kantone999 Member

Thanks! I love the support you get on this site...it really helps!

Congratulations to you both! Well done!

For me, it's not an ideal weight so much as it's an ideal SIZE. I looked my best in a size 6 or 7. I weigh in but I don't really care how much I weigh. So far I've gone from a size 14 to an 8-9. That puts me 2 sizes from perfect for me but only halfway to my goal weight so you can see what I mean. I'm extremely muscular,…

The calories you ingest aren't immediately available to burn. They have to be metabolized. That said, if you eat honey (already glucose plus an enzyme which helps utilize it) it's more quickly available for usable fuel than say a baked potato.The muscles and brain burn glucose; the heart burns fat. You need both for…

Well, if you just want the taste of wine and don't really care about getting tipsy, alcohol free wines have up to 75% fewer calories. You can heat your own favorite GENTLY which evaporates some of the alcohol. It's not a bad idea anyway--alcohol is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer.

If you drink enough, it can be problematic. Caffeine raises blood cortisol levels (that's the stress hormone) that make you crave carbs and put on weight for the dreaded spare tire effect. I drink Lipton decaf green tea--4 mg caffeine per tea bag. You do lose some of the anti-oxidants but you avoid the cortisol problem.

I said 52 to lose but I may need to go to 60 when I get there and see how I look. Feel free to add me.

Feel free to add me! We're all in this togetrher...

I was stuck for four whole months at the same weight. (The good news is I didn't gain any of what I'd lost back.) What turned the trick for me was lowering fat, upping complex carbs and adding a mile a day to my walk. Look at your fat intake. If you eat 100 extra fat calories, 97 get converted to body fat. If you eat 100…

MFP's calculator bases your daily calorie intake on what you need to lose weight at the rate you selected in your profile. So you can eat back your exercise calories and still lose weight. HOWEVER, my supposed daily caloric "need" according to MFP is over 1600. This is WAAAAY over what my nutritionist said which was…

Cortisol is the "stress hormone." It dumps into our bloodstream when we feel threatened--gotta carbo-load to run from that sabre-tooted tiger. (Obviously your reptile brain does not keep up with species extinction news.) Anyway, cortisol makes you crave carbs; carbs usually result in excess calorie intake and POOF! Spare…

I started sprinkling a little baking soda under my arms after showering--not much does the trick and if you use too much you could get a rash--and no more problems. I only notice the extreme BO when I wear synthetic fabrics when working out. 100% cotton, not so much.

You had a fair amount of simple carbs made with refined wheat yesterday which are high glycemic foods. They always make me hungry--makes your blood sugar spike then plummet. Instead of the Keebler crackers, try switching to Wasa Flatbread or Dr. Kracker. The wasabread has 7 gms of fiber per piece and fewer calories. If…

I take them for the anti-oxidant value. It's such a small amount it probably doesn't have much effect on weight loss but I drink the juice from time to time.

Feel free to add me. The best advice I have is 1) don't give up and 2) focus on what you're doing right. That would be 1) trying to lose weight 2) tracking your progress 3) losing when you stay with the plan 4) knowing what you're doing wrong 5) and reaching out for help when you need it. Remember, it takes about 28 days…

You need to flip your calorie consumption around. 400 calories is about what you should have LEFT when you get home. Eat most of your calories earlier in the day. I went to the six mini-meal routine and am rarely hungry. If you allow yourself to get hungry, your appestat lags about 15-20 minutes after you're actually…

MFP is set up for a daily calorie deficit which creates the impression that we blew it when in truth, it was only a fluke. I weigh-in weekly so I look at the week's calories deficit. If I go off the rails one day, I up my exercise until the next weigh-in, reduce fat calories for the next few days and increase complex carbs…

Lots of salad an veggies, grilled meats. Seafood is low-cal depending on how prepared and almost always a better choice than chicken, fruit for dessert. Do you have a smartphone? And are you going to get international cell service while you're gone? If so, download the MFP app. I use the BlackBerry version wherever I go.…

I use Designer Protein Whey, Natural flavor because it's really low sodium. I hide the taste in milk or stir it into my cereal. If you like cinnamon (which boosts sugar metabolism especially coupled with chromium) that does a pretty good job making it palatable.

MFP is set up for a daily calorie deficit. I weigh in weekly. Somedays I may not have time for much exercise and it may be on a higher calorie intake day. I keep tabs by the week...if I go over calories I walk on the weekend to make up for it. By Monday weigh-in I'm still in line for the week. One of my friends does it by…

You could try staying at the same calories and holding out 100-200 from a meal to eat later when the hunger pangs hit. Since I went to the 6 mini-meals seems I'm always eating. I'm never hungry that's for sure.

Ok, you had a bad week. We all do from time to time. Shake it off. It takes 28 days to establish a new habit in the brain's circuitry and 90 days to make it permanent. Hang in there--don't give up. Give your brain a chance to help and work for you instead of cruise on autopilot. Drinking water before a meal does help you…

As to carbs, I can tell you from personal experience that they are NOT evil. I was stuck at 160/161 pounds for 4 whole months. I came across an article mentioning that if you eat 100 excess fat calories, 97 are converted to bodyfat (they're already triglycerides so not much work to convert). But if you eat 100 complex…

Feel free to add me!

Good for you! You've taken that all-important first step--deciding to change. One thing you might consider is the no-snack policy. It's easier to keep blood sugar levels stabilized with 5-6 "meals" per day. I'm doing this so feel free to add me as a friend so you can see my food diary. Snacks can be healthy--i agree with…

Plain tea has no calories but the caffeine can throw a wrench in the weight loss gears. Caffeine stimulates the production of cortisol. Cortisol is the main culprit behind both carb cravings and the infamous "spare tire." High levels of blood cortisol tell the body "a sabre toothed tiger is after us (or whatever you find…

We are so conditioned to look at what's wrong that we forget how many things are right. Along with better eating and exercise habits, we have to improve our mental outlook as well. The best advice I can give you is to catch yourself every time your thoughts go into a downward spiral and say, "I may not be perfect but I'm…

Welcome to MFP! Feel free to add me. We're all in this together.

Feel free to add me as a friend so you can see my food diary. I'm doing 6 meals/day with 1200 calories per day. The easy way is 500-400-300. Big breakfast (300-350 calories) to fuel up. Eat the other 150-200 as a mid-morning mini-meal. 300 calorie lunch and a 100-calorie mini-meal. 200-300 calorie dinner with 50-100…

That MIGHT mean you're losing muscle instead of fat. Are you giving your muscles a day between weight training to recover and build mass? Are you eating enough protein for your weight training regimen? Are you drinking enough water, especially after weight training? Know your target heart rate and stay in the midrange of…