Thank you so much Going4Fit!!:)

Going4fit - such great words and positive support! Skelley, I hope yesterday and today is much better! Congrats to coming to the boards and posting your struggles for help. We are here to encourage and also show that we aren't alone in this!

Hello, everyone.

I am coming back to MRC and 3FC after a 16 month absence! I started MRC in July 2011 and got pregnant after 2 months and 20 pounds of weight loss. I've gained all of that back (of course) and feel like life has settled down enough that I can work on ME again.

I just started preconditioning on Thursday. So far it's going well. I have cravings and have to push myself to make actual meals instead of snacking all day as I'd gotten into the habit of doing. I know from my previous stint on the program that the cravings will fade, though, and I'll start really enjoying a stabilized energy level and lower numbers on the scale!

I love reading about the successes of others on the program, and knowing I'm not alone when I have struggles. So thanks for all the posts and it's nice to meet you. :)

Going4fit. Thanks for the words of wisdom :). (Save). :)

Caramel vanilla shake yum
 

My Walden farm caramel dip arrived and opened it and tasted. Yikes!!! But mixed w my Syntrax vanilla bean torte protein mix, dash of cinnamon and pumpkin spice in the blender. Oh my!!! It is sooooooooo good and rich - sinful!!!
I'll try it w my choc truffle mix tonight for dessert. Yum!!!

Big dog that sounds so yummy. Those syntax shakes get such good reviews - I'm definitely going to try them when I get to maintenance and start weight training. You'll have to send me your referral code.

Skelley I hope things are going better?

LetHerOut, welcome back and congrats on the new baby! Babies are totally worth the weight gain. Always told myself I'd control my weight through my pregnancies but never did. Had big, fat, ugly pregnancies and was completely jealous of all the gals with their cute pregnant bellies. *sigh* Well that part of my life is over now. Did have a pregnancy scare last month. Turns out my hormones were adjusting to my weight loss and it threw my cycle off. I've never had that happen before!

Well ladies I officially hit a plateau as my second weigh in this week saw me at 138 again. It was bound to happen again sometime, I'm just bummed it happened this week. My center was doing a secret prize drawing you could participate in if you lost a pound -free weeks on program or HNS's were some of the prizes you could have drawn. Figures this would be the week I don't lose. :(

Well, I did everything I could and nothing else to do but keep plugging along. I went ahead and wore the skinny jeans and boots to hubbies party. I figure no one knew me there so what was the big deal - need to stop being so self conscious. Hubby was very complimentary. Even telling me again the next morning how good I looked in those jeans. So that's pretty cool.

Hope everyone is doing well! :tree:

going4fit: Yes I'm doing much much better and got some really good news today! I went to weigh in at my Center and i didn't gain from my off week!! And i have been officially put on maintenance as of today!!! I finally made it, I couldn't have done it without all the support i get on this site!!! I'm so grateful!! :carrot::carrot:

WOOT WOOT on those skinny jeans, it made me feel so good when i wore mine to my hubby's xmas party!!! And i went and bought another pair that aren't so bling bling for everyday wear!!! I love'em :carrot::carrot:

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been out of it for so long... my dad died so I've been dealing with that and then just haven't gotten back on.


Good news is I'm still on plan! I'm down 12 lbs... it's slower than I wanted, averaging about 2 lbs per week... but it is going down!

mindboggld condolences to you and your family for the loss of your father. So glad you are back!

skelley I'm so glad you didn't have a gain at your weigh-in. What a relief for you! You mentioned still taking all the pills - I know they wean you off the HNS's during stabilization, but what about all the herbs and vitamins? Sounds like you're still taking them? (BTW - I've worn my skinny jeans every day since the party. They are so comfy! Mine weren't a blingy pair, just soft and stretchy.)

mindboggld, I'm so sorry for your loss. Congrats for staying on program this whole time and I'm glad you came back to the forum (I saw you on here before when I was still a lurker *lol*). 2lbs a week is great - I'm not sure I've seen anyone on here average the 3 to 5 the center supposedly guarantees anyway, but maybe some people really do.

