PS. Ready to live....I see you are Arkansas. Have I asked you before...where in Arkansas are you? I'm in Fayetteville and Fort Smith. I work in Fort Smith and live in Fayetteville.

I think her name was Kelly, and she had blondish hair. She was fairly young and skinny and, like I said, is actually from the Bellevue center. I didn't ask if she was just filling in, or had moved to our center permanently. If I see her again, I might actually start requesting different consultants, or maybe I'll say something to Thea. It was very off-putting, and so different from my experience with ANY of the other consultants at our center.

Ready2live- Congrats on the losses! That is awesome. I make a tortilla "chip" that also satisfies my sweet tooth/craving. I bake the tortilla in a taco salad mold (you can use a baking sheet), spray with Pam, and sprinkle sweet and low and cinnamon over it. I bake it until it is crunchy. I hope our suggestions help!

I stopped by the store after my workout last night to pick up chicken breast and frozen broccoli for dinner. As I made my way to the frozen vegetables, I noticed Edy's ice cream has come out with their annual girl scout cookie ice creams. I love ice cream. And I LOVE LOVE their girl scout cookie ice creams. I stood there for a second and looked at them. I briefly thought "Surely I can buy some and just have a bite here and there." Then I remembered I simply don't have that self-control with ice cream.

I stared at the ice creams for a minute more and--I swear to God--I started tearing up. I literally started crying, I wanted that ice cream so bad, and I was really really sad that I couldn't have it. :( At first I blamed the diet, then I blamed myself--why the **** couldn't I have been born so that sugars don't affect me as much, what's wrong with me, why can't I have self-control, blah blah blah.

It was really depressing and saddening for me.

I ended up walking away, telling myself that the ice creams will be back next year, and I want to lose this weight NOW, and it simply wasn't worth it. I was proud of resisting, but still sad that I have to (and will always have to) have these internal battles over food. FOOD! Food should not have this strong of an effect or control over my life, dammit!

I'm sorry teacherlady. I know the feeling. I feel like I am losing my battle. I am addicted to food. I have been sick this week and again last night I turned to pizza which led to chips and donuts and chocolate. You did really great just walking away.

I have been SO hungry lately. I don't know what is going on with me. I did so well for a while and now it seems like I can't get it together. I need to make this work and I have to continue to tell myself that. You are doing absolutely great and you are so close to your goal.

I think I am going to start looking at my food addiction like my depression. I have chemical depression and have had it for years. I have to take medication. If I don't take my medication I know the consequences and I am not the best person I can be and rebelling against it is a waste of energy. I need to look at this the same way. I need to get busy adapting to this addiction so I can be the best version of myself instead of wasting my energy fighting it.

(Of course it is an extremely tough battle but you all know that!)

Teacherlady....I know how you feel about the ice cream. Last night, we met a friend for dinner. It is a mutual friend of hubby's and mine from college who is about to deploy to Afganistan. Usually, I just would have cooked dinner and made something yummy OP and had him over. But the friend said he wanted to share his "last" sushi meal with us before he deployed. (We used to go out for sushi alot in college together). So out we went. I was SO MAD ordering grilled chicken and veggies while the boys pigged out on sushi. I did have one piece....but I was upset that I had to miss out on one of my favorite things and not share that time/memory/food with our friend before he leaves.

I'm proud of you NOT giving in to the ice cream. Maybe once we slay the diet dragon, we will have more self-control. And maybe someday you WILL be able to buy it and only eat one scoop at a time. Or maybe you eat your scoop and throw it away (remember your truffle smash!). We are stronger than the food. And we are changing our habits to keep ourselves strong, physically and mentally.

We. Are. Doing. It.

I know exactly how you feel! My and my fiance (also OP) took my daughter to the mall to get her some new shoes, and we passed by the Mrs. Field's cookie store. Previously, Every time I went to the mall, I got a package of 10 (10!) Cookies and ate them all within about an hours time...so walking passed the shop and not buying anything, even though I could smell the brownies they were making was TORTURE!!! But I stayed strong and walked away. But, then I was really cranky because I couldn't have what I wanted :(

Hi! Does anyone have advice for pot lucks? At my work we're having a breakfast pot luck in the third and I don't know if I should go or not. I want to go because the people I work with are amazing and I want to have fun, but they dont know that I'm on program and I wasn't planning on telling them either. I don't want to be asked why I'm not eating anything and if I take on program I feel like then it would be weird and a little rude if I only ate what I took. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!

