[QUOTE=AmandaR78;4008548]. I don't notice a huge difference yet... I keep saying when I hit 20... Maybe I will? [QUOTE]

Your stats are almost exactly the same as mine. I started this time at 196.5. I went down a size after 15 lbs., and probably in another 5 (25 lbs.), I will be down another. You should be able to tell a difference shortly. The closer you get to goal, the smaller the increments of weight you have to lose to lose a size. In about 15 lbs. I'll be at my pre-pregnancy weight, and I'll be able to wear all of my old clothes again (I can wear about a third even now). I can't wait!!

Tamikl-- FWIW, I understand how you feel. Some people doing MRC are very rigid and rarely or never go off plan. They get there faster, for sure. However, you need to make this work for you. If that entails a food reward, then in my book, so be it. The key is that you have to be honest with yourself, and that is tough to do sometimes.

Last time I did MRC, I stayed perfectly OP for the first month, then I started cheating once or twice a month, and then later it evolved into a weekly or even 2-3 times/week thing. Toward the end was when things slowed way down for me, of course. The problem with me was that I wasn't really owning up to how much cheating I was doing, and looking back at my online journal, it was a LOT! I know this isn't what you're talking about...yet. I'm just saying be careful and keep tabs on yourself so you do better than I did. If this is what keeps you from throwing yourself a pity party, getting mad, and cheating anyway, then do this until it stops working for you. It will be slower, but I'm more like you-- there are times when slower is worth it to me. You're going about it the right way, though-- I think (and one of my counselors agrees) that if you're going to cheat, then think it through, make a decision, and own it. At least that way you'll have to accept that WL will be slower.

There isn't only one way to lose weight. I believe that most diets work-- if you follow them. We all just have to find the approach taht works best for each of us because we're all different. If this is how you decide to go about it, and it works for you, then don't feel guilty about it at all.

[QUOTE=tkdtara84;4008817][QUOTE=AmandaR78;4008548]. I don't notice a huge difference yet... I keep saying when I hit 20... Maybe I will? Thank you...your words of wisdom ring very true for me. The speed at which my weight comes off is up to me..and I get that~For the process to last, I need to tweek it to keep myself motivated. Being strict with myself contantly doesn't work real well. I think we need to give ourselves permission sometimes to take this journey in stride, rather than petal to the metal and get burnt out...that's all. I would rather go slow and keep going, then go real fast and rebound from being resentful of all I have to sacrifice to get there....if that makes sense

Tami

Hi, all. Sorry I haven't been around. Our home computer has been acting up and I can't get on at work.

"Yay" to all the losers and "hang in there" to those who've had a rough go!

I'm at 20.5 down. My loss has slowed down a bit, but my center is running a special on MetaBoost and I have an appointment on Monday to find out more about it.

Thanks, Jen, i'm still getting the hang of posting on these sites and didn't know how to check replies! :-) i ended up talking to the manager and now they are cool about not pushing me.. i just avoid the one girl that is extremely pushy - like a walking billboard!! i just talk to the one counselor that is cool- i felt bad because last week, he was sharing some recipes w/ me from their book and told me if i wanted i could buy it online! i will spend $15 on the book :-)from the MRC center. the different food choices will make me stay on this plan. i'm on the Meta-Slim diet and had two eggs cooked w/ Pam, lite wheat cinnamon toast (spray butter and cinnamon)- i havent' eaten cinnamon toast since i was a kid! and it was like dessert. my husband and i are eating more fresh veggies, trying out diff. dressings. i just love it!!! thanks for your advice - i love this website!

you are too funny!! good luck!!! i had to take the saliva test and when they were talking about all the supplements that i should be taking when they got the results back (hmmm...like $300 a month's worth!) i told them i felt great, loved the diet, was losing and i'd take the results to my doctor and see what she had to say about it. they never mentioned a word to me after that!!! BTW, my doc said my levels were exactly where they should be and she actually did believe in the saliva test. the girl at the center said alot of docs don't believe in saliva tests. the plan is great and if you can avoid some of the BS, it's good.

Well hello there, 160s! Haven't seen you in several years!

Just got back from my weekly weigh-in. I'm down three pounds for the week, which makes me super happy since I only lost .5 last week! I'm only one pound away from signing the 20 pound board. I'm also down 26.5 inches.

Tami - I completely understand where you're coming from. I allow myself one full fledged cheat a month (and I've told my center this)... if it wasn't for that monthly cheat, there's no way I could stick to this diet. Truly, I don't think I'll ever reach a point where I can say that I'll eat strictly from the MRC menu for the rest of my life and I don't intend to. What I do intend to do, though, is eat healthy most of the time, with occasional (maybe once a week) treats of "normal" food. (Don't know what else to call it.) This is after I've met my goal and gone through stabilization and maintenance.

The best thing I've been told by two different consultants is, "As long as you're still losing, then it seems to be working for you."

RE: Centers & Consultants - The saliva test was not mandatory at our clinic. I'd asked in the beginning if we could make appointments and ask for certain consultants when we come in and was told no. There are two consultants at my clinic that when I walk in and see them, I think to myself, "Please don't let them call my name, please don't let them call my name.." One of them is a way over-cocky guy who uses ridiculous phrases. For example, I handed him my food journal one day, and at the top, had written out my daily supplements and he looked at me and said, "I love that you wrote out your supplements like this, that rocks my face off." He sings real loud, like he's waiting for us to break into applause and praise. Overall, he's just too much. Then there's a girl that I haven't had to go back with yet, but I've seen enough to know that she also has an obnoxious personality. My friend and sister-in-law have had unpleasant dealings with her as well. I know it's just a matter of time before she calls me back.

