So, here comes confession time: I joined the ranks of the uninsured this year… or at least the under-insured. With the economic slow-down (or whatever you want to call it), the cost of our family’s private health insurance had to go. My husband and I purchased a more affordable emergency health care plan, complete with 3 doctor’s visits per year and prescription coverage. We’re now paying less than half the monthly cost of our private health insurance, but it’s still nearly $100 a month. We’re relatively healthy people, anyway, so it works for us. But our kids? They can be included in the ranks of those now covered by government-funded health care.

I have to admit, it pains me to share this. Some misguided sense of pride makes it difficult for me to admit that I’ve accepted help in any manner, least of all where government supplements are concerned. But in a slow economy, there’s just no room for what we were paying for our private health insurance: $2,000 every 6 months in premiums, with a $30 copay, $10 prescription copay, and $1000 deductible for each family member. Did I mention that both boys were on 4-6 rounds of antibiotics before getting tubes last year? After our third $100 day (2 copays = $60, 2 antibiotics = $20, ear drops = $20, sleeping children = priceless) with 2 sets of tubes on the horizon, I swallowed my pride and picked up the Medicaid application.

In May, we set ourselves up on a payment plan with the local hospital, put the kids on Medicaid, and signed ourselves up for emergency-only coverage. So, I guess I’m sharing all of this to say - I support the findings reported in the NY Times. I find it hard to believe that more people are able to afford health insurance in our current economic state (at one point I considered taking a job that would pay just $150 per week after childcare because it came with insurance benefits). Instead, it’s much more likely that desperate families like ours are turning to government assistance when they are at their wit’s end.

While I can’t say that I’m happy with my kids on government-supported Medicaid, I can say that I am appreciative for this kind of covereage. I know for sure that I am not a person that abuses the system, and as soon as we can “afford” coverage, we’ll be right back to our private health insurance. There’s a good chance I’ll be heading back to work next school year, as much as it pains me, so that our family can live more comfortably… you know, with adequate health insurance coverage. What a luxury!

Medifast made good on their promises about the amount of weight that I would lose. I think that Medifast is a great product, but I think it is more geared towards people looking for a longer term solution. If you have LOTS of weight to lose and feel like you are at the end of your rope. This might be just what you need. I was amazed at how little my body could take in and still function. The fact that I am fairly active made the first phase of the diet particularly challenging. If you are sedentary, this diet will be a piece of cake (and make sure you don’t eat any). If you live an active lifestyle, stay away from this diet at all costs. Your body will need more fuel than this diet permits.

The next phase for me will be to work at keeping the weight off and continuing to lose weight at a more gradual pace. I learned valuable lessons about self control–things I needed to reteach myself and I am glad to have had this experience.

The large-scale study used drivers’ license data for nearly 1/2 a million Salt Lake City residents, comparing accessible height and weight data to the location of the person’s home. Of course, assuming that everyone across the board lies about their height and weight on their drivers’ license, statistical analysis clearly showed benefits to living in older neighborhoods, namely because these neighborhood had been designed with pedestrians in mind.

Although suburbs continue to grow - it seems many people have adopted the American dream of the picket fence and the 2.5 kids - there’s no reason that developing areas can’t also be pedestrian-friendly. If you’re looking to purchase a new home, the following neighborhood characteristics encourage walking:

* Spacious paths or sidewalks for biking, walking, or anything in between
* Minimal through traffic for other developments or areas
* Accessible local shops for groceries, coffee, or convenience items

Certainly, living in a walkable neighborhood doesn’t guarantee that you are going to exercise, but there’s no question that your ability to access shops, schools, and even work on foot or bike will encourage you to put away the car keys - if only for one day a week. No matter where you live, try to make the best of the exercise you can accomplish, even if it means getting up half an hour early to make it to work on time! And when you’re thinking of buying a new house, while what’s on the inside definitely matters, what’s on the outside counts in this case as well.

I have been trying to consistently eat my lean and green meals mid morning and at dinner.  I have settled into a routine that consists of a drink in the morning bar/lean and green at lunch, morning snack time, soup at my afternoon snack, a lean and green meal at dinner, and a drink before dinner. It really is pretty easy now that I have some energy. The redundancy does wear on you a bit, but the weight loss results have been undeniable. I have lost 13 pounds and the weight is still creeping off at a rate of about a pound every other day.

It is nice to be able to wear some clothes that had been banished to the bottom of my drawer, destined to end up in Goodwill store somewhere. When I go off the diet I am going to work extremely hard to keep the weight off, because I am really enjoying the progress I have been experiencing.

The goal of the major food companies is to fend off government regulation of marketing to children, which is obviously in their best interests. Most of the marketing efforts are focused on television commercials. In order to accomplish the goal of alleviating regulation F.T. C. pressures, companies have vowed to promote only what they refer to as “better-for-you” products to children and teens. Notice that they don’t pretend to claim that these products are “good” for you, but they are at least making an attempt to either shape up current products that are wholly unhealthy (like Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, and Corn Pops, which have all undergone a transformation recently) or market them to other audiences.

So, what are the main problems with the current state of this arrangement?

