If structure & accountability are what you need, MRC is the program for you! It's exactly what I was looking for, and it's definitely there with MRC - you just have to follow the program. Your first 10 days can be a little tough, but once you get past that it's pretty easy. Expect lots of veggies, some lean protein, a little fruit & starch (bread or beans).

Don't forget Dijonnaise is allowed.
Also Walden Farms makes a sugar-free ketchup.

You guys are the best and I am excited to share my journey with all of you... Of course, the more the support the better that is for sure.

Columbus, IN
 

Hi 2 kiddos, I go to the Columbus center too! Small world isn't it?!

Turkey Brats
 

I like the turkey brats- could eat them everyday!! LOL. I asked my center and was told to treat them like a type 2 protien, so 2 times a week.

Wow I didn't know that Turkey brats are ok (in limited amts). Do you think the Honeysuckle brand turkey brats are ok? When I cook them I poke holes in them to drain off the extra fat. It would be a great alternative to chicken/turkey breast and fish!

BTW I'm going to just do my best at the Melting Pot, I may eat off plan, but I'm going to drink an HNS before I go and take a carb blocker and try not to go overboard. Since starting, my appetite has gone waaaaaay down so I know that will help!

I was using them, but my center said no. Just the flavored splenda. Not sure why, it's made with splenda and has no calories.

Thanks for the responses.

I have another question. Our small office consists of 1 male attorney, 3 female legal assistants. When we reach a goal for the month we go to lunch as a group. It is usually a 2 hour lunch wherever we want to go and we can get whatever we want. We have decided to not use food as a reward any longer. Does anyone have any ideas what we could do as a group that we be fun, rewarding and not involve food?

Michelle .... perhaps you can turn it into a service opportunity. Take two hours and serve lunch at your local near-by shelter. It can be fun and rewarding, all in one package. Just a thought.

You guys could go to a movie, or bowling, or play mini putt or something. Or you could have the goals "build up" to something bigger like a day trip to an amusement park or tickets to a baseball/football game.

icedeb - I don't have any experience with that supplement - sorry, can't give any input on that.
Cari – You are doing so great. Good lucky on the family trip – that 20 lb board is yours!!
Karen – glad to see you back on the board. Humm, the Melting Pot! You could stick with the chicken cooked in the oil – not the best choice. You’ll want to avoid the sauces. I would ask the server for suggestions and focus on enjoying the company. It will be a challenge, but you’re up for it. Just try to stay with things that fit in your plan for dinner. In answer to your other question – it takes an average of 3 days to get back into ketosis. However, the mental challenge is a whole other subject. You just don’t want to make straying a habit or it continually sets you back. Then you’re counting on the low calories to help you lose weight instead of the chemical balance. It’s a much slower process.
Jstuckly – Just go in. I have a couple afternoon wi’s with jeans, which bounced me up 4 lbs. I knew I was ok on my scale. I think the counselor was more disappointed than I was, but I had an explanation. Just tell them what happened and press on. The good news – it will make your next wi more dramatic! I had a 3 lb loss today, but I knew I was only down ½ lb on my personal scale.
Finz – I’m right there with you. I have been trying to replace photos. It’s so shocking to see the old photo’s - it doesn’t even seem like it’s me anymore. I love it!
Hawaii – great job on committing to the water. You might want to double check with your center, they always told us we couldn’t have lemon in it. That wasn’t a big deal for me, so I never questioned why. Yours might be ok with it, would just hate to have it mess up something in the chemical balance.
DEB!!! It’s so good to see you back!! Considering what you have gone through, 15 lbs is only a minor set back. I look forward to seeing you post regularly again. It’s like reconnecting with an old friend.
Judy – I woke up this morning thinking of you. It’s good to hear that your trip to DC went well. We missed you posting. I’m starting week 3 of stabilization on Saturday and I have really been struggling with hunger this week. Not sure if it’s the carbs or mental since I’m down to 2 HNS per day. I haven’t had any repeats from my new fruit or carb choices, so I can’t quite narrow down if it’s a trigger – ugh! How are you doing? Any of these issues? We could probably chatter about the specifics on the stabilization page. Hate to mention any foods that others can’t have yet. Your grandchildren are adorable!!
Fattgirl – congratulations on your decision to start mrc and welcome to our fun board!
Lynn – you could try something a little lighter at dinner like fish. Or have “breaded” chicken at dinner and cooked veggies. This will feel like a lighter meal. The good news is, you will be cut down to 4 oz of protein when you get close to the 200 lb mark. Also, do they have you eating an afternoon snack now? You are probably close enough to cut that out. Believe it or not, eating your full meals will help you lose faster. Doesn’t make sense huh? But your inches lost are wonderful. How is your exercise? That always make me hungrier. BTW, I go to the Bellevue center too!
Lv2ski2004 – I’m not sure on the turkey brats – that would be a good center question and I bet it depends on the fat content. I know the turkey burgers at Ruby Tuesdays are loaded with calories and fat. They frown a little when I have a bison brat, but it beats a hot dog! Sometimes I just have to have something that resembles what others are eating, so I pick my battles. Don’t stress about the caffeine. I think the biggest problem is it increase your appetite. For diabetics, there’s some research that shows it makes your blood sugar unstable – that’s why I gave it up so willingly.
NWARN – that’s for coming out of the shadows! You’re going to feel so good on this eating plan (after you get through the detox!) that you should be able to stick with it. And the rapidly dropping scale is very addictive. As for the first menu, a lot of lean proteins, fresh veggies and low glucose fruits. The breads are calorie limited to 50 per serving. So, diet bread, melba toast and 50 cal tortillas to name a few. Just enjoy pre-conditioning and try to get your water in take up.
Michellemybelle – humm, my favorite non-food reward is a pedicure, but the male may not like that so much :lol: You’ll want to have something that involves talk time – so movies are out. Bowling would be fun and silly and is a good team building exercise. Good question!!

