12 lbs is great, Lynnay! I go to the Bellevue center also and started MRC on the 9th of Sept. I want to lose about 78 lbs. I weighed in today and hit 12.5lbs. We're off to a great start!!

I know what you mean....the quantity of food is a little overwhelming sometimes! I think I eat more now than I did before. Have you tried the Lasagna from the cookbook? It makes you feel like you're not just eating a bunch of meat & veggies. I don't mind the meat so much but I'm not a veggie eater so that's been tough for me also. I have a grilled chicken recipe that I love so I eat that at least once a day. I'll probably be sick of it by the time I reach goal!:) Try to find a few things that you enjoy eating that are OP and keep those handy to fix. I make my chicken in batches of 12 breasts and freeze them in individual bags to take out and thaw each day. Makes things a little easier.

Wow! 7 lbs. first WI....that's great! Welcome!!

Awesome Job! And thank you for the advice. I've been trying to mix things up a bit. I'm a huge condiment person so I get stuck on not having any ketchup or bbq sauce and then get tired of eating. Guess I'll just have to toughen up! Thanks again for the ideas and congrats on your loss! :D

Gma to 4: Love your new photo! So glad your trip went well -- I said the same thing when reporting back about my trip, the bars are GREAT to have on hand. I really have not been eating them the rest of the time as I find I'm usually still hungry, but I couldn't have done without them on the trip.

fattgirl: Congrats on such a good start!


Lynnay: I struggled with the amount of food (especially at dinner) as well. After a while, you kind of slip into a pattern and it seems a little easier. And you can always have a MR shake at dinner if you don't feel like eating anything.

Hey does anyone know about Turkey Brats??? I don't want to sabatoge myself and have one if it's not on plan!

Thanks!

Congrats on the preconditioning loss!

I'm in Indiana too - I go to the center in Columbus and I really like everyone there. Which center are you going to?

Okay another question---What happens if you do have caffeine??? I thought I bought caffeine free cream soda and it wasn't! GRRRR.. Luckily I only drank one but wondering what the side effects are.

Thanks!
Tina

Caffeine
 

I'm not sure .... some thoughts in the past have been that being a stimulant, it does stimulate your appetite. Another is that some of their supplements have caffeine in them, and you don't want complications from having too much.

Caffeine in diet-soda (Mt Dew) was something I never gave up, and I noticed no effects -- initially lost 52# in 5 months. I also didn't take the supplements after the first month either, so was not concerned about too much caffeine.

Meemo --- what were some of the other things we talked about last year?

Hi all.. For the past week I have been a fly on the wall reading everyone's input on MRC.. Well I decided to join WOOOOOOOOO WHOOOOOOOO!!! So here I am about half way through preconditioning and I am excited for my first food class on Friday. I need so much structure for this to work I think.. I am such a self defeater when it comes to dieting. I am hoping that I can have self control and accountability. I have no clue on what to even expect with food choices!?!? What usually does the first menu choices have on it?

Yes, condiments make all the difference. I was happy when I found out you can have A1 sauce in limited amounts! It's my favorite. When it's not available, I use mustard which I love also.

Welcome, NWARN! I'm so glad you've decided to take this positive step! I'm not sure what menu you'd be on, but you can count on lean protein and getting most of your carbs from high-fiber veggie sources.

There was some chatter on the board early in the summer about turkey brats. I don't remember who was using them at a cook-out, but I think they said that their center said the Jennie-O turkey brats were legal, but I don't remember what the criteria was. That post may be on Take-17 or 18, or somewhere nearby.

Hi fattgirl! Congrats on 7 quick pounds!

Judy--I LOVE your new photo! And I love that you are involved in taking the vets to DC to see the new WWII memorial. How I wish I could get my grandfather to fly!

Welcome! It's nice to have another Arkansan on board ;) I started with the Fort Smith center a couple of weeks ago.

This diet is great for structure, and having a menu to refer to is really comforting at this point. As another poster mentioned--lots and lots of protein and vegetables. Think cheese, eggs, cotttage cheese and a whole lot of chicken, LOL. And water, water, water. The amount of veggies you'll eat is staggering at first but gets easier through the menus. You'll want a food scale, and try out heavier veggies like cucumbers, green peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. to weigh down your salads. Otherwise you'll have to eat a mixing bowl's worth of lettuce. You'll also get fruit (more choices as you progress) and a little bread/starches. The HNS drinks are yummy and will satisfy mid-afternoon or evening hunger, and the creamy HNS (beggining day 5) are awesome!

I love your excitement, and I think it will help get you through the first 10 days or so. I would encourage you to really stick to the menu (no cheating!) for the first 10+ days and get off to a good start. I will be starting the 3rd (green) menu tomorrow (plan to stay on it until goal) and am excited about having more food choices, which I hope will make it easy to stay on plan.

This board is a fantastic resource, and you will get wonderful advice and support here. Good luck!

If you have a package, check the ingredients - if there's a lot of carbs (in the form of sugar, corn syrup, etc) probably not the best choice, plus they can be high in sodium - and sometimes high in fat. (But I have had smoked sausage, etc, on occasion.)

I think the biggest issue is the stimulant part - that it can stimulate appetite. I think it's a YMMV thing (Your Mileage May Vary) - some people can't handle the caffeine, others can. I try to stay away for the most part, but at times if I'm eating out I'll order a diet soda even if it isn't caffeine-free.