MRC August Thread
 

Where is the year going?! I can't believe it's already August.

Good luck to everyone this month! You can do it!!!

:dust:

WI yesterday - down 3. Anyone else having a problem with appetite during this heat wave down South? Have a great rest of the week everyone.

yes the heat is killing my appetite as well! Its too hot to cook anything!

WI yesterday as well -1.5 gone....total lost to date is 13 pounds and I was measured yesterday and have lost 15 inches WAHOO!!!!!:carrot::dizzy:

Exercise
 

Yeah it's August!! Celebrating my one year anniversary with my wonderful hubby on the 13th!!

Can anyone tell me how much they are exercising while on the beige menu? For some reason I thought I read that we should limit how much we exercise in the beginning with starting the program. I might be completely wrong

nvogue- I don't know about the beige menu, but at my center they really want us to walk walk walk. I typically walk about 40 minutes of the day and have recently started doing more weight and resistence core training because I was feeling a bit deflated. If you do a lot of heavy exercise regularly, you might want to consider the Metabalance maybe?

My understanding is if you do a lot of exercise on a low-calorie diet, not only will you not feel good but you will lose muscle rather than gain it, which is what we want. MRC didn't tell me this, and I may not have it right. Anyone know?

I had maintenance weigh in yesterday and stayed the same. 5 pounds under goal.

Congrats to those that lost weight and inches.

Patzi

You mean which is NOT what we want right? Where did you hear of this information? Not saying it's true or otherwise, but it's definitely something I'd like to look into.

Thanks ladies for all of the information! I had my official weigh in this morning, and I lost a total of 2.8 pounds since last week. I walked for 15 minutes the last couple of evenings, so I will try to do this daily.

I feel so much lighter and better having lost a total of 9 pounds in three weeks!!! I love this program!:)

Oops! How did I do that? What I mean is we want to preserve muscle, because muscle is what's metabolically active. Muscle is the fire that burns the fat. And where did I hear that a low-calorie diet can mess with metabolism? I just had a professnal fitness instructor at a college tell me that, and I bought The New Rules ofLifting for Women, which talks about it. The instructor referred to me as "skinny fat.". Sigh.

Yeah, I'm not 100% convinced this plan is as perfect as they say it is. First of all, if the diet is so balanced, then why do I have to take a multi-vitamin? The whole claim "it's medically impossible not to lose weight on this program" is a pretty hefty claim. NOTHING is impossible.

Anyway, it's hard for this skeptic/critic to stay positive sometimes but I figure I paid for this, so I may as well stick with it for the duration. If I don't lose the expected amount of weight (or somewhere realistically near it) then I'll know for sure their claims are just selling lines.

I've been reading a lot about people (like me) who have done a lot of exercise and have been very careful with their diets and just cannot lose weight no matter what. There HAS to be some other thing going on inside our bodies that makes it so difficult to lose. My thyroid is fine, my blood sugars are fine, I haven't had my hormones checked yet, but I have an appointment for it.

I went off on a tangent didn't I? Sorry, I'm just frustrated 'cause since I started the green diet I've gained .2lbs. It's been 4 days now w/no weight change. Maybe at weigh in tonite things will be different.

I spoke with my counselor this morning and she confirmed that I should not do any strenuous exercising because of the limited number of calories I am consuming at this stage of the program. She recommended a 20-30 minute walk every other day. She told me to try to avoid weight lifting and Zumba!! I love Zumba!! She said I would burn too many calories taking a Zumba class.

Well I will stick with my evening walks for now.

Which menu are you on?

And I do remember them saying that 30 minutes 3x a week is recommended. I REALLY want to start back my pilates! The fitness counselor at my center said that I SHOULD be able to do regular workouts on the plan "because the plan is chemically balanced". But really, with the way I feel in the morning, I'm finding it hard to believe I'm going to be able to do my regular workout plan and then still be able to stay in a standing position each morning.

I'm sticking with the brisk walking for now too.

I am on the beige menu. I can start the green menu when I reach 199 lbs. which won't be long since I am currently at 200.4.

