WI this morning and down .5lbs since Tuesday. Was hoping for a pound or two but that brings my weekly total to 4.5lbs, so I'm not complaining!

We are heading to Joplin again this weekend. We have over 100 cases of water donated to us and about 300 of those insulated bags from the American Bag company. So we will packing those bags with water & ice and walking those around to people. Hope to get some good exercise.

@Patzi - sorry to hear about the gain but stay positive! I know its frustrating when you've done everything you're supposed to but still gain.

@Jen - Hope all is well this morning with the hubby. Now it's time to get back on track!

@RaRaf - Congrats on the loss!! mine has always been negative. My consultants have said that this is normal. Some people show trace but there are more that are negative.

@Mariah - Hoping you're signing the board this weekend, but if not, you'll get it early next week! Congrats on the loss!

Patzi - Sorry to hear about the gain, but I am positive you will figure it out and take it back off . . . "I keep saying my body is very rebellious - it must take after it's owner, me!"

Ancalla - Congrats on the loss - it is amazing the difference 10 lbs can make - I was a bit discouraged a couple of weeks ago while in a platue so one day I carried around weights equal to the amount of weight I had lost for about 15 minutes and was exhausted . .

PNVOMAHA - Money has been very tight from the start so here are a few things we've done. We planted a garden - if you don't have a lot of space leaf lettuce, spinach and green onion are all easy to grow in pots and don't require much sunlight and grow very quickly. We rarely eat out. We eat what ever meat is OP and on sale. I stay out of all stores unless I truely need something and only shop with a list. Cancelled cable and watch hulu.com on the computer instead.

RaRaf - I do show "trace" or "moderate" if I test first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything. Once I eat or drink I might get a "trace" but usually it is "negative".

JenB72 - Husbands are trouble!!! I love him to death, but he is constantly suggesting I make things that are off plan.

Candi - Congrats on the loss. . . Enjoy your weekend and your "extra exercise" I'm sure the ice-cold water will be greatly appreciated!

Mariah

Congrats to everyone who lost weight.

I weighed in on Thursday and was down 1 lb Since Saturday. It has been a rough week to stay OP get in all my supplements. My husband and I are both on Vacation and have been sleeping in late. Also a friend of mine lost her 6 month old to SIDS, our dog died....sounds like a typical magazine article here. So I was happy with 1 lb. I got measured and I am down 12 pounds total and 20.75 inches, THREE of which were my waist!! Things are calming back to normal and I ate Tilapia both times today. I made a goal with my counselor to loose 6 more pounds by the end of June!! I better get off here and go exercise!!

Congrats to all who've lost this week! After gaining .5 on Tuesday and losing 1 lb pound, my net loss for the week is .5 (the lowest I've seen). I kind of expected it, though because I have been out of town a lot and my eating schedule has been off and I've eaten more meals out than I normally do. Even though the choices I made were OP and I didn't cheat, I know it's harder to lose when you eat out so much! Hopefully, next week I'll be back on track.

That brings me to a question for the group...How many of you use the carb/fat blocker? Do you feel it is worth it and really makes a difference? I don't eat out very often in a typical week, but I'm thinking of my upcoming vacation, where every meal for almost a week will be out! I dread the thought of adding another pill to my regimen, but if it's worth it, I will! You only take it when you are going to eat out, right?

Hope everyone has an OP weekend!

Is anyone taking Enhancer? Can anyone tell me what is the ingredients of the Enhancer? I am currently taking MRC6, Phenatrim and Cortitrim. I am thinking about stopping the Phenatrim and taking Enhancer.

I went in for my consultation yesterday and it was recommended that I do the "Body in Balance" program. Appearently it is $100 more for the hormone testing kit that they send to the Lab. I have been reading about hormones and how much more difficult it is to lose weight when out of balance. I am curious as to whether it is worth the extra money for the tests and I am assuming that they will then expect me to purchase more suppliments based on my test results. Should I just go with the regular program and see how my weight loss goes or do the Body in Balance???? I go in on Monday 6/20 to pay and start preconditioning for a 17 week program. I am 49 and have 25 lbs to lose.
Any recommendations would be appreciated!! Thanks!

CHASING SKINNY - That sounds like a really rough week . . . I think you have the lyrics to a good old fashioned Country song here. Congrats on losing all those inches!

GONEFORGOOD - I wish I could help, but I don't know about the carb/fat blocker - though I know there are some people on the board who use them and should be able to help you out. Eating out does make it more difficult to lose. Congrats on losing the .5 lbs - it may not seem like much but at least the scale is moving in the right direction!

CONNIEINCOLORADO - It is very difficult to lose when your hormones are out of balance, but MRC consultants are not medical professionals. Instead of paying for the salavia test, I would call my doctor and request a blood test to check your hormone levels. The results of a blood test are much more accurate than a saliva test and the doctor would be able to prescribe what you need. THIS IS JUST MY OPINION - I love MRC in general, but have heard of too many peole having bad reactions to the hormone treatments (especially the estrogen and progesterone).

Off to WI - Have a great OP weekend!