* As we already mentioned, companies are looking to market “better-for-you” products, but in a self-regulating group, guess who determines what’s best? That’s right, it’s up to the company to determine which products meet their “healthier” standards and which products must be marketed to older audiences.

* There is also disension over what constitutes “children’s” marketing, with companies defining children’s marketing as commercials with anywhere from 25-50% of the actors under 12.

* Marketing toward children only applies during children’s programming, despite the fact that droves are children are now watching prime time shows like American Idol or Dancing with the Stars.

* Current marketing numbers suggest that $870 million is geared toward children under 12, while $1 billion is directed at teenagers. Even if advertising “better-for-you” foods, this is a lot of information being directed toward a population largely unable to make healthy decisions for themselves.

* Finally, companies have to market their products to someone. So, if they do end up pulling marketing from children’s programming, there’s a good chance they’ll be aiming the same products at moms instead.

Despite all of the problems, the F.T.C. did applaud the efforts of the major companies - including names like Kellogs, Coca-Cola, Hershey, Kraft Foods, Unilever, Burger King, McDonald’s, Cadbury Adams, PepsiCo and General Mills. They have made a number of strides in the right direction, but few critics believe it will be enough. When you’re talking about the health - and life - of a child, big business shouldn’t win.

The nutritionist asked me a billion questions, and after she decided that I wasn’t doing anything “wrong”, she suggested I split my lean and green meal into 2 parts of the day. I told her that I didn’t think that would increase my energy level because I would still be taking in the same amount of fuel for my body.

Her next suggestion was to change the plan from a 5 &1 to a 4 & 2, having 2 lean and green meals with 4 medifast meals. To be honest, I was a little surprised this was an option. This diet has seemed to be all about minimalist portions and calorie levels. Adding a whole other meal seemed like it would screw up the chemistry of what is at work in the body. She acted like it was no big deal and that people do it all the time. She did say that the one negative to doing this is that you will be taking in a few more calories than what I was before so it may slow down the process a bit.

At this point, I am not questioning the diets ability to help me lose weight. The results have been tremendous with my losing just under a pound per day. What is most important to me is that I have the energy I need to get through the day, while helping take care of my family and doing my job well.

I can’t wait to see what type of an impact this will have on my body and how this will affect the diets progress.

I know what you’re thinking: just a few days ago, I was singing the praises of reality television as quality entertainment. Let’s just say that was before I saw “Ashley Paige: Bikini or Bust.” Now, the premise of the show is interesting: a successful bikini designer (as in, high-end, $700 swimsuits) attempts to expand her business while continuing her dog rescuing efforts on the side and keeping her head above water. However, after watching an episode and a half of reruns, I was quickly becoming annoyed. If you are a person who feels you have common sense, see if you can figure out where Ashley might be able to save some $$, since she is struggling to even make her rent payment.

Possible Solutions:

A. Ashley’s mom can try to get a job.

B. Ashley’s mom can try to find Ashley a man to help her pay the bills.

C. Ashley can cut back on her staff of 4-5 assistants.

D. Ashley can try to land a licensing deal to mass market a more affordable swimsuit line.

E. Ashley’s mom can try to hire an agent for their house dog, who sits and stays for cheeseburgers.

In the course of a few episodes, Ashley and Mom, Leah, actually try all of these options except “C.” Her mom attempts to get a job and is unsuccessful, goes from hardware stores to doggie parks looking for Prince Charming, and takes their lapdog to an agent, who has a hard time keeping a straight face as the dog refuses to sit or stay. Ashley is also in the midst of working toward a licensing deal that will generate some cash flow, but here’s my favorite part: in the midst of a semi-breakdown, Ashley goes to a life coach (I can only imagine how much those sessions cost), who listens to her story and suggests she pare down the number of employees at her bikini store. Since when does someone need a life coach to tell them that if they can’t pay the rent, maybe they should cut back on their employees’ hours and do a bit more work themselves?

Now, I’m not against the idea of a life coach. I also realize that some people are leaders and problem-solvers while others are followers (and sometimes part of the problem). But when I look at all of the weight loss websites out there, it seems like common sense checked out a while back for some people.

For the large majority of dieters, though, I have a feeling that the problem is not necessarily the lack of common sense. Instead, I suspect that like Ashley Paige, many dieters are overwhelmed with their situations and find it difficult to self-evaluate. Am I eating too many calories? Am I eating too few calories? Am I not exercising often enough/hard enough/long enough? Are my portion sizes too generous? Are my jeans just shrinking with each wash?

Answering any number of questions about your own habits is not easy. And of course, there’s nothing that says once you’ve identified the problem, you can wave a wand and adjust your habits. I don’t know many smokers who believe that smoking is actually good for their health, but that doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to stop smoking.

So, while I’m not sure if Ashley Paige is a few bricks shy of a load, I do know that she’s worked pretty hard to get where she is, and to her credit she did take the life coach’s advice. The next few minutes of her show revealed a tearful Ashley stumbling over her words, letting her staff know what adjustments she needed to make. If only restructuring our diets were so easy.

