Rowdy - Yay! I think goals/milestones along the way are very important! I have been hovering 1 pound over my next goal for a week and it is killing me. I think non-food rewards along with those goals are important too. It doesn't have to be expensive, but something. Pair of earrings, out to a movie, etc.

Fluffy - so sorry to hear about your dog. Hang in there.

Susie - Welcome! Focus on taking care of YOU right now. Don't worry about all of the supplements, many folks on this forum will tell you that they aren't necessary. I am not trying to talk you out of them - but don't let them stress you out if they aren't in your budget. HNS definitely, as well as a vitamin and EFA. Just work the meal plan 100%, get some exercise, and drink your water. You can do it!

Fluffy, I am so sorry to hear about your dog. I've been there and it's one of the hardest things I've been through in my life. I wish they would live forever. You hang in there, you are doing a great job!!

I am so excited about my results from last nights WI. This is my 13th day on program and I've lost 6.5 pounds, which is less than I expected but they did measurements last night and I am down 18.5 inches! I hate the scale at the moment but I am confident it will catch up. My consultant was really good with me and we went over everything in my food journal and found that I was doing a couple things wrong so I made those changes immediately. Like taking my pills after my meals, now I am taking them BEFORE one bite of food passes my lips. Hopefully the scale will reflect it next time. I am still 100% motivated!

Nonfatkat, why take the pills before you eat? Did they give you a reason? I take mine with breakfast, not necessarily before I take my first bite. Am I doing it wrong?

And fluffy, I'm sorry to hear about your dog, too. Take care of yourself!

Hey, Susie - Welcome back! What a sad point in your life (silly men) but you are right - you ARE strong, you WILL get through this, and you will have the BEST revenge... living a long, happy, sexy life ;)

Go, Rowdy! So happy for you to be in another decade! Go, you! No goal is too small or mini... they're all there for a reason. Glad I'm not the only one online at 3,4, or 5 am... can't wake the hubster up to tell him about a loss but I definitely come on here. Bad part? I have to go online on my phone at home and trying to type messages takes forever (oh, my poor thumb-ies!)

I'm still not able to WI until Saturday, sometime... hopefully we'll do well then. Busy week and all that going on. But I'm excited to go to my daughter's field trip tomorrow and hang with her - nice that she thinks I'm still cool enough to do that!

kmcnair12,

She said that the best time to take them was 30 minutes prior to your meal if possible but taking them right before works too. It gives your body time to absorb the vitamins and nutrients from them and it works best on an empty stomach. It's not the end of the world if you take them later but apparently you're not getting the full benefit from them.

I am going to try it religiously this week to see if I see a bigger difference on the scale.

Just FYI - mine always work better about 30-45 minutes before a meal... seems to help with the cravings. For some reason, I also do better with mostly doing my HNS right before I eat as opposed to after (except when I allow myself a pudding or something!)

Camaswa,

I swear to you that's what the counselor said. I can understand your doubt, but then again you haven't seen the size of my hips!! :D

Thanks for the confirmation, Rachels. It helps to hear it from someone who is actually doing it.

To sots mom:haha! Keep goin!

Sots mom - wat to go on the loss of inches. That's great. Keep up the good work.

Fluffy - I'm sorry for you loss. That is very difficult. Pets are members of the family and it's like losing a child. Just take time to heal and you will get through this.

Weighed in yesterday and I was down 3.5 pounds! On day 3 of the yellow menu and am craving sweets so terribly. It's even harder because my husband brought those big ultra sweet blueberry muffins in the house for his breakfast, and then scoffed when I asked him to keep them in his car. It's been a rough evening, I'm not feeling very supported.

Congratulations to everyone on your weight loss so far. even .5 is still .5 less than you were before. just remember or look at a picture of what a lb of fat looks like. even if you only lose .5, that's half of that yucky glob gone from your body.

I am due for another WI at 8:15 this morning. i work nightshift, and I really HATE having to WI after working all night because everyone knows that you weigh less when youve been sleeping all night lol. I was down 1.5lbs at WI on Tuesday, so fingers crossed that I didnt gain any back since ive had the munchies and cravings all week thanks to mother nature. Ive been doing really good at avoiding them until yesterday and this morning. I had plain cheerios with milk for supper and for a snack at work i had a 3 Musketeer. I know Im going to confess at WI.

Fluffy: so sorry to hear about your loss. Furbabies are just as important as children and very dear to our hearts.