I tried two new things this week that I loved and plan to make a regular part of my menu. Portabello mushroom caps with spicy Mrs Dash, melted mozarella cheese, and green onions. The other thing was spaghetti squash with salt-free tomato sauce (I added McCormich garlic & herb and basil to and it was great), topped with mozarella cheese and green onion. I know tomato sauce isn't on my menu, but I didn't get scolded for it when I took my food journal in today.

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Hi everyone, I'm back. I've been MIA for a few weeks since vacation and it will take me a little time to catch up with all the new news. I haven't been following the plan as well lately, so I'm back here to keep my focus. I'm down 20 lbs now, so I've still been loosing, just a little slower.

On another note, a good friend gave me a ton of fresh veggies from her garden including the monster pictured below (with my daughter). Anyone have any good ideas on how to prepare diet friendly zucchini?

thanks Jen for all your wonderful advice. still getting the hang of finding my messages posted and the replies :-) love this board!! you guys are very motivating - i've done Wt. watchers for over 20 years, lose and gain back the same 20 lbs. now have 38 to lose!! this program really works! love the food suggestions and motivating tips. thks, Peggy

Well, not a perfect OP day for me...a setback at "Fazoli's" tonight for dinner. Even though my choice wasn't a bad one, it still wasn't OP....so now I will likely get to regret it for a time.

Somedays....it is just hard

Tami

I have noticed a few of you have mentioned "not being able to only eat MRC foods for the rest of your lives". . . and I thought I would share my perspective. . .

First the strict food sheets are only for a short time (during your weight loss) not for the rest of your life. As you enter stabilization and maintenence many of these foods will come back . . . This has helped me many times when I have wanted to go off program . . . Am I really going to let an icecream cone, mashed potatoes, or sweet corn slow down my weight loss and cost me more $?

Unfortunately sometimes the answer has been "Yes" but most of the time I decided that I can go without any food for 6-12 months - the stores will still sell icecream after I reach my goal in a few months . . . I can buy fresh sweet corn and freeze it to be enjoyed once I am at my goal weight. . . etc.

I think it is a very slippery slope to start "cheating" on purpose . . . I did have one counselor suggest that if there is something that you are just craving and can't get out of your mind - you could enjoy 2 bites of that food. She quoted some scientific studies that show that the first 2 bites you take are the most flavorful and enjoyable and after that you are just eating to eat.

That said - this is your program, you are in charge and you can do whatever you want to! When I first started I acted as though I was a victum of the plan - "I can't eat what I want" " why can't I have my fruit at dinner" etc. until I realized that I CAN do anything I want to - but the results will be the same as they have always been. . . (me fat) . . . I paid a lot of money for MRC's expertise and I am choosing to follow their advise because they have succeeded in losing weight and keeping it off and I do not know how to do this on my own.

Just my thoughts and I hope it does not hurt anyone's feelings - I am finding every day that I am capable of doing many things that I did not think I could (like running with my 13-year-old son) - I just have to make up my mind to do it.

Mariah

WI this morning and I was down 1.5! I was so excited. That's a total of 15 for me. I have been trying hard to stay on program but things are getting harder. I'm back to work now and I need to get into the schedule of the day and see how MRC works with it. I've talked to my counselors and they are helping figure out the best way to get all my HNS in for the day. I'm going to start skipping the one at lunch and having it as a snack before dinner. We'll see how things work.

Congrats to all the losers.

So...I'm off the program. I found out this morning that I'm pregnant. I'm a little sad because I really wanted to wait a couple more months and lose more weight, but apparently my body was ready! I'm going to work really hard to stick to sort of a pre-conditioning menu throughout my pregnancy. The protein at every meal, lots of veggies and fruit, and limited carbs will really help me have a healthy pregnancy! I look forward to joining you all again next summer. :-)

That's so funny about your watch. Last time, I brought some really light weigh-in clothes and I'd go change in them before I weighed. It was nice to see those weigh-in clothes get so big that I had to hold the pants on.

My appointment went very well. $99.00 for 17 weeks is all it was. I was expecting it to be more so I am very happy with that. They didn't even ask me to do the saliva test. She told me to sign this paper and when I asked what it was she said it's just to show that she offered it but she really didn't.
I felt it was really rushed. I had some questions to ask but didn't get the chance to ask them. I have 17 weeks to ask though. LOL

Our center allows us to choose a counselor? I never knew that.

Walking would be great. Do you work during the day?
Hope you had a blast at your concert and hope everything went well.

Last time I didn't go off plan not 1 time. I only ate out at subway getting their salad with the roasted chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and bell pepper with olive oil and vinegar. I didn't teach myself how to deal with those types of situations. If I was invited over to a friends house to eat I'd bring my OP food. I think it was the wrong thing to do because I need to learn/teach myself how to make the best choices. I need to learn/teach myself that if I fall I need to get right back OP the next meal. I was afraid because I'm an all or nothing type and I avoided those situations because I figured if I went off plan I wouldn't get back on. Which is what happened once I hit stabilization. This time I have to put myself in situations like that so that I can change the way I am toward food.

Hi All, I was wondering if it's worth it to buy the MRC cookbook? I didn't last time. We have a really good recipe Thread here so I just never bothered. What are your opinions on it?

Thanks