True, very true....but she does have expenses that go with the MM website, and I know as a business owner myself, she might not be cashing in as much as it might seem at first. Everything, and I mean everything, costs something....including taking our money. Our credit card machine takes around 4% of every transaction....yep, too much!

I DID join though today, for 3 months. I need some more info to help me get through the holidays. I also have trouble with the forum style, but maybe I can get some help, if not, I won't renew. I'll be saving recipes as fast as I have time though

I have already gotten a little info, so hope to get more that will help me tackle Step 2!

Funny, we were just talking about this very thing on lc friends about her forum. I did join for 3 months have learned some of the finer points and picked up some new info and recipes but doubt I will remain after that.

The forum is not very busy, kind of a pain to navigate and agree the vids are not what I had hoped for but still some very good info in them. I think it is worth while in the beginning but long term, who knows.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Today is my last day off work. I got almost all of my big "to-do" list done. The items not done are because they are garden related and Mother Nature is of a different mind...lol. I'm sore from doing too much and plan to try to relax the rest of today.
The only good thing about going back to work is my eating schedule will be back on track. Being home really made it difficult to remember the 5-hour rule. I guess on the weekend I don't notice it so much.

I made the batch of chocolate cake. It was ok. The texture I was ok with but it lacked a chocolate flavor. In fact I have to say it had almost NO flavor of anything, which was disappointing for me. I had adapted to use almond milk (as others on the MM forum had done) instead of the special chocolate milk or atkin's shake listed on the recipe.

I have some almond meal coming in the mail sometime this week.

Anyway have a GREAT OP day!!

I have been looking around the Miricle Ville site for the past few days and never got back over her after that. I certainly prefer here to there, right now

I am disappointed your cake didn't work out. I have not found almond flour and probably won't be buying any right now since I have so much soy flour around.

I did get an email directly from Diane on the MV site about my situation. I need to do Step 1 for 2 more weeks due to some things I had been doing wrong, mainly exercise...well NOT exercising!

I will be doing Step 1 for 2 more weeks and making sure I exercise my 30 mins a day. I guess the author of the book said that is 1/2 of the diet, so I have only been doing 1/2 of it. She also told me this after I complained I gained starting Step 2.
Guess I'd better run for now, I still havent' eaten lunch and am trying to get my brain around STep 1 again after switching to step 2 for a week......I'm not good at going back and forth.

But I wanted to check in to say I am still here and will be back again soon!

Hi guys, still here just been one H*ll of a week or two! 4 major life changing things have been going on and have beaten me down to a pulp, but I am hanging in there.

Trying to stay as close to op as I can and have dropped 1/2 pound, I weigh once a week. So not much from start for sure. I don't exercise like she says either but do what I can. I am really bored with food right now and don't feel like cooking.

Bummer about the choc cake I was looking forward to making that, other than no flavor what did you not like. Do you think more cocoa might have been called for? I can't remember the recipe right off, but I am not a big fan of flax, seems like it makes things feel slimy in my mouth so I always cut it and add more almond meal/flour.

If you have nuts and need to make flour, use your coffee grinder if you have one, or blender small amounts at a time, much cheaper than buying it ground if you can't afford or find.

Also i read that some one had made choc milk with almond milk first than added that to recipe and liked the result. Another made choc milk with heavy cream water and cocoa. We have the Hoods here but not spending 4 bucks for 1/4 to 1/2 cup.

I saw her post to you Nelly, guess I will be in step one forever
Well see you all here and mville.

Well I am determined to hang in the 8-weeks and then re-evaluate if I will stay on this plan or move to another. I do know some ppl choose to stay on phase 1 longer than the 8-weeks and I will consider that when I do my 8-week weigh in and measure.

In the past I've lost more on other plans at this stage of my diet investment. I can't say I really feel better than I have on other diets. I feel better gastro wise than I did before I buckled down and cut out the junk and started a plan but that is the norm for me. Traditionally I feel better when I eat healthier. The general consensus of ppl around me is I have a shorter fuse and am crankier on this plan than I have been with other plans in the past. So the whole happiness and light is not hitting me...lol. I doubt I am getting "unknown" carbs since I usually don't eat anything that isn't neutral or on the yes list.

