pstegman888 Member

I don't know how much you have to lose, but for me, realizing I was basically carrying around the equivalent of a 50-pound bag of topsoil ALL THE TIME made me think, "Well, no wonder my back hurts, my joints hurt, and I'm puffing like a steam engine!" Dropping some of the weight will make it easier & less strenuous to…

I started out alone (also live alone) and found the MFP boards extremely helpful & motivating. But after a noticeable weight loss and being very open about logging my foods immediately after a meal out with friends, checking calories before ordering, and being clear that yes, I CAN have that yummy dessert or helping of…

Good for you for having the courage and foresight to get started on the right track. If you haven't yet viewed the "Success Stories" forum, I encourage you to browse through it. There are several threads from men who were in your weight range, and even higher, who have had tremendous success, or are still on their journey.…

You said it is exhausting & overwhelming...Take 5 or 10 minutes for yourself before you go home...pull over at a nearby park or quiet neighborhood street and just close your eyes and breathe. I find this refreshes me for dealing with people...it can be very draining if I don't have just a few minutes to myself. You sound…

Sure there is. Vasovagal syncope and postural othostatic hypotension. Meds were quite expensive when I was diagnosed years ago by a Johns Hopkins cardiologist, but eventually an increase in dietary sodium, salt tablets and increase in water intake helped regulate my blood volume & low blood pressure enough to ditch the…

Well, if your waist circumference is 41 but you are wearing 34 jeans, that probably just means that your beer gut is hanging out over your pants. 17 pounds x 3500 calories per pound means you drank 59,500 calories of booze. Might be time for a change.

I'm not a binger, but I do like my snacks & sweets! What I do is to remove 1 serving from the bag and immediately re-seal the with a food vacuum sealer. Then I log it and thoroughly enjoy my snack. Your food is not going to disappear...it will still be there tomorrow for you to enjoy, there's no need to make sure it all…

My new favorite salad dressing/condiment is Litehouse Greek yogurt dressing, with dill & feta in it...tasty on everything!

Love Chobani, especially mango. I use the lemon as a marinade/sauce for lots of dishes, especially fish. I made a fantastic cold cucumber soup using a combination of the lemon and pineapple flavors as my base. The lime flavor is like eating a key lime pie.

For logging convenience, especially if you tend to make the same dishes again & again ...Once you make a meal, salad or whatever, and log it in, you can click on the three dots on the lower right side and Save as a Meal to your My Meals database. Then you can log it as an entire meal another day, and just click & hold on…

I've eaten my weight in watermelon this summer, lol

Also...the grocery store salad bar and the crockpot slow cooker are absolute life-savers!

I'm sure others can chime in with recipes & other tips, but I can say that for me, I need to keep things simple (due to physical challenges and also because I just do better without having to fuss a lot). So I just roast a few chickens a week (or pick up a few rotisserie chickens) so that I always have chicken to add to…

Set aside some calories and plan what you will have, so you don't just grab & gorge. I almost always have a late night snack, usually cottage cheese or a piece of toast, sometimes with a little honey on it. But I plan it into my day so I'm still on track with my calories.

Actually you're not. A healthy individual does not have hair loss, coldness, pallor, yellow skin, cessation of menstruation, and 9.2% body fat. Your body is screaming for qualified medical attention, and you are blowing it off.

Go to your diary and click on the + sign in upper right corner, then scroll down to Exercise, then select Cardio or Strength and input the workout calories & time.

Oh yeah! I would never come between a man and his bbq grill!

See a doctor and get a complete blood panel including thyroid and liver function.

On my Android, I went to Nutrition, then Calories, then above the pie chart there is a drop-down menu that you can change from Day View to Week View by clicking on the down arrow. I'm glad you asked, I had no idea it was there!

Why not work some core strengthening into your running or walking routine? If you run outdoors, think about where along the way you might stop & do some stair (or tree) pushups...some crunches...burpees...a plank, etc. Even if it's only a few to begin with, if you mix it up with something you love doing, it won't seem so…

If you don't cook, rotisserie chicken from the grocery store or Sam's Club is a great, fast source of protein. Pick one up on the way home from work while the rest of the family gets carryout. You could eat a half chicken for dinner, and use the rest for sandwiches or over salad/rice/quinoa for lunches.

Save up the calories and log it accurately. If you don't want it, don't eat it. I use a delaying tactic if it won't fit my cals or if I don't want to eat too much sugar/fat that day, by telling myself I can have it tomorrow if I want. Sometimes I can delay a high-calorie treat right out of existence, because if I delay it…

Protein, protein, protein. I've found eggs to be a good source of fast-acting protein for hair health, and easy to add to almost any recipe, either raw or as a hard-boiled garnish. Of course, if it continues, you should check with your doctor in case anything else is going on.

Blackstrap molasses...get the unsulfered kind in the health food aisle of your grocery store, or at a health food store, and just swallow a spoonful of it. 42 cals in 1 Tbs, supplies 20% of RDA of iron + calcium and potassium. Quite tasty as well! Makes a nice healthy sweet treat.

I have Achilles tendon issues that limit my walking/biking. At my gym, they have a rebounder (mini-trampoline) set up at an angle so you can bounce a ball off of it. I use the 6 or 8 pound ball & do about 100 rebounds. Instead of a chest-level throw&catch, I use an overhead throw&catch that really gets my arms into it.…

I use Joseph's Flax Oat & Whole Wheat pita bread for sandwiches (60 cals for the large size, I usually can make a good stuffed sandwich on half a pita). For a crunchy carb with breakfast, salad or soup, I eat 3 triscuits. For toast (one of my late-night indulgences), I go for a good high-quality bakery bread (or homemade)…

Instead of all or nothing, learn moderation. Instead of 50 pounds, lose 10 pound increments five times. Instead of a ton of cardio and 6-day workouts which may lead to burnout, do a level & frequency that you can fit comfortably into your schedule and maintain over the long term. Go for a steady pace instead of a flameout.

Put veggies in with your pasta or rice to fill you up with less calories. Pick sweet veggies like carrots, corn or red peppers. Roast them to intensify the flavor, or saute in a little balsamic salad dressing to sweeten them. I also mix quinoa in with my rice (half & half) to boost the protein a little. Also, add more…

You look fabulous, and having your fiance losing with you should help keep you both motivated and on track. Congrats!

Cutting out the frequent sweet teas and sodas should make a huge difference for you....good for you for identifying and eliminating a stumbling block! That alone should help a lot. As for hot dogs...just had one today, with a little side of baked beans & macaroni salad! Not a frequent thing, because they don't fill me up…