I know that what you eat also matters a lot, and over the years I've experimented with different diet plans. Weight Watchers and Medifast both worked for me, but I eventually gained everything back. Last February, the scale crept up to a number that motivated me to take action. I decided to try Medifast again mainly because I had lost weight pretty quickly on it before, and I was feeling impatient.
The Medifast meal plan, which is part of the Take Shape for Life program, comes with the support of a coach at no additional cost. (Weight loss coaches that are hired independently may charge anywhere from $75 to several hundred dollars per session, depending on location, reputation, and credentials.) Although "free" sounds pretty good to most people, I had tried working with a coach when I signed up for Medifast 4 years ago...and she drove me crazy. She was constantly checking in on me—even after I had finished the program. And when I stopped buying the shakes (Medifast coaches get commissions on money spent on Medifast food), she really started to pester me. So this time around, I figured I'd just go it alone.
I did my own thing for a while, but whenever I poked around Medifast's Facebook page I noticed that a lot of people were talking about their coaches and how great they were. Was I missing out on something? I was still skeptical, but when I found out that my cousin, Jason Demby, had become a coach with Take Shape for Life, I decided it was worth another shot. Rather than get randomly matched, I requested Jason as my coach.
A new partnership
As soon as we started working together, I realized that this was going to be a completely different experience. Even though Jason and I are cousins, we didn't know each other too well before he signed on as my coach. But he had lost a lot of weight himself and kept it off, so I was hoping I could learn something from him. It turned out that we have a lot in common; for starters, we both have demanding careers that require a lot of travel, which can take a toll on healthy lifestyle habits.
Jason made it clear that we could talk as little or as much as I liked. We decided to schedule weekly phone sessions, which worked out great: Knowing that we were going to touch base helped keep me accountable, and I knew that I could reach out to him any time via e-mail if I had a specific question.
Changing your eating habits is hard, but having Jason there to listen to my frustrations made things a little easier. And anytime I was confused or unsure about the rules of the plan or how to best stay on track, he was ready with some solid advice. Every now and then he wouldn't know the answer to one of my questions, but he'd quickly get in touch with one of the program's nurses and report back.
Working with Jason helped me breeze through situations that would have previously thrown me off-course. For example, I had a trip planned to Hawaii, and I kept picturing myself with a fruity alcoholic drink in my hand. I was about to call it quits because the plan doesn't allow alcohol. When I confided in Jason, he found a work-around for me: Technically, alcohol was off-limits, but I could skip the fruity drink (which would have cost me about 400 calories) and opt for a gin and tonic instead. That type of guidance saved me many calories—and prevented me from ditching the plan altogether.
Jason also helped me tailor the Take Shape for Life plan to my activity level. The program doesn't encourage much exercise in the beginning so that your body can adjust to the calorie restrictions, but I didn't want to stop exercising because it's an important part of my life for overall health and well-being. Jason consulted with the plan's nurses, and they suggested that I increase my calorie intake to compensate by having a small portion of protein, such as an egg or cheese stick, after working out.
A team approach
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Working with Jason was great, but he wasn't my only source of support, as I became part of a larger community through his Facebook group of clients. I still had individual phone sessions with Jason, but every now and then everyone in the Facebook group would participate in an online video chat. We'd share experiences, encourage each other, and ask Jason questions. And when I was having a particularly challenging day, it was reassuring to be able to go onto the Facebook page and see that I wasn't alone.
Take Shape for Life gives you access not only to your own coach, but to your coach's coach as well, so sometimes I would consult with Jason's coach Miriam. She was also instrumental in helping me make informed decisions that I would have had trouble with on my own. When I revealed that dining out was difficult, she asked me what my favorite meals were from my top five restaurants. She then submitted that info to the program's nutrition support team to find out the calorie content of each meal.
After 3 months of following Take Shape for Life and working with Jason and Miriam, I reached my goal weight: I'm now 16 pounds lighter and working on keeping it off. Thanks to the support I received, I'm confident that this time around I'll have better luck.
