I've read somewhere "the desire to cheat will go away, rather you cheat or not!" Which makes sense, if we can just work through the desire. I have been on program for 19 days and have had desire to cheat (several times) but have not. YAH! I want to do this and get it over with. It's almost like we condition ourselves to be on life long yo yos. We have to convice ourselves that we are worthy to conquer this. My mindset is that I want to get rid of this weight once and for all! I wi on day 18 and have lost 12 lbs and 12 inches. That alone helps me along with the wonderful saying, "nothing tastes as good as being thin feels! I have pasted that on my bathroom mirror! We are going to the Daytona 500 and I have been obsessed for days on what cheats I would eat and/or drink during our 5 days in Daytona. I woke yestarday to the thought of, why cheat? Just stay the course! Now I am at peace not worrying about cheating and already feel sobetter about it.
Thngs I do when I get an urge to cheat:
Drink 16oz water
Brush my teeth
Look in the mirror
Lotion My hands
Do a face mask
walk the dogs
chew gum
take a shower
work in the garden
Go to bed
One of these will do the trick!
Lets all keep pushing each other!

I finished my preconditioning on Friday and I had lost 7 lbs during that week. I've just started the new menu (meta-balance) because I'm breastfeeding. Is anyone else on this menu? I feel like I'm eating a ton of food compared to the other menu I was on. I have about 90 pounds to lose and am wondering if this is going to cause me to stop losing or worse gain weight. Also the menu is a little confusing. I go back tomorrow with any questions I may have, and I'm really anxious because I think I've already gained a pound or 2 back. I'm so ready to lose the weight and becoming very tempted to tell them I'm not breastfeeding anymore so I can get the lower calorie menu.

I have read that nursing moms burn anywhere from 200 to 600 calories. Do you know how many calories your menu has you eating (and drinking)?

I am on the green menu, and I have been consuming anywhere from 850 to 1000 calories. According to my last TANITA, my body needs 1611 cals. to maintain my current weight. I am consistently at least 600 cals below that.

How will it affect you and the baby if you are getting 800 cals less (at the minimum) than you both need?

There is a possibility that your center would put you on the beige menu - if you told them that you are not breast feeding, which is still more food than the green. I would discuss it with your center for sure tomorrow - make a list of all your questions to make sure that you don't forget any! Also is there anyone in your center who has lost weight while breastfeeding?

7 pounds in one week is awesome! Also, please remember that your body is still trying to recover from the pregnancy.

Keep us posted.
Jeanne in Jax

PS - I used fitday calculate my food intake. If you have not used it before, it is free to sign up.

The scale at the center is what's important as far as your program goes, but weighing every day is a good thing too. The best advice I've ever seen is "weigh daily, average weekly". Weighing daily shows you all the things that can affect your weight day-to-day (sodium, especially with restaurant food, medication, stress, etc). And averaging weekly shows whether or not you're on a downward trend overall, which is of course the goal. That way if you feel like you've been pretty much on program, even if you go in to the center & don't have a great weigh-in you might be able to think back & say "Oh yeah, we ate out last night" or "I totally forgot I took some ibuprofen yesterday...", and not get freaked out.

Works for me, anyway - other people seem to do better just sticking with their weigh-ins at the center. It's a matter of knowing yourself & what works best for you.

Andifaye, give it time. Don't take yourself off the menu - let it work. If it doesn't, then they'll help you tweak things. But you ARE breastfeeding - trust the people you're paying to know what they're doing. This is your health - it's nothing to play with.

Remember too that your hormones are probably still unstable at this point (don't know how old your baby is) - and could very well affect your day-to-day weight with water weight. Water weight comes and goes - it's the fat you want to get rid of permanently.

Andifaye, I agree w/ Jeanne and Meemo on this. Give the metabalance menu a chance and see how you do. You are burning hundreds of calories by nursing so you can afford the extra cals that your menu may include.

If you don't eat enough calories, your milk supply will decrease. So, if you are really committed to exclusive breastfeeding, please follow the menu. If you're ok with losing some milk and supplementing with formula, then maybe you could consider a lower calorie menu. Personally, I think if you are lucky enough to be doing well with nursing (I was not lucky there), I wouldn't do anything to diminish supply. Wait till baby is a little older and your supply is really established. You are still going to lose, just not as quickly--for now. Hang in there--you are doing great so far!

....and I know why, but I'm not really sure if I just need to move on and pretend it never happened or do something more drastic.

I was out of town for a couple of days to celebrate my son's birthday. I tried super hard to stay on a regular eating/water/supp schedule, etc, but by the last day, I could tell my system was all out of whack. I was honestly feeling annoyed and bored with the idea of my limited food choices. Anyway, last night I went out with my family and thought I had made a good choice for my meal (grilled catfish), but then I double-checked my sheet and realized that's not a fish choice. That was the first oops. Then, I came home and got grumpy. I ended up taking a bite of something sweet (we have birthday cake and stuff in the house right now). Truthfully, on a different program it would not have been enough to cause any real problems, but on this one-- I'm not sure. Now, I'm not sure what to do. Is this enough for me to need to start over, or do I just go back on the wagon today?

I can't remember where you are on the menus, but I would just get back on the wagon. Honestly, it sounds like you did really well for being out of town and celebrating birthdays! Grilled catfish is not a big oops-don't even worry about that! You're doing great--everyone has litle oops and you just pick up and move on. You could have binged the whole time you were out of town, you could have had fried catfish for dinner, and you could have eaten half the cake, but you didn't! You made good choices for the most part, so stop beating yourself up. You might have a temporary water weight gain, but I'll bet this doesn't set you back more than a couple of days.

I am going to Las Vegas with my daughter for a three-day week-end to celebrate her 21st birthday. She was very upset to hear that I am going to be on a diet and not drinking in the clubs or eating normally with her at the restaurants. And to be honest, I am a little sad myself that I cannot indulge while on vacation. How do I make this a fun trip without feeling deprived every minute I am there? I am also very scared because I have no idea how to stay on plan when away from home (I have not eaten at a restaurant since starting MRC).

I thought I would try doing the shakes/bars when I am traveling, but I am wondering about security at the airport, as we are only taking carry-on...how am I supposed to get my shakes and HNS through the checkpoint, when I can only take 3 oz of stuff and it all has to fit in a quart zip-lock bag??? Any advice would be great!

Thanks!!!

great tips i feel like the support here can realy help alot. my problem has always be size of my meals and of course sugar and the big evil excuses lol

SlimInside -

I agree with WooPigSooie - just jump back in. Put it behind you. Just keep going!

Jeanne in Jax

First thing to do - stop beating yourself up. This is NOT a ginormous slip - it's a little blip. Grilled catfish is way better than fried catfish or chicken! You'll be fine. No need to start over, just pick up where you're supposed to be & get back on the wagon today!

Talk to your folks at your center - they'll have some tips for you. Don't take concentrates with you, take powders. Honestly I'd probably check bags just because it'd be easier for your HNS, etc - when I flew when I was on program that's what I did - took just enough in carry-ons to get me through the travel time, the rest was in my checked luggage.

Tell your daughter to, frankly, get over it. You're doing this for your health - which is way more important than drinking & eating to celebrate her birthday. You can celebrate just fine without drinking a bunch of alcohol & eating a bunch of food. You'll find plenty of food to eat on buffets that's on plan, or order salads. Eating "normally" is probably what got you into the door at MRC to begin with. Most of all don't stress. Enjoy your trip. Focus on what you CAN do, not what you can't. See the sights. Play the slots a little. If you aren't perfectly on plan, that's okay - just don't use it as an excuse to go completely hog wild. You'll get back on the wagon when you get home.

Just jump back in. One of the things I have learned is that the mental portion of this is EXTREMELY important. So you ate something not on plan...there isn't much you can do about it now. One of the analogies that someone posted here (I wish I could remember who) really brought that home for me. Here it is:

If you are walking up a flight of stairs and you trip on one stair you don't throw yourself to the bottom, beat yourself up and think you can't go up stairs...you simply keep going up the stairs.

Think about it.

Thanks for the advice! Haha - I honestly never thought of taking the powder HNS. You are right - I can have fun without eating...too many years, I guess, of tying the food to the fun. Thanks again!