Congratulations on the losses! I went in today and was down 1/2 pound... still down, so I'm happy. I also think it was higher due to me having steak last night. Hopefully it will be even lower on Saturday's weigh-in.

I did my body comp today and am down from 51.2 % body fat to 41%. Still high, but I'm working on it. Doing more weight lifting and such so I hope to continue to do better. Just since February I've lost 2% body fat, but only 3.5 pounds... but my couselors said that it was good because my water and everything else stayed the same, so I'm only losing the fat. So, I have to retrain my mind to think in terms of body fat.

Btw, I am also well-endowed up top, so I appreciate what you ladies have said about the body fat... interesting.

Galadreal - I laughed about your beating someone with their arm for a slice of cake! I felt like that too... often, it was lack of sleep or stress or not keeping my water up that caused it. But I appreciate that you got the pizza... I personally cannot do that, as it is a major trigger (along with the chocolate meal replacement bars and nuts) for me.

Rachels77 - I am lucky in that respect, as long as I don't feel deprived I am fine. As long as I don't feel like I can't have something I am ok. I just hate being told that something is not possible, and when I am I tend to get stubborn and bullheaded and drive myself up the wall. Or in this case into the arms of the waiting pizza delivery guy (not really, we went and picked it up, but it does not sound nearly so dramatic). But I had it, I am fine now, had my NOT ON PROGRAM food, and now I am back, refreshed and not feeling so restricted. Had leftover "Fried" chicken strips that husband made last night (melba toast, egg, spices, chicken, spray of I-can't-believe-its-not-butter" and bake). The recipe was in the cookbook, very good. That was lunch along with a little leftoever asparigus and some cucumber slices. This morning I made greek yogurt and peach smoothies.

Thankfully my only real trigger food is chocolate. Which is why I am a bit concerned about this weekend. You see part of my Valentines Day gift from Eric was a voucher for a 60 minute deep tissue massage with chocolate oil and hot stone treatment. I set it up for this Friday (off for spring break). Of course, the thought occurs to me afterwards, how dangerous it is for Gail to be driving around town with free run of the car and a credit card, smelling like chocolate while on a diet. I told Eric he might come home and see nothing but a giant pile of Cadbury egg wrappers and me laying behind it in a sugar coma. :bunny:

Thank y'all for date on body fat, etc.. Much appreciated.

Want to congratulate all those that lost weight.

kegip09...
I am not sure I am answering your questions, but I am a client of MRC, and have made it to maintenance.. I used the Meta Slim Menus while losing weight, as that is what the center put me on. I weighed in twice a week, and now weigh in once a week, my choice.

This week, I am adding a large candy bar to my eating to see how I do on next weigh in. I mean one of those biggies... I gained last time I tried it, but am trying again. And trust me I will relish every last bite. My triggers are chocolate, so want to see if I can handle just the one, and if there are craving frenzys after eating it. My poor husband can never give me a box of candy, as I don't trust myself around it. Could not just eat one and let it go, so never have anything like that around... Sigh....

Wishing you all a great day and great weigh ins.

Patzi

Hi ladies!

Well, I am tickled pink today..3 weeks in a row, the exact same weight to the ounce!! Being on Maintnenance now, that is very good news:) I THINK I might actually be getting the hang of this..slow but sure. Never will I allow myself to believe "I got it." I remain on guard..knowing my triggers and trying my best to avoid them. One day I will be stronger, but for the time being, I am content with avoiding things I know would be tough to resist.

I think I really like Maintenance now that I have figured out ways to relax on it and just enjoy it without going crazy on it! :yay:

Keep up the great work, ladies! It is worth it!

Tami - That's great news. Enjoy it.

Awesome job Tamikl, very congratulations!!

patzi-that sounds wonderful. I hope for your that doesn't cause gain this time:) I'm one week from maintenance and I don't know what that will look like for me, but I've been looking at the weight watchers ice cream bars and hoping that I can have something like that without gain. Sweets are definitely my downfall. I want to be able to enjoy some without going overboard. But I'll remind myself to be patient. This week I got to add in a fat at supper and none of them were even appealing but I really missed PB, so my counselor has me doing 1 Tbsp PB with my afternoon snack. 3 days in and no gain, so this makes me happy. It really helps me feel full longer in the afternoon, which is great since in the summer we tend to eat later.

tami-that is awesome. Can you share with a maintenance day looks like for you eating wise? I'm a week away and getting curious about exactly what I will be eating...I'm actually really satisfied with this level of food on this week of stabilization...if I could add in 50-100 calories of some kind of chocolate each day, I'd be a happy mama. (The MRC hot cocoa has been a life saver).