At the beginning of my loss, I just didn't attend these kind of things -- just too much temptation. And, I didn't want anyone to know what I was doing. I figured when I made enough progress for them to see, that would be the time they should know. So, perhaps for now, you might pass if you think it will make for an uncomfortable situation. Hey, but if you can handle it, go for it! All the best.

TeacherLady- I am right there you. I have a huge sweet tooth. We CAN do this! :dust:

For breakfast, I bet you could make an OP dish....some sort of breakfast mini quiches (I make these without crusts..just eggs, cheese and fillings (tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms are yummy!) in mini muffin tins...and bake.

And maybe bring a fruit tray too. That way you can eat several "mini" things....a few mini quiches and some fruit (even though its not fully OP for breakfast) and go to the event. If anyone asks why you aren't eating more...tell them you aren't big on breakfast and let it go.

But I gotta be honest, I don't get people who won't share they are dieting. If people know, they will help. They won't push food on you, and they will understand. As far as I've encountered, no one has been negative to me since I told them I was OP. They have only been supportive. And even more, since they know I am working hard, they are very vocal with the praise when they notice a difference in my looks or notice me making excellent food choices. It has been a huge support for me.

I would eat my OP breakfast before I go. Then, at the pot luck, just say you were hungry and already ate, but have a cup of hot tea while visiting with everyone. If you've already eaten, don't go near the food buffet.

If you don't think you will be able to handle it, I would not go. I know that I work with a bunch of sabotagers and food pushers. This week I took my lunch to work (OP lunch mind you and they all know I am on MRC). They kept saying "I want something good to eat. Let's order chinese. No, let's get burgers. No, let's order pizza." They do this EVERY DAY. Then they pass the menus around and ask me if I want anything. I politely tell them no and that I brought my lunch.

They ended up ordering bacon cheeseburgers and handcut fries from 5 guys burgers. They ate them right next to me while I ate my MRC. They asked me if I wanted a bite and I let them know I was stuffed from my MRC lunch. Then they compliment me on my willpower and say they are going to join MRC which they NEVER do.

Not everyone is like this, but you know your colleagues better than we do. If they are not going to be supportive it may be better to stay away from these types of gatherings until you have the stamina to deal with them.

My coworkers are the same way :( When I first started the program, they all went and bought Fazolis italian food, knowing that usually I would order something too, and then had the nerve to sit and eat in front of me. Plus, the brought extra breadsticks to offer to me...which I said no to, but the smell of baked spaghetti with extra cheese and sauce was torture! It's sad how people will try and sabotage you on purpose...

Razorbackbritt, I am in Bella Vista/Rogers area. Very close by to you. :) Thanks for the chip alternatives everyone. I went to a birthday lunch yesterday with the work crew at PF Changs. They had appetizers, their meals, and finished it off with a huge piece of cheesecake (my favorite dessert). I stuck to my salad with watermelon balls in it. Oh well, I know what all those things taste like and I'd rather be hard core til the weight comes off and then maybe be able to have a bite or taste here or there. It is a constant choice. Keep positive everyone. 90% of the struggle or maybe more is in our heads, not our bellies.

So I did a dumb thing today. While at work, I have my twitter open. And when I take my stretching breaks every hour or so, I scroll through it. Well, my favorite frozen yogurt place is on Twitter and they had a trivia thing today...and so I sent in my answer....and I won! A $10 gift card that must be used before 1/31/11!!

I think I'll take hubby there Sunday for lunch. He LOVES it and could eat almost $10 of it himself...and I'll get a bit of froyo and some fresh fruit toppings. Stupid me for entering a contest where the prize is off program food.

So I wi today and was only down 1lb. :( So of course I got frustrated, but then I was measured and have lost 8.5 inches. Yay! I do have to say that the frustration was only made worse when the consultant tells me, "Well maybe you should up your water intake." Mind you when she was looking at my food diary she said, "Wow! You drink a lot of water." I am drinking at least 108oz of water a day. She then proceeds to make a few other comments. I don't know...maybe it is b/c she is new & I have never done wi w/her but I was not that happy when I left MRC today. I was looking forward to hitting 10lbs. Anyways..I know i'm rambling at this point...but I needed to vent to someone who would understand. On another note I found the "miracle noodles". I was told by my center that I can't use them as a starch b/c I am not on the vegetarian plan. I still bought them because the nutritional value was not bad (low carb, low cal, low fat, low sodium). I haven't incorporated them in a meal yet. What do y'all think...should I give it a go? Sorry about the venting. I had a really bad day and on top of that on the way home from MRC I saw a kid on a bike get hit by a diesel truck. I could really go for some chocolate right now (darn pms)!

