AshleyRae, Thanks for the encouragement, and I love Jen, maybe she will be there when I go weigh in Friday if not I will talk to whoever is see about not focusing on the number but with the size.

Skelley...

Thank you. You made my day by your message. I told center that I was ready to go on maintenance and that was a decision I was standing by as I could not lose the last 4 pounds for a long time.. I did that and it worked well, and through maintenance I was able to find a plan that worked and was able to go 5 pound under goal, so I finally did lose it, and if I had not, well, I was happy where I was at.. Good luck to you.

Patzi

Tuna Caprese Lunch.

I tried this for lunch and it is really good so thought I would share.

Use the bread that is allowed on your plan.. I now use on occasion Nature's Own 100% whole wheat thin sandwich rounds.. Maybe they are allowed, not sure.

I can of tuna in water, drained.

Cheese, whatever is allowed on program.. I use soy
mozarella, or you could use light provalone, which is awesome.

Basil leaves, fresh( if you don't have, use dried)

tomato slices

1/4-1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar,

seasonings, salt , pepper, choice is yours.

Light mayo, not much

Mix tuna with whatever you like, I mixed mine with tiny pieces of celery,
mayo, seasonings.

Put tomato slices on top. I used one large slice on each round.

Put fresh bay leaves on top if you are using fresh, i not use dried , can also
add a bit of dried oregano for flavor

Put cheese on top.

Put in microwave or broiler just till you have what looks like a tuna melt.

If you would prefer to have a sandwich with two slices of bread, that is great also, Put second sandwich round on top and have your sandwich. I just felt like having an open tuna sandwich

I had this with sliced cukes on side .

Enjoy...
Patzi

Hi All,
Wow, lots of good discussion this week. Reading all the posts and struggling over the past 5 years with trying to lose the regained weight after my first try with MRC; here are my conclusions:

Staying 100% on plan is the best way to go. There are no "morning after" regrets.

Falling off plan doesn't mean failure. This is a journey and much can be learned from off plan slip ups...what was happening to trigger the off plan moment? What can be done to prevent it in the future? Was it worth it? How did I feel during, and after?

Stabilization and maintenance are more important to complete then the weight loss phase. Maintenance is for life. There is no going back to "the old way" of eating or the weight will return.

The scale doesn't always reflect the loss that is happening.

This is a journey. There are many bumps along the way, and many mental battles. What works well sometimes, doesn't work well other times.

I'm losing weight at a much slower rate this time around. I stayed strictly on plan for 5 weeks and hit a plateau for 2 weeks and only lost 1 pound during that time. Taking a break for a couple of days, staying mostly on plan, but having a cocktail or a serving of off plan food, allowed me to have a rest from the mental battle. It was time. Assessing, choosing and adjusting are what happens in maintenance and I'm thrilled that I was able to make a choice to go off plan, (and have it be a Controlled off plan, not an eating frezy) get back on plan, see the scale jump as a result, know and trust it was only water, get right back on plan and move forward, with no negative self talk. I feel in control of myself which is a big step forward.

4 days later, the weight is gone and I'm back to 144. I've had my respite and am back on plan 100%. Yes, it does prolong the process and frequent off plan days will derail the process. It is risky and I won't make a choice to go off plan again without a lot of thought ahead of time. This time it felt right, but like I said: 100% on plan is best and is what I continue to aim for.

This weekend is a wedding and I've already decided that I'll be on plan, sparkling water for me and only on plan foods. I'm going to pack a meal just in case there are no on plan foods available.

We can do this!!

Geo...
Thanks for posting recipe. Appreciate it.

It helps me at night when I have a sweet tooth.

Patzi

That's what is weird about it. Buffalo is listed in the everyday column with the chicken and white fleshed fish. Beef is in the only 2x per week column.

I'm not going back to the center until May 3rd, but I'll ask then.

I was down 1.5 lbs at weigh in today. I stayed on track all week and it showed. Hope to lose 3 or 4 more before May 8th when I leave for my cruise. I am so excited! I love cruises. This will be # 6!
Hope everyone else is doing well!

Congrats on your weight loss. That is great. Happy for you.

Patzi

hmmmm....I'll have to look more into it myself. I have not tried buffalo nor bison. I just know in everything I've read it is compared to a red meat...but is much healthier in terms of fat, calories, iron, and such. I'm so funny about meat so even knowing THIS...I still have a hard time thinking about eating it.

Ugh weighed in today and I have been stalled out for 1.5 weeks now. I'm on plan, I'm exercising, drinking more than the required water. Surprised that I am stalling out this early in the plan - I've only been doing this for 3 weeks (counting preconditioning). They said they are going to put me on the plateau buster if it hasn't budged the next time I come in. That sounds scary!

I went back and looked at my records , and I hit a stall 4 weeks on the plan for 2 weeks no loss. I did the plateau buster, but for some reason did not record what it entailed.. You may have lost some inches. Hang in there, and let the consultant figure this out for you to get you back to losing again.. I had many stalls, and they all came to an end with good results.. Please post plateau buster if you go on it, as I can't recall for the life of me. Good luck on your next weigh in and bring your food journal with you so consultant can see if there is something on there that is triggering the stall..

Patzi

Beach runner
Three weeks ago I was at a plateau and they discussed a menu with me but hesitated to have me do it because of fear of spiking my blood sugar. If I remember correctly it is where you have a large shake and a bar for breakfast and lunch and protein and veggies for supper.
Thy had me do the yellow and blue menu again. It helped some but I think I am just going to be a slow loser.
Good luck!

The plateau buster is just a more strict version of the green menu. Takes away some of the higher fat/calorie options. I remember commenting on here once about how I'd been so strict with myself on green menu that I had nothing to fall back on when they showed me that menu - I was already using green menu that way.

geo56, the shake/bar thing for breakfast and lunch is a week long thing that is called something else: MetaQuick. They also recommend it for plateaus. But then they'll tell you the weight loss will usually happen after the week is over. *shrug* The shakes are expensive but super yummy and make a nice, super large, thick shake if you put them in the blender with ice. Love them.

Hi, I hope everyone had a great weekend. I'm still stuck at the same weight! Ugh, these plateaus are sooo frustrating. I've love .9 pounds over 2 weeks. Alas, it is what it is. I'm staying strictly on plan, so there is nothing else to do at this point. I'll be patient for 2 more weeks and if the scale doesn't budge I may look at metabalance.

Just got back from a 2 1/2 hour meeting at church. Refreshments provided, of course. I abstained, but did bring home some of the Costco cookies for hubby and the kiddos afterwards. Eating my dinner salad now, with taco seasoned ground turkey breast and Walden farms ranch. So very thankful that I enjoy my healthy foods. Feels so good to be in control. Hope everyone else is doing well too.

raven, in the real world 2 weeks at the same weight is not a plateau. That's one of the negatives about the twice a week weigh-ins. Really messes with your head. Stay the course - who knows why our bodies hang onto it some weeks and don't others, in spite of feeding them exactly the same. Focus on the non-scale victories and continue eating well. Results will come.