COchick, maybe you should try a fiber supplement. or just a few grains of epsom salts (it does not take much at all, trust me) there is also "Super Dieters Tea" but that is supposed to be taken after your last meal of the day. I have that problem sometimes, so it might help.

Also, was going through clothes today and did manage to fit into a size 16, it was just kind of a shock. I had to dig it out of the back of my closet...but my 18s were getting so loose I though I was gonna need to buy a belt. Now I guess I have 2 more pairs of pants to add into the rotation. Of course they will require long t-shirts becuase I still have muffin top, but they fit, and I did not even have to lay down to get them zipped. Happy.

Bigdog... Now that I think about it, each time I gained on shakes they were from the center.. I had bought the same ingredient shakes from Bari Wise via Diet Direct and I did not gain. I will not buy anymore, that is for sure.

Cochick good loss.. Way to go.

Patzi

Cochick, agree that more fiber might help. That is the downside of this diet, I think. I feel kind of like that more often than I want to admit. All the protein binds me up. I don't like MRCs fiber drink but I have started having one a day. Also the fish oil seems to help.

Confession: did the planning and shopping I posted about but inexplicably bought some junky stuff and could not stop at the "one piece" I had told myself I would be ok having. Finally I put the rest down the disposal and brushed my teeth. Right now not feeling so great.

Why did I do this when I was so adamant I would get in gear today? Well, first, I am buying food for later in the week when my daughter comes back from college WITH HER BOYFRIEND. My girl is bringing a guy home to meet the parents. Omg. So at the store I found myself wanted to get every single treat she ever liked since the days of cocoa puffs. And there's the mom thing of feeding the young man. I remember how my mom marveled at how much my boyfriend could eat and how she loved to cook when we came home. It's all just too nostalgic! And bittersweet. My daughter has a whole fabulous life ahead, my parents are gone. They would be so excited when I came home to visit- it drove me crazy then but is exactly how I am feeling now.

So I guess I am eating out of some anxiety or emotion. Maybe trying to ignor all the anticipation I am feeling. The afternoon plan was to cook and prepare stuff but I am thinking that now I should just get out of the house for a while.

I am new, and just got my MetaSlim Yellow menu. Today is my first day OP. My salads say I can use a little oil and some cider vinegar. Problem is, I tried that today and couldn't even stomach the entire salad. Is there ANYTHING else I am able to use on my salad for a type of "dressing" so it isn't dry?

Wanted to add one thing. My girl used to always help put the groceries away when I brought them in. Invariably she would open things and have a bite, which made me so mad because then they would have to be refrigerated and/or eaten sooner. She just wanted to taste everything that looked interesting. I was doing that as I put things away....

Most of the time I feel great about her growing up, even though it means she is moving further away from me, but for some reason right now I am so sad about it. It must be the anticipation of her visit, knowing it will be just 10 short days and then she will be back to her college life- summer school and an internship. And then the boyfriend adds a new level of emotion and a different dynamic to the family. Didn't I just say life was good? It is, but it is bittersweet, too.

Try those low cal ones you spritz on. Or make a vinegarette with some olive oil, dijon mustard, salt, and balsamic or wine vinegar and then water it down. Toss the greens really, really well so all are coated before butting all the veggies on. You can get away with a lot less when you toss it like crazy in a large bowl. I hate cider vinegar and would never use that with olive oil.

I was 39% at 165 pounds. They said I should get under 32% in order to have the ratio of muscle mass that keeps metabolism going strong. I remember you saying that a while ago about large breasts. I'm just a D (but haven't been fitted since I have been losing. I need to do that)

