Big Dog...I also use MFP...I tried Live Strong and for me it was just easier because it was on my phone. Also my consultant loves it because not only can she see what I'm eating, but if she's not familiar with it she can see whats in it. She also loves the food and exercise journals at the bottom. Some times I write in those about how I felt about what I ate or a particularly hard time not reaching for a chocolate donut that was smacking me in the face all night at work...which FYI I did eat one. It was delicious going down, but all night recriminations and guilt I don't think were really worth it. Should have had a piece of my gum!

I can't wait for christmas!!! This year I asked for all healthy stuff. Zumba DVD's, handheld weights, a scale, wrist weights. My husband was super impressed but he asked if I didn't want any jewelry or clothes. I told him when I can fit in my skinny jeans and my skinny dress...then we'll buy my clothes and jewelry. Till then I want the exercise stuff. I don't want to get too carried away and weigh everyday, but like every other day, or if I've had a bad day and eaten off plan...than I want that immediate slap in the face of hey...honey...that donut you had...it cost you a pound!

Oh well....ladies...gotta run this morning...I've gotta get the last of my husbands gifts before work tonight. (And probably something easy to make and take for work) Have a good day!! ;)

i love on MFP when i had a good day OP and it says in 5 weeks you'll be 160 lbs! now that is motivation! i also write notes, like Good day or next time i eat at Applebees it won't be the dang entire Chicken oriental salad! i'm slammed at work and still have Christmas presents to buy and wrap and ship to VA! not enough hours in the day.. i told my DH last night that the dishes were not going to clean themselves and i had to finish wrapping gifts for his family and my family and his reply was...well you don't have to wrap mine. then i was like oh, crap, i still have a couple more things i need to get for him. haha! trying not to panic...i do have 2 more shopping days (till we leave for the beach!)
Zumba CDs -that sounds like something i would love! my DH is working more days though and not as many nights (darn! i do love my DH but him being a Chef is like what are we having for dinner or where are we going out - the man is obsessed w/ food - that's his job) so can't do the exercise tapes at night like i used to. i walk every am early but guess i could do a tape after my walk... i'll have to check them out - i did buy an early present for myself that i love! the GE single blender - i make my shakes in it and go! it's incredible. i shipped one of my sister's one too for Christmas... they're $18 at Walmart.. i got the Shake a weight last year. hahaha! about pulled my arms out but it does work when i use it. (that's the key - use it) :-)

i like the online journaling because it's easier for me. i was journaling using the print outs they have at the center but if i was in my car, or office or on vacation, i wouldn't have the folder w/ me so would stop writing down what i eat. my blackberry is w/ me 24/7 so easier for me. plus if i am going to a restaurant and maybe not going to be strictly OP, at least i can calculate what the calories are ahead of time so i can make lower cal, healthier choices. plus i know more protein and less carbs is why i'm losing weight so it's pretty cool to see the carb (avoid) and protein (need more!) counts of different foods.

I've been tracking just on paper, but previously have tried Live Strong (I liked it) and sparkpeople.com (loved that-it has a mobile app as well...I don't have a smart phone, but I put it on my husbands so I can access it if I need). I'm not tracking calories right now, just using the MRC plan. For a while early on I was tracking on sparkpeople, but I was letting myself cheat too much thinking I Had the "calories" to do it. Once I hit maintenance I plan on using one of them to track my calories and exercise...or to get a fitbook and use that.

I just made a cupcake type thing...just a package of double chocolate pudding and an egg, stir up egg first, then add pudding. Put in muffin tin in oven for about 13 min at 350. It was pretty good fresh...I made a 2nd one to try tomorrow to see how it would be if I made up a whole box to have them on hand for my creamy.

I want to thank y'all for data relative online journaling.. I do not count calories, never have with this diet, but I do want it for my husband, as we are watching his cholesterol count.. I may see about using it instead of my book I keep on me..

Have a nice evening.

