Awesome!!!! I'm so excited for you! I was bummed for you when I thought you were going to have to wait until June :)

I went off a few times during stabilization with just a meal here or there and it didn't hurt me at all. I didn't pig out or anything because I really wanted to still lose a few pounds but I did eat off program a little. As much as you exercise, I can't see it hurting you any but everyone reacts differently to carbs. I was talking to a girl at my center who was probably pretty close to your height and weight and she said she gained 4 lbs. the first week of stab. just from adding the carb at lunch 3 days a week. You don't get much of a carb either...we're talking like 8 animal crackers or 5 saltines, etc. She said it did come back off the next week but her body is just super sensitive to carbs. I would probably just eat what I wanted to feel like I celebrated but not overdo it. Someone here said it takes like 3000 extra calories to gain a pound of fat so I would think that would be pretty hard to do if you are only off for 1 day here or there. It's when we go off for 4 or 5 days and add an extra 500 or 600 calories a day that we get into trouble and slowly accumulate that 3000 calories to pack on that extra pound of fat! I usually look at the food I think I want to eat and think, "Are you worth gaining a pound of fat back on my body?" and that seems to keep me from cheating most days :D When I do that, I usually find that I've had just as much fun at the party, etc. even though I haven't eaten a thing and I'm proud of myself later for resisting the temptation. I'm being too long winded today! You probably didn't want that much of an answer :0)

Good Morning everyone! I haven't been over to the forum(s) in a couple of weeks due to work getting in the way (what's that all about?) so stopped by this morning to check in and send you all big hugs! I'll be around, lurking (I mean working) and hopefully able to get some time in to comment again. Darn job.... lol.

I have a question for you maintainers out there. I start stabilization on Monday, which I understand is a 6 week process of reintroducing foods back in to my diet (horay!). My question is, once I'm finished with stabilization, what is maintainence like? Do you basically go off any set menu and just stick to counting calories? I'm great at counting calories as long as I know what the true amount of calories I should be consuming is. And it's my understanding that they tell you what your caloric intake should be at the end of stabilization.

For example, I may want to have a sandwich from for lunch (I mean a REAL sandwich from a deli! Not a dinky open faced/1 slice of light bread sandwich). Before this diet when I was just counting calories and maintaining my weight, a good sandwich for lunch for me was about 300 calories (I always skip the cheese and sauces. Just meat, bread and lots of veggies for me...yum).

I guess I just want to know this: as long as I'm staying at or below my alloted calories, can you eat whatever combination of foods you want once you are on maintainence?

The answer is a qualified yes - it depends a bit on how sensitive you are to the carbs in the bread. If you can eat a deli sandwich on yummy deli bread and not be thrown into carb cravings, and you can stay within your calorie limit for the day, then go ahead. I know for me, I have to alter the maintenance breakfast - bread + fruit + dairy is just too much sugar/starch for me - I end up starving a couple of hrs later. But if I throw a yogurt in with my good ol' green menu breakfast, I'm fine.

I think it's really good to use one of the calorie-counting websites or phone apps to track your calories for awhile - it's amazing how quickly you can go off track without realizing it. I like sparkpeople, other folks use fitday, etc.

Wow, I just looked back, looks like it's been about 6 weeks since I posted. Maybe that's why I've gone so far off track??? Man, I'm trying to get back with the program and it ain't easy. I know some of it's water - even when I woke up this morning I did the "push on the shins" trick and saw how much I was retaining water, and for some reason I'm having trouble drinking my water the way I know I need to.

So I'm giving myself a big public :kickbutt: and continuing to work myself away from the dark side and back into the MRC light. Off now to do my weights - I did my walk today after missing the last couple of days due to weather. Excuses, excuses....

Welcome back, Meemo! You were so missed! I was just thinking today how we haven't heard from many of the much 'wiser' (somehow 'older', 'tenured', etc., just doesn't sound right!!) MRC'ers. Keepin' On has been so sweet to post, and it's great to hear from you again, too. Hearing from those farther down this road than others is so incredibly helpful. Glad you didn't leave us permanently!

I, too, have been wondering where you have been! You were so inspiring in your newbie posts when I first began this journey two months ago and I've missed hearing from you. I also miss hearing from the more experienced people out there. It's nice for you to check in every once in a while and let us know what you have going on!

Hi everybody! I'm sorry I went AWOL on you over the winter holidays, but I have made some major lifestyle changes, like leaving my job last month, and I am feeling so much lighter and like I have so much more to give now.

While I officially graduated to stabilization back in December, it turns out stabilization doesn't work quite as well by mail as the beige and green menus. Meemo's good facebook influence really encouraged me, though, and I had my first full day back on the green menu today. So far, so good. I think I need to re-lose about 10 lbs--will know more tomorrow after I've had a chance for a semi-authentic morning wi, but I think a lot of it is probably water weight. Anyway, I am convinced I will be more successful with stabilization if I check in with you guys regularly. You all have been such a blessing to me, and I actually wore a swimsuit in public last week for the first time in many years!

