The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Charity]

Aloha,

Steph (the best buddy who lives in FL) and I cheated last week and we fessed up to eachother yesterday. The weird thing....we had the same thing...McDonalds apple pie and sundae as our husbands sat next to us and tried to nicely discourage us. Weird...

funny, my husband said, "Don't eat my apple pie! What will I have with my sundae if you do that?" I said, "Ohmigosh, there's a sundae too!?!?! YES!"

Okay so we both jumped back on the wagon and she ended up loosing .5 for the week and I stayed the exact same.

Now for the advise we need. That cheat was a big obvious cheat but we were talking about it and really I cheat every day! My scoop of PB isn't exactly 1 tbsp. More often than not it's a big scoop. Then I may have a second snack for the day. Maybe I won't have too many veggies and a bigger than allowed (just by a little) portion of meat. Then there's the old creamer in the coffee issue that I am sure can get out of hand with me. Then skipping exercise...Steph was saying similar things.

I have lost weight anyway even with this sloppy compliance so I figured I was doing good. Well, that's over! I haven't lost more than 2# a week for the past 5 or so weeks! Meanwhile, people are zooming in and out of the 30# club! I have been here forever. Steph's losses has slowed down and it has discouraged her too.

So, my idea for our problem was one day--just one day next week (wednesday) we promised eachother to be perfectly compliant--exercise and all, then report to eachother. Then maybe the next next week we can shoot for 2 days....

Does anyone have any suggestions, advise, encouragement, anything for us?

thank you, team MF, for your help!

[lifelovinaries]

ok guys, i am going to state the OBVIOUS here... STAY COMPLIANT!!!!! that's the best suggestion, yes, easier said than done for some, i know. However, you stated that steph's loss slowed down and now she's getting discouraged and you are too. Well, don't get discouraged if you are sabotaging yourselves. Everyone's weightloss slows on the program even if we are compliant (im struggling right now too, and i'm remaining compliant) so of course, if we are not remaining compliant, we can bring the losses to a complete halt. What i decided to do (since i restarted ~this time) was take it hour by hour. I figure i can do ANYTHING for 1 hour. If i cheat during one hour (which i have not, thank goodness), i do not give myself permission to keep messing up thinking i can start again tomorrow. i also wouldn't beat myself up about it, i would just jump back on for the next hour and the next, until it's time for the mf meal. I have not been motivated to exercise much yet, so i cant blame you for that one. try taking one thing at a time. it may seem too overwhelming to do too much at once. Concentrate on staying completely OP, give that a few weeks then add in exercise again. i think your "deal" with each other to stay compliant and exercise at least one day a week may not yield the results you are looking for because you are still allowing yourselves "cheat" days. Take it hour by hour ladies and if during that day you feel like exercising, do it, if not, don't. Exercise is not part of "compliance" on MF. The plan will work even with minimal exercise so dont push yourselves too much. Keep a positive outlook and focus on your "thinner" selves. Hope this helps, even if it wasn't exactly what you wanted to hear. Good luck and keep us all posted.

[Charity]

That's a good idea. Look at it as hour by hour instead of day by day. I really like that.

We totally should be perfectly compliant everyday but I never am! I don't do things that gets me off ketosis and I still see slow weight loss. However, I know I can do better and loose faster!

[Mike]

Very good advice Erica. Many of us (and boy do I include myself in this bigtime), don't follow the Quick Start guide as its written. We all tend to start off doing the program exactly as its written, then we start with the little things like extra PB, or half and half, or an extra bag of soy crisps... then it leads to others.

My advice is that if you are discouraged by slowing loss, go back to how you started.... be very strict. I know why my loss has slowed/stopped/reversed at times... its my own fault, and I know why. Sometimes we need to look back at what we are doing and realize that if we weren't doing thse things, then we would be losing as the plan allows.

When you talk to Jo, Nancy, anybody who lost the weight as the program sets out.... they will tell you... no cheating, follow the program as its written.

[Charity]

Thanks Mike! I especially like that last part. Follow the plan like they did and it works!

I am sooo happy with the new direction I am going. I decided to say exactly what I ate/drank and when everyday in my journal. And so far so good. I measure the creamer and resist temptation and am just more aware of what I am doing diet wise now because I know I will have to report it later.

