I found out about the program this morning, and I just got back from joining this evening

Confused about the preconditioning menu now that I'm really looking over everything. The back page leaves space for you to fill in what you eat every day...breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

What about snacks? Are you not allowed to eat anything outside of those 3 meals?

If, in fact, you can eat snacks...can it only be vegetables? Like, if I wanted to eat a Skinny Cow ice cream, am I allowed?

Um nope! My center let me have 2 snacks during preconditioning. 1 mid morning, like 15 almonds or an apple with peanut butter, a cheese stick and 1 afternoon snack of the same. Once you are OP there are no snacks on the beige or green menu, just 3 meals with an HNS as a mid morning or mid afternoon drink/snack. I would call your center first thing in the morning and confirm what they want you to do. And no there is no skinny cow anything OP. Just the stuff that is on your menu.

Congrats on your decision to join! Jump right in with both feet - you won't be sorry!

Same here on no snacks. I was only allowed to have an HNS and as many OP vegetables as I wanted during pre-conditioning. It's painful, but it really got me out of the habit of snacking, which was a total downfall for me. BTW, the skinny cow and lots of those other "low fat" ice creams have TONS of carbs!

Agree, just do only what the menu specifies. I lost 5.5 lbs on this part of the plan which was an incredible beginning to my weight loss. It provided abundant confidence for me, so just follow it and present your questions to your center. We are all different, so what some of us may be able to have, may not be the same for another!

Stick to whatever your menu says and don't deviate from it. I learned real fast that the weight loss will only happen if you stick to the plan. You will find as you go along it is pretty restrictive but totally worth it..

Cheers!
Ronnie

Wow! Thanks, guys! I'm glad I asked...

They didn't even give me an option for the HNS stuff yet...just the menu sheet and said they'll see me on Monday

Will the directions become more clear once the actual program starts?

The whole program seems a little too restrictive for the real world once the initial weight comes off. How can you truly have a social life if you aren't allowed to break from the guidelines every once in a while for a light beer at a bar or a small frozen yogurt at TCBY? (ETA: I'm 24, my friends are healthy too, but these situations are unavoidable if I don't want to become a hermit and lose friends over this because I can't join in...any advice on how to deal? A big part of my week involves going to friends' homes for Friday night dinner...I feel like it would be rude to ask if I can bring my own food, but I don't want to miss out on this time with friends. Is this something that will be discussed once the program actually starts?).

I'm really excited in general though! I've lost almost 40 lbs on my own and I just needed something to give me that extra push to get rid of the last 28

Yes, the menus they give you once you actually begin the program will be very specific. And you are right; the program is restrictive for the real world. When I first began, I avoided parties and other get-togethers until I was confident that I could use a massive amount of self-control. Then it became easier to deal. I was very faithful to the program without deviation for several months, but then became bored with the same old same old. I would stay on program the entire week, weigh in on Saturdays, and if I had lost I would go out that night and have something that I wanted. Then I would get right back on plan the next day. It is a trade off. I'm sure your friends will understand and there's nothing wrong with bringing your own food to get togethers. Or, you could always eat on-plan food before you go. You will learn what works best for you. You've already done well if you've lost 40 lbs on your own! Congrats!!!!!

Yes, it is restrictive, and you will never be able to go back to eating the way you were (since it's what go you here), but you will learn to make wiser choices, have treats in moderation, and make adjustments where needed for special times.

As for feeling you'll be rude to your friends, you'll find that true friends will support you and actually be proud of you for your choices. I have taken food to friends houses. When I have friends over, I try to have something we will all enjoy. I frequently take my own food into restaurants. As long as I order something, I don't feel bad at all. There are some restaurants because I just won't go to because there is nothing I can have, want or even sounds appealing any more.

At the end of your loss, when you're starting stabilization, the center will help you begin to add back in the things you really enjoy eating in a moderate way. But YES, it's super restrictive for a reason - that's why they guarantee 3-5lb/week! I haven't wavered a bit in 6 weeks and I've lost 20lbs. I love red wine and salty carbs, but it's not worth it to me to feel fat anymore.
Good luck!

p.s. Besides my mother (who looks at every morsel I eat and questions why I can't even have watermelon with dinner), *not a single person* has even noticed that I'm eating differently. Most people are more concerned with visiting or their own food! We are the ones who are obsessed with every bite. At breakfast, I order 2 poached eggs and sneak my low carb tortilla out of my purse and no one blinks an eye while they're ordering omelettes, bisquits/gravy, etc. I take a bit of smug satisfaction thinking of what their arteries are going to look like after breakfast vs. mine.

soU should have a list of resturants and what u can eat also if u know where u r going u can always look up the menu ahead of time on the internet and plan what u will order.

U can offer 2 bring a dish 2 your friends house enough 2 share. There r ways 2 stay OP and have a social life

Thanks again, everyone! It's really nice having you guys around to get feedback

My friends are all quite healthy to begin with, which makes me very lucky. I've never eaten out out at restaurants, so that's not a problem (I joined MRC not because I eat unhealthy, but because I tend to overeat on healthy things). And the friend I happen to be going to this week for our Friday night dinners knows I'm doing the MRC plan, and she said to copy my pre-conditioning menu for her and she'll work off of that!

One more question, since you guys are so incredibly awesome! I'm very active...doing army PT training for fun every weekday morning before work, cardio at the gym several times a week in the evening, and various workout videos in my bedroom. Will they put me on a menu plan that won't send me into starvation mode? If I burn too many calories and lose too much weight too fast, it'll pile back on once the program ends...and that scares me a lot.

Like I said above, I didn't join MRC because I make bad food choices...I joined because I snack on fairly healthy things when I'm not actually hungry.