i'm going to ask my center for the MRC thanksgiving menu - wonder if they'll email it to me! :-) i guess i'll have to weigh in this week to get it! usually what i do is take a small corn tortilla which is about 50 cal. and put that on the plate, then add the 4 oz meat and pile on the lettuce and green onions, then a bit of salsa. but the hard shells looked soooo innocent and had two. i looked up cal. and they are 50 apiece so next time will just have one :-)

what is the medi quick? Have heard it before and was mentioned to go on it for awhile but no explpantaion.

BigdogLaBandita (i'm at work and i'm guessing at the spelling) makes a wheat tortilla that is 40 calories, perfect size for me anyway and not cutting. When you look at the label you just have to make sure to read carefully because it say serving size 2 instead of the normal 1 which almost every single one of them says lol. I almost missed it. They are supper soft like regular ones unlike most other wheat tortillas.

As far as Thanksgiving goes:
I'm making the cranberry orange relish
Berry cobbler
white turkey
cauliflower
bread

I know everything that goes into how mom makes veggies etc (thankfully she likes her food with no added salt in any fashion, so it is all natural)

And if I'm being honest I will have a small amount of potatoes and stuffing...but other than that I am sticking close to program. I will make enough of the relish to go around but also bought the kind my husband and the rest of the family likes incase they just don't like what I make.

Thankfully my entire family is now on the support train (husband always has been). I've eaten with them a lot since I've started and they get what is on my menu. I hope/wish everybody else is as luck! If not, hang in there, this may be a tough holiday but you will make it through. If you eat something you didn't think you would don't beat yourself up. In the surviving the holiday class I took the other day the counselor kept repeating ...THIS IS YOUR PROGRAM AND YOU CAN CHOOSE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT. If I choose to eat the potatoes and stuffing it is my choice and I will make it right after. I'm not going to be mad at myself or anything. We can all do this, we have all taken the first step by even starting this program. We can't let one holiday derail us. It's a one meal holiday and if we remember that (say no to the leftovers...unless it's white meat turkey) we will all do great!!
Good luck and enjoy Thanksgiving...don't stress it because stress will make it worse. :) :happ3::turkey:[

Rocki - The blood work was drastically different after being on this program for a while. My cholesterol was down to about 140 and I've went from 11 blood pressure pills a day (preeclampsia) to 3 at the moment. I visit my cardiologist in December and will most likely be taken off more. Hang tough and you will see results.

Tami - I'm so happy for you. It seems like you are controlling your program instead of the other way around. It's a great feeling, isn't it?!

Patzi - Thanks for continuing to inspire everyone and giving tips on how to stay OP. Your words of encouragement go a long way around here! :)

Parkers - I am so sorry about the death in your family. :hug: I've taken all three and love them. They have made a difference for me. F&C Blockers are a must when eating out. I notice when I don't take them, there is a slight uptick in the scale. The Corti-Trim has definitely helped with my pregnancy belly. Dare I say, it's getting flatter. :yay: As for the Super Veggie, I mix that in a HNS and let's just say it helps keep me regular. To me they are worth it, but that's just me.

bigdog - Definitely get a copy of your blood work. You are legally entitled to a copy of it.

nwcgina -When I did Thanksgiving before OP (pre-baby), I actually hit my goal weight during the holidays. It sooo wasn't easy, but the results were worth it. For Thanksgiving, I brought my scale to my relatives, weighed out 4 oz. of turkey, had 4 oz of green beans, and brought a slice of lo cal bread. I treated it like any other day. For me, it was a day of being thankful for being with family and spending time with them, rather than all the food. I'm praying I can maintain that mentality this time too.

birdfeet - Meta-Quick is basically a plateau buster. If I had to say it was anything, I'd say it was like Slim-Fast. You have a protein shake for breakfast, a protein shake for lunch, and then your normal OP dinner. You can also sub a protein bar for the shake, but they have only half the protein that a shake does. Also, you can't do it for more than 7 days in a month. Hope that helps.

Fluffy in Florida - I'm so happy for you that your family is supporting you! And thank you for your great thoughts on the holidays. It's something we all need to keep in mind! :D

Have a great OP day everyone!!!! :happ3:

Jen - What are the active ingredients in the Corti-trim? I have been thinking about adding it to lose more inches. I have the child birth tummy also.

