Does anyone have a suggestion for a ready to drink protein drink like the MRC Shakes? I know a lot of you have tried BariWise, but I can only find ones you have to add water too. I hate the gritty taste of powders as I never seem to get them to mix smoothly.

So, am I stuck with the centers shakes? I use them 1-2 times per week so it gets pretty pricey....

My friend who is on WW told me about this recipe, Frozen Yogurt Covered blueberries... It is very good.

I used a baking sheet and put parchment paper over it..

Took 1 container blueberries and put them into 1 6 0z nonfat Greek Yogurt

Added stevia for my sweetener.. You could also use splenda

I took blueberries out with a strainer type tool, and placed them one by one on the baking sheet and froze them.. Really enjoy this.

If you want more yogurt on, take out by spoon, vs. a spoon that drains.

This may not be on everyone's diet menu, but for those that it is allowed, it is very nice

Patzi

Patzi - I might try that with strawberries (not blueberry fan)! Sounds delightful!

Last night, I tried the chocolate pudding HNS for the first time. I hated the vanilla one, so I was very skeptical with this. I added some frozen raspberries, mixed away and was rewarded with AWESOME pudding! It was like I was enjoying a rich chocolate mousse.

@ Melissa -- have you tried using a blender bottle to mix up those powders? We use the ones that comes with a metal ball that looks like the working end of a wire wisk. Works great on powders. The non-MRC protein drink I like is called Nectar, which has 0 grams of fat & carbs & 3/4 of a scoop has 17 grams of protein or a full scoop for 23 grams of protein. The same company also makes a protein shake called Matrix, but I don't recall all the nutritional info on it.

@ patzi -- I'll try your recipe tonight! Sounds delicious.

@ sonnyrae -- Thanks for your review on the chocolate pudding. I've been avoiding it since the hot cocoa drink got poor reviews when they changed the recipe/manufacturer. I wouldn't mind a nice splurge of pudding. :)

WI today and lost 1 pound since my weigh-in on Monday morning. I was nervous, too, since I went in at 9AM on Monday and got weighed today around 12:30 PM. There were many oz of water consumed between those times, so I thought I would see a gain.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Melissa, I have found the Muscle Milk Light is very close to the same as the MRC ready to drink shakes. Also, if you use powder, make sure your water is super cold.

As noted last week, I lost 3 lbs while on vaca. They evidently took a longer, more scenic route home because they just made it back - up 3 today - dang:rolleyes: Just trying to get into "back home" mode. While we were at fishing lodge we ate a good breakfast and then had meal around 2-3 in afternoons and I did get 3-4 HNS a day. Counselor suggested Meta-Slim two meal plan. I think I read in last months thread that someone had tried it and didn't like it. Would appreciate any comments.

Congrats to all that lost or maintained this week. For those of us that gained - move past this and do better next week.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. It is a family weekend for me - giggles and hugs from great nephew and nieces:hug:.

This week, I feel like I've slept 2 hours a night, even though I've been getting 8 (and sometimes 9!) hours a night. Anyone go through this at the one month mark? It could be something completely unrelated, but I am absolutely drained.

stressed
 

I am stressed beyond my limits. And these are thing that are beyond my control. I am eating things I shouldn't be and didn't even go weigh in this week. How do you deal with stress that comes from things you have no control over? I know I am derailing, and I feel helpless. Someone kick me in the pants please!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :stress::stress:

sonnyrae - I've kind of had the same trouble, but I think that it's because I have to get up in the night to go to the bathroom and then I have trouble falling back asleep. The MRC center keeps asking me if I have more energy and my response has always been, no, I feel more tired. It could be the heat. It could be the food items we each eat. Who knows??

sots mom - The first thing that you said that struck me was that these things are beyond your control! So, in essence you have to let them go and let them work themselves out because you can not do anything about them. That in itself can be stressful, but you have to have faith that things will work out! We have to learn to focus on the things that we can control and what you eat is one of those things! I tend to be a control freak (just ask my kids!) and feel better when I have something/someone to boss around. Many times that is only myself! But we can do a good job handling ourselves and our diets! You might be helpless concerning the things you can not control, but you are not helpless when it comes to your life. Yes, yes, I know it's all interconnected, but have faith, gal!

sotsmom- you can do this, don't give up.. I feel like this sometimes, with work, 2 kids, last minute things that pop up and I haven't planned for, it sucks, but you are worth it to just keep plugging along, just do the best you can and get back on track.
Here is your kick in the pants! http://freeemoticonsandsmileys.com/a...utt%20kick.gif

I completely agree. I have to get up 1 sometimes 2 times a night because Im chugging so much water. As a result, I am completely drained. Hopefully our bodies get used to it soon so its not an issue...

