HNS alternative
 

Thank you for the information!!

thanks for the tip!

thank you soooo much! I see lots of whey protein drinks out there for body builders, but they look like heavy chocolate or vanilla.
I used to be able to buy a product like you're describing at a local diet center, but they're now closed.
I'll check it out--it looks like it has the right carbs/pro/fat and I like the idea of putting my own flavors in it.

I have a GNC near me--I'll go ask them.

I have a similar product at home and use it sometimes because I already have it. It's not bad with added berries and a little stevia, for example. For the little extra money though, I have found I tend to lean more to the better tasting (IMHO) HNS. They really are the best tasting protein drinks I've tried so far.

I buy mine from Nashua Nutrition
 

I am doing the MRC diet on my own. I used to go to the centers, but found them too expensive. Anyway, you can get the same HNS products that MRC uses at nashuanutrition.com. Look under the drink section.

Nancy, you saved me! Their shipping is WAY cheaper than Dietdirect. Since I live in Hawaii I'm not eligible for DD's free shipping but Nashua's shipping is barely anything. Mahalo nui loa (that's Hawaiian for THANK YOU VERY MUCH)!

How much are the hsn's at your centers? They're only $13 per box or you can buy them 5 for $55 (11 each) or 10 for $100 (10 each).

luvs2read: that's the same price my center charges

thanks!
 

Thanks! i just joined and was wondering if i had to buy all the supplements they were talking about. i order protein powder from Swanson Vitamins, very cheap! i love the food plan, the weigh ins, counseling but can't afford all the supplements and all the vitamins. wasn't sure if they will let me not buy all that stuff. guess i 'll find out friday:-)

Bariatric mart.com has all the same items and more. Free shipping over 49.00. I just ordered and am ready to begin on Monday.

HNS alternative
 

thanks, Lala. i love the program and have already lost 4 lbs in 3 days. (i know it's water weight but i'm still glad to have it OFF- yay! the first consultant didnt tell me we had to buy the HNSs and in the Friday Food class, they told me it is required and i'm supposed to have 3 HNSs a day! that's more than a $100 a month. i told her no one told me that and of course i've already paid up front. she pretty much told me i had to and there were no way around it. i think they should have told me in the beginning. anyway, i'll order online. What will they do, kick me out if i don't buy them? it was very weird....

I imagine bariatricmart and dietdirect are the same company, their sites are identical, as are their sales. I think there are others too, like bariatricchoice, etc. I think they just put in all of the names they could come up with to direct you to their site.

Hi again,
I wasn't able to find the whey protein powder that I wanted at GNC near me, so I looked online, and found Swanson Health products website--someone else mentioned that too.

I was looking for a powder that you could put into anything--so I didn't want it flavored or hard to mix or sweetened. I get really tired of the oversweet HNS drinks.

Their premium whey protein powder, vanilla flavored, is just what I was looking for. (also there's some interesting info on the net about which way protein powders are made and which ones are best for you--this one is highly rated)

It's $19.99 (plus shipping) for 45 servings, similar cals/carb counts as our HNS--which comes to about 45cents per serving, as compared to $1.57 for $11 boxes at MRC. (be sure to look online for coupon codes to get any extra discounts before you check out)

It's vanilla flavor is barely there when I mix it in other things--like coffee, cottage cheese, etc. I have also been known to drink it plain--not bad. I also mix it with a little of Wyler's pink lemonade mix (sugar free) or TrueLemon lemon, lime, or lemonade mixes.

It mixes pretty well--in a shaker it's easy, in coffee I use my little hand held blender.

I put some in a tupperware container and stored that at work (I had an extra scoop too)

I'm happy with it and am still losing weight and saving myself some bucks.

that's great...i love swanson! great prices. i just tried the HNS fruit punch - bleah!! way too sweet. i'll have to try the whey protein powder from Swanson - i have the chocolate from there but it may have too many carbs. what brand did you get? i ordered the Pink Lemonade powder (Protidiet) from DietDirect 17.5 oz 24 servings for $26 so i can mix it myself. i got the hand shaker from the same site for 2.99 love it!! bought the cappucino, double choc. fudge and chicken noodle HNSs from Dietdirect too... free shipping w/ orders 49 or over..... thanks for all the tips and money saving ideas! :-()

Hi Bigdog (and everyone else)
the protein powder from Swanson's cat # is SW1233--very plain which means you can add all of your own favorite flavors or put it in soups, etc.

