Major Slow Down :(
 

I was so pleased with the program for the first month. I was able to lose 15 pounds in January, but since then it's been like pulling teeth to drop weight!
I've only lost 12 pounds since February 1st (1.5 pounds per week) even though I've been on plan. I talked to my center and they've tried to tweak my menu a bit but are unbelievably reluctant to switch menus or anything else. Each time I bring it up, they keep saying, "No, let's keep doing this. You'll have a big loss later this week." Well, it's been 8 weeks at a very slow pace (no big-later-in-the-week-loss), even though I'm on the Meta-Slim. I'm not cheating, my food diary "looks excellent" according to my center, and I'm not over- or under-exercising. I know it will be harder to lose closer to my goal, but I'm still over 20 pounds away (just over half-way from where I started). In fact, I've gained a pound this week. Plus, I'm craving stuff BIG TIME and I'm HUNGRY as all get out (and I've NOT given in and gone off-plan, plus I'm maxing out on HNS)! The ladies at my center keep saying, "That's weird. You shouldn't be hungry. Are you pregnant?" No! They even took my measurements and found that I wasn't dropping inches like I should be, either. In fact, I've gone up a half inch in some spots. I so wish I knew what was going on, but I feel like I need to try something different, like Meta-Quick or something. I'm frustrated! Sorry, but I'vce really needed to vent that for a couple weeks! :(

When I was about 15-20 lbs. from my goal, I stalled for two months. No cheats either. I think there are weights your body naturally 'likes', and sometimes it takes a while to get moving again. I've 'tweeked' the menu on my own a few times to get past a stall as my center was not much help either.
Oh, and I have ALWAYS been hungry on this diet. Don't believe anybody who says that you can lose weight without ever feeling hungry. I try to embrace the feeling. It is natural and a good sign, and it isn't bad or scary like people fear. Drink something and wait a bit and it goes away.

Now, the desire to chew something I have a much harder time handling..... :-(

How did you tweek your menu??? I'm wondering if I should go back and, just for a week or 4 days or something, do the blue menu again. I just need something to change, since I'm getting so worked up over this whole thing. Plus, I know the stress doesn't help. I've never been a high-stress person, so this feeling is unknown and incredibly irksome! Grr!
I'm glad it's okay to feel hungry, too. I was feeling like I must be doing something wrong, since I "wasn't supposed to be hungry." I went to bed last night with my stomach growling and I woke up with some major acid reflux, which is still going strong, even after breakfast. I swear, it's like my stomach is scratching my backbone because I'm so hungry ;)
Also, thank you so much for responding and not offering simple platitudes! I've seen your other posts and must say that you're a total inspiration! It's really good to hear from people who have succeeded on this program and know the ins and outs of it. You've done a remarkable job and look amazing!

Have you tried a higher protein breakfast? I was all about the eggs and cheese. I started adding ground buffalo or ground turkey a few mornings a week and it really seemed to help. Are you varying your menu? Your veggies? Try adding some new ones or cooking them differently. Also, I stuck to citrusy fruits (clementines, oranges, berries) vs apples, especially on days I did not work out.

So sorry - I know it's frustrating. I was a slow loser as well, but now that I've been at goal for 5 months, all of that frustration seems like a distant memory.

I've been mixing up my menu big time (except for last week, when I ran out of groceries and lived on the same meals for about 4 days). I am trying to get more fresh vegetables in instead of sticking with cooked, because I've heard that can help boost weight loss. I've upped my protein at breakfast, but I didn't realize that would do much. Glad to know that maybe I'm on the right track ;P I'll definitely be trying to get higher protein for breakfast. Thanks for the tip!
I do eat loads of different vegetables, just because I get bored with the same thing pretty quickly. I typically do mushrooms, green beans, spinach (fresh and cooked), tomatoes, spaghetti squash, cabbage, and lettuce.
Fruit is the one I have trouble varying. I almost always eat oranges, though occasionally I'll have an apple. But, that's only because we're not exactly in fruit season right now, and my lovely pomegranates aren't allowed.
I can't wait for this stress to be a distant memory! I'm bummed that I won't reach my goal on time, but I guess signing up for a couple of extra weeks won't be awful, and I know I shouldn't feel like a failure. I asked if our center awarded extra weeks for losing over major holidays, but they don't. Boo!
Also, Debbie, thank you for all of the excellent advice you give on these boards! Your success is incredible!