Patzi

Ok so i found the MFP site and love it...thanks ladies. I have a question? i'm on the meta slim plus plan and want to know what the daily calorie intake should be?

I actually don't even worry about the calories at this point. MFP keeps telling me I am not eating enough. I put in what I eat. On plan, off plan everything. There are ways to customize it, but right now I'm not even worried about it. What I love is the line graph showing me my weight going down. I have to say I stare at it like ten times a day. Plus, this shows cholesterol, carbs, protein, fat, calories, everything. And like Big Dog said...it helps me when I go out to eat to pick healthier choices. I also pair it with a restaurant app that gets update pretty regularly. They have most fine dining and fast food chains and it shows exactly what you are eating. :D

i asked a couple different consultants at the center that question (re: Metaslim) and they kept telling me MRC isn't about calories...but a chemical combination per meal.... i told them i tracked online and just wanted a ballpark to doublecheck. the first week diet was approx 800 and metaslim was about 1100 is what they told me. so i use that as a ballpark. ask your center and see what they say...i'm sure we'll all get different answers (plus it depends on what type of meat you eat - fish is lower cal. than steak... of course) when i have a perfect On plan day w/ 4 HNSs it came approx 1100 if my protein is low at the end of the day, i'll eat some more chicken or cheese...the more protein i have, the more i lose...

Hahaha! This is exactly what I used to do! I use livestrong.com (considering switching to MFP, though, because I heard their droid app is better and they have less advertising on the site), and it also allows me to put in my measurements at different times and see the line graphs that show my measurements for various body parts going down. :D

Oh I know...I so want to grab my chart from my consultant and put in my beginning measurements to start tracking that. We've measured once OP now and I have lost 12 inches over various parts of my body. I am waiting for the day I can have a ribbon like yours. I love your pics!!!!

Wanted to check in really quick (it's late and I should be sleeping). I went to a German restaurant Sunday and ate on program with a salad but I had a tomato soup that must have had cream in it (it was too good), and the dressing wasn't just oil and vinegar as I asked, it was a vinaigrette I believe. Anyway..after that I ate 2 cookies and a tiny piece of chocolate. For some reason I thought that was reason to totally screw up Monday and I had chicken nuggets for lunch, then pizza and dessert @ dinner. Now that that's out of the way (I had to confess my sins, LOL)..I'm back OP today and have to stay that way b/c I know Saturday and Sunday will be VERY difficult for me. I have to say I'm quite irritated b/c, yes, I know I cheated, but for crying out loud..I was up 3 POUNDS today. THREE POUNDS b/c of 6 nuggets, 2 SMALL pcs of Hawaiian pizza, and a small slice of Sara Lee cheesecake. It's not like I binged all day or for several days. I was actually only up a few tenths of a pound after the German restaurant. Maybe the drinks on Friday were still catching up to me. I guess that combined with the soup, dressing, cookies and Monday's debacle made for a 3 lb gain today. With that I'm only down 5 lbs since joining MRC @ the center on 11/21. Still down a total of 10 since 11/8, but ughghghghghgh! Sorry, had to vent.

I wanted to know how you all eat your Fage (or Greek, whatever brand) yogurt? I bought 2 containers to try and wondered how to make it taste better. I love the Greek yogurt with honey and fruit and all the bad for you stuff, but how do I make the plain stuff more palatable? I want to have it for lunch one day this week. I have 3 more days to be POP before more temptation, and I'm not sure how I'm going to handle the holiday weekend b/c both days/places they're serving ham. I could probably manage to have turkey Christmas Eve b/c it will be at my house, but on Christmas Day it will be at my grandmother's. I have to get a good plan going for these days.

Rocki-I've never had the greek yogurt, but to make ricotta or cottage cheese a dessert type of a thing I put in splenda, a little rum or almond or vanilla extract, and a little cocoa powder. Maybe that would work for the plain yogurt? And the three pounds...when you reintroduce a bunch of carbs, your body stores some of it as glycogen in the muscle for energy. Glycogen attracts water, so often when you first lose on a low carb/high protein plan, it's water/glycogen. When you reintroduce carbs you can gain some back just with replenishing your glycogen stores. So once you get back on track, they'll be gone again.

