shano25 Member

I've had quite a few people at my gym ask me why they aren't losing weight when they are doing over an hour of cardio each day (they just move from machine to machine.) First thing I always ask them about is their diet and we very quickly discover that it's their eating habits that need to change.

I workout after I drop my kids to school so I make a smoothie for breakfast with a banana, frozen fruit, vegan protein powder, oats, and flax milk and I have that 45 minutes before I get to the gym. I used to just eat my regular breakfast of oatmeal and fruit but I found that too heavy in my stomach and if I had just some…

The most I gained on vacation was 8lbs in one week. That was because it was my first vacation in the US in a long time and I wanted to eat everything we don't have at home. And boy did I. Now when we go on vacation, I don't go as hard but I still let myself enjoy whatever I want and usually gain up to 5lbs. When I come…

Yep, I was just about to type in diastasis recti. It's easy to find out if you have it. With pregnancy, our abdominal muscles separate and they don't always go back. The more children you have, the higher the chances that the separation remains. If you do have it, doing things like crunches is not going to fix anything,…

We always carry a cooler with us so we can bring foods that need to keep cool without having to worry about a fridge. There's always an ice machine at the hotel to refill the cooler. I also map out before where there are grocery stores or Walmarts/Targets along the way so that I can stop there and pick up healthier choices…

On days like that, I do an exercise video before the kids get up or after they go to bed. Or I try to get them to exercise with me. We'll lift weights or do yoga together. My 6 year old likes to climb on me during yoga so that adds to the challenge. I know that I can't aim for steps on those days but I always try to get in…

Inaccurate. I'm 5'7", 140lbs, I do weight training 3-4 times a week + cardio +yoga and I stepped on one of those scales and it told me I had 35% body fat. So I laughed at it. I had friends who used the same scale, who weigh more than me and live sedentary life styles and the scale gave them a lower number. Go by what the…

I like Blue Sky. I used to be a cola addict, and I find theirs is very close to the big name brands. I've tried Zevia and it's good but it's different. If you're looking to stay as close to the big brands, I'd go for Blue Sky first.

Popcorn addict here. And movie popcorn especially. My favourite popcorn right now is Kettle Brand White Cheddar. Speaking of, there's an unopened bag in the cupboard....

I use the Vega Smoothie Infusions powder. I prefer the Tropical Tango or the Chocolate flavour, the Vanilla tastes a little chalky to me. I use the powder with banana, kale, frozen fruit, oats, flax seed, and almond or flax milk. My husband adds goji berries and bee pollen to his.

Do you have a large hill nearby? I live near one and every day there are a ton of us out there walking up and down the hill. It's a great workout. I don't go to the gym and I hate running. So I go for walks each day and other than that I do workout videos or dumbbells at home. I hate doing the same routine over and over so…

Lentils, beans, oatmeal, cinnamon, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, quinoa, pasta, brown rice, broccoli - all of these are staples in my diet and I get enough iron as a vegetarian. There are actually a lot of ways to get iron in your diet, and tons of lists you can find through google. If you're really worried about it you…

Soy free/Dairy Free Milk (Almond, Coconut, or Flax) Banana 1 Fruit (Berries or Mango) + 1 Green (Kale or Spinach) Flax Seeds Vega Protein Powder

I can't really help in terms of the running questions, but as someone who has anxiety, have you tried yoga? Bikram Yoga does for my anxiety what running does for yours. And I understand that not everyone has access to a bikram studio or wants to do it yoga in the heat, but any yoga is very good. I have a few relaxation…

Often when people go vegetarian they lose a lot of weight because everything about the way they eat changes. They're more mindful of what they are eating and they begin to cut out more than just meat. But others around them just see them losing a lot of weight and attribute it all to the meat or lack of it. It sounds like…

Judging by your diary, your diet would be my first though. I'm female and I find if I eat less than 1800 calories a day, I get headaches and have no energy. I don't know what your goals are in terms of weight loss, but you may want to consider upping your calorie intake and see if that makes a difference. You may also want…

I'm vegetarian and I get a good amount of protein in each day. Protein powder in my smoothies really helps (I use Vega) but I do get enough through food. My diary is open, feel free to browse through and ask if you have any questions about meals. (I'd be seriously hungry after eating the lunch you mentioned!)

I walk everywhere, summer or winter. And by winter I mean Canadian winter (not Winnipeg winter though, that just defies logic). I wear layers, a t-shirt, then a sweatshirt then my down winter jacket, unless it's above freezing then I wear a sporty anorak. I usually just wear leggings and one pair of socks. If it's windy, I…

Potato chips - any brand, any flavour. Movie popcorn with butter, from the movie theatre, nothing from the store trying to masquerade itself as movie popcorn. Have been known to either go to the theatre and buy it without seeing a movie as well as making other people who go to the movies bring some back for me. White…

I have a hard time eating breakfast (I'm just not hungry when I wake up) so mine are basic but during the week I eat oatmeal with cinnamon. On weekends, peanut butter on toast. And I love going out to our local breakfast place for 3 eggs sunny side up, toast, home fries, and pancakes! And tea. Always tea. With lots of milk.

I did a very heavy leg day last week, then went out with friends the next day. We got to a few steps and while they walked up them, I just stood at the bottom contemplating how I was going to do it. That was a fantastic workout.

So basically your original post is giving us your reasons why you have trouble exercising and you're asking what we do to get around it. I get it, telling you to make time doesn't help, you want to know what works for us to get around the excuses. Cold weather - I get it, I'm Canadian. Layers of clothing don't get in the…

I have experienced dizziness but not from skipping one meal one day. I find it happens to me if I go at least a few days not eating right. For me personally, this will occur if I'm eating less than 1600 calories each day. What you are describing has happened to me in those instances and has contributed to an anxiety…

I'm 5'7" and used to be 124lbs...and yeah, walking and yoga are good exercises for maintaining health and you're not going to lose weight from doing it if you're eating that many calories (I used to eat a bit more than that at that weight and maintained.) Even now at 5'7" and 135lbs, walking and yoga is what I do at a base…

A few suggestions: Try cooking dinner using a slow cooker or cooking meals on the weekend and freezing them. This will cut down on the time you spend on dinner. Incorporate exercise into walking the dog. If you're going to be standing around, do squats or lunges or jumping jacks or any exercise that you can do outside. Use…

I like videos from Rodney Yee or Yoga Journal. The yoga journal website has a great tool where you can design your own sequences and it explains to you how to do the poses. It will also give you pose suggestions based on medical issues you have or limitations. Going to studios to start is good just to make sure that you…

I like to do frozen meals so I just don't have to cook often. I usually do pastas and lasagnas. I also buy a bunch of veggies, chop them all up, and divide them between a few freezer bags so I can have my vegetables ready for a stirfry. You can also marinate meat and then freeze it so you just take it out and bake. I tend…

I struggle hitting my protein levels. I use a vegan protein powder in my smoothies to help me get a good start. I try to make sure I have beans or lentils at both lunch and dinner. One of my favourite meals is black bean wrap. Between the beans, tortilla wrap, cheese and sour cream, and any vegetables you want to add, I…

Try sneaking them in. Do you eat pasta with sauce? Add some pureed carrots to the sauce. Like mashed potatoes? Add some mashed cauliflower. Do you have smoothies? Throw some leafy greens in there. I'm sure there are certain meals you do eat that you can sneak a pureed vegetable into.

I use Vega protein powders. I haven't tried a vanilla one yet, but I've liked each one I have tried so far.