I went to WI yesterday wans was down another 2 pounds. I woudl really like to be down as close to 40 as posisble by Christmas. I'm 1.5 away from 30 so I'm thinking I can make this by the end of November. Then I would have about 3 weeks to make the other 10 before Christmas.

My bottle's at home so I'll let you know tonight. Congrats on your 2 pounds! I think if you stay disciplined, 40 by the end of the year is totally doable.

Thanks for the suggestion, i'll ck those out. lately we've been getting the Taco box that has the shells and tortillas in the box..For Thanksgiving...Wear really tight pants then you can't eat very much!!! LOL! also, if you guys are like me being on the MRC diet, you'll feel kind of sick if you're eating alot and it's rich food. eat really slow (i was a slow eater anyway) and pile the veggies on your plate. i know i'm going to eat the sweet potatoes (not OP) so i'll eat less of the other stuff. and also remember this, most important. This is NOT YOUR LAST MEAL... you can eat any of this food at another time so don't feel like if you don't get it ALL in that you'll never have it available again. and Thanksgiving should be about family getting together (or friends) and not really about food. and there will be leftovers that will fit into our plan in small quantities :-)

I love Jamie Eason!! She is so awesome and love her recipes also. I am planning on starting her 12-wk program this spring after I get a little more weight off. She is such an inspiration and promotes real food rather than package diet foods.:carrot:

Thanks Patzi, I was just thinking maybe veggies, chicken and broth for a soup, but I'll ask at my next WI.

Jen, thanks for the info. I think I'm going to purchase the special. I'm going to need all the help I can get over the holiday.

I keep telling myself its a holiDAY (although already walking into the store I can tell the pre-Christmas time will be hard...it just shouts sugary treats that have always been part of my tradition...). I just need to be intentional and reflect on the progress I have made...and that overindulging will not help me meet my goals...and at this point for me (I'm only 2 weeks in...I'll be about 3 1/2 by then), that a bite of certain things may make me prone to going crazy. Today I sliced an apple, put ICINB spray, splenda, and cinnamon...delicious. Think I'll make that in a pie pan for Thanksgiving dessert, green beans (sauteed), turkey...that would be a "normal" lunch. My consultant told me that with the MRC menu for that day, you use both of your starches at noon (if you use their recipes) and none for breakfast or supper. I looooove dressing...so I may end up making that to take (although it feels odd)...and probably some deviled eggs & veggie tray for pre-meal snack.

Hope you find them and like them. Walmart never has the wheat ones so I get mine at Publix. (don't know if you have one of those)
After eating 6oz of turkey there won't be much room left for anything else :)

Bigdog..
I think the sweet potatoes are on stabilization, before maintenance, but not sure.Sometimes I roast eggplant, with other veggies and that is so good. I use Italian type herbs for that, oregano, basil, etc.

Congrats to all that lost weigh, welcome to all the new comers.. Stay OP. That is the trick.

On Medi Quick... When you take a shake, or a bar, you also take an HNS.
Regular meal at night.. I think you can take 4 HNS or 3 and 1 creamy, but again would have to look at my sheet.

Soups you can use a nice chicken broth where you strain off the fat, use the chicken and veggies that are on your program.. I use veggie broth lots, that I make from veggies and herbs.. This weekend I made a chicken soup and froze it.. Chicken broth, chicken cut up,canned tomatoes, no salt, veggies, and oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, no salt and pepper.Use the veggies that are on your program sheet. If you are allowed pasta, take your portion and add to soup when heating up. Pasta is a trigger for me, so seldom do this.

One of the meals I make and freeze is the mini turkey meatloaf.. I put it into muffin pan, make twelve of them, and when I have nothing in mind for lunch take two ( now on Maintenance I take 3) for lunch with a leftover veggie from supper or a huge salad & a fruit. They are really delicious. I put veggies in the meatloaf mixture , very small diced, and it keeps it moist. I bake these in the oven.

Patzi

Patzi-that sounds the same as the turkey meatloaf muffin recipe I found...glad to hear that they are going to work (I hate trying something and then it totally is a bomb).

You're exactly right, Patzi. You can either do 4 clears or 3 clears & 1 creamy.

Holiday
 

Jens, hopefully you can get this info to more people than I. Just got the email from Providnce and it gives steps how to get though the Holidays and not gain.
providence.org