Hi all,

I'm excited to start this journey of weight loss and learn how to eat balanced, healthy meals (and also learn how to cook them.) I'm so glad to have found you all and need the support of a community as I spend a lot of my time either with my small children or alone.

I am a young, new single-mom of triplets who are three. Needless to say, my life is hectic, but I don't want to use that as an excuse to neglect my health.

I had great success about a year ago by cutting out all carbs, doing only 500 cal and taking prescription appetite suppressants by a medically monitored weightloss program locally. I went from about 160 to 128 at my lowest and looked great but knew it was impossible to maintain. I'm back up to between 140-145. I don't feel or look my best at this weight and want to achieve my 'optimum' weight (at the low end of the scale) which is still in the healthy range aka 120lbs...

Because the RX appetite suppressants worked SO well, I'm worried these herbal ones won't do the trick, and that I'll be eating the paint off the walls with hunger AND that these hundreds of dollars up front won't produce the same results.

Has anyone been through similar or have any insights to share? I look forward to 'meeting' you all and cheering you on as you reach your personal weight loss goals.

Just read through many of the threads and I'm super excited to start!

Can any of you recommend a brand of scale for the house, to keep track of progress? Mine is old, was cheap to begin with and I don't get consistent readings. Wondering how much difference there is between a $20 scale and a $50 one; any opinions on this?

Thanks in advance. :-)

Scale: I have a $20 digital scale that is very consistent. Healthometer is the brand.

Success: I was skeptical about the program (I teach in the health and fitness arena and I know success and failure rates of diets and can shoot holes in any "diet"), but it has worked with me. You'll feel much better on this plan than you did on the 500 cal/no carb plan. You get some starches and enough calories to keep you from wanting to eat the paint off the walls. I haven't taken any of the supplements besides a multi-vitamin and fish oil and have dont' just as well if not better than my mom that started at the same time and takes a lot of them. Some of the gals on here take a few different ones and have had success. I see you already jumped in on the March thread...just keep jumping in there. That's where most of the action happens.

Hey, nice to meet you! I have a cheap scale, I think I paid 30 for it about 5 years ago, but it digital and has all the bells and whistles...I use the wii fit to track my progress more though. Have game, will play.

I will admit I was pretty skeptical about the program as well, but it seems to be working. I have only been on it for about 2 and a half week and I was down 7 and a half pounds when I hopped on the wii this morning. I do get nibbly on occasion, but honestly you eat so many veggies and so much protien, plus the protien drinks that it does keep you full, even without the supplements. I took the big 3 for awhile (now just in the morning with breakfast) and I honestly do not think they are that important.

Also, there is quite a bit of leeway. One of my couselors pretty much told me that any kind of bread, as long as it is less than 50 calories is fine, so we went to the local natural food store and picked up lots of different crackers...I am kind of a cracker fiend. Since we were not able to find Melba Toast anywhere around here, it was a nice change.

Wow, I got off on a tangent there. Sorry. The point being that these lovely ladies in here are great support, your office should offer good support, honestly you will probably not like all of them, but there should be at least a couple there that you can get along with. And as much as I was worried when this whole thing started, it does work. So good luck!!

I was worried this wouldn't work as well it seems the only time I lose weight is by just not eating. Which I know now completely screws you up. But I have already lost 16 lbs and 11 in since 02/14. It works if you work it. And I am rarely hungry.

Thanks for the insight on the supplements. I've pretty much maxed out my budget on this expensive plan and I haven't even gone for my menu orientation... I know they are going to try and push more stuff on me but I just don't have any more money.
The herbal supplements that are suppose to keep me from feeling hungry seem not to work at all... $80 and they don't do a thing. Ugggg, I spent so much money, I can't believe this, I feel SO guilty now.... Anyone else had a problem with the supplements?

Honestly, they kept me awake most of the night and when i could sleep they gave me the freakiest dreams.

Also, I should warn you, when you go to the nutrition class they will ask you to buy HNS drink mixes, they are kind of required. But good luck!

I know there are a lot of people who have issues with their centers and councelors pushing items and being rude, but they are not all like that. Hopefully if you explain things to them they will get it. I have never had anything pushed on me, even when I first started. Good luck and hopefully it will all work out.

I hate that you are feeling this way, as Fluffy said, not all centers are pushy and I wish/hope you have one of those. In today's economy, they should be more understanding of people's situations.

I've honestly only had trouble with one of their supplements: 5-HTP. It made me incredibly tired, which I guess was the point if you read the description, but it interferred with my life and I quit taking it. I've taken MRC-6 and Phentratrim regularly and never had an issue. I've also used the Corti-Trim in the past which I credit for helping me get rid of my "baby belly." Everything else I've bought at the drugstore or Sam's Club. But, just because those three things worked for me doesn't mean they'll work for everyone. We're all different. If you've already bought them, give them a shot. That's how I've handled it. I may buy a bottle of something because I wanted to (not because someone pushed it on me) and then if I didn't like it, I didn't buy it again. Good luck and we're here if you need us!

I want to say that it does work, if you foloow it right. What it does is to teach you how to eat right. I have been with the program since June 11, and have lost 72.5 LBS, Still have about 10 to go. Some people lose weight fast but I had some slow months. One thing I have found is after being on this and learning how to eat right,a lot of my old eating items taste YUK!.
I have been taken off of 3 of my medications because of this program,something I haven't been able to do in years. The big one is my diabetic med's. I won't go back to taken them ,I will continue to eat right.
Just one day at a time,don't beat yourself up if you eat something not on the paln, just eat right from then on. You will do it.

Theres no reason to be on the herbal "thermogenic" supplements if you dont want to.
Are you that terrified of feeling hungry? guess what? youre going to! at first...... Then youre leptin and ghrenlin hormones will get outta whack and you wont be hungry anymore.

Honestly, you HAVE to take the HNS drinks. Its part of the program, non-optional and without them, the program wont work the same. You wont be taking in enough protein OR calories and it will cause negative consequences.

Also, you definitely NEED TO BE ON Fish Oil/Omega's/Flax Seed/ whatever to maintain general health because your body will be very nutrient deprived. Along those lines, a multi-vitamin is a MUST.

But you dont have to buy any of those from the center. MRC's brand is no better thanyou can get anywhere else, just 4 times the price!@

Hey -
I was afraid it wouldn't work for me. I saw the program work well for my husband, who lost 115 pounds five years ago... and has mostly kept it off... He does do a funky diet every so often if he gains 10 or 15 pounds just to make sure he stays in his comfortable weight.

With the supplements, I take the MRC6, Enhancer and Corti Trim. It seems to help. Also, I notice that if I don't get in my water (and the four HNSs) and eat off schedule, I seem to be more hungry. (Usually a fiber drink does help in that arena).

Good luck!