I am really not sure what to do. I tried calling the Medifast nutritionist, but they are only open Monday through Friday, so I am going to have to suck it up this weekend before I get any help. I really hate feeling this way, because I seem like I end up being a drain on everyone around me.

I have followed this diet to the letter of the law so far, even allowing myself the one snack you are permitted each day. I have lost 10 pounds in 10 days, which is extraordinary…but at what cost. I hope I am just doing something wrong. I will persevere and hopefully get some answers on Monday.

* Trans fats have been directly linked to heart disease, which has been on the rise since the introduction of these partially hydrogenated oils.

* The process that creates trans fats results in a mostly artificial product, which allows products to keep longer on the shelf, but can clog your arteries in the process.

* The growing obesity epidemic has also been linked to trans fats as well, although partially hydrogenated oils are certainly not the only culprit.

We can’t argue that California’s goal to rid the state of trans fats is a positive step, but there are still a few unresolved issues:

* Trans fat is still allowed in packaged products, so it’s up to consumers to ensure that they don’t consume trans fats. One study suggests that consuming just 2% more trans fat can lead to a 25% increase in your chances of developing heart disease!

* As we already mentioned, while trans fats are certainly bad for your heart, they are not the only culprit. As a restaurant owner quipped, “people who eat French fries are not concerned with their health that much.”

* Completing the switch to alternative oils has proven to be a costly process as well, and restaurants are likely to pass this cost on to their customers. With cost of living already borderline ridiculous in California, I can’t imagine paying $2.75 - the projected price from one restaurant owner - for an order of fries.

So, while we applaud California for their step in the right direction, the government can only mandate so much good health. And of course, there’s always the chance that you’ll ruin what’s usually good by frying it in a vat of partially hydrogenated oil (check out our previous post on preparing veggies in the healthiest way possible). The bottom line is that it’s up to the consumer to avoid those products that are bad for you (at least, according to today’s news) and consume more of the products that are good. At least in New York and California, you know you’ll be somewhat safe…

During day 4 my body made the necessary adjustment and I have felt perfectly normal since. In saying that, I have not pushed myself physically at all. I have not done ANY strenuous exercise to test my level of endurance.

The highlight of my day each day seems to be the lean and green meals. No matter what I do, I guess I still take comfort and joy in eating…and when I mean eating, I mean EATING. The medifast meals do fill me up somehow, considering how little substance I am consuming, but there is nothing like sitting at the table and eating a real meal. They tell you in Medifast to savor each bite and to chew around 20 times per bite, but I have not been able to do that. As much as I would love to have a huge amount of time for my 6 meals in total, that is just not the reality of my life…or probably yours. This will continue to be my greatest challenge…both during the diet, and after.

I definitely think the honeymoon stage is starting to wear off with me on the excitement of the new diet. I am still persevering and have tried to follow the diet to the letter of the law. I am happy to report that in the first week, I lost 7.5 pounds. This is of course very exciting…but most of that weight loss seemed to be in the first few days. It has definitely tapered off recently. I am interested to see how things will progress over the next week. Stay tuned…

As Justin shares his thoughts on his Medifast journey, where most of the food is in the form of shakes, soups, and bars, I can see the old axiom coming into the picture: absence makes the heart grow fonder. In the last week, we were discussing the fact that Justin can’t eat out (unless he wants to get really picky with his lean and green meal). Yesterday in particular, Justin began describing dishes from his favorite Chinese food restaurant… in the midst of our conversation, I could have sworn I saw him wipe some drool away! What’s my point?

Every day, overweight people around the world adopt strict diets - from the prepared foods of Medifast or Bistro MD to the handbook-based Atkins or South Beach Diets - there’s no question that there’s merit to diets that ask you to cut out particular foods. In fact, anorexics may actually be onto something as far as weight loss. Starving yourself for a month sounds like a great plan, right? WRONG! Why? Because eventually you have to eat. And unless you plan to order Medifast meals for the rest of your life, eventually you have to put their premise into practice, making food choices completely on your own!

This is where the real problem comes in. After denying yourself your favorite food (or even a runner-up) for an extended period of time, what do you do? You completely binge. You go crazy! You eat everything in sight - everything that you’ve been denying yourself for so long (or at least the last 2 weeks). Instead of maintaining that weight loss you’ve worked so hard to achieve, you gain back 5 pounds, then 10, then before you know if you’re right back to square one.

After going without dairy, soy, or eggs for 11 months, I promise that I know plenty about denial (and we’re not talking about the river in Egypt). I have stood by while countless rounds of cheesy potatoes, cake and ice cream, and breakfast burritos were consumed - I even sat at Dairy Queen once while all of my friends ate Blizzards. While I’d love to go back to dairy full-force, I know that my body won’t be able to take it, which is maybe a blessing in disguise. Because to be quite honest, I’d love to eat an entire large pizza right now, followed by a tub of ice cream.

With most dieters, though, cutting out particular foods is not necessary. Don’t get me wrong (and don’t tell Justin), these denial diets definitely work! However, they do increase those cravings for all the wrong foods… simultaneously making it impossible for you to eat them!

