MFPBrandy Member

Thanks! Most the stuff I found on my own was for women wanting to tone the muscle they already have; I took a look at the program you suggested and it sounds like the kind of workout tips I'm looking for.

It's the percentage I want to change. I've lost fat already, and while I have more to lose, I think I've already lost way too much muscle. So I want to GAIN muscle, thereby reducing my body fat percentage (the ratio, not the quantity). Once I've gained more muscle, I can look at cutting fat while maintaining muscle -- but…

Lauren, he is clearly a tool and you are far better off without him.

Oh, honey -- you need to block that man from your mind, if you can't block him from your life (sounds like you might still be living at home for a bit yet?). No one should be calling you a horse, let alone trying to convince you that it's your destiny. He's lashing out at you because you make him see his own failings.…

80 pounds?!? That's awesome! And there's no way that's gone unnoticed. Perhaps the people in your life are just trying to avoid some of the insensitive comments we've seen in this thread. Great job!

Might be jealous...or could be sick of OTHER people criticizing his food & exercise choices, and is cringing and hoping you don't start doing the same. A lot of people, when they're newly "converted" to a lifestyle, religion, diet, fad--heck, a new favorite book!--can get really pushy about it without realizing it. And…

Look at how easy it is to clean -- I've recently taken to making my morning shakes in my mini food-proceessor, just because it is SO much less of a hassle to take apart and clean!

I use my phone, and set two alarms, 5 minutes apart. Sometimes I snooze between them, but usually knowing I'm going to hear that INCREDIBLY annoying ring tone again in a few minutes keeps me from falling back asleep.

First step is to get an accurate measurement. Those online calculators put me at 8% less than the bod pod (much more accurate)--does your gym or doctor have one?

VERY good advice.

Sure, if you think getting shot at and possibly blown up is worth it just to travel. Your call.

Be careful with this--too many people think the distinction between officer and enlisted comes down to pay. Having done both, i'll say that pay should be the last of your considerations. The military is a CALLING, not a job. Do what you love, what fulfills you. NCOs and officers have different jobs--it's not like you just…

Not in the Air Force...

And you'll be all the better Airman for a few extra years of experience.

What do you want to do? Navy has a slightly better quality of life than Army, but you'll generally be more tactical with the Army. And keep sea duty in mind--make sure you don't mind being on a ship for 6 months. I've worked with both, but I'm Air Force -- so of course I say wait to lose the extra 10 lbs and go blue. :)…

Me! I'm not sure where I am, goal-wise. I'm 5'6" and 142, down from 165. I just switched over to "maintain" so I can work on getting my still-ridiculously-high body fat percentage down, so I'm trying to figure out how to build muscle & tone what I've got. I'm pretty sure I've got a few lose-maintain-gain-lose-maintain-gain…

This is something I wonder about (albeit very little)--I had my child as a single parent, thanks to an anonymous donor & a medical team. So she has MY last name. Should I ever get married in the future, I wouldn't want to change my name from hers to his--then she's the odd one out. And changing BOTH names (while she's a…

I've worked years to build a good reputation -- and a lot in my career hinges on name recognition. I would most likely keep my name professionally. Personally, until my much-younger half-brother was born, I was the last person in my family line that actually carried the name. No way was I going to end the name through…

I agree that people who push their cause, whatever it be (I notice it most with religion), disproportionately in normal/unrelated conversation, are annoying. I'm sorry those are the only gay people you're meeting, because that hasn't been my experience at all. Except, I should add, for those that are just recently out --…

Oh, I don't know about that...

^^^This is AWESOME.

"let's stick a pin in that for later."

Guesstimate is a great word! When you don't have enough facts to make a solid estimate, but you have enough to keep it from being a total guess--guesstimate!

I think many of us are guilty of at least one thing on this thread. :)

It drives me NUTS when people substitute a random word that starts with the same letter and has approximately the same number of syllables. Innovation and imagination do not mean the same thing, people--neither do express and espresso. We have a commendation medal in the military (as in, "to commend"); I can't tell you how…

Hahahahahahahahaha!!!

Sounds like it's time to get some new friends who like you for YOU, not how you eat or party (or whatever it was).

I agree, she's definitely got her own self-esteem issues. Unfortunately, instead of recognizing them for what they are (as you seem to have done for yourself), she's taking them out on you. Those we love are easy targets, as bass-ackwards as it may seem. Hopefully recognizing it for what it is will help you let it go, but…

A man's attractiveness is defined by his height in the same way that a woman's attractiveness is defined by her bra size, hair color, eye color, legs, weight -- in other words, whatever appeals to the individual looking. Some people like height, some people couldn't care less. It is what it is.

Ha! I saw a great photo on Pinterest, where they outlined a "special" new parking space (in sidewalk chalk) just for that car, and wrote something funny about the person's parking. I vowed to keep sidewalk chalk in my car for just that.