MFPBrandy Member

I batch cook because I simply don't have the time to pre-prep lunches every night. But I'll make big batches of 2-3 different things (right now my freezer rotation consists of an olive-garden-style sausage & kale soup, a veggie pasta dish, and spicy burritos) so that I have some variety in my lunches.

I think it's great when someone brings their new baby in for a QUICK visit. We all work together, and this is an odd sort of extended family -- when someone goes on maternity leave for a couple months, it's nice to see them pop in and show off the munchkin. A couple minutes to ooh and ahh over the cuteness, then they…

^^This^^ It's a scary thought, isn't it? We don't have food stealers, nail clippers, hyenas.....I do hate automatic read-receipts, and for those people that use them on EVERY email, I go out of my way to ensure they get receipts for me receiving the email, reading the email, and deleting the email. A few have gotten the…

Google is your friend! Google "basic cooking terms" and you'll get some great reference lists. You can also go into your local bookstore and look for the cooking-for-dummies type cookbooks. "cook until done" is a matter of safet for meats, and personal preference for veggies, pastas, grains & beans. The container will give…

Oh, and try allrecipes.com -- they have a WONDERFUL feature that lets you customize the size, so you can make it much bigger or much smaller, and it'll change all the ingredient amounts for you. Genius!!!

I have a TON of 2-cup pyrex bowls. I will make a big soup pot full of veggie-rich soup or pasta-type dish (be it whole-grain pasta or quinoa) and freeze the rest in those pyrex bowls. One pot usually gets me 10-14 of them. If I make a couple different things, then I've got a freezer full of healthy, delicious meals that…

Try some yoga!

How's your nutrition? I was protein-deficient; once I changed my eating I had SO much more energy to work out. That said, your schedule does stink. Do what you can to make it easier on yourself (nutrition, planning), and hopefully it'll make the "suck it up and do it" part easier. And once you get in a groove, it'll be…

I've long had a wish to open up two homes -- one for victims of domestic violence, and one for kids "aging out" of state care. The idea behind both is just to provide a safe place to recover, rebuild, and eventually move out on their own -- but not in a rushed process; they could stay a couple years if they were meeting…

My settings are at sedentary (desk job), so I give myself credit for everything, even housework. Still losing weight (and I usually eat most of my exercise calories back).

Awesome! :)

Thanks! I hadn't heard about tonic water; it's worth a shot! And I will pick up some fake salt -- sounds like a great excuse to add more popcorn to my diet. :)

It's a shame your family won't get on board, bu you'll find lots of support here! Feel free to add me as a friend. :)

Rock climbing is great, because it's a total-body workout, like swimming.

I had my child late in life. I don't want to be mistaken for her grandmother.

Congrats! My advice is to remember that your body has been through hell, and don't expect it to react/behave "normally" -- so don't get frustrated if it takes a little longer to catch on to your new lifestyle. Physical and emotional stress just throw it out of whack.

WTFO??? Stay strong, Britney. You can escape in 4 years.

Happy birthday, and what a great job you've done! You look much thinner,healthier, and HAPPIER. Way to go!

I guess you might say I'm semi-clean. :) I haven't read the book; I just try to stay away from overly-processed foods. I'm not going to butcher & grind my own meat, though, and sometimes I just need a cookie full of nutrition-less white flour & refined sugar -- and I'm okay with that. :) Overall, though, I like to eat real…

Booooo...he IS supposed to be your biggest supporter. I'm sorry his own issues are getting in the way of that. If you can't get him to understand how unsupportive he's being...well, we're here for you. Keep on truckin'!

My daughter (20 months) eats what I do, except she gets the full-fat version of any dairy products. After all, I'm not eating diet food; I'm eating healthy, and I want to teach my daughter to eat healthily. The lesson is a little harder for a 5-year-old, but he's young enough to catch on. The big thing for me was getting…

Quinoa is healthy food; I love it. Carbs aren't bad; your body needs them for fuel. They key is having good carbs that are real grain, not overly-processed, nutritionless flour. I don't understand pasta cravings...pasta on its own tastes like nothing. It's the stuff that goes ON pasta that I crave, and I just put it on…

This. ^ I just checked your profile, and you HAVE already lost a lot of weight. You're doing great! Nothing you did over the past few days undoes that hard work you've already put into yourself. Give yourself some credit; you're doing so well.

Oh honey, we all mess up now and then. None of us are perfect, no matter how easy some people may make it sound (if it was truly that easy, they wouldn't need to use MFP, would they?). Coming here for support is great. I also like the idea another poster had about getting outside for a walk. Are you in school, or have one…

So often we get into this mess in the first place through mindless eating. As we become more conscious eaters and make deliberate choices, we pay more attention to what our body is saying. Plus your body gets used to smaller portion sizes. So yeah, normal. And good! Many still struggle with hunger, often b/c physical and…

There are people here that will swear up and down that their way is THE right way. I say try them both and see what works for you. I was never a breakfast person; I felt nauseous if I tried to eat too early. But when I started trying to lose weight, I realized my lack of energy had a lot to do with my lack of protein. I…

Sounds like you've been pretty successful yourself! I log everything. If I eat out and can't find an equivalent to log, I guesstimate as best I can, and then forget about it. If I over-indulge (or downright binge), I log it, no matter what. It's about being honest with myself, and not glossing over th ole my choices play…

Some people just don't understand THEIR way isn't everyone's way. I saw this more than ever when I was pregnant--people convinced I was too small because they were bigger, people convinced I shouldn't work because they didn't, or shouldn't eat this or do that--not legitimate safety concerns, but narrow-mindedness. Some…

Going with the Penn State example, since it's so fresh in everyone's mind, his wife obviously had her blinders on WAY past any point of rationality. Some people do that, and it's terrible. Good on you for taking a stand the first time -- I'm sorry it cost you, but the world needs people who will take action to prevent such…

When in doubt, the safety of those unable to stand up for themselves ALWAYS takes precedence. ALWAYS. As an adult that has a reasonable suspicion of danger to children, you owe them your help. As for pedophiles, the recidivism rate is ridiculous--example after example has shown us they don't age out of it or change their…