So, while we might recommend a diet like the Medifast plan to help you lose weight, keep in mind that losing weight by counting calories and exercising - if you’re up to the challenge - allows you a great deal of flexibility as far as what you consume. As long as you allow for it in your daily calories, you can splurge on that birthday cake for the boss or stuff your face on 49 cent tacos. Whatever choice you make, be aware of the pros and cons of each, and unless you have iron will, you’ll only be able to deny yourself for so long…

A new development is that I have had some muscle soreness. It was in my left leg yesterday, and today it is in my right arm. I am not sure where this is coming from because I have been drinking tons of water, but whatever the cause, it is quite tolerable. In fact, I took 2 Ibuprofen and I am good to go.

I have actually found a few foods that are quite delicious. I NEVER expected to actually like some of the food. The chocolate and chocolate mint bars are amazing! It is a shame I can only eat one of those per day, because I could do a whole diet on those things=) All the soups I have had are delicious as well. I particularly like the Maryland Crab. The chicken noodle and the chicken and rice are the other two I ordered. The oatmeal is tolerable. I am not in love with it, but I guess I don’t love REAL oatmeal either. It is bland and mushy, but it sure kicks the eggs in the butt.

Here’s to hoping I am 100% after today!

As part of my rant, I’d like to spend a few moments extolling the recent efforts of my mother to reign in her weight. She’d kill me if she knew I were writing about her, which is why she shall remain nameless - we’ll just call her “Mom.” (Hint: Though this picture reminds me very much of my mom and I, it’s not really us.)

Brief History of Mom: The big “M” word (that’s menopause for those of you who may have so far dodged this bullet from those close to you) hit Mom pretty hard: between the hot flashes, metabolism train wreck, and wicked periods, Mom starting plumping up very quickly.

The Big “M” Continues: So, after enduring all of the issues for a year or so (during which time I don’t pretend our relationship wasn’t rocky), Mom finally gave in and went to the doctor. Turns out some medical problems were actually present, which eventually resulted in a complete hysterectomy and hormone replacement.

Fast Forward to Today: Nearly 2 years after her surgery, Mom certainly hasn’t lost any weight, and she may actually be continuing to gain. I’ve been badgering her a bit (isn’t that what daughters are for?) about her health recently, and trying to convince her to kick some of her bad habits. The list is long, but I’ll just mention a few here:

1. The woman still drinks whole milk, straight from the cow, if she can find it (that’s right, unpasteurized).

2. No vegetable dish is complete without half a tub of butter and 10 seconds from the salt shaker.

3. Although she knows exercise is good for her, she’s often too tired or too bored to exercise. I’ve tried to talk her into workout videos, yoga, pilates, a gym membership… all to no avail. If she does exercise, she walks 1-2 miles near her house.

I was helping Mom unload her groceries recently, and found a few items that looked mysteriously like “healthy” foods - a can of tuna, fresh fruits and veggies (which she’s always been fond of), and a small can of lowfat soup. I congratulated Mom on the positive steps she was taking, and she made some offhanded comment about needing to drop some weight. Then, I watched her prepare dinner: 2 spoons of butter in the green beans, half a stick in the mashed potatoes (along with the whole milk of course), and oven-fried chicken (without the skin).

So, here’s the rub. Mom can eat “healthy” lunches like tuna and lowfat soup until the cows come home, but until she learns to make healthy lifestyle choices that affect more than just her lunch, she’s not going to lose weight. And it probably doesn’t matter how much badgering I do (in fact, my urging to switch to skim milk was met with, “There’s no history of heart attack in my family; that fat won’t clog my arteries”), she is just as stubborn as I am.

Stubbornness aside, I do have a purpose in railing on the advice that the media offers. Although we are all hoping that the 3-minute spiel on healthy eating will be just what we’re looking for, there’s just no way to “teach” someone to adopt a healthy lifestyle in such a short period of time. Even shows like “I Can Make You Thin” and “The Biggest Loser” pare hours of filming down to the most-likely-to-bring-viewers-back drama. I guess until there’s a change in the way that television is set up, I’ll just have to keep badgering, and hope that Mom listens before it’s too late. I sure don’t want to have to say, “I told you so…”

The first thing I ate were the scrambled eggs. The eggs are the most expensive food item you can buy from Medifast and were also my greatest hope for food I would enjoy daily for breakfast. I ordered 3 boxes of them to ensure I would have TONS of delicious eggs to munch on over the next 4 weeks. All I can tell you is that they are the most inedible “food” I have ever tried. Absolutely sick…you take the egg powder, mix it with water and microwave it. The stuff that comes out may have slightly resembled eggs, but it sure didn’t taste like it. This was a very inauspicious start to say the least.

Following breakfast, I had my first shake, which wasn’t too bad. I bought 2 of their new shaker jars to assist in mixing all my drinks. That seems to be a good purchase. They were like 10 bucks each but have been very helpful thus far. I keep one at work and one at home.

Lunch consisted of a Lemon Bar which was pretty tasty, followed by another shake in the afternoon. I had my lean and green meal for dinner and followed up with a final shake before bed. The shakes are decent. My main two complaints are that they have a chalky consistency and have an artificial sweetener type aftertaste. I have a feeling after a few days of these, I won’t even notice, though.