Mariah

Had a great WI today. I lost 2.5 lbs. I was only 0.5 lbs away from 10 lbs. I lost the 2 lbs I gained earlier this week. Hopefully I will lose the 0.5 lbs to make the 10 lb board!!! Wish me luck!!!

rxgirl1 Good luck on your weigh loss and to signing the 10 pound board.

ConnieInColorado..I do not know anything about the Body in Balance program, but I was suggested I do the hormone testing twice and I refused and I still made it to maintenance. I went on the Meta Slim Program..I am not saying the hormone testing is not a good way to go, but for me, I did not want it. Plus it is expensive.

Goneforgood1128 I use the fat & carb blocker anytime I go out to eat, and anytime I add something like a homemade healthy cookie or baked oatmeal,or anything I may think will cause a problem. It has worked well for me.. I only take the Cortitrim, MRC-6 and Phentatrim when needed only. I do not take Phenatrim on a regular basis. I am on maintenance and am experimenting with some food, and when I do something with carbs, I do take it.. I eat no fatty foods in general. I have a friend that is on program and when she has a glass of wine, she takes a fat and carb blocker and has not gained weight on maintenace doing so.

Patzi

I'm back! We got back from our Alaska trip late last night!

I've only been gone 10 days and I"ve missed a lot of posts (no internet where we were staying, which actually was kind of nice to "disconnect)! I"ll have a lot of reading tonight to catch up with everyone!

We did a lot of walking, hiking, kayaking, fishing, and so on while gone, so I didn't feel too badly about all the restaurant food we had to eat (I even found a gym in Seattle and again in Juneau, so I got a couple workouts in while we were gone). I splurged a little here and there (fresh clam chowder in Seattle, smoked salmon chowder in Juneau, not to mention the best halibut fish and chips I've ever had!) but mostly tried to eat pretty healthy. Unfortunately, everything in Alaska is pretty expensive, but especially produce (they have to ship it all in), so many restaurants don't really have much in the way of fruits and veggies. We did buy some apples and salad fixings from the grocery store, but I haveto say I don't think I've had any veggies (at least not MRC serving-size portions) in about 3 days--and my body knows it, as I haven't had a BM in about the same amount of time.

Anyway, I weighed in the day before we left town, and I was down another 3 lbs, to 190 lbs (woo! Getting our house ready to sell apparently kept me active enough that I continued to lose, even on stabilization). I told myself I'd be totally fine with gaining about 3lbs on this vacation, and that's about all I gained! I weighed in this morning and was only up 3.5lbs--to 193.5. Phew! What a relief. I'm pretty confident that I can either maintain or lose those couple of pounds again pretty quickly (my "healthy range" for maintenance is 191-199).

I'm attaching a couple vacation pics to this post, because I always like looking at everyone else's pics.

By the way--
I told my husband several times on the trip that I was sooooooooo happy to have lost the weight and gotten strong and fit before we went on this trip. The weather was cool and gorgeous so I wouldn't have been sweaty and uncomfortable if I was heavier, but I was able to do so much more--and enjoy it--than I would have been able to do 70lbs ago! One day, I got up, went to the gym, came back, hiked along the creek, and then went into town and wandered through some museums. All in one day! I felt fine, and wasn't overtired or stiff in the morning.

Thanks, Patzi! You are always so good to answer questions! I think I will get it to take at least while on vacation. I also take Corti-trim and MRC6, but not Phenatrim. Also good to know I can enjoy wine again when I get to maintenance

teacherlady:
Wow! That looks like a great vacation! I'm in Arkansas, suffering through heat index above 100, so Alaska sounds especially good right now! Congratulations on using such self-control while on vacation!

Me, too! We left Nebraska when it was 101 degrees, and returned just in time for the usual heat and humidity this time of year. Blech.

Had another successful trip to Joplin, MO. I guess I was anticipating more of the debris to be cleared off but it wasn't. It looked just as devasting as it did 2 weeks ago. We didn't go all out like last time but we fed over 250 people today - PB&J's, orange slices, chips and ice cold water! The American Bag Company donated several hundred insulated bags, we filled them with bottled water & ice and took them around.

When we finished up, I went to Macy's.. we don't have a Macy's here in Arkansas. So I was wanting to check some clearance racks. I bought a pair of 16 capri's!!!! I knew my 18s were getting a little loose.. but 16?!?!?! Holy Moly! I haven't been in a size 16 in over 20 years! Definitely a GREAT day!

@Goneforgood - I take the fat & carb blocker but very rarely - I think there is a limit to how many you should take each day/week and I know you shouldn't take your Krill or Fish Oil after taking the blocker because it even blocks those.

@teacherlady - sounds like you had a wonderful experience and you look amazing! Welcome back.

Congrats to everyone who has lost!

Teacherlady..
Glad to have you back. You look fantastic.. So happy to hear you enjoyed your trip. Very nice scenery there. Are you on maintenace or stabilization now? I know you had started stabilization but can't recall if you finished the 6 stages before you left for vacation.

Candi..
Way to go on the size 16.. You are so dedicated on this program, and am so happy when this happens .. It gives one a great high. Enjoy your new capris.

Wishing everyone a wonderful day..

Patzi