I NEVER eat all my 5x5 alloted carbs a day. Honestly I don't want to track it, the 5 hour time thing is hard enough for me to track as my days are super hectic. If I eat the allowed 5 carbs I feel even more pressured about the 5 hour and what I am putting in my mouth the next time I eat so it's easier just to pick from the yes list and move on.

Perfect example yesterday. I ate breakfast at 7:30, I didn't get lunch at work until 4:15. Now I had almonds in my pocket and ate those in between breakfast and lunch. For lunch I took sf jello, a carb friendly yogurt and roasted edamame and sunflower seeds. Now I ended up working later than scheduled... I was scheduled until 5:45 but didn't get out until 7:15. By now I am extra drained and tired. I am fried from work physically and mentally. So when it comes to dinner my thought is make a turkey wrap and call it a day but wait you can't have a tortilla until after 9pm . So I ended up having left over cauliflower hash instead which I really didn't have a taste for.

I see on MM several ppl say they eat the cake frozen, maybe that helps them with texture. I was ok with texture which normally that bugs me more than anything else when I try something different. I bumped up the cocoa powder and used almond milk because I read others had done that in place of the Hoods or Atkins chocolate milk. It was just very very bland. I had two other ppl try it because I thought maybe it was just my imagination. In the end I made the cream cheese frosting to put on it so as not to waste it. I mean I bought that flax meal special I can't waste it...and I can't feed the cake to my chickens because it has cocoa in it. It wasn't bad, it just wasnt' worth all the raves I saw it getting, atleast not for me.

Most of the recipes I find are for "treats" or sweet replacement items but that isn't my biggest issue. And yes like others I am VERY bored with food right now. I keep telling myself it will be a bit better after you get to phase 2 but I have started reading phase 2. I already know I will have a hard time adding in the carbs and time allotment.

Also another thing for me, I don't want to purchase specialty items for just myself it gets costly. Nuts are not cheap, special tortillas, peanut butter all cost double, including the yogurt that I have to drive an hour each way costs more too...lol. Add in the soy, almond and flax meal .

In general eating healthy costs more, but specialty items that only I am using seem like a waste for my budget. If I lived alone and only grocery shopped or cooked for myself it might be different. So knee deep into week 5 I have to say I'm really on the fence about this plan which sort of bums me out.

And I have rambled too long and have to get to work.

Dee I do hope things get better for you soon !!!!


I know the emotional stuff can take a horrible toll on a person and makes it that much harder to focus on other things in life.

Jab-- I agree, I have not had very much weight loss. Only around 7 lbs over 8 weeks and some I gained back due to issues with the tortillas (I believe) that were incorrect and the not doing exercise, which I am told it is 1/2 the diet.... be that as it may, I lost inches inches inches. So don't Give up!

Diane (the MM author) told me the diet is not about weight loss but FAT loss (true in my case) since fat doesn't weigh as much as muscle, if you follow the plan, you won't loose alot of weight but inches...

ALSO do not despair ! Diane (can you tell i have been looking at MV site alot? ) wrote this and so you counting 5 hours is no longer necessary in Step 1. I confirmed it by finding a post (and getting a direct email from her)

STEP 2 You do NOT have to wait the 5 hours between carbs in step 2, you eat your carbs at a meal. If the meals are more than 5 hours apart, you HAVE to eat 11-20 grams of carbs between the meals

No wonder you are crabby! I would be too if I had to eat what you did yesterday and not feel like I was loosing.

Don't give up! I understand about buying specialty items, I feel the same way and I cook 2 meals, one for me and one for the family (6 at home now) we have a small small budget so I have been having to get bored and be creative.

Later, I will post some of what I have been eating.

What kind of recipes are you wanting? I will help you search for some.
I personally like the chocolate brownie muffins in the book. I found a thread on MV that says they are "neutral" now...as a treat, not eating lots of them. I had a hard time believing some of the updates, but Diane is right there quoting, so how can I argue?
Here:

If you do eat 5 gram counters at meals, you can not have them as snacks. Diane emailed me this today

Did someone on this thread have a good web site for purchasing no carb jelly or syrup? I can't find it and it has become a loooong thread

Nelly, if I am going to have jelly I get the Polander all fruit with fiber it is a counter,( i think) but taste good and I don't use much and found in the groc store. Wamart carries them.

