rebecca_d35

Hey, I wear a 12, too. And they don't seem to be getting any smaller, even though I'm now a size 6 in clothes. All I can say is: J. Crew and Nordstrom Rack. Great shoes in a size 12!

Yoga, yoga, yoga. It makes a huge difference.

Hi and welcome! I lost a bunch of weight when I was your age, so I get where you are coming from. I did it my freshman year of college, when I was 17. And this is how I did it: I walked EVERYWHERE. I never walked in high school because everyone drives in my hometown. But I went to college on this beautiful, walkable, hilly…

Ooh, I know. Send him a Snack-Trap full of goldfish and a juicebox.

I know this gets said here a lot, but: have you measured yourself? Or gone shopping? Or taken new photos? I thought I hadn't made any progress in a couple of months. Then I went shopping because I'd noticed my jeans were all fitting weird. Turns out I'd gone from an 8 (and those were getting tight) to a 6 (and those were…

As a mother to a daughter, I'd like to imagine a 16-year-old girl isn't worried about hitting a particular (low) weight. But in general, 104 isn't too low for someone 5'1", as long as it's achieved healthfully.

I think that sometimes, non-fat is the healthier choice. But if it's a food that needs to have fat to do what it's supposed to do (like fat-free half-and-half), the stuff added to get the right flavor or mouthfeel is unhealthier than the fat itself. Non-fat creamer tends to have weird stuff like corn syrup solids (!?) as…

I just built up distance until I hit 3-4 miles comfortably, several days a week. Now I've started working a little on speed, though I noticed my speed increased considerably as I built up endurance. Speed work is fun!

Ditto on the breath giving out before the legs. Now I'm older and my legs definitely get sore, but my lungs feel like they could go on forever. Especially on these gorgeous spring mornings.

I am definitely coming around to your way of thinking. Fitness NSV: After years of shuffling along on my 2 mile "runs," I now easily run 3-5 miles most days without getting winded. And maybe more importantly, now I LOVE it. And this made my week: I noticed my jeans all look sloppy on me, so I finally went to the GAP to buy…

Hey-- I don't know if this will be any help at all because 1) I took the the G.R.E. 10 years ago and 2) I didn't study, but I didn't find the test too tough. At least, not the language section. I do sort of wish I'd looked over a study guide beforehand, just for the math section. But my grad program only looked at the…

Hey--You are right that this has been discussed before, but those old threads tend to get lost. So I think it's fine to raise it again. I think my goal weight is set at 140; I'm also 5'10". But, honestly, I now weigh about 158 and feel pretty good. And I know from past experience that 5'10 and muscular looks very healthy…

"Hey. Are you her nanny?"

I run super-early in the morning, but I love the idea above of letting my kids play in the middle of a track while I run around it. My daughter is still a little too young for even that level of supervision, but in a couple of years, maybe I'll try that. As it is, though, whenever I'm not at work or taking care of the…

You are just about me exactly! Except I am training for a 10k. I am 5'10, a shade under 160, and a very healthy eater. I've upped my mileage from around 6-8 miles/week to around 20, watched my calories (sort of, though not strictly) and am not losing. But my body looks different. I can pull off all my size 8 pants without…

1.4 pounds is nothing--could be water alone. And you are amazing! Good for you for running that race. I would be so proud.

Bumping for the same advice. Good luck with your training--I'm in the same boat!

@BreakingOath--Thanks. I thought that as I upped my mileage, weight would just disappear. But so far, I seem to be eating enough to make up for it. :) And @BrianSharpe, thanks for the article. Am going to read it now. I am starting to incorporate some intervals into my running but I need to get more regular about it.

The NY Times on Wednesday had an article with three really great sounding cabbage recipes. I want to try them all! http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/dining/cabbage-flexes-its-brawn-three-ways.html?scp=2&sq=cabbage&st=cse

Ugh--insomnia is the worst. I was just thinking the other day that chronic insomnia has got to be one of the toughest things to deal with. For me, exercise has been enormously helpful. If I run in the morning, I almost always get a great night of sleep that night. Good luck!

How much are you looking to lose? I know some people just can't drop the last few pounds until they wean. I lost weight like crazy while nursing, but I was also walking a lot (enjoying a spring maternity leave). Definitely don't cut calories to the point where your supply suffers. I probably ate about 2,300 calories a day…

I also have about 10 pounds I'd like to lose, and I realized that with such a small goal, it didn't make sense to aim for a pound a week. So I changed my settings to .5 lbs a week. Now I get 1650 calories a day--much easier to maintain. I run almost every day and I absolutely eat most of those calories back!

Oh, bummer. I was going to say "BOB." Have you looked at Craigslist for used ones? There are always several for sale in my area.

Probably. All the muscle definition in my arms is from pushing a double stroller and lifting my giant children.

They're using it as an example. "Walking slowly" (as you would pushing a stroller) vs. "Brisk walking" (as if you were exercising). I can attest that brisk walking with a stroller is an excellent workout! :)

Here's the study: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/archinternmed.2011.2287 I'm just passing it on; I'm not a vegetarian, though I think it's probably a good thing to be.

Hi! I know a lot of people will recommend programs, and they are probably great. I just sort of did it on my own, though. I was a very casual runner for about 10 years: I ran, on average, about 2 miles, 2-3 days a week. Then I decided to up my distances. So one day I tried for 3 miles. It was totally fine--in fact, I found…

^^This.

Almonds, avocado, cheese. Pretty much all my favorite foods. :)

I don't think you should let that number bother you. In fact, if you know you aren't eating a lot of "bad" sugar, I'd consider not tracking sugar at all. I don't, though my automatic set-up does track carbs. I don't think you should do anything that discourages you from eating fruit or other healthy foods.