The only difference between Gold and Blue is 1/2 protein and 1 starch......can't be that big of a deal, right?

That doesn't sound like much of a difference.

It's not really, probably about 150 calories...?

I am going to try the blue one day and gold the next. I am very disappointed in the center that they have not been supportive. They were very supportive till I hit my plateau. I've tried everything they have suggested, which was not much and lost nothing. So I'm going to rotate plans. I get all my waters in, I only drink water. I do not do any exercises, I know that I probably should I guess I haven't because I hadn't done it throughout the whole plan and figured I didn't need to and they don't say anything to me about it. I tried the Luna bars and they are pretty good. I am going to start using them instead of the Lites(they are too expensive).

Thanks for all the tips....keep your fingers crossed for me

Jamie

Time to switch plans??
 

Any advice appreciated. I was doing very well on the purple plan but seem to be slowing down after 11 pounds- this is week 6. I have to admit that I don't always eat all the food I am supposed to eat in a day but I drink tons of water. I am not going to the center but I do have the other plans. Maybe I should switch? Should I try eating more or eating less? I am trying to do cardio about 3x a week.

Nann - I don't know how much you are trying to lose or how much you weigh. The more you weigh, the more you lose at first, the closer you get to your goal the less you lose. Depending on your weight and exercise program, you could be eating too little, especially if you aren't eating all the protions on plan.

Whether or not they say anything to you about it, you DO need to start exercising. Absolutely 100%. Everyone here who knows me, knows my stance on this one.

You lose weight by consuming a little less calories than your body burns each day. Over time, when you have created a 3500 calorie defecit, that is one pound lost.
In layman's terms, say that your body burns 2000 calories a day doing all of your normal everyday things. You eat 1500 calories a day approximately on your plan. This means about a 3500 deficit per week, or about 1 pound a week lost.
Heavier people burn more calories a day on average, because they are carrying around more weight. It takes more for a 250 pound person to go up a flight of stairs than it does someone who weighs 175. So, over the course of losing weight (if you are not exercising) your body will burn less per day as you get smaller. You may be starting to lose your "deficit" and slowing your weight loss.
Your body burns calories all of the time-even through the acts of chewing, sleeping, and breathing. But, when you are exercising and doing active things-you are burning more calories than you would being sedentary. Exercising burns more calories...so if you are exercising, you are creating more of a calorie defecit-meaning you are going to speed up your weight loss.

There are many other benefits to exercise besides just weight loss-the heart benefits, the mood benefits (I actually get a "high" that lasts for a couple hours after a workout), and so many other things that it does to improve your health and well being. This is all just for general cardio exercise-aerobics, walking, biking, etc.

What I suggest that you first do, is get into an exercise regime. Start small, and get into the habit of it first. If you start out with a walk around the block every day, that is SOMETHING. Do that for a couple days, then make it two. We have a walkway in my town that has markers at every 1/4 mile, so I can keep track of my walking and jogging. Start small. Once you are religiously doing it every day, then it is time to increase your distance.

I exercise a lot with my husband and kids. I do my strength training, and dancing without them, but my cardio I do sometimes as a family. My husband and I went last night to the walkway, and we talked and walked 3 1/2 miles together. When the kids are home, we jump on our bicycles (we have a bike trailer on Jason's bike to take the kids for a ride with us) and we will ride 4-5 miles together. Sometimes the kids walk with us, although we do a shorter distance with them. (1-1 1/2 miles-they are 4 and 6)

You really, really need to get active. If you check out the Maintainers forum here at 3FC and read the stories of the women who have lost a lot of weight, and are KEEPING it off...one of the biggest common factors is exercise.

Well, it really depends on the exercise. If you do mainly cardio, then you burn a lot of calories while you are doing the exercise alone, plus get the added mood and heart benefits, among others.
Strength training is where the muscle building comes in. You burn more calories doing 30 minutes of cardio than you do in 30 minutes of strength training, but strength training increases muscle mass, and muscle burns more calories 24/7. Confusing, I know. The best exercise regimes include both cardio and strength training. :)

Plateau buster
 

This is from back in the day when we had limiteds.

5 day plateau buster (probably precursor to ultra express) use your plan but no limiteds. No free foods, frozen or dining out.

Ultra Express (there was a special card for this back in 2001/2002) which is basically your plan without dairy, but some centers also prohibited limited starches and proteins. Ultra express could be 2 days, 3 days or 5 days. Sometimes you used it after TO.

I've also heard that they may be revising the plans to limit carb craver meals to two a week.

Melissa the videochick

switching plans-eating on plan
 

thanks for all the advice. my goal is to lose about 40 pounds and maintain it. i will be more faithful to eating all the food and see what happens this week. :)