these things help lose faster/easier...
 

Hi everyone, I had an idea for a new thread where we all could post things that we have found that help us to lose faster/easier...whether it be supplements from the center or water intake or exercise, whatever...Hopefully through this thread we can give great ideas to people currently on program as well as those considering MRC... I will start with the first helpful suggestion for all...DRINK WATER (and lots of it!) :)...Can't wait to hear suggestions from all of the rest of you! Love you all!

I'm pretty early in my journey (5 weeks in) but I got measured yesterday and I'm down 16.5 inches so I'm a big MRC6 believer.

Wow smash! Great job! I like MRC 6 too.

Tips...
 

Hey Ladies, well this is my third time on the MRC program. I lost 25lbs after college (freshmen 15 turned to 25)....I was able to keep the weight off until I became pregnant...so after having two babies I lost 25lbs again on Metabolic...BUT when I got back to my pre-pregnancy weight everyone kept asking me if I was pregnant. I was 125lbs and was asked at least once a week when I was due or was congratulated on my pregnancy...at that time I was on the stabilization program and threw in the towel...I quit the program and gained the weight back... It's been two years and I'm ready to get back on track and forget about what other people think of me... I am 145 lbs and plan on losing 20lbs.

So I'm an old pro at Metabolic...there were some different pills that rocked the house when I first did Metabolic...but those pills have since been discontinued due to the gov't banning effedrine...so their new miracle pills are the all day weight loss, corti trim and mrc 6...I take them all...I really think the all day weight loss is the best of the three if you had to pick one...but I also take a multi vitamin, hair skin nails, flax seed oil in mass quantities, gelatin and Vitamin D.

The cookbook is amazing. It really does add a lot of variety into the everyday monotany of eating the same thing over and over again....

BUT I found that one of my biggest downfalls is when I start getting creative with the foods...making tasty treats from the cookbook....And I think I've figured out why. You should eat to live not live to eat. When I stick to the basics, eat what I need to live I do good. But when I start doctoring up the food and making it a tasty treat I start living to eat. I start dreaming up my next meal. I get consumed in the thoughts of my next meal.

Now I know it's not fun to eat the same thing again and again and again. But I really have found a correlation between eating for taste and eating for function. When I stick to eating for function I see success...now I'm not saying eat things you hate...obviously you need to eat something tolerable...but don't let the thought of eating consume you.

And remembering that this program is not forever. This is a temporary speed bump in the road.

Good Luck!!

Wow! Thanks for all the great tips! I just bought All Day Weight Loss yesterday to try so I am anxious to see what I think of it as well. I like your philosophy about eating too... that is why I got the ADWL because between meals I was so hungry all I did was plan out the next meal! I am hoping that will help with my hunger issues, I also like that the bedtime bottle has the triptophene, I have trouble getting to sleep at night, I am hoping that will be a natural way to help. Thanks again! Good luck!

I too seem to do worse when I get creative with meal planning. I made the cheesecake this week and I wanted it not only for breakfast, but for dessert after lunch and dinner as well!:^: I tend to get this mindset like, "This is good for me so I can have all I want." I do MUCH better when I stick the the same old everyday menu!

I tend to stick with the same food all the time. I like them but don't necessarily think "Oh I can't wait until I can eat". I haven't tried the cookbook yet but I will when I stop working so much overtime. Now I cook for my family and keep my own food separate.

Eat to live and don't live to eat is a great mantra.

So I guess routine meals and keeping my hands busy keeps me on plan.

Checking in with everyone here a couple times a day is very inspiring.

Living the wrong way!
 

I must say that your quote of "eat to live not live to eat" is my life style. I love to cook which in turn means I eat too! I am going to make me some stickers with that saying on it and put it on my refrigerator and other places so I'll remember not to plan my day around what I am going to cook. When I started MRC I would cook up chicken, turkey and items on my menu and freeze them in individual ziploc baggies and do the same with various vegetables. Since I have not been doing that my weight loss has slowed down tremendously. I have a ways to go to hit my goal so I think today will do some cooking today and get back on track. Thank you for all the wonderful information. Huggers!!:hug:

Short Cuts
 

Stickers are a great idea!! I can't wait to make some up myself.. :)

And cooking in advance is such a great diet saver. Some of my tricks of the trade are to divide your food up when you get home from the grocery store...If you bought a bag of lettuce separate it into little meal size baggies...If you buy a container of cottage cheese divide it up into little to go containers right away...If you buy a block of cheese (usually 8 oz) Cut it in half, then cut those halves in half and then cut those four pieces in 1/2 and now you have 8-1oz pieces of cheese...