Also, I was getting bored with grilled chicken and fish, so I made the turkey chili last night from the recipe blog and it is wonderful!! If you haven't tried it yet, please do. I used diced tomatoes instead of the tomato supplement. Awesome!!:carrot:

Jenn34 - I really feel sad that you are not having an good time on this plan.... if you want a support buddy Girl I am here for you! I have spent years trying to get this weight off and for me MRC is working, if you have a local YMCA you might look into water aerobics to give you a little something different in your exercise - I have to continually change my exercise because I hate it so much!

Thank you Barbiegrl, I appreciate the support and the suggestion! Hopefully it's just something I'm dealing with now because this is still new to my body. I know one thing's for sure, I'm not going to quit so my body had better get the figured out fast! :)

Weighed in this morning and down 2 pounds! I'm still having trouble getting in all my veggies so now I'm trying the Super Fruit & Veggie Drink Mix. The flavor is going to take a little getting used to!

Way to go on the weight loss Pam!!!!!:carrot::carrot::carrot:

I get to have cappuccino tomorrow!!! HEEE HAWWW!

Congrats Pam! Happy for you! Keep it up!

At my weigh in it says I was down 2lbs too but they got a new scale so I think it's bogus. My scale at home says the same as it did yesterday (and I haven't eaten dinner yet). But hey, who cares, somewhere in the universe I'm down 2lbs!

Ok, that's really strange. AFTER I ate dinner, I weighed LESS than I did BEFORE I ate dinner. So weird, but hey! I'll take it!

AND, I did pilates tonite! I'm very excited about that. I felt good throughout the workout and I never got that "iffy" feeling as though I was going to have a crash. Now let's see how morning goes.

So tonite was so much better than today. Just goes to show that this cynic needs to just chill out and lighten up already! Good things are coming!

Thanks barbiegrl7 and Jen34!

you would think that they would encourage exercise more, allow a few more calories for those that do exercise more, afterall if this is a lifestyle change then our lifestyle needs to include exercise or we will never keep it off plus exercise does such good things for our bodies, I do weight lifting twice a week right now, so far my counselors have said nothing but good things about my exercise, but I refuse to give it up I am still very overweight but I am physically more fit since I got active 3 years ago or so.
I'm having a hard time getting back on and staying on the wagon :( I feel like I am sabotaging myself and don't know how to stop. they say to avoid the feeder so What do we do if we are a self feeder?
going to weigh in today hoping to hit the 20 lb mark (that I should have hit 3 weeks ago if I hadn't sabotaged myself and went on a bender weekend gaining 5 pounds :()

YAY!! its Friday!!! This has been an odd week for me...had a great weigh-in but at work have felt very off-balance this week....hopefully I will get some rest this weekend...maybe go to a yoga class at my gym on Sunday and next week will be better!

Don't be too hard on yourself, just pick yourself up and move on. Old habits die hard but they can die if you whack 'em hard enough...or maybe just keep on whackin' at them. You're exercising and that's absolutely wonderful! Once you get to the mid to lower 200s you'll feel like superwoman with all that new muscle and the great shape your body will be taking on.

And you see above that my weight loss is going VERY slowly (and I've stayed on track the entire time so far). I sincerely doubt I'll be anywhere near my goal weight in 16 weeks, but I'm not going to give up regardless. Even if I only lose 1lb a week (LAME!) I'll still be down somewhere over 20lbs all told (still LAME) but down is better than up. And at a 20lb weight loss all my clothes will fit me again, so it's something. I'll just keep buying my supplements on the "free 2 weeks" day and extend if I have to.

It's so hard not to get discouraged, but keep talking on here...you're so not alone!

my average was a 1 lb loss every week and i was dang happy about it. i've always heard the slower you take it off, the most likely it will stay off...not sure if that's true but the center wasnt too thrilled w/ my slow loss but i have kept it off and happy, happy, happy! pick up a pound of sugar! that's that weight off of your body! sometimes i'd have a 2 or 3 lb loss too but most likely a lb a week. i was so happy i wasn't gaining like i would do sometimes w/ WW.