I weighed in today and gained .6 pounds. No reason for it,as I never went off program, but will do better next week.

Hope everyone has a wonderful evening.
patzi

I was told by center, that it is ok to do one day of full vegetarian.. Has anyone else done this? I thought this would be a diversion, and not foreign to me as I was a vegetarian while I was in college.

Patzi

Yeah, sometimes I get a little irritated when it seems like they aren't paying attention to something I said earlier, or like they are distracted or aren't totally "with it" that day. But, I just remember that everyone has "off" days, and maybe that was their day. It's still kind of irritating, though, when it seems like they have pre-rehearsed suggestions/answers. I mean, she saw you were drinking lots of water...so obviously it was an automatic response to say "Drink more water!" I usually just smile and nod when they say things like that--but I'm not a confrontational person, really.

Patzi- I would love to know that too.

Teacherlady- I think it was a combination of wi disappointment, pms, and a bad day on my part. You are so right though!

Thanks for all the input! When I went to my WI today, I talked to one of the guys and he gave me a recipe for a breakfast casserole. So I might go and check it out and if it starts to get hard or anything I'll just leave and tell them that I have to meet some people to study for class because I do have class that day, just later on in the day.

Katlinette..
Would you be so kind as to share the breakfast casserole recipe you were given at the center .
Thanks
Patzi

Teacherlady..

You mentioned the brand of cocoa that you buy from Diet Direct and I can't
seem to find it in the messages.. It is different than the one the company told me was compatible with MRC. I have been buying the Bari Wise Hot Chocolate.. I need to reorder and want to check your brand out.
Thanks
Patzi

Teacherlady,

I can sympathize with your ice cream moment. Yesterday was a hectic day for me and I was late having my afternoon snack. I had to go to the grocery store before I went home and I was so hungry that I was almost in tears because I couldn't just pick something up in the grocery store. I rushed through the store to get everything I needed, the whole time mentally going up and down the aisles trying to find something to buy to satisfy me.

In the end, I made it through the grocery store without having a meltdown. I bought a bottle of water to satisfy me until I could have my snack, but I never thought a trip to the grocery store could be that mentally taxing. It truly is one day at a time.

I always have cookies in a cookie jar on my kitchen counter. They don't usually bother me because sweets are not really my "thing" (I go for the chips and mac and cheese). They are for my son and husband and I rarely ate one. Well, the first week on plan, I walked in the door after work and found my husband with one hanging halfway out of his mouth. I could smell it (which was very strange for me) and immediately when off my rocker. I became the three headed monster and yelled at him for eating cookies before dinner (this is my 35 yo husband who runs 5 miles a day). I caught myself and actually found it a little amusing. He came over to me to give me a hug and I told him to "get away from me, because you smell like cookies".

I have learned to control myself now and the cookies don't bother me anymore. My husband is very greatful for that. :D

"Come to Jesus Time"
 

Hello everyone, I see I haven't been here since December 28, and I looked at my scale this morning and freaked out! I've been cruising along not going to the center, not really watching what I eat very carefully, generally lounging in the mind set of where I was before I started the program last April. I've watched the home scale just enough to rein in my eating to keep it from going over 160. After a huge meal at Johnny Carino's last night with DH, the number today was 162. Ugh!

My contract with the center expires March 1, so I've been telling myself I have lots of time to lose my last 25 pounds. Now it isn't so much time. Duh! I have slipped on the slope and so will go to the center as soon as I'm done with this post and get back on the program.

Three other teachers and I share a lunch period at 12:30 pm. We get 30 minutes. I teach in Texas where there is literally no time to pee, let alone relax over lunch. We have been collectively rewarding ourselves every Friday with take-out from a Mexican restaurant, so I guess you know that I've not exactly been on program when we do that! I dutifully brought my program meals to work a few days but have not made myself stick to the green menu long enough to even establish a decent burn. And so the weeks have gone by since returning from Christmas vacation. DH and I are in a Bible study every other Wednesday night which is another potluck adventure. I have no excuse, because none of these situations is any different than it was when I was actively losing.