I totally agree with you on their shaker bottle--the one w/ the metal ball in it--it IS the best!!!

I tried many of the protidiet stuff too and don't dislike it--except for the prices--even w/ the free shipping. Although it IS pretty convenient to have a single serve pack to go with you sometimes.

On that note, I have also found that muscle milk light is about the same counts as a creamy, and they're in those little liquid packs all ready to drink--I keep some of those around when I am in a jam--they're a little pricey so I use them as emergency backup. They're in my local grocery stores--I think I saw them at Costco last summer. Make sure you get the "LIGHT" version.

I'm determined to keep my costs down from here on out--I was one of those fools who bought ALL supplements and the saliva tests--hundreds of dollars down the drain needlessly.
Some of the supplements actually make me sick--MSM--I'm allergic to sulfa drugs and can't tolerate sulphur dried food--guess what the S stands for? My bad.

Would anyone out there like a minimally used large bottle of MSM?

Also, I can't take the "ALL DAY WEIGHT LOSS" supplements--4 different bottles of stuff--they hype me up too much/knock me out too much. MRC said for me to stop taking them. Also minimally used and up for grabs.

Oh well, live and learn!

Thank you, Thank you! This is the best thing since sliced bread. I'm going to be using this whey protein as my HNS's. I mix it with fruit punch crystal light and it tastes just like a strawberry shake. I look forward to trying it with different flavors. Thanks for posting this. It makes me very happy. :D

Also on the note of alternatives, my sister and I did MRC awhile back and we used those pure protein bars for the meal replacement bars and we lost the amount of weight that we were supposed to in the time frame that MRC gave us. I lost 72 lbs in 6 months. Now I'm back to lose it again and keep it off 4 good!!

Lets keep these alternatives going, I LOVE THEM!! :val1:

learning2Bhealthy: Will you post what kind of pure protein bars you're talking about? Like brand name and where you got them? I've looked at protein bars in the local stores, but am confused about what kind to buy.

Also.. what are your plans in keeping the weight off for good this time? I'm so afraid I'm going to get to the end of this and gain it all back. :(

Hi ginpea, They're called Pure Protein. You can get them at Wal-Mart. That's all I used (when I did a meal replacement) the whole time I was on MRC last time. I even took them in and asked what the difference was in those and what they have. She couldn't find anything really. She said something about the sugar alcohol may upset my stomach but that's all that they could come up with. hehe. My favorite was the S'mores flavored.

I'm thinking about signing up when I have 10 or so pounds to lose and go through the stabilization and maintenance correctly this time. Last time I had the worst sweet tooth I had ever had once I started introducing different foods back in. I'd go get a tub of icing and eat the whole thing in one sitting. I had never ever done that before so knowing that I may need to stay away from introducing sugar back into my diet. I didn't crave anything the whole time I was doing the diet. Just when I hit stabilization. Are you doing MRC on your own?

The Pure Protein drink mix is also a good meal replacement shake. I buy the big tubs of vanilla, and add flavoring to it, at Sam's.

Hello all, does anyone know a gelatin free substitute for the clear HNS? Has anyone had success on the vegetarian program?

Great question! My DH and I went vegetarian for a month and we loved it. I needed to lose weight so I thought that I'd go off and the do MRC that I'm familiar with then go back. I haven't heard any great reviews on the vegetarian menu so I didn't even bother. I'd love to get some more info on it as well!!

I have purchased a few flavors of the Proti Line from Diet Direct. i don't see a huge difference in taste and they seem to have more protein than the HNSs

thanks for all these money saving suggestions!!
 

i'll have to say i am addicted to Diet Direct~!!! i love that they send me free samples w/ every order and free shipping if it's over $49. they even sent me a $10 off coupon for my next order. The Wonderslim products have the same amounts of protein, etc as the Proti diet HNS's they sell at MRC. click on the Sale item to see what they have on sale. the strawberry yogurt smoothies are fantastic. i bought the shaker bottle for $2.99...actually 2 of them...one i keep in my car w/ packs of powder. i buy the pink lemonade large container $26 (has 24 servings) and keep in tupperware in my car to mix w/ bottled water. the vanilla creme shake is even better than a mcdonalds milk shake!! i add crush ice, water and shake in my cool shaker! lost another 3.5 lbs!! woo hoo!!! and feel great!