oh, Camaswa, you just made me tear up...thinking about my mom.. you and your daughter sounds like the relationship i had w/ my mom. (passed away 2.5 yrs ago) i was the only one of my 4 siblings that moved away (the rest of my brothers and sisters live in my hometown).. but mom and i talked to each other at least a couple times a week and at 79 years old, she decided she wanted a computer so she could email and send me jokes. my nephew showed her how to hook up and she emailed me the funniest notes almost daily. she called me up one time and said, are you on the World Wide Web? well, i am! she was so excited. she loved learning new things and meeting new people. her goal in life was to make people laugh - she'd walk up to anyone and just start talking! OMG, she was so much fun. she would get so excited when i'd visit, we talk every day on the phone before i arrived and she'd always say, ok, let's don't talk anymore before you get here because we won't have anything left to say when you arrive! like that would happen! that woman loved to shop - she said Shopping was in her blood! we all camped together all the time and she just loved my DH! and accepted that my dogs were her grandchildren and treated them just like they were! even though she was terrified of german shepherds (was bitten as a child) anyway, boy am i rambling!! before we sold the family home, i found a whole drawer of letters she wrote me when i was in college. i would read one a night and just laugh out loud! really helped me in that time after her death where i was just totally out of sorts (she was also my best friend)..
anyway, we had the distance but were so close. we used to mail each other monkeys! stuffed animals, cards,anything w/ monkeys on it. it all started when she sent me a postcard from a zoo in NC that said, This reminded me of you, love ya, Mom. so the monkey war started...LOL!
her diet advice to me by the way was...you just have to practically starve yourself to lose weight! Back in the day, she took diet pills and used to eat some kind of chocolate laxative! (as kids, we snuck in her drawers and thinking it was candy...ate it and realized too late it was laxatives!!)
re: staying on plan...... i was still starving today! and ate two tacos, usually i eat one and for lunch ate the bread on the subway veggie sub...i usually throw it over the boat. we did walk the island and then went to a sandbar and did alot of walking there too. i did chug water all day...anyway, w/ the extra carbs, feel a bit bloated so have two huge mugs of water in front of me! i'm sure i'll be up all night running to the bathroom but i refuse to gain even one pound back! i like being thinner and fitting into everything! YAY!

I also gained when I drank the meal replacement shakes. My center told me I was probably sensitive to carbs and they have a lot. So, I just make my own smoothies, using Greek yogurt instead of cottage cheese bc of the sodium, and they work fine. Just wish I could have the yogurt more than twice a week. Trying to figure out quick lunches to take to work is my hardest thing. Sometimes I cook several turkey patties and use them, but would like some ideas of some "grab n go" lunches.

Bigdog: thats the kind of mom I want to be as I get older! I do think our relationship is gonna get more and more rewarding as her life blooms. Oh, and I know those chocolate laxatives! My mom had them too. I'm almost remembering what they were called....it was one little word.... They were little cubes wrapped in waxed paper. How funny. My mom kept the weight off with cigarettes, Slimfast, and Jack Daniels. At least I am setting a better example! Ha! Onward to the week ahead, everyone.

I always have lost using shakes from the center. I guess it can affect people differently.

Had a good weekend and stayed OP. Today is my last day of stabilization and tomorrow I enter the land of maintenance. Never thought I'd see the day. ;)

Jen, I am excited for you!

Does anyone know if we can have Zevia soda? It is sweetened with stevia, can says Zero calories, No sugar.

When I drink one it makes me want to go off program.

After thinking about it, I studied the can more and is says total carbs 7gm from Erythritol.

My counselor was not familiar with it, plan on taking her a can in on my next visit.

The way it makes me want to cheat I guess I should avoid it but its nice to have a few cans of soda around, at least the old me wanted some in the house. I am slowly starting to prefer water over soda, never thought I would ever think that since before I started MRC I only drank diet coke and coffee.

I've never heard of it, but if it makes you want to go off program, my advice is not to knowingly sabatoge yourself. If I've learned anything, it's that if something "triggers" me to want to go OP, I don't keep it in the house. No excuses. I'm still battling it, now more than ever. I'm allowed to have all sorts of great things I couldn't while OP, but sometimes one isn't enough. So, out it goes. Keeping the weight off is hard enough.

the laxative was Exlax chocolate flavor and she also took Ayds, which was chocolate too! the diet pill was something like Dexatrim and she said it made her heart beat like crazy and she'd clean the whole house in a frenzy! she was always dieting and when i'd tell her i was starting Wt. Watchers again (and again and again and again!! LOL), she'd say, why pay all that money, just eat less. Actually what i did like about the WW meetings was the sharing of low point recipes, the member's experiences w/ family gatherings, parties, etc. and exercise tips. and getting weighed in every week.
But now i have all of you! and you keep me motivated each and every day. i can ramble on, share and confess!
one thing i know is when i start eating carbs, it makes me crave more so today it's all about protein, protein, protein, water, water, water!
Today is a new day and my goal is to be on plan for the week, then the next week, etc. do i really want to gain and be rolling over on the sandbar this summer? OH Heck NO! :nono: i really need some motivation to lift some weights...my upper arms need some work bad!!!

