OMG, Atlanta? the best restaurants in the world!! we had to evacuate there for a hurricane over 10 years ago and stayed w/ a good friend of ours and he took us to the most incredible restaurants ever. they have everything Thai, Ethopian, Chinese (authenic)... yeah, girl, when you get down South it is an insult to order unsweet tea! everyone still looks at me funny when i do that! and grits w/out Shrimp Gravy around here? unheard of! my DH makes the best Maryland style crabcakes ever w/out any filler and bakes them but if you go anywhere in town, they are like deviled crabs and fried! they fry everything here! i always order a Greek salad w/ bronzed salmon or tuna when i'm out or a petite sirloin w/ salad or veggies and pray they don't have a bread basket (my weakness in restaurants)

i agree Gina, i am more of a pear shape but like the skinnier legs on pants and will get a bigger size and cut out the tags. i went shopping friday and w/ the slim cut pants i wanted couldn't fit in the 12 or even the 14. actually i ended up not buying anything. my 14's are baggy and the 12's are too tight. my jeans w/ spandex though fit great because of the stretch. so i need to find a brand of pants w/ spandex so they will fit but not be too baggy in the waist...hate when i'm in the mood to buy something and nothing is right. looking for fitted jackets and nothing! i'm tired of the maternity looking psycholodylic clothes i see in the store - it's like, really? who looks good in this stuff? wish i could sew like my mom did, then i could create my own tailored outfits... get really jealous when my DH walks in a store and grabs pants and shirts in his normal size and they all fit. why do women's clothes sizes vary so much? if i really like something, i 'll try the larger size and cut out the tag -:-)

can you add club soda to your red wine or maybe that would be nasty? that's the main reason i'm stuck on 170 - w/ all my DH is going thru w/ his family, he wants to eat out more and guess i can drink water but at the Mexican restaurant, there's margaritas....at the restaurant bar we frequent, i get vodka soda (used to be mich ultra) so i'm thinking the tall glass of V-soda is better. i have been drinking water in between cocktails... but i do know it's stalling my wt. loss. and when i'm with his family, i have to have a cocktail or two...just a fact of life. my friend says her consultant told her if she's having a cocktail to eliminate the fruit and bread for the day..... someone told me that vodka was the lowest carb drink that wouldn't show a wt. gain - not sure if that's true. some have said Scotch has the lowest sugar...but i havent' acquired the taste LOL! anyway this is a lifestyle change but i do know realistically i'm not going to give up a couple cocktails a week so either i'm going to have to step up the exercise or drank tons of water to counteract it! :-) i probably should be telling you - have water! have a HNS! anyway, isn't there a drinking women type diet out there??!!!

Good Morning Ladies, Congrats on all the success that you guys have achieved for the week!!!! I still hanging in there, went to WI yesterday and was down 1lb, not happy with it, but i'll take it. I increased my exercise to 30 minutes of cardio 5 times a week and on the weekends I do strength training with abs/triceps/biceps alternating for about an hour. I was told to cut back on the exercising during the week and elinminate strength training as this may be stalling my weight loss as I should be losing 3lbs per week. I was totally devastated as I really enjoy exercising now since I am able to do it without being out of breathe after 5 minutes.

Once again congrats to all who have had success this week and even those who struggle but continue on, and welcome to all the Newbies, It works if you work it.

Michelle

1 lb a week is a great loss (as long as you are losing) my 2 cents worth! i would never stop exercising and would rather gain muscle as you are losing weight. wonder if you just didn't exercise a couple days before weigh in if that would make a difference in the scales.? i've lost most of my weight but now need to tighten up and just hope i can do that after losing the weight. it prob. would have been easier to lift wts as i was losing...
i had one counselor tell me to cut back on exercising and wt. lifting and then two others tell me no way - to continue exercising and lifting weights. as you can tell from this board, the answers to our questions are all different depending on what center and what counselor you talk to.
you have to do what is best for you...

Michelle-Here's my experience, take it for what it's worth. You have to be the one that decides what is best for you (like big dog said)...

Before I started MRC I was a big exerciser. 30-60 minutes of hard cardio and or strength training 5-6 days a week...sometimes more. People would say that I should be a stick...but the problem was I was overcompensating with eating too much, so stuck...then I started MRC and I knew it was time to just focus on eating.

The calories on the plan (green) were too little for me to keep up my same exercising. I didn't have the energy. So I did a few weeks of no exercise, then I got to where I could do low energy activities about 3 days a week...pilates, yoga, walking, or light strength. Much more would zap me...or I couldn't even lift up my legs. But I knew it was time for me to focus on eating...and it happened that I was busy and also nursing an injury so it was a good time to cut back.

