Yes, yes, yes!!! I was down to 158 in January - and then went off due to a vacation, and then various health issues. My weight went up to 176!!!! Yuk!!!!!! I'm trying now to get back even lower than before.

I think you are right - our bodies must have tried to hoard the fat in case we deprived them again. And to think that we thought our bodies liked us!..

This is a great example why it is important to follow the T/M guide, even if you just plan a break from Medifast for awhile. The proper transition brings our metabolism back to where it needs to be, because so few calories during the 5/1 does slow it down. I am proud of you both for jumping back on, and I feel you have now seen the importance of the T/m phases. Best wishes for a quick Medifast journey!..

I agree completely with Schu - the importance of following the transition and maintenance plan can not be over-emphasized..

The thing I took away from your post was your comment about "eating normally" - clearly, if you were overweight before, and immediately put the weight back on as soon as you went back to that pattern of eating, you do not have the same concept of "eating normally" that your body does. You are simply eating too many calories, and/or the wrong foods. Again, following the transition plan will help tremendously in determing what your body actually needs to survive and not gain weight, and making sure the calories you do consume are the right foods to keep you healthy and fit.

Congrats on re-starting, and good luck!..

Good point Vie, I had missed the reference to "eating normally". Our normal before can never be our normal again...

Funny you should bring this up 'cos just last night I was reviewing some old weight records 8 years old in fact from when I did Weight Watchers.

It was interesting to see how my weight went down from 218 to 164 (-54 lbs., which took 10 months, BTW a much slower weight loss than I have had on MF)..

Then I went off the plan, and 5 weeks after I logged the 164, I was at 185! I wasn't in super low calorie mode on WW, so I don't think that's what triggered the dramatic weight gain. I think it was the poor eating habits I normally have when not "dieting." I agree with the others that T&M on Medifast is absolutely key. Can't wait to get there!..

I agree with all of the above!.

You just can't eat "normally" and not gain, but yeah, you will gain faster if you do it after eating 800 calories/day beforehand.

This is all about re-learning ALL our habits and we have to learn to change how we eat forever if we're going to keep the weight off....

That said, as Schu said, good for you for getting back on it and finishing the job..

You didn't say what your "eating normal" constituted... obviously though it must be all the wrong, unhealthy stuff that gets one overweight in the first place.

As others have pointed out.... a controlled transition phase is MOST important to keeping any weight off and then adhering afterwards to a sensible maintenance plan is also a must. Once you reach maintenance you really only count calories, but a well balanced diet is important. One shouldn't/can't just eat all carbs and fats! Nutrisystem has advised a maintenance diet with the following percentages: 20-35% fat, 45-65% carbs and 10-35% protein.

Glad you've hopped back on the Medifast plan and you can do it. Stick with the plan as written and you'll be successful!..