That's awesome! I have a ways to go but hopefully before November I will be joining you in stablization/maintenence. Great Job!:bravo:

Mariah

REGARDING STEVIA:

From http://www.truvia.com/
"Truvia™ natural sweetener is a zero-calorie sweetener made with the best tasting part of the stevia plant."

Many great looking recipes provided here too.

I've used this approach with my kids for years, I guess it's time to use it on myself - though I really have not been hungry yet.

Mariah

I have become a pro at knowing which veggies are "heavier" and eating more of those. Cauliflower is especially dense when coooked and you only have to eat a little of it. I save salads for when I am really hungry and make sure to include cucumber and tomoato to make it weigh more with less volume.

Mariah

CONGRATS ON THE LOSS AND THE NEW PANT SIZE! Also, I don't use sweeteners very often but when I do it is Truvia and I really like it.

I just love reading all these tips and ideas. Thanks everyone!! My first wi was today and even with a couple of mistakes, I managed to lose 2 pounds since Friday afternoon. WOOHOO!!! Next wi in this Friday, don't know how I will do with only 1 day between wi, but I live in the country and can only go on Wednesdays and Fridays for now.

Congrats to all of you hitting stablization/maintenence! :D

Thanks for all the suggestions on how to eat my veggies. I will work on getting more in but I am not going to stess about it.

As for sweetners, I don't like stevia (too bitter), won't use S&L or Equal, haven't tried truvia. I only 2, maybe 3 cups of tea a day and I only use enough ez-sweetz to take the edge off the bitter taste of the tea. I also drink around a gallon of water a day. Before this program, I was drinking very little water and at least a gallon of tea a day.

I did a bad thing last night! (And I won't do it again!) Wednesday nights are family nights. All the kids, the in-laws, my Mom and sister come over for dinner. (My kids are 21, 23 & 26) We had tacos/taco salad for dinner. I measured me out a portion of taco meat and fixed a taco using a La Tortilla Factory Low Carb tortilla with lettuce and tomato. Then fixed a taco salad with the remaining meat. Well, I didn't get completely through the salad when everything decided to evacuate! I guess the fat content was too much for my tummy. I hate eating "diet food" in front of them all the time and wanted to feel more normal. Next time I will make me some chicken fajitas or use some ground turkey breast!

I know I've struggled with that same thing. Especially with my "string bean" hubby. LOL I want to eat what he does. Something I've had to drill into my head is that he's got a super fast metabolism and I can't eat everything he does much less in the same quantities. It takes a lot of will power, but it didn't come overnight. I just take it a meal at a time. The thing is, he's proud of me and the choices I'm making so it takes the edge off my new eating style (as opposed to calling it "diet food" ;) ).

The great thing about this board is that unlike those who do MRC and have no one to turn to, the posters here are so incredibly supportive. If you're having a tough time, feel free to jump on here and let everyone know. You'll quickly find, you are not alone. :hug:

Weighed in again. Good news: I stayed at 169. Bad news: I stayed at 169. So I am on my 7th day of Metaslim...and only lost 1 pound.

Part of the problem I think, is that I (TMI alert) haven't had a BM since I started Metaquick last Friday. I drink Benefiber daily, and have added in a MRC fiber drink to help, but still nothing. I can't take laxatives (for medical reasons), but I bought some Internal Cleanse from MRC to take. My counselor told me that it has really worked for others. We shall see. I think I can get everything moving again, I might have lost another pound or so.

I get Zumba certified (Finally) Saturday. I was supposed to go in February but it got snowed out. So Saturday is the big day! Hopefully after a day of working out, I will show some sort of nice loss! *Praying* I'm sick of losing so slowly when I still have 30ish pounds left!

My first day of stabilization was Wednesday. So I am on it Wed, today and tomorrow I get weighed in, but the week will be up next week.
Patzi

For those that do not enjoy eating veggies, have you tried roasted veggies?
They are sooooo good. I roast them with some olive oil and herbs, and they are sweet and very good..

I roasted eggplant for hubbie, and he likes to put some marina sauce on top and sprinkle with soy parmesan cheese & put in a pita. I just ate them without the sauce and cheese and they are great.

Broccoli and cauliflower are good roasted, as are asparagus.

hard squash and onions excellent, also, but that is not allowed on my Meta
Slim.

For herbs, I use a Herbs de Proence or a savory herb of any kind, or Dash is good.

Hope this helps

Patzi

Great Job!! I really don't like weighing in twice a week because I do not tend to lose at a steady rate. I will go 2-3 days with no loss and then almost overinght lose 2-4 pounds. I've compensated by only tracking my Friday weighins on the card they gave me and focusing on weekly totals instead of losses at each weight in.

