Expense
 

HI! I am new to the Forum, have been at MRC for a little over a month now. Lost almost 20 LBS!!
I am happy with the program but find myself becoming very discouraged with the amount of money i'm spending every week.
I understand the HNS are necessary...
I am taking per their recommendation the MRC 6, one of the metabolic excellarators or whatever they are called, and the corti trim.
I am getting to the point where due to the cost i am becoming frusterated with the program. I am scared to stop taking the things they recommend because i don't want it to slow down my wieght loss..
I am taking my own flax, and multi, but every time i go in and don't have a large loss they try to get me to buy the multi..
Does anyone know if these things really all help or not? Any suggestions at all?? I saw another post about this but there were really no answers.
I also saw a post about after market HSN.. Does anyone know which ones are better? And how to get past them asking you at the center if you are not buying them from them.. I feel stuck in this financial mess, and am afraid that i'm going to give up because of the expense...
:dizzy:

Hello! I am new to all of this, as well, so I do not have any answers for you...but I am curious to hear the answers!

I, too, am extremely interested in hearing about the "after-market" HSN!
---IF someone is willing to talk about it! (hee,hee)

HERE is one of the links full of helpful info...

I lost my first 70 lbs or so without taking anything "extra". I really wanted to see if I could do it on my own. I've always taken my own multi-vitamin and MSM. The only thing I added at MRC was the flax seed oil - which I buy on my own and of course the HNS. Check out our thread on HNS - it gives you all the websites. For the most part, they are exactely the same as MRC's. You have to buy a few from the center or it raises a red flag. I've never bought mine through the websites - I just find it easy to get it at the center, but others have had good luck. I justify my HNS by my reduction in my weekly food budget. It all equals out for me. I was spending a lot more when I went out to eat frequently and bought a lot of "convenience" food.

I did add MRC-6 and Cort-trim this last month to help me push through to the end. It has helped with cravings and inches in the mid section.

Hope that helps! You'll probably get faster responses on the main threads - we're on MRC take 22 now. Come on over and join us.

I don't want to sound stupid but I am lost as to what all these abbreviations stand for...MRM...MRC....etc. What do they all mean?

There are many ways to save money and still be able to reach goal. Yes you should still buy some HNS (high nutrient supplement) through your center. So if you want to get the min. through the center you will have to buy 2 boxes (green menu)per week. Then get the rest from other places. I buy almost all my supplements (pills) else where. Your local health food store will be your best place to get the correct items.

You can find substitutes for most all of their supplements much cheaper. And don't be afraid to stop taking them if you want - if your loss DOES slow down, just start taking them again. You might find out you don't need them after all. There's NO reason for you to need their multi over what you take - it's important to take a multivitamin for almost everyone, but it won't make a difference with your weight loss.

I have been very happy with my loss so far, and am not taking any of the other pills. I buy my vitamins from Hyvee or Sams and I have 2 drinks a day most days and the only time I really have a 3rd is when I work out and feel like I need it. I have lost 14lbs so far, I started preconditioning June 1st.

I know there are several people who haven't taken any of MRCs vitamins and herbs. You're not required to, but of course you feel pressured. I said I wasn't doing it and I ended up caving and buying practically everything. It ticks me off b/c I've spent WAY too much money on this stuff and I probably don't even need it. It's ridiculous to take 17 pills at one time but b/c I've been doing it for months now (off and on b/c I forget much of the time) it's hard to tell what works and what doesn't. They push everything and I know they work on commission, but that's not my problem dangit! :) Just try to be strong and say "NO THANK YOU"! Let us know how it goes b/c I know some of the counselors can be pushy or they just say things so matter-of-factly that you're like "oh, I guess I have to listen to them". I bought a $60 of MRC 6 yesterday b/c it gave me 2 more free weeks. However, if I had just resigned for $99 way back when I would have spent way less money in the long run.

It makes me sad that some of the consultants feel the need to pressure people to buy the supplements. I have to say other than one instance I haven't had that experience yet. I do think it helped that I said for the very beginning that I wasn't interested in taking a lot of supplements, I have some friends who I think seemed a little too interested in the beginning and now get hit up to try something different everytime. Just my two cents. :)

That is one thing I really like about my center, I have never been pressured or even asked to buy any of the supplements, even if I have not had a huge loss. Not including the very first class when they gave us the information on all the supplements and then told us about the 2 starter packs we could purchase (but were under no obligation to).

I have a question though... do you really save money on the HNS when you purchase them elsewhere? I see that they are $9.99 a box, plus you have to pay shipping. But at the center I pay only $55 for 5 boxes.

If you order 12 or more boxes (depending on the site) you get free shipping. Many of the online companies offer a larger variety than the centers and they ship very fast.

At our center, the Flax and Multi are required for the program. It's a good thing they're not the most expensive items they have.

They are required everywhere, but you don't have to buy them there. I take flintstones vitamins and use just regular olive oil for my oil.

Well, that's good to know! At no point was it ever mentioned that I could buy the supplements elsewhere. But then, I didn't ask either. All in all, the counselors at my center are really nice, and even though they 'suggest' new supplements at each of my visits, they don't push when I say I'm not interested. Thanks for the heads up!

I don't know about the other sites, but where I've bought them I've gotten them down to $7 or $8/box depending on how much I buy & what their additional discount was at the time. I have a couple of friends who went in with me so we could get them for less.