OK, this time I'm not alone in my office and the project manager is laughing at me laughing. I don't dare tell him what's making me laugh so hard. Thank God for our wonderful husbands. It was like reading exactly the same thing with us. He will tell me how beautiful I am and compliment me and I think he needs to get his eyes checked or wonder how much he's had to drink. As a matter of fact, a few years ago he had lasik(not sure how to spell it) and when he tells me stuff like that I will tell him that I don't think his lasik took. He tells me he has perfect vision in his eyes and heart.

Had an awesome talk with my consultant. Told her I was losing but with increasing activity was just really, really hungry. So she didn't even suggest a supplement, she said "let's try you on this other plan" and described metabalance and is sending it to me. So we are going to try it a few weeks. If I continue to lose and can be active then that's what I'll do to finish out. If it stalls me, we'll change back. I am close to my goal and making good progress...this plan sounds so much better for the activity level I want...It was good for me to have a few months where I didn't do much activity and just focused on eating. Before I would exercise and overeat either as a reward or feel it was justified...now I know nutrition is first and foremost.

Little Late Posting - 51 pounds gone!
 

Hey, guys -

Everything has been crazy over the holidays. I didn't have any major gains and went for a weigh-in last week to discover I'm down 51 pounds overall! So excited!

RN - I wouldn't sweat the .2 pound gain... there are so many ways our weight fluctuates! I've noticed over the course of the plan that my weight fluctuations vary greatly depending upon stress and sleep. If I miss a few hours of sleep (which happened alot this week with a sick kid) or if I'm stressed out, I can gain as much as two pounds at a WI... depressing, but it's just how my body reacts.

I love reading the threads on here and the amazing support on here. Best wishes for awesome weigh ins this week!

HI Everyone--I'm back after a few weeks off. My center didn't want me to, but I completely went off plan from Thanksgiving through this past weekend. I gained about 8-10 lbs, which was more than I would have liked, but I'm back at it now and am down 3 lbs in just a couple of days. I have to tell you though, it was worth it--I baked and did fun stuff with my kids and really enjoyed all the family time without worrying. I'm back at it now though, and hope to lose about 40 lbs. I'm really really going to try to be OP the whole time. I'm taking a little different approach this time, and hopefully it will go quicker than last time. :)

I left a message on maintenance forum for anyone on maintenance. I need an answer to a question.

Thanks
Patzi

GOOD FOR YOU! :carrot:
I don't like cottage cheese either. I've been using the Wishbone Salad Spritzers (Balsamic Breeze). Do you mix the cottage cheese & HVR in a blender to make it smooth?

As far as the powdered/concentrate supplements, I can recommend the Kiwi Melon (tastes like green apple) and the Mixed Fruit Fiber (pretty sweet - tastes like fruit punch).

know exactly what you mean! i love, love this program but would get my barbs up when they started harassing me about purchasing supplements and HNSs from them. seriously, i paid them over $300, that was enough! i actually would have bought a few HNSs from them but when i'd want something, they'd be out of it. wanted to buy the Metabol recipe book from them and they were out. wow. thank goodness for you guys on this forum!! i'd read stuff here and then go to center and ask them and they'd be like, yeah, we have recipes, tips on eating out, etc. anyway, glad i knew from these boards what to ask for :-) i leave my pocketbook in the car when i go in to weigh!

That is excellent!

Truth!
 

Ok, who does this? when i have a good weigh in at the center, i'll weigh myself again at home, stripping off all my clothes! i just want to see that number again...then i dance around. then usually will grab something i've havent worn in awhile to see if i can get into it! i feel like i'm still in the honeymoon stage of this diet plan and usually w/ other plans, i get bored and quit and regain.

for those of you that are hungry, are you drinking at least 4 HNSs a day? or maybe try some fiber supplements to fill you up? or maybe you are exercising more that i am (i do need to step up my activity) i walk 5 days a week for 40 minutes... i do take women's daily vitamin, (2)B-6, B-12, 2 fish oil capsules, calcium pill daily... few times a week, take fiber supplements....
don't take any supplements from MRC.. i prob should get more sleep- will stay up too late reading lots of nights, then pups wake me up around 6:30 am to walk...

What is MetaBalance? Are you able to share the sheet?

Thanks.

