either the Elliptical or Stationary Bike for 30 minutes----nothing else this week. I hope to add some resistance/stability ball next week, but didn't want to overdo it.

My ketostick read "large" again this a.m. I'll just wait until Tue. & see what they say at the clinic. I see your from Florida too........what part? (I tried to see if I could private message you, but I'm not sure how) Good luck! Enjoy your weekend!

~Carol

[NIKKI21]

Originally Posted by bigmomof2

My counselor told me the same thing---I had already been working out so I've just been doing the same as I usually do. I've been doing either the Elliptical or Stationary Bike for 30 minutes----nothing else this week. I hope to add some resistance/stability ball next week, but didn't want to overdo it.

My ketostick read "large" again this a.m. I'll just wait until Tue. & see what they say at the clinic. I see your from Florida too........what part? (I tried to see if I could private message you, but I'm not sure how) Good luck! Enjoy your weekend!

~Carol

You won't be able to PM or receive PM's until you reach a certain number of post......
and you can do this and this is the one that works!!!!

[msdee54]

Hello Carol & Sun and welcome!!

I'm relatively new too. I've been on the plan for almost 4 weeks now .

I drink a lot of water also , well over 100 oz a day and my ketostix read in the last dark purple shade also most of the time.

I was told too that means you're dehydrated but I don't see how I can be plus I'm up peeing all the time and sometimes 3-4x during the night from drinking so much water on top of my CL or Powerade zero.

One week I was told at the clinic I may be drinking too much water so I should cut back. So I wouldn't worry too much about it as long as you make sure you're drinking the water. It is really important to your losses.

I may buy another brand of stix today just to compare.

[Sunshyn141]

Thanks for the input, msdee! How's your progress coming along four weeks in?

Carol - I'm from the Ft. Myers area. I saw your from Bradenton, so we're not too far apart! Maybe some day after we reach our goals we can get together to celebrate our accomplishments!

My stick was a little lighter this morning, but still closer to Lg. than to Mod. I decided to wait until Tues. also to talk to my councelor.

On antoher note...I had my first encounter with Turkey Bacon this morning. I'm not sure how soon I'll be trying that again...

[seeteeess]

Does anyone know what the recommended carb count is for the acute phase? Or how many carbs we should stay under?
I'm asking because I wanted to buy some chocolate protein bars from my clinic and they were out. They suggested if I buy any outside of the clinic they should be under 6net carbs and low in sugar. I bought the adkins bars which are 2net carbs and 1g sugar, but high in calories so I cut them in half. I remember seeing someone say they were bad and I was wondering why because they have less net carbs than the medi ones (6 vs 2).

[Sunshyn141]

Originally Posted by seeteeess

Does anyone know what the recommended carb count is for the acute phase? Or how many carbs we should stay under?
I'm asking because I wanted to buy some chocolate protein bars from my clinic and they were out. They suggested if I buy any outside of the clinic they should be under 6net carbs and low in sugar. I bought the adkins bars which are 2net carbs and 1g sugar, but high in calories so I cut them in half. I remember seeing someone say they were bad and I was wondering why because they have less net carbs than the medi ones (6 vs 2).

This is a quote I found on Page 1 of the July page when I was looking at it yesterday:

[B]TXGRLY- I buy the South Beach Snack Bars and they are very comparable. You have to make sure you read the labels carefully, because many of the South Beach Bars have way too many calories. I have the most success finding these at WalMart. I believe it's less than $4 per box. Here's a link to the ones I have tried and I like them much better than the medi ones.

South Beach Living Snack Bars, Whipped Chocolate Almond...
Amazon.com: South Beach Living Snack Bar Delights Peanut... (These are GOOD and I am not a Peanut Butter person normally!)


Amazon.com: South Beach Living Snack Bar Delights,...

Also, these ROCK if you are having a serious chocolate craving

South Beach Living Snack Pack Delights Dark Chocolate...
HTH!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last edited by Mommy-2-girls : 07-01-2009 at 02:37 PM.[B]



If the links don't work, just go into the other thread. Hope this helps!

[seeteeess]

Originally Posted by Sunshyn141

This is a quote I found on Page 1 of the July page when I was looking at it yesterday:

[B]TXGRLY- I buy the South Beach Snack Bars and they are very comparable. You have to make sure you read the labels carefully, because many of the South Beach Bars have way too many calories. I have the most success finding these at WalMart. I believe it's less than $4 per box. Here's a link to the ones I have tried and I like them much better than the medi ones.

South Beach Living Snack Bars, Whipped Chocolate Almond...
Amazon.com: South Beach Living Snack Bar Delights Peanut... (These are GOOD and I am not a Peanut Butter person normally!)


Amazon.com: South Beach Living Snack Bar Delights,...

Also, these ROCK if you are having a serious chocolate craving

South Beach Living Snack Pack Delights Dark Chocolate...
HTH!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last edited by Mommy-2-girls : 07-01-2009 at 02:37 PM.[B]



If the links don't work, just go into the other thread. Hope this helps!

Thank you, I'll check those out! 4 bucks sounds a hell of a lot more appealing than $28 or however much medi charges.

[chrislaurie]

Well, I am thrilled with losing 7.2 followed by 4.4 (while on vacation) for a total of 11.2lbs lost in two weeks! I am not usually hungry and use about 1 AS per day! I am happy to have added carbs to my day although they are not starchy like pasta and potatoes. I have chosen to take a few nibbles of tempting things like ice cream and pizza. I cheated tonight and made a small smore...so bad but I had to. I used 1/4 graham cracker, 3 squares of a hershey bar and 1tsp of fluff- the size was my compromise and I am still ok with my "cheat".. Hopefully little cheats will help keep away splurges altogether.

Question: How do you manage "cheating"?