I read your post and I'm so glad that you decided to take charge of your life again and do this for you! I've had a rough week with little cheats all week and now just want to be done with this program and am committed (I hope!) Good luck and we're here for you

Well, I weighed in today and another 2 lbs bit the dust! Yea!!! My total is 15.5! I can't believe it! I started the green menu on 8/29. I still just wanna pinch myself that this is really happening....it's working! I've never lost this much in just 5-6 wks before! I'm in the 170's and I haven't been here in YEARS!!!

I'm so grateful for all the support I receive on here. I love celebrating everyone's victories! Let's keep it going through October!

Congratulations on your loss!! Way to go

Did my WI on thursday down 1.5#. I had a tuff week, they were and still are painting and carpeting our office, and I have know idea what they have stirred up but boy my sinus are killing me and I have had a sore throat for 3 days now. Oh and to top it off my daughter too has H1N1, and just can't seem to follow directions. I thought I was going to have to kill her for leaving her apartment and going to my office... She should know better she is getting her masters in Epidemiology -- book smart but no common sense!

Hoping to have a better week this week, I promised my counselor that I would only eat out with the guys 2x a week instead of the 3 or 4 like I usually do.

So my questions is the does anyone use the fat and carb blocker and is there a brand out there that is more affordable than the $30 for 30 pills??

FL -

I start the Connections class this Tuesday, the 13th. I'm reallly looking forward to it! Maybe I'll see some peeps there, huh?

-- JJ

Im signing up tommorrrow, but I have a question. Im on the program where you lose 72 pounds in 24 weeks, but I have 94 to lose. 1st, what happens if I dont lose the 72 lbs in 24 weeks, and 2nd say I do lose the 72 what about the other 20?? Thanks!!

Hi all! Mostly new faces, but I see a few names I recognize. I finished Stab and began Maint in Nov 2008. My maintence plan was odd looking, with added calories, and servings, since even at my goal weight, I was off their highest maint menu. ( I am 6'4'' and 225 at my goal weight) Was hard to follow as easily as the loss menus or the stab menus. (Which is NO excuse)

I kept the weight off, only putting on about 10 lbs of muscle in 6 months to get and keep my frame and metabolism back to were it was before losing my 74lbs in 2008. (I lost from 284 to 211, which is too low for me, and 14 of that 74lbs was lean mass, which is ok, I just felt I looked too thin, and too gaunt at that weight)

However, this summer(Since May really), I just did whatever the **** I wanted to do, eating WAY to much junk, not working out enough and have gained 30lbs back now!

In a way, I guess I am ok with it, since I did live it up for 5 months, enjoyed the eating, laziness, etc... And I am still in good shape, just sitting at 250lb instead of 225 - 230lb. Much better than 285lb, where I was 18 months ago.

However, I have now realized that I REALLY enjoyed being in GREAT shape, being thin in the waist, having no extra padding at all, MUCH more than I enjoy eating too damn much, and eating desserts every night.

Bad/sad thing is... if I follow the maint/stab menu's, and get my normal amount of excercise, I can eat whatever I want (Cheat days) on the weekends, and maintain my weight/not gain. That is the part that makes me continually kick myself... IF I had just stuck with that, I would still be 225lbs.

Guess, in this long and rambling post, I am trying to say I need the structure and discipline of sticking with a plan. I NEED to be back (on the plan, and on the board).

I AM going to lose 20-25lbs before thanksgiving, and then I AM going to stick to a maintence plan (with cheat days as long as I maintain) for the rest of my life!

Schoon

Schoon --

Alas, you've confirmed my deepest fear -- that once I hit my goal, get through stabilization and onto maintenance, I'm going to gain back what I've lost.

And although I know how silly that sounds, because I'm still far from MRC's goal (and even farther from my own), but it's still something that really concerns me. I, too, feel the need for that rigid structure. I'm afraid that by given a little lee-way coupled with my less-than-stellar willpower, I'm going to slide.

Stop the insanity!

