From the beginning, I bought a new shirt or skirt or jacket for my goal weight size for every week I stayed on plan (whether I lost or not). I knew I would be in medium shirts. I didn't start buying skirts and pants until I had a little clearer picture of what my size would be. They sat there in my closet staring at me with the tags on and it was so motivating! When I finally fit in them....:carrot:

Are most of the recipes in the cookbook meat recipes? Do you think it's worth it for a vegetarian to buy the cookbook?

So true! Something so basic and yet it can be so difficult.

Thanks to all for your support! It's definitely making this journey a bit easier. :)

I've done the same thing too. Unfortunately, there was no hope for that packet either. Don't you hate it when that happens?

It has one page that says, "Tips for Vegetarians"
The first bullet says:
Almost every recipe in the cookbook can be easily modified to meet the needs of a vegetarian. Recipes in the Lunch & Dinner Recipes section that contain poultry can be replaced with tofu or tempeh. Items that contain ground turkey or beef can be replaced with veggie ground round.

There are 8 more bullets - but I have to run to my weigh in this morning, I can send you the rest when I get to work around 10ish (CT).

Awesome! Thanks :-) I think I might just go pick the cookbook up then.

test

Look at that new picture teacherlady! Show off that progress!

Haha! I had a few spare minutes and I like showing these pics off now, so I switched up my profile pic. ;)

Well, I weighed in this morning. My extra carbs and salt from eating out made me NOT sign the 40 pound board. I had been holding steady at 169 at my home scale, then was up to 170.4 on it this morning...and so I actually showed a .5 gain at MRC. Oh well, I know its not fat. Hopefully the extra stuff will be gone by Thursday. I am spending time with some girl friends shopping this weekend and I really want to be able to say I've lost 40 pounds!!

Love it! You can totally see the change. :carrot:

I am on day 9 of the Meta- Slim plan. I am thinking today when I go in to weigh in I will be getting a new menu... currently I am doing the blue menu for this plan. If it's no trouble for you I would greatly appreciate a couple of recipes from the book!

I've been bouncing back and forth daily between 185 and 187 (home scale) for a week and a half now. This morning I woke up to 185. I'm so hopeful that I'll be under 185 tomorrow, because this is getting extremely frustrating. I'm on the 25th day of the program.

My last 2 weigh-ins (yesterday and Friday) had me maintaining 190. Does anyone else every feel ashamed if you don't have a decent weigh-in? I don't know why I feel that way.

I've been perfectly on plan for the entire 25 days, except for this past Saturday. I was babysitting for friends who are moving to Miami, and while making their children lunch I absentmindedly put popcorn in my mouth 3 times.

I can't imagine 3 bites of popcorn being the cause of my stalled weight loss, and I know plateaus are normal, so why do I feel ashamed?

I also find it interesting that I haven't been below 184 in 7 years (during that time my weight has bounced between 185 and 210 pounds, and this is where my body has decided to stall shedding weight.

Strange things these bodies of ours.

I had an awesome day at the gym. It's amazing how much energy you have when you work out. It's also funny how fast you forget that, when you get out of the routine of exercising.

Anyways, hope all of you ladies are having a fabulous start to your week!

About 2-3 weeks into the program (14-25 days), it is TOTALLY NORMAL to have a temporary stall. I wouldn't worry about it. It has to do with your body adjusting to the new lifestyle, and the fat loss. It's frustrating when it happens, but just know that it happened with ALL of us, and you will get past this. As long as you stay on program, you're still burning fat, even if the scale doesn't show it! In fact, if the scale doesn't move much on your next weigh-in, make them measure your inches--that always makes me feel better and keeps me motivated through a stall!

Don't feel ashamed (although, I often feel the same way)! We have been so conditioned to believe that everything about our weight--weight loss, weight gain--is entirely up to us and our willpower. While our choices do influence our bodies heavily, it's virtually impossible to control everything about ourselves. Our bodies go through adjustment periods, and there's nothing (within reason) we can do about it. Let it adjust, don't take the blame, and move on. "It is what it is," is what one consultant always says at my center.

