amberpryor

In my experience, if I take a rest day, I am 10x less likely to work out the next day. In other words, if I get out of my routine, I may stay out for quite awhile. So my rest day just involves less strenuous activity, like walking or lighter yoga. Or if you mostly only work out your lower body (with the elliptical), then…

I get that all the time. And yes, I am "thin/slender" and within my healthy weight range, but I weigh more than I used to, and I see which parts of my body I still need to work on. Besides, I think it's good for EVERYONE to eat well and exercise, so it's more than just a weight-loss lifestyle... it's a healthy lifestyle.…

I gave up soda for several reasons. 1) I get addicted to caffeine very easily. If I have a soda one day, and then don't have one the next day, I get a withdrawal headache. I used to keep drinking them to avoid the withdrawal. 2) I wanted to whiten my teeth, but felt like it was pointless if I was going to continue staining…

Stevia was never "banned" in the US, but it used to be required to be labeled as a "dietary supplement" and was never found in the sweetener aisle. Maybe in the supplements aisle. As little as 2-3 years ago, I had to buy stevia from a health food store or online. However, now it is found right there with the other sugar…

I'm sure you'll get lots of great advice on here! But one thing I've learned on MFP is that you have to eat back all of your exercise calories if you expect to lose weight. Don't cut too many calories or your body goes into starvation mode and holds onto all of the fat - which of course is the opposite of what you're…

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I am able to maintain focus a lot easier when I'm alone. Plus, I hate it when I want to go a lot faster or harder than the person I'm with. It becomes a social outing rather than a workout. On the other hand, in a group class, I tend to try a little harder to keep up with…

I tend to go easy on the calorie-counting on the weekends. It's just harder to keep up with in IMO - I'm out of the house more, not necessarily cooking my own food, not near my laptop where I can log cals. But I still try to make fairly healthy choices, and keep portion sizes in check. I see special events (birthdays,…

I've spent several years trying to find a balance with this area. My in-laws have been my "food enemies" in the past. They seem to only want to feed my kids sugar and fat, and healthy food does not exist in their home, despite my mother-in-law's constant complaints that she wants to lose weight. What I have come up with is…

That is so inspiring! I can't wait to be able to post "after" pics! You look outstanding!

This article says that it's important to have carbs WITH protein. And there is debate about the ratio. But it also says that eating this within 30-40 minutes of your workout is very important, and eating it within 10 minutes of the workout would is TWICE as good! Depending on when I work out, if it's right before a meal, I…

I think this is where I got into trouble. I had been eating around 1200 calories a day, and suddenly I was expected to eat nearly 1700! I didn't feel like I should be eating so much! My problem, apparently, was that I had changed my activity level to "Lightly Active" - just like you said. I'm really not sure if my…

You know what? Maybe I changed my activity level or something. I just went back in and played with it, and the exercise is not affecting my calorie count. Sorry about that!

I'd like some more clarification on this. When I told MFP that I would do NO exercise, it gave me a daily calorie goal of 1240. Once I changed my goals to 30-minute workouts 5 times a week, it upped my goal to 1380. Then it STILL adds in my exercise calories. So I am confused about whether or not I should eat back all of…