Sonnyrae- are you getting some light exercise in everyday? I find that even taking a couple of breaks throughout the day and going on 15-min walks really help.

I will give it a try. I am just weird about powders...lol

I just went through two months of this (complete with a round of job layoffs at my work). There were some days I just wanted to cry, literally. You will know when you are ready. When I finally hit my point, I walked back into my center and explained what was going on. They were very sympathetic and it took 3 different visits, but they got me back on the right path. The other thing that helped me was ACTIVELY posting on this forum again. These ladies are the best. I found the more I participated, the more inclined I would be to stay on track.

I do get in short walks during the day. I weighed in today and my blood pressure was pretty low (100/60), but I'm always on the low end anyway. I don't know what's up, but I'll give it a couple more days.

I do not like the hot cocoa, vanilla pudding is ok, but I do like the chocolate pudding, I mix it a little thick & it reminds me of eating brownie batter :D

@aw82797-- sounds like chocolate pudding will be in my future if it reminds you of brownie batter. :)

I, too, suffer from getting up a couple of times in the night to go pee. As such, I'm a bit sleepier in the mornings than usual. Does anyone have a plan of when they stop drinking at night to help prevent this? I was thinking of not drinking any huge amount of water after 7 or 8 PM (and just take a little sip if I do get thirsty). Don't know if this will work or if I should just keep drinking water as usual.

Hi...
I am on maintenance and have to get up a couple of times at night for the bathroom.. I still drink, most of the times, one HNS daytime and a Decaf. Capuccino at night.. When I was away I was drinking 4 HNS and was going to bathroom all day and during night..

Patzi

Hey friends, quick question. I am going to buy more HSN's tomorrow. I know they are $13 each, and 10 for $100, but is there a deal for 5 boxes?

5 for $55

Faerychic!!!! How are you doing? Just noticed your stats and how close you are getting. How are you feeling about things now?

Hi all,

I am new to the group and MRC. I am in the preconditioning phase until Wednesday or Thursday. :D I am over 40 and tired of being heavy and tired!
I have 100 lbs to lose.

Thank you faerychic.

welcome humptydumptynomore!

ok I have cheated to much lately, I've still been losing but I feel so bad after cheating. so the only option is not to do it at all, gotta get back to that point :) one day at a time is all i can do, today will be a good day!

Hey all,

Has anyone heard whether they've fixed the flavor of the cocoa yet? I am about out of the Wonderslim cocoa I had ordered from DietDirect, but I really liked the old MRC cocoa better.

I used to get the ProtiDiet cocoa when I would order from online, but I was worried about ordering a bunch and having it be gross, since I"m pretty sure that's the cocoa that MRC used (they tasted exactly the same). I really prefer the ProtiDiet/MRC (old version) cocoa even to the Wonderslim.

Has anyone had the ProtiDiet cocoa lately, either?

Angela, I have said many times over that this plan is not for the faint of heart. It's really not easy to stay 100% on, at least in my experience. I think the important thing is to try to figure out why you are eating off plan. Are you bored, exhausted, feeling deprived, etc. or are you really truly hungry? if its the latter, your counselor mAy be able to help you adjust things a bit so you are not starved. She also may be able to help you identify what other reasons may be pushing you over the edge. I just hate that feeling of white-knuckling it . And feeling bad about yourself is not going to help. Good luck.

Honestly I have been frustrated and disappointed since starting the stabilization process. My center was unaware that there is a different stabilization plan for metabalance so I have wasted 2 weeks trying to follow the meta slim stabilzation menu (which did not make any sense to me!). Now that they are aware of it they still need to be trained so I am really not getting any guidance from them. I also question whether or not I have been following the correct metabalance plan for this last few weeks- they put me on Level 1 which seems like too much food (calories total between 1400-1500). I have been at the same weight for 3 weeks (actually was up a pound on Sat.) I decided I would go back to the old metabalance menu servings and incorporate the new food choices. I am on week 2 of stabilization now (re-started when I got the correct menu), but like I said not getting much guidance which is a bummer:(

How's it going for you? I see you have re-adjusted your goal weight. I am rooting for you :cheer2:

faerychic - If you have time, please explain the difference between the stabilization that they had you on and the one that they should have had you on. The last time that I weighed in I was told that I am close to going on stabilization (that comes before maintenance, correct?) and I want to make sure that what they tell me to do is correct! How could your center not be "aware??" I feel bad for you!