1.5 lb to go! (if you look @ my ticker, it looks like I'm there, but I technically have 1.5 to go). Actually 150-155 is the range I want to stay, so 1.5 to get to the low end of my range. And that's with adding PB (and 60 cals of dark chocolate the past 2 days). This has so worked for me. And I think the key in transitioning is slowly adding in the foods to see how I react...both in cravings and weight. Cravings are kinda the biggest. And I haven't added in a variety of starches yet, still stickign with the 35 cal bread, melba toast, pinto beans, and recently did do crackers (40 cals of crackers isn't much). But oh I'm excited!

Congratulations Gina - all this maintenance talk is getting me even more motivated to get these last few pounds off.

Keep up the good work ladies.

Gina...
If I can help you at any time, please feel free to ask.. I had the candy bar, and I will see.. Do you believe it did not taste as good as I was anticipating?
I can't believe I am saying this, but I did not finish it, but I had to throw it away, as I did not want it around. I got on scale after eating it foloowing day and was up one pound, but have until Tuesday to get it off, so not fretting over it. It is just a way of life. . Good luck to you and be proud of yourself, as you deserve it..

Patzi

Congratulations, Gina! You will enjoy Maintenance because it isn't so strict:)

You asked about my typical day of eating...of course it varies, but most of what I do is very similar to the Green menu...just adding to it more variety.

For example:)

I have a starch every meal...and keep it at 100 calories or less....no more Melba toast!! LOL
I continue to reach for high protein snacks...but I have added these "Kashi" granola bars that I really like and have one around 3 pm...everyday OR I have a snack at that time..like a vitatop (100 calories), a 40 calorie fudgesicle, a cheesestick, an egg, pickles, or something up to 150 calories max. In the evenings, I still do my "creamy HNS" and have bought a variety of puddings from Diet Direct. There are many flavors and I put a little FF whip topping on and I feel so spoiled!! LOL

At breakfast my favorite is a greek yogurt with a homemade egg mcmuffin. Those used to be a huge favorite of mine...difference now is a 100 calorie english muffin, a turkey sausage patty, and egg beater with tobasco..and I have 1/2 of a kraft single and dip in salsa! YUMMY I also have reintroduced cereal some days...but am choosing high fiber/protein kinds. If those are boring, I discoverd "Kellogs chocolate Krave" cereal Oh my...just sprinkle a few on my cereal and makes the bowl very yummy.

Lunch continues to be salads mostly with a variety of different proteins on them...with a starch and I will have a fruit mid afternoon. A recent favorite is "Ants on a Log" OMGoodness! I LOVE these...I love peanut butter, too. There is my veggie, protein, and fruit all in one!

Dinner continues to be a protein, veggie, and a starch...I am just not as strict with making sure it is totally LEAN every meal. Last week in fact I made smothered burritos and I put mostly meat on mine, and used an 80 calorie wheat tortilla...very good with a large salad. The tortilla was my starch of course. I even smothered some green chili on, just not a lot. This is a rare meal...but I feel like I can justify it occasionally.

I just have more of a variety in moderation now...If the family wants pasta, I will have a little of it as my starch "side" and still have a main protein.

I am not counting calories...just being mindful of what I am putting in my mouth...and it appears to be working so far:)

Today, my hubby and I want to go split our favorite sandwich at Subway..the "Spicy Italian." NOT a regular part of my menu, but because of it, I will plan a lighter dinner like Tilapia or something...That is what I mean by just being mindful...and planning ahead still helps:)

I have 2 HNS per day because I like the clear early in the day and my creamy is always a treat at night...

pss..That book "Made to Crave" is awesome...thank you sooo much for recommeding it:)

Hope this helps!

It is so inspiring reading everyone's successes. Way to go! I just keep plugging away. I am so close to being under 200 pounds I could scream. In fact, I probably will scream when I get there! This morning my scale said 201.2 - down from my all time high of 280. I'm still not sure where I want to end up - time will tell.

I went to weigh in yesterday and found that my center has changed their hours. They are now only open three days a week. I sure hope this doesn't mean they are closing. They didn't say anything about it last week when I weighed in, which I find odd.
Have a great day everyone! It's sunny and nice here in Colorado.