no more houseguest or 10 day festivals please~
 

aunt, cousins, sister, nephew, brother in laws - geez!! move to a vacation spot and they all come! and everyone wants to eat out ! plus the 10 day festival we had here complete w/ carnival food and beer trucks! anyway, i kept drinking the water, drinking my HNSs, eat very small portions of bad food choices, piled in veggies whenever i could, ;picked protein over carbs, took off the breading off the fried foods, threw away the buns or most of the bread...etc. etc. did gain 5 lbs as of monday and today scales registered loss of 3 so 2 lbs of water weight to go!! was really scared to get on the scale but wanted a jolt back to reality!! need to plan better next time. there is no reason why i couldnt have ordered salad w/ protein everytime we ate out - i could have chosen the restaurants, i could have had veggie trays at the house instead of cheese, crackers and olives...etc. i know better and could kick myself sometimes when i have the knowledge to keep the weight off and sneak back to bad habits because "everyone else is eating it" or it's easier. just as easy to pick up some fresh fruit and veggies and enjoy them! i'm still learning!! :-)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Well hey, you enjoyed it while it lasted and now you're back on track. I think it would be sad to deny yourself the entire rest of your life. But it would be more sad if you never stopped endulging. Everything in moderation and always make sure the yang happens after the yin.

Good for you for getting back on track!

I was a self-sabotager too. You're not alone. I still struggle with it and I've hit my goal weight. That's why I'm back on the green menu at the moment. The trick is to start making habits where your new lifestyle is concerned. It doesn't come overnight, but if you take it a day at a time, or a meal at a time, or a hour at a time, it will happen. One of the things I read on here that is helping me lately is if I REALLY want something, I try to hold out. For instance, if I want an extra piece of (fill in the blank of whatever), I tell myself I will have it later on. It's actually helping me in that when I get to that time, I pull that on myself again. I'll have whatever when I'm watching my favorite show on tv. It's working because I usually don't want it because I've been so good all day. Find what works for you. Find what helps you basically go on auto-pilot with your eating plan and stick with it until it becomes second nature. Then you won't want to sabotage yourself.

The other thing that helps me so much is being active on this board. These ladies have talked me off a ledge on more than one occasion. ;)

Hit 180 today at WI. I'm glad I'm down, but I feel like it's taking me forever to get out of the 180s!! Plus, we have our week at the lake starting tomorrow. I planned the menu and did the shopping, but I still plan on indulging in a drink or two (hard not too!). I'll watch my portion sizes, but I'm not very hopeful that I will reach the 170s by next Tuesday.

Congrats to all the losers out there!

Way to go!

One thing that helps me with self sabotage... plan, plan, plan... water, water, and more water.

I agree with JenB - but I tell myself that, after I finish my full 33 oz container of water, if I still want it, I'll get it. Most of the time, the craving has passed and I feel better about saying "no"...

We went out last night for my daughter's birthday. To a pizza place. With screaming children. And a salad bar. ... Did okay but did allow myself a sliver of her cake and a TBSP of ice cream. Felt okay with it (it had a ton of icing) and moved on today with my happy usual breakfast and lunch. Moving onward and upward...

Hey, nvogue! Just wanted to tell you I'm sorry about your having to back down on the exercise... I LOVE my Zumba - I got 4 or 5 times a week. Hang in there, you will move on with weight loss and be able to return ... on a side note, are you drinking 1/2 of your weight in water? Sometimes my weight loss slowed down with not enough rest or water...

I wonder if your counselor would allow you to have a cheese stick or some type of protein after your workout to avoid muscle loss? Just a thought...

I am on day 21 and am down 5.5 pounds. I am bummed by my slow loss
considerig that I am 100% OP. I am trying to remain positive and just realize I'm a slow loser. One big struggle I have is water I barely get my 64 oz in for my minimum. My goal of course is to bump it up to 100 oz.
Okay seriously ladies is that going to really get my weight loss moving?

Honestly, I really don't know. I know some on here have experienced that it does help but I have my doubts about that too.

They tell me at center that "it washes away the fat" but I have to wonder; do the nutrients just magically stay in the system? Couldn't too much water also flush out a lot of nutrients? I know if I drink too much water I get headaches so isn't there a point where you're drinking too much water?

