i brew my coffee and use Folgers Lite (1/2 the caffeine) one consultant at my center said that was ok if i drink just one cup. i've read on this forum that alot of the centers are now allowing one cup of coffee a day... i personally can't drink more than that because it makes me jittery then i want to eat some carbs :-) in the evening though, i'll add a little left over coffee to my vanilla or choc. protein shake..

eb102106 I use the HNS Cocoa and mix one of the on-the-go packets of Nescafe instant coffee. They really didn't tell me caffeine was off plan, but that could have been because I didn't really have alot of caffeine to start with. I normally make the cocoa first and make sure it's mixed up really really good...sometimes it's hard to do. And then I add the packet of instant coffee and mix again. Adding just a small amount of water helps it dissolve and get the rest of the cocoa that's clumping on top. I also make sure I have a smallish coffee mug. Normally ones that come with dish sets are the best because their about 8-10 oz. These are the ones I use. Pour the cocoa in the mug...heat the kettle...pour in water pretty darn full...and stir like crazy...by the time the cocoa is starting to mix the water will go down a little less than 1/3 of the way down...pour in the coffee packet...add a bit more water and stir. The cocoa makes a foamy top and chocolatey flavor...the coffee gives me a caffeine kick that helps me jump start my day so I get an exercise in the morning and than do some house work and than go to work till 11 pm.

try stirring it with a fork instead of a spoon. for some crazy reason, it works better :-)

That is great how you handled the country club party, Bigdog! and Im sure you felt good this morning too! I only have one more party then it will quiet down for me. That is just a happy hour with my immediate work team, at a brewery - boo. I will have one cocktail of some low- carb kind, not beer, that's for sure. The food will be crappy bar food, which doesnt really even tempt me. I will have a creamy HNS in decaf right before I go.

I have been having one just before my long (1 hr) bus or train commute home each day. It has really been helping me not go so low I eat the front door.

And that reminds me - at The Vitamin Shoppe I found single serving packets of that Choc Truffle protein some here have been raving about - OMG - so good, and no carbs at all! Im buying the giant size for sure.

I had another teeny loss this week - just one pound again. But given that I traveled all last week, had a big dinner party, then such a busy week this week that I didnt even get a menu planned or the right provisions bought, I am happy. And on my scales, buck naked after peeing, I have been under 170 for 3 days in a row. Today was 169 point nada. Now my next goal is to see that at the center weigh in!

bigdog..the cherry should be here Monday. I DID use my wildberry concentrate in club soda last night @ my company get together (per Patzi's advice) .. I had 2 wine spritzers first though..I had my fish tacos and was completely on plan with food, but I had the wine and a whiskey sour. I was only up .1 this morning, so hopefully that will hold as I've been totally OP today. Going to German restaurant tomorrow (yuck) and will probably have a chicken salad b/c there's nothing else on their menu for me (maybe turkey club w/out bread)..

that's excellent Camaswa!!! i noticed your ticker was at 171 today - woo hoo! 169 is the real number though -
when i go to the center to weigh, i make sure i don't have any water except to take my vitamins and sometimes don't eat because i want a good weigh in...wish i could weigh in before my sales meeting at 8:45 because i'm dying for water during the meeting... i love the chocolate truffle powder - no apartarme (sp) and since i'm lactose intolerant, it works great as the creamy too! i need to get my order in today if i'm going to get before Christmas..we are headed to the beach for the holiday. i can't wait! maybe i'll get the roadside lemonade to mix w/ my tequila for my carb free margaritas :-)

The Sunday buffet is tomorrow at the Club - i usually check out the chocolate fountain and desserts first but guess i'll fill up on fresh seafood which i love and allow for a small piece of cheesecake,

Company Christmas party Wed. and it's all centered around food -i think on the menu i saw collard greens but w/ ham hocks.... then my husband's boss gave him 4 boxes of gourmet triple chocolate popcorn...WTH??? i hope he eats it up quickly.
i've been passing out gifts for my customers (choc. covered peanuts, yogurt covered pnuts, candied pecans) and haven't snagged any! one bag was torn and i had a couple then put in a tin and left them at the party last night.

Pray for me please!!!!!!! i'm thinking....once on the lips, forever on the hips!!!

Weekend is nearly half over and I've done well! I've cheated the past two weekends and I really want to have a good one. I am actually really tempted to cheat right now but I don't have any goodies in the house!

