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MFP makes it easy to change your eating habits. Just be sure to log all your food, estimate to the best of your ability when the food isn't in the database, and stick with the recommendations. I find the real strength of the program is late in the day. Log your breakfast and lunch, eat what you feel like eating, and then…
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I use a Vivoactive HR, I love it. I would recommend that model as a base line as I've heard the Vivosmart and lower end models have some limitations (I would go with Fitbit if your budget is below the Vivoactive HR price, and be sure to get heart rate). A runner friend of mine (great guy, he helps with my running a lot)…
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Do what you can. Like LenGray said, if it feels like running, it counts as running for your body. Every step counts... before long you'll start noticing you can go faster and further. My usual speeds are 15:00 / km (2.5 mph, 4 km/h) for recovery, 10:00/km (3.75 mph, 6 km/h) for walking, 8-9:00/km (4.4 mph, 7 km/h) for low…
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Hey Mike, you chose a great way to lose weight. Log your food, know what you're eating and follow the system. Before long you'll start noticing results. Hang on to every little improvement and with time you'll reach your goals. Don't hesitate to turn to the community if you need some motivation -- you can do it!
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My mom was diagnosed last year and she was devastated by it. Her diet wasn't great -- lots of ice cream and unhealthy snacks. She monitored her blood sugar diligently and, thanks to some lifestyle changes and medications, she eventually beat her Type 2 diabetes. (I don't have it, though it does run in the family and I'm…
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Congratulations everyone! I smoked for many years but thanks to e-cigarettes I'm now smoke free. I gradually cut back until I was only smoking in the car and now I'm completely off "fire cigarettes". True I do need my vaporizer, but even that I am trying to reduce. I'm using nicotine patches and gradually lowering the nic…
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MapMyRun has Insanity as one of the options. Log it in there, and it'll show up properly logged in MFP if you have the apps connected. Actually, it's got a lot of different Insanity workouts.
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Protein before exercise helps prevent the body from using muscle tissue as energy. Generally I think the usual advice is to have some carbs, mostly but not all complex carbs, and some protein before exercise, and protein after. But as has been said, this does not affect weight loss. It just may help you see some…
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I wore a Fitbit Charge HR for a year, now I wear a Garmin vivoactive HR which is a bit more of a smart watch. It's definitely worth it, it's sort of like a dashboard for your body that shows heart rate and level of activity. I never had any unusual comments...people were mostly interested in what it did. And I never felt…
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I've had a Fitbit Charge HR and now wear a Garmin vivoactive HR. I like it much better. It costs more... about $100 more than a Charge 2, but it's much more versatile. It has a large screen instead of just numbers and it also will get notifications from your phone. It has apps for tracking runs, swims, walks and other…
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I think the first time I noticed calories on a menu (besides fast food places) was at a hotel bar back in October. The room service menu had calories as well. I think it's a positive step as certain dishes can have many more (or less) calories than you might expect. For McDonald's it really will go to show how many…
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A mat will be a good thing to have for bodyweight exercise. You will also benefit from having some dumbbells (it's easier to get them in pairs) of whatever weight you think you'll be good with. Try them in the store before you buy. Also a set of resistance bands. The bowling ball shaped weights are kettlebells, there are…
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Yes, it's shin splints, I probably just should've called them that :) They don't last long, they go away when I'm done running, but I will try the stretching for now. Sounds like I can keep running, which is good. For running outdoors I have some boots that basically force a heel strike, that may help as well because I…
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Endomondo interval training based on C25K, 2.9 km in 25 minutes here. On a treadmill, it's too cold to run outside (I could do it but don't have great cold weather gear). Part of that was a 10 minute warmup/cooldown so it's not as slow as it seems, I averaged about 8:00 min/km on the running segments.
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Creatine has some other benefits besides adding muscle bulk. It also improves endurance for cardio, for example. However if you've decided you don't want it then that's fine, especially if you know it's bad for your skin. I don't use mass gainer myself but this page may help…
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The water loss may not happen if your calories in are similar to calories out. The water is a byproduct of the body burning protein (including muscle) for energy. You also lose a lot of glycogen, a medium-term storage method for energy. If you aren't getting much energy in, the glycogen storage stays empty and the body…
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You have to confront your fears in order to overcome them. The best way to do this is by gradual steps. You need to allow yourself to do something that you can handle, not something overwhelming. For example you might try just walking to the end of the driveway a couple times a day. Then walk to the next house. Then two…
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If you're new you can avoid the free weights and focus on the machines. There are some advantages to free weights but they won't make a difference if you're new. Having a trainer help you will be good, you will need to set the seats and some other positions on the machine to fit your body. (Everyone has to do that, I do it…
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I have had the Runtastic Combo and Polar H7. One neat feature of both is they will communicate with cardio equipment at the gym so your heart rate will appear without having to hold the sensors. This is especially useful on a treadmill because you don't have to hold onto the frame, or on a bike because you don't have to…
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Congratulations on starting your journey! It's slow going at times but you'll start getting some results before long, and it's well worth it. I actually don't use a food scale. Most of my meals are ... well, to be honest, half my food is a matter of counting scoops of protein powder. Much of the rest is packaged or premade…
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I use about 40% protein, 15% fat, 45% carbs. This is a LOT of protein but I need it to gain muscle.. also, whenever I crave food it's always protein. Goes without saying that most of this protein is from whey protein powder... it's impossible to get to 200-300g a day without using it. So about half my total food intake is…
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No resolution here. I did decide to start working on my form a bit more, and I'm going to be adding in pushups and situps to my home workouts along with some dumbbell exercises. But those are just ordinary changes that don't have much to do with January 1st. LOTS of people seem to have made a resolution to join my gym, a Y…
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I'm not aware of any apps that include balance boards as an exercise. Simply Fit isn't the first balance board, they've been around for practicing balance for skateboarding for a while, although they're really not a substitute for riding a board. FWIW you could select skateboarding, it's a decent medium-intensity workout…
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There's always someone on the leg press at my gym. I usually keep an eye on it and, if I finish an exercise and see it's free, I go over to it. One nice gesture is to offer to spray down the machine for the person who just finished. I leave the popular machines like leg press until later just so I can squeeze it into the…
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I've tried Fitnessbuddy and Gym Goal. So far, it's easiest to just use the gym software, Activetrax.
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It always worked ok for me. Make sure fitbit steps are turned on both in Fitbit's app and here at MFP. If it doesn't start working in a few days just call both companies for support.
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Mine was Shoulder Focus day at the gym (local YMCA). I've been going about 6 months, two months ago the old online tracking program (Fitlinxx) went out of business. Bad news was the machines no longer track our range of motion or count reps for us. But I like Activetrax because you get a new workout every time. This was…
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Yes, you should use the weight before cooking. That's what you see in all the commercials... it's why a Quarter Pounder doesn't actually weigh 1/4 pound before they put it on a bun etc.
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I use Endomondo, one of the Under Armour apps. It has both iPad and iPhone versions so it's good if you have multiple devices.
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I just got a Polar H7 heart rate belt and, if it's placed directly at heart level, the belt is within about 5 bpm of the watch. The belt is always higher. That belt doesn't sync with the Vivoactive... the Polar belt is Bluetooth and 5 kHz Polar. Garmin's belt is ANT+ and Bluetooth. The Vivoactive uses ANT+, smartphones use…
