Metabolic Research Center - 8 weeks in

SW: 220
CW: 198 (22lbs down)
GW: 165

8 weeks in, so an average weight loss of 2.75 lbs/week.

Total spend so far: $1,518 ($238 is on optional meal replacement bars & shakes, the rest is on the plan itself, plus required supplements & protein drinks)

I'm roughly halfway through the planned 17-week weight loss phase (which will be followed by 1-year of maintenance); realistically, I'm not likely to hit the 165 goal weight in 17 weeks, but sustaining a 3.25 lb/week loss for nearly four months was honestly a bit crazy to begin with. In hindsight, the unrealistic starting goal is probably a negative for me with this program, but we'll see what happens when the 17 weeks is up. I'm not yet clear on what the transition from weight loss to maintenance looks like. So far, what I've gathered from the coaches is that I'd get an altered food plan to add back in reasonable amounts of carbs, different portions, etc. and decrease or eliminate some or all of the supplements.

Now that I'm below the 200 lb. mark, my meal plan has changed. I went from 6oz protein/meal to 4 oz, but this has been fine by me. Prior to the switch, I was often unable to finish the full portion and felt like it was too much food, so now meals feel more my size.

The good:

• Even though I'm off pace from the goal my coach set at the beginning, I'm happy with the rate at which I'm losing weight.
• The plan is easy to follow - I really like the meal bars and they keep me full throughout the day, so I have a meal replacement bar in the morning and at lunch, add a veggie shake during lunchtime, and really only prepare one meal a day (generally some combo of chicken + veggies -- there's a lot of options, but I don't really need variety to be happy, so I am happy enough meal prepping a week's worth of dinners and eating the same simple meal over and over)
• The big thing: I'm rarely hungry. As in -- as long as I actually remember to eat my breakfast bar (I was never a big breakfast eater, so occasionally I forget and then do feel hungry most of the day...), I don't really obsess over food or feel like I'm missing out. The plan also requires a number of pre-packaged protein drinks, which quickly knock out any hunger that does pop up between meals and leaves me satisfied until it's mealtime again.
• The meal bars and protein shakes are actually really good. I legitimately enjoy the taste and joked the other day that I feel like I'm losing weight by eating candy bars.

The bad:

• It's expensive.
• It's pretty hard to travel or eat out. Since the plan is based on pretty precise measurements of food, it's hard to gauge if the portion at the restaurant is 4oz of protein, etc. It's also not easy to get protein drinks on the road - I travel regularly for work, and it's pretty awkward to try to mix in a packet of lemonade-flavored protein drink at the table during a work dinner.
• On that note, while the coaches are super supportive (and honestly, full of great advice for eating better while travelling), there's a lot of "doom and gloom" preaching when it comes to going off-plan. You had a single alcoholic beverage at a work dinner? Well, if you're okay setting yourself back a full 3 days while that off-plan treat works it's way out of your system.... It's not exactly that they're judgy, it's just some bad math that they swear that literally any off-plan meal, snack, beverage has these huge ramifications (but don't worry -- there's a supplement to counteract any bad decision you make! lol).
• I visit the center twice weekly for weigh-ins and even though I'm losing weight consistently, not yet hitting plateaus, not having any cravings or issues to solve, I am regularly shown even more products/supplements that I'm encouraged to add on.
• I had assumed when I started that the supplements were only during the weight loss phase, but it sounds like many are still encouraged (or required?) during the maintenance side, so in reality, I don't really know what my total spend is going to be in the end.

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