In answer to:Patzi-I like hearing the maintenance stories. It's refreshing to hear that OCCASSIONALLY I'll be able to enjoy some social times with food once I reach my goals...its all about learning how to adjust to stay at maintenance...right now I'm just in total focus mode so going off plan isn't even a consideration right now.

Maintenance is a wonderful way of life. You can really eat anything as long as you don't go overboard, as I did Sat. night. I now have wine with my meals, an occasional piece of pie or pastry, and I enjoy eating out. There are really no restrictions. I have a friend that eats what she wants on weekends, in moderation, not going hog wild, and she fluctuates 1-2 pound gain with it, but by Friday weight is off and she is back where she should be.. It is all determinatin.
I hope I help y'all by posting.
Patzi

Yes, Patzi..I think you help everyone with your posts!

I can't wait to be fully back in the swing of things. Still not sure what to have for lunch. I should have taken some chicken breast out of the freezer. Think I'll do that now for dinner. I didn't have breakfast until 10, so I have a while before I need to eat at least..just need to chug some water.

Well, it's been a mixed week. I hit a plateau, but I was expecting it, thanks to this informative forum. But after losing 14 pounds in October (and 15 before that on Weight Watchers--took me months!), my blood pressure started getting low. So, my doctor agreed to cut my medication in half. Plus he said I could cut my acid reflux medication in half, too. One of my primary goals in losing weight is to get off these medications for conditions caused by obesity, so I'm thrilled that I'm on my way.

Strange, I haven't cheated yet, but it's only been five weeks or so. I keep remembering the center telling me that, after you cheat, it takes three days to get back into fat-burning mode. That helps me to stay on plan, since I don't want to lose that time! :-)

Candi, I don't know much about this but I have read more than one article about the importance of sleep. Lack of sleep does something that makes you hang on to weight. You are definitely burning the candle at both ends, girl. O know you just have to power through some of this, but try to be good to yourself!

my counselor tells me not to weigh myself every am but if i don't i will gain slowly and surely. i've lost, gained, lost and gained again sooooo many times. it keeps me on track and the last time i stopped weighing, i gained 35 lbs!!!!! anyway, everyone is different but i even take my scales w/ me on vacation (we always go RVing so i put it in the bathroom) and for the first time ever didnt gain on vacation :-)

just got back from fun family reunion and for the first time wasnt OP for 4 days!!! (was also camping) breakfast was OP and that was it...but surprisingly enough i didn't gain! didn't lose, but didnt gain - yay! i did try to stick to protein, carb for bfast, fruit, protein, veggies for lunch and protein, veggies, carb for dinner. had hotdog one day w/ no bun and pickles and V-8 , white chili (northern beans, chicken), cornbread, crabcakes, chocolate....but the difference was very small quantities, for example, tiny piece of cornbread...didn't really have veggies avail so had a couple V-8s a day - couple pieces of chocolate not the whole box. Walked alot and kept busy, drank lots of water. did make the chili w/ lots of onions and garlic and jalapenos...:-) the only thing i went overboard on was the spicy funyuns but after they were gone, drank lots of water and moved on! the funniest thing is my DH was going around to my relatives and telling them how much i lost and how great i look - haha! im a secret dieter and dont tell people i'm dieting so was like, shhhhhhhh. it was really funny and glad he was proud of me. i have some relatives that are very little so i know they were prob. looking at me like, really? but who cares -glad i have his support :-) i put the rest of the chocolate away and told him to please eat it very quickly!!!

read some of the posts and so glad everyone is doing so well! yay!

candi-thanks for the advice on the shakes. I have mine in the fridge ready for tomorrow! And the advice on the powder at room temp...helpful.

Just finished day 2 of the yellow plan. I'll admit, Day 1 was awful! I thought I was going to starve. But I was also trying to go without an HNS between meals. Today I had one between breakfast and lunch and that helped. 2 more days on this then on to the blue plan. I'm actually enjoying the salads (this coming from someone who used to tell people I was allergic to lettuce just because it made me gag).

Hi Patzi...just a big YES..you help me personally so very much with your posts. Please keep them coming!!

Hi BigDog! I have missed you! That is really great you didn't gain on a vacation - around FAMILY especially!! An interesting lesson about moderation, too.

Regarding the scales, I'm coming to the conclusion that I really should weigh at least 3 times a week- if I don't, blow little set-backs all out of proportion and freak myself out OR I simply go into denial and start packing it back on.
I just had a freak out last week because I had gone off program for a few days. I was certain I had gained a ton, but in truth, it was less than a pound when I finally faced it.

I hope you have a good week getting back on program!

Hi ladies!

My WI is tomorrow, and I am not nervous or anxious at all--for a change Ever since my counselor and I decided to push through November, then introduce Stabilization, I have been much less stressed. I believe I have lost weight this past week. But, I actually feel like I have been experiencing a little mind game with myself, also. It has actually been easier to stay OP being in a mind-set of that if I lose, I lose...if I don't, then I will just get back on the wagon and keep plucking along....I may even push through December, and begin Stabilization after the New Year. A week ago, you would not have heard me say that!!!!!