Now my last tip for today...depending on how many pills you take those in itself can get WAY overwhelming. I went to my local drug store and found the best pill case ever. It is not a straight line pill case with s-m-t-w-t-f-s compartments (although you may be able to adapt a case like that some how)...this pill case is like a 1/2 circle...it's not huge..just about the size of a deck of cards. There was one larger compartment in it where I can fit 9 flax seed pills and then there are 7 compartments that wrap around the flaxseed spot...And I have them separated out with a little card I put in the top to mean B4 Breakfast (for pills to take B4 Breakfast, Breakfast, B4 Lunch, Lunch, B4 Dinner, Dinner and B4 Bedtime). I fill up my container at night before I go to bed so if I ever wake up late I can take my pills on the fly...

Good Luck Ladies...stay strong...NOTHING TASTS AS GOOD AS BEING THIN FEELS!!!! That quote is from MRC and I repeat it to myself all the time :)

Now see I feel I need to look forward to my meals so that gives me something to be excited about. That's how I personally feel though and others may disagree with me. I like planning out my meals and knowing what I'm going to have for lunch/dinner. For me it's exciting.

What are some of the ways you cook your veggies and what veggies do you like the best? I've tried teh zucchini chips recipe out of the cookbook twice now and they turn out to be a soggy mess! How do you cook zucchini?

Morning everyone,

I am on day 7 today. I take the ADWL and have really noticed that I am sleeping soooooo much better. For years I have been a light sleeper and often up at 3 in the morning with mind race. I've slept better in the last 7 days than in a long time!

Lori

Veggie Cookin
 

I like to cook my veggies on the grill...no seasoning necessary...just deliciousness....try peppers....yummmy!!!

Thanks for great tips....I am noting so many great ideas when I join...this is so very helpful. I know I have said it before, but you all are such great inspirations.....thank you so much...keep posting these helpful hints...I will need them when I start my journey.

On the stove top I use my daily "allowance" of olive oil and put it in a pan... medium to high heat. I then toss in thinly sliced zucchini. I keep an eye on it and move it around often so it doesn't burn. I also add whatever on program spices i am feeling that day.

As far as things that have helped me so far:

- I mix my fiber in with my HNS every time I have a liquid HNS. That keeps me fuller longer for sure.... I don't take any supplements for appetite suppressant. I am (and my hubby is too!) blown away by how I don't have the urge to snack all the time or become extremely hungry like I used to.

- When I go to the store I pre-package all of my meals when I get home. I use a lot of frozen chicken and veggies. (I have my veggies packed in the ziplock steam bags and it makes life so easy) It is easy to take to work and to school 2 nights a week and I just need a microwave. When I am home I have all my veggies and foods prepped for when I have time to cook more or try a recipie. But the biggest advantage to prepackaging my meals is that I don't make the bad decision to eat something off program that isn't healthy... because it takes me 4 min. and a microwave to make my protien & veggies.

I don't take any supplements right now from MRC. I have been taking multivitamins and oil since before I started MRC, So I can't speak to any of that. I am debating on the MRC or Cortitrim... but I am always sceptical of supplements... so I am interested in any feedback - good or bad.

My biggest thing that helps me is to weigh all my food. I rarely ever do not do this as when I do I nearly always stall or gain weight.

One thing that really helped me stay organized with my pills is Vitamian cottage has these square pill holders. With all the pills we have to take with each meal, i bought one of those for each meal. So i have 2 little boxes i take with me everywhere that i wrote Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. There are 7 compartments in it and in the 7th i put my fat and carb blockers in there. That way I only have to deal with filling up my pill containers once a week, and i always have them with me.
Also the Now Brand Cider Vinegar Diet formula is a much less expensive alternative for MRC6.
Water also had been my best friend. I drink about a gallon a day and I believe it has helped me so much.

Laura...where do you get the Now Brand Cider Vinegar Diet formula? Great hint for the pill boxes also..thanks.

There are a couple of things that help me to "lose quicker":

1. Drink at least half my weight in ounces of water.
2. Use at least one fiber per day.
3. Maximize my flax seed capsules.
4. Maximize the HNS. I used to think this was ridiculous, but I have found that it actually does make a difference.
5. Exercise, but not more than 30 minutes per day.
6. Get enough sleep. I have found that I retain water when I don't get enough sleep.
7. This one may seem silly, but EAT COMPLETELY ON PLAN. Don't have a taste of anything not on plan.

I am certainly not by any means a model MRC client, but I have lost almost 80 pounds so far and I am still sticking with it.

Works the same and cheap ... two phrases I like! I did a search. I went to their website http://www.nowfoods.com. Did a store locator and found one in my town. I also found it a couple places online.... WAY WAY cheaper than MRC6.

