lehmann75

I think you pay for a doctor who gives recommendations based on her training and your specific needs, while MyFitnessPal is a free tool that plugs you into an equation. Track your food through MFP, take advantage of the depth of the database here, and listen to your doctor. As for my personal experience, I did great with…

I would eat it. It just can't be an every day thing, you know? Go for a walk later. Or heck, walk to the restaurant. Something I do is to give myself one "free day" every week. It's not a license to go crazy but if I really want something that doesn't fit in my calorie budget then that's the day I can have it, guilt free.…

Oh yeah, I'd say you're fine. If I have a low cal day or two, I usually eat a bit more decadently the next. It's really not a bad thing, in fact alternating high and low calorie days can actually help when progress stalls out.

My favorite oatmeal is quick oats plus a tbsp of peanut butter, a tsp of brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon and a splash of soy or almond milk.

No one here can answer either question without more info than you've given, and even then you'll get tons of conflicting advice by well meaning people who know what works for them individually. What are you eating to get to 1200? And are you logging your exercise? Do you eat your exercise-earned calories? (You should be.)…

Agree 100%

My dinner tonight was a young chicken breast baked with coriander, sea salt and black pepper, smothered in steamed mushrooms and topped with about a tablespoon of fat free feta.

Medjool dates. Ok, not really that naughty considering the fiber and antioxidant content, but they're crack, CRACK I tell you! Such sweet caramelly goodness... Also popsicles, though I make my own these days rather than buy them in the store. My favorite popsicle recipe so far: Stuff the popsicle molds with frozen…

In addition to going slower, don't be afraid to repeat days until you feel ready to move on. Heck, I spent three weeks on Week 4 before I finally was ready for Week 5!

Give her a big smile and say "nice job!" I'm serious. Whether you're the heavy one feeling weak or the skinny one sprinting next to a slow walker, you can easily diffuse the "competition" with a minimal show of support for whatever the other person is doing.

Congrats! However - please stop beating yourself up over a ruined night or two. If this whole journey is supposed to be a lifestyle change, then I want pizza and chocolate cake to figure in every once in awhile. The trick is to figure them in responsibly, right? So go out and enjoy yourself and don't worry about it. Then…

On any given day, the alarm goes off at 7am and I hit a 10 minute snooze button twice before I drag my lazy butt out of bed. But on Tuesday, my dad was in town and wanted to take me out to dinner, which meant that I wasn't going to be able to fit in my usual evening workout. So on Tuesday I was up at 5:45am so that I could…

I think the most humiliating thing I've ever experienced on account of my weight is being shooed out of a trendy clothing store while vacationing in Italy because it would be bad for business if someone of my size was seen shopping there.

In my experience, carbs ARE calories. I follow my calories, but if I look at my typical day the carb counts are much, much lower than they were pre-diet.

Change up your workout. If you're not doing any strength training, add it. Building muscle revs up your metabolism. There's also calorie cycling, which I've never tried myself but there's a lot of info about it from reputable sources if you go looking. The gist is that you alternate high and low calorie days and it's kind…

Medjool dates! Be warned, they're essentially crack. Caramelly, high fiber, antioxidant rich crack.

I'm going through the same thing. I weigh daily since it keeps me engaged, and for two weeks I lost nothing and in fact regained despite sticking to the program and working out daily. Then a few days ago, it started just falling off again. I realized that I had been retaining water and my body had finally, FINALLY decided…

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I find them to be acceptable, but the real thing is much, much tastier and if I'm going for a low-cal pasta substitute I like spaghetti squash a whole lot better. Hungry Girl has tons of recipes for shiritaki, by the way.

Paleo is the new gluten-free, which was the new vegan, which was the new vegetarian and so on and so on. Screw that noise. A healthy diet is not a fad that goes in and out of style. 1200 calories isn't outdated - it's a baseline. The quality of those calories is what matters. My best advice is to eat the calories MFP tells…

As a chronic snacker, I eat dates and popsicles and whatever right up until 9-10pm, especially if MFP insists that I have more calories left to get through, and I'm not having any trouble dropping weight. The only thing I try to avoid after 9pm is drinking too much liquid since I don't want to be getting up in the middle…

Ashtanga yoga, sometimes referred to as power yoga. Use your own body as a weight system and get a good stretch all at the same time. There should be some good DVDs out there. Good luck!

I start with chocolate chip instant oatmeal, then add a few mini marshmallows and a crushed up graham cracker. S'mores! The oatmeal is already so low cal, even when it's not a lower sugar version, that the additions are totally worth it.

I'm doing Couch to 5k for cardio and just added Bar Method to my schedule for some strength training. So my typical week looks like this: Sat - C25K day Sun - Bar Method Mon - C25K day Tue - walk to my knitting group, 1.5 miles round trip Thu - Bar Method Fri - Bar Method or walk outside 30-60 minutes, depending on weather…

I find similar discrepencies between MFP and my Runtastic app. My solution is to err on the side of caution and go with whichever number is lower. Additionally, I try to offset this by setting my weight loss goal to 2 lbs per week so that if I miscalculate and end up over my daily calorie goal or under my daily exercise…

A few years ago I lost 40 lbs with an end goal in mind - not to be the fat bridesmaid at my sister's wedding. Mission accomplished, but once the goal was gone, so was my motivation. This time around my goal is to run a 5K, and the Couch to 5K program is perfect for that for me since it both give me a goal and keeps me on a…

I don't think having a small child is an excuse - it's a great workout opportunity! Take your kid to the park and play with them. Walk around the zoo. Play tag and get some cardio. Go to the pool and get in splash fights - water provides great resistance for strength training. Engaging with children IS a workout!