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It takes food about 24 hours to move through your full digestive track. This is when your body sorts food into stored or used energy. If you binge one day, make sure to get to the gym and burn some good calories the next day. You should be okay. One thing... MFP sets you up with a deficit depending on your goal. So if you…

Matcha can be a little bitter. This is another reason to add cinnamon and cocoa... other than the fact that cinnamon is a very good blood sugar regulator and cocoa is also very high in antioxidants as well as fiber and iron. Sweeten to taste with either Stevia (an all natural 0 calorie sweetener) or with Agave Syrup (an…

Note that I only purchase Organic and my tea quality must be high grade (higher antioxidant levels and less chance of contamination). Believe it or not, Wholefoods has a very reasonably priced organic Matcha. 100 grams for $24. You can also get it in bulk here:…

Any decent gym will have a "roaming trainer" who is there to answer your questions, explain machines and give basic guidance gratis. Find out when this person is doing their time on the floor and go then. Ask them for some guidance. Another option - but more risky - is to find someone who looks what they know what they are…

I drink Green Matcha Tea (it comes in a powder which is whisked into hot water instead of a tea bag). It is supposed to have the highest content of antioxidants for any consumable known. The EGCG content alone has been found by one study to be 137 times greater per serving than other commercial green teas. This is because…

"Le Disco" by Shiny Toy Guns gets me through every single weight lifting set where I hit a wall.

For me, when I am running a deficit, I pay less attention to whether I go over on fat or sugar and more attention to whether I am getting enough protein, fiber, iron, calcium, vitamin A & C and other important vitamins and minerals. If you friend me, look at my eating diary and you will see that almost every day I am well…

Well said.

In my former life, I was an Assault Prevention Specialist. I have done programs for families on how to keep themselves and their kids safe in both cyber and real space. The posting of pics of you children on Family Monitored Sites (sites where parents can monitor their kids activity by linking directly to their activity)…

Lower your body fat percentage. You can have all of the muscle in the world, but you won't have definition if its hiding behind body fat. You should shoot for the low 20's to see the start of some good definition. At the time of my pic in my profile, I had a Body Fat of 19.5% - you can see my six pack. I am now at 18.2% on…

The ripped look isn't just from lifting weights. It's also from a lower body fat percentage. I'm in the low 18's (high 17's depending on the time of day). The best way to achieve the ripped look is to get to about 20 or 21% body fat and work your muscles hard to achieve hypertrophy. As was mentioned, the best way to get…

I shoot for at least 40 grams of fiber a day. Foods high in fiber provide sustained energy release and make you feel full longer. As well, Fiber is vitally important for cleaning out your digestive track and reducing your "bad" cholesterol. Your body may take some time to adjust to the higher levels... you may get some…

Yeah - and Sears of all places carries his line. Some good news... its quite affordable. You can get some good jeans for under $30.

What do you think triggers the heal pain? Could it be calf exercises? That's where I notice it. First thing in the morning after a really good calf workout... it feels like my tendons are tighter than a fiddle string.... and when they rub, they feel like they could snap (but they don't, thank goodness). What helps prevent…

Wow. Where to start.... I got serious about lifting a year ago. January of 2010 to be exact. My hubby and I decided to "get ripped" and have some professional photos done (which are here on MFP if you are interested). We worked hard and had our photo session in August. The funny thing is, in November, I got into an even…

So the other day I was at the gym and doing an AWESOME calf, oblique and arm workout. I stopped to check my BodyBugg and noticed that I was burning 5.5 calories a minute! That's almost a full calorie a minute higher than normal. I took my pulse and also noticed a higher rate there as well. The signal was clear: Take a day…

If you are careful with your diet, you can slim down with just lifting. I lost my last 10lbs with no cardio except for walking. But I would suggest getting a BodyBugg (not and HRM which doesnt work for weight lifting) so you can accurately estimate your calorie burn. The fact is that increasing your muscle mass increases…

I have a bulge at L2... but I am a very serious Core exerciser... so when I lift high weights, I use a belt to protect my back and engage my abs. I only do really heavy weights once in a while to send my body a new message and mix it up. I don't do it often because I think too much of that can put unnecessary compression…

I'd suggest LL Cool J for clothing - available at Sears. It's what one of my teen daughter wears... she is a volleyball player and has very muscular thighs and a small waist. The line is kinda hip - so you'd look cool to the teens and 20 somethings. :)

Glad to have you aboard! Suggestion: Keep your cardio and your lifting days separate. This will help your fat burn for cardio.

Congrats on the 125! It's a rush, isn't it, to stack those huge 45s on the bar and press it. I love it when a guy walks by while you are in between sets and starts to unload the weights and you explain that you have a couple more sets to go... and he looks at the weights and at you and does a double take. :) Keep it going.…

Have you considered switching up your gym routine? Here are a couple of pointers: 1) If you are lifting regularly, group your muscles and you can work them more often... I hit each group twice a week minimum. 2) Make sure you lift FIRST and then do cardio. If you do these in reverse, you are depleting the stored muscle…

I'd recommend seeing a Physical Therapist who can help you identify exactly what is wrong with your back and design a recovery plan for you. Most important - DO THE EXERCISES that they suggest. So many people go to PT and they get exercises prescribed and they don't do them - or do them for a week and then quit because…

You can work out 6 times a day if you wanted to... just make sure you are mixing it up and not over doing it. The human body is made to DO THINGS. Many of us have desk jobs that require us to sit on our butts all day - this is not natural! If you are eating enough calories to keep your energy up as well as enough protein…

By the way... for the rest of you tall gals out there who are having a tough time finding clothes: I shop for my pants almost exclusively at Victoria Secrets Online. They are one of the few places that carries a size 6 with a 34" inseam. And the waist doesn't bubble out in the back on their jeans. I hear the Gap has longer…

6' 154# size 6 Female

It is true as long as your calories consumed equal or or less than your calories burned. A deficit will get you there faster. As far as health, however, WHAT you eat is more important than how much you eat. High fiber is one of the best changes you can make for providing your body a solid fuel source, make you feel full,…

EXCELLENT job with meeting your objectives! You have a right to be very proud. If you want to get into weight training, try talking to a Personal Trainer and getting a group of sessions. Have them, at the very least, take you through all of the basics in free weights and machines and how to use them safely. Take notes! You…

It is natural for you to lose weight after you give birth. As long as you are getting the nutrients you need for yourself AND for the production of milk, there shouldn't be an issue with losing weight slowly. Talk to your doctor... and for good measure, talk to your lactation consultant if you have one... they can tell you…

So I'm FINALLY able to do my back muscles today after taking a week off from all upper body (except abs) due to a small muscle pull in my right shoulder. I will be giving my shoulders and upper chest one more week to make sure everything is healed up. But I want to tell you this funny story. Yesterday I was doing legs on…