It would be perfect if Metabolic Research would tweak the My Fitness Pal sight and make their own for all their clients. Loving the MRC lifestyle, but journal with MFP! Have a very Merry Christmas!

ok thanks...I'm still learning and all the info that I get from you guys is really helpful.

Thank you Gina..It's still very difficult for me to understand how we can lose well but gain so much back quickly. I'm still struggling just to meet the 10 lb board and I feel like I've been 85% OP. You'd think that even though that's not perfect, that it's way better than I was doing before and I should have been able to lose more..Just a bit frustrating, but thank you for the scientific explanations. It helps to understand it all.

Rocki...
It is not unusual to eat the food you did and gain? If I ate anything like that I would be up 2-3 pounds the following day and it takes me a week sometimes to get it off.. Just say you enjoyed it and try to stay OP and it will cme off . There are times I eat out and eat OP and gain weight two days later due to the salt content in the food. Ok to vent anytime, that is what we are here for.

As for the Greek Yogurt, I eat the fat free one.. I put fruit in with it, and sweeten it with Stevia, but if you use Splenda that will do the trick.

I also have put some stevia and a scoop of that chocolate drink powder that MRC makes brownies with and that is real good. If you are not sensitive to artificial sugars my friend eats hers with apples,carmel flavoring and some cinnamon.

For you ladies that use the MFP, out of curiosity what is your total protein usually for a day? I am interested in anyone that is on the metaslim last menu or on maintenance..

Wishing you all a great day and a great weigh in.

Patzi

Thank you Patzi. That's what I was afraid of. I really wanted to sign the 10 lb board this week. I think I can do it if I stay OP. I was down 2 lbs today from that junky food! Woohoo.. Thanks for the info on the yogurt. I don't have the chocolate powder but I do have a few flavored stevias as well as tons of extracts. It will make for a quick and easy lunch. Might even drink my nasty veggie powder. :)

One more holiday challenge under my belt! Last night's party with my work group (only 8 people, so we all sat around a table- no mingling to stay away from the food!). Out came an endless supply of bar food: nachos, wings, hot pretzels and cheese dip, fried calimari, etc. Right in front of my face. Are you ready for this? I did not take a single thing. The event was at a brewery and I also did not sample their "handcrafted seasonal ales.". I did however power down several glasses of wine- not eating is stressful! I could have done better on that front, but in all, I'm proud! And today I am DOWN .8.


No time to comment on others posts right now- bus is arriving. Great day, all!

GREAT JOB Camaswa!!!!

Hi ladies!~

Well, from what I am reading...regarding those of us that are messing up a bit...I think what is becoming clear is that we all are learning how to go forward fixing those mistakes, and to me, that is ultimately what "Maintenance" is all about!

I can honestly say now that I know what I have to do when I return from a trip, have a few OFF program days, or following the holidays!!! This is knowledge I did not have when I started MRC....I knew certain foods were to be avoided, but when I did give in to them, I didn't exactly know what to do to regain control of the consequences on the scale.

What a gift!!!! If I choose to have that slice of pie on Christmas, that is OK because I now have the tools and feel confident that whatever effect it has on the scale can be reversed :) No more beating myself up over being human...especially this time of year....

My WI is today...and I believe I am in a much better mind-set to handle it...no matter what :)

Have a great day, ladies!

Hi..
Here is a recipe I used when on Meta Slim and to this date.. I make them and freeze them and they are delicious.. You can substitute whatever you have to for whatever plan you are on.. Will also post this into regular recipes file.
I bring these to barbecue and have them vs. other meat host or hostess is
offering.. Being in the south, we barbecue all year and that is how I like mine
cooked.
It is Rachel Ray's recipe.




