morgandy

I dreaded going gluten free... wheat has always been a staple in my diet! But it cleared up stomach issues I've been having for years and I've only been gluten free for 2 months now. Plus, the food situation is not nearly as bad as I thought... Some things that I've discovered so far: - Udi's gluten free bread and bagels…

I have a stevia plant in my greenhouse :) Definitely natural! This is my first summer experimenting with the plant, but I think all I have to do is dry the leaves and grind it. I plucked a leaf and put it in my mouth once and it was an explosion of sweetness. Very cool plant!

I'm cheering you on :) My mother had schizophrenia, but unfortunately my story does not have that great an ending. It took about 20 years for her to be diagnosed and she was eventually institutionalized. For most of my childhood, I have vivid memories of either my mom exhibiting symptoms or my dad struggling to convince…

I love that this topic was brought up! Mental health badly needs to be de-stigmatized. I've only struggled with depression and eating disorders, but my mom had paranoid schizophrenia. So while growing up, my family doctor always made a point of reminding me that it's quite possible for me or my brother to develop…

Good post. And food can absolutely be an addiction, especially when people use it for reason number 1. People also underestimate the power of food as an addiction, even me whose struggled with binging and purging for 10 years. I was just at an addictions workshop for family members the other day and the therapist there…

As soon as I wasn't terribly sore every time did a 30 DS session, I started going back to the gym again to incorporate a little more cardio in. But to each their own! For some, the 20 min seems to be enough (and is certainly, better than nothing!).

I used to do it regularly and feel like I must have stretched my stomach during that period, because if I tried it now, I would be in a lot of pain! In one sitting I've eaten: - An entire Large pizza - An entire pint of icecream - Donuts from Timmys And other times: - An entire loaf of bread with peanut butter (I should…

I'm 5'7 and small-boned, so my ultimate goal weight is 120 lbs. However, I think 125 is starting to look more realistic :) The more I tone, the more I realize I don't have as much to lose as I thought.

I tried to switch to decaf a few months back and it was an epic fail. Coffee and I will probably be lifers.

I was a serious binge eater for about 10 years. In the height of it, I could eat an entire large pizza with an entire cake and bucket of ice cream. To this day, I am amazed at what I put my body through. I did do a lot of counseling and had some great (and not so great) counselors help me through the worst of it. I also…

That's amazing!! Great work :) You look fabulous.

Carbs and protein!!! :D I'm so proud of myself, because normally my studying habits assume jube jubes and energy drinks are a food group. Last week was my big studying week for finals and I didn't crave sugar at all (though, I couldn't eliminate the energy drinks). What was different for me this year was that instead of my…

Oh, what about muffins? I used to make these amazing blueberry muffins that used mashed, ripe bananas instead of oil and butter for a nice, low fat option. You can keep them in your freezer and they travel easy.

I wondered this myself a little while ago. I used to avoid the Elliptical trainer like the plague in favor of the treadmill, because I always assumed nothing beat running for cardio. However, one day when I was really bored with my routine I jumped onto the elliptical and loved it. It was just so much fun! I also noticed I…

I usually eat muesli or oatmeal. There's a lot you can do with oatmeal :) And I mean the large, unprocessed oat flakes, not the instant stuff. It takes 10 minutes to cook on the stove and you can spice it up with nuts, cinnamon or nutmeg, honey, apple sauce, or anything else your creative inner chef can come up with.

Gotcha! My protein is pretty minimal, even without the added 15%. Plus, I've just been following the 1 lb a week MFP set up for me. Will give that a try. As for workout calories, I've never had any problems eating those! ;)

Great, thanks for the tips! I've been wanting to try a Zumba class forever, so maybe that's good incentive to just bite the bullet and do it. I'll try increasing my weights too.

I'm so excited to see a recipe for this! Definitely giving this one a try :)

I can relate. I once had symptoms so severe, that the first-aiders on my work site rushed me to the hospital thinking that my appendix was bursting. It was that painful! Tests that were run from that particular experience revealed absolutely nothing wrong me. Thankfully, my symptoms are not usually that severe. There are a…