Congratulations, Jen!

i've never gained w/ any of the shakes...what makes me gain is extra carbs or not drinking my HNSs or water. also when i skip on the veggies, i stay the same and don't lose as quickly.

if you guys are missing the coffee mate or creamer in your am coffee, the Syntrax Vanilla Bean Torte powder mix is excellent! stir in w/ a fork to blend well. also, if you're looking for a low carb, low cal. protein bar, Chocolite Sugar free bars are really good and only 115 calories, 18 carb, 9 g. protein. if you want to just have a lower cal chocolate treat, the Chocolite Choc. pecan cluster is just like turtles and only 30 calories per serving. sugar free , 8 g. carbs, but only 1 g. protein. (all from Diet Direct) i don't use these for a protein bar but just a choc. treat. and i do hide them in the pantry so i can limit myself to no more than one a day. some days i don't have any, but just knowing they are there keeps me from my DH's oreos or whatever chocolate devil dessert he has in the house.... in a perfect world, there would be no tempting foods at all in the house, but my DH lives here too....Sigh (Haha!)

Have a great week everyone!

so, we tried making the snickerdoodles in the recipe book this weekend (substituting syntrax vanilla bean torte for vanilla pudding) and they were so dry. I was wondering if anyone else eats these and what their ideas are. I tried adding lemon to make them like lemon cookies, but I did not add enough. What about adding an extra egg?

Any ideas or suggestions?

Already looking forward to next weekend. Had to work 10 hours on Saturday to make up time and sunday was just not long enough.

Weekend Off the Wagon, ugh.
 

Hey, all!

So... went to my daughter's field trip on Friday. Had a ball with her and she loved it! Did a lot of walking - but also sampled her cookie dough blizzard... yummy. But felt crappy afterwards.

Saturday, I babysat and had 4 kiddos. Again, had fun. Forgot my supplements at home and had an "oh well" moment and ate frozen yogurt... why do I sabotage myself like that? Yeesh! But, on a positive note, I played for two hours at the park with the kids... complete with a water gun war and everything.

Sunday, totally ate on plan... until I made a cake (to use up some cake mix....) Made it low-cal with strawberries and Diet Sprite (microwave)... had a piece,... then took the rest to my grandmother. Still not horrible, but I must get it in control this week! Back on plan... onward and upward.

Today,... feeling HEAVY and bloated. So water, water, water for me. Did a cereal bar this morning (which makes me gain, but I was late getting up). Going to increase the cardio this week and burn some calories!

I guess I'm feeling like I'm almost to the end of the weight loss portion of the program and I'm just feeling odd... you know? Ugh. I don't want to lose my motivation and am TERRIFIED of regaining the weight, but I wander what got into me this weekend???? Yikes!:?:

Rowdy - as evidenced by my weekend wander off program... I am sensitive to carbs. Anything that makes me crave off-program foods (i.e. chocolate - even diet stuff - diet soda, pineapple) I have to watch and not have it in the house.

I can't remember but someone mentioned TOM coming too early... happened alot to me on the program. Even happened this week... I think it causes me to gain and crave bad foods also... maybe further proof of my weekend snafu.

Golden Flake Potato Chips are the devil
 

:devil:

These danged potato chips are gonna be the death of me. I haven't indulged, but every time I turn around there is either a commercial on tv, or someone is eating them in front of me. I can almost taste the salty goodness...

Time to brush teeth now to get the "memory of chips" out of my mouth!!:o

Rowdy, but why would you want to have something you know will make you want to go off program?? Alternatives: Hansons diet soda, crystal lite in sparkling water or even a clear HNS. I have read that any artificially sweetened product can make your insulin spike, maybe you are like that...

Jen, I am very happy for you.

Big dog.. Carbs are my enemy. As you know when I try things on maintenance, carb wise, and I gain, I don't eat it again, or may try it some months later. Look what happened when I ate the bagel and creme cheese, 2 pounds weight gain. Glad I enjoyed it as I will not eat that.

Rowdy, if something makes you go off program, I would not have it. You are only cheating yourself for a good weight loss.. Substitute it with something else.

Wishing you all a great week of great losses.

Patzi

Time to Re-focus
 

Not a great weekend for me. My youngest daughter - age 21 is being harrassed by her ex-boyfriend and it is really stressing me out which makes me want to eat junk food. The situation with her is really bad - he actually broke into her apartment and robbed her last Monday evening. We were not certain he committed the crime but on Saturday he showed up at her work and confessed and begged her not to press charges. He is mentally unstable (which is why she broke up with him) and will be getting a restraining order against him today. In addition to being worried it makes me sad that she is having to deal with this. She is such a good kid, so sweet and thoughtful -always takes the time to call me or come see me.

