I'm feeling very discouraged, again. I was feeling very rough last Friday, but felt better after staying strictly OP over the weekend. Weighed again this past Monday and was down 1/2 pound. That helped me feel better as did some support for counselors. I wanted to maintain this momentum, so I stayed OP all week and it was HARD, I was HUNGRY but I just kept looking forward to a good weigh in today.
I was exactly the same as Monday. I kept it together at the center but I really expected them to change things up somehow. Before weighing I told the counselor I stayed on plan and that it was hard and that I was hungry especially on Zumba days. I talked about expecting a good loss but if not maybe we might need to change something up a bit. I thought they might offer a slightly different plan/menu. She offered the all day weight loss supplement. No. You can't tell me what's in it, I'm not taking it, plus it's hard enough to remember my regular vitamins. I really need to make this easier not harder if at all possible.
My counselor's response to the no loss/no gain was "Program works." My response was, "I understand, but I'm not seeing that." She suggested I keep a more detailed food log. (This is the same counselor who called and was so supportive on Monday) It's already hard enough. I know it won't work if I don't work the program but shouldn't it work if I do? Tomorrow night, my friend is having a "spa party" and I'm not even looking forward to it. Right now, I'm really wondering why I'm bothering and five days ago I had a much better attitude. One week ago, I was in tears.
How can I get my head in a healthier place? I don't know, maybe this isn't the program for me. But I really hate to give up, with all the money I've already spent. I understand the idea of keeping more detailed food diary, maybe I think I'm OP but doing something wrong. I'm trying to gear myself up for it but right now I just feel like it's just more effort. It would be worth it to see results but,
I did MRC for six months two years ago. I did well, but my mother did not. We went through the diet and the meetings together. My mother kept thorough records on her food, took the diet pills and whatever else they sold her, took the HNS, drank more than a half gallon of water per day, and went for walks three times a week. She lost weight for the first month or so and then "plateaued" for the next five months. The "coaches" there just kept telling her to stay on plan and that things would get better if she just kept trudging through. After so many months of hearing the same thing and seeing no effects, she gave up. I cannot blame her, personally.
You might want to cut your losses, since their plan is expensive. Also, when I counted out the calories they had us eating every day, it was less than one thousand, somewhere around six-hundred and fifty, give or take what I ate. Regardless of what you chose to do, I hope you make a decision that fits you best. If MRC doesn't work for you, and not all diet centers are for everyone, find another way to eat healthy, exercise, and receive support. You know you can find that last one here!
I know what you are going through, Nicmom. I have been with MRC since mid-April, and I have lost exactly 50 pounds. I am THRILLED about it, but I have had many days of discouragement that leave me wondering why I bother to continue forking over money. By the same token, I am so scared of gaining the weight back that I keep paying and holding on so I can get to stabilization and the "free" maintenence. I have only 25 pounds left to lose, so I hang in here. I know the holidays are coming, and I was hoping to avoid paying for another renewal next month. I guess I'll just pay up and keep on trucking. I'm like many others, in that I don't plan to completely miss out on some traditional holiday treats. I do plan to make wise choices and do the best I can do. I sincerely believe things will get easier again after the holiday revelry is over. I just remember that a treat isn't a treat if I eat it often!
I'm not sure if the counselors really know. I feel like I'm explaining where I'm at but I don't always really feel "heard". I get the impression that they have a pat standard answer and they're just feeding me that. The whole idea of maintenance follow up was what sold me in the beginning so I'm like you Ladystarrider, I don't want to miss out on the stabilization/maintenance support because I think that's key. I get that "program works" and I get that if I don't follow it as written, then it won't. But even when I do, it doesn't seem to make a difference and I feel like it's completely unrealistic for me to be completely OP 100% of the time. In order to do that I would have to, not visit family, not go to my friend's party, not travel. I can and do stick to the program as much as possible under these circumstances but I haven't figured out how to be "perfect" in those cases and I'm not sure aiming for "perfect" is all that healthy anyway.