Chickadee

Congrats, Tami!!! That is awesome! Gives me hope. :)


WI in this morning and dropped a pound from Monday. ONE pound to go!!! Woohoo!!!!!! Also, with all this talk about body fat, I decided to ask what mine was because I never paid attention to it before. Turns out the last time I had my body comp done was on February 17. At that time I weighed 147 pounds and my BF% was 28.8%. So I guess I'm doing pretty good. Unlike others, I'm not as...ahem...well endowed up top. :p Guess that may explain the lower number. My counselor and I agreed we'll do my next body comp when I reach my goal. So it's looking like next Monday or Thursday will be the big day. I'm so excited. :yay:

Jen
That is great, Congratulations!

Tami - I like the way you're food journal looks. I plan to basically keep eating like I am now just adding more variety. Also if I want something for dessert occasionally I will let myself have it. I like desserts as long as they aren't chocolate. I do NOT like chocolate unless it's white chocolate. I know I'm "weird".

Jen - That is GREAT! One more pound to go. I'm excited for you. Congratulations!

Tami...
So glad you posted your typical day of eating.. I also, as you know do not count calories.. My typical day is very much like yours.. There is nothing I feel I cannot eat. I also take 2 HNS a day. One clear, and every night I have a creamy cocoa.. I like the variety pack of cocoa from diet delight.. Congrats on staying on maintenance with no problem..

Jen, I am so excited for you... Great job... I am not endowed on top, either, and since I lost weight, I am really not endowed. LOL.

Patzi

Tami-that is helpful, and looks similar to how I anticipate a "typical" day of eating...Actually how I eat on this last week of stabilization I could eat this way most of the time with the occasional bigger meal (I would rather have one meal a week or every two weeks that is bigger and keep my other days much more moderate to light...that way I'm not endanger of my portion sizes or choices starting to slowly creep higher).

Patzi-I'm not surprised it wasn't as good as anticipated. there are definitely treats I would have eaten frequently before that I just don't miss. Others I do miss and want to work back in...like a few pieces of dark chocolate. I keep it in the freezer so it is a slow, satisfying treat. Also, when we go camping I want to be able to have a hot dog over the fire and a smore, not something I would eat frequently. That's going to be my key. Not hot dogs every day or even every week, but they are okay worked in occasionally and balanced with lighter choices the rest of the week. And you know what? if they are something that would cause gain or me to backslide, I would totally get rid of them for life. I learned on this program that I really can survive solely on healthy proteins, veggies, and fruit with small amounts of starches. And in the right mindset, I don't miss the other things (unless like my dream last night when I was walking around a fantastic bakery...)

Jen - Congrats!

Gina - LOL! I loved the dream about the fantastic bakery! Too funny!

Also, a question... have you tried the turkey hot dogs on the fire? I had one during Labor Day and it didn't make me gain and tasted so yummy... I know they're not OP, but they may be a substitute...?

Had to throw this in there. I had a similar thing happen. With me, it was a Cracker Barrel biscuit. Loved them. Used to eat 2 before dinner came out and then another after dinner. I had one a while back and it just wasn't as good as I remembered. I didn't even finish one. It's amazing how our bodies are reacting. In a way, it helps things going forward.

In regards to these foods we thought we'd miss then realize, well, they weren't that great...part of it just clearing our body of the junk with the MRC way of eating so that we don't crave the salt/sugar/fat as much. But also I'm realizing that I've truly come to internalize that some foods just "are not worth it!" At the beginning of the program I would say that about things, but probably not really believe it. I think that's how most people are and why they can't lose weight...they say that eating junk isnt' worth it, but when it comes down to that french fry staring them down, they really think whatever emotional or tastebud benefit they get from eating it outweighs the negative impact on health. I know that was me.

But enter new me. DH has been out of town for 3 days (and didn't find out until 12 hours before he was supposed to leave that he was going), leaving me to scramble around with my 3 & 5 year old and 2 part-time jobs. Stress city. Normally at least once if not several times in this span I would have driven through a fast food place to get some greasy stuff because "I deserved it" or "It would make me feel better" (since i was lonely and stressed). But that didn't even register this time. I mean I'm still stressed and my head still tells me food will help, but I totally believe it down to my gut that unhealthy food just isn't worth it. (I did try to go to Subway for a salad so I didn't have to cook one night...but they were out of spinach and I don't eat iceberg, so back home I went). Now, there will be times when something may be worth it. But because it's planned, not out of stress or loneliness.

Good morning! So close when I got on the scales earlier. 140.6. Almost there!!!!

:bunny2::bunny2::bunny2::bunny2::bunny2:

Oh Jen! Would you please start Stabilization already!! LOL You will likely still lose on it...and you have worked SOOO hard. I think you are definitely ready for the next step! Proud of you!!!:bravo:

Hello Ladies,

Do any of you use myfitnessplan dot com? If so, how many calories do you enter for the MRC green menu? I just looked into this and like being able to track my foods online, but it calculated calories for me which I do not think is right for the MRC program. Any advice?