Yesterday I went grocery shopping and in addition to all the good fruits and veggies I had to throw in some cake batter ice cream and dark chocolate. Ate some of the ice cream last night and tossed the rest. I know that stressful situations make me want to eat badly and yet I still do it! So, my plan for today/this week is drink 120 oz. of water, all 4 of my HSN's, plan my meals ahead of time and eat accordingly. I have 9 pounds to lose by 6/29 and will NOT be buying any more weeks of weight loss. So I really need to re-focus and stick to the plan so I have a good chance at getting rid of these last 9 pounds.

Thanks for listening.........I feel like if I confess my "cheats" to you all it's gonna help me get back on track (especially since my center is only open 3 days a week now!)

I TOTALLY understand this. For some reason, my daughter only wanted half of all of her snacks this weekend. Then, it was "Mommy, hold my cheese crackers....Mommy, hold my cookie..."

OMG, it was SO HARD to have self control! I had to hand them to my husband so I didn't eat them. LoL

Thanks for the advice! My counselor said any of the low calorie spritzer ones would be fine. YAY! Now I can eat my salad without cringing! LoL

I do think Zevia soda is okay to have - I remember seeing a can at my food instruction class. But if it makes you want to cheat it's not worth drinking it. If I feel like having something other than water I just squeeze a wedge of lemon in water and add a packed of stevia for a quick glass of lemonade :)

Nashua Nutrition has the proti diet drinks on sale.. I use these to replace the liquid gel HNS from center. They are identical .

Patzi

Do you know if they ever go on sale under $10 per pack? I can get them $10 per pack at MRC if I buy 10 packs at a time...?

WI at lunch and up 0.5 pounds. However, it's TTOM so no shock and no biggie. Should be gone by Thursday's WI.

Got my maintenance menu and signed my maintenance contract which is basically, I must not go over 6 pounds above my goal weight or back to the green menu I go. Believe me, if I even get to my goal weight again, I'll put myself back on the green menu. No worries there!

Hope everyone has a great week!!!

faerychic - instead of stressing out and buying food you will just throw away...take that money and buy your daughter a tazer. They are easy to use, non-lethal (in most cases), and you don't have to have a permit to carry one. I think that every woman out there should have some way to defend herself. When I moved out of my parents house, they gave me a machete and a baseball bat...which I still carry in my car.

Mentally ill or not, it is no excuse for stalking and harrassing your daughter, and I hope she does press charges. Maybe some time locked up will give him a chance to get some counceling and get on whatever kind of medication he needs to take. Good luck and try to stay calm, just remember, the better health you are in, the longer you will be around to help your daughter out and be there for her when she needs it.

Hello all, wondering if anyone has any ideas on substitutes/alternatives for the crémes? I noticed that most of the recipes on the recipe menu call for different flavor ones. I recently purchased the 100% Any Whey Protein Powder and it's amazing! exactly the same as the clear HNS, with only slight difference being the potassium I believe. Any who, program getting expensive and apparently I'm ketosis "sensative" and none of those darn pee sticks I've taken have turned for me, which in turn is major disappointment and leaves me wanting to just give up. I've lost about 8lbs in about 3+ weeks >:O( I could off lost the same perhaps more had I gotten on regular diet and working out in lieu of spending crazy amount of sign up not to mention supplements which I ended up allowing myself to getting talked on so many different ones that I now can't afford. Any who, any ideas will be greatly appreciated

Jen, Patzi, Rachel, Camasa, faery.....Thank you all, how crazy for me to have something in the house that triggers cravings and the urge to cheat. I have just always had some form of soda in the house. No longer! Literally out the door it is going, sending with husband to take to work.

This diet really lets you learn how your body reacts to different types of food and drink. When I was just eating all the time it would have been impossible for me to recognize what my triggers were, I was in a constant state of being triggered!!!

Time to refocus. I too have been off track the last day or two, not too bad but stopped writing food journal since I made 20 pounds. I hadn't gained but if I keep this up I will so Zevia out and journaling back in! Following program again to a T to commence in the morning!

Good Morning!
 

crazy weekend but weighed in this am and now back to my fighting weight of 164. woo hoo!! usually when i've overindulged on the weekend, i'll wait to weigh in on Wed. to give me a chance to get it off. i remember Camaswa saying she'd weigh in right away to get herself back on track. Well, i weighed in yesterday midday (at home) and that was after drinking a couple bottles of water and eating breakfast... i think i wanted to shock myself back to reality very quickly!! i drank so much water yesterday, i ran back and forth to the bathroom all day!!! was thinking i needed to borrow my MIL's Depends!! but it worked. and the good thing is even when i thought i was going "overboard" i really wasn't. i'm very conscious about what i'm eating at all times! even i get up in the middle of the night hungry, i'll eat a small piece of cheese and not grab cookies, crackers like i used to.