Sailor'sgirl - thank you so much! I was just sitting here doing the math on the cost of the protein drinks (via DD) and was getting overwhelmed. I've done MRC before and lost 30lbs, but since then I've had a baby and need to lose the baby weight + more. I decided to go the route of others and "do it on my own" this time. I don't see why not. I know what to do and this way I don't have that immense pressure to buy their supps. This one lady treated me like a child, if I strayed off the program (not drinking enough water or didn’t eat enough). That got so old and I actually got mad one time and they put it in my file. My original reason for going there was to lose weight to help me get pregnant (it worked!) but I’ll never forget when that lady (who treated me like a child) saw on my file that was my reason and she started talking to me about it (as if she cared) then the real reason came out and she said I needed to pay for the “MRC Hormone Detection Kit”. I was so upset and it was the final straw. I did love this one consultant, but they wouldn't let me request her specifically each time. If they all treated me the same way she did, I would go back for just the moral support and the weigh ins.

I was just getting on here to see if any of you do this WITHOUT the HSN's. If you buy online, do you tell your center that? Are they OK with it or give you issues? My DH has decided not to use his HSN's anymore...doesn't want to pay for them and is losing, albeit slowly, without. I'm not too sure though. I'm tired of the cost, but yet, if I lose, it's worth it to me! I also did the big 3 and am now out. Debating buying those again or not. I can't get in for a WI until beginning of next week, and I'm out of all my pills--guess I'll see how I do over the weekend. If I lose some, maybe it will convince me I don't need to spend all that moolah on pills that don't work! I just wonder what they will say if I tell them I don't need their stuff :)

i talked to my doctor about the pills and she said some people lost faster with them but once you're off them you'll stop losing so she recommended not taking them. from alot of these posts, if you follow the diet, you'll lose and don't need the pills. i take my own Women's daily vitamin, b-6, b-12, fish oil, calcium - i didn't buy any other supplements except the phenatrim? i haven't taken it yet $79! and got suckered in the saliva test (worthless and the results were just to push their pills)
i told them i have my own protein powder and use that. i did not tell them i order everything from Diet Direct or Walmart (their vanilla creme whey protein powder is great and cheap in bulk) one counselor was ok w/ that but there is one i'll call "B" always tries to pressure me to buy pills and HNSs. when i go in, i leave my pocketbook in the car, weigh in and scoot out quickly!! :-) seriously i think the $400 i spent is enough for 17 wks. i did have to talk to the mgr. and i think he put in my notes not to harass me about buying all the stuff but you can tell them your doc told you or tell them a friend gave you their HNSs :-). i do think the HNSs and protein shakes have helped me stay OP. i buy the Protidiet Pink Lemonade (diet direct) in bulk 17.6 oz for $26 and mix it w/ the protein powder from walmart - drink 3-4 a day...
It is a really good plan and the first time i've lost weight again (i'm a Weight watcher lifetime member and have lost and gained the same 25 lbs over and over!!!) have lots of energy so really do love the Meta Slim menu..

I think it is important to distinguish the HNSs from the pills. The HNSs are protein, which keep you fr burning lean mussle tissue. When you lose lean, your metabolism slows. That might be why your husband is loosing slowly. As for the pills, they are mostly BS. Sometimes it's kind of funny to listen to those young girls talk in circles trying to sell them to me.

when I did MRC before, they had a plan without using the HNS .... it involved adding egg whites, lean fish and chicken (about 2 oz in place of each one, if I remember correctly) in place of them.

Vegetarian
 

I don't know how far back on this site you can go, but there was a woman on the site, Denise, whose screen name was namaste ... she lost approximately 100# on the vegetarian plan. She used to post a lot and gave lots of vegetarian ideas. It was 3-4 years ago, but you might want to go back a ways and see if you can find her posts. She also writes a blog, and there was a link on her pages.