Would you mind letting me know where you buy your HSN's? The ones at the center are expensive and I would like to find alternatives. Thanks.

bigdog-I was drinking 4 HNS's a day. It used to keep me satisfied, but when I upped my activity it wasn't enough. I had weakness that didn't allow me to do what I wanted and was hungry. I'm training for a Warrior Dash in June and maybe a 10K or half marathon in October. Oh, and since I weigh at home & call in I don't do quite the same, but if I'm .4 or something away from a really great new number, I'll go do a Jillian workout to sweat it out to get down...then dance around or grab the measuring tape.

molglo-you can ask your center for the metabalance. I'm not able to distribute it since it is copywrited. I think some people buy from diet direct, but overall their prices are very similar. I do buy some whey protein at walmart, but you have to compare the nutritional value. If you don't have the nutritional info, you can always find it on myfitnesspal.com. Most of the MRC stuff is entered in there.

Loving the metabalance plan...and still losing. Was able to go for a 2 mile run/walk last night (and mostly run...before I couldn't run b/c my legs were so weak). And I realized last night when I was stretching...I am down 24 with MRC, but I am down 60 POUNDS since my highest weight.

Gina, i would definitely do the Metabalance and keep up your activity and stick to your goals. i'm planning on doing weight training and increasing my exercise (biking more and going to try some fitness videos) i think that is the key to keeping the weight off plus i feel wonderful when i exercise :-) the scale is our guide to weight loss for this plan but how we feel is the most important - and congratulations on the loss of 60 lbs! woo hoo!!!!!

I told my consultant that if I stall on metabalance I'll cut back on activity and go back to metaslim...but that the activity is good for my mental health:) It's me time and it makes me feel so good. I'd be okay even staying at this weight if I lost about 2 more inches on my waist:) She said she'd rather have me going back to the activity too. I guess the manager there is a fitness instructor and agreed that it was the best plan for me. But it was good for me to cut out the activity for a while.

I tried the wishbone salad spritzers, I thought they were awful! And yes I took the cottage cheese, with the HVR and I added a little water to it to make this dressing thin and blended it in my blender... it turned out very yummy!

Hi ladies!

Well, it has been a couple of days since I have been on here...busy, like everyone :)

I am on "Stabilization" and this is my 2nd week on Menu #1...lol If you gain after the first week, you don't get the next menu...so here I am!

I had a WI with the center within 4 days of starting Stabilization, and 2 of the days was away celebrating my anniversay with the hubby...and not making great food choices. It is hard enough being away, but I get into this mode when vacationing that what I eat shouldn't matter, cause I am on vacation!! Hmmm...I may need to rethink that mentality.

Anyway, back on track now that I am home, and I am hoping to graduate to menu #2 at my next WI:)

Sounds like we are all plucking along one day at a time, and many are losing big time! Great job!!!

I will stay in touch...

Hi everyone. Leo, how are you doing today? I have been so crazy busy at work I only have a minute, but there are so many posts I want to remark on.

I am going to be selfish for a minute and whine/complain and hopefully get some wonderful advice and spirit lifting comments from all of you amazing people. I am stressing and I am soooooooo hungry sometimes. I'm drinking 4 HNS's a day and staying OP really well. The hunger is really bothering me. Anyone else struggling this much? I have also stressed with my sons.....one 15 year old and one 12 (feb 4 he'll be 12). My oldest is a typical teenager, defiant, hard-headed, just got learners permit and knows everything already, and a good, good kid, but has semester finals today and tomorrow and because he knows everything is refusing to study. Trust me, his grades reflect how little he knows. He's passing, but by the skin of his teeth. My 12 year old had a horrible toothache yesterday and I took him to the dentist this morning. He had to have a root canal that cost me $335. UGH. Yes, that was with dental insurance. Anyway, all of this stress is getting to me. I want to go buy a king-size hershey bar and a 12 pack of coors light. Not sure in which order, but I want them both. I'm sure my body is in shock too from the diet. LOL

Hi KG! I'm doing just fine today! I'm sorry your sons are stressing you out! :hug: Pre-teens & teens are just RASCALS! Just think, you'll be on VACATION very soon so hopefully, you can hang in there until then. Also, that unexpected $335 IS quite a hit to the wallet, but be thankful you have the money to pay. Your son isn't in pain anymore (which is PRICELESS). Maybe "Mr. Know It All" needs some consequences if his grades aren't where you'd like for them to be.........

I'm not a "stress eater" but I'm sure there's a thread here that addresses it and gives tips/pointers on how to handle it.