Thanks to you MF who do that in your journals because that is where I got the idea!!!

I cant wait to see what kind of result I am going to have Friday during weigh in! I feel a new hope! I'm out of my rut!

[Serendipity]

Yup, yup it does, kiddies.

Stay compliant. None of this one day a week stuff. You're just making it harder. Get there and stay there to get the results. Yup, that's it.

[Charity]

I didn't mean eat like a pig for 6 days and be good one day . I just meant try hard like we have been doing for 6 days but on Wednesday, step it up a notch and really strive for perfection. Baby steps! We are only human. If we could be perfect everyday we would have been and I would be at goal right now. But alas, we are not as so this is plan "B".

However, yesterday I was not perfect but pretty darn close and this morning I was 1.6# lighter! Oh yeah! I like fessing up the particulars in my jornal! It's working so far!

[Out*With*The*Old]

Good for you two fessing up and makin a pact to do better!! That's the way to do it - and your 1.6 pound loss prove it!!!

[Serendipity]

Well, you did ask for advice. That was my best advice. You can do what you want.

[KellyC]

I am such a cheater. I'm really terrible. It's usually the L&G that does me in.

But this past week, I've done really well, by changing a few things..

I emptied out everything from the house that is not on plan, except for my baking stuff, which I won't touch anyways. (I love to bake, but I don't like sweets myself)

I traded coffee for green tea. I found this really lovely green tea that has mandarin orange in it, I think Lipton makes it. I like it sweetened with splenda or just plain.

I quit eating in front of the tv altogether. Aside from a glass of water or diet pepsi + ice to crunch, I have NOTHING in front of the tv, EVER. This makes a huge difference!

I am on the 6MF, though sometimes I alternate with the 5+1. When I do the 5+1, I premeasure everything when I get back from grocery shopping. Then I package it and freeze it in individual packets. So every morning, I pull something out and defrost it. This makes it SO MUCH easier not to cheat when cooking the L&G. Towards the end of a bad day is when I am most tempted to cheat. But I don't enable myself by having things in the house to binge on.

I make big batches of cream of brocc soup and cream of chix soup into crackers on the weekends. Somehow, when on that 6MF, it is really satisfying to have something besides ice to crunch.

Lastly, I buy big Kosher pickles. Half of one is so salty and so sour, eating that makes it easier to face drinking yet another sweet MF shake.




Good luck!

[rodeomom]

I quit eating in front of the tv altogether. Aside from a glass of water or diet pepsi + ice to crunch, I have NOTHING in front of the tv, EVER. This makes a huge difference!

That is a great suggestion. I take it one step further and try not to read while I am eating. For me it is important to concentrate on what I am eating. That way I really think about the flavors and textures. I think it is OK to enjoy what we eat as long as we realize that we are eating to fuel our bodies and NOT because we enjoy it.

[rodeomom]

When I do the 5+1, I premeasure everything when I get back from grocery shopping. Then I package it and freeze it in individual packets.

One thing to watch with this method is that you may be cheating yourself on the lean when you do this. The allowance is for cooked weight. My dad used to prepackage stuff when we got it home from the store, but then when I took over cooking when Mom was sick I measured as I served it and realized that there was as much as 3 oz difference between cooked and raw.

[KellyC]

That`s true. I actually over weigh it by 2oz. Then if I`m over, it usually not by very much, and I give it to the cats.

[Charity]

Well, you did ask for advice. That was my best advice. You can do what you want.

Jo, I really appreciate you giving me advise

I just thought that my posting wasn't written clearly.

[Charity]

I totally agree with you on the not having junk in the house thing. My husband likes junk food that I don't care for at all and so there is a little of that in the house (trail mix, wasabi peanuts).

At night when I am tired and want to cheat, I look in the pantry then the fridge then the freezer, then realize there is nothing yummy there, then go to sleep. I think I do it every night even though I already know there's nothing there.

This time that I did have McDonalds, I came home grumpy, hungry and tired, to a big bag of nonsense my husband brought home!

It's my fault. I should not have let myself starve. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.