dla, congrats on the weight loss this week. Have you done anything different this time?

Nothing that immediately comes to mind except for eating beef at one meal and having an HNS every evening.

I am brand new to this site and am encouraged to read all the posts. I could use some insight from the experienced folks here. I started the program 3 weeks ago. On week 1, I lost 7.5 pounds. Week 2 ( no cheating) I gained 2, then lost them. No further weight loss - keeping the plan religiously. Any ideas?
Also, did anyone experience a lot of gastric distress? My stomache is one the attack every day! YIKES
Thanks

Congrats to you!!!! Great job, and you are so close to that board! Stay focused, it is yours! :hug:

I weighed in on Friday, and was down 3lbs.... so I got to sign the 140lb board! Very exciting!:D

I know what you mean about being OP at work and then when you hit home it is down hill. I think maybe at work I don't have time to think about work and I bring my lunch with me so there is not all this off program food around??? It seams like it is killing me to lose this last few pound. I am going to have to do a big U turn and just get done.... :dizzy:

You continue to be my hero!! The 140 pound board, woo hoo!!!

wow way to go on the 140 board!!!!! You or doing so great. Where do u get that great will power from I would love to use some of it.

Welcome!!!! Some of that could be water weight. Maybe up your water? Yes I did and do experience the gastric distress. I talked to the great Lady's at my center (Waco) and they told be about the fiber fill drinks I drink 1 a day and it has helped a lot. Some of us also get stuck at a weight for some time not really going up or down and if you stick to the plan this will pass and your will see a big loss. I hit the stall maybe in week 6 for about 2 weeks then one day at WI I was down 4 pounds! Some hit it one a mo. Just stay OP it will work.....Good Luck,:carrot:

well, i made myself weigh today...i am officially starting over...i have made my menus and have stuck to plan today...a new start. i will weigh again thurs..hope to post some progress.

denise...congratulations on 140 pounds...wow!! you must feel amazing. give me some pointers on what goes on in your mind to never cheat.(i read that on one of your posts that you have never cheated). you must buy new smaller clothes all the time.

Thank you!!!!

I do feel amazing, and empowered!

Ok, some pointers.... hmmmm. I'll do my best.

Before I started MRC, I made a list of the things I wanted back.... the things I couldn't have by being the weight I was. It's been named my freedom list. So, whenever (and I mean whenever) something was getting to me (whether it be someone offering me food, or my mind playing nasty little games), I would pull out that list and decide which meant more to me.... eating off plan, or getting one of my freedoms back. It became about priorities and those "food" choices, were just not that important in the big picture. At first, it was hard and I literally would pull my list out and think "cake? or wearing my wedding ring"? so I carried my list everywhere and added to it often (still do actually). Eventually it became much easier.... I notice that when I'm tired, I lose some of my willpower but then all I do is to think about how wonderful my life is now with all of my freedoms and then, there's no question..... my life is so much more important that food.

Oh... speaking of being tired. Think of the acronym HALT. If you are feeling like eating off plan, say HALT and think this through.... Did you let yourself get too Hungry? Are you feeling Angry? How about Lonely? Or are you just plain Tired? Assess those things first. If you've gone too long between meals, or missed your HNS, maybe you just need a good healthy meal.... or you need an HNS to satisfy that feeling. If you are angry, or lonely.... get to the heart of that. Feeding those emotions, won't resolve anything. And finally, if you are too tired, get some much needed rest.

I hope those things assist. And remember, come here and talk! Sometimes, that's what you really need. Just an ear. :hug:

Need some motivation... SO i have been on the program since the end of May.. When i first started i would not even allow anything that was not on program even close to my mouth... I've lost 30-34 LBS.. depending on the day. I have found lately that I just don't care if I cheat... Its frusterating to me because i want to do good, but i just don't have the will power sometimes. Then its like if i have a bite of something i think oh well i already ruined this day so i might as well take care of anything else i'm craving so i can start fresh tomorrow. Its not like i'm eating full meals of stuff we are not allowed, but i'm just not as motivated as i was in the beginning... I just don't know what to do to get back into non cheating zone again.. I want to be there oh so bad because when i was there, i was having great sucess..
Its hard too because the social side of being 26, and not being able to drink, i just give in sometimes and have a glass of wine or a beer or something..
Any suggestions at all would be wonderful!!