They also say that half your body weight (in .oz) is what you're supposed to be drinking, but I think back to days when humans didn't have readily accessible water (only something that's humans have had in the last hundred years or so...throughout thousands of years of human existence) and I just find it hard to believe that humans evolved to need that much water.

Maybe I think too much.

Thanks rachels77 for the encouragement. I have been walking in the evenings which is not bad. Hopefully, I will be able to return to Zumba soon. I get in about 64 oz of water daily. I haven't increased it to half my weight yet which would be 100 oz. Before starting MRC, I was trying to drink a gallon of water daily but that became too much.

I am definitely getting my proper rest, so I will work on increasing my water. I will ask my counselor about the cheese stick/protein. There is not a center near me, so I am doing my program from home and I call in to talk to the counselors.

Still very pleased with my progress so far. Haven't been able to lose more than six pounds on other plans I have tried before quitting. :o

In my experience on the program ( its only been 2 months so not that long) I lose more weight if I drink more water and get a full night's rest. When I don't, I notice an incredibly small loss or stall. Also If I am drinking all 4 HNS's I notice it is a more steady loss.

and with all the family here, i was not on the computer so need to remember to do that too! :-) my family that was here eat horribly...full sugar sodas, junk food, candy...we did serve salads w/ each meal we prepared and they were like, yuck! anyway, it's not like i wanted the junk, it was just available and i felt like a slug eating temporally like that. my sis told me that my other sis gave her a few free passes for WW and she claimed she had no time to go... i was trying to explain to her that what me and my oldest sis are doing is not a diet, but a lifestyle change and not all about losing weight, it's about being healthier, having more energy, avoiding health problems and feeling good. the loss of weight really is a bonus :-) back in my routine, exercising and eating right makes me a much happier, less hormonal person! LOL (my DH appreciates that too!)

I started the Meta Slim program on 7/18/2012 and at my two week WI I was down 8lbs. It's been hard since I'm not a big vegetable eater. I've been eating a lot of green beans and it's starting to get old. Any suggestions to make vegetables more appealing.

Hi..
Try roasting veggies or grilling them.. I do that lots. Also, use raw foods as veggies. Last night I had tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, spinach , etc. with a nice dressing that was delicious..
Try looking up veggies online and it will give you many ways to prepare them.
If eggplant is on your diet plan, that is soooo good grilled, if you like that veggie. I try to vary my veggies. This week we had zucchini, summer squash, turnip greens, string beans, spaghetti squash and salad items . Any time you are having a difficult time eating anything or not being able to include what your diet calls for, sit down with your consultant and have her figure it out for you.. I reached maintenance on the Meta Slim plan and it is a great one. I just remembered another way. I water saute veggies lots and I am a big user of fresh and dried herbs.. By water saute, I mean,put a little water in bottom of pan, infuse with some nice herbs, then put veggies in and water saute them. It is almost like steaming in a way, but the herbs do spruce up the flavor. Good luck.

Patzi

Re: limited exercise. I have never heard one of my friends mention that a consultant thold them that. I have 5 friends that started MRC and finished and went to maintenance. Two did not. One did zumba , one weight lifting, I did walking, and others gym three times a week. That is not saying it is not a fact, but I never heard anyone say that.

As for water, I find I lost more weight if I drank 64 oz. of water a day. I would take it to work with me.. Consultant told me that I could use a decafinated tea, like one of the celestial ones, and I do that, add a HNS in there with it, and sip on it all day. Sometimes, I just take water, but I drink water all day long. Stop drinking at 6PM or I am up all night using bathroom.
Good combo is the blueberry tea with the blue colored HNS.. That is real good. Also flavor water with lemon, some mint leaves ands sweetener and that is refreshing all day long. Tastes like lemonade.

Patzi

Hi,
This is all new to me. I just started MRC five days ago. First three days I had a massive headache. I am not craving anything and everything is going well. I weigh on Tuesday. Since I turned 50, the weight packed on. I weigh 185 lbs and want to get to 142. I have struggled for a while trying to lose. Can anyone give me the key to losing? I started drinking water and I think that helps with the appetite.I go to the gym and do interval training 3 times a week.For the first time, I have cut out caffine,sugar....also trying to eat smaller portions. Please let me know if you have something that hs worked for you,:)