KeepinOnandOn -- you look awesome!! I just noticed the new avatar. I haven't been on here as much since it's the end of the semester for me, and things are crazy right now. You can tell such a huge difference in your face-- I bet you are getting a lot of compliments!

Normally I don't like all that attention, but for some reason this time it doesn't bother me as much. Maybe it's because I'm older on this diet go-round and not so self-conscious. Before I never wanted anyone to notice because then it was like accepting the fact that I really was overweight in the first place, lol, even though it was obvious anyhow-- funny how the subconscious works. Now I just say "thanks" and smile, and it really does give my day a little lift.

You're really only supposed to be on the yellow menu 4 days. It's very low calorie -- yes, you're eating a lot of veggies, but hardly any calories there. Of course the peanut butter and nutella aren't on the yellow menu so you're getting more calories than the yellow menu provides, but you probably need them for working out.
You must've been retaining a LOT of water, and it's good to get rid of the excess water. See what happens on the blue menu, and that's only for 6 days, then you move on to the green. (At 215 they'd probably have started you on the beige menu, extra protein, that might be why you've lost so much.)

I am having a veggie issue. I'm on day one of days 1-4 after pre-conditioning, and I have to have a total of 12 oz of raw salad veggies every day. It's sooooooo many veggies, which is a problem because I really don't like vegetables much. I choked down 3 pieces of celery, 4 oz of cukes and a dry salad for lunch, but it was pretty darn miserable. I used my cottage cheese as a sort of dressing, but it only helped a little bit. If I could just do cooked broccoli I would be totally fine, it's just the raw stuff that is kicking my butt. I'm going to call tomorrow and ask about the rationale for the raw rather than the cooked for this part of the plan. If I could even do 1/2 and 1/2 I could manage it better.

I also was STARVING by the time I got home. It was 3:30pm, and I had a HNS, but I ended up taking a nap to kill time before dinner. I have never enjoyed a bread product as much as I enjoyed my 1/2 a light english muffin that I had with dinner this evening!

I'm worried, because when I get super hungry like that I tend to binge carb load. I generally have problems eating enough food on most diet plans, I have never ran into feeling this hungry. Since there are no free foods, what do you do if you are starving and have 2 hours until your next meal and no HNS's left?

Yeah - I talked to my trainer and he was concerned with how low calorie my diet was with all of the working out I do, so he suggsted the Protien Smoothie after working out - more as a recovery tool. I was worried about it blowing my diet since it is rather calorie heavy (250-300), but obviuosly my worries were unfounded. :D

I move to the Blue Menu today - for 6 days, and I have that menu - but I don't have the Green one, so when time comes I'll be asking for help with that one.

I was actually like 202, when I started dieting this time around, 215 - thats was my heaviest after I had Auston, and when I started working out hardcore. I was losing weight, but it was super slow! This diet has just superchargerd the loss.

This morning though, was the first day I didnt have a loss on the scale or WiiFit, so maybe its slowing?

Here's the good news - it's only 4 days. Ten days total until you get to the green menu and then you don't have to have 8 oz of raw veggies unless you just want them.
Hang in there - I ate 8 oz of cukes & tomatoes mixed with my cottage cheese for my lunches. Keep drinking water. You can have an HNS between lunch and dinner - you can have up to 4.

Thanks so much! I think my face does show my weight loss the quickest. I just wish I would lose it below my waist as fast. I'm the classic pear shape which is good for pictures :)

Nuun
 

Maintain for Life Camelback also makes an electrolyte drink called Elixir that sounds like Nuun. I won a sample pack at the local bike shop's holiday party.

Exercise/Altitude and Weight Loss
 

Originally Posted by GMA
Mrs. Phibes: It's good to hear from you again! I'm pretty much following maintenance the same way you are. My lunches are the hardest to control, as I have so many lunch meetings with my job. By keeping to an MRC breakfast and dinner, I know I'm getting most of my meals and calories correctly. I know I wouldn't be as accountable if I didn't WI weekly, so will probably continue to do that even when they move me to the monthly requirement. Someone on the forum asked about the food on maintenance. They have me on a 1200-1500 calorie a day program, and I try to keep within that, eating more calories on the days I am doing more exercising. I was curious about your research on high altitude and weight loss. Maybe that is one of the reasons my weight was so slow to come off. Denise/Namaste goes to my center and she is kicking butt with her loss. Sure shows how different we all are.