Shiner9
Not sure if you still have MSM available, but I would love it if you do. Let me know. And thank you to the rest of you lovely ladies for all the helpful tips. As a single mommy, finances are def. something that I keep close eye on and all this suggestions are like heaven sent!

Thanks for all the info! I'm a repeat offender who vowed never to gain the weight back....but I did. This is a great way to get restarted without paying program fees. Thanks again.

I haven't tried this yet, but if you mix Great Lakes Hydrolyzed Collagen with coolaid mix & stevia you'd probably have about the same ingredients (except the HNS use splenda...you can use that if you don't like stevia). The Hydrolyzed Collagen supposedly doesn't gel.

I've mixed the Bernard Jenson Gelatin with a HNS and stevia you make three servings of jello each with the same amount of protein as 1 HNS. It was good.

I have to buy the Great Lakes stuff to try. The Bernard Jenson is only dissolvable in hot water and gels. The Great Lakes Hydrolyzed Collagen supposedly will dissolve in cold water and won't gel.

What a coincidence. I'd only just discovered the Great Lakes Hydrolyzed Collagen and was going to post on here about it. I haven't tried it yet. I stuck it in my cart on Amazon and keep saving it for later. The nutrition facts are nearly identical, but the sodium is higher.

BTW, I purchased a large container of the Proti-Diet Hot chocolate and use that instead of the MRC Hot chocolate with no problems. Stats are the same and buying the large container brought the price down quite a lot over the individual serving packets.

If you're not trying to match stats exactly, the Syntrax Nectar Sweets chocolate truffle is excellent as a hot chocolate. I haven't tried it with just water but it's good with almond milk.

I ordered it, so I'll post how it turns out on this thread next week.

So funny - I've got it sitting in my Amazon cart as well! I am pleased with my Swanson's whey protein powder I purchased from Amazon. I use it with Almond milk or mix it in with my morning decaf.

Summer is so hard for me to keep consistent and on plan - anyone else have that issue? Graduation parties, Father's Day, lake and pool days, kids camps (I serve as a counselor at two), late nights, cookouts. I know I can do it - but my brain and my tummy have a battle of the wills right now! I run quite a bit and as a family we are playing a lot of tennis. I must be packing on muscle because I'm at a plateau I can't break through. And...I'm craving bratwurst like a fool! Still thrilled with my new clothes and how they fit and I've got muscle definition like never before so I'm not complaining. Just want to knock out another 20 lbs!!!

So...I think I'm going to give the Great Lakes Hydrolyzed Collagen a try. Wonder how it would do in some Crystal Light? That's legal, right? Although I'm not the least bit fond of artificial sweetners.

QUESTION: Is this product at GNC considered a "CLEAR"? I notice a big diff when I adhere to the one "creamy" HNS a day rule, and drink mostly CLEARS. A BIG difference.

It looks like it might be considered a "CREAMY". Is that the case?

And definitely, I would never drink milk. It slows your weight loss.

Glad i found this site and this thread. I've been trying to get away from the cost of the HNS drinks and such. I love the local MRC center, but I am tired of their prices. It's a big chunk of $$.

MRC has been the most successful of any weight-loss program I've ever tried. (I've NEVER lost more than 10% of my weight, and I've been fighting for the last 45 years or so). I lost 70 pounds back in 2009. Regrettably, I put most of it back on once I reached my goal. I hit a barrier at my goal of losing 70 pounds. Then , over the next 2 years, I put 50 of it back on. I started craving sugar, and gradually went back to my old habits. I always wondered if they used some sort of appetite suppressant.

Then, a year and a half ago, I started again, and lost 50 pounds in about 8 months. But it's hard to afford, and I'm slipping again. Putting the weight back on.

So, this thread is going to be very helpful, I believe.

Thanks and much success to everyone.

I love the Syntrax Nectar powder and count it as a HNS clear because it's 100 cal, 0 fat, 0 sugar and 23 G protein. You can use 3/4 scoop which would be 75 cal which is comparable to MRC HNSs. I used a full scoop because I need more protein and it didn't slow my weight loss. $34 for 32 oz at Vitacost.
I lost over 35 lbs a couple years ago and will do that again :). Started today and hope to be successful but definitely need some motivation