I am thinking of going to MRC for a consultation. I will be honest, I have tried lots of diets. Lost lots of weight over the last 15 years. And gained it back, plus. My high weight was 218 last year. I re-joined weight watchers, and have lost down to 197 in about a year. I tend to lose 5 to 7 lbs, then plateau, then go up and down with the same 2-3 lbs, then lose again, etc., so it takes me forever to lose. My most successful weight loss was with LA weight loss about 5 years ago, but they closed, I lost that support and gained it all back plus 20 lbs(where I was last Yr). My last big weight gain was after a really hard year(08) with my grandma, a lifetime friend, and my step dad all dying within 7 months. This time doing ww has been great as I have really finally understood what I do must be lifestyle change, not diet. Our local ww meeting closed last month and I haven't lost since(have stayed onplan and weight hasn't went up). Joined ww online but it just isn't the same. Anyway, there is a MRC 50 miles from me, in the town I drive to once a week for guitar lessons for my son. So am thinking of trying it.
Now finally to my main question! It looks to be very similar to LA weight loss. Does anyone know if they are similar?? I LOVED LAWL. It really worked for me. MRC seems better in that it has the classes and available therapist.
Thanks in advance for any info!!!

Donna I think you will like MRC for the simple reason you will get the support it sounds like you are looking for like with LAWL.. I'm not sure if the diets are the same or not but the support is awesome! I just started last saturday after my consult on thursday and I've never been happier. My story sounds so similar to yours! I tried all the diet out there and have yo yo'd the last 12 years, losing and regaining.. what a cycle! I too was very successul on weight watchers but the last time I tried to go back to it it just wasn't working out for me. I really needed a center with a coach or counselor who would hold me accountable to myself and MRC definitely is that! So I hope you at least do the free consult and check it out!

Well, I am in the same boat, diet after diet... I too tried LAWL. I did not do the bars because of colitis. I didn't last long on it and did not loose much weight. I was going through some things this weekend and found my LAWL stuff and looked through it again cause I was curious about how similar they were. Metabolic is a low calorie, low fat, low carb diet. Its not quite like LAWL. Instead of bars you will do protein drinks (a mix with water in fruity flavors). You have a menu (that is pretty set) and go off of that for your meals. I like it alot and what I love the most is that you see results if you stick with the program. This is a great place to find info on it. Search for menus and you can see what a typical day looks like. Hope this helps! Best of luck!!!

Thanks to both of you!! I'm still trying to decide!! Halfway scared to go---I am so weak when it comes to good salespeople!! Afraid I will sign the dotted line before thinking it through!

Well, when I went in I felt like they said everything I wanted to hear I think thats how it goes. I am just being honest It can get expensive but you know what, I am willing to pay as much as I have to to get where I want to be. I am not happy in this body and I will give up other things to have this. Its a pretty strict diet and they will not give you any hint to what it is on your consultation (you do pre conditioning and then usually a week later they will give you a menu). I think that most diets work its just which one works with your life.

I did LAWL several years ago and it is very similar to MRC. Same type of foods (1 starch, 1 protein, etc) program. Instead of the bars between meals, they give you HNS (High nutrient suppliments) that are basically the same as the bars nutritionally but you eat/drink with meals and used as snacks.

I lost alot of weight with LAWL and kept it off for quite a while and our center closed as well. I just started MRC the first of September and will be 1/2 way to goal by the end of the month. A couple of the biggest differences are dairy... no milk, no soft cheese, and lots of eggs. The recipes are better and more abundant with the HNS creamies (you get after the initial couple of weeks) that includes soups, puddings, drink mixes. I liked the bars on LAWL but it was difficult to maintain because it was SO restrictive, I felt deprived of foods. On MRC I have yet to feel deprived and I really like most of the HNS mixes. I am full after eating, my cravings have (for the most part) subsided (there isn't anything that can replace real chocolate) and I am excited for maintenance.

On LAWL, I couldn't see myself staying 'on program' during maintenance, with MRC, I can definitely see staying on program because the foods are 'more real'. With LAWL, I ate the same thing for 4 months and at the end was tired of the same food so went totally off maintenance. I love MRC (and my husband even likes the food I make) food because it is more creative and 'normal' food. I obviously don't eat out as much on program but even when I do eat out, I am not afraid of crashing my diet because I can eat real food. (I order salads and protein and steamed veggies and eat my starch & HNS before we go so I am not starving and can order correctly).

Hope this helps. I was afraid this too would be LAWL and I would gain all back, but I don't see that happening after almost 6 weeks on the plan. Good luck in your decision. It is really about a lifestyle change... someone said on another thread that on maintenance, she eats 'on program' 90% of the time and can have 10% other stuff and still maintain. I can accept that for a life style change.

THANKS, Tammie!! I am going to go tomorrow, will let you all know what I decide!!

I went to the consult...they were very nice! I would call it a soft sell, not pushy at all. They quoted me a program price of $298, with 17 weeks to lose 45 lbs, and 6 wks stabilization and 1 yr. maintenance. If I want to add a saliva hormone test it would make the program cost $399. If I want to add the saliva test later it would be $200. I thought that was high, but checking online doing that up front would be a great deal.....the $200 seems standard for what I found.
I didn't make a decision....not sure what I want to do. I would like my daughter to do it with me, would be a 20% savings on each of our programs if she would, but I couldn't even get her to walk in there....she was afraid it would be a hard sell, and she doesn't like that.
Does anyone have any opinion on the saliva test??

I did the saliva test & I am glad I did. Before I started MRC I was constantly getting hives. Went to an allergist, went through tons of tests..not fun at all..and all he could tell me was I had an auto-immune disorder, went on different meds & nothing worked. I was even on some pretty hard core stuff & I hated it. Well when I did the saliva test it should that my levels of cortisol were way out of whack and that it could cause immune disorders. I was so happy that I found out what was causing all the painful hives, even my doctor couldn't tell me. So I have since then stopped taking all the meds & haven't had an issue for almost 6 months now. I even think I might do another saliva test sometime through this journey. I would do it!!!

Good luck & I hope you can get your daughter to do it!! It is so worth it!!

THANK you!!! I know if I do decide to do it, I will do the hormone test........I just have to decide if I am going to do it!! So afraid of failure. And the expense scares me too!

I think the expense keeps me accountable. Because I already paid so much up front, I am motivated to work hard so my $ isn't wasted.

I agree with the above, it's the cost that is keeping me from even thinking about cheating or wavering or anything of the sort.

I did not do the saliva test - decided to wait and see if I couldn't lose weight at some point. If I stopped losing, I would do the test. I never took it. Many people have said that MRC uses the test results to try to sell you a ton of supplements that you now "must" have in order to lose weight and the "proof" is in the test. My opinion would be to wait.

Thank you, Debi! I was just looking over the information they gave me this morning, and this is just what I thought of!

I think I have decided to tell them if they have a sign-up special to call me. Going to wait and see if I can get a better deal. Thanks for all of your help!