I didn't do the high altitude research just read it in an article in Bicycling Magazine. I'm not sure if it applies to people that live at altitude or those of us flat landers that come out for a while and never really get accustomed to less oxygen. I will be putting that to the test in January. Ron and I are coming out to Colorado for a month to ski.

If it makes you feel any better I never lost more than 2 pounds a week either with the exception of the first week. In our case I think that our age is a factor.

There is a great inspirational article in the current issue of "Bicycling Magazine" that is a case study of four people who collectively lost over 600 pounds cycling. Unfortunately, you cannot read it online. Each of them (2 men and 2 women) lost over 100 pounds and one was even a contestant on "The Biggest Loser".

NSVs
 

Went holiday shopping with DH yesterday. I asked him for a new pair of ski pants but need to try them on. So we went to the ski shop and I tried on 12's... too big. The 10's fit slightly loose but I need to wear thermal underwear with them so that's about right. This is a huge deal since last year the ski jacket from the same manufacturer had to be bought in 14/16 (the largest size they make, and they only make some styles, in this "large" size). I hope it's not too big this year LOL. I also think that they changed their sizing. They can sell more to women if the sizes are true not to make them think they are big.

NSV2: Ran into someone I hadn't seen since before I did MRC and even though I was wearing a heavy coat he noticed right away that I had lost a significant amount of weight. Since I've been this weight since June I almost forget what it was like before. It's so nice to be reminded.

I echo what Meemo said--it's only temporary! I do remember how hard the first few days were though. You're probably having some carb/sugar withdrawl too which can really make you feel terrible. It will get better, just push through. Try to experiment w/ your veggies a little and see if there is something more tolerable. Cucumbers and tomatoes are probably the heaviest, so load up on those if you can. What about green peppers? Look at your list and try some new ones out. I don't know what the rationale is for raw vs. cooked but let us know if you find out.

As for the hunger, I still fight that sometimes, especially late afternoon. Increase your water throughout the day and consider getting the fiber drinks. You can have up to 3 a day and they really help me feel full. Yummy too. Are you taking the All Day Weight Loss pills or another appetite suppressant? If not, you might consider that too. I take ADWL and it helps. I've cut back to 1 per meal instead of 2 to save money and it's still doing it's job.

Good luck! Once you get to Day 5 you can start having creamies and that makes everything better :)

Follow up to this post: I've lost 5 lbs in the past week! :carrot: By far my biggest loss. Maybe I've just busted through a plateau but I've really tried to stick to the plan and follow your suggestions re: more water, less frequent cottage cheese lunches, less cooking oil, etc. I also went a week without exercising but I hope that's just coincidence! OH, and I have also made sure to get my starch in at dinner, something I frequently skipped, and it's really helped keep the night hunger/munchies cravings at night. I've had a lot of fish lately too. So obviously I'm very excited about the big losses and I'm feeling recommited to following the plan as closely as I can.

Hey everyone! I'm back! I "re-signed" yesterday and am pre-conditioning now. I've been really doing horrible with MRC for the past 3 months and ended up gaining 10 lbs back. I was over my range and hadn't been to the center in a month and I needed the accountability and added expense to MAKE ME CHANGE my evil ways! :)

So, I'm here (at 135.5 lbs) and will be WAY more active so I can get this weight off and keep it off.

I'll check in tomorrow with more. I hope you're all doing well. I've missed you all and hope I'm welcomed back with open arms! :)

My suggestion is getting a magic bullet or the knock off brand! You can usually find them on sale this time of the year! I love mine and it's great for blending anything on this diet.

You're smarter than me - I waited until I had 15 extra lbs - 10 will be more manageable for you! Welcome back!

Rocki-- You're so smart to attack the gain right away! Good to see you :D