I just joined MRC. Starting plan today. This is a great site. Great support. I just wanted to pop in and say hi. :). ��

Well post above just posted. Hopefully you will not get 3 more of the same post.

Do any of y'all exercise? If you do what do you do and how long and how many days a week. Thanks

Can anyone give me some good ideas on what to mix in with Greek yogurt so that it doesn't taste like bad sour cream? I tried vanilla and then added almond flavor and then added stevia and it still wasn't very tasty. And that was only to about 2 oz. of yogurt. Maybe it's an acquired taste, but at this rate, I will never acquire it! I don't like cottage cheese either, so my breakfasts are getting boring. . . mostly eggs.

I use my HNS to flavor my greek yogurt. I especially like to mix the lemon makes it taste like lemon cream pie.

I mix fruit in

Hoping all of our friends along Gulf coast are high and dry. Stay safe out there.

Look at the thread on this topic. There are lots of ideas posted there.
My favorite is a lemon HNS with it. But then I love the stuff plain or with Splenda, so maybe you just aren't a Greek yogurt person.

Is it just me?
 

Or do all women have spend hours shopping to find the right, panties, bras, jeans and bathing suits? I decided I needed to buy new panties today after I had to keep pulling them up at yoga class this morning! After an hour of searching at Kohl's I came up with 2 styles I might like. Another thing...........why do the manufacturers feel the need to continually change the styles? Maidenform made the perfect boyshort and they have been discontinued. Guess I should just be happy that I now need smaller panties :p

Starting Stabilization
 

Had my stabilization meeting yesterday and I am so confused today. Anyone know if there is a different stabilization menu for the metabalance plan? I asked the consultant yesterday and she told me everyone does the same menu during stabilization. It just doesn't seem right to me since on metabalance you eat 3 smaller meals and 3 snacks throughout the day - now I am supposed to go back to 3 meals?

Good news is my fat percentage is 34.9% and the range for me is 30-34% AND I gained back some muscle that I had lost putting me back at 29%. When I started this journey my fat percentage was 42, so I am really happy to be almost within range.

I go OP tomorrow and am excited, I lost 5.5 lbs during preconditioning. I work out pretty hard weight lifting/sculpting at least 2-3 times a week and am used to eating an apple prior to for fuel does anyone know what I can do for fuel? can I still eat my apple? I don't think there are any veggies that would work to keep me from passing out during the workout.

I have been doing well resisting foods I'm not supposed to eat, passed up pizza, & mcdonalds I'm feeling proud of myself for that. I'm ready to get this weight off.

Welcome to all the newbies! Good luck in your journey. It's been a rough week for me but I'm determined to get back on track and started out on the right foot this morning. One meal at a time!

I was a bad girl and had mojitos this weekend. I made them myself, so I used splenda instead of sugar, but still. No gain showing, but no loss either. They were GOOD though!

I was a bad girl too, with some Mexican food... yummy taco salad, but I did the Fat and Carb Blocker before eating and feel pretty good about it. Smaller portions at the church potluck last night... biked 3 miles in addition to Zumba on Saturday... feeling pretty good!

Love that our garden is yielding some yummy tomatoes and cucumbers now! I love fresh, home-grown produce!

rachels77 - What is the fat and carb blocker? No one has mentioned that to me.

Oh... it's something they sell at the center... some take it, some people don't. It's a Fat and Carb blocker that you can take prior to a higher fat/carb meal (I usually take mine before eating out due to not knowing how something is prepared and what kind of oils are still hanging out with my food). It's supposed to block some of the fat and carbs from the body... for my experience it works... I have an "eliminating" affect, usually 20 or so minutes after eating... I know, TMI...

For what is is worth, the 3fc person who monitors these boards once wrote us with a research study saying is no proof that carb and fat blockers work.

Lots of people do swear by them....

Thanks! I has been hard not to see the numbers on the scale move much, but I felt SO MUCH better once the body comp showed I was losing fat. The 3 Day training is pretty rough, but I am actually really enjoying it (except when it is 100 degrees here in Dallas...yuck!) Even my walking partner (my dog) gave up after 1 mile yesterday and I had to carry him home -- wimp. I am just glad he is still a puppy and only weighs 35 lbs so far. Haha (he is a boxer)

AW, welcome! As far as exercise goes, it depends upon your plan. I started on MetaSlim which is very low calorie. When I began training for the breast cancer 3 Day walk, I was switched to MetaBalance which has some dairy, etc. and a few more calories to take into account my training schedule. Your counselor should be able to go over that with you. :)

weighed in today, down 6 pounds since I started last Monday...

