Hi, no you cannot have the fruit. all the salad veggies you want and beef and 2 eggs a day. Also 6 8oz glasses of water. Also must drink 1 8oz glass of skim milk or 2% each day in the am. I only drink almond milk, so that will have to do for me. Hope this helps. no peas.

Did they change the prep phase recently? I was told that it was protein, raw greens, a small amount of fat (oil), and the orange (or maybe half). Personally, I never ate the orange. The water seems low too.

Wow so good too see all of these members on this thread! I joined the center and did the Prep Phase on 4/1/13 and it was not the same as sally has mentioned. 80oz water - just like on the regular plan, 1 orange - half am half pm, and no milk. But not sure which region you are in Sally as I see different regions have slightly different plans. Hope this helps and congrats on almost hitting your goal Joe!

Thanks for all the recipes! I have been trying to spice up my meals as well. Seems like week 4 I really felt the chicken rut! I have made the cabbage rolls, except I used the QWLC Tomato Soup instead of the chicken stock and it was yummy.

Also I have been making a lot of turkey burgers. I find they stay real moist by adding chopped mushrooms and green onions to the mixture first. Along with lite salt, pepper, garlic and a dash of salt free tony's. Grilled is the best, but I make them on the stove mostly.

I feel really good about my 7 week progress. Yesterday they started me on the 7 day break plan and I really hope it helps my body drop weight quicker. My goal for June 1 is 255 so I really feel like I can make it. We are going on a family vacation in July and I am really curious what the counselors think I can loose by then...Game on!

Hello! I am in the Houston area as well and my
three day prep menu was as follows:

Breakfast two eggs(boiled)

Snack- half a small orange

Lunch-unlimited RAW green salad veggies (spinach, zucchini, celery, cucumbers),unlimited protein-chicken, shrimp, fish(baked, broiled but not fried)
Snack- another half an orange

Dinner- same as lunch
1/2 tspMorton's light salt you

If you are still hungry you can eat more veggies or protein. Also you are allowed to use Italian dressing, NO balsamic, but it has to be under 32 calories a serving.

Minimum 80 ounces of water and additional beverages can be consumed
(sugar free, herbal tea, coffee)

This is it for three days! You can used no sodium mrs. Dash and Morton's light salt to season. No additional sodium or sugar based seasonings.

I will lose weight~Way to go on your weight loss progress!! Seeing results are so motivational. I really want to use up the QWLC packs I have here at my house and plan on using QWLC tomatoe soup in my next cabbage roll batch. Thanks for the suggestion.

I weighed in today and was down half a pound •• bummer. This blog is a such a wonderful way for me to get some quickie inspiration & jazz up my motivation!

So glad to know that you guys like the recipes!

Member nvrfatagn posted the following money saver tip on an old thread:

" I was told by my counselor that I can buy SF puddings add a scoop of whey powder and 2 c. milk and make 4 servings for the week. One serving is a suppliment."

Good morning! My QWLC center has a Memorial Day holiday weekend special.. Drop 2 lbs over the weekend & get a free week of weight loss. Must weight in on Saturday May 25 & Tuesday May 28.
"Motivation"

oh wow! i'll have to look into that. thanks!

i find the prep phase to be the most difficult and easiest to fail out of because you aren't all that invested yet.

Has anyone tried the plan skipping the prep phase? If it's just to break the carb addiction and lose water weight to get you excited, then it's not that big of a deal for me...

That sounds good and totally doable for me!

I WI today at home and was down 2lbs. I did really well yesterday and am feeling the motivation. I am logging my food on myfitnesspal along with the sister in law, so that helps too!

I am totally feeling good about all of this!

ok, officially day 1 is starting today. just going to have to call ahead to in-laws about memorial day picnic and tell them to please not go out of their way to make something because I like it because I won't be eating it. that should eliminate the pressure of "I made it just for you" on day 3 of prep. i'll probably bring my own food as well.

was too tired to cook last night but woke up desperate to get started so i was late to work in order to cook some meat. made ground chicken breast patties and ground sirloin patties with mrs dash extra spicy, and a couple of thin cut top sirloin steaks seared and sprinkled with mrs dash. got a bag of approved raw veggies and a grapefruit...so i should be good for the day.

wish me luck :)

@roho42 - Good luck today! I did the three day prep over the Easter holiday weekend and didn't think to plan ahead like you have. Looking back if I had I would not have floundered so. I belive the prep was a much needed mental "reboot" for me. I am interested to know your feelings about the necessity of the prep once you finish it. Please share.

I weighed in today and I'm down one pound- three &1/2 total swoon! The weight continued to come off while noshing on power crunch bars! HEB is promoting power crunch bars 5for $5.00 this week. I stocked up.