-- JJ

Thanks so much

kimtpa - Firstly, I want to say how irresponsible your employer is to paint and carpet your offices while having employees present. I am a LEED Accredited Professional and work solely on "sustainable/green" construction projects as interiors project manager/facilitator. Poor indoor air quality is
what you are experiencing (sinus trouble and sore throat) caused by the VOCs (Volatile organic compounds (off-gassing) which are organic chemical compounds that have high enough vapor pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere. Volatile organic compounds are numerous and varied. Although ubiquitous in nature and modern industrial society, they may also be harmful or toxic. VOCs, or subsets of the VOCs, are often regulated. The paint, carpet and carpet adhesives are highly toxic and can create indoor air quality problems if they are not specified as low/no VOCs. Typical projects do a flush-out prior to occupation because of the health issues associated with VOCs. Just my 2-cents. As for the fat and carb blocker I have had a bottle for quite sometime and do take it only when I have an alcoholic drink. I have not found a substitute and have found that it has worked in the past. Back in June when my mother turned 65 we had a margarita party and I had my fair share of margaritas, I took the fat/carb blocker and did not gain an once that weekend.

Schoon - thank you for sharing, I have found out for me that after several attempts on diets, some successful others not, that my weight is and will be a continuous battle no matter what i weigh 140 to 225 - no different always a struggle and i am expecting this to be the case when I get to maintenance. What I am doing now is to prepare myself for this mentally and make promises to myself that if I gain over a certain amount then i am right back on MRC...Good luck!

GWE140- I'm a LEED accredited professional too! I'm an architectural designer (sounds like such a silly title- can't say architect until I pass the AREs). Glad to know there are so many of us out there.

Hello Everyone- I'm in my first week of preconditioning. I have lost 10 lbs of the 100lbs I want to lose. I'm getting married next October 1st and need to get in dressing shopping shape. I'm so excited to be eating healthy and losing this weight! I'm 29 and live in Colorado. Thanks!

JJ, Happy Sunday to you...it is a cold one, that's for sure. We just got back from walking for "Safe Quarters" for Abused women and their children. It was a fun walk, but burrrrr, I just can't seem to warm up. Anyway, I want to tell you that you are doing so good. 30+ pounds is so great. Keep up the great work.

I chose the Thursday night Connections classes. Darn, I was hoping you would be there. I am excited for them to start. Have you gone to any of the cooking classes on Friday? I wonder if it is a different clase each week or the same one each time? I will have to ask at my next WI. I didn't WI on Saturday, because the scale hadn't changed, so not much use in going in and discussing again why I'm not losing any weight. I truly am disappointed. My husband and I have decided to re-join the Y, so that will get me back on track for excercising again. I have slumped off because of the cold weather. My body is not prepared for this Nebraska winter yet. I can't seem to warm up for being out in it all day, so going to fix my Chicken/Veggie soup for dinner and hope it will defrost me. You take care and keep up the great work, I am so proud of you.

NotaFatBride - Welcome to the MRC 3FC thread! Congrats and the 10lbs WOW on your first week of preconditioning...This program works and just imagine what a beautiful bride you will be October 1st at you goal weight. My goal is to lose 86 pounds and today I am down 53 pounds...just a few more to go. As for my professional life, I have a BID (Bachelor of Interior Design) degree and just like you could not use Interior Architectural Designer or Interior Designer etc until I passed the NCIDQ and became state registered...what a pain...I am thrilled that a LEED NC project I have worked on as the LEED facilitator et al for over 18 months achieved Platinum! The first in our area here...just finalizing all the paper work related to the acceptance of the GBCI's final report. Good luck on the ARE, I did attend Green Build when it was in Denver a couple of years ago and was very impressed with the commitment in Colorado to sustainability.

Quick note... we just got home and I wanted to give you all an update...
I ran my 5k Sat am, did good, I was really hoping for 38 minute finish but it managed to illude me and my time was 39:16... We took 2 laps around the course to make the full 5k. The first time was not so bad up the hill but the 2nd time I had to run up that hill/mountain (it was mentally growing by the minute) I seriously had to talk my way up that hill and keep running, it was tough, I kept counting the running steps up, it was like stair climbing but I did it and it was then mostly downhill after that. It felt so good to run down that hill, past the last fellow keeping time for us and have him say you're almost there, I was grinning from ear to ear, I did it, I really did it and I wasn't dead last !! I had a great time and it really felt wonderful :0) My mom and daughter walked the 5k in 52 minutes, I was so proud of all of us! We treated ourselves to some goodies at the Apple Festival afterwards. I will be back on plan in the morning for sure... Have a great night everyone.