If you are on the meta slim plan then you have nothing to worry about as this is the plan the vast majority of clients are on. There has been a lot of employee turn over at my center - including management. They say they were never told about the meta balance stabilization, but someone there did tell me about it when I first started the plan. I am guessing it was the area manager that I met with on one occassion.

I'm baaacckkk! Congrats to all the losers there! And welcome to the newbies!

Just got back from a 10 day camping/hiking excursion to Yellowstone and beyond. Fun, fun, fun... tent camping, hiking, long walks... not so fun - lack of sleep from worrying about bears, rain, and then deciding to "motel it" on the way back, resulting in wayyyyy too many dinners out!

Realized on this trip that I'm still struggling with eating off-plan - what was hard was that we were traveling with my parents who don't eat the best... I don't know how many times I heard "why don't we just stop and grab a burger?" And, they'd drink my water I brought along to supplement their soda pop habit. Seriously? And they KNEW I was on a plan... finally, by the sixth day, I did go off-plan and we ate at a pizza joint. TWICE. Glad to be back and on plan this week... will hopefully get more sleep, eat better, and get all my water in.

On the upside, folks, I was the one waiting on everyone to catch up this year on the walks. I didn't get nearly as hot; I played with my kids a ton; I didn't shy away from the photos; and I hung out at the pools without feeling self-conscious! Small victories... seeing the difference in where I've come.... makes me smile.

faerychic--I'm sorry you were put on the wrong stabilization plan! How long will you be on stabilization?

Had WI today and I'm down to 225.5! Very happy with the weight loss so far on my official one week on plan. (I was 236.5 when I started on pre-conditioning). Good bye 10 pounds!!! :D

Hi everyone! I started MRC back in March and happy to report that I am 50 pounds lighter and 37 1/4 inches gone! I am having a ball buying new, smaller clothes! It is hard at times...especially when we go
out to eat as a family. It sure is tempting to order a nice, juicy burger. But I keep my eye on the prize and I know I can drop another 30 and reach my goal!
And a tip I found this weekend...I put one of my ready made vanilla drinks in the freezer to get cold. Well...I forgot about it and it froze. I cut away the box and poof...I had ice cream! It was delicious! I did it with my chocolate one too and it tastes just like chocolate ice cream!

Went to the cardiologist yesterday and got the best news ever. He's taking me off my last blood pressure pill. We're doing this as a trial, but this is the first time in 7 years I haven't had to take one. FYI, I was diagnosed with high BP 6 months after running a marathon. It's a genetic thing with me, not a weight thing. Lucky me. ;)

He wants me to take my BP readings over the next month and if it starts to creep back up, I'm to call his nurse and probably start taking them again. I have a feeling it won't work, but just to know there is a chance is amazing.

Stabilization for the meta balance plan is 4 weeks - I am currently on the 2nd week. 3 weeks of adding food and omitting HNS's and the last week they give you you calorie guideline menu (I think for maintenance I will be between 1400-1500 calories.

Wow! 10 pounds is a great loss for the first week - keep up the good work and you'll be at goal in no time :cool:

Hi all, been MIA for a while now. My dads health is getting worse, so much that my mom and I went to the funeral home to do some preplanning. Not sure when we will need it but wanted to take care of it now. I have been so off plan it isn't funny. I was struggle to stay OP and had actually done so with the scale rising. When I went in and gained 3.5lbs I had had enough. I haven't been able to get back on track. I feel as though I'm wasting my money on the products because staying 100% on program, drinking all my water and still gaining is not going to hack it. My stress levels are through the roof and it's just not something I can control. I'm still trying to make the best choices but when I'm at work early and late, at the hospital early and late, there just isn't enough time in the day to get it all in. I've been missing meals, supplements, water, etc. I know I need to take care of myself to be healthy for him and believe it or not I feel great even though my sleep is messed up and I'm stressing. I do believe if I hadn't already lost as much as I have up to now then with all this extra stress I might be in the bed next to him.
I got away this weekend for an all day outdoor music festival in Atlanta. It was hot hot hot and I was fine all day. Drank lots of water that day but normally I can't walk around that long in the heat. So I know I'm healthier than I have been, I do want to lose more weight but honestly I don't know if I can handle the extra stress of going to WI's and gaining every week. I did'nt WI last week and I do feel guilty, guess it's time to decide if I continue this program or just forfeit my remaining time. Ugh! :(

Fluffy- I hope you continue MRC the best you can. Stick several supplements in your purse so you always have them and make the best choices available when eating. We are going through something similar with hubby's mom so I read the forum to "decompress". Hope to see you on here when time allows.