my favorite addition to the new menu is the fruit - that's what i missed the most with the old menu! i have my fresh pink grapefruit (with splenda and cinnamon) in the am w/ my eggs. i love mixing my frozen strawberries or blueberries w/ the vanilla bean torte or chocolate truffle syntrax powder and water. will sometimes put in a scoop of plain greek yogurt. could not live without my single blender! will have to try to freeze it like i saw on this board so it's like ice cream...will have to look for those plastic containers that you can make ice cream pops with. protein ice cream pops! boy if they sold those, they would be a sell out! i have a hard time getting greek yogurt sometimes - Publix is always running low on the large containers...

with water, it's so much easier for me to drink it out of the bottles..i am refilling them more but for some reason, it's just easier than drinking out of a glass. plus my dogs love to drink my water if i leave it on the coffee table LOL and they leave my bottles alone..most of the time! .they have been known though to knock over the bottles and drink it. silly children.
have a great week everyone~! this plan works and just take it day by day - i think my DH is amazed that i'm still doing it and losing weight! he made pork bbq and bbq chicken last night and he asked if we had any hamburger buns. i told him i'd been feeding them to the dogs but there may be some in the pantry ;-) i shredded some lettuce and cukes, added some sweet and sour pepper rings and had a little bit of the lean bbq (he made it w/ vinegar sauce) and bbq chicken (homemade sauce - garlic, cayenne, vinegar, pepper, crushed tomatoes) on top. yum!

Thanks for the suggestions about fiber, guys. I drank a few over the weekend, I am able to go #2 again...but I still have these terrible pains in my stomach. They're almost like PMS cramps, but even worse, and I sometimes feel like vomiting. I'm not sure anymore if they have anything to do with eating OP, but I sure have a hard time eating everything I'm supposed to when I feel this way. And I'm not getting enough water in either. I think I must just be sick. :(

BigDog, I also have to drink from bottles, but my secret is to drink with a straw. If I just have to sip, I never get enough water down.

Faerychic, I agree about the taser suggestion. When I was single and worked late hours I kept one in my car. Thankfully I never had to use it, but it was a nice security to have.

Bigdog...it sure sounds like you have a handle on things. You let loose a bit, and know exactly how to get back on track again! That is how we remain successful!! Great job:carrot:

I think that is the greatest tool one can get from this program. The knowledge of how to keep the weight off..and if we have a gain, how to get it right back off! I personally had never had those tools before and wasn't quite sure how to get a handle on my weight as it continued to rise. I feel so much more confident now!

You all are doing fantastic...and even when there are setbacks, you get right back on...that is what it is all about. Keep up the great work!:cp:

Cochick, this might sound random, but do you still have your appendix? If it is hurting that much, you should probably go see a doctor. It might have nothing to do with being on program. Or it could be a kidney or liver problem. They run kind of high on people eating very high protien diets. I am not saying you should stop eating OP, but definatly go talk to someone who can check you out. Your body may be revolting against you for dieting.

On a personal note, lost another pound at weigh in yesterday, and told them I was not going to be able to afford their drinks. So they want to put me on a different program. They said something about switching me to the maintence menu until I can afford the drinks again. I may try that, or I may just stick with eating off my beige menu and drinking my Syntrax. We will see.

Congrats on the losses ladies! I weighed in yesterday, and was sure I was going to be up or lose nothing but was down another pound! Very surprising, I had a planned cheat on Saturday for my best friends Batchelorette party that I've been planning for weeks. It was a blast, and I did my best to stay on program (apart from the champagne cocktails). I crawled right back on to program on Sunday like I had discussed with my counselor, and was pleasantly surprised at weigh in.

I'm still not registering that I'm kitosis according to the pee strips, but I'm hoping to get there soon!

You ladies are such an inspiration and make me want to keep chugging along! So glad I found this board!

I had my first official weigh-in today on the yellow menu. Between Friday (pre-conditioning) and today, I have lost 5 lbs!!!! I was SHOCKED! I definitely feel better. Though, I have to say the salad is a bit overwhelming. I am excited to get to my blue menu where it cuts salad down a bit. I like veggies, but too much salad makes me sad...lol

I am excited to continue and see what next week brings!

Congrats!!! Don't forget to update your weight in your profile. That was one of my fav parts of WI...making that number go down. :)

going off program tonight and going home to make some homemade chicken soup. If I don't get rid of this cold soon I am gonna scream. Chicken and rice here I come...and I am bringing along alot of garlic. MWA HA HA HA. Ow, I think my brain broke.