. On vacation for 4 days camping with family. Typical breakfast was bacon, sausage, eggs, and biscuit!! I love biscuits and only had one each am... ;) 2 mornings. Which we would eat around 10:30. Then eat again around 3ish and didn't eat dinner. I took my mini blender,frozen strawberries, Greek yogurt, vanilla bean syntrax powder and had a couple shakes a day. I gave the bread on my sandwich and hotdog to my dogs :)
Mindlessly ate baby Swiss cheese nips and fritoes one day. -- was not hungry! They were just there. Bad bad bad! We did walk a lot and rode our bikes which was good. Chugging water now!!!! Ok losing power on iPad. More later

AMAZING! i didn't gain over my 4 day holiday! went for a power walk this am w/ DH and my dogs and then got home, stripped down and weighed in. normally i would never do that coming off a holiday, especially with family! (yes, all the comfort food was there!!) but read that Camaswa weighed in after her vacation and was like, ok get it over with! i did drink tons of water and drank at least two HNSs a day. we had fresh veggies from the garden, i didnt eat any of the bread except for a small biscuit 2 mornings. good thing about camping vacations, we are constantly walking the dogs, riding the bikes and even in preparing a meal, running around... being prepared w/ veggies, fruit, greek yogurt and my Syntrax powder really helped. my sister who is on WW kept offering me bananas and grapes and i was offering her grapefruit and strawberries. i made her a vanilla bean torte shake w/ frozen strawberries and greek yogurt and she turned her nose up at it. had cinnamon w/ my grapefruit and she was like yuck! she gave me some granola snack packs and i was like 30 g. carbs? no thanks. told her i don't eat bananas or grapes....anyway,she's successful w WW - lost over 40 lbs. and i told her that FOR ME, eating high sugar foods makes me jittery and want to eat more, that my body requires more protein. she being my older sister was trying to convince me otherwise but anyway, i told her your plan works for you and my plan works for me :-) i almost told her that because of the FAT pictures she took of me last June (and emailed to everyone)!!! was the reason i joined MRC in August and finally succeeded in getting the weight off. but i played nice as always. haha!!!

Bigdog sounds like the camping trip went great and not gaining was even better. Congratulations.

JenKatt 6 pounds is wonderful. Keep up the good work.

I'm feeling bloated and down these past couple of days. I have been eating OK but last week I had a couple of Dr. Peppers. Bad, I know but I really crave them when it's hot out. I feel like I am WAY up and go for maintenance WI today. Hopefully it won't be as bad as I feel like it will be.

Ever since I lost my 50lbs I've been gaining and losing the same 1.5 to 3 lbs . I just can't seem to break past this. It's been so long now I'm really getting discouraged. I know stress with my dad's cancer has a lot to do with it but I'm trying not to let it. When I first started struggling my counselor was helping but then she got another job (so happy for her) and now I just don't seem to have the same connection with the others there. Frustrating because I had just purchased more time. I told them the other day if I keep on like this I will end up quiting. Said it out of frustration more than anything and the response I got was...I understand. Kind of expected a different resonse and it left me even more frustrated and confused. I'm going in on a different day so I can see the other counselor who has been through the program. I'm just so down about the weight loss now that I'm not sure I can pull myself back up. Thanks for listening guys!

Fluffy - I feel bad for you that the center did not seem more caring. I think that you are on the right track, wanting to talk to a counselor who has been through the program. Have you ever talked to the manager of the center? I have to wonder if that person is better qualified to get you back on track and be more sympathetic about your circumstances. When we diet, we don't need people to hold our hands and feel sorry for us, but we do need people who can relate to dieting and maybe especially emotional eating, etc. I have felt myself like MRC is a money trap, but once upon a time, they figured the science behind their diet out and it seems to work pretty well. I guess that we have to pay for that to a point, but they also seem awfully profit hungry. Stick to your guns, girl, and don't give up!

I have been told that I should mix up my diet to break through a plateau. I tend to eat the same things a lot. And I guess that oranges and grapefruit jumpstart something too. Can't prove it by me yet, but it's worth a try to see if you can get past the 1.5 - 3 pounds. Oh, and it was also suggested to drink more water and get in a few more HNS each day. One gal also said that making sure that you get 4000 mg. of omega 3 each day could help too.