I just got back from weigh in - and we just discussed stress! I hope I say this correctly - if not feel free to call my center and talk to Kim (Overland Park, KS)!!! So .. when we stress it activates a defense mechanism in our bodies that releases a stress hormone called cortisol. Too much cortisol will slow your metabolism & can cause weight gain - along with more stomach fat. I can't remember this part - there is something in the abdominal area that attracts cortisol and keeps it. It can also cause you to be hungry, have cravings, alter your blood sugar levels! All this will cause your program to be "off" and the longer you stress the more you gain.

The only reason I know is because I asked them this morning if they had a choice what would they choose either MRC-6 or Corti-Trim ... she said MRC-6 at first, but if stress was a factor she would switch to Corti-Trim.

I can't recommend any certain method to give you a jump start--everyone is different and it is really against program. I'm sure going back to the first two menus for a few days would work. I've thought of it, but just never tried it. What has worked for me (all against what they tell you, so again, no recommending it, just saying it worked for me): 1) cutting out the bread for a few days and replacing with the same amount of protein (I've never been partial to have the bread serving as it is such a small amount it hardly seems worth the effort) and 2) saving my fruit and having it as a late afternoon snack with a HNS. I am always hungry before dinner time; I don't know why just moving the timing works, but it does for me.

I get very hungry in the middle of the night. I'll even wake up and not be able to go back to sleep. I have found that if I get up and drink something (besides water or soda) then it will pass and I can sleep.

You should also try to save a HNS and have that just before you go to bed. I've found if I mix one with decaf tea and the fiber drink, it is much more filling.

If the acid reflux keeps up, you might want to consider taking Prevacid or Prilocec or something at nights before you go to bed. I had that for several months as well, but it seems to have gone away.

Everyone else had good recommendations as well. I hardly ever eat cooked veggies. You get more with the raw, they are more filling and take longer for your body to digest. The 'side effects' can be unpleasant at times though. I've noticed that as I've gotten older, my tolerance to a variety of veggies has decreased.

I'm afraid I'm not much help yet, but I was under the impression that when I signed up if I stayed OP and did not meet my weight loss goal on time, I would not have to buy more weeks and could continue for "free" until I reached my goal. I'm sure it is discouraging to not reach your goal weight when you thought you would, but this change is for a lifetime. You have already come so very far so hang in there, take the awesome advice given by others on this board and perhaps you could see a different consultant at your center. This is definately worth the effort. You are an inspiration to me. :hug::cheer2::cheer2:

Mariah

Isn't steamed veggies as good as raw?

Apparently, there's just a bit less fiber, but they're still fine. It's just recommended that, if you hit a plateau, eat all fresh instead of cooked. Your body will take longer to digest the raw veggies and you'll get more fiber.

I went to weigh-in today and was down a whole half pound from last Friday (yeah, can you feel the sarcasm?). FINALLY, the ladies at my center are listening. Of course, it could also be the fact that I told them I was going to try stuff on my own if they didn't give me a better option. Plus, I got a body composition test and have lost some muscle (more great news...NOT!). So, they told me to go all out exercise-wise this weekend, meeting (but not exceeding) the 4 hour weekly limit. Then, if the scale doesn't show mass improvement on Monday, I'm supposed to go back to the yellow and blue menus for 10 days. It really stinks to have to do that, but it's better than twiddling my thumbs!

I'm also toying with the idea of going off-plan all weekend to see if I can set something in motion, but I don't think I'll have the courage (would it be courageous?) to do that.

I'll keep you all updated. :)

my tips will be off-plan too,but thats waht works for me.I always lose on low-carb diets,but stalls or gains on low calorie ones.Myabe my body is very carb-sensitive.I would cut out all fruit and bread,and substitute with protein instead-not liquid protien,but chicken fish eggs etc.If nothng,I would go back to induction phase of Atkins-that way there is no hunger,you can eat more protein and last time I did this,I lost 3% bodyfat in less than two weeks.
I totally agree the MRC plan is a hunger plan,and I cannot tolerate much hunger.I do try to stay away from the creamies when possible.And maybe stop using cheese and see if that helps,I just know of a few including myself who don't lose weight when taking cottage or riccotta cheese.
You can also try metaquik on your own,you just need to buy the bars and shakesfrom them.although I have never tried them.
sorry for not being much help for OP:shrug:
I am a very slow loser too.

Alrighty, everyone, here's the deal. Apparently I misunderstood one lady at my center on Friday. I mentioned going to the yellow and blue menus for a bit to see if that would help. She told me she'd put them in my folder for Monday if I hadn't lost. However, I had a different woman today and she said that the notes on my folder indicated that the consultant from Friday had been against the plan to do yellow and blue, which made me sound like a liar. Not happy about that...AT ALL!
So, I'm taking matters into my own hands. I'm not going to make goal in time anyway, so for all of you who wondered if going completely off-plan for a bit would jumpstart your loss, I'm about to offer up my body for the experiment. What have I got to lose?