:hug:

Try a zumba class, there is not a class that goes by that you dont work your abs.

Hi everyone...
I weighed in and lost 1.7 pounds.. I was on Meta Quick for 3 days, so it broke the two gains I had last week during weigh in. I am .4 pounds away f rom goal.. Hopefully next Tuedsday I will make it.. I am very happy at the weigh in today.

Patzi

Yay, Patzi! :)

Woohoo, Patzi!

Congrats Patzi !!!!!

Thanks Debi,that was good to know.
Looks like the maintenace is low carb too so I don't have worry about it too much.bTW you look fabulous in the aft image.
Does the water we mix HNS count towards our daily qouta of 64+oz?
Today I got the blue menu,sad to see that salad didn't go away:(

I lost 2 and a 1/2 pounds in 3 days on the yellow menu!:carrot:
as long as that happens,no worries about salads

I wonder why I couldn't see any "success stories" thread.Or did I miss it.
It would be nice to see everyone's write-up of their suceess story,the length it took,the supplements you had,workouts,favorite tips,recipes,bef/aft images,
trials,inches lost ,alternate suppl.s or websites or anything you think will help others etc.Just like those success stories that come in fitness mag.s,I always read them bcoz that motivates me especially on tough days.You don't have to reach your goal to write.Losing as much as 20 lbs should qualify!Just a thought.
For buying clothes during transition,my suggestion wud be this:If you are a size 12 now for example,buy a pant that has stretchable elastic waist two sizes lower,try them first,if it snugly fits you,you can use them for 8-12 sizes.same goes for skirts and capris-buy stretchable-drawstrings-multiple hooks etc.
For tops,best bets are knitted tops,They strech easily so you should be good for couple sizes down or up.Buy something a tad snug and it will start loosening up as you lose weight.There is nothing compared to looking good and confident it clothes that actually fit you.

born2btxgrl :
I would like to know about the veg tips in the cookbook too.Not doing veg right now,but may consider it for one week of Lent.

Yay, Patzi! That's awesome! I am rooting for you--I know it's been tough for the last month or so for you!
:carrot:

MRC Success Stories on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id...893&aid=115279

A "Does it Work" thread on 3FC:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/does...ecialists.html

HTH!

I'm doing finals this week for school, but some are already on my blog - what do you like, prefer on meats? I can start there since the book is sectioned off by sauces, breakfast, lunch, dinner & crockpot recipes.

You know what my mistake was - I weigh myself at home when wake up - UM before I eat and get dressed!!!! Seriously my weight changes when I put clothes on!!! I try never to wear jeans at weigh in now - and I try to put on a short sleeved shirt. SILLY!!

I did lose another 1lb today though at weigh in.

Tips for Vegetarians (Cookbook)
 

No problem! I meant to post this earlier but UM WORK .. very stressful on top of finals this week.

- Almost every recipe in the cookbook can be easily modified to meet the needs of vegetarian. Recipes in Lunch & Dinner Recipes section that contain poultry can be replaced with tofu or tempeh. Items that contain ground turkey or beef can be replaced with veggie ground round.

- Almost every recipe in the cookbook except the Lunch & Dinner Recipes is currently compatible with your menu (hence trading out meats)

- Brand and food labels matter. When selecting your vegetarian protein options, reading labels can help you select the best item. Be sure to select the item with the highest protein and lowest fat, carbohydrates, and sodium.

- Many vegetarian proteins are high in sodium. Using seasonings other than salt in your recipe will help to retain great flavor without added salt.

- Toasted nuts are great on a salad and can be substituted for mean in a salad recipe.

- Pat tofu dry before cooking

- Chop and steam tempeh before adding it to a recipe to bring out its flavor

- Use veggie deli meat to make open-faced sandwiches. This meat can also be used to top salads and in wrap recipes

- The vegetarian menu allows for a wider variety of starch items. Be creative when cooking recipes by substituting your additional starch options. For example, add 1/4 cup whole wheat pasta (cooked) to your favorite soup recipe.