Throughout the day I felt pretty good, but when I was about 30 minutes away from “eating” again, I would get ravenously hungry. On occasion I was dizzy during the day, but usually when that happened I would drink a big glass of water. It was so nice to have the lean and green meal to look forward to at the end of the day. I have a feeling that is going to pick me up on most days. I can’t wait to see how these next few days go.

Before I called, I jumped on Medifast’s website and familiarized myself with what was available. I tried to do the best I could to pick stuff I thought I would like. After that, I made the call to Medifast and placed the order. The people were extremely friendly and easy to deal with. They seemed well prepared to answer any questions I had. The main downside to the order is that it is more expensive to custom order as opposed to buying the pre-packaged plan. I would have thrown away half the stuff in the prepackaged plan though, so in the long run, I guess I was saving money.

About a week went by and finally the food arrived. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. One months worth of food came in an average sized cardboard box. That is slightly scary and depressing for a 6′5″ 235 pound guy. Once I cracked the box open and saw all that was in there, it felt a little better. The next step was actually trying the diet….yikes!

* More competitive athletic programs allow only elite athletes to participate.

* Decreasing physical activity at schools (recess and PE) requires kids to exercise outside of school.

* Older students are more likely to spend after-school time playing video games or watching TV.

Unfortunately, two of these reasons are out of parents’ hands. Short of forcing your children to play organized sports - which, let’s face it, isn’t going to be a pleasant experience for anyone involved - the only way parents can improve their child’s chances of exercising is to encourage physical activity at home. Although some states have taken legislative steps to ensure kids exercise (Florida, for instance), there’s no question that growing curriculum demands make it more and more difficult to squeeze in physical activity.

Encouraging your child to exercise can be especially difficult for working parents, who may not be home until early to late evening. If you are one of these parents, try to find ways to work out with your tweens - be it playing racquetball at the local gym, frisbee at the park down the road, or a rousing game of Wii Fit. If this study does nothing else, it should make us increasingly aware of the inactivity of our young adults. With only 31% of 15-year-olds exercising for at least an hour a day, who knows how high obesity numbers will climb before we take notice.

Medifast has what they call the 5 & 1 plan, which essentially means you have 5 Medifast “meals” and 1 “Lean and Green” meal which consists of 5-7 ounces of lean meat and 3 servings of certain veggies. The Medifast meals are anything you see on their website. A meal could be a shake, a soup, a bar, scrambled eggs, chili, oatmeal, or a few other things. You are supposed to eat 1 meal every 2-3 hours and have 5 meals throughout the whole day. On top of those 5 meals, you have the 1 “Lean and Green” meal. You can do these meals in ANY order, you just have to be consistent in eating every 2-3 hours for the plan to be effective. The calories you take in are EXTREMELY low, but they are supposed to have doctors who are paid way more than I will ever make to ensure that your body is still getting the appropriate amount of nutrients and vitamins.

During the weight loss phase of the diet you are encouraged to keep any exercise to a very minimum. Your body won’t have much in the way of reserve energy to sustain you during rigorous activity.That will probably appeal to MANY people. That wasn’t necessarily a pro or a con for me because I do exercise (volleyball, basketball, etc) on occasion, but certainly not nearly enough. =)

The main reason this diet appealed to me is because it seems like it will be so quick and easy. There is little to no planning involved and the food is easy to take on the go. I was also excited about the self control I would learn in doing this. I have never really practiced restraint when it comes to eating. I like to eat a lot. It is soothing for me…I might even call it a hobby, because eating food I enjoy is fun and brings me fulfillment. I am certain that is the wrong approach to eating, but I have never tried to reprogram myself to think or act otherwise. I am hoping that in doing this, I can accomplish that goal. If I can reprogram the way I think and act about food, it will make maintaining the weight loss from this diet SO much easier for me.

The other, more shallow reason I am doing this is to lose a lot of weight fast! This seems to offer that potential to me, and I am looking for a jump start. My hope is that by working hard to reprogram myself and see results, it will mean the difference between those that diet and gain all the weight back, and those that diet and diet and diet and diet.

Starting a diet was a long time coming for me. I have always been slightly skeptical of diets because of all the people that go on them and are unable to sustain the benefits from them. I was guilty of that myself about 2 years ago when I embarked on the South Beach diet to no avail. Sure, I lost some weight, but I jumped right back into my bad habits because there was so much time and planning involved that I could not sustain it.

I am a married man with 2 kids under the age of 3 and any free time or energy that I have when I am not working goes towards them (my poor wife gets whatever is left after that). I am 26 years old and I have gained about 35 pounds in the last 7 years. Most of that damage has come recently though, as I became a father.

I have always been very self conscious about my body. As it has deteriorated over the last few years, I have grown increasingly disgusted with what I see in the mirror, but not enough to make a legitimate change. I have TONS of respect for people that can love themselves physically no matter their shape or size, but I am not one of those people. Call me vain…I am what I am.

Finally, last week I decided to find a diet that I could use as a life changing spring board for me. After considering a few different things (Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, etc) I settled on Medifast.

I don’t know anyone personally that has tried it, but I have read about it on some blogs and websites. It seemed like just what I was looking for.

