EmPersson Member

@Madwife2009 - wanna come to my house on rainy days? ;) I can relate, though! If I don't/can't work out, I get so antsy and HAVE to do SOMEthing! Often it's cleaning, cooking, or in my most recent instance, tearing out shelves in a closet to completely re-do the whole thing!

I've had the same issues. But I haven't built up my back/core muscles enough yet, and my shoulders collapse in forward when I lay on my side, as well. I've taken a king sized pillow and used it as a body pillow to not only support between my knees, but to prop up my chest/shoulders as well. That seems to help.

@aeloine - I was thinking the same thing recently. I look at myself in the mirror and think, "ew." :s And then I put my clothes on and think, "wow!" B) So, good thing other people see my fully clothed. ;)

I giggle every morning when I get dressed because nothing is tight on me anymore.

Yes, @Madwife2009! I honestly used to drink (hard liquor, even) every day. Some with dinner, a little after dinner, and then a "night cap." After cutting back drastically because of the wasted calories, I'm finding that I don't really want it much, either. I still have some on the weekends, but half the time after I've had…

Chiming in on the bra convo - I have found Panache to be great. You can get them from Amazon, some boutiques, herroom.com, and many other places. They have several options for my small band size with large cup (32FF), and are very supportive. Not sure about issues with underwire - perhaps talk with a doctor? When my mom…

Last night I was doing some house chores. We have a Dyson upright vacuum, and I'd just emptied the canister and left it in the kitchen while I went downstairs to switch out laundry. When I came back up, I had a bundle of sheets in one hand and rather than trying to bend over the bundle in my arms to pick up the canister, I…

I've been reading this thread from the beginning since shortly after I began my journey. Admittedly, I didn't have as much to lose as many of the posters here. But, I'm down 20lbs since April, and have at least another 10lbs to go. - No one told me when I started counting calories that I would actually start to care about…

I wanted to lose maybe 10 lbs. this year, and I've already lost 20. I feel SO GOOD! I didn't realize how bad my arthritis had gotten, and now know how much it improves with constant healthy movement! I hope to lose another ten pounds now before the end of the year, which would put me smack in the middle of a healthy BMI,…

I know this post is from a few months ago, but I just saw it for the first time. I just did 8 weeks on the Slim Fast diet. I knew it was simply a pre-packaged calorie restricted meal for me that I didn't have to plan/prep/think about. I used the powder and mixed it with cashew milk and it was so delicious that my husband…

Ditto to everything everyone here has said about the calorie deficit! But, I'd like to add that your friend who changed one meal to a shake may have lost a lot of water weight. Depending on your body, and your pre-lifestyle-change diet, you could lose 5+ pounds right off the bat just from water weight alone. When she stops…

I agree with everything said here so far! I'm 5'7", started this year at 174, goal is 145 (for now). I'm around 158 now. Logging in every day is key for me. Also knowing that it didn't all come on at once, and it's not all going to come off at once. When I'm working out (I'd always much rather be on the couch), I watch…

Firstly, good for you for what you've already accomplished! I would suggest perhaps going to your doctor and getting some blood work done, and discussing your family's health history and what you might be more prone to if you don't keep yourself on track. For me, realizing that my family has serious pancreas issues (when…

Firstly, I agree that there is no good food or bad food. There's better food than others for you, but none of it is poison, when consumed mindfully. And THAT'S the trick, which I think is the trouble for you - remembering to whip out that phone before you take a bite, and entering in the calories. I suggest having…

And now I have Weird Al Yankovic's song "Grapefruit Diet" (to the tune of "Zoot Suite Riot") stuck in my head. Fun song, not so fun diet.

I have fallen in love with the blueberry/raspberry combo. Literally pack them EVERY DAY for snacks at work!!!

If you haven't done yoga before, know that it is important to finish your practice laying on your back, or sitting cross legged, taking quiet moments (5-10 minutes) just thinking about what you accomplished, and how your body reacted to each pose, and knowing that you did something kind to your body for the day. With that…

Sometimes, if I know it's going to be a big problem for me if it's not in portions, I'll portion out the entire package when I get home. Then it's easy to "grab and go" to work in the morning, but I'm also much more aware if I snack when at home - I know I'm going over if I decide to take another already pre-portioned…

Stick with the physical therapy, for sure. And, like 1reason2live4 suggested - look into yoga. Yoga Journal is a great online resource. But, just Googling "yoga poses for sciatica pain" will give you plenty of good results. I was having a bit of that earlier this year and realized that I was stressing my back and hips in…

I recently saw a recipe where people made tuna salad with avocados, instead of mayo. I thought that was a great idea! They served it in the avocado half skin, as well, which I thought was a cute touch. But, you could make either tuna or chicken salad with it, and have a pretty low cal, high protein entree!

https://smile.amazon.com/Spiralizer-Vegetable-Strongest-Heaviest-Gluten-Free/dp/B00GRIR87M/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1495478647&sr=1-3&keywords=spiralizer+vegetable+slicer This is the one I got from Amazon. It has suctions on it to hold it steady on the counter, and is pretty easy to clean. When I store it, I use a…

First of all, congratulations on getting down to your goal weight! Now you know it CAN be done! I've waffled with my weight over the years, getting down using MFP, getting lazy and not logging for awhile and gaining it all (and then some) back again. This time, I have had the most success out of any other attempt because I…

I also stick with the portion control thing. I pack my lunches each day - weighing out my snacks, and I have all day to look forward to my little treats, and think about when I should have each one. Because they're portioned out, I don't have to worry about having another, then another... We have a convenience store in my…

I encourage you to give it a little bit more time. 7 days isn't very long to see results. Some people don't see any results for a month. It's a matter of what kind of foods you're consuming, and how your body deals with the change in caloric intake. Take heart! And, I wish you the best of luck!

Stove-top popcorn is a nice low calorie way to get the salty crunch you might want! Avoid microwave popcorn. And, don't pour melted butter all over the stove-top popcorn. I go for more savory options, like adding garlic powder, or Good Seasons Italian dressing powder and grated Parmesan cheese. Be sure of your portions…

I love that you're reflecting so clearly on your first week's experience! I believe you will go far if you stick with it! I have no specific advice to offer to you. However, you asked what we've learned about ourselves? This is my second time really using MFP. I used it solidly a few years ago and it was great and helped…

I used to eat too much - generally being lazy and not cooking healthy foods, excusing myself for it because I work all day. Then eating one too many slices because it's just so yummy. And then having mixed drinks - every night. I used to mix with soft drinks, until my dad was hospitalized with pancreatitis, and I found out…

I'm the same height, and general build, and I maintained at 138 for years and was thrilled! I am looking (for now) to get down into the 150s, and then eventually (hopefully) into 140s. I'm sure you'll be fine. And, I'm with the others. No need to discuss numbers. Strategies, maybe, but not numbers. I wish you the best!

I should have also mentioned that I have a kitchen scale and am weighing/measuring everything that I'm eating that isn't slim fast branded stuff, just to make sure that I'm doing the right thing, and logging all here in MFP. I did the straight up portion control once, but didn't lose nearly as fast as I am now on this diet…

I took pics - but in my yoga clothes. You could do that, too. No need to strip down. That way you can also feel comfortable sharing the before and after pics with friends or as profile pic here or something. Slow walking because of an ACL injury has got to be so hard! I'm trying to drop 30, and I'm mostly doing lunch walks…