Got to the point where I had lost about 20 lbs and did some calculations based on my body fat...and I'd lost about 7 lbs of muscle (which lowers metabolic rate). So I decided it was time to add in more activity. When I did I was STARVING. So I told my center I was ready to exercise more and was too hungry. My consultant listened and suggested a different eating plan that is SUPPOSED to slow down loss, but it actually sped up a bit with me because of the increased activity (I'm running 2x per week, intense cardio strength circuit DVD's 2x per week, 1 day of pilates/yoga/core, and then the other 2 days I can rest if my body is hurting-it is today-or do light activity like walking or dancing). I decided AT THIS POINT even if it slowed my loss, it was time to add back in activity and build my muscle back up. But I also know it was totally important for me to step away from the exercise for a time and see that it's what I put in my mouth that is most important. For me, the exercise isn't for weight loss or even looking good (although that helps), it is for my mental health:)

And lesson re-learned this week. Because I had amped up the running and lost more I was a little overconfident and started snitching bites off my kids' plates (justfiying that I was more active...which is why I could never lose in the first place). So the scale creaped up...yes, I'm sure I'm also building muscle/retaining fluid for muscle repair. But I now learned not to snitch (when time comes for maintenance, I can have scheduled treats) and to cycle my exercise program so that I don't have a heavy workout right before a weigh in (especially strength). See my weekly schedule below...it's all a work in progress:

Monday (official weigh-in): Strength/cardio circuit (after weigh in)
Tuesday: Pilates/Yoga/core
Wednesday: Run/walk
Thursday: Strength cardio
Friday: rest or light activity
Saturday: Run/walk
Sunday: rest
(strength days affect my weight the most for about 24-48 hours due to fluid accumulation from repair).

Oh so close to seeing the 150's...had I not had my mishap with sneaking some bites of stuff Mon-Wed I probably would have hit it. Lesson learned. Great strength workout this morning...ready to build the muscle back!

Here's to a great and new week!

Good Morning!
I have a question.
If it takes 3,500 calories to gain 1 lb., how is it that a bite of this or that every once in a while would increase your weight?

Hey!

Great job, guys! Gina - I love your enthusiasm for working out. I do Zumba 4-5 times per week and the elliptical 1 or 2 days... but sometimes I feel the need to switch it up a little.

Leo - You're right about the calories, but one thing about this plan is that it's formulated exactly for how your body works. For example, on my program, I can't have fruit at breakfast or dinner. I think it has to do with the natural sugars produced when eating fruit and at lunch it's needed to keep your blood sugar up to get you through the day.

I too gain weight when I snitch bites... or I maintain. I also think, for me, it's a slippery slope of non-accountability when I sneak bites of my kids' meals (i.e. macaroni and cheese or their ice cream)... it seems to snowball into cravings and things I don't need in order to stay focused... just my two cents.

It's funny that this topic was brought up because that's exactly what happened to me this weekend. I got a few bites of ice cream and mac/cheese and this morning I was up 2 pounds... ugh. Time to hit the water and the excerise to un-do this!

Have a great Monday!

It may not be because of the few bites here or there...could be so many different varieties. Hard to pinpoint...Some of us experience a gain when we have been perfect! Cut yourself some slack :) Just do your best to stay OP, and the ups and downs are going to happen...inevitable. This is a process and there won't always be a consistent drop.

Good morning ladies!

Well, this past week I have had a increase in my appetite...Always the week before my period. So, the challenge of course is making good choices when I want to snack:) Also, adding these foods on Stabilization is great, but the temptation to have a whole banana rather than just a 1/2 of one is hard when you haven't had one in 8 months!! LOL I keep thinking that with oatmeal or cream of wheat or graham crackers, I am allowed "one serving size" according to the box. NOT! Try 1/2 of a serving...so I am messing up sometimes, but that is OK. Now I know!

My counselor introduced "Wasa" crackers to me. Apparently you can now have those in place of your "bread" while OP, rather than the Melba toast..etc..These are yummy. I get the "sesame" kind and very good for a change. But, she is right...it is hard to stop at 2 of them! You can get them at Wal-mart next to the Melba toast.

Well, hang in there all! I feel so much more relaxed now that I am not on a constant mission to lose weight!! I didn't realize just how overwhelming that time was until now. I knew it was hard, and I was always hard on myself, but now it is even more clear. Remember, it took me a while to lose 50lbs because I wasn't in a hurry and because I think I would have given up on the program if I didn't cut myself some slack occasionally. Some do well with sticking to it strictly and lose rapidly...but we are not all the same. In the end 50lbs is 50lbs...how we each get there is individual! Embrace YOUR journey and be OK with it being different than others...No comparing yourself..it doesn't motivate:)

I like that, Tami - embrace your journey. Very motivating! I also wondered about the Wasa crackers... will be a nice change!

Big Dog...
When I hit maintenance and was allowed wine, I had the bar or restaurant give me a large glass and tell them to put the wine serving in the glass with club soda, ice and lemon slices... It is my version of a wine cooler.. It is good. I can make two glasses of wine last a lot longer...

Patzi

Rachels77 - Thanks for the response! I think we may be on the same plan - fruit at lunch only. Somehow, I'm not convinced that A BITE or 2 of something off-plan will make you gain a whole pound! I think it's absolutely true though about once you start sneaking a bite here & there, it's hard to stop - THAT accumulates if you don't fight the urge. The other night, I had a handful of caramel popcorn w/nuts (sure was good!) and I found myself wanting more and more and more! CARBS ARE THE DEVIL! :D

Tamikl,
As we say in church - Amen & Amen! Embrace YOUR journey! Don't compare yourself to others as we are all different. I also agree with cutting yourself some slack SOMETIMES - speaking of which........on Superbowl Sunday, I'm having family over to watch the game. I'm going to allow myself SOME treats. It does help that everyone coming to the party knows I'm embarking on this "lifestyle change" and two of my biggest supporters (my daughter & cousin) will be there to keep me "in check."