A 50 pound weight loss is amazing and you deserve better treatment at your MRC center. Keep your chin up. You don't have far to go now. You can do it!

Fluffy...nope, nope, nope!! You don't get to give up...now or ever:) Like you, I have lost a total of 50lbs..and won't let my frequent fluctuations detour me from maintaining what has been quite the effort...as you well know:) I can't even begin to imagine losing the one counselor that has helped you so much throughout this journey, but please know you have us. Whenever you need encouragement, support, a kick in the *** (lol) or whatever, just ask!!! Please get past your feelings of frustration and just keep on moving forward. We will help you pull yourself back up if you let us!!!

Hang in there...you have done fantastic!! Reaching out like this is a huge step, and my desire is that this forum won't let you down:) Hugs to you!

i think i'm finally programmed to know what to do! i even surprised myself :-) even when i'm eating a sandwich, i automatically start pinching off the bread and throw it to my dogs! but hot crusty biscuits right out of the oven? could not turn them down. but had one small one and not three loaded w/ jelly and butter like i used to! i really think all the time what i'm eating...if it's not worth it, i throw it away or stop eating it. even w/ the baby swiss cheez-its, i knew that 25 crackers were 150 cal, 19 carbs, 3 g. protein, 7 g. fat. i really read labels a lot now. and even w/ cheez its, idon't need 25 crackers..a taste of 5 or 10 is enough and i write it down.

Water is the key, i was running in and out of the camper to pee! :-)

do you drink diet Dr.Pepper? it is my favorite soda of all! i mix w/ the chocolate truffle HNS all the time, it's soooo good! i really dont like most diet drinks but it's good. i used to take the diet soda and pour just a splash of the regular soda on top to drink it - that works if you just can't stomach diet soda....

Hi there! I just met with my local MRC this morning and learned about the program. I didn't sign-up right away because I wanted to see about finances & such. Just called them back to make an appointment on Thursday & I take my first food class this Friday! I'm so excited about trying this program and hope I have just as much success as many of you have had. :D

what's in the fat and carb blocker? sounds like a laxative to me :-) i know w meta quick - when i asked the counselor about it, she told me to take a colon cleanser before meta quick after a vacation or bad choices over the weekend. i'm thinking it was even in the email she sent me! i didnt do it though...im outside sales and no way in he** was i going to chance an accident calling on customers! yikes!

Thank you bigdog and tamikl! I've been feeling like this for a few weeks and this morning said to myself I need to post about it to the ladies who know what I'm going through.
The lady I want to talk to is also the manager. I normally feel really good about my center and the people that work there. I think the lady who weighed me in the other day didn't know how to handle me because I started crying instantly when I saw the reading and she has never seen me that way. I'm normally upbeat about it even when I gain a little because I know what did it. She did suggest mixing it up so I have been eating a lot of fish and berries this week. Been really good about getting in more veggies too. 100 oz of water is about all I can manage lol and that is what I drink already. I think I just have to pull my head out of my arse and tackle this the way I did at the beginning. I have been sharing my HNS with my dad trying to get something in him since he rarely eats anything with the chemo and radiation treatments and I need to make sure I'm eating all of those I'm supposed to. Again, a matter of tackling this and not let it tackle me. I shall see how things go this week. Thank you again!

Well said! Fluffy, jlpnebraska is the one that gave you the excellent advice, not me but how weird because i was going to reply and a dang customer called me and i got sidetracked!! when i went to the center, sometimes they would ruin my day depending on who i got. one time i went in to weigh and had on heavy winter pants...i did take off my jacket and as much as i could but did not show a loss (knowing it was the clothes) because even though my scale is 2 lbs different from theirs - i showed a 4 lb loss on my scales knowing it would be a 2 lb on theirs. the girl kept going on and on like i really needed to follow the plan and didn't even listen to me. from then on, i took the lightest tank top and shorts i had to always change into to weigh in. and reminded myself i was doing great no matter what stupid comments they would make. it was always, buy more pills and i never bought into that. come to the boards - we will motivate and hug you!!!

Bigdog I drink both. I prefer regular but I've decided after WI today which was up 3 that I'm going back to the green menu and having HNS like I did then. I HAVE to get this nipped in the bud before it gets worse. I'm determinded not to let this get out of hand or I will be back where I started and I most do NOT want that. I will have to search my journal for what caused the gain or if it was just bites and tastes. Because honsetly I don't write those down and I have had more in the past week than previously.