As far as the hunger goes, I've noticed that at times I'm hungrier than others - even though I'm sticking to the plan (usually between lunch & dinner). I try to combat it with chugging water (temporary fix). I'm also drinking 4 HNS's per day. I'm going to mention it when I go weigh-in tomorrow, but I have a suspicion my counselor is going to tell me to either 1) increase the HNSs; or 2) purchase one of their products to curb my appetite. We'll see, but in the meantime, I'm researching NATURAL appetite suppresants, fat burners, carb blockers and if you have time, I encourage you to do the same. As someone else posted, MRC's supplements have NO science behind them, which really turns me off plus, I'm not interested in having to depend on (or feel like I have to depend on) manufactured supplements for sustained weight loss.

Tomorrow is a new day & I hope you're feeling better!

KG-when I first got on the program I was HUNGRY until I learned some ways to combine my HNS with no calorie beverages (soda, decaf coffee, tea) to help with the hunger. That made a huge difference for about 2 months...then I lost over 20 and started getting active again and got hungry again so they switched my plan. (Stress definitely uppped my hunger).

Molglo - The protein I use is Body Fortress from Walmart. I don't like chocolate so I get the vanilla and then add crystal light for variety. I know they have chocolate and cookies and cream but am not sure what other flavors they have. The center really does NOT like me using other HNS. I usually do 2 from the center and 2 of the BF each day. Sometimes I only do 1 from the center. Good luck.

So far still losing on metabalance...so happy. I'm still never "full", just satisfied. More energy. i honestly still can't believe the number I am seeing...162?? Me?? Never, never, never...I still think of myself as 182...180's have been part of my life for a long time. i'll probably have a heart attack when I hit the 150's:)

For those of you starting out...keep with it. It does work if you follow it. My only off plan moments in 2 1/2 months were having 2 Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. I haven't had pizza, subs, fries, PB sandwich, sweets...the list is long...since Oct 31 and I'm not missing it. Oh sure, if I see/smell/think a lot about pizza I really want some, but the end result is worth the temporary restriction. And then when I hit maintenance I can figure out how to add back in some of those things in smaller, less frequent quantities to keep myself at a healthy weight.

I am curious if any of you experienced being very tired the week of preconditioning.. I am a night owl, but since about the third day on preconditioning I have just been so tired come 8pm, which is completely unlike me.. Does it go away or will I continue being very tired early evening?

I love the way you worded all of this, Gina :) Stabilization is still pretty strict, but again...worth it. All of this is worth it. I haven't had much of the items you mentioned since May of 2011! I MISS peanut butter/jelly sandwiches and cereal the most :) Just like you said though...soon I will be able to reintroduce in smaller quanities while still maintaining what I have worked so hard to lose.

Awesome insight...

I had maintenance weigh in this morning and lost 1 pound, putting me 6 1/2 pounds under goal.. I did try to lose another pound, as the car races are starting here end of January, and for the 24 hour race, I want to be able to indulgem plus I have parties to go to relative the Nascar races. I want to indulge in the 24 hour tail gate party at the paddock this year, as last year I was still losing weight and brought my own food.

Remember ladies, if you have a drink, omit a fruit. U was talking about that with consultant today.

I tried one new thing this week on maintenance.. I tried Fat Free Ricotta Cheese with some of the super chocolate powder( one we make brownies with) and some stevia.. Very very good.. Enjoyed it and no weight gain.
Also added couscous to my meal, usually have 1/4 cup as grain is a big one of my carb triggers and that went fine. Couscous has onions, zucchini, veggie broth with spices in it.

Wishing you all a great weigh in and remember, if you work the program it works and it is worth it.. Best investment I ever made.

Patzi

I did. I absolutely dragged during my preconditioning. I was tired, then irritable, then emotional.

A large part of that is the withdrawal from some of the foods that your body had depended on (for me it was carbs, but I know some people were caffeine hounds before starting the plan, and that would do it, too).

The only advice I can give you is to make sure you get at least 64oz of water a day (it does help with the tiredness a little if you're well-hydrated) and to just plug along until they give you your meal plan. Once you start the actual plan with the HNS drinks, you'll feel lots better--I did, anyway. I think between the new meal plan and having been off of refined carbs and sugar for a week my body was able to get into the new food routine and my blood sugars evened out a lot so that I didn't have the dips that would make me so tired.