Part of what is going on in my head is that even though I am not at goal, I'm thinner than I have been in years and some of the time that seems "good enough". I know I'm worth more than "good enough", but I still keep doing end runs around the program and avoiding the reality of the situation. So I'm off to the center. Perhaps they can help me with adjusting my attitude. Any advice any of you out there who have overcome this issue will be greatly appreciated.:?:

I get the ProtiDiet hot cocoa. :)

^This is exactly what my problem has been lately, I think. I simply haven't been giving it my all, partly because I'm so pleased with how I look/feel now. My contract is up March 8, and I still have about 20lbs to go--no way that's going to happen in such a short time, now.

I weighed in this morning and lost the .5lb gain I had earlier in the week. I was actually a little disappointed it wasn't more, because I've been doing ok on program this week. But then I remembered the pieces of chocolate I was eating at work here and there, etc. I was able to get away with those little "cheats" before because I still had so much to lose. But I think I need to change my mindset now, because it's getting a little harder to see big drops on the scale.

I also need to convince myself that "good enough" isn't good enough for me! I'm not really sure how to do that right now, so I'm just going to rededicate myself to the program and hope it comes naturally.

One thing that might help me is that my best friend has decided she wants to do the program. I'm coaching her through it because she can't afford to go through the center right now. I lost my "weightloss buddy" in my sister as she is now unexpectedly pregnant, so maybe gaining a new buddy will help. :)

If anyone has any other ideas to help me stay on track, I'm all ears!

A new day
 

So I went ahead and went to the center and "got it over with". Since the first of December I have actually gained about 2.5 pounds, according to their records. So that isn't so bad I guess. I talked to a counselor, very young, who just started on the front desk since I've been a member. I almost asked for the other counselor who was working, but the wait was already long.
As it turned out, the new gal had some good ideas and gave me a new menu which closely resembles Protein Power. It is called Meta-Protein: Phase 1. It lasts a week or two, and then you go on to Phase 2. This menu has no fruits or starches, but it does include fats and lots and lots of veggies. I went straight to the grocery store and loaded up my cart with every fresh thing that looked good that is on my new menu. I figure I can handle it and it will probably break the sugar craving that has returned with a vengeance. In Phase 2, you can add a fruit serving at lunch and a starch serving at dinner. Both phases include 3 HNS servings with or between meals. I CAN DO THIS! :crossed:

I have been on the Meta Balance plan for almost 3 months now & I get frustrated with the scale not moving down as quickly as it did when I was on Meta Slim. I just don't get why it isn't moving when I exercise 3 to 4 days a week. I am trying to retrain my brain to not care what the scale says and only go off what my body comp says every month. It is hard to do, but I know that if I don't then my brain is going to sabotage this for me. So I was pleased to find out at my wi that I lost another 11.25 inches and 3% body fat. I was also asked when I started what I wanted my goal weight to be. I really didn't have a number & didn't want one either because I'm one that if I focus on that, but don't meet it then I will feel like I have failed. Well everytime they open my chart I see my goal weight should be 150 & I feel that is so far away & I don't think very attainable only because they say I have close to 140 lbs of muscle. It still sticks in my head & when I went in for cooking class I talked to a different consultant about it. She told me that I could get to that weight, but to maintain it would be too hard. She told me that the readout on the scale has been pretty consistent saying I should be between 174 & 180. That made me feel way better because then I would only have like 30 lbs left to lose, but to me being 180lbs sounds like a lot. I know it is just my brain again & if I could do a detox on my brain I would for sure do it. I know I need to be happy with what I have accomplished, but am having trouble with my brain. Does anyone else have this problem or can you give me any advise? Sorry if I was rambling.
Keep up the good work everybody!!!

I just discovered Mrs. Dash - Southwest Chipolte seasoning and needed to share. I sprinkled it on salmon and grilled. Yummy!! A nice smokey bbq flavor. I think I will try it wth bison this week.