What kind of syrups are you looking for? For pancakes, to flavor shakes/ coffee, ricotta deserts? I use the DaVincis or Torani and both can be found at netrition dot com. But they are very thin, not syrup style.

Walden farms makes a lot of no cal/no carb stuff, but I have yet to have one I would eat. I have not tried the maple syrup, and it may be found in a groc in the diabetic foods aisle. Or at the site above.

On my last order i got the Guy's BBQ sauce both flavors and the regular was WOW, very good. I had so been missing grilled BBQ ribs and chicken this fills the bill. The other night I made cole slaw and just subbed sweetner, ribs and spag squash it was great!
The shipping there is $4.95 total no matter the weight.

Just a reminder this step 1 is not forever and we will return to eating more normal foods, so not sure I would load up on things you would not use normally, except maybe baking stuff, almond flour, soy if you like it etc.

jab, hang in there! I just dropped a whole half pound but I just made it into my next size down shorts and my face is thinner, have not yet re measured but we will get there.
I sat down with the cookbook today and got reinspired. Going to make that Taco pie that was on the mv site tomorrow with chips, salsa and guac, got to get my mexican fix. Been looking through for things I can bake/make up and then just be able to re heat.
What sounds good to ya that might help you over the hump?

Jab, are you near a Sams club or costco? That makes it a lot less expensive.

What is this I hear about taco pie, chips, salsa and guac? OK, I need details!!

Here ya go, I grabbed the comments too. I was thinkg making the pie, doing a tortilla baked as chips and serve the pie with gauc,salsa and sour cream.

Taco Pie = Neutral
This is a recipe that a friend shared with me - yummy!

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 c. heavy cream or ½ heavy cream +1/2 cup half and half
3 eggs, beaten or egg substitute
3 c. shredded cheddar cheese or mexican blend cheese
1 T. cumin
1 T. chili powder
1 t. red pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper
(Or use taco seasoning to taste)
Preheat oven to 350. Spray Pam in 9 x 13 glass dish.

Brown ground beef, drain well. Add onions and cook for additional 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove pan from heat. Add cream, eggs, 2 c. cheddar cheese, spices, salt & pepper. (I used a little more cumin & chili powder 'cause we like it spicy!).

Pour mixture into greased dish. Bake 25 minutes or until cheese looks golden brown. Add remaining cup of cheese to top and return to oven for couple minutes to melt.

** This was a big hit with my family. Reminds me of the old Bisquick Impossible pie idea.
Other ideas:
Enjoy Lotus! I was thinking that I could change it up by using Italian spices rather than Mexican, using low fat mozzarella instead of cheddar and maybe putting just a bit of crushed tomatoes on top
I made this last night and the entire family said to do it again. I served each plate and then added romaine lettuce, garden fresh tomatoes, jalepeno slices from the jar and red onion to the top to give the pie a crunchy texture as well. I'm big on food texture. (My family members also did salsa and light sour cream.) I also think it'd be good to have black olives on it with the other veggies mentioned above. It was a great recipe!

Reply by Diane Kress on August 24, 2012 at 3:33pm
This looks pretty high in fat. I would use light sour cream (goes well with tacos!), remove a yolk, and use low fat cheddar to cut the fat WAY down. Also, how about some taco seasoning mix?
Use an egg substitute and cut 40 gm of fat.
Hi Kim,
I made your Taco pie for dinner and it was delicious. I changed the recipe a little and used liquid eggs, another brand similar to Egg Beaters and made the receipe with only 1/2 cup of cream and the rest with 1/2 & 1/2. I used lite Mexican shredded cheese from Trader Joe. Thanks for the recipe and the idea.
Kim,
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I made it for dinner tonight and it was a big hit....the whole family loved it. We put it on a bed of lettuce and topped it with tomatoes, cheese and sour cream....very yummy. I will make this again.

And then fajitas came to mind, ok ideas are coming! You got so excited you forgot to tell me what kind of syrup you were looking for.

Oh the Polander rasp jam is 2 net carbs for a tbsp, so a tsp to tsp and 1/2 would be neutral
Of course you could use it as counter and micro it to make it syrup and add a little water to thin a tad.