JenB - I was actually working on a collage to send to my grandparents and I also write "notes" on my facebook.

So here it is.. I didn't start taking the board pics until I hit 30. Not sure why. I had those "other" kind of pics that aren't suitable for any type of posting but didn't think about pics of me signing the boards until it was too late.

Oh - and the center has decided to keep me as their feature client this month because people keep asking about me. So they are updating all my info and keeping me on the wall! I also made the framed pictures section down both hallways! Didn't even know that until I was sitting in the room today and looked out at the wall and saw myself. That made me feel really good.

And this is the longest I've gone without signing a board. You can see that by the dates on my pics. I was signing boards every 2-3 weeks but this time around it took me 4 weeks to get to that 70lbs. Hope I can speed things back up again!

Rzrbackcandi that is an amazing journey you've been on. You look awesome. Keep up the great work. I will definitely get inspiration from you.

Wow! You look fantastic! I noticed the first picture was Nov 2010--imagine how your pic will look for Nov 2011!
Congratulations, and thank you for all of your suggestions and encouragement on this board!

I weighed in for maintenance today and gained one pound.. Like a see saw, right? What I added this week was a glass of wine, a bit more avocado, and a bit more beans..Mind you , I still have not hit the allowed amts. on beans or fats, but that is ok.. Back to drawing board, and see if I can do better Friday. I am now 4 pounds under goal vs. 5.

Rzrbackcandi..
You are amazing.. Congrats on the signingof the 70 pound board. What an imspiration you are to everyone.. I am so very happy for you.

Jen..
Thanks for changes on the Meta Quick Plan.. I copied and put into the MRC files. They omitted quite a few items.

Patzi

Well, I lost another lb. today at WI. For the last three WIs, it's been 1 lb. I suppose that's better than nothing, but I really hope it picks back up soon.

Congrats to everyone else, and Candi-- I see why they have your pictures all over the place at your center- WOW!

I weighed in today and lost 1.5 pounds! I hit the 10 pound board. I got to sign and I got my stone. I was so excited.

All of you ladies are an inspiration.

Candi: Congratulations on the 70 lb board! You've worked so hard and are really on a roll now! I enjoyed reading about your big clothes as I just took 3 huge garbage bags and donated them yesterday! In the past, I always kept them "just in case." Hopefully, without anything to wear, I'll be more motivated to keep the weight off!

Mini-goal for August: 6.5 lbs because that will get me to my goal!! I'd like to lose a few more after that, so I can have that "cushion" of about 5 lbs, but for now, I'd like to just get to goal! I gained 0.5 and then lost 0.5 last week, so the scale is definitely slowing down, the closer I get to goal-but I expected that so we'll see what this week brings. I'm thinking about trying MQ if this week doesn't go well.

I know we aren't supposed to eat corn... but it's August and the farmers just down from my house always have the best sweet corn and I don't want to miss out on it! Would it be OK to substitute my veggie AND my starch for one small ear of corn (without butter of course)?

I'm so far behind that I'm not going to try to catch up. I've read the August thread but can't even remember where I left off in July!

Candi, you are amazing! I bet you'll get a featured success story on their website! Congrats on the 70 lb board! Woo!

My grandpa passed away and we flew to Colorado for the week. I didn't want to bother with trying to take HNSes on the plane and just went totally off plan. However, I managed to only gain .5 a pound and I'm sure that was water weight. I'm back on track! The counselor I met with on Monday said that learning to get back on plan after going off is a really good skill to develop early on in the program. I hadn't thought of it that way, but I really liked her perspective!

My opinion....technically it's still cheating, so I wouldn't do it often, but it's a calculated cheat and probably won't hurt you that badly if you only do it once or twice. I understand the corn thing...I'm in IN. I think the way you suggested is a good way to do it, but I'd try it once and see how it affects you. Even if it doesn't seem to adversely affect you, I wouldn't do it more than once a week.

Again, though-- I'm in the camp that thinks you have to make MRC work for you so you don't go crazy and then binge cheat. It's natural to want things off menu, especially after eating this way for a while-- it's a bit boring. You just have to make sure that your "modifications" don't happen often because sometimes they'll set you back a few days. A few days' setback once a month isn't that big of a deal, but a few days' setback once a week really is. You just have to decide if it's worth it to you. I think it would be to me-- just make sure it doesn't turn into two or three-- that's what I'd have to watch out for.

Rzrbackcandi Who Hoo! Love your new pic!

JenB do you know why the change? I haven't gotten the memo yet, and not happy about loosing the beans. I wonder why the change when it seems like so many do so well as is?

HappyHallie if you have any carb blockers, you might try taking that before the cheat. It's suppose to help. Does anyone have any feedback on their effectiveness?

Hi,

Candi - Congrats on the 70 lb board, you look amazing.

LetHerOut - Sorry to hear about your grandpa. It sounds like your counselor is very supportive.

HappyHallie - It would definately be off plan to eat corn in any way shape or form - sorry - I'm an Iowa girl myself and am surrounded by sweet corn. . . That said the choice is really yours to make - but going off plan is a very dangerous and slippery slope so be careful. It may or may not cause a problem on the scale but going off plan definately messes with your head and your willpower. You could always get the fresh corn and freeze it so you will have it for when you get to maintenence. . and there will always be next year.

Patzi - your dedication to figuring out how different foods affect your body is inspiring.

JenB - Thanks for the info on the new Metaquick recommendations.

Congrats to all the losers!!

I love the idea of a mini goal, so for August my goal is to be 216 or less by September 1st. (3 lbs per week) My body appears to be responding to the change in my thyroid medication - since Saturday my home scale says I have lost 5 of the 8 lbs that I gained last week (water weight I'm sure) and I'm hoping by the time I weigh in on Thursday I will have lost all 8 of those pounds (and I wouldn't complain if I lost more than that - hehe).

I've gone back to work full time and having such a hard time adjusting to the schedule. *yawn* So sleepy!!

My mini goal is to lose 10 pounds in August, bringing me down to 165.5.

Candi - Great pics. You can really see the difference. Keep it up!

Patzi - You'll lose that pound in no time. You are doing such an amazing job on maintenance. It gives me hope.

Tara & Brandy - Congrats on your losses!!!!!

Goneforgood1128 - Congrats on ditching the clothes. What a great excuse to buy new ones.

Hallie - It's your call, but I personally wouldn't. MRC is a low carb plan with specific ratios of protein/fat/carbs. If you were to "cheat" and eat the corn (which has anywhere from 15 - 20 g of carbs), it would throw that balance off. Many of us have been told by our counselors and experienced the fact that it takes 3 days of being on plan to make up for cheating (which costs $$$). It's totally up to you, but I like momoffour (aka Mariah)'s idea of freezing the corn for when you hit maintenance. Good luck with your decision!

Letherout - I'm so sorry about your grandpa. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Victorialynn - I was told it was updated (Rev date June 2011) to make it more effective.

Mariah - I'm glad the medicine is working for you. Hopefully your body will get back into a weight loss grove and not fight you anymore.

Ginpea - Good night!