Congrats to all on the losses! Heatherren, dla, SIGS and all the rest.

dla - so glad that things went better at your center this time! I'd be so upset if that happened to me - this is hard enough with lots of great support, there's no room for unsupportive counselors.

Lynnay - sounds like you're off to a great start!

I need some expert 3FC guidance...so I'm counting on you guys for all your great info! I have to travel for work next week - from early (6am flight) Monday to late (home about 11pm) Thursday. I'm really worried about a couple of things while traveling....
1) Has anyone ever taken HNS with them when they travel? I don't like to check my luggage. Since the HNS are technically "liquid" I'm concerned about being able to take enough for 4 days. Anyone have any experience there?
2) Bars....do you guys recommend them? I'm worried about being able to find the right OP foods for every meal....especially the ones where I'm stuck in the airport. I haven't tried any of the bars yet. Do you guys think they're a good thing to have on hand for travel? Any favorite flavors?
3) Long days - a couple of my days will be loooonnnggg! (Monday for instance I'll be up by about 2:00am to make my 6am flight. My day won't end before 11pm or so that night.) I know we're supposed to do try to eat about every 4-5 hours - but there aren't enough meals and HNS in one day (I can have 4 HNS/day) to spread over that many hours. Any suggestions for how best to handle? Are there OP snacks that I should try to work in?

Sorry such a long post with so many questions. The travel is just throwing me for a loop. I'm afraid it will derail me, and I'd like to plan for success if I can. I traveled during pre-conditioning and ended up off plan - I'd like to avoid that if I can this time.

TIA for all the help!

Okay, I'll post my update and vanity sizing comments and then I'll post personals below.

My WI today was GREAT. Down 2.5 since Thursday. I'm hoping to have the other 2 lbs off by Wednesday b/c I know I'll be cheating in NYC. We already have plans for Chinese Dim Sum for brunch on Friday and Little Italy for lunch later in the day (after I do my purse shopping on Canal street).

Here's our NYC itinerary. Suggest away if you think there's something else we should do. We'll go see Hairspray on Thursday night and then the Yankees game on Sunday. Oh, I think we're gonna try for a dinner/sunset boat ride on Friday or Saturday night as well. There's so much we want to do and since this is our 3rd trip this year we know we won't be back for a while.

Okay, vanity sizing..I know, at this point, I'm one of the lightest ones here. I haven't lost the most weight, but I'm just smaller (I'm only 5'2" anyway, so I NEED to be much lighter than someone who's 5'10"). I'm only mentioning that so you know what I weigh and how it should correlate a little better to sizing. Anyway. I've been buying new clothes along the way and was excited to see the sizes going from 14 to 12 to 10 to 8, etc...Well, I did a lot of shopping @ NY&Co in July and had to buy mostly size 2 pants and shorts. I know I really should be able to wear a size 6 (well, the old 6). I then got some new jeans @ Old Navy and had to buy size 4s (the jeans seemed to run smaller than the shorts). I got some 4s @ Gap too. As I got smaller I needed to buy more smaller jeans @ Old Navy (I like their jeans and they're reasonably priced). Well, I bought 2 pair of size 2 jeans last week (in Vegas). I guess after one wearing they stretch and now the size 2s are even baggy (while I'm still trying to wear the 4s b/c they're only 6 weeks old). I know this sounds stupid to those of you in size 14s or bigger or even 8 or 10 (I've been there too). However, it's really frustrating b/c at this point there won't be any WOMAN's place for me to shop when I lose the 10 more lbs I'd like to lose. I should be able to weigh 115 for my height and build. I don't know if ON has size 0 or 00, but seriously, it would probably be and "old" size 4.

Off my soapbox, but it's ticking me off. My best friend said "stop whining b/c you got so thin you have to buy smaller clothes, go shop at The Children's Place" . UGH! I want adult clothes that fit ADULTS properly. She's glad b/c the vanity sizing allows her to wear 6s and 8s when she should be in a 10 (she recently lost almost 60 lbs and was wearing 16s I think).

Sassy Texan..I way twice a day (wake up and before bed). It helps keep me in check and I don't want a big disappointment at MRC. I hate not knowing how it will be. I went one time to WI w/out knowing where I'd be and I was pleasantly surprised b/c I'd lost 2-3 lbs. However, I would be ticked if I had gained and didn't know it. I want to see the changes first. If no one is in the WI room I sometimes sneak in there to WI before they call me back (it's on the way from the bathroom).

DLA..I'm glad you got to talk to the manager and UGH on how that other lady treated you! I can't believe she hasn't ever had a weight problem. I thought that had to go through the program to work there. We have some small girls @ our center, but they've all lost 20-30 lbs at least. YAY for the 2.5 lbs down & being in the 200s! BYEBYE 300s forever!!! Keep it up!

rdy2lose..down a 1/2 is good, but I know it stinks when you're so close to a milestone.. You'll do it next time. And YES, the jeans DO weigh more so I'm sure you were really down that full 10!