Quite simply, being happy at the weight you are at makes the journey so much more peaceful...and if there is a loss, it is just that much more of a feeling of success. I don't know if I am making sense...but I just plain feel more optimistic which equates to feeling more motivated

WORDS OF WISDOM: For those of you that are just starting this program, try not to be so hard on yourself. Try not to be in a hurry by putting a big number in your mind of what you expect yourself to lose each week, and instead just focus "one day at a time" eating OP, and the weight will come off on its own. Often it is not meeting our personal expectations of ourselves that leave us feeling frustrated and unmotivated. Adjust those so that if you expect a 1lb loss each week, and lose that or more, then you will be so happy and motivated to tackle the next 7 days! Because we are all different, it is wise not to ever compare progress to others...your results are yours....unique to you. Comparing serves no purpose but to discourage. Being realistic and forgiving of yourself doesn't mean you are losing sight of the ultimate prize, just means you will maintain the desire to keep pressing on, rather than to feel defeated which could lead to wanting to give up. This attitude has made a difference for me, and believe me...talking from experience, being hard on yourself isn't the answer to success on this or any weightloss program.

Just like "Bigdog....." If taking a scale with you is what works for you, then by all means...take it! I agree that not checking in on myself could lead to disaster. It is my way of holding myself accountable, and keeps unwanted weight from creeping back up unexpectedly....which none of us would want. My point is do what works for you...The menus are easy..."black & white," but we aren't!!!! This journey will also be a time of self reflection, which may just mean lasting weightloss

Hang in there, ladies! I, too, am so grateful for this board and the daily support on it.

I just wanted to pop back in and say hi to everyone. I've been off plan for about three weeks, and I've had so much going on that I've hardly even read anything on 3FC let alone had time to post. I've had a two week flu, and then my brother passed away (long story- we weren't extremely close, so I'm not having a lot of grieving troubles or anything, but it has meant I've had to make some trips home for my parents, and there's just been a lot to take care of). So, dieting hasn't been at the forefront for me lately.

However, I've been back on plan since Monday, and I'm doing pre-conditioning again for a week. I weighed in at 173.5 on Monday, which is only three pounds up. To be honest, I'm quite proud of that. I mainly focused on eating smaller amounts of everything even though I wasn't eating on plan, and I think it worked. I hold more water when eating carbs, so I'm hoping the three pounds are mostly water anyway.

I'm actually looking forward to being back on plan, and I feel fresher now, with a little more momentum, so hopefully that will help carry me through the holidays. I have a trip home again this weekend for the memorial service, and then there's thanksgiving, but I decided to start right back once I got over the flu and not put it off-- that's where I would have run into trouble. There's always some reason to put it off till tomorrow or next week.

I noticed there are lots of new people in the last few weeks-- welcome!

Thanks for the advice, Tamikl. I keep telling myself that if I lose one pound a week from here on out I would be extremely happy and successful (yet part of me wants to see a big number...okay, I've only been at it a little over a week and lost almost 5...I don't expect to lose that much per week going forward). I need to map out what losing one pound a week would look like as far as when I would reach my goal. That may help me keep in perspective...thanks for the thoughts!!!

it was 30 degreees in the mountains where we were camping and i had two sweatshirts on and big boots most of the time. i told my brother i had lost weight and he started laughing because how could you tell w/ all the clothes i had on?.. he gave me a big hug and said i felt thinner through all the layers. haha!! we actually did have canned green beans and my DH grilled tuna and made crab cakes so that was OP. realized i don't miss macaroni salad, coleslaw or hot dog chili...it was too much...now if someone had bought over mac and cheese...yeah, i would have ate that! :-) what helped me was having cheese, turkey breast, boiled eggs so if i got hungry just ate that. i did pack some protein bars but didn't eat them since i was eating a few brownies over the weekend... w/ the Fitness Pal i track my food in, realized if i'm not MRC OP, at least i know to keep the calories at 1200 or less per day.... we had the big jugs of water w/ a spout so kept filling up my huge water travel cup. the MRC plan is so great! before when i was on WW, it was too flexible and i couldn't keep up w/ the points.
so will prob. wait to weigh in on friday...if i'm driving an hour to the center, i want at least to have a couple pound loss :-) chugging water!!

HI everyone! I just read through the whole November thread, as I haven't been in here since October. No, I didn't drop off the face of the earth, I've just lost motivation. Life has gotten in the way and I've been basically gaining and losing the same 5lbs. for about 6 weeks. I'm thinking I just need a break so I can get my head back into it. I'm dealing with lots of stuff right now, and sometimes food is one less thing that i need to think about. My center doesn't want me to take a break because they think I won't come back. *I* think that I just mentally need a break, and after the 1st of the year I'll be back and in the right mindset. I don't know what I'm going to do for sure, but I'm frustrated.

I love reading about all of your successes--it helps motivate me a little, but I also like reading about your trials as well--Not that I like that anyone is having trouble, but it does make me feel less alone.

I DID just get 3 new pairs of jeans in the mail. They really look great on me, but are much lower rise than I'm used to, so I'm not sure how comfortable I'll be in them. It feels good to be able to put on a pair of jeans though, and not feel restricted.

Daily weigh in...
To me that is a personal decision..l have to weigh in daily,and I do take a scale with me if possible. For me, weighing in daily has always kept me on my toes if scale was up, focus as to why, and get it back down.. My friend weighs in only at center , 2 days a week, and that has worked fine for her. I always weigh in same time each morning, 5:30AM when I get up. I do not weigh in until the following morning.
Wishing everyone a great day and great weigh losses.

Patzi