1. I had Chinese for lunch - I ate chicken, broccoli, and green beans, which is sort of on plan, but of course the sauces would not be.

2. I ate 3 slices of cheese pizza for supper, and I dipped my crusts in nacho sauce.

3. I'm eating red velvet cake mix and chocolate chips right now.

***WARNING***: So far, this has not been anywhere near as pleasant as I'd anticipated. Plus, my stomach hasn't felt uncomfortably full since January, but I'm pushing it right now.
I'll keep you all up-to-date as far as any results, etc. Just know that so far, this off-plan-eating is sub-par as far as excitement. I don't think I can do it for 2 days.

I would not be happy either and I feel so badly for you. I don't really have any advice but do wish you luck and hope this works. I also hope your next consultant is more helpful than these 2 have been!

Mariah

Yeah, the ladies really are nice and stuff, but I think there's so many that wires get crossed. I feel like each individual should be assigned a standard consultant so there's some consistency.
Plus, I know that they don't know what to do with me, either. But, they aren't offering any solutions. Plus, they seem to be getting irritated with me (as you can well imagine) since I keep coming in with my "what am I supposed to do"-desperation attitude. I'm not going to "wait and see" any longer. I'm spending way too much money to "wait and see", which I've been doing for the 6th week now (if you don't count the 3 weeks of slow-down that precipitated my bad attitude). I figure, 3 weeks of really crappy loss would start sending off flares to someone besides me, you know? Now that I've had 9 consecutive weeks of crap loss, I'm SICK OF IT!

But, all bitterness aside, I hope that this little experiment can at least help someone else who's in the same predicament. We shall see!

Wow - I thought by going off plan people meant eating some chips or ice cream. I can't say that I feel your pain because until I lose over 100lbs, I'm no where near getting "close to target". I'm anxious to keep reading about your journey and I hope this is what your body needs to trigger the weight loss. Good luck!

I think part of the problem is that most of them are trained on the plan, but they really don't know any more about the reasoning/science/research behind it than any of the rest of us who have been on the plan for several months. They aren't medical people, and they aren't knowledgeable enough to make changes to the plan/menus. In other words, they don't know enough about it to think for themselves and problem-solve. Don't get me wrong, there's a few consultants who have done research and are well-versed in weight loss and the research behind this plan--but most are not.

Another problem is that--at least at my center--there are several consultants who have either never done the plan, or have never been significantly overweight (I'm thinking of one gal at my center in particular--she just doesn't get it when I tell her about my cravings/struggles. She thought I was crazy when I triumphantly described my "truffle smash" from last Christmastime. Another consultant at my center--a guy--totally didn't get it when I told him I started to eat that bagel, then made myself spit it out and throw it out the window. Again, some consultants have no concept of the psychology of what we go through, other than what they've been told/taught--they haven't experienced it, and are therefore unintentionally hurtful/pressuring.

I'll be interested to see what happens for you. My guess is you'll initially stay the same or gain, but it will hopefully re-set everything for you so that when you go back on plan you'll see strong losses again. Hopefully. :^:

That's what I'm hoping for. I hope to shock my body into thinking, "What the deuce is going on?" Hopefully, the influx of calories will trigger a metabolism surge and keep my body on its proverbial toes.

***TMI ahead*** Whatever the case, this junk eating sure did trigger something, as I had the biggest bowel movement I've had in 2 months (even better than when I was taking the max allowable fiber while on plan). :o

And, by the way TEACHERLADY, I totally agree with you about the consultants. They're doing their best, but when they're not informed about alternatives, it makes it difficult, not only for them, but for all of the clients who struggle. I asked what other people have done when their weight loss slows, and all the consultants say, "They just keep on following the program." Come on! Give me something I can work with!!!

LMAO! I'm sorry, but I find bodily functions to be hilarious. :D

I had a box of sour patch kids at the movie theater last night, and by the time we got home, I had a huge amount of gas rolling around in my belly/gut. Not painful (thank God), but it felt really really weird and was actually audible. My husband even woke me up (I dozed off while he was reading in bed) and asked if I was ok, because my gut gurgles sounded painful. Then, he woke me up several times because I started farting in my sleep. Loudly. And stinkily.

Apparently, I can't handle straight sugar like I used to. ;)

I am seriously guffawing! That's hysterical!!!