Judy..Hey there partner. Way to go on another 1/2 lbs loss in stabilization. I just started week 2 yesterday so I had my fruit with breakfast today. I cheat though b/c I eat kiwi. I love them and even though they're not on the list I still lose eating them. What kind of breakfast will you have? A smoothy for breakfast and then your normal bread and protein? I never did smoothies for lunch as I just always ate a plum, pineapple, strawberries, blackberries and now kiwi.

may06haw..YOU CAN DO THIS!!! It is VERY hard and difficult to stick with. Try to cut back on the drinking (I know that's hard too) if you can't cut it out all together. Take it in small dozes. I never got off coffee and creamer, so it may have stalled me but I still lost almost 50 lbs so far. Keep thinking about your daughter though. That's what I do. I think about my girls and how I want them to see me happy and healthy and al l the things I'll be able to do with them now that I'm getting in shape! That's motivation for sure!

Lynnay..Welcome and good luck. Come here for all the support you need! It's an amazing group we have here.

SIGS..As always, you crack me up. Don't you have to barf up your food to be bulimic? Oh, wait. Does he actually think that's what you're doing? You're doing awesome and I hope your Jewish/Baptist grandma doesn't faint next time she sees you. You're so close to goal. Keep it up and tell your BF to shut it! UGH!

Heatherren..WOO HOO on that 3lbs gone! That's great! And awesome DH for making an OP meal. I made the turkey taco (with bison instead) in the cookbook and my 5 yr old even liked it. She insisted that she didn't and then she tasted it and said "oh, this is like Miss Lisa's at school when she makes her tacos, it's good! YAY, also for being lighter than when you got married!! That was a big milestone for me and now I'm 20lbs less than that. I'm lighter now than anyone has seen me in 17 years!

1. Does your center sell the powdered drinks? If so, I'd try to take those. Another option is to ship your goods to the hotel where you'll be staying, but do it soon so that they get there before you do! You can probably also pack the concentrates in a freezer bag in your checked suitcase.

2. Bars...eh..they're okay. It seems like everyone who has posted about the bars says they get hungry faster on the bars. I don't do well with them during the week when I'll be sitting at a desk, but they are good on weekends because I'm usually out and about and busy in the mornings....OR sometimes I take a walk, eat a bar, and crawl back in bed for three or four hours, so that works too. Don't think I'll buy any more, but somehow I ended up with five boxes of them. Point is, if you are going to be busy, you might not realize all you ate was a bar. I like the wafers, too.

3. I'm thinking you can have 5 HNS a day. And, don't forget the creamy. I like to finish the day with a bang...or at least a hot chocolate. BTW, I sprinkled some cinnamon in my hot cocoa last night and it was a nice twist!

4. If you have to cheat, err on the side of lean protein.
Oh, darn! I thought these Levi's were a legitimate size 16, but now I'm having my doubts... Do you think vanity sizing is why the jeans I tried on at Old Navy gaped so badly in the back, or is that another problem altogether? I loved the fit, otherwise! And, I'd like to point out that vanity sizing is one of the reasons why I had so much weight to lose. No kidding! My first year of grad school, I thought my jeans were getting tight, but when I went in to buy new ones, the same size fit! Imagine my surprise when I went to the doctor and found out I had gained a third grader!

Congrats on the 2.5 lbs! Cabaret is a great off-broadway show. When we were in NYC, we were able to walk right up to the theater and buy tickets almost up to starting time. The thing is, that show is a little racy, but being in NYC seems to make it all okay. (I also went to see it with my plain old Baptist grandmother in West Texas, and that wasn't so much fun. The Jewish Baptist grandmother is a little more enlightened.) Also, this is so cheeky, but my very favorite thing was going to the top of the Empire State Building at night and renting the audio tape. Might be fun to get Letterman tix, too.

Agreed. But alas, I do not own a camera! My current pic--the only one of myself I could find--is from spring 2006. That baby will turn three next month.

Welcome, Lynnay! Any chance your sisters will be joining you here? That would be so much fun!

Deborah--don't beat yourself up. Actually taking the initiative to walk through the front door of MRC and ask for help was a huge step, and if you can do that, you can do the plan! How about setting a mini-goal for staying on plan for a specified period of time? I knew I couldn't commit to the whole 17 weeks, but I was pretty sure I could do six weeks. The six weeks passed, and I wasn't even aware! Break the big cheese into something a little more manageable.

I'm with Rocki--the jeans definitely put you over the top, so you are probably already at your 10 lbs. You've actually probably lost a little more because you STILL showed a loss compared to your last capri pant weigh-in! Hang in there and you'll be on that 15 lb board before you know it!