Namaste--congrats on reaching stabilization back in February! You continue to amaze and inspire me! KeepinOnandOn--I barely recognize you in your new photo! You look terrific! lv2ski2004--I'm excited to know what you look like. You didn't have a picture the last time I logged in! I'm sure I'll discover many more things I missed as I have more time to look back over the various threads.

Thanks!! It is so good to see you back on 3FC!! You were one of the many inspirations to me when I first started! I thought of you about a month ago and wondered where you'd been. I'm on the green menu again for a couple of weeks. I just got back from a vacation in LA and want to get any extra pounds off that I gained then. Not sure if that is the right thing to do (don't want to get my body yo-yo dieting again) but I don't want to keep on the extra pounds. I haven't weighed myself since I got back but I'm sure it's not good. I stayed at a friends house and we ate out just about every meal! Anyway, I'm right there with you on the green again :)

I feel like it's been ages since I checked in. SIGS found me on facebook, so I thought I would pop in. It's good to see you posting again Meemo. I did check in last week & didn't recognize any names!!! KeepinOnandOn - glad to hear your back from your trip - I miss our runs!!

Humm, updates. I ran in the Lincoln half marathon on May 3rd and really messed up my knee. It started hurting a little after the 1 mile mark and I foolishly did the whole 13 (most of it fast walking though). So I've been in physical therapy since. I'm getting ready to try my first run today. They said I can only run for 1 minute and walk for 3. Doesn't even seem worth it, but at least it's a start. I'm a little afraid it will hurt again, so I've been procrastinating this morning . . . I have been walking, but it's just not the same. I can do 5 miles and not feel a thing. I really miss the adreline rush of running!! Plus I miss that lean runners body I was getting :D

I've put on about 10 lbs this month, but I'm still in my size 8's - although they are on the tight side and a little uncomfortable. Uncomfortable is good because it really made me hit the brakes. I've just been concentrating on week 5 & 6 menu of stabilization and have taken about 5 lbs off during the last week and a half. I've avoided the center because I just don't want to face a disappointed look or a lecture. I know - you are suppose to go in when you're struggling, but I'll feel a little better mentally when I get back into gear. That is a bigger motivator for me right now.

I've missed you group. Thanks to SIGS for tapping me on facebook. Checking in should keep the weight in the front of my mind and not the back!!

I know I have MIA for a while but I'm back. Had a few health issues and gained about 6 pounds since my goal a year ago. So today I started on the first menu and have a fierce headache from caffeine withdrawal. I stopped getting weighed in April (that's when I had the health issues and gained half of the six). Now my contract for maintenance is over so I'll be coming here for my support and accountability.

I keep track of my weight in Quicken and in addition to losing the 6 I gained would like to add about 6 more. It will make it easier to climb those hills on my bike. It's going to be hard since we are leaving in two weeks for a bike trip to Spain. We'll be gone for 16 days and in a foreign country but hopefully biking 50 miles per day will counteract the extra calories and I can still loose or at the very least maintain.

I'll be checking in again soon.

You'll do great Bonnie. They said if we can stay in the weight range we want for 1 full year, our body will adjust and naturally stay that weight much easier. I've struggled with wanting to start at the beginning to get these 10 lbs back off, but I've been having great success with using weeks 5 & 6 of the stabilization menu. There's the benefits of the chemical burn and losing much faster if you start at the beginning, but I wasn't willing to go through the easing in of 6 weeks of stabilization again - at least not for 10 lbs!!! Weeks 5 & 6 is roughly a 1200 calorie diet so it goes back to the calorie burned versus intake theory. Not as fast as the great chemical burn, but a little more manageable for me at this point.

Have a blast on your biking trip. You will be burning some great calorie there!

So glad you're back, ShineOn!! Yes, I miss our runs too! Before I went to LA, I ran about 1.5 miles at the most a couple of times and it went really well. I didn't exercise at all in LA but we did get in a few good walks. Hope your test run goes well and the knee holds out!

I have PT this afternoon. I did a 30 minute run with a 5 min warm up walk and 1 min of running and 3 minutes of walking cycles. My knees were both feeling it at the end & boy was I huffing. It's amazing how fast the cardio slips!! I woke up a little sore all over and I've been really trying to pay attention to my body today. Is the soreness in my knees normal work out soreness or something more. No sharp pains while running, but my left knee is a little more sore than I'm comfortable with today. We'll see what they say, but I think it's time to go back to the Dr & see if I did some real damage during the half marathon.

Day one on the yellow menu and I seemed to have lost 1.5 pounds. It's probably water weight but still it's encouraging.