By: Rachael Ray

This burger mixes up two diner favorites: Greek salad, which sits on top of the burger; and spanikopita (spinach and feta pie), which is in the burger itself. Ingredients:1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), 1 turn of the pan, plus some for drizzling
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small red onion, 1/2 chopped and 1/2 thinly sliced
3 medium garlic cloves, 2 chopped and 1 crushed
One 10-ounce box frozen spinach, thawed
2 teaspoons dried oregano, lightly crushed in the palm
11/3 pounds ground chicken breast or ground turkey breast
1/4 pound crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon grill seasoning, such as Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick (a palmful)
1/4 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced, plus one 2-inch length of cucumber—peeled, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 plum tomato, thinly sliced
1 cup coarsely chopped arugula
Hot pepper rings or pepperoncini (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 crusty rolls, split
1 cup plain yogurt, preferably Greek
2 whole roasted red peppers, drained
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley (a generous handful)
10 to 12 pitted Calamata olives
Chips of choice, for serving
Directions:1.Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the EVOO (1 turn of the pan) and the butter. When the butter melts, add the My Big, Fat Greek Burger chopped red onion and chopped garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer the onion and garlic to a large bowl to cool.

2.Wring the thawed spinach dry by twisting it in a clean kitchen towel over your sink. Break up the block of spinach as you add it to the cooled onion and garlic. Season with 1 teaspoon of the oregano (one-third palmful). Add the ground chicken and feta, then the grill seasoning and a healthy drizzle of EVOO. Mix it all together, then divide the mixture with the side of your hand into 4 equal sections. Form 4 patties, each 1 inch thick. In the same skillet, cook the patties over medium-high heat for 5 minutes on each side.

3.Combine the sliced cucumber and tomato with the sliced red onion, arugula and hot pepper rings. Dress with half of the lemon juice and EVOO to taste and season with salt and pepper; reserve.

4.Toast the rolls. Place the chopped cucumber in a food processor with the crushed garlic, yogurt, the remaining oregano and the remaining lemon juice. Add a little salt and process until smooth. Transfer to a small dish. Rinse out the bowl and return it to the base.

5.Place the roasted red peppers, parsley and olives in the food processor, season with salt and pepper and process to a paste. Remove the blade and reserve the paste in the processor bowl.

6.Slather the roll bottoms with the yogurt sauce. Place the cooked burgers on the sauce and top with the salad. Slather the roll tops with the red pepper–olive paste and serve with chips of your choice.


Patzi

I just had my consultant make a photocopy of the measurements section of my chart, and then I brought that home and put it into the program. They didn't look at me strangely or anything, especially once I explained that it was for a chart/graph that shows my progress. ;)

And thanks for the compliment on the pictures! We had fun doing my new "after" picture. :)

Hi ...
I put on a recipe on the wrong page.. I did not go to the last page,it is the page before..Sorry about that.

Patzi

This sounds great and I actually have all the ingredients, but OMgoodness, what a list of ingredients and directions. This will take me from now until dinner to complete. :) I might try it though..I have the spinach, yogurt, turkey, some feta (if I can use it) and all the seasonings..

If you just make the turkey burgers without all the salad and dressing ingredients, not bad at all.. I only make the turkey burgers.

Patzi

So I'm sitting here at work trying not to dig into my lunch bag too quickly. I made breaded chicken tenders (MRC approved), steamed squash and zucchini, and am currently noshing on low-fat cottage cheese with splenda and cinnamon. Who ever was the genius of that creation...I want to kiss the ground you walk on because this is now my new go to sweet attack snack. Healthy very little calories and is just sweet enough, plus there isn't any after taste in the sweetener which I absolutely loath!

I spent about two hours combing the MRC recipe board and got six pages of recipies just from page 27 to the end. Tonight I'm going for the beginning!!! I'm actually excited about eating again!!!!! YYYYYAAAAAAHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! :carrot:

Great attitude, Tamiki!! and so right! I think you are doing great - stuff is always going to come up, it's how we regroup after that will make the difference! yay, you!