Sometimes I split the bars into four to make it last if I eat them early on during the day. This week i started eatting bars @ breakfast. I grab a piece of the bar when I first wake up - to put something in my body and wake my metabolism up, weigh in, and then fill up on water & food.

I felt so confident I added a new bar to the menu today Chocolate Chip Cookie by Quest bar. I microwaved it for 20 seconds & yummy! Quest bars are all natural products with a TON of fiber & minimum carbs:sugar. CAUTION: Pricey. I bought it from GNC @ 2.69 a bar. They have a promo but 3 get 1 free..

I am getting ready to go to Happy Hour with my fiancé - I will do happy hour & stay on plan -"I'm in control" in my Janet Jackson voice. (smile) Guys have a safe & low carb high protein holiday weekend!!

I thought i'd spend all the money i saved eating non QWLC goods with a Mani/Pedi (LOL)

Hi, I am on and old plan, from probably thirty years ago. Maybe someone could clue me in on the new plan. I would really appreciate it. My mail is sweet4sal at yahoo dot com. Thanks

I would love to have the recipes ghardway. You can email them to me at sweet4sal at yahoo dot com. Thanks

well planning ahead didn't matter much because i had forgotten about a party friday night that we left for as soon as i got home and i was absolutely miserable and starving. i had no energy and was in a rotten mood. i felt like i was hypo glycemic even though my blood sugar was high considering i hadn't eaten any carbs of note. I suspect this was my body releasing glycogen stores. regardless i gave up because it was only day one and i was miserable to be around. day one needs to be in isolation.

i'm going into the program w/out the startup but with a water flush because i've eaten horribly while on the plan and recovered nicely with the flush. we'll see how this goes.


Cool! What is HEB?

BTW, I too would love the recipes. We should find a site to post them on. Maybe i'll start a free blog site or something to post them.

I hope everyone had a fun and healthy holiday weekend! I am feeling good after WI today. I am down 31lbs and in the 250s!! Yes I like to celebrate the little victories:)

I did the break week last week and now they have moved me down to Plan 3. To be honest I can't say I followed the break plan fully. I actually did not eat enough. I tried to eat all the protein, but veggies were maybe 1 serving a day. I also discovered the Quest bars last week and sometimes ate one as a meal and sometimes ate 2 a day. It was just more convenient. I seemed to be on the go go go last week. I did drink my water and get most of my supplements in. But honestly every week I miss pills here and there, especially the Release.

As for the Quest bars, I am switching to these because I think they have the healthiest ingredients available in a bar that compares to the QWLC bars. The fact that they use stevia and no soy are big selling points for me. My dr. did advise me to limit the amount of soy in my diet because of its affects on hormones. Yes these bars are pricey, but I am thinking since Quest is loaded with fiber, you may not need to take the additional fiber supplement. I think the only retail store they can purchased at is GNC, but they sell them individually so you can sample before you buy in bulk. Also I used this coupon there to save even more http://content.gnc.com/coupons/COUPO...rice_20798.pdf

Hang in there Roho! I have not done a water flush, but I did loose 9lbs on the prep and that was a huge motivator for me to stay with the plan in the beginning. Tips that worked for me...a rotisserie chicken from Sam's on day one, and NY strip steaks day 2 and 3. If I could have found some good fresh shrimp, I probably would have eaten boiled shrimp for a whole day:)

rhollinger at bellsouth dot net

thanks!

I_will_lose_weight- congrats on your progress! I am so happy for you. I am also glad to know that there is another QuestBar fan here. I tried the cinnamon roll and didn't like it as much as the chocolate cookie dough. What other flavors do you recommend? Wow- You ate two bars occasionally and managed to still drop? I am suppose to start the 7-Day Break this week, great info.. I will eat two a day this week, smile. Thanks for the coupon-internet sleuth!!!but the link to the coupon doesn't work.. what kind of search did you do to pull it up? I really want one to. any advice is is appreciated. BTW-my SmartStyx arrived (thanks again) and your so right they are exactly the same down to the packaging! You rock!

I've heard several people mention the 7 day break. is this a new part of the plan? i'm not familiar with it...or maybe it's a regional thing?

Found this recipe published in a thread on ObesityHelp dot com titled "Wanna Be Quest Bar" for simple EZ homemade copycat Quest Bars that don't need to be refrigerated if baked. Fiber 500 is sold on netrition.

#1- Vanilla Almond Bar (makes 2 bars)

2 Tablespoons Trader Joe's raw almond Butter ( I put salt in mine)
2 Tablespoons Torani almond sugar free syrup ( or SF syrup flavor of choice)
1 scoop Nectar sweets Vanilla Bean Torte protein powder ( or Optimum Nutrition unflavored any whey)
1/4 cup Golden flax meal (made with Bob's Red Mill) OR 1/4 cup oat fiber 500- this would reduce the fat and carb stats and add a bit more fiber. OR a combo of both flax and oat fiber500.