Hey, anybody else out there have a hard time feeling flattered when someone says "Wow, you look like you have lost a TON of weight!"? I know it's meant as a compliment, and I promise you I receive it gratefully. But I just can't help feeling insulted at the same time! It's like they are saying "Hey - you used to be really fat!" Of course I was fat, so it is what it is. Just wondering if others feel the same way... :dizzy:

Going4fit - I do have an issue with people calling attention to my appearance on anything. Being a twin, I grew up with constant physical comparisons (she battled being too sikinny, I had the opposite problem). I can appreciate what they are trying to say when they can tell I've lost weight, however it reminds me that they were probably "thinking" and not saying outloud "boy, Alice sure has gained a lot of weight" or "if she lost weight she would be so pretty".

Its all just insecurities and that evil voice in our heads trying to hold us back. Takes time to just let it go.

going4fit: Yes they are weaning me off the HNS but they haven't said anything about the vitamins and oils. I'll ask when i go this saturday. :)
glad you are wearing your skinny jeans, i just bought another pair for casual wear, the ones i wore to my husbands xmas party have alot of bling!! But i love them!

skelley, grats to you!!

mindboggld, I'm sorry to hear of your loss.

Yes! This is exactly what bugs me about it. Nobody had anything to say when I was out-of-control, gaining nearly fifty pounds in a years time. I understand it's considered rude to comment on weight gain, and complimentary to comment on weight loss, but I can't separate the one without knowing they were thinking the other.

Anyway, neither here nor there. I'm getting healthy for me - not for what other's think. I do think it would be nice to have some healthy enough friends that could have talked to me when they noticed me gaining - who knew me well enough to recognize that I was making unhealthy choices and needed help. But maybe that will come with time and trust. On a positive note, this is the first weight loss journey I've had where people's comments haven't triggered overeating in me again. :carrot:

Finished a week of Meta-Quick. No loss. They say you see the biggest effects from Meta-Quick the week after you do it, so we'll see. My next weigh-in is Monday and I should see a loss by then, and they are doing the body comp so I'll be able to see if something is happening that the scale isn't revealing. I think my jeans have gotten looser then they were two weeks ago, but I can't quite decide. We'll see what the inches say. I don't normally get so nit-picky about this, but this is the longest plateau I've ever hit and the timing couldn't be worse. I want to be rewarded with losses after passing up all the holiday goodies! (Another plate full from the neighbors and a whole box full from my sister in the mail just today!). I'm having to be happy settling for maintaining and not gaining, but I just don't feel happy about it. Oh well.

Merry Christmas!!!
 

I want to wish all my friends on here a Merry Christmas!!! thanks for all your support, will talk to everyone after the holiday!!! Stay OP!!!:carrot::carrot:

Hey Girls!

Merry Christmas! I have been totally off program..I have felt yucky...getting back on tomorrow,,,,Be back in touch after Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I got the best gift! At my weigh-in yesterday I was down 3 1/2 lbs which brought my weight loss total to exactly 50 pounds! Just the boost I needed to keep me on plan through the rest of the holiday season. Whew!

I am now more than twenty pounds lighter than I was at age 16 (I saved my first drivers license, that's how I know). And me, a size 8?! I've been a size 12 (or higher) since age 12! I feel amazing! And I finally understand the saying "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels". Eating the right balance of proteins, fats, and carbs as provided for on the green menu to get to this point has made all the difference - this feels like a lifestyle and not a crash diet that I can't wait to get off of.

The numbers on my body comp didn't seem right to the counselor (something about the impedence levels not being close enough to the previous reading), so I'm supposed to do it again at my next weigh-in and then they'll do my measurements and schedule my stabilization appointment. This is really happening!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE


Going4fit:
I'm so happy for you!! Congratulations to you on your success!!! Wow..a size 8!! Very nice!! I know that has to feel fantastic!!!

mindboggld - condolences for your loss. :(

Going4fit - congratulations! I love this forum exactly because of success stories like yours! It's great to see the program really and truly working for a real person. Good for you!