Good morning everyone,
This thread moves so fast. If you miss a day, you miss a lot!
I love reading about everyone's experiences on MRC. My plan is so different that I can't always relate or comment, but it still is inspiring to be among a group of people who have the same goal. Unfortunately, I seem to lose way slower than most people - always have. My plan is basically 1,200 to 1,300 calories a day in a structured way. If I lose a pound a week, I'm happy. Some day I hope to be one of the stabilizer/maintainers. You guys inspire me!
Also, there sure are a lot of us from Colorado on here. I wonder if MRC markets a lot here or if it's just a coincidence. Hmm...
Chickadee

Losing focus- what to do?
 

Help! All the sudden I feel like throwing in the towel. I'm not far from goal and losing steam. I was so proud that I managed to lose a little over the holidays but now I just want to stop thinking about it. I want to stop putting in the effort it takes to plan. Stop working on alternative ways to decompress rather than mindless eating. As I write this, what I hear is that I'm tired. My job has been stressful, a few things have been out of the norm at home... I just want everything to stop and I want everyone to leave me alone.

I looked forward to getting back to normal after the holidays, but I haven't gotten there. I don't know why, perhaps in part because my daughter is still
here from college? Of course I love having her, but every dinner feels like it's "special" in some way, and to be honest, I try not to act like I'm dieting in front of her. Last night we went out for dinner at a very nice place - birthday dinner for husband- and today I am up 2 pounds! Yesterday up almost 1 from the day before that.

I am in dangerous territory. I don't want to drive all the way to my center to weigh in when it will be bad news and I don't need to buy any HNS.

How can I get my head back in the right place?

camaswa-A few suggestions, hope one of them helps. The first is to look back at pictures from when you started, go back and read your first posts here, or if you keep a journal, read there. Remember what it was like at the beginning, and you so don't want to go back there. If you are at a place you'd like to stay, then talk to them about stabilization rather than go backwards. The second is to take some time looking forward and asking yourself why you want to get to goal, how will it benefit you? Why do you want the last few pounds off? will it put you in a different size? Give you more confidence? Be better for your health? I was questioning wanting to go to stabilization just because I was tired and frustrated, so I committed do doing one more month (Jan) strictly on plan and see where I was and reassess if I wanted to go any lower. So glad I did...switched to the metabalance and am losing again. I am still going to reassess at the end of Jan, but will probably go through Feb as that should put me at goal or darn close.

Kuntreegirl - I hear you on stress. It is a major factor in my gaining weight, even if I am eating on plan. One thing I noticed is that I crave chocolate when I'm stressed... my mom's homemade fudge called my name like crazy. You don't want to give in (although I admit I did snag one piece during the holiday), but I find that drinking alot of water and doing the fiber drink helped me through a few times of hunger. Also, are you sleeping well? I think sometimes our mind keeps going and we really need to just shut down and sleep... you know?

Matea36- I did the same thing with preconditioning... I was tired way to early. I agree that it was my body ridding itself of the foods it was used to. For me, it was also carbs and sugar that picked me up throughout the day, ... the first few days I didn't have it, I was miserably sleepy. Just hang in there, make sure you're drinking your water (for me, 100 oz does better than the 64, for some reason) and also make sure you're resting enough (going to bed earlier, etc..).

Camawsa - you are such an inspiration on your weight loss. Don't throw in the towel! Remember that this is journey and things will get better... you'll get back into routine again and do great. I think though that, if you need to take a break, it may be worth it just to break the monotony... or try a new recipe or something that excites you again about losing weight (mine was dropping a size...). I thought back to when I was that small and the answer? Over 10 years ago...

I admit I'm not as strict or "gung-ho" now that I've been on since August, but I'm still plugging along...

Hi Everyone!
Today is a GREAT day! NOTHING can ruin my mood or bring me down! Wanna know why? (Drumroll, please). I weighed in today and lost SEVEN pounds. YAY ME! :carrot: I'm 1/2 lb. from signing the 10 lb. board. :D

My counselor was like AMAZED (and so was I). I was only expecting a 3-4 lb. loss so 7 just about floored me. To top that, they had the Double Chocolate Wafer Bars on sale - buy 1 get 1 free, so I purchased a box after tasting a sample. Then, I got to pop a balloon (that had a prize inside) and won a free sample (I wanted a creamy, they didn't have any so I settled for my fav so far - Kiwi Melon drink).

For any newbies who are doubting this program, DON'T. For me, this program has worked better than ANY of the "popular" plans out there and I've tried at least 3 of them. Is it a challenge? YES. Is it worth it? YES. This is an investment in ME, I'M WORTH IT AND SO ARE YOU!