Put the two TB almond butter in a cereal bowl. Add one Tablespoon of the almond syrup and stir. Sprinkle in the one scoop of protein powder and stir, add the second Tablespoon of almond syrup, stir. Finally add the golden flax meal and stir. It should be very stiff and hold it's shape.

Sprinkle a little ground flax on the cutting board and flatten the cookie dough down to desired thickness. Using a biscuit cutter make two cookies. Or make a bar- up to you. Wrap in plastic and freeze for 1 hour.

stats per bar using the stuff I used tonight :

205 calories per cookie
19 gram protein per cookie
13 grams fat per cookie
1 gram sugar per cookie
5.25 grams fiber per cookie
7 total carbs
1.75 net carbs

Recipe # 2- Better N Peanut Butter bars (makes two bars)

2 Tablespoons Better N Peanut Butter
1/4 cup golden flax meal (Bob's Red Mill seeds) OR 1/4 cup Oat Fiber 500
1 scoop Nectar sweets Vanilla Bean Torte protein powder
2 Tablespoons Da Vinci sugar free Peanut Butter syrup

Add the two TB Better N Peanut Butter to a small bowl. Add one TB of the peanut butter syrup and stir, it will be a bit sticky. Add the protein powder a little at a time and stire then add the other TB of PB syrup and stir some more. Finally add the 1/4 golden flax meal and stir it up.

Sprinkle a little flax on counter and plop the dough out. Use a biscuit cutter to make two cookies or a bar mold. Wrap in plastic and freeze for 1 to 2 hours. Then just keep in the refrigerator.

stats per Peanut butter bar:

160 calories per bar
17 grams protein

5.5 grams fat
1 gram sugar
4.75 grams fiber
total carbs per bar 10.5
net carbs per bar 5.75

I pressed in .5 TB of nut topping per cookie to these from "First Street" I didn't factor that in though it's just an extra crunchy bit if you can spare a few extra fat calories for the day.

Edited to add that after freezing an hour I baked the vanilla almond cookies in the regular oven at low temp on highest rack for up to 10minutes. Nice and chewy with some crunch and good to grab and go. Or just eat cookie dough unbaked.

interesting because i was on the program for about 6 months the last time and never officially did a 7 day break. do you have the details? is it "eat what you want" for 7 days or just less strict?

I think I was doing something similar because about every week or two I would have a "cheat" day which seemed to keep me from plateauing but it wasn't part of the program

Thanks, Ghardeway for all the great recipes. I am going to pick up the quest bars today. I NEED the fiber. Like I said I am on the old qwlc plan from years ago, but I am trying to step it up. I seems I have lost lots of inches. but not the pounds. Anyone else have this happening. So upsetting! Its great to look better,but need the scale to go down. I am thinking about going on ip diet. Looking it over.

congrats on your weight loss!

congrats on losing inches. are you also exercising? if you are gaining muscle mass then who cares if you aren't losing on the scale yet. all that matter is that the fat is going down and the muscle is increasing. do not be a slave to the scale in that scenario.

if you are not exercising, are you weighing at the same time everyday at the same level of hydration? makes a big difference. i always did my weekly weigh-in on saturday morning before i even drank anything.

thanks! but don't hold me to the 2 a day Quest bars will always work:) I have tried the coconut cashew, peanut butter brownie(?), PB&J, Banana Nut muffin and Berry something or other. I liked them all except the PB&J and the Banana one was just OK it didn't taste fake banana just strong I guess. I sort of got overwhelmed and just starting grabbing one of each to try. Now that I am home and really reading the labels, I will rebuy those that are under 200 calories. The ones with 8g of fat or more may be too much. And thanks for the microwave trick, it totally changed the consistency for the better! As for the coupon, go to slickdeals.net and search for gnc. I got it from a thread there and they have one for each month of this year so I have saved them in advance:) Good luck on the break next week.

The 7 day break is a special 7 day diet plan that basically removes all starches for 7 days exceot for the 3 quick snacks/day. The first 5 days was 2 Eggs, 7oz protein 2x/day, 1/2 grapefruit 3x/day, and veggies. Then day 6 and 7 are the same as the prep. I too was hopeful that the break meant a real break:)

They had me do this on the 8th week, but they were talking about putting me on it during week 6. From what i have read on here they will probably put me on it every 6-8 weeks to boost weightloss. They don't expect you to lose weight on it and it does not count as a paid week.