OSU, could I suggest you have a serious conversation with your husband about this? Establish some agreements up front - does he want you to succeed? Does he understand how vital it is to your health and wellbeing? Be frank about where you are heading and why it matters so much that you change your lifestyle. If he agrees, then tell him flat out that you need his support and be specific about what you would like him to do differently. I really don't think we can succeed at this long term if those closest to us are not on our side. (Go Beavs, I used to live in Corvallis!)

OSU - way to go on your loss. That's awesome. I agree camaswa about talking to your husband. You need his help now. Maybe in the future it will be easier for you to turn away the things that he brings home but right now ask him for you his support.

I had maintenance weigh in and stayed the same, 5 pounds under goal. Congratulations to all the losers. Hang in there ladies, it is all worth it.

Patzi

2lb loss this morning! It sure seems to drag its feet for me, and then BAM!

OSU, I agree about speaking to your husband. Mine didn't realize how serious I was about this until I sat him down and let him know that I really needed his support. It was a very serious conversation (and I cried) but now he's behind me 100%.

Just reporting in after my weekly weigh-in. Only lost .5. It was more on my scale, but I did eat breakfast and drink liquids before I went, whereas usually I obsessively wait till the second I am out of there to eat or have coffee. That means I am up several hours with no food, and that seems dumb. I was just too hungry today. In total I lost 6 pounds in April, which to those just starting that probably sounds awful, but I am really close now and I have never lost as fast as they promised. So it's good. For the most part, I am still focused, and I have to say that these 6 have really made a difference in how I look. I'm kind of shocked. Do you ever do a double take in the mirror and marvel? It's the best feeling!

I had a difficult week at work: deadline pressure and personal/political dynamics that I let upset me. I neglected to keep a food journal and I ate out way more than usual. So .5 is ok. I'll be planning, shopping, and cooking for next week on Saturday.

Camaswa - way to go on the loss. You are going in the right direction.

COChick - that is a GREAT loss. Keep it up girl!

I have been doing the double take a lot lately. I guess I have just "noticed" that I lost 69.5 pounds. I know that sounds crazy but I never really saw it before.

Hope everyone has a great on plan weekend!

CAMASWA: I do the same darned thing............don't eat before I go weigh in on Saturdays. However tomorrow will be different - my center is only open Friday, Saturday and Monday so they suggest appointments now and I cannot get in until 11:00 tomorrow. Not going to starve myself just so I have a good number on the scale. I know it will not be a good number - went to Vegas last weekend with my BFF's from high school (and that was a LONG time ago!) Anyway, tried to watch what I ate but had to have some wine with the girlies :dizzy: My home scale shows I am up a pound, but the trip was worth it - I call it therapy :) Trying to get back in the swing of this has been difficult. I think I triggered my cravings as I want to eat peanut butter every afternoon! Oh well - back to the center tomorrow so they can set me straight!

I got a 20 pound bracelet today! Got to also sign the 20 pound board. I must admit I am proud of the little rubber/plastic bracelet. I hung it on the turn signal arm along with my spare ponytail bands.

I had to slip into the room where they were holding a foods class for three new members to get the braclet and sign board. The new ladies teased that I was a set up to make it look good, I assured them I wasn't and then added, "It works, just follow the menu and drink your drinks!"

Rachel- glad to hear I am not the only earlybird on here. It like to get up, weigh, get my hns, greek yogurt, alittle coffee ect and read this board to get me focused for the day. It really helps me to read and know there is a group of us following this plan and how we are all in this together.

faery- hope you have a good weigh-in Sat. morning. I have been surprised when I least expected it, like this morning. I started going in famished to weigh, counselor told me to eat on program, drink my water and try and be consistant so it wont matter because everytime I will have had my 16 oz water ect and it will all be relative.

OSU- my counselor told me that I could mix the powder peach (or any) HNS in a greek yogurt to make a sweet wonderful breakfast. It tastes so good! Get that husband straightened out and try that when you are craving sweets !!! :)

ynapier- fantasic....69.5 It all adds up to a big total like that!

I decided my reward for reaching 20 lbs....I ordered a 24 bottle pack of Figi water. A total splurge and a not something I would normal spend $ on but hey.....gotta celebrate somehow and I love that water!

Down 2 more pounds today. I did not think I would see 225, it was just kind of a shock. I have not weighed this since 2008 when I got married.
Feeling a little better and stuck at working making up time, but had to share the good news. Husband also lost 2 pounds and is down to 217...want to smack him for losing more weight.

thoughts
 

It should be a pretty good WI today. I've eaten 100% on plan since my last WI. My only worry is TOM showed up early. Is that common for any of you? This is the 2nd time it's happened since I stated the program, and it is very unusual for me. Just curious.

