In the world of meal plans for weight loss, Medifast offers a solution.

There is something terribly exciting about change. Fall is a great time of year for visual changes. In many parts of the world, when fall sets in the trees change and the once green leaves transform into majestic shades of red, yellow and orange. It often seems like overnight that the leaves change, but it takes an entire year of the growing process to get the tree ready to show its glory. Like a journey of self-improvement, and the desire to lose weight, change takes time. Things cannot be rushed. If they are, mistakes are made, false hope is created for results that are not possible without the patience needed to realize a goal. Even the mere idea of change often stops us from doing what needs to be done to reach that goal. Even the goal itself precludes most people from taking action, because the goal is an endpoint, a finish line, a completion. The real goal should be more of a starting point to a new life that offers opportunity - to do, be, create, have, experience, and live a fuller life! Medifast can be a solution to get moving in that direction, for weight loss and better health.

As human beings, we really tend to greet change with a degree of discomfort, fear of the unknown perhaps or maybe it is just that we are set in our ways and WANT the benefits of what change may bring, but don't really want to DO what is required to realize that change.

Where do you stand on change? Most of us get comfortable in our daily routines and tasks. It's the life that we know and anything beyond that is the unknown, and that can be uncomfortable even if the results offer the possibility of great opportunities, more health, energy, happiness, and fulfillment.

Getting attached to the 'the way things are' can make for a very complacent existent, where we stop dreaming, creating, visualizing, and to some extent hoping for better things to come. Change is what makes those things possible. Change doesn't mean doing something different every day ahead of you. It may only mean one new action that is started and instilled as a daily habit, that in turn creates a ripple effect in other areas of life. In the example of Medifast, just changing what you eat is one step in the grand scheme of better health. For a bigger goal in life, maybe daily visualization for 10 minutes is one change that can open up the door to more ideas and dreams, and bring about a desire to take action for achieving something you've put off. (Weight loss should not be one of them; as it should be fitness that enables you the ability to achieve a goal!). In the end, change itself is a good thing.

A survey that was conducted on the juliahavey.com website showed that dieters have been dieting for an average of 20 years, and obviously not “solving” the problem - losing the weight and living healthy. That would lead one to think that we really must fight for a change to a permanently healthy lifestyle.

Are you afraid of what the change to a healthy lifestyle will do to your life as you know it? There was a woman who approached us with her weight issues, and conveyed her irrational belief that IF/when she lost weight, she would suddenly turn into a woman of ill-repute because men would desire her. This kept her from being the person that she knew she was on the inside because of the preconcieved notion that being fit means being sexy, and being sexy is a bad thing with negative consequences. Instead, she could focus on being healthy first, and if she didn't want to be sexy than so be it. Health is not an issue of looking good. Looking good is just one possible result of being healthy and fit, and even that is in the eye of the beholder.

Take these analogies: If you let the house go, it will get messy. If you don't do maintenance around your home, eventually it will fall into disarray. If a tree doesn’t get water and sunlight, it would not live up to it’s potential and could die a premature death.  Your body is no different. If you take pride in being your town's 'Martha Stewart', that's fine. But don't allow your attention to only be on your home, crafts and baking perfect cookies...make sure you pay equal attention to your real home! YOUR dwelling place....YOUR BODY!

By the time nature is ready for it’s springtime show, tulips can be popping up in your yard and a tone body can be popping out of your current body! With the proper care and nutrition, you can realize your potential, your dreams! You KNOW what you are capable of! Get busy and show the world!

If you worry that you can't live as you do now if you are a 'health nut', you are wrong. Another dieter explained to us that she is mourning the loss of life as she knows it and is not ready to let go and give in to healthy living. We discussed this issue and she came to the realization that time won't wait for her to decide. The real hesitation was in the effort that she believed was necessary to make the necessary changes. LIFE as you know it does not change just because you are eating healthier foods and getting some exercise. You don't suddenly go into seclusion because you are choosing healthy actions. You can still be the life of any party if you're not eating from the cheese platter and dessert trays.

Every success story is no different - they're just one more try beyond the last failure. Unfortunately, there isn't a 'Life Manual' that lays out the exact road to success. We all have the trials and tribulations to experience. That is what makes achieving any goal all the more satisfying.

Start with one change in the direction of better health, and build on it. Just one new action incorporated in your life each week is 52 new changes a year. That's a lot! Plan 10 new actions that you know will benefit your health and your life, and set a goal to make those a part of your daily life in 1 year's time. Now that is something that you should be able to digest, and realistically create. Get started today!

If you are interested in a meal plan to assist with your weight loss and health, Medifast provides a diet that makes it easy to plan the foods and meals you will eat. Click here - Medifast - to try the Medifast diet meal plan to help you get started losing weight. Medifast is physician-developed.

Step by step diet plans for making the transition to a healthy life!