So...in my effort to try do this diet cheaper, I ordered several samples of different protein powders to find one I would like to substitute for the Twist Smoothies. Well having never used protein powders before, let me tell you there is a big difference in flavor. I think I will just have to shell out the big bucks for the twist smoothies :( The mixes I have been trying have very very little flavor.

Have you sampled Syntrax Nectar? 23 grans protein, 100 calories, 0 from fat& aspartame free,zero carbs, zero fat, whey isolate. I ordered a sample from MyBariatricPantry dot com.i have heard thery are very tasty & have exotic flavors.

Yes I got it. Very informative. I think I will try it on my own for a while to see how i do.

41 lbs and 28 to go
 

Down 41 lbs (with a goal of 69) and it's been a struggle. Losing at about half the projected rate - so no magic. Just sticking with it. My "contract" will expire before I lose it all, which translates to buying extra weeks with the center if I want to take advantage of their maintenance offer. I can't afford that, but since it's been working so far will just keep plugging along on my own for the remaining 28. I HAVE enjoyed the accountability factor. Not surprised that I'm not hitting the 3 lbs weekly advertised - didn't really expect that. Know enough about nutrition to know there is no magic cure.

I'm not complaining - just being realistic.:dizzy:

BUT, this whole process has brought my blood pressure down and I already look much better. Still miss my wine. Know that there are people out there who get into something akin to an anorexic mindset when they're dieting - don't see that in my future. 4 dry months has been good for one of my best friends - my liver!

If we really believed in magic diets, this would be so much easier. However, most of us know how we got fat and always knew what to do!

I like QWC's plan because it is easy to follow, uses real food, no point counting or any of that business. Supplemental bars and beverages, while a part of the program, can be found online if not in stores, so that really isn't an issue.

Anyway, got to get a second wind here and finish that 28. Not getting my new swimsuit til then and it's time!:carrot:

I go through tired phases - and I don't have children to wrangle! The boost drinks are supposed to help with that. I suspect that you're already "boosting". Maybe you should try reversing your meal order - doing your largest meal in the morning for extra energy and your smallest "breakfast" meal at dinnertime? That might give you more energy to face the day. Just a thought.

Okay, is the 7-day break the same as the 3-day break? I think a couple of people have been curious about what each day consists of - and sure would be nice to know. Thanks. BTW - my center hasn't mentioned a 7 day plan to me OR cheat days!

Can you give specifics or confirm if it is something like this: breakfast - 2 eggs; lunch 8 oz. chicken w/ 2-3 cups lettuce; dinner - 5 1/2 oz beef w/ lettuce and 1/2 cucumber. 1 orange (1/2 morning, 1/2 afternoon) 64 or more oz water. 2 supplements (1 bar; 1 beverage) 6 oz. skim milk. Can use fat-free salad dressing sparingly (<32 calories) 1 T lite butter

I should say you wouldn't have been told about cheat days because they aren't on the plan. I just found that about once every 2 weeks i would have a bad day, would gain a pound or two, do the water flush and still lose 3-5 pounds a week. i think what i called a cheat day simply helped me deal with built up cravings and probably stopped any plateaus

as for the specifics of the 7 day break, that was not part of the program in south florida...

I bought some EAS CarbAdvantage today & some bars to try out. I like the Zone bars, but they are a bit disproportionate in cal/fat/carbs/protein.

I have been mostly following the plan & exercising, consistently for the past 2 weeks and am losing, slowly but surely. Each mess up I have I eat really clean (1 protein & vegetables/fruit) for the next 3 meals. I need the structure and the QWLC plan does that for me.

Today they served chocolate sundaes at work and I ate one; sure enough my stomach hurt after eating that. I am noticing changes in food preferences and tolerances.

:( I was bad Sunday and ate pizza and a cupcake. I wasn't out of control, just was a crazy day and made bad choices I think because I knew I wan't going to show a loss due to my cycle. Needles to say I was up today at WI today. Put me on the water flush. Hope to be back down soon.

No worries...it happens to all of us. I've had a bad day the last 3 years now...still trying to get started again. I think actually leveraging the center was crucial last time because the face to face accountability kept me motivated in the beginning and then the weightloss kept me motivated after that.

Thanks for the encouragement Roho! I lost what I gained and down some too! Last day of the Omit/Water Flush today. Really very doable. I am 1lb away from my mini goal that I made for the past Monday (hopefully will hit it on Friday) and I have set a new mini goal for July 8th of 45lb total loss. I have had a sick kid at home for the past 3 weeks and now I have tonsillitis. Both kids' birthday parties were this past weekend so I should not have too much extra temptation. Hopefully now that school is over, everyone will stay healthy and I can focus on taking care of me too and take time to prepare for the diet. Hope everyone has a successful rest of the week!

just wanted to see if I did the tracker right