ROFLMAO! Y'all are cracking me up! I've spent years with all sorts of intestinal issues. I had my gall bladder removed when I was 19, diagnosed with spastic colon when I was 21, had 2ft of my small intestine removed due to arterial thrombosis (blood clot) when I was 24. Then if that wasn't enough, diagnosed with Diverticulosis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome when I was about 29. So, when I said I needed to go to the bathroom.. I really meant I NEEDED to go! I just learned to live with all the gas and diarrhea.. thought it was going to be a way of life for me. Oh and eating high fiber things - not a good thing for me. An apple could have set me off!

Anyway - now that I'm doing MRC, I'm more regular - only going once a day, if that.. just about 2 weeks ago, before I started, I was going (mainly diarrhea) at least 5 times a day and that was a "good" day. The bad days were going in to the bathroom about every 5 minutes for at least an hour straight. And that was just the morning time.. after I ate lunch, it would start all over again. SO thankful for MRC.. not only losing weight but losing having diarrhea everyday! :dizzy: My life is better already!

Rzrbackcandi,
That's fantastic that the eating plan is working for you! My dad has IBS, Diverticulitis and Chron's Disease, so I recognize a lot of your bathroom issues. When we'd go on vacation, we knew to pull the car over ASAP when dad said he had to go.

I really hope MRC can clear up your digestion issues for good! Keep it up! :)

That's fantastic!

My mom had her gall bladder taken out almost 15 years ago, and she was diagnosed with diverticulosis last fall. She's been having gas issues for years, and diarrhea issues for about 3-4 years. And she's been insulin-dependent diabetic for 2 years.

I'm going to try to move her to eat more MRC-style (if possible--she LOVES her carbs, is a non-compliant, stubborn diabetic) and see if that helps her. Then, maybe, she won't have to wear Depends even though she's only 65!

Thanks Ashley!
If your dad is like me, then he knows where every bathroom is in every place before he goes into it! Which I think is pretty sad.. but like I said, it was a way of life. I'm still going to stay away from the fiber pills/drinks that MRC has, for now. If I feel like I just can't go, which I think I would be a miracle, then I might try it. :-)

Wow that is seriously off plan! I hope this works for you!

It is amazing the difference in centers. The area director for the centers in KS and MO stated that no one can manage the centers she has unless they are within 20 lbs of goal weight (from being on the plan) - because I asked about a position there. So all of my consultants have been on the plan. They also employ nurses - my center doesn't have one, but there is one at another center about 40 minutes away.

They also give great advice, that "seems" to work for me now. You have to remember I'm only 40 days into the program though. For example - I still had swelling in my ankles after upping my B6 to twice a day. So they suggested the Super DIM - and within 4 days my ankle measurement went down 1/2 inch.

If any of you need me to ask my staff or the nurse any questions, please feel free to shoot me an email & I will be more than happy to do so!!

My center is only about a year old so many of our consultants are actually from the center in Belleveu, NE (about 2 hours away) and our Manager is from Lubbock, TX. They are currently hiring/training people to take over these positions but I was told it is very slow going because they required that all consultants have completed the plan and are on maintenance.

Mariah

They may have all been required to complete the plan, but they have not all had to lose a significant amount of weight. I asked one of the girls from my center before, and she said she's always been pretty athletic and only had to lose about 10 lbs.

She's also the one that told me that the replacement bars and shakes were TOTAL meal replacements, and not to eat vegetables with them. Even though it says right on the top of my menu that the bars and shakes generally replace a starch and protein from a meal. I was corrected several weeks later (by a consultant from Bellevue, NE, haha) and told that I could eat veggies with the meal replacements.

I asked my center about busting through plateaus and here's my marching orders for the week.


1. No cheese! Yikes! I don't eat eggs. So, I'll be eating foods from group 3 for breakfast (chicken & turkey mostly). Meal Replacement Bars are ok.

2. No group 2 foods (beef, crab, lobster, lamb, pork, etc.) at all.

3. No high density veggies like broccoli. Stick to Green Beans, Squash, & Zucchini.

4. No citrus due to the sugar content. Keep to berries for the fruit selection such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.


We'll see what happens.

I'll definitely keep these in mind! Thanks!

For breakfast this morning, I had turkey sausage, 2 eggs, and one slice of bread. Not too bad.
Lunch was a microwave meal of buffalo chicken snacks, a 1/2 bag of popcorn, and chocolate chips.
I didn't have any HNS today, but will start again with the mandatory 2 tomorrow.