Congrats to all who have lost. You guys are a huge inspiration to me. One of my counselors tried to discourage me from using this site, claiming it could be negative. I have not found that to be true at all. I always seen to find just what I need to hear/read every time I log in.

Thanks again gals!! And have a GREAT weekend!!

Galadreal.. Congrats on weight loss.. Good loss. Men, I find seem to lose weight faster than women in most cases. You are lucky hubby is doing program with you. Makes it much easier.

Rowdy.. Congrats on the 20 pound bracelet. That is a great accomplishment. I LOVE Figi water.. Nice natural artesian water. One of my favorites with FF Greek Yogurt is putting some powder& stevia as you mentioned in it and freezing it for a couple of hours. I swear it is like icecream... On maintenance that is what I have at night in summer, as the HNS creamy cocoa is too hot .

Faery.. Hope your weigh in is good this morning. Let us know.

I do not eat before weigh in. My weigh in is 9:15 and when I get to work at 10 I am absolutely famished. First thing I do is eat my breakfast.

Camaswa.. If you recall, with me my magic weigh loss at times was .2.. I would take anything.. .5 is a loss regardless. You are doing well.

I am sure I missed people that lost and if I did, I am sorry.. But want to congratulate all the losers, and for those struggling , hang on, stay focused and on program and come to this board and talk it out.. Wonderful bunch of people here.. And never forget it is really worth it, it is.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend.

Patzi

So thankful for this website! You all may never know how much you have inspired people! I have used this site for inspiration throughout my entire journey. Thank you so much. Wish you all well. Please keep posting as I am a little nervous about the stabilization party coming up next month. I feel I am different, but still a tad anxious. Again, thank you for all your posts.

Bye bye first plateau!! Just got back from WI and I am down another 3 pounds since Wednesday. This is the biggest loss to date and I am bouncing off the walls with excitement. I have been following the program religiously and have not cheated once so it's nice to see the scale reflect my efforts.

Congrats to all of you for sticking to it and for posting on this site. The support network here is definitely a tool in my weight loss arsenal.

Reading about greek yougert reminded me that I have been meaning to suggest to you guys mixing it with the lemon HNS. It's great, really lemony and tangy. And I bet even better if semi-frozen for a while.

I can officially say that every single pair of my jeans now either fit or are too big. I have some that have been stashed away since 2007! That is five years ago!

Today planted flowers instead of food shopping, bad me. But I found some shrimp in the freezer so we will grill them and have a big salad. Maybe potatoes for the man too.

That means tomorrow I have to get up and get focused and not poke around. We always take a 4-mile walk at a wildlife preserve on Sundays. Church for the non-church-goer, we say. It's so beautiful and uplifting to be out there, and all the birds are migrating right now, we see swans and herons, and all kinds of ducks. Often we see bald eagles, one time we saw 4.

But I absolutely must plan and prepare for the coming work week or I'm doomed. I want to see more than .5 come off next week.

Life is good.

Just a small set-back that I am sure was worth it! I have been in your shoes so many times. You are right, getting right back on track can be h.ard, but you know that's what you gotta do. You have done so well! I see that your goal is also 160 and since you are also 5'8" I wondered what your thoughts are regarding a good bodyfat goal. have you ever talked to your counselor about that? You might be able to tell from some of my posts that I'm somewhat fixated on this topic. But I seem to be the only one. Wondering What is a good bodyfat goal for someone our size?

I enjoy reading all of the posts, and usually just lurk! I had wi yesterday and weighed several hours earlier than usual. But, am now sitting at 59.5 pounds! I was happy, just hope my afternoon wi will not show an increase on Tuesday. I am almost at my original goal weight, but decided I want to lose about 15-20 pounds more, so I bought a few more weeks. But, I have a question. How often do you eat Greek Yogurt? I thought it was only supposed to be eaten 2 X per week.

Jodi, I don't have my green sheet in front of me but I think thr greek yougurt is a max of either 2 or 3 per week. It does have carbs, so that's probably why. Your loss is impressive!

Has anyone here gained when doing the shakes for a day or two? Every time I try it I gained a pound.. I know they are loaded with sugar and center says only use 3/4's of package, which I never do, I use 1 pkg. I was in a position that nothing I wanted to eat. All fried foods, etc. so I had a shake in morning before I left and a shake at the event, and this morning am up 1 pound. I had an OP meal last night.

Just curious.