From your earlier comment - I have emotional reactions to compliments regarding my weight. I have a lot of emotional issues tied up in my weight. I don't think there's anything anyone can say that I wouldn't find a way to take the wrong way!

I was doing good coming off of preconditioning. I'd lost 4.5 pounds during those first 5 days and another .5 at my next weigh in. I have to take things slowly because I'm nursing my daughter, and 5 lbs felt really good. I went to weigh in on Monday, knowing I'd lost at least a little and seeing that "official" number would help keep me closer to plan over the holiday (I knew I was going to go off), but they were closed. I'd specifically asked last week if they would be open Christmas Even and was told yes, and that I'd get a free week for coming in. If they closed early, I wish they'd said something - or posted a sign on the door - and I would have made arrangements to go in earlier. I know this is my journey and my responsibility, but I feel really let down by the center. They're supposed to be there for me! That's why I'm paying them the big bucks! Anyway, back on track tomorrow. I'll weigh in and see what the damage is and do my darnedest to wash it all away with tons of water!

Thanks for the kudos ladies! I admit I still had a tough day not wanting to nibble on all the Christmas goodies. I was pretty cranky with my family at times yesterday. :( I'm just as bad as those people who stop smoking and their spouses are the ones who give them back their cigarettes because they can't take being around them anymore when they are so nasty without their fix. It's been close to five months and I'm frustrated that it still affects me that way. I think the double-chocolate pudding HNS is amazingly good and quite a treat (make sure you make it ahead of time and let it refrigerate so it thickens up and is nice and cold), so it's not like I don't get any goodies. Not being able to just nibble and snack is what I miss though.

Recognizing why I was being moody is an important step though, and I think a big part of the problem was that I was in my pajamas all morning doing Christmas with the kids, and then when the baby went down for a nap I did my workout and ended up being stuck in my workout clothes the rest of the night as I had to get Christmas dinner prepared and deal with the Skype calls and texts from family. So I felt ugly and yucky all day. Know what I mean? I need to make sure I shower and dress and feel good about myself - it gives me that boost to make the healthy eating choices.

LetHerOut, I'm sorry the center was closed when you went. :mad: I didn't see anything about the early closure on my calendar or a sign or anything either at my center. It was pure coincidence that I found out mine would be closing early at 3pm since they asked me to schedule my next weigh-in so I could do the body comp and I told them I was planning on coming in Christmas eve.

cmarty, glad to see you check back in. And I'm happy to hear you determined to get back on plan! I personally think as a lifestyle once I get into maintenance, I'll be easier on myself and I plan on playing with the effects of eating more some nights, balanced with more workouts to make up for it. For instance, go ahead and indulge at a party, but hit the spin class at the gym the next morning. I think so long as that's only an every now and again type thing, and I check the results with the scale so I'm not suddenly 8-10lbs heavier, it should work. Gotta trust that I have the tools to manage my weight and a day or two off plan isn't the end of the world. Scary though.

The current contest at my center is what kept me on plan yesterday - I want to win a prize and I get to move four spaces on the game board each time I come to weigh-in and I had no non-MRC choices on my food journal. :D

Hi everyone,

It's been a crazy December but I was so excited after almost 2 weeks at a plateau, I finally am down again and that was through the most difficult time of year for me! Last year I gained 10lbs in Dec.

Now, we are leaving for vacation for 10 days, I'm really nervous about staying on program..

Someone else posted an article on here that stated that the average holiday weight gain is actually only one pound, and not the fabled five to ten that's always thrown around. That gave me a laugh! That may be true of naturally thin and/or fit people. It would take ten years for ten pounds to sneak up on them at that rate. Alas, 'tis not the case for me!

anjy99, congratulations on breaking your plateau during such a difficult time! You're miles ahead of where you were last year. It's a new you coming out!

I had no loss again at my last weigh-in. Still 100% on plan but feeling very discouraged. I had hoped to be able to add calories on maintenance, but it seems my body wants to stabilize on the green menu. The only loss I had all month was after a full week of Meta-Quick. Crazy.