Wow! 40 flights is awesome. I have trouble with 1 right now.

What is the HNS? I'm a returning newbie to all this. Thanks.

Way to go Rocki for signing the #10 board and yahoo to everyone else losing weight. i'm still maintaining after the one lb. lost and hope to get in the losing game again. had a long walk on the beach yesterday but then went to our fave restaurant and sat on the deck and had two Cajun Bloody Marys! and Buffalo shrimp - will have to say w/ all the stuff going on w/ family, i could have sat there all day and drank :-) i did not have the bumps of beer i usually have w/ Bloody marys! so that's good, right?
did Mediquick today because did not feel like cooking... the Wonderslim Dark Chocolate cream shake (Diet Direct) w/ ice and water in the blender was incredible for breakfast!!!! then my chocolate truffle and lemonade Syntrax powder for the HNSs. now my DH is home and wants real food for dinner so planning on grilled mahi mahi over salad...
was cleaning out a closet today and found a pair of "hot pants" from a few years ago. good news was i can now get them on but cannot sit down. so that's my next goal - to get into them and sit down..... haha!!! could only wear at the beach though, i'm getting thinner but not younger LOL!

Hi again!
Glad I was able to make you laugh - but you know it's true!
I didn't see anywhere in my plan where I wasn't allowed any creamies until after Day 5, but I didn't purchase any, so I'm not tempted to have them right now anyway. My plan is to purchase supplements in bulk - seems to me that's the best way to go. Right now, I have enough for a little over 5 weeks so in the meantime, I'll be going to weigh-ins on Tues. (but not tomorrow) to get samples, then take notes of the ones I like for purchase later.

Just like you told me not to be so hard on myself about TOM, you should'nt be so hard on yourself about vacation. Take your supplements, drink lots of water, eat sensibly & enjoy the time with your family. Don't be afraid to ask for EXACTLY what you need at a restaurant. I had a business lunch today, but almost cancelled because I was apprehensive/afraid I would go off-plan. I went and ended up ordering grilled salmon on a bed of fresh spinach w/balsamic vinaigrette. It was pretty good, but I forgot to tell the waiter no bacon & no red onion. I ate around them pretty good (uh yeah, I crunched down on a few specs of bacon & onion!) & didn't drown my salad in dressing like I usually do. I came back to work, had my HNS & a piece of fruit for dessert and kept my day moving right along.

Hi again!
I've just started my program today (after pre-conditioning for 6 days). I am not taking any supplements other than krill oil, a multi-vitamin & trace minerals. I want to see how my body will respond first before making the investment in supplements. I dropped 2.5 lbs. during pre-conditioning, so I'm hoping my body will continue to respond without them.

HNSs means "High Nutrient Supplements," the powders, concentrates & creamies sold at the center.

I think I may wait a few days and see how I do just with the MRC6.

I wonder if the Atkins shakes would work that same as the whey protien? Any advice on this from anyone? Thanks.

molglo-you would have to compare the nutritional content of the two. You would have to make sure they have the same calories, fat, protein, and carb content.

The scale finally moved down, but I have been really hungry. I don't remember being so hungry before...and maybe it was just the frustration with the scale playing a big role?? I do my call in today so I was going to ask about maybe doing the metabalance.

So funny "i'm getting thinner but not younger". I say if you can get in them...wear them!!! LOL

Leo, oh my gosh girl!!!! You have got amazing willpower. You are doing so great and are really an inspiration for me. I will strive to do as well as you did while I am on vacation. You know everything you suggest is just what I plan on doing. I'm going to enjoy myself and make wise choices. I can tell you that even though I have NOT seen any weight loss, I am feeling so much better than I did before MRC. I am sure it's the combination of the vitamins and the fact I'm not putting all that junk in my body. I feel more energized and even a little clearer thinking, if that makes sense. Sometimes before I felt like I was in a fog, but not so bad now.

We do have different plans then, because mine says "Beginning day 5, you may have one daily of the creamy high nutrient supplements". So maybe there are different levels. I have heard the others talk about different color menus and then some talked about over 200 and under 200, but my consultant said she had two in mind and after the class she asked me some questions and then decided on the one I have. She asked me if I craved a lot of dairy and when I said "not really" she said she knew which plan to give me. I wonder if the other one allowed yogurt or something? Anyway, I am doing just fine, but let me tell you yesterday before supper I was starving. I mean just starving. I drank my afternoon HNS and had a protein snack with it and felt really great, but around 5:00 I couldn't hardly wait to eat. But I didn't get hungry at all between supper and bed time. Usually before bedtime the only thing I think of is sleep, I am not a night eater at all. I value my sleep much more than food. LOL

