Hi there,
I am sure this answer is around here somewhere, but I am so overwhelmed with all the posts. I just finished pre-conditioning yesterday and started the veggie menu today. They said I could wait till Monday if I wanted, but I was so anxious just to get going.
Today is going ok - peeing a lot and I am pretty hungry as I walked for an hour today (I am training to walk a marathon in June). But here's what I am wondering.
1). Can I drink 2 HNS during the afternoon before dinner instead of just the one? Especially for tomorrow, as I am walking 10 miles tomorrow!
2). I have a dinner party/book club tomorrow I completely spaced. The hostess is a fabulous cook. I am not sure if I should go and just not eat (fake a stomach ache or something) or just eat on plan all day except dinner, eat the best I can, and go back on plan Monday...
I know I could just start the menu on Monday, but I really don't want to...
Any advice would be great!

Thanks! Love this site!

LOL - well if I'd seen this yesterday my advice would've been to wait until Monday to start since you have your dinner today. Eat on plan for the day & then just be careful with dinner. Still good advice - there'll always be something like this popping up, so when it does, do the best you can. Heavy on the veggies, just stick with your preconditioning guidelines the best you can, & jump in on your menu tomorrow.
So...what did you end up doing?

Well I ate on plan except for dinner, and just did the best I can. I am going in to MRC tomorrow, so I guess they will tell me to keep up with Day 1-4 menu as planned, or if I should start from scratch tomorrow, so to speak.

I have to say, today the eating went great (until dinner). I walked 10 miles today (i am training to walk a marathon) and I thought for sure I would die of hunger. Not so! I had breakfast, then started walking, had a HNS (grape concentrate) half way, ate lunch when I got home,and I was completely satisfied! Had another HNS an hour or so before my dinner and ate pretty well. If it were just a normal time for me, it would have been a "good" dinner, if you know what I mean!

Thanks so much for checking in! I was a little bummed I hadn't heard from anyone!

Have a great day!

Hi Badbaum,

Welcome to MRC.

Sounds like you did great with the dinner party challenge last weekend. You might also want to check out and post on the MRC take 32 thread. That's where alot of us post, newbies and old-timers alike

I first started the plan Jan. 08. Weight loss was always so slow for me (1/4-1/2 lb. per week) and the appeal of MRC was the promised faster loss. I didn't want to wonder if it was the plan not working or my off plan choices that were getting in the way. I also knew that every week there seemed to be some event or challenge. So I decided that I would never ever cheat....and I didn't. No cheats from Jan. 08-Apr. 08. (Stabilization is where I had my challenges which is why I am still on program trying to get the final 5 lbs. off-been trying since Jan. 09- but that's a whole different topic/story.) Back to topic I would tell the hostess in advance that I was on a very structured diet and explain in simple terms what I would need to eat for dinner. If her menu matched, great if not I would either ask her to modify a portion for me, just bring my own, or eat the protien and carb at home and just eat salad at the event, depending upon the circumstances. Also, when we had weekend trips away with friends, I would just do my own thing for meals. If you let people know what's up, they are actually very supportive. Finally, I think it is also fine to just "do the best you can" with the food at hand, but for many of us, the pressure of picking and choosing the lesser of the evils at events is just too much and the frustration and guilt following a off plan moment can be pretty painful and start the "beat myself up" cycle.

I don't mean to ramble or preach, just sharing some thoughts.

Good luck, I know you'll do great!

Wow Raven, thank you so much. You are right, I am cheating too much. I just posted in the main forum about falling off the wagon, and it all started with a cheat. I just want to know that I can eat a brownie again. But I feel terrible now and it all started with a cheat. Maybe I am just not ready yet. Maybe I have to make the committment till I get to my goal, and then take it slowly till I figure out what I can and can't have for real. I really hope stabilization and maintainence will help me figure that out.

When I cheat, I also lose what little self control I posess. My husband has been very supportive today getting thru my daughter's Bday party and helping to keep me in line. Too bad I can't have him next to me all the time!!

Badbaum,

I am the exact same way! If I cheat a little - I cheat a lot! I was hoping that this plan would help me to learn new habits, but sigh, I have a feeling that stabilization and maintenance are going to be really tough for me. I just have to remember what Meemo says, "If you think a weight loss program is too restrictive, stop and consider how restrictive it is to be overweight."

As far as events go - I surprised myself and made it through Thanksgiving, Chirstmas (4 dinners), New Year's Eve Party, Anniversary, and a trip to Las Vegas - all with no cheats. I just ate as close to my menu as possible and said NO to everything else! Not easy, but I proved to myself that I would not die if I didn't have pumpkin pie or champagne! lol

Good luck to you - you can do it!