Had a NSV yesterday. I finally went to get my drivers license updated. The girl taking the picture said “wow, you’ve really lost a lot of weight”. She picked my brain about the program (she’s pretty thin though). And I got the best picture taken ever – especially considering it’s a driver’s license photo! She even let me keep the old photo for a before and after.

Thanks everyone for the input! I just needed something different. I think it's something I won't have very often but thought I would try. I'll ask at the center also when I go in this weekend.

Also I did give the caffeine up pretty easily so I don't want to mess with that. Guess the kids get the cream soda!

Also my center said the sugar free syrups were not good. You can get flavored splenda packets at the store! Those are yummy.

Tina

Hawaii – great job on committing to the water. You might want to double check with your center, they always told us we couldn’t have lemon in it. That wasn’t a big deal for me, so I never questioned why. Yours might be ok with it, would just hate to have it mess up something in the chemical balance.

I did check with them today, because I was a little bummed ( only lost 1 lb) this week. She said that it was fine, that they allow a little bit of lemon juice a day, and that as long as it's not excesssive, no problem. I told her I only use about 1/2 a lemon per day, and just squeeze the juice into my water. She didn't seem to think that was a problem. I never had used lemon in water before, was just looking for a natural diruectic!

Back with a Baby!
 

Hey ladies!
I am back...and most of you will just see me as another newbie :) I've been off program since January. I found out I was pregnant in December and decided not to stress about food during pregnancy since it took us so long to get pregnant. I didn't want to add stress to something i was already stressed about. Well, I had a great pregnancy...no complications and I gained a TON of weight. Almost all that I lost on plan before getting pregnant. The good news...I have a beautiful baby boy. His name is MJ and he's 3 weeks old (born on the 9th). He was 10lbs 3oz and 20.5in long at birth. He did make me have a c-section though because his big old self wasn't gonna make it out any other way. I've recovered well and am working on psyching myself up for getting back on plan. Right now, Hubby and I are detoxing our house...getting the bad stuff back out. We are also going to only buy good choices when we shop. I will be going it alone for a little while (I put my plan on med. hold) to get back in the swing. I don't wanna use the few months that I have left on my contract to do that...I'd rather go back when I've lost some weight and need to get over a hump.
I'm going to be on the breastfeeding plan, which means I won't lose alot of weight because you really shouldn't while breastfeeding, but I will lose steadily if I eat well simply because I haven't for 10 months. I KNOW I can get this weight off because I did it before.
I'm glad to be back and I am SO proud of several of you for losing as much as you have :)
I'll post a picture of my baby boy soon...he's a doll! He is my inspiration now...I don't want to have bad eating habits when I'm teaching him to eat real food (he gets all the breastmilk/formula he wants for now). I want him to never have to do this weight loss thing.

Depending on the guy - you could go for a pedicure. (Some guys do like them!). It also depends on where you live & what's available. You could try something different each time - a movie, if there's live theater available you could go to a show, when the weather's nice you could go for something "outdoorsy", depending again on where you live & what's available.