I'm going to check it out this weekend.

Denise, I am so impressed with your weight loss...you are a real trooper girl. Thank you for the tips....they are good.

I have a couple of questions, why don't they want you to excercise much? And what does the flax seed capsules do for you? :?:

Thank you Juniemoonie.....(love your name) Do you know if these have the same ingredients as MRC-6? Thanks for the website....can you tell me what store you found them in also....I'm not good at ordering things on line...I have this trust issue...lol.

Fifties Lady, I don't think it's that they (MRC staff) don't want you to exercise, it's that they know that as you're trying to adjust to all the rules we have to follow, to add a strict exercise requirement would be too much. Muscle also weighs more than fat (and burns calories at a much higher rate than fat), so some people actually experience a "stall" or slight weight gain when they start exercising more and build more muscle mass. That might discourage some, but I think you can get around it by having your Tanita stats done at your WI, to see if your muscle mass is increasing. I think developing a habit of exercise is great for a number of reasons, even besides weight loss, and I keep hearing that it is key to maintaining weight loss long-term. In other words, if you can, start exercising! As far as the flax seed capsules, as I found out the hard way, if you don't get this oil in your system, you will get "backed up", which is uncomfortable and may keep you from showing a weight loss. I've read other people on here say they buy their flax seed capsules and evening primrose oil elsewhere, since it's a lot cheaper than MRC's. 'Hope this helps! --JJ

J....yes it did...thank you. I love all the tidbits I am getting from all you lovely ladies. That makes sense about the Flax seed capsules...I bought 4 huge bottles of them so I'm ready....right now....constipation is not a problem...it's just the opposite....I'm wondering if too many salads are doing this? :carrot:

i was warned that the "opposite" might happen but i'd been eating salads and veggies before i started mrc. i only started mrc because what i was trying on my own wasn't working. now i don't eat cheese more than once a week for the opposite of your opposite reason, have maxed the flax and still have my daily olive oil most days on my salads at lunch. the internal cleanser is supposed to help no matter which way the problem is going and it's relatively cheap compared to the rest so i have a bottle i keep around to take for a couple days when i can tell i need it.

as for things that have helped me, it's just learning to not beat myself up when i have something that's off plan, to make smarter decisions abt what i'm having that's off plan - like bread instead of fruit for lunch when at a restaurant that doesn't have fruit or stealing some of my mom's fat free ranch for the three broccoli spears on my salad only or something that's a cheat but so tiny it cldn't cause me to stall but gives me that little bit of something that i feel i'm missing due to the length i've been on this plan. *5 months feels like forever this week!*

Fifties Lady, It took about 3 weeks on the diet for me to start getting constipated. How long have you been doing the diet (your profile said your join date was "May 2009")? You might not have been on long enough to experience this yet! Also, someone was asking about the Now Foods' Cider Vinegar Diet Formula vs. MRC's MRC-6. I compared the two's ingredients, and they're not exact, but seem pretty darn close. Also, it looks like you can find it at healthfood stores; in CO, Sunflower Market, Vitamin Cottage, Whole Foods, etc. I'm sure it's cheaper; I plan to check it out!--JJ

JJ...I started posting in May on here, after reading and researching MRC a few weeks prior. I went in for my free consultation, and after figuring out the cost of the HNS for 24 weeks while on plan, I decided to wait and think about it...so I was told I would have to wait the following Friday if I didn't join then, so I thought that would give me a week to think about it. But from all the reading, I stopped the caffene and sugar and started drinking water and more water and more water....lol....I kind of followed the SB diet since I had good luck before on it.....then I made the appt. with MRC to join, and that same day, we had a death in the family, so I cancelled and went out of town for ten days. I just got back on Tuesday and I was so busy catching up at work, that I had to cancel my schedule appt. for that day, and now since I didn't join, I have to wait till next Friday to beable to go to my first class. So with family coming in, I have decided to join on June 8th...I pray nothing keeps me from doing it this time. I am kicking myself for not joining that first night now because I would have a whole month under my belt...(not a good play on words....I have enough under my belt now..lol) So...that's where I am today....but I have gone out and bought the flax, multi vits and dug out my scale. I'm also looking into purchasing the Magic Bullet, since I read it really helps to mix the HNS's. So I'm pretty much ready....even started walking again last week, which really makes me feel so much better.