The one thing that the counselor said Friday that was helpful was she mentioned that the next time I come in I'm due for the Tanita and measurements. It's possible that I'm losing fat even though the scale doesn't reflect that and ultimately I'm more concerned with BMI and measurements than scale weight anyway. Given that I have notice a lot less jiggle happening in zumba class and my DH has been doing a lot more butt patting around the house lately, I think that might be the case. I appreciate the support here. It helps to know I'm not alone.
Thank you.
I don't have much time to write now, but I wanted to pass along something that dawned on me early on in the program. This is MY life, MY weight, MY health, and MY responsibility. I had been placing a lot of blame on other things in my life: circumstances, people, etc. As Dr Phil would ask, "How's that workin for ya, Debi?" Well, it wasn't working. I was overweight and miserable. It finally became clear to me that this is MY journey whether or not other people are supportive, or the counselors say the right thing, or my MIL bakes something delicious.
The journey looks different for all of us - for some fast, others slow. But, all we have is the cards we were dealt. We can play them or pretend they're not there. But either way, we're in the game whether we like it or not.
Hang in there with yourself and think about how you can make this journey about what you are learning and how you are growing and changing besides just weight. You're right, you can't "not travel" forever, but you can always make good food choices traveling. It's a lifetime thing. You may have a smidge more flexibility someday, but as I'm finding out, it's the flexibility of like 200-300 calories, which is not much!
Just keep it up and let them know how you feel. Ask to speak to a different counselor if you're not being heard! There are a few women at my center that are just AWESOME! Seriously, I LOVE THEM! They call me and don't give up on me..even when my plan has run out and I have no money to spend there..they stick with me! But at the end of the day..YOU have to do the right things. You have to make the right choices and you are the only one who can do this for yourself. Lean on the center and the awesome people here as much as you can. You can do it! BUT..also, like Debi said, the flexibility is NOT that much. We all have to realize that this plan (or something similar) is PERMANENT! That's why many of us are back again for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th time..If you don't stick to it in maintenance, it WILL come back and it seems WAY harder to lose the next time around!
Just keep it up and let them know how you feel. Ask to speak to a different counselor if you're not being heard! There are a few women at my center that are just AWESOME! Seriously, I LOVE THEM! They call me and don't give up on me..even when my plan has run out and I have no money to spend there..they stick with me! But at the end of the day..YOU have to do the right things. You have to make the right choices and you are the only one who can do this for yourself. Lean on the center and the awesome people here as much as you can. You can do it! BUT..also, like Debi said, the flexibility is NOT that much. We all have to realize that this plan (or something similar) is PERMANENT! That's why many of us are back again for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th time..If you don't stick to it in maintenance, it WILL come back and it seems WAY harder to lose the next time around!
Sooo true. It does get harder each time, so work the plan.
I'm going to stick with it until the end of my "contract" but right now, I'm just not sure this is the right plan for me. I like what Debi had to say about that it's more than just the weight it's about learning and growing. I signed up in order to take charge of my health and well being and do something for me. I'm completely on board with that but right now I'm not in a place where I feel like this program is facilitating growth and learning. I'm having a hard time seeing how this will eventually translate into a permanent lifestyle change for me in the end. I can see where it would sound like I'm placing blame on everyone and everything else but I understand that I have the ultimate responsibility for any lack of progress I might be having.
The big selling point to this program for me was the counseling piece. I guess I expected that to involve more individual tailoring of the program when progress is limited. I've not seen that so much yet, but it's still early days, I suppose. Or perhaps my expectations were unrealistic. I'm strictly following program, keeping a very detailed food log, weighing and measuring everything and we'll see how it goes at least until my time is up.
So tired of the ups and downs
But at the end of the day..YOU have to do the right things. You have to make the right choices and you are the only one who can do this for yourself. Lean on the center and the awesome people here as much as you can. You can do it! BUT..also, like Debi said, the flexibility is NOT that much. We all have to realize that this plan (or something similar) is PERMANENT! That's why many of us are back again for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th time..If you don't stick to it in maintenance, it WILL come back and it seems WAY harder to lose the next time around! 
