Good news first--my plateau seems to have ended and I've lost 2 lbs so far this week. Yay!

But I have to confess--I have technically stayed OP but have been cheating w/ extra MRC food! The past two nights I have had two creamy HNS. One night it was two chocolate mini crisps. And on two days I had a meal bar (caramel nut!) as an afternoon snack. I've really been hungry this week. Can't explain it other than I'm exercising again after a 2 week break. I really need to cut back on those extras and get rid of these last pounds before my contract is up!

Also, if you're working out hard, especially with weights, don't go in for a weigh-in right after working out - your muscles hold water for awhile after working out & it'll affect the scale.

ok well i went in on tuesday to weigh in and i lost 2.5 lbs on just preconditioning.... yay! i go in tmw for food class and i guess get all my paper work and drop a HUGE chunk of change on the drinks. they're running a special 5 for $50 or 10 for $90 which is like $30 off so i'm seriously hoping to be able to find that other $40 when i get paid tmw.

my friend who did this a little while back gave me a grape cranberry drinks that she had leftover and it smelled like mold when i first opened it and it kept smelling like mold after i mixed it so i didn't drink it. there's no expiration date printed on these things that's not in code at least so i'm hoping that's the deal not that they're all going to have a rotten smell to them. any advice on good ones???

Congrats on the loss and hang in there! The program really is worth the money that you will spend. I cringe each month but know that it truly is worth all the weight I have lost! I also know I'm learning to deal with my eating issues and know that I will conquer this once and for all!

thanks... i know when i'm drop dead sexy i'll KNOW it was worth it but right now i've been broke for so long, living off food given away at work and ramen and cheap CRAP for so long and eating once or maybe twice a day just because it's cheaper that this is REALLY a HUGE stretch even with the company wide raise we got a few months ago. the problem with the junk at work is it's usually all carbs and high sugar things like cheez its and cookies and crackers and just exactly that, crap.

i saw a post where someone had spent $1000 so far and if i understand the post correctly was just on like week 6.... i'm going to do this first six weeks the best i can because i've already paid for the enrollment and i think i have a plan for the drinks providing there are NO emergencies this month but a grand is more than i can even dream of and i'm seriously concerned that i won't have the money to reach my goal if it really gets that expensive. i've got the self control and determination or i wldn't be picking up pennies in the parking lot to do this but there's only so much those pennies can accomplish. i keep hoping i'll win a small lottery but then, you have to buy a ticket to win.... just like you have to learn how to eat to lose weight.

*sigh* i'll check in tmw after i get my paperwork and start day 1 i guess saturday....

i heard you have to use olive oil as a dressing so i tried it and BLECK gross the texture was just AWFUL... i tried this olive oil and vinegar dressing that's already mixed called newmans own and it has some spices in it and even has water as an ingredient but there's NOTHING on it that i can't pronounce. i can actually stomach without gagging like with the extra virgin olive oil. do you think that wld work on this plan or should i take it in to the center and let them tell me how to make it work?

Thanks,

Connie

They'll give you the guidelines as far as how to choose commercial salad dressings - it's either 3 grams of fat per serving & 2 grams of carbs, or vice versa. I can't remember. You have to watch the "light" dressings because they usually add a bunch of sugar to make up for the lack of fat. Also the Walden Farms fat-free dressings are allowed by most centers. Some are good, some no so much. But their ranch dressing (which I thought was icky for salads) makes a decent substitute for mayo in things like chicken or tuna salad. I actually like a little olive oil & vinegar on a salad, but it only takes a touch of it. You can also mix up your own with olive oil, vinegar & some herbs.

Connie-
Actually Kraft has some light to go packets for dressing that you can use! They have ranch, italian and balsamic vinagrette! They are awesome! I usually buy mine at Walmart b/c they are the cheapest. Good luck and get creative! I know what you mean about being on a budget! If you look on Ebay right now there a couple of HNS packets for bid.

Good luck and just remember you are doing a huge thing for your body!

Sorry this took so long....but i've posted the cheeseburger soup recipe in the recipe thread

If you're trying to save $ (like me), don't start out with all the supplements they tell you to try (ie phentratrim, MRC6, etc.) I started out just taking the flaxseed oil and a multivitamin and have been doing fine for about 4 months. Saves a lot of $$! I've just recently tried the phentratrim but it didn't do a thing for me so I stopped taking it on Sunday. I tried it a month and saw no difference in my weekly average. Actually my average dropped a little but that could have just been a coincidence. I'm going to try the MRC6 next and see if that works for me at all. I figured you could always add them in later if you aren't losing fast so I started with the basics.

Great job Laura! Keep it up!
WAY TO GO B!!! WOOHOO! Let us know about that 100 lb board!
Bonnie..Plateaus stink but we all have them. Glad you read Meemo's info on it. You'll be fine..Keep it up!
lv2ski...WOW!! Awesome NSVs you shared with us! That's great! WOOHOO!
pbolton..Glad you got back in there and are keepin on keepin on!
Kim..YAY for that darn plateau being over! WOOHOO! I know where you're coming from on the MRC "extras" though. I've been doing the same thing. Two creamies in a day or an extra pack of melba toast pieces, oh and meal bars as snacks (did that on Wednesday too). UGH! I was going to post a thread about it. MUST.STOP.THE.MADNESS!!!
Connie..Stick to the basics. Many of the drinks are fine. The wildberry, pink lemonade, kiwi melon and grapes are my faves. I think they last a long time, so they shouldn't be "moldy". Don't do the pills if you can't afford it. They were pushing me on that again the other day. I have a cabinet full of them and I just don't take them most of the time. It's crazy. I need to take them and be done with it and then stop.

Connie, if you can't afford the pills at first don't worry about it. You can get the Mega Green T at Sams really really cheap. It comes in two bottle packs.

Hi All! I just WI this morning and I'm down another 3 lbs! I have lost a total of 19lbs in 6 weeks; which is 3.17 lbs per week. My goal was 3 lbs per week. My center tried to up sale me on all of their thermogenics today. I told her "no", and she asked me why?? I told her "If I am losing my ave of 3lbs/week, I am not going to waste money on them", plain and simple. I could live without all the sales pitchy stuff. But I am so excited for the loss. I love how I feel, and look!

Have a great day everyone!

Congrats!

I said it over there, too, but this does sound good - and since I just happen to have some leftover buffalo taco meat in the fridge, it'll probably be my lunch or supper today instead of taco salad...with some cukes & 'maters on the side. I'll simplify it a lot this time, just mix the meat with one HNS made with hot water & maybe sprinkle a little cheese on top...(I hadn't tried the creamy chicken soup HNS until recently, I like it, tho). Thanks (again) for posting this!

well..I was down half a pound (and only because I balance just right on the scales!) She said it looked like I was starting to plateau. She suggested if it didn't change by Monday to do the Meta-Quick. I don't know if I should jump right into Meta-Quick after only one week of plateau. What do you ladies think? How much are the shakes and bars? Also, Monday I get measured. I am actually looking forward to that because I can tell I have lost a alot around my waist.