slp2112

Hi Emma! I'm a huge spin fan and I'll do my best to tackle your questions. First, be comfortable on your bike! Setting up your saddle - when the peddle is at its lowest position, there should still be a slight bend in your knee. I then set the handlebars to whatever feels most comfortable. ALWAYS bring a water bottle. Or…

Because you're 5'3" and weigh 136 pounds which is an incredibly healthy weight for someone your height/gender. I just read your profile ... I don't think dropping yourself down to an even lower weight is going to help so much with your body image thing. Have you tried lifting? I think adding lifting into your schedule, at…

I like to treat it just like pasta - cook it up and then put pasta sauce and cheese on top. Maybe some turkey or chicken meatballs, too, for protein. Yum yum. It's fun to make your own pasta sauce, too (and a lower-sodium choice).

Yeah, it's good to cook multiple portions whenever you do cook (say on the weekends when you have a bit more time). That way, you can work through the leftovers throughout the week. Sometimes I'll do things like cook a ton of whole wheat pasta and then buy little add-ins here and there - some chicken breast, veggies,…

I use it in this recipe for pancakes instead of using cottage cheese: http://www.integralfuel.com/integralfuel.com/Recipe_4.html

when was the last time you increased your intake? I'm wondering if you're plateauing because you need to eat more. Just a thought.

Mmmm blueberries. High in iron, too! I don't have any specific blueberry recipes, though I love these: http://www.integralfuel.com/integralfuel.com/Recipe_4.html with blueberries added in (really high in protein). I subsititute greek yogurt for the cottage cheese since I think it makes it taste better, but that's just me.…

My go-to sweets: Chocolate VitaTops Plain greek yogurt + half cup strawberries + sprinkle of cinnamon + 1/2 packet of Splenda Edy's 1/2 the fat ice cream Chocolate milk (1 cup skim = 80 calories and 8 g of protein, plus 2 tbsp hershey's sugar free syrup) 1 banana with 1 tbsp dark chocolate PB (found it at whole foods!)…

Bose! The ones with the black and white cords that you see everyone wearing. I put them through ridiculous cardio, strength training, and even plyometrics with all kinds of jumping around and they never move. Plus the ear tips come in three sizes so you can fit them best. Ok, yes, they are $100. BUT, they have 1 year…

Swim! Pop a float between your legs and use just your arms to get you across the pool. It'll work your core, too. Also, lots of core work involves just floating your legs in the air and then doing crunches/twists, all kinds of stuff. Maybe try doing something like that? Free weights that focus just on your arms or core and…

Unbelievable job! Your physical transformation is obviously incredible, but I find your emotional/mental transformation - the feeling of self-worth, accomplishment, and that you can do anything you set your mind to - even more incredible. Congrats - you're an excellent role model for many on MFP!!!

One of my favorite recipes is simply baking slices of tomato, onion and eggplant on a cookie sheet till they're crispy and gold. Cook some Israeli couscous (couscous, but the grain is bigger than the stuff you usually see). Combine 1/2 cup couscous, 1 to 1.5 cups veggies, 1 tsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of parmesan in a…

I just did a quick look at what your BMR might be (your profile doesn't give any height and weight so I made a conservative estimate - a 5'4" female who weighs 150 lbs). I'm getting numbers in the 1400-1700 ballpark. Let's be SUPER conservative and assume that your BMR is 1200 calories (I don't see how that's even…

I don't think there's any one magic answer to this. I eat some of my exercise calories (usually about 300 of them) but sometimes I eat more or sometimes I eat less (depending on if I'm training for an event, for example, or if I'm taking it slower than usual because I'm on vacation or something like that). I tend to eat…

One of my favorite "indulgences" is Trader Joe's mandarin chicken (in the frozen section). It's 190 calories per cup (210 if you add a tbsp of the sauce) and totally delicious. A bit on the high end in terms of sodium but hey, life is short. Plus because of the other things I eat, I can have this for dinner and still be…

I remember seeing an interview with him and it was during his breakfast. He was at McDonalds of all places and had 6-7 separate menu items in front of him. But you have to remember - his job is working out. That's all he does, day in and day out, on holidays, on weekends. Exercise, exercise, exercise. And I'm sure he…

If your calorie deficit is too large then yes, eating more will actually trigger you to lose weight. That said, I don't think you'd see the effects of this in a short 24 hours ... Give it 2-3 weeks and see if the trend continues.

One of my friends, Angel1029, just did her first. She's in crazy ridiculous shape. She's super nice and always candid when answering questions - try talking to her! Good luck!

yeah mini-goals are totally the key. even if it's "I'll eat x grams of protein today" or "I'll do 30 min of cardio today." Thinking about the long-term goals is good, but can be intimidating. And hey, if you make it to the gym four times in a week, you've probably gone more than most Americans! I also personally found that…

I don't think this is weird at all. I feel the same way when someone tells me I look so different and all I can think is, yeah, but I still have xx lbs I want to lose and I still can't run a 9 min/mile at the end of a triathlon. Or other things that I haven't perfected yet. That said, you have lost a RIDICULOUS amount of…

yeah google around a bit to see people's experiences - the vast majority of them seem to be horror stories. Plus, I'm wary of any product that vilifies fat. Fat is a GOOD thing, in the right amounts obviously, but still good for a variety of reasons.

the "stop weighing yourself everyday" advice I think is the best advice on here. Any RD worth their weight will tell you that it takes many days, not just 24 hours for an excess or depletion of calories to show up on the scale. You want to focus on what happens long term (e.g. > 1 week, if not > 2 weeks) rather than…

I like to just bake it, to be honest. Spray with a little cooking spray and toss it in the oven (350-400 degrees) till it's good and hot and a bit crispy on the top. Also, frozen broccoli and frozen veggies in general are quite good because they are frozen at the peak of ripeness and are therefore packed with nutrients. So…

I believe these guidelines only apply to chain restaurants (and some other restaurants provide it because they're good sports). It is definitely frustrating. That said, you can get good at finding things on a menu that are baked, broiled, steamed, seared instead of fried, breaded, etc. You can also ask a waiter to have a…

I've talked to a fitness RD about this a bit and actually learned something new: low-impact, long workouts, like going for a long walk is actually the kind of workout where you're dipping into your fat stores to fuel the workout. During high intensity workouts, however, you're generally using glycogen that's stored in the…

here's the best brainstorm I can do at 11:30 p.m. when my brain is fuzzy :) ... Greek yogurt. 130 cal/cup of the nonfat stuff. Ridiculous amounts of protein (so filling). Also, delicious. Good with ground cinnamon, 1/2 cup strawberries and half a packet of Splenda. Great snack and all together ~155 calories ... My…

yeah, dehydration is the first thing that comes to mind. the second thing I can think of is general fatigue, but the water thing would be my first choice ...

Ever try 4C? It's awesome - you mix it into water. They've got a bunch of flavors, it's 0 calories (sweetened with Splenda, so no aspartame), and every serving has 100% of your daily intake of vitamin C. I use it as a change-up to water because let's get real, even those of us who like water get bored of it on occasion ...…

yeah for me it took a few weeks (maybe even a month?) before my hamstrings weren't killing me the day after all those downward dogs. that said, yoga hasn't just helped me with flexibility but it has also helped my body detox after intense workouts (whenever i finish a few weeks of really intense training, my trainer puts…

If the number 1670 is what's freaking you out, then maybe just add a little - say, eat 1550 a day. Do it for 2-3 weeks, watch your weight, and give it time to have an effect (these things don't happen over night). If you're still losing (but maybe less so), go to 1600 and repeat the process. I'm not at maintenance yet, but…