kthompson601 Member

A dog can be so inspiring for exercise! I myself have a pair of very fat and spoiled kitties. I don't know if they have inspired me to get healthy and lose weight, but I can say this: Back when I weighed at my highest, 290 pounds, I had several excuses, one being, "If I lose weight, my cats won't recognize me; my little…

Baked oatmeal! It requires prep work but makes several servings and reheats easily, so you can eat on it throughout the week. https://www.budgetbytes.com/?s=baked+oatmeal

I don't like the chocolate ones either. I like the Cookies N Cream, Smores, Cookie Dough, and a few other flavors. Normally I'm a big choc fan but definitely don't like the Quest ones (or the Quest with peanut butter, they also don't taste good to me).

I find that walking on the treadmill for a while hurts my back more than walking outside. This is probably due to the ground texture and the incline. On the treadmill, the ground is always the same hardness and flatness, while outside it's variable. Also, the treadmill is at the same incline, unless you alter it while you…

I like salads, but I can get burnt out on them. For a long time I had them usually for lunch, and finally I got to a point where I thought, "I cannot eat these anymore." Now I might have two or three a week, with bell peppers, dark greens, carrots, and onions, dressed with a tablespoon of olive oil.

I like the Fiber One cookies; I'm a big fan of "I need a little sweet for dessert", so they're a great replacement for Oreos or Keebler's cookies, which I used to eat for dessert. One a day for after lunch, it's great. I skip the protein bars, though, and prefer the Quest, as they pack more of a punch. But the Quest bar…

I have a NutriBullet and love it...but...I've had several. I got one for a Christmas present one year, and used it almost daily to make breakfast smoothies. After a little more than a year, the motor burned out. I was sad panda. So I bought a replacement base on Amazon, thinking, "Well just the NutriBullet motor is burned…

Personally, I don't recommend supplements, but not for the reasons you think. In the US, vitamins are not regulated at all. The FDA has no oversight for the vitamin industry. Therefore, if you buy a bottle of B12, say, or Vitamin D, you don't know what's really in it. Sure, the label will give you stuff--but it hasn't been…

It's going to vary greatly depending on the person. It also probably doesn't burn nearly as much as you think it will. You could try wearing a heart rate monitor during the class, but I've found those don't seem to accurately reflect burns during strength training, and my yoga class at least is a lot of planking, core…

Thanks for the advice about my core and my hips. I've always felt that my core is a weak area, so I will work on strengthening it. Regarding the doctor, I'm not yet at that point, but if I find I'm still experiencing pain once I resume working out, I'll have to take that step. I'm a bit anxious about that, since I know…

It's amazing how much weight can fluctuate! It's certainly water weight. That's one reason why people often advise taking your weight multiple times in a week (say every day), because those fluctuations can be really crazy. If you weigh every day (I weigh twice a week), you'll see progress by observing a downward trend. If…

There's nothing wrong with dessert, as long as it fits your calories, and you make sure you are measuring the cup accurately. Personally, I usually have a Fiber One cookie for my lunch dessert, and a piece of dark chocolate after dinner. Sundays I get a single serving of ice cream (you can buy single servings of some…

First: Congrats on your weight loss! You have done so well, and you should be so proud. Second: I hear you. I think about food CONSTANTLY. I've lost 130 with another 35 to go, and I think about food all the time. It's very difficult. I'm always thinking about what I'm going to eat next, and what I'll cook. In some ways…

You'll probably gain it all back. Back in the winter I had a terrible stomach bug and spent 12 hours throwing up. I lost 5 pounds in 24 hours (I got ill the day I always weigh, so for comparison I weighed the next day and had lost 5 pounds). I gained it all back in a week or so, though, and then was able to resume my…

I am vegetarian and tend to do very well with getting enough fiber; I never drink those fiber mixes. Looking through my diary, it seems I get about 8 grams of fiber just from my morning smoothie (which has kale) and then whenever I cook with pasta, I always use a whole wheat version, or one that has fiber added in. I eat a…

Smoky sweet potatoes! One of my favorite side dishes. Try these: http://www.budgetbytes.com/?s=sweet+potato

I go over my sugar limit all the time--but it's not because I'm eating ice cream and candy bars every day. I'm like you, I get a lot of fruit--half a banana and frozen fruit in the morning smoothie, an apple or pear with lunch, and some berries or oranges with dinner. Unless you have a medical reason to watch your sugar,…

I'm a vegetarian who also skips the eggs and eats just a little dairy, and I've managed to still lose 125 pounds. That's why you can't always assume you have to cut carbs to loose weight. You cut calories, overall. I eat plenty of beans and lentils, along with a whole host of fruits and vegs. I do add protein powder to…

I love frozen grapes too, but right now I can't get enough strawberries. Every time I go to the store I think, "No, I'll get a different fruit..." but they're so plump and juicy right now. ::drools over keyboard::

So far the only thing I've given up is chocolate frosted Poptarts. I used to eat them for breakfast every day. Now I have a smoothie with veg and fruit and lots of added protein instead. I haven't had a poptart in several years, and I don't miss them at all. Other than that, I eat pretty much what I want. I have given up…

Mmm, this recipe intrigues me. Do you make a blueberry sauce for the top, or do you throw the blueberries in the blender?

Budgetbytes.com has some good suggestions. I like smoky sweet potatoes, roasted root vegetables, and curried carrots. Her ratatouille recipe is fabulous and pretty low cal, but it does take a lot of prep work. My all time favorite side is just plain green beans though, I could eat them every day.

Not really, but it does make me want to skip the gym. I'm a sweaty person, and in the hot summer it's even worse, despite the air conditioning. At least the pool is open now, that's my favorite activity.

Congrats on your weight loss and your pregnancy! I really commend you for worrying about your child's health. The food environment in the US is really unhealthy, and kids are easy and highly sought targets of soda and snack companies. Look at all the sugary cereals and high-calorie fast food spots that are marketed right…

I've lost 120 pounds in 2 years, with 40 pounds to go, and I still have a very difficult time fathoming it. I still find I view myself as someone who weighs nearly 300 pounds. Recently I had to buy some new workout clothes, as they were just falling off my (I was literally holding up my shorts; not a good look!). I went to…

I think that a lot of processed foods do have some qualities that make them addictive. I've read some books about the food industry--"Food Politics" by Marion Nestle, "Salt, Sugar, Fat" by Michael Moss, "The End of Overeating" by David Kessler, all of Michael Pollan's work, and many other semi-related books on anatomy,…

I would suggest you start very slowly. You say you've tried before to get a regiment going but get burned out after a month or so. That means you're pushing yourself too hard at the outset. When I started losing weight at my maximum of 290 pounds, I focused just on walking. That was it, walking around my block and my…

I have a Sunday night treat of some ice cream. You can buy small single-serving tubs of ice cream of a few different brands. I like them because they're just one serving, so I can eat the whole thing. I can't trust myself to just weigh out one serving from a pint of ice cream, I'd splurge and eat too much. But that one…

Yoga can help you build some muscle, but I wouldn't replace weight training, personally. I love yoga and do it twice a week, but I still lift weights on other days. In my yoga class we do a lot of planks, squats, and balance exercises, so it does help with core and leg strength. However, it's a minimal benefit. I'd say…

You got this. You can totally do it. I've lost 120 pounds in 2 years with another 40 pounds to go, and it is completely doable. You can make huge improvements in your health and maybe even reverse your diabetes (like, if you're now on insulin, weight loss may allow you to stop needing it. Check with your doctor,…