Junie, maintenance is only 1200 calories? I'm doomed. Seriously I am shocked it is that low. That's the definition of a low calorie diet, isn't it? Do you mind sharing how tall you are?

I am 5'0". Maybe the other maintainers can tell us if they are on 1200 calories a day as well.

I am restarting today and my goal this month is to make it successfully through the first couple of days of headache/yucky feeling!

Ya...1200 calories sounds tough during Maintenance. Wow, this whole program just seems more and more challenging at times:( Losing the weight has got to be worth it to all of us...then these strict rules won't seem so overwhelming.

Tami

Camaswa.
I am at 1200 calorie , but never counted calories since I started maintenance. I eat what I want that I know I will not gain weight with. I am 5'4.
My friend is on 1500 calories. She told them that is what she wanted and that is what she did, but again, she does not count calories either.. I was told it was a guide to keeping weight off.. Another friend is on 1300 calories.

Junie...
What I did when I was on maintenance, I figured out what I wanted to eat the three meals a day , added some snacks, and saw that I could maintain with that and even lose more weight, but never really dealt with the calorie counting.. If you are having a problem with it, you may be trying too hard.
After stabilization, I knew what I could have and not have, so the 1200 did nothing for me. But that is me and everyone is different.. I refused to take all the supplements and the drinks while on maintenance, as I felt like it was a crutch.. What I did do, is I added more protein to my meals to offset the HNS drinks..I do take one on occasion. I hate to see someone struggling, after reaching goal, as it is so frustrating.. Is there anything I can help you with?
Also, if you want to do the calorie counting, tell them to up your calories and see if you can maintain your weight. Maybe someone else on maintenance can tell us how they are doing with calorie counting. I did journal everything and still do that goes in my mouth, food and water.. And if you recall, I have gained as much as 2 pounds on maintenance, figured what I had that did it, deleted it and lost the weight, so it is all doable, but I feel so bad when someone is having a problem...

Patzi

Been struggling a little bit so I had to step away from posting for a little bit. Still losing but I had a bump in the road with a gain and that was hard. Anyway, new outlook on things and back at it. I'm going for a WI today and hopefully will get to sign the 20lb board today. If not I just plug along some more. Good luck everybody and welcome to the newbies.

I definitely didn't mention the struggles I am going through to deter or scare anyone going through the program. I still think it was the best thing I have ever done for myself. So please keep up the good work and stay with it! They have told me that after I keep the weight off for a year that it will be easier on me. So keep that in mind too.

Patzi,
I have been strict this week on my plan because I had gained so much from the last two weeks when I was down for my surgery. Also, I knew I would be going to eat out twice this week for lunch and I wanted to be able to eat something that wouldn't ordinarily be on plan. I am "planning" for that, so to speak. I just went weigh in and lost 2 pounds!

I am glad to know, though, that you don't count calories. Maybe once I get into the low end of my 6 pound range I will feel comfortable doing that too. Thanks for your input and I will keep you posted!

Hey, Junie -

Awesome job! I know it may not help, but when my hubby lost 115 pounds on the plan, he had some fluctuations during maintenance (and still does, somewhat)... he just figured what his "triggers" were (i.e. cake, sugary BBQ sauces, and regular pasta with no protein)... he still has those things every so often, but he compensates by eating more healthy the next few times... He admits to being bored with chicken and salad (which really helped him eat - because there was so much volume) but enjoys eating with me on the plan this time (I love trying new recipes and such)...

I know that's "rambly", but I think you are doing awesome and are quite an inspiration!

rachel 77..
Your husband is sure an inspiration to me. I understand the fluctuations during maintenance, but weight alwasy does come off if one gains.

Tell hubby, if I do have something like cake, I will have protein with it. I may even have an HNS.. The center told me to do that.. Plus I always take a fat
and carb blocker..

I also have my triggers... So glad you mentioned about your husband's triggers which encompass some of mine.

And yes, Junie is sure an inspiration, for sure..and 2 pounds off on weigh in, which is fantastic.

Thanks for sharing.
Patzi

mrc pdf
 

Can you email me the MRC pdf? I dont have enough privilege to access the pm system yet. I dont even know the process for gaining access, please help!

Originally Posted by JenB72:
Well, I set a nice low goal for the month of October. I guess I've been having a pity party for myself today and am trying to figure out my next steps.

I woke up this morning and at 7:30 it said my weight was back up to 158! What the heck?! About an hour later, it was at 157.2! I ate out last night and when I went to get my F&C blockers from my purse, they weren't there. Not sure when I took them out. :( All I had was a grilled chicken salad, pretty basic, with just a bit of honey mustard which I am guessing is what did me in.

I was thinking about it and I guess I should be happy I've gotten as far as I did with minimal exercise. When I was walking 3-4 days a week strong in April, I easily lost 10 pounds in one month. I've gotten three walks in this week, so it's a start.

I'm guessing I'm stuck right now because of the lack of exercise. Maybe if I can kick that into gear, things will start moving faster on the scales again.

Originally Posted by dkmd27:
just curious ....are you on a different plan where you can have fruit for breakfast?

no, and i got totally busted last week and this week too for eating my grapefruit for breakfast instead of lunch. finally i told my counselor that i would peel the dang grapefruit so i could eat it for lunch! :-) i'm on the go all the time (in sales) - i do eat other fruit for lunch like strawberries or blueberries mixed in w/ my HNS for lunch too.

had a disappointing weigh in this week - was all excited thinking i'd lost 3 lbs (like my scale at home said) well, drank a HNS, then had water, then a 2 hour sales meeting before weighing in...only lost 1/2 lb. the counselor started lecturing me as i was walking out the door telling me to exercise more, stay OP blah blah..i wanted to get the **** out of there! i told him i drank a bunch of water in the meeting...anyway i wasn't making excuses - it was the truth!
i was wondering if anyone has gotten on the scales, felt like it was wrong and asked them to weigh you again in the same visit.? i walk 35-45 min. every day in the am...anyway weird day!

turkey sauage
 

I sure am glad I finally looked on this site. Thanks for the receipe,it sounds great. Will try it.:)

Originally Posted by camaswa:
In defense of veggies- I went to a cooking class where I learned about blanching and it has given me a whole new attitude! Good quality vegetables can be so delicious when they aren't cooked to mush. When you blanch, they stay bright and colorful and sweet. (I do like to salt with good sea salt) A light drizzle of olive oil too.

Then there is roasting: asparagus, green beans, fennel, broccoli, cauliflower.... Toss with good olive oil and roast in a 400 oven. Roasting makes some of these turn a bit nutty and so much more flavorful than boring old steaming.

Definitely they could be doctored up with some garlic and maybe various herbs too.
Try it!!

that sounds great! i heard that brussel sprouts are wonderful roasted. i do love crunch and garlic :-) thks for sharing

business lunch today
 

business lunch today.... grilled buffalo spicy chicken sandwich....ate the chicken, left the bread, and got the broccoli instead of fries... the chicken was so spicy, i'm thinking it kicked up my metabolism! :-)

maintenance
 

That is what I thought was low calorie diet. But we figured out the ones before maintenance were much less than 1200. What is the maintenance menu like anyway? Just wondering so I will know what to look forward to.
I started in June,11,and so far have almost lost 40 LBS. :)
Keep up the good work,you have done great.