Fluffy, you can do this. You have come a LONG way and are so close to goal. You have to take care of you so you can take care of you Dad. He needs you to be strong and healthy to help him through what ever God has in store. The change in counselors is not easy either. I've been there. I think seeing someone different will help. Keep you head up!

Big dog thank you for pointing that out and I'm sorry jlpnebraska for not thanking you for the response. Not sure how I messed that up.

I'm trying to stay strong. Thank you all.

Fluffy, I'm right there with you. I haven't posted much but love to read everyone's posts. I too have lost 50 pounds and I have been within 1-3 pounds of the same weight now for 3 full months. I have been very frustrated because I am eating like I should. Each time I go in they tell me that to just keep up the good eating habits and it will eventually break through the plateau. They tell me to change things up and drink more water, even 10 more ounces a day. I have tried it all and still fluctuate up 1 or 2, then down 1 or 2. The manager at my center said that 50 pound plateau if very common but they haven't seen anyone stay at it as long as I have. I have even quit going to my center twice a week and started going 1 time a week until there is more movement to talk about. I understand your frustration and just hang in there like I am and maybe we will get through it. The stress of staying around the same weight doesn't help either along with all of life's other stresses. I have asked about going back to the pre-conditioning menu and they said it wouldn't do any good unless I have been really eating off plan. It does make me feel better that someone else is having the same thing happen, I just hope yours doesn't last as long as mine has. :dizzy:

CWOMAC...sorry to hear you are experiencing the same thing. I've been really good this week and hope that with the change in protein to more fish will help out. The only major changes have been external changes and stress. I hope we both can break this plateau and move on from here. I've had them before but not for this long and not with the big weight fluctuations. Although I hate that you are going through this it is good to know I'm not the only one.

Fluffy -
Sorry, I've been out the past few days but I wanted to tell you that you can do this... you're doing the right thing by recognizing where you are and reaching out for support. I think everyone goes through a time of difficulty. Remember, this is an on-going journey... not a sprint. It's your life and things will happen along the way to detour us for a bit but, you know what? We're strong. We have the tools to succeed. And, it's okay to take those detours every now and then. It's not going to un-do your hard work as long as you recognize where you are and where you're going... I keep thinking of how many times in the past did I have a difficult time at work and stopped on the way home to get some ice cream and finish a HALF GALLON before going to bed? How many times did I just say "forget it" when I had failed at dieting and ate some cashew chicken and fried egg rolls? But now, I let myself slip occasionally, correct myself and move on...

I'm proud of how far you've come. You are faced with such a horrible situation with your dad but you are strong. You can do this.

We're okay on this front... busy with the kids and had to put off WI until Saturday... Not feeling the greatest but we're moving on.

Have a great week everyone!

rachels77 thank you for the kind words. After I posted here I actually started to feel a little better. I spoke with my husband the other night and he is such a great supporter. And you are right, we can do this!

I am so lucky to have my husband support me and back me with everything I do. He knows the struggles my mom and I are going through (of course my mom worse than me) with my dads cancer so he told me this saturday I am to go and get my mom and take her out. He will spend the day with my dad and take care of him. I often wonder why I was blessed to have him in my life (I thank his exwife every day lol) :)

Just wanted to pop in and say you guys are inspiring!

Hi everyone.. just wanted to post and say yesterday I got to my first goal of 5lbs on Day 8.. so happy to be headed in the right direction..

The past 2 weeks have been rough for me. I have been doing my 3 day training religiously and it feels GREAT! My problem is that once I walk 5-10 miles, there is a little voice in my head that says I can then justify a cheat. It sounds a lot like "hey, you just walked 7 miles and burned 600 calories. You can afford to have that small chocolate bar that is only 200 calories. You will still be down 400 more calories than you were 3 hours ago!"

I know in my heart it isn't right, and as soon as I cheat i wish I hadn't. But, for some reason I am having a LOT of trouble with my self control in the last 2 weeks. Thankfully, I haven't gained any weight because I AM walking so much. But I also haven't lost much (about 1 lb in 2 weeks).

I am thinking of doing the MetaQuick menu for a few days since I am not training again until Saturday. Maybe that will help. I just feel SO GOOD when I look in the mirror now that I am less motivated than before to get the last 12 lbs off -- you know?

Thanks for letting me vent :)