just got this info from the Hungry Girl email i subscribe to... another protein bar available w/ a decent amount of protein. 10g. good alternative and probably cheaper than Diet Direct and MRC if you need a meal replacement bar. (i do have to hide protein bars in the hutch under the China cabinet and try to limit to 1/2 a day! they are good for a meal replacement but don't abuse them! :-) we are here to lose weight but will have to say the bars have kept me from hitting the fast food places on the road! and on super busy days kept me from grabbing bad choices....
Nature Valley Protein Chewy Bars - The company best known for crunchy granola bars has added treats with a protein boost to its chewy-bar lineup. The brand-new bars come in two flavors -- Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate and Peanut, Almond & Dark Chocolate. Both are tasty and neither has the unappealing (read: chalky) texture of a conventional protein bar. Each bar has 190 calories, 12g fat, 170 - 180mg sodium, 14g carbs, 5g fiber, 6g sugars, and 10g protein

i personally found a great alternative to protein bars from Diet Direct (i'm always researching!) the Chocolite bars are sugar free and 35 cal for 1 bar (2 servings per bar) they taste like Turtles (pecan cluster) i thought they had more protein though (only 1 g!) must have read the online info wrong or it's misprint but they have worked out if i limit myself to one serving in the pm.

LOL! I don't know if it's willpower or determination or both, but I must say I'd been talking/thinking about weight loss for 6 mos. I was "getting my mind right" to start this journey (again) - it's not easy. I LOVE to cook/eat good food! I watch almost all of the Food Network shows & always looking for new recipes (I do not cook "healthy"). Speaking of which, I watched a show over the weekend, "Not My Mamas Recipes" w/Paula Deen's son. He's making over her high fat/calorie recipes so they're reduced by 1/3 or 1/2. Pretty interesting. I'm positive that once I'm in stabilization/maintenance, I'll be relying more on those type of cooking shows to teach me how to cook healthier.

When I visited my doctor, she gave me some great advice. She said, "don't be a slave to the scale." She added, "weight loss is the goal, but feeling good as a result of adopting healthier eating habits is a benefit that should not be overlooked. Keep that up, and the weight loss will follow automatically."

Hi...
I could not go to maintenance weigh in today. So sick with vertigo and my neck, in which I have degenerated disc disease is acting up like crazy.. Will try to go Friday.. Odd, the doctor's office scale, which is the old kind, with the bar across top, weighs the same amt. my scale weighs.. One at MRC is almost 3 pounds higher, and I have the same Tanita scale they have at center. Oh,well....

Today I tried raspberry tea , decaf. with the HNS Wild tropic or whatever it is called.. Added stevia and will drink it all day long.. Very nice.. For you gals that don't like drinking plain water you can do this as long as tea is decaf.

Welcome all the newbies and congrats to all losers and Rocki, congrats on signing the board.



Patzi

I love, love, love Paula Dean's recipes. I have made so many of them, the easy stuff, for holidays and parties and got so many compliments. I wish I could have taken the credit. If I watch any kind of cooking show it just makes me hungry. Especially when the weather is like it is now in TX.....cold, wet, rainy.....just the perfect weather for heating up the kitchen and staying in. Oh just thinking about it is making me hungry now. I'm so weak. LOL I really would like to have some of those lighter recipes AFTER I have lost the weight.

I love what your doctor told you and I totally agree. I just want such instant gratification with my weight loss that it's hard to see the bigger picture. I am very lucky and have a great support system in my husband and my doctor. Now to find this group and be able to talk with people that are going through the exact same thing as me, it's wonderful. You know (going to get a little personal here), as I've gotten older I have noticed the changes in the shape of my body and only until the past couple of months has it really, really bothered me. I have always been big and wanted to lose weight, but only recently have I really become so unhappy with myself. I don't like feeling this way and it makes me question what in the world my husband sees in me. I'm not having a pity party here, but it's these feelings that have really pushed me to seek out this help. I've never felt this way before and I don't suffer from depression or anything like that, it's just my time in life I guess. And my husband is wonderful and has not given me any reason to feel this way. Nothing between us has changed for the worse at all, well besides age. LOL Can you relate at all???? Sorry to be so personal.

Patzi,
so sorry you are not feeling well. Hope you're better soon. Thanks for the welcome.

My scale at home is not the same as the one at the center, but it does read the same as the one at my dr's office. They are 4 lbs less than the one at the center. I want to be 4 lbs less, but I am going to stick with the one at the center.

Oh no, not personal at all. I relate to what you're saying 100% about the body image issues. I also have become uncomfortable with myself, to the point where I'm hiding my body from my signficant other and touching "The Beast" (my stomach) is definitely off limits! He has not given me ANY reason to feel this way and as a matter of fact, told me I looked "sexy" while we were at a x-mas party and I was thinking, "who me?!" So yeah, I know EXACTLY how you feel and it's not a pity party - it's the reality of how we feel about our bodies.

My sister (who is also overweight) and I discuss the changes in our bodies since gaining weight all the time, and let me tell you, sometimes it's hilarious! For example, I asked her, "where did my butt go?" Then she said, "I think your stomach ate it!" We cracked up! Then she's like, "my thigh fat is sliding down and covering my knees" and "I've got cankles!" Cankles = no definition between calves & ankles. I mean, it's really not funny, but we were laughing so hard, tears were running down both our faces!