Thank you for the info. I sent them a note too.

i joined last August and only bought like prob. two boxes of stuff from the Center. some chicken noodle soup HNS and chocolate pudding. everything else i order from Diet Direct. the Protidiet brand seemed to be the closest compared to the MRC brands and the Wonderslim come pretty close. i like things in bulk so bought the large container of Protidiet Pink Lemonade and large container of the Hot Cocoa. then discovered the Syntrax Nectar (love the Choc. Truffle, Latte and Vanilla Bean torte) and have only used those for the HNSs (0 carbs, 0 fat, 70 cal. if you use 2/3 scoop). The center didn't like it that i wasn't buying my stuff from them but they were out of the good flavors and i liked the variety that Diet Direct offers. i've gotten the Roadside Lemonade also from Syntrax. if you go this route, just try not to tell them you are buying online if you can avoid doing that. i was told there would not be a guarantee and they wouldn't continue my contract since i wasnt buying from them if i didn't reach my goal in 17 weeks. i lost about 30 lbs in 17 weeks and then 6 more on my own to reach my goal of 164. i still pretty much follow the metaslim plan and love it! i used the center to weigh in and they did give me some good advice but the turn off was all the pills (i bought phenatrim and didn't use it) - i use all my own vitamins and didn't buy any more from them. i kept telling them the plan was working and i didn't want to get dependant on the pills plus i have a low tolerance to medicine.
to be fair, the center is an hour away so it wasn't like i could just pop in so easier to order stuff online for me. if it was closer, i would have prob used them more and weighed in more. i weighed in once a week. these ladies on this board have helped me the most with menu ideas, shake ideas, motivational tips. sometimes i'll "confess" on here just so i can move on and get back on plan.

Good luck and we'll be glad to answer any questions you may have. read some of the posts on the previous months and check out the link to recipes. very helpful!

Sent email to "corporate" about the flavors and packaging changing. I have noticed the change in taste but has anyone else had problems opening the "pouches"? I have to use scissors to open:( Did not eat OP all weekend so I'm anxious to WI this week.

Thanks teacherlady! I will check out those sites. Do you think that the Bariwise bars taste better than those from MRC? And when can I have chocolate soy crisps??? Day 5 seems so far from the good food!!

I'm curious as to what Metaquick is.

Thanks, too, bigdog! I appreciate all of the information. A lot! I live 2 hours from the center in Omaha and so I do not get in on the classes, etc. that they offer. I do not feel like I am being able to take advantage of what I have paid for, so I am looking for ways to cut costs and corners. I do think that the diet works though, so I would like to keep up on it as best as I can afford. I was suckered into purchasing the Big 3 (Phentratrim, Cortislim, and MRC-6). I haven't started taking them yet because I have been losing weight and had some fatigue symptoms to start with. I'll wait for a plateau to start them. I am kicking myself for buying them, but I also have a friend on the diet, so maybe she could use them too. I sure hope that I do not have any adverse symptoms from the pills. I also have a low tolerance to medicine/herbal supplements, etc., so we'll see. I would like anyone's input about the hoodia. That is one of the ingredients that I am a little concerned about. I really appreciate everyone's helpfulness on this site. I question the knowledge of some of the consultants that I have worked with. A few of my questions have gone unanswered and I think that if you are working for the company, you should know the scientific reasoning behind each and every part of the diet so that you can counsel the clients. Don't worry, bigdog, I won't spill the beans if I purchase items elsewhere online. I figured that would not please MRC. But, to my knowledge, we did not sign anything saying that we would exclusively purchase products from them (I will have to go read the contract). Thanks, everyone, for all of your help!!

P.S. I tried the hot cocoa today for the first time - in a blender with ice as kind of a frozen hot chocolate treat - and I thought that it smelled and tasted very artificial. Since I have not tasted the old version, I can't compare, but this one needs some work! i understand why you are all complaining! I have been very happy with all of the clear HNS, other than the peach mango also tasted very artificial. I was surprised by that since the others didn't really seem like that.

I honestly think that Bariwise makes the exact same bars that MRC sells--plus a few extra. I really liked the Bariwise bars, myself. I think you can have the chocolate soy crisps starting whenever you can have bars/shakes. I really liked the soy crisps, but I usually just limited myself to when we'd go to the movies or people would be snacking during a meeting at work or something. I liked them especially because it takes a while to eat the whole package (because otherwise they'd be messy, like eating Nerds, lol), so they really lasted.

