I had my stabilization meeting and got my first weeks menu! Wow it will be weird to have a starch at lunch! I just can't even decide what I want for the first day....... Such choices. If you do 1/2 a bagel what kind did you use? That sounds sooo good but thinking the ones I have are so big.

I was told the general rule of thumb was to stay with 100 calories for your lunch starch!! I've tried something different all week. Tomorrow I get fruit at breakfast!! I'm trying to decide between grapes or raisins

Tonight was our stabilization party!! I'll post the new photo as soon as I get it. It was a little weird, kind of like watching a rerun but I'm in such a better mental place this time. It was nice to have a refresher on how to do stabilization.

Today was beautiful in the Omaha area - a high of 77 according to my car. I went for a really nice mid afternoon run - my very first run outdoors. I ran the parade route on our AF Base and the big planes were doing touch and goes - I felt so joyful running. My pace was actually faster outside too. I have the nike plus and at the first mile it told me my pace and I had shaved almost 2 minutes off my normal mile - so I slowed down a little. I ran 3 miles and really felt like I could keep going!! My training schedule puts me at 3 on Wednesday and 5 on Friday!!!! We'll see if I still have that keep going feeling then!!

What a great day. It feel like a fresh new beginning!!

Congrats to you "stabilized" folks! What an accomplishment for all of us. I officially started maintenance today even though I have 2.5 more lbs to go. So, I won't be going nuts (hadn't really planned to anyway) but am able to have corned beef brisket, cabbage, CARROTS & potatoes for dinner tonight. I can hardly wait. I put everything in the crock pot this morning and am looking forward to the scent that awaits my return this afternoon. The weather is going to be gorgeous yet again today, so all the more reason to celebrate! Here's hoping everyone has a marvelous day!

Shineon - did you enjoy your fruit this morning? : )

Why yes I did, thank you! I had my normal "oatmeal" with cottage cheese and threw in the 2 TBS of raisins. It was so yummy. Yesterday I had animal crackers with lunch and really felt naughty but it didn't cause any triggers. I have been so busy the last few days that I'm eating to check the boxes, not for pleasure or satisfaction. It's hurry, hurry, rush, rush, what do I have that I can make quick and hit all the categories. But I suppose that's the way eating should be - to some extent. Just for fuel and not all wrapped up around emotions and feelings. I am looking forward to trying new recipes with my new choices though.

Busy at work but wanted to jump over and say:

Hello!

Happy St Patricks Day!

and always remember, if you're lucky enough to be Irish... you're lucky enough!

Have a great day!

Oh... lol... love the fruit at breakfast (had kiwi yesterday)! And, I lost another 1.5 lbs last week! Whoa!

Hi Everyone!

I get to do the stabilization class next week! I am SO ready for this.

My husband said the sweetest thing to me the other day - he said that if people saw me with him, that they would think I was his "Trophy Wife" and that he should get me a shirt with that written on it.

Hi all! I just got back from my Amsterdam trip last night. It was so much fun --actually everything is so much more fun these days since I'm no longer carrying around 100 extra pounds
Of course, impossible to calorie count and I just didn't worry about it. Now that I'm home, I'm right back on the bandwagon. I will get on the scale in a day or two and see what the damage is. I know from past experience it takes a few days to get the water weight down. I don't plan on going into MRC until next week for a WI.
Off to work on the huge pile of laundry here but just wanted to check in!

Love it!!!

Have you all written your testimonial letters? I just finished mine, it was long - I just don't seem to be brief, but the journey was anything but brief!!

Welcome back Finz!!

Now that's what I'd call a great NSV!

Welcome back. I'll bet you had all kinds of compliments on how great you look!

OK...I'll bite. What's the testimonial letter?

Hey Judy, I just thought it was something all MRC's did. They want us to write a testimony when we start stabilization. They have a book in our lobby with before & after pictures and the person's story. I think they also take excerpts and use them in ads. Mine is really long, but I don't mind sharing . . . . . . here it is: (a version of what I wrote for the peer inspiration class last year)

I walked through these doors, on the arm of a friend, weighing in at 262 lbs and feeling like there was little to no hope of losing weight. I had been diligently trying to lose weight all year by consistently working out 5-6 days per week & meeting with a nutritionist every 2 weeks. This wasn’t my first attempt at losing weight, I had tried Atkins, weight watchers & once, in the early 90’s, a Dr monitored, extremely low calorie protein fast (I lost 60 lbs in 3 months and put it back just as fast with a measured & weighed 1200 calorie diet and 60 min of exercise daily). I was convinced that dieting did not work for me and I would just try to eat healthy and accept myself for who I was.