So that's where I am right now. Just continue reading from everyone here and asking lots of questions.....I think I am quite prepared now and know what questions to ask when I join. You women have all been so super here, and I feel like I know each and everyone of you....you all seem like family and everyone is so supportive. It's a great place to come after a day of work. :hug:

It was somewhere on here that someone said they were the same. I have a friend on the MRC6 and he's going to give me the next empty bottle he has and I'm going to compare. There were a couple of places here in Omaha that it could be found--but I think the biggest name brand place was Whole Foods. If you go to the website, on the left-hand side is a thing about store locator ... put in your zip code and there you go.

Hey ... another question. How many Flax Seed pills are you guys taking? My bottle says 1-2 a day and not to exceed the dosage... I've just been doing the 2.

i do 3 per meal for a total of 9 per day. my bottle said 6 per day but that wasn't enough. since i've started taking 9 my problem has gotten better and i've had no adverse affects from taking too much.

Since I switched to the green menu, I've been very hungry between meals. I added the fiber twice a day and it keeps my stomach from growling for about half an hour. I LOVE the supplements, lol. I was disappointed I had to cut back to four a day.

noahsmama, I am terrible at cooking vegetables. I eat them either raw or steam them. We got a new grill on Memorial Day so I'm going to look for some grilled vegetables recipes to adapt for it.

I also weigh in right after I get up. The only thing to pass between my lips is a toothbrush. I hurry to the center wearing my lightest clothes. I have this old pair of unflattering khaki shorts along with one of my Old Navy t-shirts for WI so I look sloppy but I'm lighter than in my jeans.

I have IBS so I can't do the flax seed. I bought it in case I would have a problem with constipation but I haven't even opened the bottle.

I forgot to add that I bought one of those plastic hobby organizers for buttons, etc. at Hobby Lobby for $2 to put pills in but I never use it. It reminds me too much of my mother and the pharmacy she has sitting on her table.

I live my pills at home in their original bottles and squish some in a empty travel Tylenol container for work.

Thank you Juniemoonie....I found two stores in my area too....going Saturday...thanks for the info.

I have one of those too! Mine has 3 rows of 5 so that covers 3 days plus I have one of those smaller 7 compartment pill boxes. So every 4 days I go through my bagillions of pills and put them in the big button/craft box so that it's easier to get my pills for the day into the 7 compartment pill box each morning. It just seems easier for me to do 4 days at once so I only have to open the pill bottles twice a week.

Whole foods? :) I'm going to check out the one out on 108th (ish) either tonight or tomorrow. :)

you do 9 flax seed a day? oh my. Maybe I need to check my bottle again for max dosage. :)

I take a 16.9 oz water bottle...drink half...cut a small corner off the HNS packet...dump it in...shake it up...let it sit for 5 mins or so...give it a little shake and drink up....most of them mix up AMAZINGLY well like this....that'll save lots of $$ ...you can reuse water bottles again and again and again...I refill them...

h c

Junie, I called the two here and they don't carry them...but they could order them for me....I think he said they are $14 a bottle of 180. I looked them up on line and they are so much cheaper....but I didn't check out the S&H fees. I think they were about $9, so probably about the same buying them locally.

It would be so nice if these are the exact MRC-6....that would be quite a savings. :carrot:

Thanks for the tip. I just thought I had read some where that they didn't mix very well...but this 'shakem up" seems to be a good idea. I did find a friend on here that is selling me hers, so I will give it a shot...if it's too much of a hassle, I will go your route. Is this something you have to drink down fast or is it a sipping drink? And do you do it before you eat or drink while you are eating? Just curious because I have heard so much about the flavors and all, but wasn't sure when and how you partake in them...

Fifties Lady, I actually prefer to put the clear fruit-flavored supplements in the freezer, then take them out and suck them out of the plastic package they come in. I know, it sounds gross, but I do like the taste better than mixing them with water, especially now that the weather's hotter. Also, I did pick up Now Foods' "Cider Vinegar Diet Formula" at Sunflower Market today (it's similar to MRC's MRC-6). I believe I paid $13.00 for 180 pills. I'm considering starting to take "policosanol" to try to reduce my cholesterol. Does anyone have any experience with this? It's supposed to work better than prescription statin drugs, without the negative side effects. 'Hope everyone has a great weekend!--JJ

That sounds like a great idea....you are talking about the concentrated pkgs., right? So do you think the "Cider Vinegar" is the same as MRC-6? I will probably order them when the time comes....I know one of the stores said he would order them for me since he doesn't carry them...I think he said $14 a bottle. I do not know anything about the "plicosanol" for cholesterol....I know two years ago, the Dr wanted me to go on satins, but I told him to give me a chance to lose weight first...I am so glad I didn't get on them....after I join MRC, I will be interested to see what my cholesterol will be when I go in for my annual exam......maybe I can get off the BP meds...hope hope.