AmandaOmega Member

I also started cycling after meeting my husband. Cycling was a major game changer for me. It allowed me to drop weight that I previously thought would be impossible to get rid of and is a major source of happiness in my life!

Cheat days can also contribute to a binge mentality. You adhere to a really strict diet during the week, but then you can eat whatever you want on Sunday. I think that this could greatly damage your progress since a lot of people might go crazy on the cheat day and reverse any progress they've made. Instead, fitting…

I had the impossible whopper at Burger King. It tasted just like meat, had the same texture, but the sandwich had more calories than the regular meat patty version. Not many, like 30-40, but still. I feel like if I'm eating something plant based, it shouldn't have more calories than meat (otherwise, since I'm not…

Another thing to keep in mind about processed foods is that they also contain ingredients that often interfere with the body's ability to regulate appetite. Some ingredients actually prevent your body from receiving the signal that it is full, so you are more likely to keep eating/feel hungry. While I believe that calorie…

So, I think the problem is that you can make the muscle larger, but if you still have a lot of fat on top of the muscle, it's not going to magically disappear. When I started losing weight, it's amazing how much more muscular I "suddenly became." It was like magic! The thing is, I had been lifting weights for a long time…

Depends. I'm 5'6, 140 lbs and can fit in 2-6, US sizes (mostly 4 or 6). Because of my shape (I have large thighs/hips, small waist/bust), I can fit into smaller dress sizes than pant sizes, usually a 0-4. As another poster mentioned, it entire depends on the brand, as well.

If I do a cycling training session in the morning, I have a homemade protein shake right after in addition to breakfast. I weigh out everything and created a recipe for it. If I don't train that day, I do not have a protein shake. I usually get my protein from various sources throughout the day.

I suppose it depends. My boyfriend, who is a long distance endurance cyclist, can burn around 900-1000 calories in an hour if he's pushing really hard. But the guy has massive muscles in his legs and puts out immense power (about 200 watts average). Me? I can only burn about half that, around 450 calories in an hour (and I…

My step mother has had GREAT success with weight watchers. She lost somewhere between 40-60lbs. If you're not having any success with it, then you have to realize that maybe it's not for you! Or you may want to sit down with someone at WW and have them help you figure out what is going wrong and how to fix it. Don't give…

Weighing food is important because most people don't have a clue what a serving size actually looks like. When I first started, what I would have guessed to be 3oz was more like 7-8oz. That's a major difference in calories, especially if you are looking at items like grains or meats. It is also important for people to get…

I generally will have a whole egg and a slice with toast with minimal butter. I found it's more effective at keeping me full, (and has less calories) than alternatives such as oatmeal (doens't keep me full), cereal (doesn't keep me full, high in sugar/calories), etc. I don't think you're doing yourself a huge favor by…

Hey, don't feel like an idiot. We all make mistakes and have oversights. I actually cut down on my tea because I HAVE to drink it with a tablespoon of sugar, which is about 50 calories. I allow myself one in the morning to get my engine started, but after that, no more! But at least now you can make more educated choices…

Lots of core exercises will really help with this. I used to date a girl who LOVED the V-shape muscles men have at the bottom of their six pack (where the muscles dip beneath the waistline of their pants). I always thought it would be impossible for me (or women in general) to get this look. After an entire summer of…

Look, if we get to the nitty gritty of it, poptarts are not a good snack, and they are not healthy. A single package of poptarts (which contains two poptarts) is about 400-420 calories. That is not a SNACK, that is a meal (I eat breakfasts and lunches with smaller calorie servings than that...). Granola bars are not much…

Congrats on all of your hard work and success! Taking pictures is so important because it can be difficult (with how gradual weight loss usually is) to see a noticeable difference! Keep it up!

I weigh myself every day. However, I don't freak out over major weight changes, especially if I have been exercising rigorously. I keep a spreadsheet in excel to track my weight over each day, the first of each week, and the first of each month. This helps me watch overall trends (as well as gives my daily insight to…

The problem with nutrition is that you don't actually look at anything useful. Do you know what I did in my 1 semester of nutrition? We read the book and spent the entire class in silence writing out both the question AND the answer in complete sentences. Like, How many servings of grains do you need in one day? You need X…

I've been able to find a nice balance with fitness and my relationships. My boyfriend is very fitness orientated, so I don't have to worry about him tempting me or getting me off track. We both eat right, don't keep junk in the house, and love working out. Friends are a little harder as they are not fitness orientated at…

Buying a bike from craigslist may not be the best idea if you don't know anything about bikes (just like you probably wouldn't want to buy a car unless you're a mechanic). Because then you don't know what kind of wear and tear to look for, what it's actually worth, how long it'll last, etc. You could either get a fair deal…

I love Newman's Honey Mustard dressing (69 calories per two tablespoons) and Panera's Asian Sesame (60 calories per two tablespoons). They make any salad taste super yummy ^_^

When I do sets with others, I typically will stretch while they do their sets. It keeps me moving, keeps the blood flowing, and is good for the muscles. You could also consider doing exercises that don't require equipment, like squats, push-ups, jumping jacks, crunches, burpees, etc.

Some men can pull it off, some men can't (just like women and bangs, I imagine...), but furthermore, it's his hair. When I was in highschool, I HATED the torn jean skirts + leggings + ugg boots look. I thought it was the most hideous look ever (and I still do). That being said, I'm sure that shaving most of my head drives…

I weigh myself every single day and I keep a record of it in a spreadsheet with a graph. Most people say not to, but I like to be able to recognize when there is an upwards trend and address it then instead of waiting a week. It's worked out reallyw ell for me.

I always have: Eggs Bread Sliced turkey/chicken for sandwiches Oatmeal Salad Mix Green Beans Corn Black Beans Onions Garlic Tea I very rarely have my pantry "stocked" with anything else. Even good things like nuts, fruits, veggies, etc can add up if I decided to get snacky. And on my diet (1200 calories/day), I can't…

No kidding! It makes me so sad how little peanut butter I get for the serving size I weigh out. :(

Beware the kind of pizza you eat. Extra cheese, meats, etc can easily pack on calories. Opt for chicken instead of pepperoni, go for thin crust instead of pan, etc. There are little things that you can do to help minimize the damage. Obviously doing a meat lovers with cheese stuffed crust is going to be worse than a…

You're doing FANTASTIC! And you're looking fantastic, too! Also note that when you weigh less, you burn less calories when you exercise (as you have less weight that needs to be moved with each motion). So unless your exercise machine gives you an opportunity to put in some measurements (like age, weight, height, etc)…

You look great! Keep up the good work!

Oh my, yes it will! Weighing your food can save you hundreds of calories. Before I weighed my food, I thought I was eating maybe 200-300 calories when I had a bowl of cereal. WRONG! My bowl of cereal was more like 400-500. Same thing with steak. It didn't seem like I was eating -that- much, but once I started weighing out…

It depends. I can burn up to 500 calories if I am walking at 3.2mph on a 9% incline. If you are walking flat at about 2.5 - 3mph, probably 150 max.