Mr. Rogers said it best - “In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.”

Fluffy - Sending virtual hugs your way... You know? With all we go through, we need to remember, our life is waaayyyy more than program/off-program, exercise, water... these are tools to help us live, but they are not our life. You need to focus on yourself and your family during this time. Make the best choices you can... but my advice is to eat on "auto pilot"... it may get boring but just feed your body what you know will work... carry some extra supplements or bars... grab a salad whenever possible... keep a little cooler with spray dressing/condiments you can have... grab a grilled chicken sandwich... whatever. Just don't focus so much on what you eat. Make good choices, get some rest, and move on. Your focus is on living and taking care of your mom and dad... You have come waaayyyy to far to give up your program! Maybe just modify until you can get back in the swing of things, you know?

JenB- Congrats on the meds! Go, you!

Faerychic - I'm struggling with stabilization... we did the 6 week thing with adding new things and I'm just not one for change. I've just decided to add what I can when I can and not stress about it... I think I'll get my new menu this weekend, but my vacation kinda blew all that out of the water for a few weeks. But, onward and upward....

Fluffy - My prayers are with you and your family. My advice for what it's worth, is make the best choices you can. I am an emotional eater too, so I know what you are talking about. As for your time at the center, if yours is anything like mine, they keep calling until you come in. ;) Either go in or call them, and tell them that until things settle down and you aren't under so much stress, you won't be in. If they know what's going on, they may be rather understanding. When things happened to me, mine was kind enough to put my program on hold, or credited me time, so I didn't lose out on time. It should be the last thing you have to worry about right now. :hug:

Ugh. I'm struggling with social drinking (i.e. vodka sodas). It's very hard for me to meet my friends and not order a drink (or two), but I retain so much water the next day! I was supposed to WI today but decided to skip it and just go Friday. I will not have another drink and remain completely on plan until then. Hopefully I will be down to 180. I think it's doable because I've been weighing at home 181. I just need to stick to my guns!

Aug 4-11 we're going on a lake trip and I'd like to be as fit as possible!!

Faerychic- that is crazy! My center definitely says MetaBalance has a different, shorter stabilization plan. I am going to start the first week of August. I don't know anything more about it yet. Totally makes sense that you would struggle trying to do what they have had you do. Grrr.

I did reset my goal. But I am stabilizing on August 1 regardless of whether I am there or not. I have a big trip to Italy coming in October and I want a month of maintenance under my belt by then, no pun intended. I am happy with my progress, slow as it is. I have made an appointment for a BodPod bodyfat test in a couple weeks to get a really accurate percentage. You may recall it has continued to bug me that the center's scales say I am still so high. (it's down to 36% now but that is still considered high). I am continuing my once a week weight training sessions, then two lighter ones my own. I am about to have a birthday and I feel proud of what I am accomplishing at the age of 57!

Sonny, this has been an issue for me since day one. Sometimes I seem to get away with it, other times it really stops my loss. My trainer told me that the day after big alcohol I should drink a quart of water all at once (or within 30 min) as soon as a wake up, then twice more during the day. She swears that flushes out the water retention or whatever. I find it hard not to eat off plan when I drink, too. But it is such a part of my social life, I just don't have the willpower to resist. At least try to alternate glasses of water with drinks when you are out. I have lost 32 pounds while still drinking but that's probably why it has taken so long. If you can abstain for a couple weeks you might see a big big drop that would be worth it....you could even enlist a drinking pal to try it with you....

Oh Fluffy, how difficult. I have been there. Don't let your program add to your stress! Maybe if you went in and talked about it? Don't even let them weigh you, just talk about a plan for putting things on hold maybe?

You cant focus on the food right now. You have to be there for your mom, keep a good game face on for him, and have the presence of mind to take care of the zillion things that are inevitably going to need taking care of. If probably feels like you don't even have time to be sad. Losing my dad was the toughest thing in my entire life. Just be present, love him openly, and help him go. My heart is with you.