I had come to terms with being overweight and found my self-esteem in other areas of my life. In reviewing the letter I wrote to myself at the start of my MRC journey, I stated “I’ve never felt like I’m defined by my weight. It doesn’t interfere with my relationships or my professional successes. But if I were to be brutally honest, I do think that people look at me differently. I am aware that I am the fat friend.”

So what brought me through the doors? It was a health scare! I have been type II diabetic for about 7 years, controlled through diet & exercise. But my LDL cholesterol had been rising at a rapid rate. I was very proud that I was in my 40’s and not on any medication, but the Dr’s were becoming increasingly insistent that this was approaching a dangerous level & I needed to take the meds!! Then it was suggested that I would be an excellent candidate for weight loss surgery. That sent me over the edge. My mother was the 6th person in the US to have weight loss surgery in the 70’s and the first to survive it – after they lost her on the table for over 3 minutes hooking her intestines back up. I know we have come a long way medically, but there are still extreme health risks with these surgeries and I was terrified!

Another quote from my letter to myself “I really want to give this 100% effort. I hope it works, but as I’ve aged, it is harder for me to lose. It’s hard to think of being 180 lbs. It seems so unrealistic! But, I feel like I’m running out of time – being healthy is so important to me.” At my initial consultation, they told me how much I could lose and in what time frame. I told her that I didn’t believe her, but I would do exactly what they told me to do. I would eat dirt if they could guarantee I could be that weight!! Lucky for me, I didn’t have to do that!!

This journey of personal discovery has been amazing. I signed up to lose weight and came out the other side completely transformed. Through the classes and one-on-one consultations, I have learned how to eat – yes EAT! A major problem was I would typically go up to 7 hours in between meals. I learned how to cook. I really don’t know what I ate before. We ate out for most of our meals and cooked convenience foods at home. I bought fruit & vegetables, but threw out more than we ate. Now I can throw together a gourmet looking meal in under 15 minutes and my family is thrilled! I learned about my “relationship” with food. I never thought I had food issues, but they reared their ugly head about 50 lbs into the program. I started to fight it and had to deal with issue of self-sabotage. I ended up re-signing twice. Then I made it to the end of stabilization and had to have a heart to heart with myself. I had slipped and started fighting the program and myself again. Thru not following the plan during the holidays, I had put on some weight and just didn’t feel comfortable starting maintenance yet. Do I consider these failures, yes and no. But I tend to learn more through my mistakes than through my successes. I’m very happy that I was allowed to stumble and fall because I got up and kept going – all in a supportive & guidance filled environment.

Was it expensive? I guess it’s all how you look at it. My initial fee was an investment in myself and my health. The amount of money I spent on supplements was an extra expense, but we saved so much in our monthly food budget that it ended up being a wash. And I was facing a life of medications for weight related issues. So the more important question is how much have I saved – I guess I’ll never know for sure, but my quality of life is priceless!!

How about the results? 180 lbs seemed so unrealistic to me – I could barely imagine it. I now weigh 162 lbs at the start of stabilization knowing I will lose about 6 more pounds during this 6 week process. I just had my annual exam with my stunned doctor. I have dropped 55 pts off of my LDL cholesterol - without medication!!! I am now in normal ranges for everything. Overall cholesterol of 148, blood pressure averages 96/60, A1C level dropped from 6.8 to 4.8 – not even technically considered diabetic anymore – all without any medications AT ALL. I’ve lost 101.5 inches and went from a 24W to a loose size 8. And, I have achieved a lifelong dream – I ran a 5k. That one seemed impossible, I couldn’t even run a half a block before. In fact, I was pulled out of running at age 14 for back problems, but I hate being told I can’t do something. I am now training for a 10k and looking forward to running marathons.

Am I done? Have I “crossed the finish line”, “spiked the ball in the end zone”? No, are we truly ever done? I have learned that my relationship with food is as serious as any other addiction. The difference is now I recognize it. I have the skills in place and the support structure to deal with it. I have come out the other side fully aware, fully equipped and determined to embrace my new life and the new me. MRC doesn’t just show you how to lose weight, it treats the whole person and then holds your hand for a full year to make sure you make permanent changes.

Has the journey been easily? Absolutely not, but true change never is! Has it been worth it? I can’t even begin to express to you how big the YES is! Are you worth it? If you’re reading this, you’ve already made the first step on this important journey - I would say YES!

Gina, thank you for posting that. It was lovely & amazing to read and your journey is one that all of us here in the maintainers section can certainly relate to.

Shine on! Thanks sooo much for sharing! I needed to hear that!