Thanks and congrats on all your success!

Tami, I bust out laughing when I read that. Believe me, I'm ready to be there too. For me though, I knew that I needed to hit my goal first. It's a mental thing with me. Now, anything I lose during stabilization and maintenance is an "insurance policy." I like how Patzi has a buffer and I think that will work best for me.

Just a note - Diet Direct has the Proti Diet liquid protein boxes on sale this week. Not as big of a sale as I have seen forum participants discuss in the past, but nonetheless a sale.

Have a great day.

Thanks so much for posting that.. I have been waiting for this sale.

Patzi

Patzi,

Me too! I just stocked up.

Hi everyone! I've been doing a lot of reading the boards, and I thought I'd pop in and introduce myself. I'm a mother in CO, hoping to lose on MRC (for the second time:) Thank you to everyone for all the awesome info you share!

COchick.. Welcome.. Wishing you the best on your challenge.. This is a wonderful forum and you will love it here..

Patzi

GOAL, BABY!!!! 81 POUNDS LOST!!!!!

:celebrate: :celebrate: :celebrate: :celebrate: :celebrate: :celebrate:

Congratulations Jen on reaching your goal weight! :congrat:
Any big celebration plans?

Congrats, Jen! That is awesome!

Congratulations Jen on reaching your goal!!! Sounds like everyone is right on track and realizing that nothing feels as good as thin feels!:)
i ordered the variety pack of Syntrax Nectar and checking out some new flavors. Grapefruit is ok but couldn't buy the big container of it. Chocolate Truffle is still my favorite. The Vanilla Bean is very good and would be very good w/ frozen berries in the blender so will definitely order that again. my brother in law is visiting this weekend and was laughing at my protein shelves in the cupboard :-)
remember the Doctor's CarbRite Diet Extra Rich & Fudgy Brownies i was talking about? yum!! (from Diet Direct) i used unsweetened applesauce instead of the 1/2 cup of butter it called for and they came out perfect. i made them in a muffin pan. Dark chocolate goodness!! just don't eat too many of them at one time - (TMI) bit of a laxative if you do! when they first came out of the oven, i had 3 of them! Bad, Big Dog, Bad!!! now i limit to one a day and keep them in zip locks in fridge.
Ate at the new Italian restaurant in town since In laws are in and dining out again tonight..seriously is that all people do now adays - go out to eat? LOL! doesn't it seem like there could be other activities that don't involve food!? last night all they had was Pasta dishes so got shrimp scampi w/ salad... ate tiny bit of pasta and shrimp and salad, took rest home and hope my BIL eats the rest of it! tonight seafood restaurant but actually just feel like a salad w/ maybe tuna or fish on it. actually tired of eating! did have the homemade bread w/ olive oil last night...still feel full... had 3 HNSs today, greek yogurt and strawberries since i'll be out to dinner tonight...
so friday was 166 and not weighing in again till tuesday or wed! going out on boat tomorrow so know there will be beer...but will be Mich Ultra and i'll drink water too! kind of glad all our family live out of town except for dad and mum in law because it seems like everytime family is around, there is tons of food to avoid!
hope everyone has a great weekend!

Congratulations Jen .. I am so happy for you.. Enjoy your accomplishment.

Patzi

Congrats, Jenn! And BigDog- I love that you have a plan and are adapting it with guests and all!

I'm doing great! Weighed in today and lost 2.5 pounds since Tuesday! Yippee!

Enjoying being outide and played for two hours with my kids and they loved it. Love the energy that came with losing this weight!

Way to go, Jen!!

Hi everyone. I am new. I have read over this forum and everyone seems so helpful and kind. I hope to find support and advice here. I had my consultation yesterday, and I started pre-conditioning today. My food class is on Friday. I am excited to lose this weight once and for all!

Congratulations Jen. You must feel fantastic.

I hit 199.4 today. I had tears streaming because I've worked so hard to get under 200. I'm down 80 pounds total, 35 since starting MRC.

Chickadee

Chickadee-that is amazing. Welcome to one-derland! Keep moving forward and don't look back!

Welcome!!! This board has been as important to me for support as going into the center has. Feel free to chime in often. The ladies here are an invaluable source of knowledge and support.

Chickadee - Congrats!!!! You are doing awesome! Keep it up!

You don't know how much I appreciate everyone for all your kind words! I'll make it official tomorrow at my weigh in. I can't wait. I couldn't have done this without you all. So from me to all of you...THANK YOU!!!!!:thanks: