Well, for me, I just had to get a healthy BMI, not hit my goal weight. I still haven't hit my "goal weight", but I've been at this healthy weight since June, so I guess this is where I'm at. They didn't do much for me to switch to maintenance, just handed me a menu and said WTG. They only took my final body comp because I requested it. Of course, it was the same as the day I started stabilization, so all good I suppose.

Starting on Week two of stabilization!! YEAH!! They did my measurements and I lost a total of 33.5 inches!!
Adding fruit and a starch. I was glad to read that it felt like too much food for others as well. Is it ok to skip some additions during stabilization or is it reccomended to wait until maintenance?

I got to start week one of stabilization on Saturday!! I usally do a smoothy with my fruit at lunch, so I just couldn't force down an extra starch on day 1 - I ended up having it as a snack between lunch & dinner. The center said they would prefer I not do this so early in the program :(

Since we can have fruit & starch together, does anyone have any great menu ideas? I was thinking an apple crisp modified to mrc standards might work. Has anyone tried this - any suggestions?

I was dying for popcorn, but popcorn with lunch just doesn't sound that appetizing. Just looking for fun food choices in this new phase! Hope everyone is doing well on program.

I'm thinking you must be on maintenance now so are you thinking about starting a thread for that?? I still have one more week to go!!! (that and I'm not sure how to start one haha) I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...what's the weather like out there??

Wow! Your 6 weeks are flying by! How have you found doing stabilization? I'm suprised at how quickly they are taking away the HNS and I'm dealing with a little hunger issues. Yesterday I saved the 2 HNS for 1 hr before dinner and in the evening. That seems to be my worst hunger period. I find that I'm reallly planning what I'm going to eat for the starch & fruit choice a few days in advance! I've been debating between a bagel and animal crackers for today's lunch for two days :) And I'm really curious to see what week 3 brings.

I'm not sure how to start a new thread either. But I thought the perfect name would be MRC Maintainers.

It's odd I still can't believe how fast all of it went!! I have been LOVING having the dairy back. (I really missed my lattes!!) The 1/2 bagel addition was quite the treat as well!! I'm mostly doing what I have been doing the whole time with those choice additions. I've been craving carbs though and I don't always remember to take the guggul which is supposed to help with that. So I have had some cave in days!:devil: cookies are my vice!
Have you tried putting your ns in knox geletin? It makers a big portion that fills you up!! ( I generally put 2 tbs whipped cream on it :o NOT on program but hasn't seemed to effect it, as I've done it since the beginning! Just make sure it has >1g carbs/sugar the real stuff is the best!!)

So yes I think a maintainers thread would be awesome as I'm sure we will all have different issues come up as we continue along our healthy path!! maybe someone will tell us how to start one! ;)

I get dairy back on saturday - I can hardly wait. My husband was betting I would take the fat free frozen yougurt option - but that doesn't sound that good for breakfast! Milk seems like such a treat at this point! I haven't had any repeats in the new fruit or starch choices yet. But man, I've been really hungry! They told me today to have an extra HNS if I really need it. I think my issue with the HNS is I always maxed it out - it really helped my sweet tooth. I just need to get creative with my choices. I'm trying to figure out how to make an apple crisp on plan for lunch. Any ideas?

I was thinking something along those lines, but I think I'd use something like the Uncle Sam's cereal (which I have on hand) or the "Just Bunches" from Honey Bunches of Oats, crunchy & a little sweet. And I'd run it in the toaster oven for the last bit of cooking to keep the topping crunchy - those are just personal preference things, tho.

I got my week 4 menu and I'm not too excited about any of the new veggie choices - escept the colored onion and green peppers. I lived so long without carrots & peas that I'm not sure I want to add those back in :D Good problem to have I guess.

I had a couple chocolate slips this week - I'll blame that on TOM ;) so I've only lost a 1/2 lb. The vanity part of me really wants to sign that 100 lb board!

Any ideas on making smoothies without the supplements? The HNS has really become my crutch so I'm trying to ween myself off.

Are you looking to flavor them or get protein from a different source? For flavor you could use the DaVinci sugar-free syrups, or some crystal light (dry, not already mixed) but not sure how much it would take for that). If you're looking to add some protein, you could try some egg whites - 1/2 cup is about the same protein & calorie count as an HNS (and cheaper) - you could use 1/4 cup so you aren't getting quite as much protein.

Mostly flavor. The crystal light is a good idea. I've just used the HNS as a sweet tooth fix for over a year. Not quite sure how to live without them :D Also, I like the pudding mixes for the consistency it gives. So I need something to thicken it a little more. Adding the cottage cheese helps a little. Just not as rich as the cottage cheese and pudding together.

I started to panic yesterday. My morning weight bounced up to 164 (I've been weighing in on my home scale about 162). So I started thinking I needed to tell the center I need to slow down on adding foods back in and maybe repeat a week. Then this morning, I was at 160.2. I really worked on getting the water intake back up and it obviously was a temporary bounce. Adding all these foods back in is a little scary. I have a lot of loose skin which appears to be belly fat, so I immediately went to the unrational thoughts that I was gaining weight again. Then I had to remind myself that my 8's are getting loose. Even with the jeans fresh out of the dryer. I'm ranting and rambling, but that's how my head feels this week. I do not trust my visual body image at this point. I know I need to relax and just follow the plan. On saturday, I add a 100 calorie starch back at every lunch. It seems like it's going really fast!! And I need a kick in the butt - my exercise has been non-existent this past month. I've been really physically active with moving furniture, painting, gardening & home improvements. So it's not gym exercise, but I've been gettting exercise. Just feel like I need to get back to the toning and running again. Ok, I'm done rambling. Hope I can look back on this part of the program as necessary learning steps and maybe this will help someone else too. Am I the only one going through these thoughts on stabilization???

I am pretty far from stablization, however i would like to know if you are still required to use HNS when you are on stabilization and after that? I'm just trying to get an idea as far as budget once i get to my goal.. ( might be something that will motivate me even more to get there faster :) do you still take all the vitamins and stuff, or do they slowly start taking you off of those too?