Pazi

the Wildlife Preserve sounds wonderful! our only day off together is Sunday so we always take the boat out and will anchor sometimes at Bay Point or Bull Island (private islands you can only get to by boat) horseshoe crabs, sand dollars all over the place.. Herons, egrets, osprys and dolphins everywhere - we love it! when we take the dogs, they get to run without their leashes so are pretty happy :-) when it's too windy, we'll go to the beach, have to be outside somewhere near the water! that is also our "Church" enjoying nature. i was out of eggs and my precious grapefruit that i am addicted to! for two days and was having bad withdrawals! did a Greek Yogurt blended w/ a Strawberry Yogurt meal replacement for two mornings - added frozen strawberries.... but really missed my 2 eggs and grapefruit! am now fully stocked up and ready to roll
That's fantastic about all your jeans fitting or too big! i need to sort out some clothes and try more stuff on.. i did wear my favorite bermuda shorts yesterday that are at least 4 years old and they fit perfect. YAY! Happy Sunday!

that is so funny!!! when i made my goal, i didn't realize i had lost 37 lbs till i looked at my ticker!! i really was focused on my weigh loss week by week and boy, does it add up! before joining in August, i really didn't think i could lose weight successfully again...getting older, perimenapause, then i saw family reunion photos that my "mean" older sister sent to everyone!! and i was like, hey, that's not me!!! i'm the youngest sister, i've always been slim, athletic and how did i get into that larger body? WTH? anyway, maybe she didn't mean to hurt my feelings or i guess my ego? but it was a huge wake up call!!!

i guess i've never bought the Center's shake mixes so prob. not a good person to answer this but for my replacement meals when i'm traveling or just don't want to cook anything, i use the Wonderslim Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie mix. (by itself w/ water or w/ frozen strawberries and/or greek yogurt) it's 100 cal., 1 g fat, 7 g. carb., protein 15 g, 5 g. sugar. (tons of vitamins in it too) (FYI, the Berry yogurt mix is terrible!).

Up 1 pound at weigh in yesterday as a result of my Vegas trip. The trip was great and I have no regrets and am refocused today to be back on plan 100%. Planning my meals this morning and I am off to the grocery store.

camaswa: I'll be getting my body fat % and measurements done next Saturday. I discussed my body fat % with my counselor a couple of months ago and she did say that I may not fall into the optimal range when I reach my goal weight since I have large breasts. My last measurement was 38% so I am curious to see what it will be on Saturday. What is your body fat % goal?

Speaking of breasts...........I suggest all you ladies see a professional bra fitter. I read an article that many women buy the wrong size bra's. I am a perfect example. I just bought 2 bras at VS last month size 38D - got measured at Nordstrom yesterday and was told I should be in a 36 DDD. Apparently most women buy the band size too big and the cup size too small.

yesterday, worked the beer truck at a local festival in town and will have to say, we were so slammed serving beer to thousands of people that attended that i only had a chance to have one!!! i was like, this is crazy, we are too busy to even drink on the "job". Fun event and was on my feet for 6 hours (my DH who is a Chef said, "welcome to my world") haha it was a food fest and i did pretty good...had some curry chicken tacos and piled it high w/ the salsa and veggies on the salsa bar. didnt even eat the tortilla...did have a couple Mich ultras in the Sponsor tent so will have to really drink the water today to get rid of the Water Retention alcohol! was starving when i got home though so got the Wendy's grilled chicken salad w/ apples and a small vanilla frosty! (bad choice but wanted it after working in 90 degree hot weather all day in the beer tent) anyway, with all the festivals coming up and summer activities, i really have to focus on losing and not gaining. the best thing for me is to have foods on plan i can take w/ me (cut up veggies, cheese sticks, HNSs) and lots of water. Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and congratulations on all the successes! for those who went off plan, get right back on board!, we can do this!

Jodi- I am on the over 250 lb metaslim level 2 and can have Greek yogurt every day for breakfast or 3 times a week at lunch. On my next menu under 250 I can only have 3 times a week. Not sure what all the other menus say. I love it, so for 8 more pounds I'm having it every morning!

I am so happy for all the success everyone is having....large and small losses. This is such a positive group of shrinking gals! I worked with a group that would always sabotage my weight loss attempt, or at least I allowed them too. Now I am learning to be stronger and realize I can't let others mess with my focus of weight loss. So nice to communicate with this group versus the mean sabotagers!

Thanks to all, now time to start drinking my first 32 ounce jug of water for the day!

Still hovering around the same weight. My body seems to do that for a few days before agreeing to finally give up a pound or two.

TMI alert: Yesterday I was completely OP, and I didn't eat anything I haven't had before. A few hours after dinner, I feel like I am going to toss my cookies, and then my stomach starts to ache--like a #2. But I can't go. All night, even this morning, I have a ripping pain in my gut. Any suggestions?