Mariah

Re:Stuffing recipe from MRC cookbook. Has anyone tried that ,and if so, would you recommend making it?I was thinking of making a chicken bruschetta with the stuffing on top with diced tomatoes and some soy cheese, as I am allergic to regular cheese.

Thanks
Patzi

What a great idea! I think I will follow your lead on that. I really don't know why they want 2 weigh ins a week anyway. If I could do like Monday and Thursdays, that would make more sense to me, but....

Spaghetti squash is a good option to. You cut it in half, put it cut-side down on cookie sheet, cook it at 350ish for 30-45 min (depending on the size) and then use a fork to pull it out and it looks like spaghetti. It will keep in the fridge for at least a week. If you had it for lunch you could use cheese as your protein and have some parmesan or mozarella dn then add diced raw tomoato, parsely, spinach, cooked mushrooms, etc with it.

For dinner add protein of your choice and you could use the tomato basil supplement or just use raw diced tomoatoes.

Mariah

My weigh-ins are the same as yours. I usually weigh on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Wednesday wi is usually maintaining or 1/2 pound, but come Saturday, I usually show a 2-3 pound loss. It is a little frustrating for me, but the Wednesday wi keeps me on track. I really love the accountability that going in twice a week gives me.

@Razorback- I'm in the same boat. Today the consultant put me on the Meta Slim Two Meal Plan for the next five days. Hoping to shake up things. I think my body is comfortable at this weight.

I wish you well with your Zumba certification. I am jealous of anyone with the coordination to do zumba. I can get the foot moves down and the upper body moves down but trying to coordinate the two together isn't pretty. Howver, it is quite hilarious!

Good luck!

I have to WI twice a week too or forget it. When I tried going once a week, I would, on occasion, reward a good WI with a candy bar later that day because I had a week to make up for it. Great logic, huh? ;) Twice a week keeps me accountable.

I did my best when I'd weigh in three times a week, but that was during my "single life." "Married and baby life" only affords me twice a week, but I make it a priority.

I love roasted veggies! Try them if you haven't!

Stuff
 

Generally I weigh in twice a week on Mon & Thurs - but the center is only 10 minutes from work and 15 minutes from home - she even mentioned today when weighing in that I could come three if I felt I needed to.

I currently use Equal, but I am switching to Truvia as my friend at work also likes it and recommended it for me.

I also hate veggies - I stick to cucumbers, squash, zucchini, tomatoes and green peppers. I heard that the cauliflower mashed is similar to mashed potatoes so I'm trying that tonight for dinner. I also get into about half of the broccoli and decide I'd rather drink another HNS than down those things.

I was able to redeem myself today - lost 3lbs so I'm down 18lbs total - YAY hoping to sign the 20lb board next week!

Congrats!! Keep it up!

Mariah :carrot:

[QUOTE=LisaK190;3762748 I wish you well with your Zumba certification. I am jealous of anyone with the coordination to do zumba. I can get the foot moves down and the upper body moves down but trying to coordinate the two together isn't pretty. Howver, it is quite hilarious!

Good luck![/QUOTE]

My oldest son actually "threatened" to video tape me doing Zumba to send in to America's Funniest Home Videos. I can't get the hip motion so I generally stick to TurboFire or walking.

Mariah

I made the stuffing recipe last november and december, and it was really good! Totally worth it!

WTG Girl!! You will be there before you know it!!! :carrot:

I was totally on plan yesterday. Last night I rewarded myself with orange roughy instead of cod. I totally get why the roughy is so expensive--it is sooo yummy!

Mostly on plan today. I was so hungry this afternoon and evening! I was able to tie myself over till dinner with a gelatin supp, but an hour after dinner I just didn't feel full--stomach was growling. I ended up eating one of those atkins endulge bars so I'm not hungry AND got my sweet fix. I figured, it's not on plan, but better than most other stuff I could have chosen.

I'm hoping the extra hunger means I'm losing pretty good this week. That's usually the case for me.

I"m sooooooooo grateful tomorrow is Friday. I'm exhausted, and my district has our spring break next week--so I can relax (i.e., have less stress), get caught up on stuff at home, and maybe fit some extra workouts/exercise in. :)

Happy St. Patty's, everyone!

LOVE this idea. I hate spaghetti squash. That sounds like another great option. Thanks.

Hey guys, I was given a tip yesterday that might help everyone here also. Did you know that water actually interferes with digestion? Don't drink any water 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after a meal to let your body digest your food properly.

It's WI day! I have been at the same weight for the last 3 days, so not sure what's going to happen at the clinic. Wish me luck!