As I go through this journey, my hope is to help you be able to understand exactly what Medifast is all about and what my personal experiences have been with it.  I am just an ordinary guy living an ordinary life, who just happens to be tired of looking at himself in the mirror. But if I can help someone going through the same frustrations I am, then this will be worth it for me, and so much more.

Anyone who has watched me play a game knows that I can get fired up beyond what the average person is capable of… sometimes to the detriment of the “fun” of the game. In a recent game of Battle of the Sexes with a large group of friends, I seriously thought I was going to have to leave the room after I was chastised for not emphasizing the rules. (I felt this was poor sportsmanship to blame me when the men weren’t paying attention when I read the rules, causing them to have to move back a few spaces. Wah!)

More recently, my obsession with competition has extended itself to what I watch on television as well. I’ve long complained that there is not much to watch on the tube, although this is in part due to the fact that I can’t make myself sit still for longer than 5-10 minutes without finding something else to do (like folding laundry, checking my e-mail, changing a diaper, commenting on a blog, etc.). However, I realized last night that I have long been a fan of competition-based shows. No matter how fixed the reality shows might be, I love watching the competition! My past favorites include some of the following:

* Survivor: My husband actually applied to be on the show shortly after we were married, and although we watched earlier seasons faithfully, we can’t help but be frustrated by the ways that the show now bails out the weaker tribes.

* Family Feud: Now this is just a classic, and I love it when I find this timeless game show on one of the networks!

* Double Dare: Okay, this show was cool when I was in jr. high, but I recently saw it advertised and making a comeback. What a fabulous kids’ show, all about green slime and healthy competition!

* American Gladiators: This show was another obsession from my early teen years that has resurfaced as a popular competition. At one point, I visited a local Six Flags & was so excited to get autographs from original Gladiators, Dallas & Zap!

Although these old-time classics are still here and there, my husband and I have turned to the entertainment-focused shows to pass the time these days. In the past few years, we’ve followed a number of popular shows, one season or another:

* Dancing with the Stars: Although we’ve never placed a vote, we almost always have someone we’re rooting for and end up watching the show until they’re booted off.

* American Idol: We often get frustrated with the prima donnas who pop up on this show, and we’re actually more intrigued by the terrible auditions at the beginning of the show than watching American Idol in its entirety.

* America’s Got Talent: A spin-off of the popular British show, this is by far my new favorite. Contestants bring all varieties of acts just hoping to be sent on to the second round of the competition in Las Vegas.

Now, it may seem like I’m rambling, but when I was meditating - and I use that term loosely - on the reason that I watch these shows as opposed to popular dramas like CSI or Desperate Housewives, I realized that in some way I crave something that is real. I especially enjoy America’s Got Talent because these people are not celebrity wash-ups trying to come back into the spotlight (like every VH1 reality show). These are ordinary people like cell-phone salesman Paul Potts (who actually won the British version of the talent search) and insurance salesman Neal Boyd, both of whom were closet opera virtuosos.

Then last night, I watched Donald Dresswell, who went from a car accident 11 years ago with severed vocal chords to being initially booed by a crowd that was cheering him on by the end of his song. For me, watching normal people excel allows me to completely ignore the idea of competition. Granted, I find myself rooting for these real people - the underdogs who have gone through much of their lives without recognition. But I’d rather learn their stories than watch any of the rising stars on American Idol or the selfish stars on Celebrity Fit Club.

While I don’t want to downplay anyone else’s accomplishments, I’ll take the accomplishments of real people any day. Maybe that’s what intrigues me about reviewing diets as well - real people with real struggles just trying to make their lives better. Eat your heart out Desperate Housewives - reality has what I’d call more compelling storylines.

As a former teacher, I found that the number of students taking responsibility for their actions was decreasing on a yearly basis. From my perspective, students increasingly implied that the teacher was responsible to teach them rather than believing that they were responsible for their own learning.

Fast forward to my Monday morning rant - what do the responsibility levels of my former 7th grade students have to do with weight loss? For me, the two have similar root causes. As a culture, we would rather pass the buck and blame someone else (the teacher translates to our boss/spouse/family) than take responsibility for ourselves, in our learning or in our weight loss. This manifests itself in a variety of ways.

1. Dieters want the quick fix. Despite the fact that research has proven time and time again that the best way to lose weight is by combining exercise with careful calorie control (more specific than just a “healthy diet”), the diet industry is thriving because so few people are willing to put in the hard work it takes to lose weight the right way, the most proven way, the… well, you get the idea. Those “dieters” who are truly successful chuck the dieting mentality and actually work toward long-term health.

Now, this doesn’t mean you can’t find a quick fix, but the quick fix almost always comes with a catch - namely, eventual weight gain. Even if you are able to lose weight with a “special” weight loss plan, there’s a good chance you’re going to gain it back if you haven’t made lifestyle changes. It may even take a year or two, but without taking responsibility for your health, those numbers on the scale will slowly creep back up.

