jlefton1212 Member

My personal thought on this topic is that food is fuel and building material for our bodies, and dairy products have been proven to assist in strengthening bone development. Granted, it is not the only source of calcium, but it can be great for bone density in addition to green leafy veggies, etc. My mother has…

I love the song by Fountains of Wayne called "Denise". It came out before "Stacey's Mom", and is even better in my opinion. :happy: I LOVE my MP3 player and all the random songs on it. I have 10 cardio playlists that I have made for myself that have everything from Prince to Rage Against the Machine . Here are some of my…

These are great ideas!! Thanks for sharing. :smile: I am definitely going to look into this!

I actually posted this in another thread today as well, but I have found that really pungent cheeses can cure the cheese craving for less calories. As an example, I love bleu cheese on a salad, and I find that I only need about a tablespoon!

I LOVE bleu cheese on a salad. It's very pungent, so you really only need like a tablespoon or so to feel like you are really splurging. I have to stay away from cheeses like cheddar or harvarti because I could probably sit down and eat a half a pound if given the opportunity! :wink:

I like to make pizza at home...with the Boboli whole grain crust, and top it with onions, peppers, mushrooms, and low-fat pepperoni. This way I can control the amount of cheese on it, and can load up on veggies.

I have heard many times that women who do only cardio exercise have a higher percentage of body fat that women that also incorporate strength training. Keep in mind that you will continually need a little bit heavier weight if you are indeed increasing your strength! I had a trainer a couple years ago that had me on a…

Thank you for posting this!! I :heart: eggplant but unfortunately most recipes and restaurants like to drown it in oil and fry it up. This looks delicious.

It is true that you only get the Omega 3 benefits from ground flaxseed, so really watch the claims that are listed on crackers, breads, etc. that list Omega 3 benefits from whole flaxseed. You might be consuming it but your body won't aborb it. As much as I love my Kashi cereal, the honey almond flaxseed type lists that it…

If you drank a ton of water right before running, and kept drinking while you were running, maybe you were just water logged. If you have a belly full of water splashing around that's bound to make you queasy. Also, while drinking a lot of water is very important, it is possible to overhydrate, and it is something that…

Congratulations!! It sounds like you had an amazing time!

You may want to try having salads as a side to start with, and then start eating them as meals when you find some ingredients that you really like. Basically, any food you love (Greek, mexican, italian, grilled chicken, etc.) can technically be made into a salad! If I were you that is how I would start...if your favorite…

I love the low-sodium minestrone soup, which only has 200 calories for the whole can. They also have some great frozen tilapia, sweet potatoe fries, and a delicious marinara sauce that is pretty low on sugar if my memory serves me well. The vaccum sealed frozen swordfish is also great.

VitaTops dark chocolate muffin tops only have 100 calories, but have like 3 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. They are actually kind of filling, and it tastes just like a brownie.

You are probably gaining muscle, which is great!! The muscle will help you burn off that fat. If you check your body fat percentage, you may find that it has gone down. Also, you mentioned that you are exercising more and eating less than recommended. Please see the post about eating your exercise calories. If you create…

Boboli has a premade wheat crust that is pretty tasty. My husband and I love to throw on tons of veggies...onion, bell pepper and mushroom are essential in my opinion! Also, Hormel makes a low-fat pepperoni if you are really having a craving.

I believe that whole grain and whole wheat are two different things...but I am not sure. I believe whole grain is better but I'm not sure where I got that info. I would love to see if anyone else has some info.

My husband and I are very into backpacking, and have gone on 3-5 day trips. Planning meals for these trips requires a different set of rules, as you need to pack light and we also pack items that are calorie and protein dense. The average hiker uses about 4,000 - 6,000 calories a day in the backcountry, so this is not the…

I had an Amy's Organic Black Bean and Vegetable enchilada. It's dairy free, gluten free, and cholesterol free, and while that might sound unappetizing it was the most delicious lunch I have had in a long time! I used to live in LA and would eat mexican food all the time...cheese enchiladas and crunchy chicken tacos were my…

Make sure you are getting enough iron. Sometimes eating right can mean cutting out red meat, and not replacing that iron source with a healthier version (like dark green leafy veggies) can leave one feeling sluggish. I know in college I became slightly anemic because I stopped eating red meat. I also agree that drinking…

I have read that artificial sweeteners actually increase a person's "sweetness tolerance", meaning that it takes more and more sweetness to register on one's palate. I know that I have experienced this myself, and while I have always had a sweet tooth, my cravings for all things sweet have gotten out of control since I…

I find that minty flavors keep me from craving other foods, as nothing tastes good with a minty mouth. If I chew berry flavors, they taste so much better, but then my mouth just wants more sugar! Of course, the best cure-all for avoiding afternoon grazing (for me) is to brush my teeth. But if that isn't an option, I prefer…

I had a VitaTop Deep Chocolate muffin today, and it only had 100 calories but had 6 grams of fiber! I wouldn't eat them everyday, but it was delicious and filling.

I think that the exhaustion you felt might have come from dehydration. Keep in mind that it doesn't take a burn to damage your skin....a tan is a form of damage too! You are working so hard on your health, so keep up the good work and use some sunscreen! (My mother works in a surgeon's office and she's seen people of all…

Congratulations! This thread is the essence of what this website is all about...support, ideas, and encouragement!

I would recommend working toward adjusting your body fat percentage by adding more weight training to your routine. Developing muscles all over will create a bigger calorie-burning engine to help burn that stored fat. You can continue to get healthier without dropping any more pounds. Congrats on your success thus far, and…

We had a family member pass away last winter, and I sometimes found that I really appreciated the endorphins that came with exercise. I felt like exercise was the little boost I needed to just blast some music and fully focus on something else other than sadness. I wish you all the best, and I am so sorry for your loss.

I was diagnosed with high triglycerides at a young age as well, and my doctor said that the estrogen found in birth control can sometimes cause this. I went off of the pill and two months later my triglycerides had gone down 200 points. (Yes, they were freakishly high to begin with.) I dropped into a healthy range simply…

This is my favorite thread ever. Thanks to everyone for sharing such yummy recipes.

They have a new small plates menu, which looks like a step in the right direction.