Metaquick is used mostly for a plateau-buster. It consisted of a replacement shake + HNS for one meal, a bar + HNS for another meal, and then a regular, on-plan dinner + HNS. You can not do this more than 7 days in a month, I believe, but I never needed to do it more than 2-3 days to bust a plateau.

I only bought the phentatrim toward the end of my active weight loss, when I hit a long plateau and needed a boost to try to get the last 10lbs off. I was like BigDog--I didn't want to get dependent on a bunch of pills, and only turned to them when I was really stuck in a rut with my (lack of) losses. That said, the phentatrim worked awesome for me. I was worried it would make me jittery or irritable, or give me some other side affects (as other diet pills have done for me in the past), but it was totally fine. I didn't feel different at all, really.

The contract states that you will purchase HNS drinks from them, as they are a required part of the program. I bought from online a few times, and the Omaha center never questioned me about a lack of purchases--I don't think they looked too closely. I still bought a box here and there, mostly so they wouldn't even notice. Anyway, if you use alternate products or purchase them elsewhere, the only thing that does is void the "guarantee" in your contract (they "guarantee" a certain amount of weight loss within a certain time period, as long as you follow their diet perfectly, or they will give you additional weeks of the program for free). It doesn't mean you can't stay on the plan or re-enroll or anything.

Bigdog thats so awesome your in maintenance, I was only asking because I saw you could have alcohol and I thought boy I need that plan. But figured you were in maintenance and thats why you could have it.

Day Four and I'm off to a great start. 7 1/2 lbs lost, amazing! I'm looking forward to getting on the green menu though.

How does everyone get those weight loss tickers to show up in posts?

SonnyRae you have to have 25 post, I believe, before you can use the ticker. Keep posting and you will be able to add it. Great loss so far! Keep it up.

Thanks once again, teacherlady! You're full of advice! :) I'm sure that the center did not give me any information on the MetaQuick plan since I'm just starting, but it's nice to know that it's there. They didn't mention the replacement shakes to me at all either. I was a little frustrated the first day that I went to the center because I didn't feel like there was a lot of scientific diet knowledge being passed along, more like she was trying to make a sale. I was already pretty much sold before I got there though because I had found this site and read everyone's testimonies.

I feel better about using the Phentratrim after your comments and will hold on to it until I need it. I am a little surprised at the cost of their supplements, but dieters are emotional thinkers and they have us for sure on that one!

I priced the ProtiDiet drinks and bars last night and will now go back and look at the Bariwise. I'm sure that there is one manufacturer who is making all of this for the different brands. The flavors are all the same if you look at the brands, so I'm surprised that the tastes would be different. They can vary the formulations though and that could change the taste.

Had mainlltenance weigh in and stayed the same 5 pounds under goal..
All the HNS packages have changed. They are all large now, where some were smaller.. One lady waiting to see a consultant said the flavor has changed. I will see. I only take one HNS and one creamy a day. Will check the ingredients also.. I have one of the older boxes left.



Patzi

Newbie here
 

Just wanted to say hello to you all. I have started MRC about one month ago and have lost 16lbs and 11.5 inches so far. I have been reading the forum for awhile now and just wanted to thank you all for the great information!

I had maintenance weight in today and was down 1/2 a pound. I'm good with that and am enjoying maintenance. Keep up the losses. This program is great if you follow it.

There is actually a lot of good scientific background on the diet that some of the consultants are pretty well-versed in, but they don't always share it with clients right away, because honestly some people just don't care--they just want to lose the weight. And, some of the consultants aren't as well-versed in the science, I think, partly because some of them haven't done a lot of training or research because they haven't had weight issues. There's a few really good ones, though, and the site manager, Thea, is really good. I don't know if Char is still there, but she really knew her stuff. Wendy is also pretty good. There is also one other middle-aged woman who knew lots--I think she's read a lot of research outside of MRC training, too--but I don't know if she's still there.

Like I said, some of the consultants are really really knowledgeable, and some aren't. Weigh in a few times and figure out who you really like (I loved Char and Wendy because they were really knowledgeable and didn't try to force sales on me) and then stick with them as much as possible--you are allowed to request certain people when you arrive, you just have to be prepared to wait longer for them. :)