2. Dieters want a “how-to” book that works for everyone. As a member of a number of online dieting forums, I’m regularly surprised by the people who join a forum and immediately ask, “What do I need to do to lose ____ pounds in ______ days/weeks/months?” The first response is almost always, “Read the stickied threads.” In other words, use the information around you to take responsibility for your weight loss. Stop asking somoeone else to figure out what you should do, and figure it out yourself!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against support for weight loss. There’s a good chance that what worked for someone else will work for you, so there’s no harm in asking someone else how they lost weight. But it also takes trial and error to figure out the best plan for you, since it is unlikely that another person is in the exact same position as you at the exact same point in their lives.

3. Other organizations & governments make “adjustments” (also known as excuses). A month or so ago, I was skeptical about Japan’s new plan to measure waistlines as a way to keep their citizens healthy. Now, I’m wondering if that’s not such a bad idea. At least Japan is asking their citizens to take responsibility for their health (albeit with a number of somewhat unrealistic regulations). On the other hand, the U.S. just released new exercise recommendations, which include advice to lay off the strenuous exercise and stick to mild exercise for longer periods of time, over the course of the day.

Granted, there’s nothing wrong with starting out slow and easy and allowing your body to adjust to a higher level of exercise. But there’s a place for strenuous exercise in weight loss. There’s something to be said for breaking a sweat on a nice, long jog or integrating some interval training with weight-lifting and cardio. The idea that everyone can lose weight with just mild exercise is an over-simplification that allows the overweight and obese of the world a cop-out. “If the government recommends this, then I never need to do more than walk around for 10 minutes every hour.”

In the meantime, obstetric units are seeing increasing numbers of obese mothers, causing one hospital to invest in supplies like over-sized blood pressure cuffs (intended for use on the thighs but now used on an obese person’s arms), over-sized operating tables (obese mothers are more likely to have a C-section due to complications and high birth weight, but they need extra-wide tables that can support the additional weight), and an entire division termed bariatric obstetrics. I’m not trying to be callous here - I do believe that these women have as much right as anyone to have a baby, but we’re talking about women weighing in at 300, 400, or 500 pounds. At what point does the mother take responsibility for her health and the health of her baby?

Alright, I will take a step down from my soapbox to admit that I have not struggled with extreme obesity. The only times I have gained weight quickly were during my pregnancies, and I was able to lose the weight by following a sensible diet and mild exercise, so I don’t pretend to know what it’s like to struggle with weight to this degree. However, at some point, no matter what age or sex, if you want to lose weight you have to make a decision for yourself.

This isn’t a new revelation - in fact, I’ve already discussed the idea of wanting to lose weight for yourself in relation to supporting my spouse, but it is important for me to say it here as well. The notion of taking responsibility for your weight loss is likely to be directly proportionate to your ability to lose weight. If you are looking for a quick fix, specific direction, or a myriad of acceptance and excuses, there’s a good chance you’ll find it. But these crutches will not help you lose weight long-term: that requires you, accepting responsibility and taking specific steps to lose weight. In the words of Captain Planet, one of my all-time favorite Saturday morning cheesy cartoons that no one watched, “The power is yours.”

* Pharmacies originally had customers fill out an online questionnaire, and prescribed painkillers, etc. based on these questionnaires.

* When laws mandated contact with the patient, websites then arranged phone interviews before prescribing the same kinds of medicine. (Lawmakers are now working to require in-person contact before writing a script).

* Some websites now sell prescriptions that you can have filled at your local pharmacy rather than actually dispensing the drugs.

* Finally, these websites are difficult to “catch” because, as the article states, they can “open for a week, close, and reopen a week later under another name.”

Obviously, the focus of this article was on the use of prescription drugs as a controlled substance. So, what are the implications (if any) for the diet pill market? Call me a skeptic, but I have to wonder: if abuse is rampant in a system where the drugs are regulated by the FDA and many of the sales are illegal by the U.S. government’s standards, how many more abuses are possible in a system where any joe-schmo can develop, market, and sell a miracle weight loss cure? In order to avoid being taken in by an inept diet pill, you may need - in the words of Professor Mad-eye Moody from Harry Potter - “constant vigilance.”

There is no question that a great deal of misinformation exists regarding diet pills. Most diet pills out there tout “real results” backed by “studies,” often with “no exercise needed.” There are a few particular things you can look for to protect yourself from shady schemes meant to dupe you into purchasing a less-than-ideal product:

* Look for reviews… outside of the diet pill’s website. Generic review sites can be a great place to head when you want to know just how a diet pill is faring in the real world. There’s no question that a diet pill’s own website is only going to list positive testimonials, often with their “results not typical” disclaimer in small print. So, do a bit more digging to determine just how successful the product is.

* Find a list of ingredients and research the ingredients as well. If a company isn’t willing to disclose their ingredients, they probably aren’t legit in the first place. If they do list ingredients, that gives you a chance to research the effectiveness of each ingredient as a weight loss aid, similar to the “How does it work?” section in our editor’s reviews. In studies a few years back, researchers found that only a small percentage of diet pills claiming to contain Hoodia actually had authentic Hoodia in their product… this would be good information to have when making a decision about a particular diet pill.

