I'm sorry - but 31 miles is not a "bike ride" - that's a bike trip!! :carrot: Good for you! Doesn't that little bike seat hurt your bottom after a couple miles? It would mine. :o

Gina - yep, sounds like we just missed each other. Maybe next time. I wish I could convince myself to try running....I did try it with the Wii Fit yesterday...not the same I realize, but I made it for like 3 mins or something. I'm pretty sure I'm hopeless. :)

Meemo - thanks so much for the tip about trying a HNS with the MRS! I tried it and loved it now. I also switched to the blender so I could add a bit more water and ice and that really seemed to make a difference. Thanks again!

My friend got a Wii Fit and she was so sore the next day! Guss that measn it works! No pain, no gain! She did the yoga I think. How do you feel today?

Diet Direct
 

For those of you Diet Direct doubters out there, I just pplaced a minimum $79 to get the free shipping and I got a free box labeled "free sample pack". So I got 9 boxes for $79.29. That saved me some serious cash (if I did the math right!)

Ride vs Trip
 

That's kind of an average ride for us. A bike "trip" is when you get to ride every day and stay overnight. We just did a trip to France. Biked 12 days and averaged 40 miles per day. That's why I got to eat everything and only gained a pound.

As far as the saddle goes. It takes "training" and a good saddle. You may need to try several to get the right fit. Mostly you a splitting the weight between your hands on the handlebars, your butt, and your feet.

I have bad knees and running is the only thing that the doctor told me never to do. After three knee surgeries I know that biking and swimming are the best for my knees (that's how you start out in rehab). Losing weight also helped a lot. They rarely hurt anymore.

Shenanigan If it makes you feel any better, I have been STARVING since I switched to the Green Menu. Weird- I did OK on both the Yellow and Blue menus, but losing that fruit in the morning set me up for a day of hunger. I talked to my counselor about it yesterday and she recommended the Metabolic Appetite Control, which I purchased. So far, I can't really say it's taken an edge of the hunger, though. I had dropped to two HNS/day, and upped that back to 4, which seems to help a little.

My cravings are crazy, too. I'm dying for cottage cheese, regular cheese, peanut butter and apples. Probably because we're more limited on them. I'm certainly NOT dying to dig into spinach/tomatoes/green peppers!

Anyway, you are NOT alone- I think many of us feel your pain (and your stomach rumblings). I am trying to refocus on the plan and start over, because I blew it on my first week on the Green menu. I added up how much I've spent (so far) and that alone made me motivated to lose more weight. I refuse to pay $250 per lost pound!!!

Keep plugging along, and if you come up with any tips to combat those cravings, let us know.

On the diet direct website it has this:

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MrsPhibes- I'm really impressed with you and your riding. I guess I never really fell in love with it....but I may have to try it again one of these days! :)

Shenanigan- I'm thinking I didn't do enough yesterday to make me sore...and I've yet to find some spare time to get on it today...maybe after I get the 5yr in bed tonight. Otherwise it seems like he finds out I'm "playing a game" and thinks he needs a turn!

CountryMomma- Man - I knew I had really invested some cash into this whole thing, but when you put it into price per pound I want to be sick! My hubby is soooo not going to be happy when he finds out - no matter how much I've lost....:(

Finz-thanks for the codes!

Meemo, you are right...
It is me that only does the minimal pills/supplements....since the very beginning, I have used only flax and a multi (neither of which are MRC brand) I added calcium and b6 combo at about the 40 pound loss mark, and have since kept those also (those are not MRC brand either). The vitamins I take, are ones that I will take for life...maybe not the b6 combo, but flax, calcium and a good multi are important for us all.

I think when I signed the 50 pound board, I really knew that I was moving in the right direction (I had so much to lose, so 50 was really my big number). Then when I moved out of the plus sized clothing store...that was the kicker for me...the first time I tried on a regular sized 16...I was crying in the fitting room! Now it is sometimes hard to believe I am in a size 10!

Way to go on the 31 miles!! I use to ride that long when I was younger :-) I recently dusted off my bicycle and the two hours I rode nearly killed me. I can't seem to do 'moderation' in anything.

shenanigan - LOL! I'm just making it up as I go! I'm on day 2, so I don't have any advice to give :D I was watching the people on the treadmill as I ran by. I think if I was on a machine, I'd definately give up a lot earlier. It's a little easier to push myself when I'm half way around the gym and would have to walk back anyway. I did like having the music today, I seemed to pick up with the beat of the song. I had decided I was done and my favorite song came on - I just smiled and ran another lap. Although, if I sit for more than a couple minutes, I feel 90 years old when I get up and try to walk. I've been stretching all day!

MrsPhibes - I love to swim and I finally got a bathing suit that fits again! I was thinking about trying that tomorrow - might be a little easier on my sore body.

Countrymomma - Just stick to the basics or the cost does run up. I don't really feel like I've spent that much. The intitial cost was less than a doctors apt. The amount I spend on HNS is made up for on the amount of money I save on groceries and meals out. This really is an investment in your health, so don't feel bad - when you really look at the others areas you are saving in - your health is priceless!

I'm with Gina on this. It is expensive, and I've been complaining about it all week to my dad, but it is expensive being overweight, too. I think you and CountryMomma might have come on board after I confessed the straw that broke the camel's back and sent me back into MRC with my veins bared and my credit card smoking.

I had already lost about 10-13 lbs when my dear father decided to buy me a private health insurance policy. We were hit with a 25% premium increase due to my weight! I was so embarrassed! And even though I'm finally below the magic number the insurance company assigns to my height, I didn't get that on a doctor's record until my tetanus shot last week, and I now have to wait one full year (while paying the 25% premium increase) before I can re-apply and hopefully get a reduced premium on a completely new policy. I also spent quite a bit of money visiting a podiatrist and buying appliances to relieve the pain of plantar fasciatis, when losing almost 30 more lbs has helped more than any orthotics, physical therapy, or Epsom salt baths. And while those are costs that can be measured in monetary terms, I can't measure the monetary value of improved self-confidence. That's a bonus I didn't even see coming.

Don't sweat it. DH probably doesn't need to know all the details.

Not sure who posted asking if anyone else was hungry (still learning everyones names :dizzy:) but I am!!!! Well about every other day Im starving it seems! Im hoping that Monday when I start the NHS it will go away! I havent cheated, but it just seems like my stomache is growling all the time. Im guessing for me its becasue I was a snacker, and never really ate like a normal meal, just little ones 6 or 7 times a day - I dont recomend this lol - especially when those meals consisted of take out burgers and potato chips!!! :rolleyes:

several are talking about hunger pains....i heard on Oprah several years ago, that hunger pains (growling)is a sign you are losing...so keep up the hunger pains...just tell yourself...great, I am losing pounds right now. By the way..I stay constantly hungry too.