Hey y'all!

So I had my consultation last Wed! It was great and full of very good info. I signed up for 17 weeks plus 1 year of maintenance. Today is day #1 of my pre-conditioning. I know that it will get easier with time and I'm committed to doing this. I have about 50 lbs to lose and at my consult it was nice to see it on paper that by the time my 17 wks are up (May 9 2011) I should be 50 lbs thinner give or take a few. Just in time for my 30th bday. I'm determined to be more healthy in my 30's!! I have my food class this Friday! Woot woot!

I just signed up, too, and am on day 5 of the diet. I can't wait to check your progress along with several others who started this year. It's exciting, isn't it? Don't you feel like you're on the verge of something HUGE? Are you planning any kind of extravagant present for yourself for your 30th? You should! I'll be turning 30 this year, too, and will DEFINITELY be rewarding myself with some fabulous new clothes as soon as I reach my goal weight.

Best wishes to both of you for success. This is a great program and if followed to the letter can result in amazing weight loss. I love this program and you will too. I have lost approx 50 lbs since June and could probably have had more off but I was derailed a couple of times, life happens. I am set to drop my next 40 and get to goal!

I do feel like I'm on the verge of something huge! And maybe I'm just overly optimistic b/c it's my first day but I also know that I'm glad someone else is telling me what to eat. Even though it may seem really restrictive I'm thinking that just means I'll have to be more creative with my meals. But I'm glad that I had a list of foods that I could eat and I went grocery shopping off of that list. I'm tired and frustrated of reading labels and trying to decide between low fat vs low calorie OR low sodium vs low sugar. I'm a smart girl but it was just overwhelming!

Welcome and congratulations on signing up.. Its great to see the excitement!

I am living proof that this program works. I lost 72lbs in 6.5 months and am in better shape physically, mentally and emotionally than I've ever been. Hang around these boards - you will glean so much wisdom and so many great ideas.

Good for you for taking control of your health! It's HARD, no doubt about it, but the rewards are AWESOME!

This post alone makes me feel so much better and hopeful haha. Thank you.

I should reach my goal weight just in time for my 20th birthday I'm so excited. Good luck!

hatethesweatpants, how much did you exercise while OP and did you follow the program to the letter? You results are awesome!

The first couple of months, I didn't exercise hardly at all, other than a walk or two a week (if that). I lost tons of weight. Then, when I had lost about 40lbs, I started having so much energy that I began to hike, zumba, work out, etc. My weight loss began to slow and came to a complete halt around 173 (meaning NO loss for a month). That's when I switched to meta-balance and lost the last 20 (slower - about 1.5-2lbs/wk). I've been maintaining since October/November.

Yes, I did follow the food plan to the letter. I just wanted to be at my goal weight and on to the rest of my life. I traveled around the country, celebrated birthdays, etc. and stayed on plan. There were ups and downs and weeks of no loss, but it steadily kept spiraling down for a total of 72lbs and 80 inches. I feel fantastic and will probably be getting certified as a personal trainer in the next few months.

Wow! That is so great. I have heard of meta balance? What is is? It is really hard doing this on my own, I am thinking of going back to the center, but I am not sure yet.

That's amazing! Congratulations! You're the kind of person I would love to have as a personal trainer: someone who's been overweight and overcome and maintained. I'm sure you'll be fantastic!

Meta balance was originally created for diabetics, I think. They found that heavy exercises needed it as well to keep blood sugar stable and to keep from going into starvation mode. If you exercise heavily and regularly over 200 min/week, meta balance is a good option. It basically spreads your food out more throughout the day and adds 2 servings of fat free dairy and 1 fruit. Portion sizes of protein actually go down, but you have those cut-out-ounces as a snack. It worked well for me, but I didn't ask for it until I had been stalled for a month. I wanted to make sure the exercise routine was going to stick and that I was truly plateaued.

I really depended on the 2x/weekly weigh ins with someone who was going to look over my food journal. Now, I go in 2x/month and it's still great to have accountability.

Thats interesting. I have been wondering what meta balance consisted of. Has anyone heard of the meat lover's menu? I have seen it mentioned on the boards here in the past.

I called my center today and I still have 4 months of maintenance left so I can add additional weeks. I think I will start with 10 for $99. I will go in next week, until then I think I will do preconditioning. I want to follow the plan exactly and get the best results.