* Read the fine print. This one really applies to any product, but reading the fine print where diet pills are concerned is especially important. As I’ve related in a former blog post, “Fine Print Funnies,” manufacturers of diet products manage to cram all kinds of ludicrous disclaimers into their fine print, from “Best results when combined with diet and exercise” to “30-day money-back guarantee: in the original packaging.” Make sure you know exactly what the fine print says before you place your order - it may just make you think twice about pressing that “buy now” button!

I may be over-the-top in suggesting that the abuses rampant in online prescription drug sales have any bearing on the weight loss drug industry, but I have to believe that the two are absolutely related markets. Both are interested in one thing: the bottom line. Online pharmacies aren’t concerned about where their prescription painkillers are headed or true prescriptions would be required. Similarly, many diet pill manufacturers out there are just looking to make a quick buck before someone discovers that their product is bogus. And just because the product developers’ Uncle Jim and Cousin Sheila were able to lose weight with the product doesn’t mean it’s effective or even safe for you.

This doesn’t mean that we will give every product a try, but we are especially intrigued by the Medifast system. However, before we recommend this product, we want to know first-hand how someone sustains themselves on a meal plan that focuses on breakfasts and lunches filled with oatmeal and shakes, with a “real” dinner each evening.

In the next week, a member of our support staff - Justin - is planning to embark on the Medifast journey. For at least 30 days, you will be privy to blog posts every few days and video diaries once a week, not to mention before and after pictures. Justin will be filling you in on the details soon, but we hope to find out exactly how well Medifast works. With the Olympics revving up, we are in the mood for “trials,” so stay tuned for our trial of the Medifast Diet.

According to an article in the NY Times, Dove contributes money to the Dove Girls Self Esteem Fund, which focuses on educating girls on unrealistic body images. While this seems like an absolutely worthwhile cause, there are a few issues that I see with the Dove program:

* Dove does not set a certain percentage or amount to contribute to the fund - in essence, they decide from year to year (based on their profits, I’m sure) how much money to funnel into self esteem education. The article points out that last year Dove grossed $2.5 billion dollars & contributed $10 million to their fund.

* Most of Dove’s fund goes to a Girl Scouts program, which “offers a program to help girls counter idealized beauty images.” While this is certainly a positive use of funds, only a fraction of teenage girls are members of or have access to the Girls Scouts. I wonder if those over-involved girls with supportive parents are the ones in need of body image education.

* Dove’s bottom line is… well, the bottom line. No matter what philanthropic efforts Dove is championing, their goal is still to sell soap. In my mind, Dove could quietly contribute a lot more money to the Self Esteem Fund if they would lay off the publicity necessary to let everyone know they’re associated with a good cause. But the bottom line is that “noble causes” sell, and any company is interested in the bottom line.

Don’t get me wrong, I do think that the Girls Self Esteem Fun is a fabulous idea, but I can’t help but turn my critical eye on a multi-billion dollar company who is using body image issues for good PR. After spending my weekend watching 8-year-old girls adjust their bikinis - after all, they didn’t have much to hold them in place - I have no doubt that young girls are in need of body image education. But using it as a way to sell soap means that Dove has to play on the stereotypes in order to bring the problem to light. Doesn’t that somehow defeat the purpose?

I recently read a post on an online dieting forum that said something to this effect: “I haven’t been visiting the forum for a while because I’ve not been sticking to my weight loss plan. Since this is an online community, it’s easy to avoid the computer…” and so on. Although this was in essence a weight loss confession, it got me thinking - are there benefits to accessing your support group in person rather than online? There are certainly positives and negatives to each kind of support group - not to mention an entire dimension with the negative implications of joining a “support group.”

Online Support Group:

+ You have the “beauty” of anonymity. If you don’t want anyone to see your face - ever - they don’t have to. In fact, you could post a picture of your Aunt Mitsy instead of yourself, and no one would ever know the difference!

- This also means that any accountability that you have is determined by you. Like most aspects of weight loss, you must determine how successful an online support group is for you.

+ Depending on the size of the online forum, it’s very likely that you will find someone who has life experiences similar to your own, and this can be a great motivational factor.

- With similar experiences, if you’re not careful you can fall into the comparison game. If you compare your own weight loss successes to everyone else’s, in your mind, you will probably never measure up (no matter which way you choose to measure).

In-person Support Group:

+ Often, an in-person support group is made up of a smaller, core group, so you have a more - personal - relationship with these people and are more willing to share part of yourself.

- In a smaller group, you may also have a hard time connecting with all the members of the group. In addition, some people may find it difficult to keep confidential information to themselves, or on the flip side, others might be afraid that a support group will not maintain their privacy. As someone who lives in a rural area, I can see where someone might feel uncomfortable joining a weight loss support group… people will talk, you know.

+ Because you are able to meet in person with your support group and they can actually see changes in you, you may find the encouragement to be more salient.

- Since they can see changes - good or bad - in you, this could also deter you from attending. If you feel like you’ve had one too many pints of Haagen-daaz, it’s pretty easy to become too tired or too busy to make your meeting.

So, what’s the bottom line? Sometimes I feel like a broken record, but the key here is just three letters: y-o-u. Support is absolutely essential for weight loss, but what you make of any support system is completely up to you. I