I've been doing pretty good so far, but today was really hard. Someone brought in Cinnabon cinnamon rolls (oh how i love them) for the office and i admit i did not eat any, but i did have my share of trail mix, couldnt resist it. I felt bad, but i am determined to do this so now back on the band wagon. Tomorrow is a new day. I also find myself getting really hungry around 11 am and I don't eat lunch until 130, it drives me crazy.

Hello All!

for MFP, when you customize your daily goal at 60% protein, 20% carb, 20% fat, this is what the totals will look like...

Your Daily Goal

1,100 total calories

55 carbs
24 fat
165 protein
2,500 sodium
24 sugar

2 Christmas parties today - oh Lordy lordy~ homemade banana pudding and gingerbread men. my boss gave me godiva chocolates and a bottle of wine :-) ----then dinner at an incredible greek restaurant complete w/ complimentary Baklava..."Mama" came out of the kitchen and was at our table, Eat, eat, eat! how can you turn Mama down? :-)
Tamiki, you are right! w/ this plan, i know i can get right back on plan and lose or can do Mediquick and bounce right back. i will have to say i didnt eat any real food at the luncheon but had the banana pudding and one g-bread man. Dinner, had the greek salad and 1/2 of the Spinach pie but did have 1/2 the baklava and of course had the greek wine..:devil:

Camaswa- good for you! i've eaten buffalo wings before OP and took off the skin and just ate the meat..messy but did it - piled on the hot sauce to speed up metabolism - haha i'm eating a lot less at these parties but still having the wine and for some reason going crazy w/ the desserts. we never have that stuff at the house so guess i'm wanting it when we go out. i'm not eating the entire portion but those bites will add up, im sure.

the cottage cheese w/ splenda and cinnamon sounds great! i'll have to try that.

Re: the greek yogurt plain...you can add vanilla extract or sometimes i'll mix it w/ my HNS and fruit for lunch for more protein. i also put it on my sugarfree jello. i like sour stuff so don't mind it plain..

Good luck everyone - i'm chugging water, it's late so i'm sure i'll be up in the bathroom! have some really cute jeans i need to make sure i can wear on vacation :-)

When I did my call in yesterday my consultant was impressed I was down to 167 and said "you could be 165 by the new year"...I told her that I'd be happy to maintain over this next week. She laughed and agreed...the fact that I've lost 19 lbs through Nov & Dec is just flat out amazing to me...okay, to lose 19 lbs period. I had been stuck in the mid to low 180's for a year and a half! I feel really good where I am now...my lowest weight. My goal is another 17 lbs, I can't even imagine what that will be like. If I thought I wasn't going to be able to maintain that, I would just stay "here".

Facing the music today (or I guess I should say the scale!). Came down with the flu last Friday and have not been eating totally on plan. The only thing that sounded good was p-nut butter on toast so that it what I ate! Felt better yesterday so I tried to do a metaquick day, but still could not stomach eating any veggies. I am expecting the scale to show a gain just from eating too many carbs.

What has your experrience been when you have been sick? did you gain?

I had the flu a few weeks ago. Initially I lost, but like you once I could eat I really could only stomach carbs and def not veggies for a few days. I did gain slightly, but then they came off within a few days of being back on track. Focus on getting your energy back and getting healthy, then get back on track.

I got the stomach flu last year and only ate saltines, diet 7up, bananas, and toast for several days. I was eating such small amounts, though, that it really didn't matter. I actually gained, probably from dehydration more than anything. I was only up about 1lb, though, and it came off quickly once I got back to eating OP.

No worries... it happens, and you have to take care of yourself first and get back to 100% (or almost 100%, lol) before worrying about the diet again.

chelljo71..
I was becoming hungry also when I was losing weight and it was around 2
and I brought it up to center and they tuned up my diet to compensate for that, so bring it up to them, as they do not want you to be hungry. Just make sure they tell you how to fix it with food, not supplements.

