[AnnRue]

Hi:
I used to post here in 2006. I gained all my weight when I went to college at 18. I didn't eat like a pig. I just stopped eating home food and skating (which I did 5 days a week) I was never able to lose it. Many diets l tried and just didn't do very well. Slow loss or none at all. Medical tests said I was fine. In 2006 I lost 48 lbs over 2 years. It was a horrible time. So hard.. so hard. Every diet I was on I would hit "mega plateau" where I just couldn't lose for a long time. This happened on EVERY diet.

I gained it all back. Although I did take pride that it was slowly. I never felt that I was piggy.. it was just that eating normal food would make me gain amazingly. You could have a day you thought was only 1400 cals and really gain 3 lbs. To me, there was no doubt that I needed (1) a low calorie diet; and (2) a diet where I could be sure of what exact calories I was eating.

In utter disgust... I decided to do something different. I researched plans and found one that even I -- an expert dieter -- didn't know about. HMR. Heath Management Resources.

They are a private company but, medical institutions invite them in to run their diet program. There are may different options (some from home) but what worked for me was what was called "decision free". I ate only meal replacements. Only about 800 cals per day.

Results... I lost 42 lbs since January of 2012. There has never been a week I didn't lose. No plateau... nothing. I didn't even exercise that much. In that I am already active at work and HMR only asks that you be active. Not kill yourself. So they have a modest requirement of 2000 cals per week in exercise.

I loved the meal replacements. High volume, low calorie. Many different options. I was NEVER hungry and in fact, their motto is 'more is better" so the MRS (meal replacements) are so low in calories, if you are hungry, you can eat and it really doesn't make a difference. Most of the MRs can be made into other things -- ie... the soup can be made into lovely crackers. The cereal can be made into muffins.

Once I reach my goal will go into the maintenance section. Where they will work with me to start adding back more normal foods but NOT gain any weight. Their motto is... weight loss is temporary unless you do maintenance right. They expect this honestly ... to take a year. Although I may not do that.

They have been around 30 years and everything they do is based on their own hard facts. Each person in the program keep detailed records and reports it. So when HMR says... you need to do X, they have the factual data to prove to you... that will work. And they give it to you. My plan is medically supervised as well. Although I don't know if I need it, I do appreciate it.

My health is AMAZING. All my blood tests have improved so much, I am like a 15 year old. The meal replacements are filled with nutrients. They provide you with nutritional supplements as well... and you attend a class each week. To me that is the worst part, but, it is so great to have people take dieting seriously. I mean you spend an entire day at work with people not taking it seriously and then you go there and they take it as serious as can be.

This program changed my life.

I don't mean to sound like an infomercial but really this changed my life and I want other dieters to know about it. I now know that it wasn't me.. I now know if I gain weight, I can lose it.

Is it expensive. Ok yeh, maybe, but personally, I don't find it bad. You aren't eating food so the MRs cost about as much and since they don't go bad .. you can use them all. There are programs which allow fruits and veggies, programs at home...

Everyone I know I try to get them interested but they balk at the MRs .. that was a concern for me.. but I am SOOOOOOOOOO glad I tried it. They were just amazing... really NEVER felt hungry or deprived. Not the way I felt dieting on Wws or any other plan where I always felt like I wanted to binge.

Oh ignore the weight on my signature .. I now weigh 171 and expect to be 160 by July (when I will move into maintenance).