It was after lunch that I finally felt like my body was getting the wake-up call, so I went back on plan for supper. I'll be back on plan the rest of the week, and I'll be sure to check in with my weight loss.

I want to thank each of you! Thank you for your support! Thanks for not saying, "Ooh, that was a stupid idea." Thanks for the encouragement! I hope this little experiment can help someone else. I mean, regardless of my weight loss, whatever happens is still some kind of result, right? If I gain weight, people will know NOT to do this. But, if I pick up my pace of weight loss, maybe someone struggling won't have to wait 9 weeks to start seeing results again :)

I'll keep you all posted! :D

Another weigh in with no weight loss .. almost 2 weeks now. Its very discouraging. I think I will try Jen B's tips for the next 3 - 4 days.

Although I hate to see several of us struggling to take off this weight, it is comforting to know I am not alone in the battle.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about a 2-week stall. They happen, and sometimes it's better not to push it and just let your body adjust, as frustrating as it may be. If it goes more than 3 weeks, that's when I'd start to worry.

Tomorrow will mark my 3rd week total or 2 weeks mark on the actual plan and I find I am not losing like I was promised. I AM losing inches, I know that from home measurements, but it is frustrating that the scale moves and the next day it is back to where it was. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Ashley Rae, thanks for your post and getting the discussion going about hitting a wall. I generally go between being really "On-program" to being kind of bad. By being kind of bad, I mean I'll eat stuff that isn't on the menu, but I'm trying to make them somewhat healthy, high protein choices (ie. nuts, peanut butter, extra cheese). My chocolate indulgences have been kind of bad, but I am trying to eat just dark to keep the sugar down. I have found though that I have weight loss if I go from On-program for a while to a few days of trying to eat like a normal person. Also, it keeps me regular! I swear those HNS do something weird to our bodies...

If my little experiment works, I think I may do exactly as you suggest. Going back over my chart, the women at my center said, "That's weird. It looks like you went off-program more the first month and you were losing really well." That's what I'm saying! Two months of solid on-program didn't seem to be any better than 1.5 months of an off-plan choice every two weeks.
I've found that I haven't gained anything (not even water weight) yet from my off-plan eating on Monday and most of Tuesday. Now I'd love to see the weight drop off like it did in the beginning. Shucks, I'd be thrilled to be losing 2 pounds per week at this point!

When do you weigh in? I'm anxious to hear the results :)

I created my own progress chart to see how well I've been doing - because it just felt like every time I went in - it was 1 here 1 there, and that I hadn't done well since the first week.

Wk 1 - 7.5
Wk 2 - 5.0
Wk 3 - 3.5
Wk 4 - 2.0
Wk 5 - 0.5
Wk 6 - 2.0

So it's true the first week is mainly water - but it appears I hit a plateau Week 5, and now I'm starting to go back up. I guess I'll know for sure when I weigh in next week to see how much I've lost.

Just keep trucking!! Any loss is a win!

I weigh-in tomorrow to see how this week went. But, I'm really hoping to see results when I weigh-in on Monday and then again on Friday. Next week should be the "tell" as far as any increase in weight-loss.
So far, it's been only slightly challenging getting back "on plan," not because of cravings but because I was mentally aggravated. But, I persevered, so I'm hoping to see some good results. If not, I'll just end up staying on plan and losing slowly.
My stomach has been growling all day, so I'm hoping that I've revved my metabolism a bit. Of course, it was growling before this experiment, but not all day like it did today and yesterday. *Fingers crossed!*
Plus, I don't know if I mentioned this, but I'm only doing the mandatory 2 HNS per day for a bit. I know the ladies at the center will be a bit miffed, but it's what I did the first month and saw the best loss. So, I'm trying it again...and saving beaucoup bucks in the process ;P

Okay, friends, here's the scoop (for this week). Last Friday, I weighed in at 176.5. This Friday, I weighed in at 174.5! Two pounds down, which is more of a drop than I've seen in a couple of weeks. Woohoo! The ladies said I may have lost muscle by doing what I did, but when a Tanita thingie was run, I was at the same hydration and muscle mass, but a lower fat percentage. So, it would appear as if I've done something right ;P
But, as I've said, next week will be the real test. If I lose 2 or more pounds by next Friday, it may be an indication that I've given my metabolism the extra boost that it needed by going off-plan for 24 hours.
I'll be sure to check in on Monday and Friday of next week :) See you soon!

That is great!!! I know for me, if I add any carbs at all, I stall and have to do the 3-5 days to get back on track. Right now I am cutting the bread and/or fruit for a few days to get a head start. The other good thing is it cuts my appetite.