gjriddle Member

If you're into the Hunger Games trilogy, definitely check out Veronica Roth's series! Only the first two are out so far, Divergent and Insurgent, with the third due out sometime fall 2013. I LOVED the first two and cannot wait for the third!

Best part? It only takes like 20 minutes to make -- max!

Thanks! I'm definitely balancing on my delts, with the arms crossed. I'll try the clean grip and see if that helps. Although, at the end of the day, I don't mind the battle wounds themselves.. it's just tough when I go for my next lift session and am still bruised -- it hurts so bad! :)

I've looked through your diary, and it does look like you're eating a pretty high amount of carbs for a calorie goal of only around 1600. What are your macros set at? I personally shoot for 1750 cals/day, 35% carbs, 35% protein and 30% fat. This has been working really well for me, but I'm also doing a heavy lifting…

I will say for me, personally, it took a couple of months before I really saw any change. I started EM2WL and lifting in June, and for all of July and most of August I just felt awful. I was feeling bloated, my clothes weren't fitting anymore, etc... but, I stuck it out and in the past two weeks or so I've finally started…

^^^ This! :laugh:

I shared this with my friends list yesterday, but wanted to put it here to help keep everyone motivated! I've been EM2WL since early June, and lifting since June 28. On June 23 I had my pre-training fitness assessment with my trainer (before our first real session) and my stats were 134 lb, 26% BF. That BF% was no joke.…

Sounds EXACTLY like my experience!! Sorry she was so unhelpful on the eating plan, but at least you know your true RMR and can tailor your own meal plan accordingly!

I'm definitely no expert, but I have encountered the same thing! I have a Fitbit and a Polar FT4 HRM. I wear both when I work out, and it really depends on what activity I'm doing as to the results. For cardio, I almost always stick to treadmill.. I like the variety it offers for HIIT. Typically my HRM and Fitbit are in…

Oh, this is making me so sad. :-( They say in the article that Arctic Zero has 68% more calories? That means instead of 150 cals, it has up to 252 cals? Ahhhhh! NOT COOL.

^^^ THIS. :heart:

I'm just going to jump in really quickly and share my two cents. :smile: The caloric deficit you're referring to isn't actually supposed to be calculated from your BMR. BMR is what your body needs just to operate, as in breathe, digest, think, etc. We should all be eating our BMR at the absolute, very minimum. Eating below…

Well, I'm certainly no expert.. but I can share with you what I've learned through my own research and my trainer's recommendations.. The EM2WL plan suggests 40/30/30 in an effort to ensure we all get enough protein and healthy fats to support an exercise plan that incorporates strength training including heavy lifting.…

It was a one-time thing with the nutritionist (free for the first session type of deal...) and she was basing this on the idea that I would be heavy lifting. But, it did feel a bit like a standard number she told everyone. I have a feeling that if I had paid for additional sessions she would have created a more tailored…

Welcome!!! :-D I've been with EM2WL since beginning of June, prior to that I was a VLC (very low calorie) dieter for years, including 3 years on weight watchers. I love, love, love EM2WL! In the past 2 months I've gone from 1200 cals/day + high cardio (usually netting around 500-600 cals/day) to eating 2000-2200 cals/day…

Some people do a metabolism reset, where you eat at your full TDEE for 6-8 weeks, and then you cut to 10% or 15% below TDEE. The reset pretty much always means initial weight gain, but once you cut the fat goes. I personally didn't do it quite like that... I went first to my 15% cut (1800/day) and then my trainer told me…

Sorry for the confusion -- hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated canola is bad news. Natural canola is fine. But most processed foods use the bad hydrogenated cousin! But what you buy in a bottle, so long as you read the label closely and make sure it's in its natural form then you're fine on that front. But it's also…

I don't weigh at all, but I measure every week. :o)

Hi, and welcome!! I just wanted to jump in and say DON'T WORRY about gaining! Even if you gain a teensy bit at the beginning, it will absolutely come off. At the beginning many people do have a brief "bloat" period, simply because your body is used to not getting any food and your metabolism reflects that. But stay…

^^ This! I've never been a low cab eater, mostly because I love them. So much. But, in the past years I've definitely put more focus on whole grains instead of refined carbs. And my trainer/nutritionist that I'm working with on heavy lifting has recommended I eat at least 200 slow carbs every day. Those are the carbs you…

I've asked my trainer about this a couple of times and here's what she tells me: focus on getting in your protein and eating a balanced diet of real, whole foods and everything else will fall into place on its own. At first I was hyper-worried about getting EXACTLY 40/30/30 which is a) nearly impossible unless you eat the…

^^ THIS. I was a WW member for several years. I lost weight, yes. I maintained for a long while, yes. I was also skinny fat. I was at my perceived "ideal weight" (5'5" and 123 lbs) and I could barely carry my own groceries into the house, much less do substantial strength exercises. During weight-loss and maintenance I was…

I can totally understand your frustration, I'm so sorry you're having such a tough time!! I'm definitely not an expert or anything resembling one, but for what it's worth I'd say maybe stop focusing so hard on eating a certain number and just listen to your body for a while. Eat if you're hungry, don't if you're not. With…

I LOVE this link! Saving it forever! :heart:

My personal trainer has me aiming for at least 150g every day, lift day or not. To put it in perspective, I'm 5'5", 130lbs, 26% BF and I'm lifting 4 days/wk, HIIT cardio 2 days/wk and 1 day rest. I manage to get it all in using powders as well as snacking on high protein stuff, like raw nuts and edamame.

I am NO expert -- but based on all the fantastic NSVs (non-scale victories) I would say A! STICK WITH IT! Losing inches and BF% is so much better than a few lousy pounds on the scale... I can lose a few pounds on the scale with a heavy dose of laxatives but know it won't last. What you're doing is long-term, sustainable,…

What a great idea! I was also a WW member for years, and after deciding to drop out (mostly to save money) I found MFP. When I first started on the site I had programmed it to maximize weight loss at a goal of losing 2 lbs/week which meant I was supposed to eat 1200 calories per day and burn 400 per day with exercise. At…

When you bring a normal sized lunchbox to work -- but eat lunch at home, because only the snacks fit in it! When you put your fancy scale for sale on Craigslist, and are stoked to pocket the cash for the worthless thing! :heart:

Welcome!! And congratulations on your decision to follow a new path! I'm a fellow former WW-er, and having been with the EM2WL philosophy for just 3 weeks, I say it's a great plan. And I drink wine. Vodka, too. Sometimes even beer. (EDITED: to say, I'm really not an alcoholic.... promise! :smile:) I was eating about…

Congrats!!! How exciting!