Razorbackbritt: I really suffer on my diet from constipation--the advice from from doctor (written down on a handout) is to "take magnesium oxide 400 mg at least twice daily for soft bowel movements. Some may need to increase tablets to 2 twice daily." This is in addition to increasing fiber and water intake. It worked for me, altho I need to take four tablets a day. Magnesium is water soluble, therefore you can't overdose on it.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check into it.

So I'm getting Zumba certified tomorrow. We were told to bring lots of snacks and a carb heavy lunch. :/ Not really on program, huh?

So I asked at my center what to do. She told to do a shake and HNS for breakfast with some fruit (for extra carb), a salad with protien for lunch with fruit, and snack on fruits, cheese and a few nuts. She told me that I would need the extra salt from the nuts too (replacing electrolites lost in working out all day).

I also have a bar packed if I need another substantial snack. I'm a bit worried about knowingly going off program, but I know I will have to in order to make it through the day tomorrow.

PS. Just added to the recipe thread....a Tuna Pico de Gallo I made for lunch. A mexican tuna salad mix. I really liked it.

I FINALLY hit the 40 lb board! I got my rock, signed the board, and jumped for joy. I am going to set up my stabilization appointment next week. I rewarded myself today with new workout pants and three new shirts SIZE SMALL. Life is so crazy here right now. My son is still having seizures and we are constantly seeing or talking to doctors. I'm a bit stressed but am so relieved I am this close to goal. (They are actually trying to convince me to stick with a higher goal weight. 133 or 135 is where they would like me to be.)
I'm so thankful I found this site. It has been my saving grace. I may not always have something to say, but I love listening to others. Keep posting and working on yourself the end results are awesome!

Alright, now I'm starting to get frustrated. I've been pretty much 100% on plan since my weigh in on Tuesday, and I am up 1/2lb again today.

It could partly be because I weighed in today instead of Saturday (my usual day--but work took me near the center this afternoon, and I didn't want to drive all the way across the city again tomorrow), but I've done three-day weigh-ins before with no problem.

I'm thinking I'll probably do Metaquick tomorrow and Sunday, possibly Monday, too, and then see how I'm doing.

It's just getting really really hard to lose the weight now that I'm so close to goal. And I"m so ready to be done and start stabilization and maintenance, so this is frustrating.

If I still don't lose a decent amount (1-3 lbs) by Monday, I might ask about just switching over to the green menu early (instead of 10 lbs from now). If they refuse, I might see about switching to metabalance instead--maybe I'm not getting enough calories, rather than too many.

Any other ideas? I"ve been eating more raw veggies, added fiber drinks, maxing out my HNS, and adding more variety for my proteins. And drinking extra water.

I would not consider this truely going OP as long as you follow the adivce given by your center. Your body will need the extra carbs and sodium and this is all about learning to fuel our bodies to obtain optimal health. Good luck tomorrow and don't stress about the food!

Mariah

WI today - lost 2 lbs this week for a total of 13.5 in about 3 weeks including preconditioning. 11.5 of those pounds are fat lost! Yeah and I have lost, never to find again, 16.5 inches!!!! I was not sure how my inches would be since I am not using any of the extra supplements, but so far so good. :carrot::cb::dancer::broc:

Mariah

Sorry to hear about your struggles, I'm sure it is very furstratning! Hang in there and I would ask about switching or other options. Maybe this is just your last platue before you reach your goal. Hang in there and stay OP. :hug:

Mariah

Hi..
Congratulations to all the losers, and thanks teacher lady relative data on stuffing.. I will try it .

I weighed in today, 4th day in on stabilization week 1, and added beans as a starch one day, and gained .6 pounds.. I was OP all the way, so hopefully, Tuesday will be better... I was to add a starch today also, which I did, as I am to add it every other day. If my scale says I gained tomorrow or Sunday, will not add any more starches for the week..

Have a wonderful evening.

Patzi

For those of you that are on Plateaus right now...

(Quoted from MRC literature)

"Plateaus are where the REAL fat loss occurs! Your body begins to retain water to maintain the shape and configuration of its cells as fat is lost. Cell must maintain a certain shape or they may collapse. Now this is important. Water is heavier than fat and so, while your weight may remain stable or even increase you are actually losing fat. As the water is maintaining the shape of your cells, fat is being lost from the cells. So even though your scales may indicate otherwise, YOU ARE REALLY WINNING THE LOSING BATTLE!"

I hope this helps some of you (and me in the future) to understand and not get tooooo frustrated.

I wi'ed today and only lost half a pound, but there was only one day between the weigh ins, so I am not unhappy with it. Start the Meta Balance menu tomorrow.