artsycella Member

I love pasta, and I eat all different kinds of it. Whole wheat pasta, regular dry pasta, fresh pasta, egg pasta... and it hasn't stopped me losing weight. Since it's something I love, and I'm able to fit it into my calorie and macro goals, I still eat it often. Others have mentioned that there is a small but real…

I eat a lot! It definitely happens to me. If I wake up really hungry (from exercising or anything else), I eat a big breakfast full of tasty things. Omelets are often my go-to with bacon, sausage, cheese, veggies, etc. Or a scramble. Or an English muffin sandwich. If I'm extra hungry, I figure it's because my body really…

My husband and I started talking more seriously about having children soon. And I realized that being overweight would make that harder in a lot of ways--harder to conceive, harder to be pregnant, harder to give birth, and harder to be a good role-model and teach children how to have a healthy, nourishing and sustainable…

I bought a Gazelle for those rainy days. It's like an elliptical (i.e., low impact) but waaaay cheaper than a stationary bike or regular elliptical. I bought mine new but since then have seen people selling them cheap at garage sales, craigslist and giving them away on freecycle.

I definitely haven't given up alcohol. I've never been much of a beer person, but I do enjoy a glass or two of wine a few times a week and I haven't stopped that. I'll also sometimes have a bottle of hard cider, or a glass of port or scotch or a champagne cocktail. I fit it into my daily calories and macros, but I'm not…

What an incredible story. It sounds like you have overcome such hardship and that you are strong and doing amazing things with your life. I am sorry that you don't have the support of your family, and I'm sure you don't need strangers on the internet to offer you validation, but for what it's worth: it sounds like you made…

Please also remember that you don't know the details of their lives, nor what makes them happy. Losing weight has made you very happy, and that's grand. It may not make them happy, or be what they want out of life, or how they want to life their lives. That's up to them to figure out, not you.

Hi there! I've been here and actively trying to lose weight and be healthier since April of this year. I'm 5'7.75", started at 227 and I'm down to 204 now. Goal weight is around 160. Feel free to add me as a friend!

I am so glad that works for you, but if it worked for me I definitely wouldn't need to be here!

1.) Making it easy! I always thought weight loss had to be strict and you had to give up all good things and exercise 1000 hours a day. When I tried something like that in the past, I always failed quickly. This time around, I've been making it as easy as possible. Set my goals to lose .5 lb a week, try to move around more…

Rice cakes! I love Lundren rice cakes. One of my favorites is the Koku Seaweed flavor. Also, it may seem obvious, but crackers can be delicious. Also hummus.

I definitely think this is true for me. My mom has been a yo-yo dieter as long as I've been a part of her life. She's a lifelong Atkins believer--as few carbs as possible, meat and vegetables all the time. My aunt does crazy things to lose weight like only eating lettuce and yogurt for months or, (waaay worse), messing…

Hey! Just want to say that I sympathize with that whole leaving-the-Navy-gaining-weight thing. I did exactly that--spent a 6 year enlistment in, was reasonably healthy and at a reasonable weight, got out and then just started slowly gaining. I was working full-time, going to school part-time until I got my B.A., then I was…

Spanish or Hungarian pimenton (with asparagus I prefer either a hot or a bitter variety) tossed with olive oil and a bit of black pepper, then grilled or roasted. The pimenton really kicks it up a notch and is so easy.

This was a really helpful article with a great perspective. Thanks!

Thanks! This is great info and I will definitely check it out. edit: you'll want to check with someone qualified, but my intuition is that trying to emulate 5x5 on machines might not be ideal. Great idea. I have wrist braces coming out of my ears, but for some reason I hadn't thought about using one while exercising. I…

Thanks! I definitely don't expect the machines to be perfect. Right now I don't have any wriggling two year olds around to lift on a regular basis, so I'm trying to do what I can when and where I can. I'm hoping that weight machines really are better than nothing, though it seems clear from the responses here that there…

You're right, thanks! I didn't want to hijack the thread to talk about my own personal limitations--I know what my limitation are, I've discussed them with my medical professionals and have gotten their advice on how to proceed (short version: use common sense--don't do things that hurt. Don't pretend they don't hurt). I…

I try hard to buy sustainable first (and that's a tough one to track down, so I'm sure my track record is moderate at best), local second and organic third. For veggies, during the season I have a local, sustainable and organic CSA. That makes it really easy! I also visit local farmers markets for additional produce and…

As many others have said, my grocery bill has gone up but my overall expenses have gone down considerably. I used to get to work, buy a coffee and sometimes a pastry at Starbucks (~ $12), then grab a sandwich and drink or a food truck lunch ($15), then stop and get takeout for me and my husband on the way home ($35). So…

Thanks for all the great responses! I really appreciate hearing from everyone, especially folks who have tried something like this. Good to know that some people have seen some good results, even if it may not be as good as using free weights.

Oh man, I was hoping someone would have a good suggestion. Anyone?

That's fantastic and I can't wait until I'm there too!

Couldn't agree more, along with the other folks on this thread who have pointed out how hard it can be to find whole raw ingredients. I use the Recipe calculator, and I track everything, and I am glad of the tool, but I do cook something new almost every night and it usually takes me an hour or two on the weekend to put…

MFP has my daily carb intake set at 264. I don't usually hit that--I'm more likely to be over in fat and protein--but I do get close enough most of the time. I've lost slightly more than 20 pounds in a little more than two months. So far so good!

Hey! I'm almost in your same shoes. I'm 5' 7.75" and started on here weighing 226. I set my goal for 160. I spent most of my 20s at 160. I was healthy and fit, ate well and exercised often. I wore a Medium/Large/12/14 in clothes, depending on the brand. I looked good and felt good. I know that 160 is right at the edge of…

Oh god, that's me in a nutshell. At least now I know why chalupas are just so darn tasty when I've had a bad day!

One of my favorite skirts is half falling off me at work today. Oh! And one of my coworkers told me she could tell I was losing weight. The first time someone has commented. Yay!

Hrm... a quick update to say that the completist in me was stronger than I thought. I found An Unearthly Child and started watching it, and then moved on to The Daleks. I have to say, I'm having a blast watching some of these tropes for the first time ("bigger on the inside!", the Doctor lying, the first time the Doctor…

Hey! I also tried to do this last year and fell off the wagon for about a year. Got motivated back at the beginning of April and have been going strong since then, and lost 20 pounds so far. What's been different (and working so much better for me) this time around is actually trying to make it as easy as possible. I've…