MisterOtter

Since I just made a batch last weekend, I'll share my easy recipe: 1 can of tomato paste (large) 1 can of dark kidney beans 1 can of light kidney beans 1 can of diced tomatoes 1 can of Bush's Grillin' Beans - Black Bean Fiesta 4 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins Add all the cans into a crockpot, then grill the chicken.…

Don't eat the Waffle House Special.

My coworker uses it. Out of curiosity, I peeked at the list of "ingredients", and it's essentially MSG. So it "works" by attempting to make you full when you sprinkle it on whatever food you're eating. Clearly not the best way to diet and lose weight.

MSI is definitely underrated, and Tornado is just such a high-energy track that I love when it kicks into rotation. Now, in defense of the JT, "Chop Me Up" features Timbaland and the Three Six Mafia. Awesome track. I am proud to look like an utter fool on the treadmill when it plays :D

I have a "Zombies, Run!" playlist with a lot of high-energy music that I picked that I felt were also fairly appropriate when one runs from the undead: "Man or Animal" - Audioslave "No Way Out" - Dope "Die Die My Darling" - Metallica "For Whom the Bell tolls" - Metallica (also props to Zombieland) "Tornado" - Mindless Self…

"Don't eat any foods you've ever seen advertised on television." -Michael Pollan

Water. Lots and lots of water.

I can endorse the Kinect as a good extra incentive for exercising. I play Dance Central 2 for around 30 minutes a day as a warm-up, and then transition to either weight lifting or running on the treadmill. Like others have said, it'll approximate your calorie burn and track your usage and metrics over time. It's a good…

Sounds like you just got a job with the US government in a contract organization. Been there, done that. Had the exact same gripe. On the one hand, I get that speaking in one's native language can provide more depth to nuances that might otherwise be lost, but on the other hand...I find it disconcerting.

...Yet.

I've got a FitBit Ultra and have been using it daily for about a month now. I've posted about it before here, but just so you know, there are pros and there are cons. Pros: Great right out of the box. There are no paper instructions, for those cavemen/women who somehow can't figure out the giant text that tells you to go…

Yep, have one and love it. Straight out of the box by setting up some simple metrics on their webpage it's been great. I've found it's been a lot more accurate than any phone-based or old school pedometer. Plus you get the added bonus of having it track your stairs climbed, and general conversion of steps --> miles -->…

Just to chime in, I've got a FitBit Ultra and I'm extremely pleased with it. I've got it on my hip from the moment I'm out of the shower in the morning until I set it on the nightstand when I go to bed. It's allowed me to be far more aware of my activity levels through day. As others have said, it is not waterproof (but…

MFP suggests listing it as "strength training". If you're going through sets and reps with a heart rate monitor, you can get a good estimate of what the calorie burn would be. Otherwise, the site will not calculate it for you. I tend to enter each set of exercises that I do under strength training, just so I can keep…

That's a good point. I'm pretty bad about doing warmups and normally just launch right into whatever routine I'm working on for the day. Looking at 5x5 and the steady increase of weight, I think it'll be in my best interest to really focus on stretching and warm ups. Thanks!

Thanks J, checking out the site and spreadsheet now. I think it was the duration of my workouts that was making me feel like I wasn't accomplishing anything. I spend hours on the treadmill and bike, so to spend 20 minutes lifting feels like I'm cheating myself. This program looks a lot more structured, so I'll give it a…

Dude, congrats! It's obvious all your hard work and dedication have paid off. Truly impressive, and very inspirational!

Just took a look at the past few days of your food diary, NanaDino4, and it looks like you're averaging between 1200-1500 calories, so as far as raw numbers go you look like you're on track. It seems like you're going over on your fat percentage pretty regularly though from cheeses, dressings, etc. Where possible, I would…

Can't see your diary, so I can't comment on the calorie intake. It does look like you've already lost 35+lbs, so I'd say you're more at a plateau than having initial loss issues. Best thing I could suggest is to validate that your calorie count is right and that you're including everything. Sometimes people overlook little…

Don't fret until you have the follow-up blood test. Four years ago I had a routine checkup where my liver enzyme was elevated. The doctor immediately send me in for an MRI and cautioned that I might also have to get a biopsy if the MRI was inconclusive. Needless to say, I got very depressed and worried about the worst case…

I would argue it's more that you probably have a new-found confidence and sense of pride with your weight loss and personal improvement. That shines very noticeably to other people; especially guys. Perhaps it's just that other women are being snide to cover up their own feelings of inadequate self worth. At least, that's…

Interestingly enough, I was just researching this very topic this afternoon. The general concensus is that going over on proteins is not harmful, it won't accelerate or otherwise improve your weight loss / muscle gain process either. The body does not store excess protein, and if you go more than double your intake you…