My sis-in-law just flew in for a visit. She's staying with her other brother until my kids are out of school because my high school daughter really needs to spend this time studying for her finals, but once Wednesday is here she'll stay with us for about a week...which means not only do I get to make myself a special meal (I usually eat dinner out of the MRC cookbook) AND make dinner for the rest of my family, now I'll also be preparing vegetarian meals for her! Yay me. It really shouldn't be too hard, it's just annoying.

Another thought--does anyone have their blood pressure checked at weigh in? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. It's higher at the center than it is at the doctor's office. Just before I started MRC, I had a health scare so I was in the doctor quite a bit for the previous month and registered a normal BP reading every time (120something/70something), but at MRC it's been higher. My lowest MRC reading so far was yesterday and it was 115/90something, which seems like a really weird reading.

Hello Ladies, I'm fairly new to this and I really enjoy reading the posts and all of the interesting info you guys share,with that being said my first 12 days were really tough, but I did manage to lose 6 pounds total. I am determined to finish this race.

bigdog and Cassie T - Thanks so much for the info. I'm so excited to try this! Like I said, I was a Starbucks girl and miss it terribly. I also already love the hot cocoa supplement, so this sounds perfect. Woohoo!

I survived 8 basketball games (13 hours) today and stayed OP...actually probably didn't eat enough. And made sure I grabbed a new water bottle each game so I was fully hydrated (I just sit there in case someone gets hurt, so it's not like I was actually DOING much).

As for the question of caffeine...my center told me no, my parents center told them 1-2 cups of coffee a day is fine. Most of the time I try to go decaf coffee & diet soda, but some days (like today), I'll have the real stuff (that way I really get the "benefit" of the caffeine). Caffeine can dehydrate you, so I always drink extra water.

Hoping to get 1 more lb off before Wed and then maintain for the following week...we travel 600+ miles each way to see my family at Christmas...I always eat when I travel, always eat at my family. But I have been making it through some rough working days the past week, so I should make it!

I agree! My first time I always looked forward to WI just so I could update my tracker! It's a visual motivater! I love this forum because of how supportive everybody is. There are a lot of different people since I was on last year, so I look forward to getting support and hopefully giving some to all

Thanks for your support! I really appreciate it!

Hi...
In answer to your blood pressure. I am a RN and I never have MRC do anything relative to my health.I keep saying they are not medical people. I am off blood pressure meds now, but when MRC asked me to take my blood pressure, I told her I was told by Mayo to take it the first thing when I get up in morning, and if high again in evening and use the same blood pressure monitor, so no need to have them take it. They were trying to sell me fish oil or that krill oil they sell as they said it was good for blood pressure. I still do that to this date. Every morning when I get up, after a shower, I take my blood pressure.. Your pressure could be up at MRC , as you may have been rushing to get there, etc.. Who knows. But I would take it at home and keep a journal of what it is every day, so when you go to doctor, he/she can see what your readings are...My blood pressure is always up when I go to doctor. I call that white coat syndrome. One I rushed to get there, I am a bit apprehensive of being there, and he knows that, so goes by my own readings. Hope this helps some.
Patzi

There are some new names here that I do not know. I want to say welcome and the best of luck on your new weight loss challenge. You are at the right place.. I would not have made it to maintenance without this forum
Patzi

Gina, pack some celery sticks and cut up veggies so you can munch on while traveling - i know sometimes i'm just bored so need something to chew on...my DH being a Chef - alot of times won't eat breakfast or lunch ((he eats dinner, then eats again after dinner, then midnight snacks!) so i always pack my HNSs and the creamy shake mix, protein bars and have those when traveling but on this upcoming trip, plan on having celery, cukes cut up w/ cheese cubes. i'll have the HNSs too.

i got into the triple chocolate popcorn last night just because it's here. i'm going to tell my DH to put those on a high shelf so i can't get into them! he's taller than me -

one guy takes my blood pressure each time and it's annoying. i've never had high blood pressure even before joining MRC - he told me they do it to show how well the MRC plan works even though i told him it wasn't high to start with... i'm always in a rush (i'm in sales) so am the type person that just wants to be weighed in and go! i envy the people that have great consultants because at my center, if i ask them anything their answer is...you need to take Corti trim, internal body cleanse, phena... whatever so i weigh in and get the heck out of there! ok, i'll stop talking about my center because this is a great program and thankful i found it. Tis the season to be jolly! :-) Ho, Ho, Ho!