BlackKat75 Member

I agree with the people who state that this is a lifestyle change and not a diet! Things that have helped me keep on track for the past 13 months: - prelog food, but never prelog exercise - once I've closed my diary for the day after dinner, no reopening it - take advantage of the extra time on weekends to do more exercise…

I was *so* sore after the first couple of days - had to walk downstairs backwards because my quads were burning. Just finished Day 10 of Level 1 today and I'm on to Level 2 tomorrow. Do not be afraid to take rest days as needed - Jillian herself has said it wasn't meant to be done 30 days straight through. I'm aiming to do…

I started the 30DS a couple of weeks ago, and like you I was *really* sore after the first couple of days. I've read in other forums that Jillian herself didn't intend for the program to be done in 30 straight days, but rather recommends 5 out of 7 days, which is what I've been doing. No longer sore and still sticking to…

Something I've found - find a route that you enjoy walking. My weekend route is alongside the Mississippi river and it's really pretty, but my daily route is around the fancy houses near me. I think enjoying the view motivates you to keep walking. (But don't be afraid to explore somewhere new as well.)

I would follow the advice of trying to build into endurance walks and adding distance rather than adding weight. Putting weight on or walking with handweights can affect your body mechanics and put things out of whack. Find some hills and try to build your endurance that way - and also try to increase your speed. Running…

Also - weigh your dry oats rather than rely on dry volume to figure out calorie count. According to the label, 1/2 cup of old-fashioned oats is 40 grams for 150 calories. However, when I fill a 1/2 cup with oats it weighs 51 grams for 191 calories. If you want your diary to be accurate, you should rely on the weight…

It's even easier than that - you can add recipes here on MFP! Go to the Food Tab, then click the link for "recipes," (fifth white link over), then click on the green "enter new recipe" button, and then you add your ingredients, set your servings, and it calculates the nutritional info for you. It also saves the recipe so…

Nothing beats "shopping in your closet." I've slowly begun to fit back into clothes that I hadn't worn in years. (Still have one pair of pants that is still a smidge too tight...) Funny how I kept all these smaller sizes for years, but I'm now taking all of my bigger clothes out of my closet and to Goodwill. I don't want…

^^^^I love all of this with my whole heart.

Ditto. Love this thing.

Find out what works for you that keeps you at your daily calorie goal. Some people swear by lots of smaller meals throughout the day. I tried that and I just felt hungry all the time. Some people swear by a big lunch - that makes me sleepy for the afternoon. What works for me is a biggish breakfast, small lunch, and big…

Try to find out where you're going to go and have a look at the menu in advance if possible. Nothing worse than thinking you've made a smart choice, only to realize after the fact that what you picked was actually really calorie laden. (This can often be true for restaurant salads which can often hide a lot of calories and…

I've just started 30 DS and I'm trying to do that every day. I live in Minnesota and prefer to walk / run outdoors, so my exercise has suffered for the past few months. Even so, I do try and get a long walk (5-6 miles) in on Saturday and Sunday, and then at least walk for 45 minutes or so a couple of times a week. (When…

I totally get it. I've been on here over a year, and I only just told people in real life about the existence of MFP and how I've found success with it. I don't have any friends on here that know me in real life and I purposefully picked a screen name that I have never used on any other boards, etc. I felt this was…

I'm 5'5" and I started on here last February weighing 177 pounds and a tight size 14. Today, I'm 139.8 and between a size 6 and a size 8. You can look at my profile and see my photos to see the change - my first photo (with a curling broom and a beer) is from the same day I signed up for MFP. My current profile pic (with…

^^^^THIS! According to the nutrition label, a serving of old-fashioned oats is 1/2 cup, which they say weighs 40 grams, and has a calorie value of 150 calories. I used these values for months until I finally wised up and actually weighed what my 1/2 cup of oats actually weighed - turned out it was 51 grams, for a total…

I had 3 known kidney-stone attacks about 10 years ago. Last one blocked my kidney from draining and required a stent to be put in to allow the kidney to drain while I waited for lithotripsy. In a random follow-up appointment, my urologist referred me to an endocrinologist because my parathyroid hormone (PTH) level was…

Chin up and think about this day as motivation as you keep moving forward. About this time last year, I came to the shocking realization that the largest of my size 14 pants were becoming uncomfortably tight. By that point I had hardly any dress pants that I could wear to work, and I was constantly wearing the biggest…

Great job!! BTW, I *love* your shirt in the first pic! :)

Like most of the others, it depends on what it is, but generally I would rather have the "real thing" than a chemical-laden facsimile thereof. I use butter rather than margarine, real sour cream, gelato, etc. I just ensure that it fits within my calorie goals and enjoy it in moderation. I'd rather have one rich delicious…

One thing I wish I had done at the start of my weight loss journey was take my measurements. Sometimes the scale doesn't really move, but your measurements change. This is great motivation when it seems like the number on the scale doesn't budge. Take you measurements now and keep track of them as well as your weight.

That's true on the straight-up TDEE plan, which IPOARM suggests a setting of activity level above sedentary. What I've found works for me, is to figure out TDEE at a sedentary level, take a cut from that, and then add back in my exercise calories. I'm still eating above BMR, but I have found that, for me personally, adding…

I downloaded Zen Labs' C210K app, and its first 8 weeks are the same as its C25K app, and then it progresses further to the 10k distance. This sounds like it might be perfect for you.

Yes - net 1700, so you'd eat back all your exercise calories. (TDEE generally doesn't have you eating back exercise cals unless you set you set your self as sedentary). (And don't feel bound to the 1700 number, I was just trying to find something above your BMR, but below the number that hasn't been working for you.)

I agree with the recommendations about adding more whole fruits / vegetables to your intake. As for figuring out the proper calorie intake for you, I would recommend taking at least a month and weighing and logging everything. (Weighing is a key part of this - volume measures on calorie labels are notoriously unreliable).…

Nope. I've found MFP underestimates my calorie burn on walking / running, and I always eat back all of my exercise calories. I've had to up my calories above the number suggested by MFP and routinely find that other apps (e.g. Runkeeper) estimate my calorie burn at a higher level than MFP. If you don't want to spring for a…

Yeah, you can add a recipe on MFP. Under the Food tab, click the link Recipe, then click on the green "Create New Recipe" button - you indicate the number of servings, then enter all of the ingredients, and voila it's saved! The only fiddly part is that you can't easily edit the amounts of various ingredients once you've…

I remember reading an article about this in the New York Times last year, I believe it was this one: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/tara-parker-pope-fat-trap.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 It's an interesting read.

Feel free to add me. I also generally post recipes I try on my MFP blog.

I like most fruits and veggies, but my husband is a little bit pickier. The key is finding things you like - try some things you may not have liked before - you may be surprised that your tastes have changed. Wilted spinach can easily be added to a lot of recipes, and it soaks up flavor from sauces, etc. Roasted vegetables…