Ladystarrider- Congrats for getting back on the wagon :)

shannysmomma- Wow! You have lost over 100lbs! I had the same problem at my center. Tanita says my recommended weight should be 153. When I was on program last year my goal weight was the same and I got down to 165. Honestly, I was happy that I lost so much to get down to 165, but once I was there I felt like I could lose more weight b/c I wasn't as "thin" as I wanted to be. The tanita was run again when I hit 165 and it recommended a goal weight of 135. This time around I am aiming for 140 and once I am there I will make a decision. In mho I think you should aim for 180 and then make a decision at that time. I hope that helps you out a bit. :)

I LOVE that you said this "I also need to convince myself that "good enough" isn't good enough for me!" That is such a true statement. Have you ever gone to any of the connections classes. Those have helped me in the past get into the right mindset. Also, watching The Biggest Loser is a good motivator for me. If they can lose it so can we. At least we have each other to vent/rely on for support!

So tonight a group of friends and I went out and played in a Bunko tournament. We have done this quite a bit in the past so I knew what the night would have in store for me. Lets just say the first thing you see when you enter is: wine, keg of beer, soda, and lots of pizza. All of those things are "all you can eat/drink". I love/loved pizza. I stayed away from the table and brought my 36oz water bottle (which I had to keep refilling b/c I needed something to take away those cravings). Well as the night wore on the announcer states that dessert will be available soon aka I am in trouble time haha. So here was this table of yummy looking desserts. I felt like a dog drooling over a bone and not being able to have the bone/dessert. I went outside on our "dessert break" and thank goodness all of the desserts were gone by the time I came back inside. I have a weakness for chocolate. Anyways, that was my night...full of fun bunko (my friend won $320 from the raffle) and killing the dessert monster inside of me....well at least for tonight. Tommorrow i'm going on a road trip with my family to surprise visit my grandpa. The first thing that came to mind was crap they for sure will be serving rice and beans and some sort of meat that is seasoned with salt,etc. I am going to bring my food and hns in a lunch box. I think my step-grandma and grandpa may be offended that I am not eating what they cooked and also not eating birthday cake, but I have to do this for me. I am praying that they understand because I really don't want to hurt their feelings. When will the temptations go away??? I hope that there will be a day that I can walk past a brownie and not even think about eating it. I'm sorry for rambling, but I needed to get this out and y'all would def. understand the feeling. Have a great Sunday ladies!
:dust:

:cheer2::bravo::cheer3:

Good for you! What a tough situation. I've had those times where I just had to hang on for dear life. You did it!

I used to say that I was a skinny girl trying to get out of a fat girl. Now, I'm a fat girl trying to get out of a skinny girl! I consider myself "reduced obese," not cured. It's a battle I'll have to fight forever, but it is easier than it was before. Now, I can have a brownie if I want to (especially cause I work out a ton). But, the temptation to go completely crazy is always there - don't know if it will ever go away.

Hang in there tomorrow - you may be tempted to give in because you were so good yesterday. I would just say that you love them so much and that not eating doesn't change that - you just want to be healthy enough to be around long term to help them celebrate.

Ready to hop back on 100%. My husbands birthday was this weekend and I just couldn't catch a break. I got through it for the most part about 80-90% OP. Ready to start running again this week and going to Muay Thai. All I can do is start back over and try again. I am hoping for February to lose 10 pounds. I would be thrilled!!

I love your skinny girl / fat girl quote. That one for sure will stay in my head. So yesterday.....the good news is I stayed op somewhat. My Grandpa wanted to go to Golden Corral (his fave restaurant) for his birthday lunch. So the family all went to Golden Corral (mind you we drove 3 hrs...but I brought the lunch box w/my hns & bfast). I stayed op there b/c they have a pretty big salad bar. However, on the drive back to our town my parents stopped at their favorite winery. So.......I failed in that regards. I drank both my bf glass and mine for every wine, port, and cherry that they had. I was sloshed and when that happens a get a craving for junky fast food! Well, the family decided to stop at a pizza place and get pizza. Bf and I walked to another strip mall close by and got Subway. Let me just say it isn't easy sitting there watching 3 people eat a cheesy pizza (pizza is my all time favorite food...well it was). In the end I was happy that I was able to make better choices ie subway vs pizza. Today however, I feel like I was runover by a mack truck. I guess I learned my lesson. I have been op today and am waiting to see how the scale looks tomorrow (that is when I was planning on wi).

Drink lots and lots of water today. Alcohol always makes me retain a few pounds of water.

Well, I ate chips and salsa yesterday. We went to a new Mexican place...and I said "I'll just try their salsa...only two chips" turned into me and hubby polishing off the bowl.

Drinking lots of water today. Need to weigh in tomorrow (weather permitting). They are calling for lots of snow/ice here...so we will see if I can get to the center safely.