MedifastTag Archives

Soy and hormones

If you suspect that you may have hypothyroidism, consider eliminating soy.  Soy is a potent goitrogen.  You can find out more about goitrogens here.  Apparently, several fruits and vegetables are also goitrogens when eaten raw.  There’s a list of them on the link.

I’ve had problems of a different sort before with soy.  In one of my big weight loss efforts, I was on the Medifast diet.  Virtually all of the program foods on Medifast are soy.  Time of month became much heavier, and I was more irregular.  Soy is known to affect hormones.  For one, it has phytoestrogens that mimic the estrogens in the body.  Feeding a baby soy formula is like giving it five birth control pills a day.  To make matters worse, most of the soy in the United States is genetically modified, including the soy used by Medifast.  I thought about doing that diet again this time, but I decided that I did not want to expose myself to that much soy.  There’s some in the NutriSystem foods, but it doesn’t comprise nearly as much of the diet.

Benefits of weighing every day

I’ve been weighing every day since October 10, 2006.  I’ve learned quite a lot about how my body handles different types of food that way.  For instance, I’ve learned that salt is no big deal for me.  Carbohydrates will jack up my weight by as much as two pounds the next day.  My weight goes up a little around that time of month, but it didn’t do that when I was on the Medifast diet.  Antibiotics can also cause weight gain. The process of weighing every day has been very educational. Had I not done it, I would not have known my body so well, and I would not have known what my problem foods are.

Everyone is different, and you may have different results.  If you decide to weigh every day, be objective about it and treat it like a science experiment.  Be sure your charting also includes ways to check your week to week weight. Weight may fluctuate day to day, but if you’re on plan, you should see consistency in weight week to week, whether maintaining or losing. Tracking your food is also an important part of the process. Track your food well so that when the scale goes up, you can look at your intake to see what changed—not just the calories, but also the macronutrient mix and specific foods, since any of these can make a big difference. Then you’ll know, “If I do this, then that will happen.” This will help you to make conscious decisions about your eating as well. You can say to yourself, “I know that this will happen if I eat that food, so I think I’ll avoid it.” or “I’m willing to take the hit.” Soon, you won’t be surprised, either, and you’ll also know what to do to correct problems. Using the objective scientific mind helps minimize the emotional reactions.  Even so, if you find yourself getting overly emotional about daily fluctuations, this process may not be for you.