The beers made you retain fluid, so it is likely 4 pounds of liquid, not all fat. But you are out of ketosis now and will have to spend the next 4 or 5 days getting back into the fat burning stage. So next time you might want to think about it and decide if the beers are worth slowing down your progress.

Blessings,.

Elizabeth..

Beer generally has a lot of carbs, and carbs make you retain water. That's why people who go into Transition frequently continue to lose weight until they add in carbs, and then gain a couple back..

To gain 5 pounds, you'd have had to take in 17,500 EXTRA calories, and I'm pretty sure you didn't manage that much.

So, you made a mistake, and the mistake screwed up your weigh in and probably kicked you out of ketosis. That's the bad news. The good news is that if you get back on plan and stay on plan, the extra water will quickly melt away. It's not the end of the world, just a mistake. We all make them, and you can recover from it, you just have to suffer through that first couple of days of headaches and feeling bad until you're back in ketosis..

Give some thought to why you went off plan. Understanding what triggered the problem may help you make a plan to prevent it next time. If you're like most of is, getting the 5&1 phase over with as quickly as possible is a priority, so understanding what kinds of things sabotage and derail you can really help...

Alcohol, especially beer, (even the low carb beer) always makes me retain water. I stay away from alcohol personally - it's just not worth the consequences...

So this program requires you to go into Ketosis? Isn't that what the Atkins Program requires? I haven't tried this plan yet so I'm just trying to learn more about it. Does it allow you to have bread at all?..

It's a very mild state of ketosis, compared to Atkins. Much less stressful on the kidneys, in my experience..

No bread, although you can make a soft of bread or muffin out of some of the products. There are recipes around on the boards.

The plan materials, instructions, food lists, etc are available on the Success Tools tab at the top of this page...

After 2 months on the program I had a couple beers for my birthday too. Just get back on program and incorporate some exercise at least 3x a week to bump it up. I know we're all supposed to be 100% but that can be difficult at times. Just do the best you can - looks like you are kicking some major booty already. Good luck!..

Thank You for your reply Steph. Are we allowed to have cream & equal in our coffee in the mornings on this plan? I'm just trying to figure out if I'll be able to follow it correctly before I invest money in the products. THANKS..

You have an allowance of condiments for the day. If you want to spend your condiments on cream and equal in your coffee, you can. I never did, though. I'd have a vanilla shake for breakfast and use some of that in my coffee, or mix the cappuchino or the chai latte in coffee. That way I could save my condiments for my lean and green..

All the plan materials are on the Success Tools tab, with the foods lists, condiments, rules, etc. It's best to read the materials before spending the money, so you know what you're getting into. Some people make an order and only then discover that they have to actually eat VEGETABLES, if you can imagine that...

Tiny Girl, go to www.medifast1.com and click on "Learning". Read all the material, and especially the faqs. All your questions will be answered there. If you are looking for a life changing program, then choose MF. If you are looking to lose a few pounds for an event, do something else. This plan is very serious and not something to just "try".

I did all the research too, and you're smart to do that. This plan takes commitment for life, one day at a time. Good luck to you!.

Blessings,.

Elizabeth..

Teretta - Don't let a few beers get in your way. You retained some fluid from the carbs. Like previously stated bump up your exercise, it will help you to sweat it all out. Also if you have access to a dry sauna, that can also help you sweat out extra water. I find that it really helps at those normal times when us women tend to retain fluid anyways. I am usually in there 5 - 10 minutes at a time, 5 days a week...

Thank you for replying again Steph & Thank You too Liz for your encouraging words. I really want to be sure I can so this before I spend the time or the money on the program. I will definitely checkout www.medfast1.com learning. Steph the alternatives you suggested for coffee at breakfast are those receipes listed anywhere here on the website?..

You can mix your coffee with one of the "meals" you have to incorporate into your day. The meal consists of a vanilla shake or you can also you a cappuccino shake, which is what I do. I add ice and blend my coffee with my cappuccino packet and it's like ordering from Starbuck's. It's really a wonderful progran...take some time and read the info given suggested....

Week 1 -13lbs.

Week 2 -2.2 lbs.

Week 3 -4.4 lbs..