pamelak5 Member

I am going to write a letter in PROTEST today!

I have noticed that my legs tend to hurt if I run without lifting. I think there is a lot of muscle imbalance caused by running - it's so hamstring intensive. If I do squats once a week, I don't have any knee pain. I also noticed that ab/lower back work helps with running long distances since it's easier to hold up my…

Yes! My rule is always I have to work out for five minutes and if I still don't feel like exercising, I go home. In the seven years since I've adopted this rule, I've gone home once :)

The LA Fitness training model is the worst.

Looks like you have only a few pounds to lose...which means you may not have any to lose! Your body may be clinging to the weight. I'd switch back to maintenance. If you are so hungry something is not right.

Don't assume you need a "low calorie" breakfast. I used to not eat breakfast. After toying around I realize that I end up eating the best overall if I have a big breakfast - 500-600 calories. Any smaller and I end up overeating throughout the day, and my workouts aren't as productive (I tend to wake up at 6, breakfast at…

Eat them anytime, or save them for the next day.

I haven't eliminated it completely but I don't drink much of it at all. I probably average about a drink a week. At the end of the day, I like sweets more than alcohol, so that's where my "junk" calories go :)

Sorry for the random thread revival - but think twice before going to L.A. Fitness. When they took over gyms in the DC area, the clubs went downhill quickly. Especially be sure to avoid if you use personal training. I go to quite a few 24 hour locations. Two are amazing. The others (one even being a super sport) is not…

I have seen a lot of terrible trainers. I have myself had two that were stellar, and both of them had degrees in sports physiology/kinesiology. Neither of them had me use machines, except for rehab purposes (I did some single leg extensions following an injury when I was just getting back into strength training). A very…

32 with one daughter, 2.5, and hopefully more to come!

Periodically, I give up sweets cold turkey for a couple weeks to recalibrate my sweet tooth. I love chocolate. If I find myself getting into the habit of eating it daily, or multiple times per day, I sort of "detox" and focus on eating other things instead. I find that my cravings subside significantly after a week or so…

Just remember that BMR, RMR and TDEE are all different things. I had mine tested too. My BMR was somewhere around 1600, but TDEE was closer to 2800. (5'11", 210, pretty active). And - I thought I was "maintaining" at 1800. No, I was just not as accurate at tracking what I was eating.

If BFing, I would err onthe side of higher intake and see how it goes. You will lose weight if you eat your set calories...and remember that those calories include every little thing. That bite of cheese while preparing dinner, that handful of grapes, having a couple bites of your kid's leftover dinner...that all adds up…

This was exactly my problem. I committed to logging 100 consecutive days and bam, I lost 20 pounds over the next 4 months. I log even if I feel the day is going to be totally crazy. Once or twice I didn't log until the end of the day, figuring I had SO MANY calories left after an 800 calorie burn...and then realized i had…

Everyone has an accent, so I hope they're hot or we are all doomed to extinction.

While I agree that weight loss shouldn't be a goal while pregnant, I want to state for the record that exercise does not cause miscarriages. In fact, regular exercise in pregnancy reduces the chance of miscarriage. As I was pretty active before pregnant, my doctors told me I could (and should) continue running,…

FACOG no longer subscribes to the 140 bpm limitation (this change happened after your wife was pregnant). You're supposed to go by how you feel - and if you feel faint at 130, that's too high, and if you feel fine at 160, that is just fine. But there are certainly old wives' tales that are patently untrue in the vast, vast…

The "no ab exercises during pregnancy" thing is a myth. It's actually really important to keep a strong core during pregnancy, to prevent back pain during pregnancy and to aid in delivery and recovery. Honestly, if you're going to do ONE THING it probably should be core work! Of course, lying on your back after the first…

What is your motivation for burning extra calories? Are you putting on too much weight? In that case, you need to modify your diet. Stay as active as you can, but now is not the time to start worrying about caloric burn. Fitness is not simply about the calorie burn; the best exercise is the one that you can stick to. (I…

Also, think of exercise as a fundamental biological need (which it is). Would you refuse to take an hour for a doctor's appointments, routinely miss meals, etc., to spend more time with your kids? I hope not!

It is absolutely a coordination - when I started zumba I had been working out with a trainer for six months, running, etc, and for half the class (or more) I just stood there because I couldn't figure out the steps. Big bonus with adding zumba or other dance classes to a well rounded workout: It really, really helps…

I think what is referred to as the "Fat burning zone" should be referred to us "minimum effort required to burn fat". I use the HRM. I basically figure out what my baseline is for my "I could run forever" pace that i'd use on long runs, and then try to kick it up at intervals. I normally run in the 140s, I try to bring up…

Is it possible to find a class to go to? At my gym, there are lots of overweight people doing zumba and it's a fun group thing. You have some people who are super athletic dancer types laughing and getting along with those of us who are....not. :)

At 9 and 3, your kids don't need to be constantly engaged. Also, one on one time with their dad is really, really important. Would your husband feel guilty for not spending every minute with the kid? I doubt it. You're also setting a terrific example for your kids. My daughter frequently demonstrates how everyone in the…

I use the Polar FT4. It's pretty cheap and does the basics. Also, when I was pregnant I was told to go more by how I feel - sometimes I'd be in the 150s or higher and be fine (I also have resting heart rate in the 50s), and other times I'd work out in the 140s or 130s and feel off...so the HRM didn't really help much on…

No, it's like saying, you shouldn't feel bad if you have half a big mac, a salad and some water.

I have to say I agree with this. Picking your wedding dress size is BS. Marriage is not a carrot you use to get someone to change their behavior. When you get married, you are not marrying the person in front of you, you are marrying the person that person is going to become, for better or for worse. That is why it is such…

I think what it boils down to is that you can eat healthy and have some vices, but you can't have ALL the vices. I have a sweet tooth and like wine and cocktails but don't drink very much. I would NEVER pick wine over chocolate cake or a cookie if the two were presented as an option at the same time. I could give up fried…

I just wanted to add that I do believe that thyroid disease does make it difficult to lose weight, but they key is to make sure it's managed appropriately and also be realistic - the defeatist attitude of "well my thyroid makes it hard for me to lose weight" really zapped my motivation.