I'm always so grateful for your replies Leo....you can put a smile on my face. Things are better today and my husband basically said the same thing that you did.....I would have paid any price to take the pain away for my son and yes, I'm very thankful that I am able to pay it. I won't say it didn't hurt though. Just so you know, I am a worrier. I would love to change that to wArrior, but for now, it's wOrrier. LOL My oldest or "Mr. Know it all" as you called him (love it) does have consequences for his grades and has suffered them a lot this year. My biggest concern with him is that it seems like he just doesn't care sometimes. Rascals is a perfect word for my boys too.

I am concerned about my hunger when I'm drinking 4 hns's and taking almost every supplement they offer. I really feel like I shouldn't be getting hungry. Believe me after taking all those pills it feels like nothing else could fit inside my stomach, but that only lasts a short time. I really don't want to keep spending my money if it's not worth it. I'm not talking about the plan....just the supplements. I am going to do some research as well, but please keep me informed as to what you find.

I am feeling better today. I am so looking forward to leaving town and just not thinking about work, school, grades, bills. Year end at work is going to turn me into an alcoholic. Month end, quarter end, and year end all at once. FUN FUN. I am not even going to make into the center today for my WI but I'm not sorry, because I'm afraid to step on the scales with all this stress. I really wish I lost weight when I stressed instead of gained. Anyway, I really feel better today no matter what I complain about. LOL:dizzy:

Hope you have a good weekend and I look forward to hearing from you.

Hugs to you. :hug: I wish I had exactly the right thing to say but I don't. I will tell you that you're not alone and maybe take a little time to let go and regroup. It hasn't been that long since the holidays and it's OK to enjoy yourself. Enjoy your daughter being there. You know you CAN do this and when you're ready you'll get there. I know what you mean about going in to weigh when you know it won't be good. You are not going to throw in the towel because you've come too far. You are an inspiration for the ones of us that are just starting and we are all human and wonderfully flawed. Don't beat yourself up.

I have got to get back to work but just let me say WAY TO GO!!!!!(applause, applause, applause). I am so proud of you and I know you're proud of yourself. :carrot: So happy for you!!!!!

Thanks so much. I will look for the BF this weekend.

Way to go, LEO! That is awesome.

Just made chocolate chip cookies with the kids (first snowy day of the year, it was pretty much a must do activity). Did sneak 2 chocolate chips, but other than that not eating them. I kept my hot cocoa right by us while were making them so when I was tempted I drank that. For once it was enjoying the activity of baking with the kids and not for the pleasure of licking the bowl or eating 10 cookies. I love the new mindset where I am not controlled by food.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! Awesome loss :carrot:

Leo - Way to go on the weight loss. That is AWESOME!!

I went to WI today and got good news. I was down. 2.5. I have stalled for about a week and was very glad to see a downward movement agian. I do not like the plateaus but know I have to go through them just like everyone else does.

Hello, I attended my food class today and will be starting my plan tomorrow. I lost 6.5 pounds during the pre-conditioning. Looking forward to learning from all of you.

Best

Thanks for the encouragement everyone! I REALLY appreciate it. :hug:

I've been thinking about ways to reward myself and came up with this - for every 10 lbs. I lose, I'm going to buy myself a new pair of shoes! :carrot:
I LOVE SHOES (and I don't think my shoe size will change as I'm losing weight)!

Everyone have a fabulous, fat-burnin' weekend!

See ya'll Tuesday!

Teacher Lady...

You have some great recipes on your blog.. Thank you, Natalie, for sharing them with us..I check in each day..

Patzi

I love shoes, too, so I think that's a fantastic reward! FYI, though--your shoe size will change a little bit, but not until you've lost quite a bit. I went from size 9.5/10 (depending on the brand) to size 9/9.5.

I had a few shoes that I simply can't wear anymore because they're too big. It's okay, though, as I buy really good quality shoes and then wear them until they're falling apart, so I was due for a few new pairs. That, and now that I'm wearing way cuter clothes, I needed some different styles of shoes to go with them. ;)

I'm glad you like them, Patzi! I'm finding that I really enjoy the challenge of finding more and more interesting meals to make and keep in my "rotation" of things to eat so I don't get bored and end off going off track. I still eat plain chicken and veggies sometimes, but it feels good to eat something that seems so gourmet at times--but still know that it's healthy for me and not going to cause me to gain!

I've only been posting about twice a week, but I'd like to start to get to the point where I'm posting 4-5 times a week. That's more likely to happen in the summer, though, when I'm not working full-time. :)