chriscolh Member

No, you do not have a sedentary life. You are incredibly busy, and are constantly on the move. I have 5 boys, and can't keep up with everything - I can't imagine 9! That being said, when calculating my daily calorie intake, I do choose "sedentary." I want to know what my base level should be. When I do something that makes…

So Awesome! I think that's the right way to go about it. Whenever I've done extreme dieting, the weight always comes back, and then some. Slow and steady works better for me, too. And I feel better in the process! Congratulations!

Sorry - had to post the pic because it made me smile. I agree with all the "lifestyle change" stuff, and "keep it sustainable/maintainable," and "make time for exercise" and all, but if we are all honest with ourselves, it is stupid hard to make the change. And sometimes having someone understand what you're going through…

I'll second the peanut butter on toast. Except I use almond butter. Maybe something salty with a little bit of protein helps knock the sugar-stupor out of my mouth, but it works for me. Also, I'm a big fan of adding crystal light to water. I use the individual packs (supposed to mix with 16 oz water) and add it to my 32 oz…

4' 11 1/2" starting weight: 150 current weight: 134 (ish - had a bad week last week and I'm afraid to get on the scale!) goal weight: 108 I'm trying to lose my "baby weight", but my baby is almost 8! I'm trying to get serious. I'm finally in a downward trend. Slow progress, but progress is better than the scale creeping…

not even possible. I am not an expert, but I do work with weights 3 times a week. I'm still fluffy (but 20 lbs less fluffy than when I started!), but I've felt stronger, can lift heavier, and my muscles are firmer and more defined under my skin. Having more muscle will only help your weight loss, and will help you look…

Making some homemade whole wheat bread this morning - I crave homemade bread and almond butter! My husband loves to put almond or peanut butter into his morning smoothie. He uses chocolate protein powder, milk, banana, and almond butter. It is his post-workout treat, and satisfies the chocolate/pb cravings for him.

Yup, I do this too. I find I do better if I limit the days I eat sugar. I tend to eat healthier, and my cravings for sugar are greatly reduced when I just avoid it during the week. Although I don't call it my "cheat day," since I still work to keep it within my calorie goals. It's my "sugar day." :# That being said, I'm…

I set goals to avoid sugar 5 days a week. That seems to be my weakness - once I start eating it, I crave it and nothing else. Avoiding it seems to keep my diet on track. However, 2 days a week, I let myself indulge - but I fit it in my calorie count. For me, it's all about moderation and learning how to control cravings.…

The woman who leads the fitness classes that I attend (and who lifts heavy, competes, and a big chunk of her life is focused on fitness, and who is working on her masters in exercise physiology and nutrition - so I tend to consider the advice that she gives) has told us that the best time to eat carbs is right around…

Running a 5K under 30 minutes. Swimming a mile without stopping. I'm working my way up to a sprint triathlon someday! But I work best with mini-goals. And a pull-up. Good grief, those are hard!!!!

I've been doing my workouts in the mornings for 6+ years now. The only thing that got me out of bed consistently was having a workout partner. Knowing that someone would be on my doorstep at 5am was enough to get me up and out the door. My first workout buddy no longer works out in the early morning (new baby takes up too…

Tilapia Puttanesca is my favorite! Really easy, really yummy! Here you go: Heat a tsp. of oil in a pan and brown fish (4 - 4 oz. tilapia fillets, although I have used other white, mild fish fillets too, and they all taste fabulous!) on each side (maybe 2 minutes each side). Remove and set aside. In the same pan, add 1…

I'll be honest - I have a hard time with this! When I'm home, I tend to "graze" all day long. If I'm not eating, my stomach thinks it's hungry. When I start eating in a more healthy manner (ie - not all the time!), I have to plan my food and nutrition. I make sure I get enough calories and hit my goals (mostly with protein…

They are ok. It adds protein and fiber, cuts down on the fat. The first time I made them, I didn't puree the black beans enough. They are so much better when the black beans and water are fully pureed and super smooth. And best with frosting on the top! Don't expect them to taste like the fudgy, thick, yumminess of regular…

I love egg nog. Which is why I buy the cheap stuff from the store for my boys (who also love egg nog) so I don't drink it all. Although I may or may not be spotted licking out their cups after they drink it. I'm going to do some homemade this year. And if I get hooked, it's your fault. :-)

mmmm.... Last night I made a wonderful white chocolate fudge, then added orange zest in the final step. It tastes like creamy orange dreamsicle goodness. I made it for a treat exchange, and it was so yummy. Sadly, and happily, there are leftovers. Can't leave it alone!

My mom lost almost 100 lbs on a medically supervised diet. It was great for her in that she is now off heart, blood pressure, and cholesterol medications. Sadly, she got to a point where she just couldn't eat one more pre-packaged meal and went off the diet - without a plan. She has gained about 30 back in 5 months. It is…

Air Supply (sorry - I am a child of the 80's...) :s

spin class @ 6:00 am, then home to finish cooking for 34 people! not gonna log, though.

it's all about portion control for me. I try to eat at a deficit when I am in control of my food, and when I go to a party, if I see something that I won't get a chance to try any other time of the year, I will try it. It helps to not go these parties hungry, also. Eating more balanced, low calorie, filling food before I…

Planning for thanksgiving has got me wanting some pumpkin pie, but I just don't have room in my calories for it today. Instead, I grabbed a can of pumpkin, put all the yummy pumpkin spices in it, sweetened it with splenda, and thinned it out with just a little bit of milk. So yummy, satisfied the craving, and was only 55…

I usually break it down, kind of like what you are doing above. If I've done a class where half our sets were with weights and half were more HIIT, I do 30 min strength training and 30 min cardio. If I do an intense body-weight class, I log it under "calisthenics." My goal is to log my minutes, then I only eat about half…

for me, weight loss is 80% diet. I went through a time where I was exercising harder than I had ever done before, yet still didn't lose weight. Not that there weren't some awesome benefits to serious, hard exercise: I stopped gaining weight, I did get stronger, I did feel better, and mentally I gained more confidence, but…

Yup, I understand! I'm 4' 11 1/2" and although I have an appetite like a teen boy, I can't lose weight unless I'm under 1300 cals. Hang with it. It gets better! I'm a fan of high bulk, low calorie food, coupled with a lot of water. Keeps me going!

So much good information on here! Just wanted to add quickly that the thing that helps me the most is to pre-plan my meals. I've got a dry-erase board on the side of my fridge where I keep track of meals I will cook during the week (I plan one week at a time). Sitting down beforehand to plan them helps me keep them…

I'm all about baby steps. I feel pretty good about my workout routine, so I'm just trying to stick to it. With nutrition, I began with just trying to fit in 64 oz of water. Then I worked on getting enough fruits and vegetables. Now that I've figured out how to do that (yeh, don't judge - it actually took a few weeks to…

I'm built low to the ground - almost 5 ft tall! I was 102 when I graduated high school. I was also 102 the day I got married. I was able to lose weight after the birth of my first 3 sons to get back to 102. After my 4th son I got down to 104, but maintained around 108. My 5th (and last) son is awesome, but my body rebelled…

I'm still a work in progress - hope to have an after picture one of these days! But I just wanted to say Way to go with "getting back on the horse!" I've found that when I mess up, the first thing I avoid is the scale, because I know it's going to be ugly. But even just that one step - to get on the scale, assess the…