Personal Musing--This has nothing to do with MRC, but I'm really annoyed at the local media. Seems they've decided Hurricane Ike might come rolling through here at the end of the week, and..are you ready for this? The 10 o'clock news just announced that everyone should go fill their cars up with gasoline because the hurricane will cause a gas shortage! I bet they repeat that advice on the 6:30 news tomorrow morning so that everyone who didn't throw off their jammies and rush to the gas station tonight does it first thing in the morning. How irresponsible! Remember the toilet paper shortage Johnny Carson accidentally caused a long time ago? Well, I don't either, but I did learn about it in my history class.

So, I took everyone's advice and stayed OP yesterday and my scale dropped 2.5! I am going to WI today on my planning period, so hopefully with the coffee and water, I will be back at what I WI on Friday. Whew! I know they are going to pump me to buy more supplements, but I have ordered a bunch of stuff off the site Meemo suggested. (MRC-6, flax, etc).

Anyway, thank you to everyone for keeping me focused and letting me rant and rave about my slip ups! Sigh. Get used to me. The next 5 weeks will be Slip Up Alley.

Have a great day!

Damn Rocki, I'm not even another female, and even I hate you!

Totally kidding of course, that is awesome. Size 2, nice. You would be small enough to be my pocket girlfriend.

I always screw up the quoting, OR (THE WORST), have a ton of responses in the quote window, and hit SUBMIT, and then the connection times out, and I lose it all.

SO, GREAT LOSES EVERYONE! Those who are struggling, STICK WITH IT. WATER, WATER, WATER!!!

Traveling --> It's tough, and you may be forced to stray, but make the best decisions available (go for green veggies, lean protein). I hate to say this, but I think you would be better off skipping your bread/fruit to compensate, if you are forced to eat other bad items.

I went to weigh in yesterday and was down another 2 lbs! That was exciting for me because it was a loss from Friday to Monday. I hope this continues before I hit a plateau!

Silverbelle...Good Job!! Hang in there...remember when you do get to a plateau it is a good thing. I hit one last week (actually went up a pound) and then this last week I was down 6 lbs!! They did my measurements and since August 15th have lost 12.75 inches! I amazed at the success I am having on this plan.

Excellant Job Silverbelle - 2lbs makes for a very well behaved weekend I'm not typically so good on the weekends.

6lbs KC - Keep It Going, you are doing fabulous!

Hello all! Congrats on all the losses and NSVs!

I'm off to weigh in this morning...i posted this on another thread...but not sure how well I've done..I've been totally OP except for seasonings! I cannot stand saltfree seasoning, Mrs. Dash, etc...yuck! Since I know that is a problem do y'all think I should just make a point of trying to drink more water each day than the required 64oz?

WI just now and have maintained my sme weight. Still at 172.5. I am happy because of my BLT's and a few cocktails last weekend. it gives me hope that maybe these next 5 weekends won't be so bad if I can stay OP when necessary and drink my water, etc.

I would definitely drink more water if you are taking in more salt. At least 2 more 8 oz glasses. It couldn't hurt!

I don't like the Mrs. Dash either. Yuck! I have learned to use the Sea Salt. Not sure why we can have it, but I try not to go overboard. I am a salt-aholic! Water, water is good. Plus, B6 is a was to get the water out as well. I bought some at CVS and take one a day.

Long days - I have been working really long days and my center advised me to just divide up the time that I am going to be awake with the food and HNS. They recommended an extra HNS in the evening if it was going to be REALLY late.

I have had the mint chocolate bars and they are okay and will do in a pinch.

Be sure that you are drinking lots of EXTRA water. Flying naturally dehydrates people so you'll want to account for that as well.

Hey Chriscrossed! I saw where you were already down 5lbs! That is awesome. How did your WI go today. It is so much fun watching everybody shed the weight!!

hello everyone...i haven't checked in in a long time...i've just been trying to catch up on reading all the posts. i haven't been on program for a couple of weeks now...getting back on it tomorrow...one excuse is we were without electricity for almost a week with hurricane gustav...ike is suppose to be here this weekend...it's hard to get food all organized when you can't cook, your hot, etc. my diet last week was nutty bars, chips, sandwiches, etc....soooo this week i feel huge. i am thinking of weighing in today before i pick the kids up from school...but i am sooo scared about what the scale will say....it's a vicious cycle..then i will be in a bad mood..BUT i will have a starting number...o.k...just talked myself into it..i am going to weigh in today. congratulations on all those losses...ya'll are my heroes...for sure my inspiration. i would still like to lose at least 30 pounds before my birthday in dec....do you think it's possible.? i have to stick to it if it's going to happen.