The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Prancer]

I hope some of you veterans will help me here. I am in my 4th week right now.

typical day:

8:30 MF bar
11am Shake
1pm soup or shake with soy crisp
3pm shake
6pm L&G
9pm shake/drink
120+oz water

I havent full on cheated to date. July 4th I did have one spoonful of mac salad.

My L&G last night (typical for most nights) was a ground chicken burger with one slice of kraft fat free cheddar cheese, ketchup. Salad with greens, broc and cucumber and dressing was wishbone fat free italian.

SO.... Why am I not losing? I have gained a pound this week and have sat there for 3 days now. My L&G is typically the same as I wrote...chicken of some kind with salad and added cheese and dressing. I lower my chicken portion because I add cheese.

Any ideas?

[electra000]

You should not have a bar as your first meal or last meal of the day. You might try cutting out the bar for a while and see if that helps.

[Sarya]

You may have also hit your first plateau. We all seem to hit one around 3-5 weeks. I agree about not having the bar first thing in the morning though. And also I probably wouldn't make it a regular occurance to have soy crisps daily. I try not to snack every day to cut down on extra carbs and calories.

[loriannk]

I agree with what was said. No bar for your first or last meal. My guess is you have hit a plateau. No worries it will pass. Drink lots of water and maybe dump the bar for a week and see if that helps get things moving again. Or choose between the bar and soy crisps. I wouldn't have both till the scale starts moving again.

Good Luck!

[wildtrk]

Careful with Ketchup...has carbs in it.

Also sometimes it is good to switch up the batting order. If you can do your L&G for lunch try that....I know it isn't for everyone. But sometimes the switch is good.

[Serendipity]

Two comments:

1. Fat free dressing can be very high in carbs. I don't know about the Wish Bone, but I would check the carb count and if it's over 3, I'd switch to low fat.

2. I never advise skipping a bar......what are you people? Nuts! That's my favorite part of the day! If I ever have to give them up, I'll be kicking and screaming the whole way!!!!!!!! (tongue in cheek, of course)

I think I mentioned in another thread to you.....this is normal.....just go with it. Stick to the program and it will work for you.

[Prancer]

Thank you everyone. I really am so glad I have all of you to ask. I never thought there was anything wrong with having my bar in the morning. I thought the earlier the better. I am switching for the next couple of days because of camping so I will be having a shake first. I will also be haivng oatmeal and pudding for the next 3 days instead of soup.

The wishbone dressing has 4 carbs, 20 calories and no fat. Is 4 too high?? It is only 1 more then the MF dressing with less calories and about the same sodium.

I will take head and cut out the soy crisps for a couple days. I didnt have them for the first 2 weeks and survived. Is jello better if I need a snack then the soy crisps are?

[loriannk]

Jenn,

If you can find it get the Walden Farms Dressing. It has 0 carbs, sugars, fat, & callories. They have lots of flavors. I like the caesar. If your grocery store does not have them go to waldenfarms dot com to order.

[Lauren]

Hey, Jenn-

I agree with everyone else, but want to make the point that there's not one particular part of your daily plan that's bad, it's just that the whole combination may not be working best for you.

First of all, just have the bar anytime other than 1st or last in the day. Second, because bars are higher in carbs/calories (significantly), you really want to try not to have them on the same days as soy crisps or crackers. You can, and you won't gain weight, but these are just *tricks* that may help propel things. If you are itching for a snack, sure a sugar-free jello or pickle or celery, all fine. Even the fast soups are lower in carbs...

Then, since you've already got the bar and your soy crisps, the adding of the ketchup AND the salad dressing, has upped your carb intake. Again, each one independently is not a problem, but all on the same day, could be making things a wee bit harder for you. Try the Walden Farms ketchup, it's not terrible, and I also use the Walden Farms Ranch or Thousand Island dressing. All ZERO carbs. You can get them online.

Lastly, even though your burgers sound heavenly, you may want to mix up your L&Gs a bit, and not always have ground chicken with cheese. Often these pre-packaged ground meats are higher in fat and sodium. I don't know if yours are, but there is a trend there. Perhaps a couple days, you may consider having grilled chicken strips or steamed chicken with mixed veggies, or tuna. And not that there's anything wrong with it, but I haven't had a single bite of cheese since I started MF, and I LOVE cheese. I just know that they're higher in everything than fish and chicken, so I avoid it all together. The cheese will still be there when I am in maintenance!

Perhaps if you take a few of the variables out of the equation, you'll see a shift in results!

You are doing great, keep on keepin' on, and keep smiling!

Lauren

[SharonR]

Jenn hang in there...

I'm wondering WHY can't you eat a bar for breakfast? I see you all said that but there was no reason why, only because of high carb count? Why does that matter? I'm curious..I have done it once or twice..but this week I am cutting all the bars out.

[BoPeep1]

I can't give you the 100% exact reason (I can't remember it), but it has something to do with the sugar. Something about it spikes up when you have a bar and that's not good early in the morning.