Hello ladies. I hope that everyone has had an op March so far. I have been away for a week or so b/c I have been ill and then my hubby got into a really bad car accident. I've been able to stay op. Yay! Here is to a better March for all of us!

born2btxgrl :
Thanks for taking time to post that.That info will help me a lot when I switch to vegetarian.Best luck with your finals.

Hey Mandiana, I think you are on to something there. When I was at a stall at one point in my program, my couselor asked me how long I had previously stayed at the weight I was currently stalled. When I told her I was at that weight for a while, she thought it normal that my body wanted to stay there. I think once your body gets used to it, you will begin to move downward again. Hang in there!

Congratulations Patzi. You deserve it after all the struggling you have gone through!!!

Oh gosh, I hope your hubby is ok and you are better.

Well, I weighed in yesterday and was down another 2 lbs. Yay! That definitely motivated me to resist the smell of the pizza at our family get-together for my sister's birthday last night! :)

I did pretty good at the birthday dinner last night. I brought my own chicken and salad (from subway--yum! salad is so much yummier when you don't have to make it yourself!), didn't have a carb with my dinner and only ate one of the gourmet mini-cupcakes we had for the birthday dessert.

Even though the cupcake was off plan, it was a huge victory for me to consciously decide to eat a cupcake while compensating by not eating a carb with dinner and not eating more than one cupcake. Not only that, but I chose one of the mini-cupcakes rather than a full-size one (we had both). Seriously. In the past, I would have eaten multiple cupcakes as well as carbs with dinner. Even a month ago, I would have still eaten my carb with dinner, or felt deprived if I didn't (even if I ate a cupcake), if that makes sense.

This was a victory for me because it shows me that--as long as I plan for it--I can indulge occasionally and in moderation without it derailing me or making me feel bad (which leads me to make the situation worse).

:carrot:

Congratulations, Teacherlady! That's great news! Only 10 pounds to go now. :)

Well, if there was ever a time to stray and go off plan, now is it. Last night, we had to take our daughter to the ER because of possible dehydration (only one wet diaper all day). She's been sick for the past week. I think the ER gods were smiling down on us, because we got fast tracked and we were in and out of the ER in less than 2 hours. That never happens. No IV necessary, but they did give her medicine for her lungs (she was a preemie so we have to keep a close watch on her). We got home late, didn't have dinner till about 8:30, but I stayed OP.

Today is a little different. I haven't even had my first HNS today. The Little One woke up twice last night for a bottle (3:30A & 5:00A). I was thankful she was drinking again, but exhausted today.

Oh, and did I mention TTOM came 3 days early?! :(

Guess I should go get that drink. Thanks for listening.

Sorry to hear about your daughter, Jen. Hope she gets better soon!

Excellent. You are winning the game and we are all a part of it. So happy for you.

Thanks so much! We have a doctor's appointment for tomorrow. Hopefully they can fix my sweetie up.

After that kind of day, I think I'd be tempted to add some vodka to my HNS! :dizzy:

That is great! Life does happen - and this is a life style change! I am still struggling with not being able to prepare myself for situations that take me out of my comfort zone. If I go to work, come home - I'm great. If I go anywhere socially I eat before we go - unfortunately though when I'm around foods I love, I have to nibble!!!

Today was awful stress wise - testing for finals, work is so busy - they brought in donuts for breakfast from Krispy Kreme. Issues with the office took me past those donuts about 26 times and I resisted. At the final hour when I thought I was going to cave to stress - I left the office.

I'm glad I can talk about it and just get it out there!

I had my WI yesterday & I am lost another 4 pounds!!! I have been losing slower because I'm on the meta balance program so I usually lose like 2 pounds a week so I was so excited to see that. PLUS.....I have finally broken out of the 200's!!!! Woohooo!!! I have lost a total of 119 pounds so far!!!

You are amazing! Great job!

Mariah