Bigdog.. Thanks for data on MFP.. Appreciate it.

Wishing y'all a great day.

Patzi

Hi all,
It is snowing hard here in Colorado. It's almost 11:00 and I'm still in my jammies - gotta love time off!

We went to a dinner theater last night, so eating on my plan was difficult, but I didn't do too badly. I did have a few (okay, maybe more than a few!) bites of dessert and a glass of wine. The scale showed a 1 pound gain, but that's pretty typical for me and I expected it. So, today, it's completely on program and I'll be pushing lots and lots of water. My goal (like lots of us here) is to maintain at next week's weigh in. Good thing I've got tae Kwon Do the next two nights!

Sounds like all of us are getting through the holidays the best we can. Keep the goal in mind ladies!

Chickadee

Went and set my daily goals to the 60%/20%/20%...it looks sooo much better now. I'm kinda leary on the 2500 mg of sodium though...guess I'll have to research that tonight while I'm at work. Put in what dinner is tonight already just to see what weight I'd be in the 5 weeks time...oh I can't wait for that to come true!!!! But I just know I'll be there before 5 weeks.

On another note...they were cooking my nemesis tonight at work. I have been able to withstand the chocolate chip cookies all week that they've been baking, but today they started a batch of berry and white chocolate chip cookies...their called strawbery shortcake....so far....I've been good..haven't even wandered into the kitchen to look at them...hopefully before I have to go over that way they'll be all gone. Forgot my gum at home today or I would have chewed away happily and not let it faze me.


::ADDITION:: Looked up what a healthy goal for sodium on a diet is and its 2300 mg. So I guess by leaving the setting where it is it's not too far off, but once I changed my setting I looked back over my food for the week....and I've actually been intaking either half or less than half my sodium allotments. Which is really good because I thought giving up my salt was going to be hard.

i always go below the sodium too.(for MFP). mostly becuz i know salt causes me to retain water! yikes! :-) but if i eat out - sodium is usually high when i calculate restaurant meals.. my DH is packing the motorhome for our trip - ham, lobster, shrimp, filet mignon, salad fixings and i made him get me a veggie tray and cukes. he's a Chef so ALL about food.. i will be mixing my vodka w/ the lemonade HNS to sip at the beach! LOL! have protein bars if i want some dessert. he bought some macaroni salad and fudge - i hate when he buys stuff like that but what i learned all those years in Wt Watchers, he's not making me eat them but it sure is easier not to have that stuff around...

BTW, the Roadside lemonade by Syntrax Nectar is really good! it's tart which i like...i actually wish some of the shake mixes, HNSs and even the protein bars weren't so sweet...guess that's why i like the Greek yogurt plain mixed in...
hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Thanks Patzi, will bring it up at my next weigh in.

Just found out today that my daughter has two cyst on her ovaries and some kind of fluid pocket around her spine. i'm scared to death and all i want to do now is eat crazy stuff, she's 3 hrs away and I can't get to her until tomorrow. I
I am going crazy. please keep me in ur prayers Thanks

Hey, all! Thought I better stop by for a second. I've had an incredibly bad week. Last week I thought my cat was getting better. Started eating and drinking again. Then, on Sunday, it all stopped. She quit eating. Quit drinking. Could only walk a few steps and then had to stop for a break. Tuesday, we finally had to let her go. One of the worst moments of my life. My first pet ever. I actually got her 17 years ago tomorrow. She was my sweet Holly Jolly. I'm actually crying sitting here typing this. That's seems all I've done this week to the point my husband noticed the dry skin flaking around my nose. :cry:

So, my program has went out the window I've been so depressed. I know I need to get myself back in gear, but I don't have much of an appetite, and when I do, it's for bad stuff. I'll go weigh in tomorrow and see what damage I've done.

Hopefully things will start to get easier. It just sucks!

sorry for your loss.