chocolate_owl Member

Having lived in Asia, my guess is that dairy wasn't the only thing about your diet (and activity level) that changed, and I think it's really weird that you attribute your weight loss to cutting out dairy rather than looking at the bigger picture.

Only they're worse, because people feel like they deserve a pat on the back for "standing up against cancer" when all they did was reshare a post. They didn't donate money for research, volunteer in a cancer ward, join a research study... But man, they hate cancer!

Wow. It's really disheartening to see a mental illness be thrown out as an insult toward people who are using simply tools to meet their weight goals. Obviously we've got a very, very long way to go before the taboos and stigmas around mental illness are completely lifted. On weighing: I went to 150 lbs to 130 lbs without…

I think you're very lucky, very wise in your selection, or both to have married someone who's grown with you, stayed close to you. I think a lot of young couples marry before they really know what they want out of life, and their expectations and aspirations change pretty dramatically as their careers advance and kids come…

All over the South Island, plus a day in Auckland before we head home. We're doing the usual tourist stuff - Tranz-Alpine train, glacier tour, Milford Sound, wine country. An ostrich farm sounds like so much fun, and so different!

I confess I'm not sure when the last night was where I DIDN'T have wine. Wine is worth drinking your calories.

This is happening at the right time of year, a lot of department stores will have swimsuits on clearance. This means you can get a nice, expensive, well-constructed one at a reasonable price. These days there's a huge range of styles with varying levels of coverage and support for different parts of your body. Certain…

We love to travel. I've been all over the world. I've seen a good chunk of the US too, but I've still got a ways to go. T's traveled the world for business, but he hasn't gotten to stop and see as much as he'd like. I'm working on turning him into a tourist :) Places T and I have been together: -Atlanta -Madrid -New York…

Use older eggs for sure. A few different cooking gurus claim steaming instead of boiling yields better results. From Fine Cooking: "Prepare an ice water bath. Arrange the eggs in a single layer in a steamer basket set over boiling water. Cover the steamer with a tight-fitting lid and steam for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat…

I confess that my productivity on Friday goes to zero. Bring on the weekend.

UGH Facebook engagements. T and I got engaged while we were laying on the couch talking about the future. He asked me to marry him, I said yes. There was no ring, no hidden photographer, no group of people waiting to celebrate with us. Logically, I realize this was perfect - two adults making a decision about wanting to…

I stopped using Facebook when I graduated college because it had evolved from being a way for me to stay in touch with my friends to a platform where people try to sculpt their lives to look as perfect as possible. Because everyone's friends' lists had started including coworkers, last week's hookup, and that person they…

Don't get discouraged if it takes more than 10 days to disappear. I've started a new workout routine right after my period ended - the result was a 2 lb gain that stayed on for nearly a month. It took time for my muscles to adapt to my new routine, so I had a lot of fluid retention for a while, plus I started working out…

Laying in bed staring at the ceiling, I suddenly realized I wrote 1/2 cup dry. Meant 1/4 dry, 1/2 cup would be pretty carb-heavy! Whoops.

Pinterest is your best friend. Here's my chicken board: https://www.pinterest.com/crystalflame89/poultry/ Here's a few things I make frequently: Spanakopita Chicken Roll-Ups http://ifoodreal.com/healthy-spanakopita-chicken-roll-ups-recipe/ Chicken with Garlic Balsamic Tomatoes This one is good for throwing on a salad or…

I confess that my dad getting engaged and telling me after the fact really hurt, particularly because he never mentioned ring shopping, he talked to her family before proposing, and he invited all their friends over the night he proposed. Everyone knew but me. It's another thing in a series of thoughtless actions that…

Yes, definitely eat back exercise calories. Glad you're getting back in the gym, weight lifting is important. Once again, all about preserving muscle. Protein + weights are your friends.

I'm guessing you're currently set up to lose 2 lbs per week. That's probably still appropriate, but make sure you eat those 1600 calories. When you're less than 75 lbs from your goal weight, see what your weight loss rate is. If you're still losing 2+ lbs per week, change your goal to 1.5 lbs per week.

Hrm. First, what are your stats? 1600 calories might be appropriate for a shorter man, or someone who has a lot to lose. It's not going to be appropriate if you're tall and trying to shed some vanity lbs. Next, based on your entries, it doesn't look like you're weighing and measuring your food - I'm seeing cups, slices,…

For anyone interested, this post (whose advice I'd take with the salt grains accompanying my tequila shot) has lots of links to studies about how your body uses alcohol. http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html

I can understand your frustration, but I think you need to step back and consider things from his perspective. This whole post is about how YOU feel and what YOU want and what YOU wish he'd do. It's very self-centered and doesn't acknowledge any of his positive qualities. He doesn't want to eat smaller meals. He doesn't…

Ben & Jerry's between the two, unless Haagen-Dazs chocolate sorbet is available...That stuff's great. But Talenti gelato wins hands down. The fancy-pants grocery store I live next to came out with their own line of ice cream, and it's crazy wonderful, too. My freezer currently has 8 pints and 2 quarts of ice cream/gelato…

Spinach, feta, and sun-dried tomato stuffed chicken with a side of whatever veggie looks good and roastable. Possibly zucchini ;) Haven't logged it yet, might make some rice or couscous if there's calories for it. Or I might skip the starch and have pie for dessert. Decisions.

"Science" has concluded, repeatedly, that aspartame is perfectly safe. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/the-truth-about-aspartame.aspx http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2013.3496/abstract

I'm not normally a documentary person, but my husband started watching Raiders of the Lost Art while I was cooking dinner and I really enjoyed it. Chef's Table is on my list, but I technically can't recommend it yet. Given that I watch kids' shows on Netflix (Animaniacs, Phineas and Ferb) I definitely have kid-friendly…

Check out Strong Curves. It's a structured lifting program that's predominantly lower body.

The only place I've encountered competition like that is online - there seem to be people who want to show off how perfect their life is by bragging about how often they have sex, how often they get the kids a sitter and go out, how other people's partners are sooooo awful for not doing ____. ...Now that I think about it,…

We got married Sept 27th, 2014. Anniversary is still well over a month away, but we've got a big trip to New Zealand booked and I'm getting more and more excited as we nail down the details. I really love traveling with my husband - it brings out his best side. He's playful, romantic, his inner history nerd comes out and…

Why the sad face? Do you plan on eating "perfectly" for the rest of your life?

But this thread isn't small talk. It's a conversation about a specific subject that everyone participating in wants to contribute to. Anyone not interested has the option of not saying anything without being perceived as rude. On the other hand, "How are the kids?" "Oh, fine." while you're standing in an elevator is not a…