DanyellMcGinnis Member

I haven't strayed too far outside the "normal" BMI range during my lifetime, but was probably at about 18 BMI (so a little underweight) when I started grad school and at the beginning of this year (several years after finishing my PhD) my BMI was over 27 (somewhat overweight, and my heaviest ever). I never had an eating…

I've lost 42 pounds so far this year and dinner is almost always at 8:30 or 9, just because I get done working out so late.

Both? I start each day with 30 minutes of yoga (well, first I feed the cats and give the dog her medicine). Then after work I will do 75-90 minutes of whatever I am doing for the day (right now Insanity, kettlebells, MMA-style workouts, maybe some step aerobics; soon, will be adding weight training back in to the mix).…

I only count calories if you include exercise in the counting part. I don't track macros or anything like that. I don't even enter macros for my custom foods (too much work since we never make anything the same way twice). I would say my diet is low fat, high carb (i.e., fiber), because I am a vegetarian and that works for…

I live in the southern US so it is only just now getting cold this week and last. I definitely feel cold now, but I can't say that's worse than last year (I lost 43 pounds starting January 1). Usually thick socks, sweatpants, and a robe around the house are enough for me. But when I am doing yoga in the basement every…

I work out in my basement, then go back upstairs. By that time my husband has dinner ready. No "hours" waiting for me. I don't eat for awhile *before* working out because I do a lot of cardio and I don't want food bouncing around in my stomach. But after? I think that's fine.

I love my Fitbit. I have the Fitbit One and it isn't a heart rate monitor, but I have had the same one for three years now and it still holds a charge more than a week. I synchronize it with my health insurance company and have used points earned there for hundreds of dollars' worth of Amazon gift cards, plus I synchronize…

So much this. I am just at my goal weight now and it is only in the last month or so (after MFP all year and losing 43 pounds) that my stomach has begun to look to me like it is in proportion with my upper torso (by contrast, my ribs were showing months ago).

I had one high cholesterol reading mostly because of triglycerides (sorry, it's been awhile and I don't remember the exact number). I managed to get it under control in just a couple of months by quitting refined grains (this is what the doctor said to do). I still ate butter and such, and I still ate a ton of bread and…

I've been a vegetarian since August 1993. So 23+ years. I don't get too many recipes off the internet because of the variable quality of the sources (some are great, some have terrible typos that could lead to recipe fails, some are in between, and it is not always easy to tell which is which just on sight). I tend to go…

I used to keep everything in my closet from size 4 on up through size 10. When I could barely fit into the 10s, I decided to try to lose weight (41.8 pounds and just a hair shy of my goal at this point). I am down to size 2 now, but had previously gotten rid of the size 2 clothes because I figured I'd never be that size…

I do a lot of cardio (like Insanity, so burpees and major jumping around/high impact) so I simply can't eat for a few hours before I work out or I have acid reflux problems and just general unpleasantness. I probably could go for a walk or light jog after eating, or ride a bicycle if that was my thing, since I'd be…

I like Beachbody workouts (have done P90X, P90X3, Les Mills Combat, Focus T25, and am now working on Insanity). I find the commercials and continuous references for their shakes and stuff by the workout hosts that are sprinkled throughout the programs rather annoying. I have never been tempted to buy any of the Beachbody…

I'm 5'5", started the year at 162.4, am now at 120.6, goal is between 115-120. It is definitely possible to get to 120 but it takes work!

Thanks for the recommendation. I do believe there is an Ann Taylor store not too far from where I live (in a fancy outdoor mall) so I could go there some weekend when I have free time and try some things on.

I love diet soda. I miss it. The acid in it was giving me acid reflux and damaging my gums so I had to (mostly) give it up. But that is just part of my individual physiology at the moment and doesn't apply to everyone. It has been a great weight loss tool for me in the past (simply making the switch from regular to diet…

Without exercise, about 7000. With exercise, more like 13-14K (less on kettlebell days, more on Insanity days). When it is cool enough, I do try to climb the stairs to my office (I work on the 8th floor), but once the outside temperature hits 70 or so, the stairwell turns into an oven.

I am 5'5" and 123 or so pounds and I have been having pretty good luck at Kohl's. Although now I am losing inches instead of pounds for some reason so even though I just bought size 4 pants, I'm going to have to go back and get size 2. Pants are the hardest to find around here; everywhere they are stretchy (too big in the…

I started at about a 10, US, at 162.4 pounds. I don't remember exact size transitions because I had about 5 different sizes in my closet and mixed them up and wore things long past the point when they looked tent-like on me. When my number of pounds lost was 38 or 39, I bought size 4 pants and they felt pretty good. I have…

Creatine causes water weight gain when you start using it so that could certainly be part of it. But, you do need to be eating more calories than you burn to gain weight. If you have a small appetite, while I would not suggest eliminating vegetables and such from your diet, you may want to incorporate some more…

Sometimes when I fry things I measure the oil before and after and subtract, assuming the difference is what soaked in. That would not necessarily be easy to do with a deep fryer (lots more oil) but it should be possible. However, my deep fryer has gotten absolutely no use since I started trying to lose weight. I miss…

I started January 1 of this year and I have only recently (in September, so 8.5 months later) hit 36 pounds lost (full disclosure: I am somewhat shorter than you are and had a lower starting weight), and *that* is averaging one pound a week, which is safe (and not an impossible deficit, though I did eventually switch to a…

I don't do cheat meals or days. That is not to say I never have a piece of cake, never eat cheese or chocolates or potato chips (my weaknesses), etc. I do, but make sure they fit into my daily calorie goals. Giving in to the temptation to gorge myself is what got me overweight in the first place. I was always like "but…

For me, 95% of it has been exercise and diet. (Basically however you optimize CICO should help. I happen to do a lot of cardio.) You can try things like a cellulite massager and coffee scrubs and retinol cream (doesn't have to be prescription strength, there are some from brands like Paula's Choice). I think I saw maybe a…

I am eating a lot more than 1200 calories per day, but here are some good low calorie snacks: Small fruits like kiwis, plums (in season in the US right now), clementines (not in season right now). For bulk, 100 calorie packs of microwave popcorn. I am in the middle of trying all the different brands to choose a favorite.…

What is the other exercise? I would guess steps/calories from dog walking shouldn't be added back. But some forms of exercise register on fitness trackers pretty well and others don't (e.g., kettlebell workouts can burn a fair number of calories but don't register almost at all on my Fitbit One).

Even if you can handle high sodium from a blood pressure perspective, it doesn't stop the sodium from causing water retention. It just means it won't give you dangerously high blood pressure! Salads from restaurants are not always low calorie. If they have croutons, nuts, seeds, loads of dressing, meat, cheese, avocado,…

You can't target individual body parts for fat loss. You may get some benefit from doing leg strengthening exercises but you won't gain muscle if you are eating at a deficit (you may prevent muscle loss, however). I find kettlebell exercises (not just swings, take a class or get a book or DVD as there are a lot more…

I'm 38, 5'5", started MFP at 162.4, looking to get to 115-120 (at 130.8 at the moment). I have a very small frame. Was 106 maybe 10 years ago but that was underweight.

If you are asking whether or not the MFP exercise calories are accurate, they are probably not. (I have been using them, nonetheless, since I do not have a heart rate monitor.) But, if you are asking whether the numbers change for the same exercise done for the same amount of time based on your weight, the answer is yes.…