First off, look at you.... 30-34lbs gone! That's 60-68 fistfuls of fat (one fistful is 1/2 lb).

Do you remember how you felt prior to starting the program? Why did you decide that this was the direction you wanted to head in? Were you depressed? What inspired you to walk through those doors and start this process? What was your breaking point? We all have had them.... That moment where you just can't do it anymore and need to change. So, get there..... when you walked through that door and started the plan, how did you feel? What went through your head/heart? Can you remember how good it felt the first time you weighed in and had a loss? What about how you felt physically? Did you have more energy? Were you more alert? How did your clothes fit after the first 10lbs? 20lbs? 30lbs? Try to take yourself back to those moments and remember why you decided to change your life, and how wonderful you felt when you did. Write those things down.... never forget them.

In terms of the cheating..... just make a U Turn. Realize that when you make a decision, whether you feel that it was a good or bad decision, it is there for you to learn from. How do you feel after you cheat? Did you learn anything about yourself? Were you angry? tired? lonely? What could you do different next time to avoid those feelings or moments? Don't get stuck in that circle of guilt, as it takes you nowhere..... but down. Take what you've learned and move on.... just let it go.

Remember that you when you get to your goal weight, you can have a beer or glass of wine periodically but it's just not "that" time right now. Set your priorities... what do you want more? The weight loss, or the drink? It's up to you.... the choice is always yours no matter what.

And please know, that we are all here.
:hug:
Denise

P.S: I responded to your P/M before I read this....

Denise is soooo incredibly inspiring on this point! I agree that it is important to keep your end goals in mind--your list of freedoms, if you will.

I also struggled with staying on plan after I had lost about 35 lbs, and I sat down to think about things that had changed in my routine. I noticed that I had let my exercise slack after the fall semester started, and I also had given up my weekly "treat" outing to Applebees, where I would get a sirloin, salad & steamed veggies. I think the morning & evening walks, especially, helped me stay focused on a daily basis by giving me time for myself, while the weekly outing gave me something to look forward to as I was thinking about how I really didn't want to eat tilapia yet again. I think without that on-plan outing, I was a lot more casual in accepting little cheats here and there, and it definitely slowed me down! As for alcohol, I allow myself a Coke Zero (technically not on plan but not the end of the world, either) when everyone else is having beer.

I have a part-time job in a research institute on campus. Sometimes I will carry my lunch on Tuesdays & Thursdays (my class days) so that I don't have to leave campus & spend $10 on a salad somewhere, but I usually don't eat it at work. I have a new office mate who has been bragging on what's in my lunch box the last few weeks, and I'm sure my boss overheard that. When she blew her top, it was triggered by my office mate and another research scientist having lunch in my office while I was working on a grant proposal. (The underlying cause was an ongoing turf battle between my boss and the research scientist's boss.) The situation just got worse and worse and worse for about three days, with Thursday, Friday & today being spent licking wounds.

But you are right--this whole saga has been insane and irrational, and the new eating at work rule which was applied only to me (even though I wasn't eating) kinda came out of left field. I was so relieved to finally have some insight through her theater popcorn conversation last week. She's insecure on so many levels, but I never saw my eating habits as a threat to her. It still matters because I don't want to poke her in the eye just for kicks, but her boss pulled me aside last week and said that was ridiculous and that I could eat whatever I want whenever I want. I swear I could write a novel about this whole incident--if I do, I'm going to call it Fallout Girl. Y'all keep your eyes open for it!