jessicawrites Member

It's always a challenge to balance desire for rewards with calorie budget/money budget. I like frequent treats, so iTunes songs, a Kindle book, or a small food treat like a skinny latte or dark chocolate square work well. If I don't want to use caloric or financial resources, time based treats are fun, too, like a…

See a doctor. This one is beyond the scope of Internet forums.

Breakfast: Greek yogurt (I get a 32-oz tub for $2 and change, which lasts about 4 days) Lunch: tuna sandwich with avocado and salsa (tuna, $1, bread, $2.50 for 16-20 slices, avocado, $1.50 and it's enough for 4 sandwiches, salsa is also cheap) Dinner: a 2-oz (dry) serving of whole wheat pasta with lean meat and veggies…

Because I've heard tremendously conflicting reports about where the water-per-day requirements come from and how they are fulfilled. I eat lots of fruits and veggies with high water content and don't know how they fit in, so it becomes much simpler to drink according to my body's thirst cues than meet an arbitrary cup/day…

Ground turkey is very versatile. A lot of meats work across a variety of cuisines, depending how you cook them. Try adding cumin, chili powder and garlic for Mexican (or buy taco seasoning), oregano and basil for Italian (you can do meatball subs with pureed veggies added to marinara sauce and some cheese, since your…

pitch the h*** out of that mess

I second the breathing. My pattern is based on footfalls: in the first two times my right foot hits the ground, then out for the third. I don't always stay on track, but concentrating on that pattern and bringing it back to regular breathing helps me prevent cramps and distracts me a bit from tired legs. Also, running in…

Go to the library. Ask someone to help you find the cookbook section. Check out cookbooks with "low-carb," "quick," "weekday," "easy," etc. in their titles. Flip pages until you see something that makes you excited.

The way I understand it is you cannot do both at the same time. Gaining anything (muscle or fat) means eating extra, so your body can build something. Losing anything means eating less than you burn, so your body is forced to get rid of excess mass. Strength training while eating less than you burn can help you retain…

You look lovely. Wear it!

Aside from the accuracy benefits, mine helps me dirty fewer dishes! It's a much more streamlined process for me to put the mixing bowl on the scale and measure ingredients in one by one, zeroing out in between. I use my measuring cups/spoons sometimes, but many recipes offer weight alongside cup/tbsp measures.

Got up at 6 to go jogging/running in the park--in drizzly rain!

What amazing dedication! Congrats to her.

It helps me immensely to plan meals at the beginning of the week and shop accordingly. I usually try to plan several "budget-friendly" meals along with a couple splurges so we feel treated. Having a well-stocked spice rack helps a lot. Here are some ideas: Sample meal week: Monday: Lentil dal with chicken and garlic naan…

$380 can definitely go a long way, but can you give any indication of what kinds of foods/cuisines you like to eat? My husband and I have about your same food budget and we like a mix of Spanish, Italian, Indian, Thai, and American meals. I'm happy to share tips, but I'd like to know what your preferences/aversions are.

Fruit salad with strawberry, mango, pineapple, raspberry, cherry, clementine, and watermelon

They are easy to cook in the slow cooker, too, which lets you season/salt them to your taste.

If you're having menstrual irregularity, please schedule a check-up and make sure everything is okay. Chances are good it's a diet thing, but that goes above and beyond the rule of thumb advice anyone here can give. With that out of the way, eating sensibly is a very good thing, and that almost always means above 1200…

I spend money on a car and gasoline because A. I want to live somewhere where I feel safe, B. That means I need to afford a certain rent, C. The job I work to make this safe living possible is 16 miles away along a major highway. Theoretically, yes, I could take a bus, but it would add 60-90 minutes each way to my commute,…

When it comes to planning a meal, it helps to think in terms of lean protein--veggies--starch. A good starting point is 4-6 oz of protein (tilapia, chicken, steak), about a cup of veggies (carrots, green beans, broccoli, spinach), and a 2-oz or 0.5-0.75-cup serving of starch (rice, potatoes, corn, pasta). Use a small…

I'd say longer--speed increases naturally somewhat as you get better conditioned. Interval training (15-second sprint, 45-second easy, repeat for 15 min) is a good way to test out pushing speed. One thing I like a lot on the treadmill is picking a steady, doable pace and moving incline up and down periodically.

I started running in my senior year of college because I'd gained weight and wanted to lose it for graduation. Chose running because of the calorie bang for your buck. I was embarrassed by my inability to run for more than 10 minutes at a time, at a slow pace. My stamina is the first thing to go when I'm out of shape, but…

Why do you need to be Canadian to know the answer?

There are reasonable cheesecakes, although not at the Cheesecake Factory. I ate there last night and feel awful today... My main recommendation would be to try making it at home with reduced fat cream cheese and perhaps looking up a recipe using part-skim ricotta. The ricotta will lighten the texture, add some protein, and…

My best friend in real life is on MFP with me. We're "long-distance gym buddies" living in different states, so the main thing for us is cheering each other on to make it to the gym and support each other if we're feeling discouraged. I couldn't care less about the fact that I can't see what she eats.

Looks pro-ana. Would not recommend.

First thing: MFP seems to start almost everyone at 1200, which is not necessarily an ideal number. Brace yourself there for some critical feedback, and try to be open to raising calories if 1200 isn't working, especially if you're feeling very hungry/cranky or seem to be stalling in weight loss. That said: yes, 1200 and no…

Hello! I cook at home more often than not (we eat out on the go more often when I've got class or loads of homework, but typically 5-7 nights a week dinner starts in the kitchen). How you enter meals you make is up to you, but here's how I go about it: 1. If I'm making something simple (chicken/rice/veggies, or…

some of my favorites: pickled red onion with pan-fried salami grapefruit, mahi mahi, avocado shrimp, 1 crumbled slice of bacon, avocado, tomatoes shrimp, cilantro, tomatoes, thin sliced red pepper strawberries, spinach, walnuts

On a non-diet note, going for a run can help. The impact kind of shakes everything up a bit, if you get my drift.