ElizabethOakes2 Member

I eat back half of what MFP says most of the time (not this week, because Valentine's Day has a prime rib dinner with my name on it waiting for me) and that seems to work pretty well for me.

Rest days are really important! It's easy to want to work out every day, but our bodies need breaks. Have a great time at Brian Regan's show! :) I love this thread! It's all about those little habits that we change one by one.

After the 90 days, what happens? That's what I want to know. A lot of these programs promise you astounding results in 90 days, and you get them, but then go back to your old habits and ways of eating, and start skipping workouts, and you're right back where you started. :) It might be a good jumpstart to your health plan,…

Black Bean Soup: 2 cans black beans 2 cups frozen corn 1 medium onion 1/2 tsp minced garlic (If you have fresh spinach, arugula or kale, you can chop that up and toss it in, too!) Simmer it for about an hour so all the flavors blend and the kale disappears. Or you can make it in the crockpot while you're at work. season to…

My husband is not a breakfast person. He's not a morning person. His circadian rhythm is primed for nighttime. It's hard for him to eat unless he's been awake for at least two hours, preferably not until noon. He can go to the gym and work out at midnight. I'm a morning person. Feed me within an hour of getting out of bed,…

Ooh! That looks tasty. Wonder what I could substitute for the coconut oil that would have the same sort of nutty goodness to it...

I went to French Press with the International Delight nondairy creamer at home. I can't even stomach Starbucks coffee anymore. But then, we're spoiled for good coffee here in the Bay Area with Philz, Blue Bottle, Eon... even our local indie down the street roasts their own bean. The chain stuff just doesn't stack up and…

I'm a popcorn fiend. I'll blow my entire sodium allowance on popcorn if no one is watching...

Thanks! Good to know it wasn't just me thinking this sounded like a load of doodoo! He's seeing our GP next week to talk to him about the whole thing, and going in with his current BMR and TDEE numbers to back him up. The protein shakes & bars that he's being given are designed to control glucose levels, so I'm sure they…

Hot tea, even herbal ones, can help soothe the hunger beast, too. They fill your tummy with warmth and stave off the desire to gobble everything in sight. :)

I found once I started logging, it was a lot easier for me to see where my wasted calories were coming from and cut them out. Did I really need a half a cup of peanut butter in my oatmeal, etc. I treated it almost like a video game (still do, actually). What happens to my numbers if eat a an apple for an afternoon snack…

I don't worry about them. If I go over on a weekend away, I throw in some extra cardio for the rest of the week, but I don't feel guilty or bad about it. I figure, I had a choice to eat that pepperoni and olive pizza with extra cheese, or to eat something healthier. I made the naughty choice, and that's okay. I don't want…

What do you have your caloric intake set to? Is it a healthy intake for you or are you trying to cut too much too fast? It really sounds like portion control is the problem. You might have to make some big changes to where and how you eat. Something that helped me is that at dinner, put one serving of each dish on your…

Pretty much what everyone has said. Making the leap from 2500 down to 1200 would certainly make me cry! Try starting at 2400, and dropping down by 100 calories a week until you're at your target weight loss. Sudden changes in nutrition can have an affect on moods.

I got started just by... well... starting! I set up my profile and then started logging what I ate. Compared the app I was using before (something my husband's doctor set us up with) MFP was a total breeze to use. The only way the app works is if you use it. Just start logging what you eat for a week, before making any…

I'm a tea-bag queen. I just drop a decaf tea-bag in my water glass in the morning, and then refill my water through the day. It gives little flavor, and there are tons of choices for flavors. When I get bored or it gets too weak, I just swap out for a new tea bag. (I've also found that putting something like lemon-zinger…

but we can trust a late-night tv show host named after a fictional barbarian? ...;)

Some weeks it depends on what came in the organic farm box that week, but spinach and arugula are usually the base greens, then I go one of two ways, either sweet or savory. Sweet? Almonds, orange or mandarin slices, cucumbers, carrots, green onions, maybe garbanzo beans or red beans, maybe a little bit of goat cheese.…

There's probably a lot more dog and deer poo in trail dust. WHich... I totally didn't need to think about. ;)

Oh, look! Cake has gone on to have a future in compost waste management! We should all be happy for it.

It really depends on your body chemistry. If you're sodium sensitive it might have some effect on water weight, but as long as you're drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated, and your blood pressure is in normal range, I wouldn't stress about it. :) Also, if you're diabetic, your insulin levels can have an affect on…

Oh, god... I ate a lot of dust on the trail this morning... Do I have to log that??? ;)

I find it easier to have 'short' goals- 25 pounds at a time. Otherwise, I look at that total that I need to lose to get to 'healthy BMI' and it just seems overwhelming. I like cebreisch said about 'whatever number is least likely to freak you out. :)

WOOT! Can't wait to make this one! Such awesome stories from everyone this morning. I love this thread! For myself, this morning's blood pressure reading my first to come out in "normal" range, instead of "pre-hypertensive" range! NORMALZ IZ GOOD!

I budget for them, especially chocolate. I did switch to a sweetened non-dairy creamer for my coffee, though, more because of the sat fats I was getting from the whole milk than because of my sugar addiction. You might try switching to a 'fruited' tea, like peach tea, where there's already a little sweet flavor there…

When I lived alone, I had one of the little personal crockpots and would toss in rice, veggies, beans, lentils etc, before I went to work. Instant hot noms when I got home. Leftovers freeze well and can be pulled out and microwaved for a quick hot meal later. (I lived in the mountains where it snowed a lot and hot food was…

I second hormones. RIght now, I could murder an entire container of Trader Joe's dark chocolate covered almonds. MURDER THEM! ... I won't. But I could.

- Yes, with Chiro, it can take two minutes for an adjustment and have to go as many as three times a week to start. I will caveat that my first chiropractors, a husband and wife team, fixed my neck. It took three times a week for the first month, two times a week for another month, and then down to one a week, then once a…

As long as you're actually breaking the 1200 count and you don't feel hungry, you're probably fine. If every day is under 1200, and if you start adding exercise to the mix, you're likely to burn out pretty quick. I did three months at 1200 + half my exercise cals and was fine, but man, if I had calories left at the end of…

I'm kind of proud of myself. I was out shopping and suddenly the smells from the food court hit me like a siren song to a sailor of old. Hamburger! French Fries! PIZZA! OH MIGOD I SMELL PIZZA! I left the store, managed to walk right past Wingstop, came home and had my 3 oz's of homemade oven roasted chicken breast, four…