Jetta_C

Use the empirical method, meaning learn what works by experimentation. It is likely to be different for different people. I get weirdly hyper on very low calories and have an edgy energy that would have me working out 3 hours a day when I have time. But you mention on MFP that you've had only 600 calories today but worked…

Honestly, for me, it is to be "light". When I was at my heaviest, there would be this ritual I went through every morning. I would wake up, step out of bed...and feel all the weight that I needed to carry around that day. I would feel how, even first thing in the morning, it was already hurting my knees and ankles. And I…

Do you have an at-home glucose monitor? Where you prick your finger and see what your current glucose level is? Sounds like that would be a worthy investment for you. You can use it to see what your fasting glucose is BUT you can also use it to see how a particular meal affects glucose level spikes, by testing before on an…

I am well aware that CRON is not the same as orthexia (I believe that was the whole point of my post but sorry if it did not come through clearly.) I was saying more as an explanation and perhaps a plea that, if you run into someone who follows nutrition closely, eats far fewer calories than you "think is healthy" and…

Sigh - everything has to be a "syndrome" now, doesn't it??? Since I practice CRON (calorie restriction w/ optimal nutrition) I get accused of this all the time. It gets tiresome. The people that have problems often have general anxiety and OCD issues in many parts of their lives. This is just how it manifests in diet. As I…

If I were you, I would take this easy, early weight loss as a gift. It will get harder later as your body becomes more metabolically efficient.

I agree that what people see as "normal" nowadays, at least in the US, is actually slightly overweight. Had an interesting experience with this the last time I got my body fat tested. I am about 66.5 inches in height and have a fairly low weight goal (125 lbs) because I am practicing CRON (calorie restriction/ optimal…

Wow - congratulations! Have you had your lean mass measured? That's a good thing to do - then you have a baseline. I've done both DEXA and hydrostatic - I don't think much of the other methods because their variance is too high. At least, with the test, you could monitor it going forward. Prices are really coming down on…

Probably the easiest way to do that is by using potassium salt. In the grocery store it is called "Lite Salt" but it is really just potassium chloride. I use that instead of regular salt and it helps a lot. When I am doing low carb, if I am getting leg cramps, etc I will also supplement with potassium tablets, but that…

I avoid dairy and wheat (though not all gluten) because I find they do not add value to my diet for the calories they have. I also track all my micro-nutrients with Cronometer.com, since I practice CRON. My plan ends up looking like a low-calorie Paleo plan with a little rice now and then--

Don't let the headache throw you - that will pass. But yes, it is painful. You use up all your glycogen and all at once fat starts dumping into your system. The body is clever - it uses fat cells to store all kind of stuff that would be toxic to the body (this is because fat cells are not nearly as metabolically active as…

I find Cron-o-meter much better for tracking micro-nutrients--

Wish one of the female representations had been a runner. I think 15 - 18% looks very nice and that is my goal but I certainly don't want to carry all that muscular bulk. I like the lean, crisp of a distance runner but their upper bodies tend to be quite small.

Make sure you are drinking enough water! Sometimes when we give up our favorite beverage we forget to replace to liquid!

You are describing ketosis. Insomnia is a pretty common side effect and is even when you are doing a higher carb diet but losing quickly (at least it was for me). If it bugs you enough, add a few more carbs in (I do berries early in the day and something like tomatoes at night, so nothing starchy but still a few grams of…

Love to walk my dogs! They are super high-energy so it really helps them and me :)

I think you need to figure out why counting calories feels like a "punishment" to you. Because, whether you count them or not, the calories are there. Are there people who maintain their weight and have no idea how many calories are in a large banana or whether their steak is 5 ounces or 7? Sure there are. But they use…

For me, I need to give it up when I do a "reset" and try to deliberately clean up my diet. Later I can put it back in within moderation but it has a way of creeping up over time...

Too skinny? Not at all. You look slim and healthy :)

Maybe this would be a good time to stay away from the scale for a week or two? Reward yourself for staying on plan, not for weight loss, because staying on plan always produces results sooner or later. Keep up the good work!

Keep in mind the algorithms behind BMR on any website are going to be pretty simplistic. I pretty much ignore what they recommend for me and instead eat until I feel satisfied. Through experimentation I've found that a lower carb diet, especially in the last half of the day, is more satisfying and allows me to eat less,…

Working one area of the body to the extreme can make the other parts reduce. For example, female competitive marathon runners get quite emaciated in their upper bodies. So, following that, I would only do light toning for your lower body and focus on building your upper body, especially back and the caps of the shoulders.…

I second comments about "skinny shaming". You and only you will know if you are too thin. Are you weak all the time? Feel like you have to follow a routine that is unhealthy or unsustainable to stay at your current weight? Just plain unhappy with your weight? Fine, then change for YOU, not because someone else says you…

I am extremely right-dominant throughout my whole body, so I sympathize. I ended up doing extra reps for everything on my left to bring it up to par. It can be super-subtle too: like I can be doing a push-up and think "I am doing this absolutely evenly" but look down and see my right hand is 3/4 inch in front of my left,…

I'll bet you are a nice guy and could find a nice girl...maybe getting in better shape would give you the confidence you need to meet more girls. Different women go for different body types - maybe you are "teddy bear" type? That can be quite cute :) But being fit might give your self-esteem a boost and ladies do notice…

I do think sometimes we over-complicate all this...

I think this is doable but would take hard work. Watch your diet like a hawk, have one day a week where you boost your calories at least a little so your metabolism doesn't reset low and get a plan for multiple forms of cardio (ie - not just running) so you don't get overuse injuries. Good luck!

Don't keep "packages" of things at home. If you want a cookie, go to a bakery and get just one. Another thing you might try is challenging yourself, just for a short period of time (like 3 days) to only eat in public. Binging is a private act (trust me, I know) and you will be aware of people around you when you eat in…

Thank you guys - this is sooooo helpful! My challenge is that I travel for work so I am eating at least 3 nights a week on the road probably 35+ weeks of the year. My idea of what a "portion" is has gotten all out of whack. I think buying a good scale for when I am home would really help me.

That has certainly been true for me. Exercise lets me eat a little more, at a given weight, than I might otherwise but diet is what moves the scale down. My body is particularly sensitive to over-exercising, especially cardio, and it always makes me gain weight, probably through a combination of inflammation and my…