TrainerRobin Member

Oh boy. I am not a big believer in "free days" because when it's truly free (all day, every meal, every snack, anything in any quantity) it can undo so much work that it usually leads clients (in my experience) to get discouraged. Think about it. You work hard to eat right at a 500 calorie deficit all week, which earns you…

If your goal is losing weight, I will tell you what most trainers won't -- while exercise is highly desirable for many reasons -- 90% of weight loss is diet. Even if you can't get to the gym (but keep trying, and if you can't make it, get out for at least a walk), get plenty of quality, nutritious food and control your…

Since I can't view your diary, it's hard to give you specific advice. Assuming you are consuming at least 1200 calories, I'd have to you try to eat MORE food (volume) ... being sure you're hitting your fiber goal. Lots of clean food and plenty of water. As far as adding calories, I can't say because I don't have enough…

Here are two easy ones to start with: 1. Start with picking cleaner cereals. Make a rule that you won't buy a cereal with more than a few ingredients, without high fiber, and without at least some significant protein. Take five minutes in the cereal aisle, grab a box of Post Shredded Wheat 'n Bran and tote it around to…

Welcome to the start of a journey that will take some time, frustrate you at times, but will be so worth it when you look at what you've done for YOU and for your children. I have a lot of respect for what you are doing (I've walked that journey myself). Keep at it, and if you ever feel like I might be able to help you,…

Don't worry too much about when you eat. Your body handles it all in stride. We now know that it doesn't really matter in the long run ... we used to think eating late mattered, but they've now debunked that. What matters most is calories in versus calories out. That said, I log my calories on the day I eat them. Before…

You don't need to eliminate healthy carbs and it doesn't matter when you eat them. That has been proven wrong. And don't be afraid of healthy carbs. Just look for whole grain versions of them -- and high fiber! Whole wheat pasta (my kids will eat it if I slightly overcook it ... they say that makes it taste more like…

I'd suggest to add fiber to your food diary, if you haven't already done so. If you include that (I shoot for 30 grams daily, but even 20 grams a day is a good start), and shoot for making the end numbers balance out (so you're not lacking any protein, carbs, fats or fiber, then that'll be a good way to see if something…

If you have even a tiny bit of you that likes the outdoors, enjoys taking a walk outside, or biking in the sunshine, I highly recommend the upgrade from a regular Heart Rate Monitor to this HRM that also has GPS in it. It will open up a whole new world of burning calories! I have bought several of these for family members…

Hey there! Check this website out ... it shows exercises by muscle groups and has good, solid advice. If you explore a bit, you'll find full body workouts that you can do without any equipment, too. Bookmark it, find something that works for you, and try it out. Good luck!…

If you have a smartphone, add the app "JEFIT". It lets you design workouts and has a little icon you can push that'll demo the move. Like having a personal trainer in your pocket! And it's free!

I have no idea ... from the original recipe, this says it's one serving. So if you can eat this PILE of food, just enter it however you need to so that it shows 170 calories (mine came out to be 166 but that's close enough!) for one serving. If you eat half the recipe, then count just half of that. Does that help? It's a…

Tips that I've seen work with several families: -- Make it about you. Our old bad habits were about us and our kids absorbed them. The same will slowly happen with healthy habits. -- Consider telling your daughter that you struggle with eating the way you should to be healthy and that you'd like her help. -- When you are…

You are FUNNY! Thanks for the morning laugh! Check back in and let me know how it went! Good luck!!!

Oh boy. I know this one -- from being a trainer -- but mostly from personal experience. My experience may shed some light on your dilemma. I have a bit of a heart issue (having to do with rhythm) so I see a cardiologist. When I first took up running again (about a year and a half ago), I ask him about this and we had a…

Yay! Check back in and let us know how it went!

I was going to look at your food diary to try to help, but since you have it private, I can't do that. Not sure what went wrong, but don't despair! Give it another try and let me know how it goes. :)

Check back in then and let me know how it goes. You and I will really face the same challenges -- I'm heading to Phoenix for 8 days to spend with my sister. The bad thing is that I always eat more when I travel. The good news is that my sister wants me to really help her with a "biggest loser" week, so we'll be hiking,…

Yup. Newest data shows that's true. Kind of. In terms of your body caring, the results said timing of meals didn't make a difference in weight gain/loss. The folks in the study who ate all of their calories late and at once, lost the same amount of weight as the folks who spaced the calories out in small meals through the…

Preaching to the Preacher. Yep -- I've got it. But good that you shared -- informational for other folks for sure! :)

Well, ladies I think this "Scale Diet" is working. I'm down 6.2 pounds in just one week. Amazing! I used to see a drop of a pound or two and then I'd let up a bit on my eating but this NOT KNOWING kept me on the straight and narrow. I'm still committed to making it on this "Scale Diet" until April 1st. Report back in here…

Nice, thoughtful response. :) And a great point -- use our past food diaries to learn what worked well for us (were we full enough and did we lose weight that day or week?) to know what to replicate and what not to replicate. Excellent pointer! :flowerforyou:

The link doesn't work. Do you recall the name of the article or do you have a working link?

Almost always ...

Y'all are going to think I'm obsessed, but as a former Seattle-ite, I love my lattes. But I refuse to let them sabotage my progress so I tote my own sugar free syrups with me. Yep -- I have a little pink flask (three of them actually) that I have in my vehicle. I add whatever I want. Right now, I have white chocolate,…

Agreed. Too much work for too little of a margin. I'd just use the number of calories on your HRM, knowing that none of them are exact, and run with that. SOAPBOX WARNING: More worthy of most folks' time, is keeping close track of their food intake. Between guesstimating, measuring versus weighing, that's the area that's…

That rocks. What an awesome gift to give your kids. I have to confess that I was a semi-healthy eater when my first one was young, and to date, his eating habits are about the same. By the time my middle child was young, I was eating healthier and she is the same. By the time my youngest was young, we were eating clean and…

I love my Keurig -- steam a cup of milk, add some sugar-free espresso syrup, toss an espresso k-cup in and voila ... instant delicious latte! Yummo!

If you like the Chai Tea Latte, try my trick. I order a steamer (non-fat milk) with a chai tea bag (zero calories). I add a sweetener or two and I'm off -- delicious and counts only as nutritious skim milk!

Amen! It's tough to be perfect in today's world, but it's possible to do a much better job and you nailed it. You have no idea of how often we trainers get folks coming up to us asking how they can get six-pack abs. For the folks who have weight to lose, they always seem disappointed in the answer but it has less to do…