ssawchenko

I go to a morning 'bootcamp' class that has me up at 5:50am (which is early for me). Even years later it's still not pleasant or easy to get up, but here's some ways that have helped me: * Pack your bag the night before (although I still don't always do this). Then you don't have the daunting task of packing your bag when…

I think a HRM is really the only way to get an accurate count. I have one (Polar FT7) and I love it - make sure you get one with a chest strap as they provide a better reading.

Nice work on the weight loss! I too have lost the majority of my weight (19 pounds since Jan - in prep for a wedding that went fantabulous!) and I am currently looking to maintain (maybe drop 5 more). I'm an apple fan (still rocking my old school 3G iPhone), but like 3ball I am a PS3 person ;) I play a lot of online games…

Welcome! Don't focus on "skinny", focus on "healthy" - work towards a healthy body and you will feel wonderful, strong and confident :) Best of luck here, while I have been away for the past month, this site really helped me reach my goals :)

I did a little research when I bought mine, and the general consensus was that Polar was the popular choice. I ended up buying a Polar FT7 and I love it. The battery in the watch and the transmitter are replaceable, and the chest strap is very comfortable.

Does it have a chest strap? Without a chest strap I have heard that HRMs aren't reliable. I have a Polar FT7 (with chest strap) and I love it.

Get an HRM for sure! I look at it almost like a game, to see what "score" I got. Wear it for both cardio and weights - if you're using the estimations that the machines give you for calories, they will almost always be "off. That being said, also note that even though weight training may not appear to burn as many calories…

I am also usually a few pounds heavier in the evening - simply due to water and food that I have eaten during the day. Your weight will fluctuate each day and even multiple times a day. Although, if you are noticing inflammation... A friend of mine has been seeing a massage therapist lately to help work through the…

A friend of mine had a non-strap HRM (a watch) and he said it never worked properly or accurately... so I would honestly look into a chest strap. You will probably be surprised at how comfortable they are (me and a few of my friends have them and we are of all different shapes and sizes). Before I bought mine I did some…

Exactly. I weigh myself every morning at the same time, just to keep tabs on things daily, but I only enter in my weight into MFP every 2 weeks or so.

I find the weekends are hardest for me, and I will often miss a day here and there. Every now and then you have to treat yourself, or in the long run it won't be sustainable. I mean 'treat' though, not go completely crazy! What I've found after using MFP for months now, is that I am a better judge of calories, so if I go…

A few suggestions I've read over the past: * Eat smaller portions, but eat every few hours. Snack often, but snack smart. I always have a 3pm Fibre 1 (100 cals) granola bar, and that really helps. The girl beside me at work always snacks on snap peas. * Try get get protein in your main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) as…

Like Phil mentioned, unless you can track your actual heart rate it would be hard to put any numbers to it.

There is a good chance that you are building muscle with those workouts, so while the scale may not be moving, your fitness level and body fat % may be :) I've read in numerous places to completely disregard the scale in the first few months of a new workout/diet routine. Stick with it, stay positive and focus on how you…

You see yourself in the mirror every day, so the changes won't be as noticeable! Also, weight is a weird beast... and doesn't come off equally, so you may not see it in some places for awhile. Stick with it, be strong, and soon enough you'll notice that you need to cinch in that belt to keep your pants up!!! 30 lbs is an…

Once you're comfortable with that I would encourage you to bump up the cals by even more. There is plenty of documentation showing that if you don't give your body enough calories it will enter a 'saving or starvation' mode, and you will actually not lose the weight you think you should be losing as your body will simply…

I would recommend getting one with a chest strap for sure. A friend of mine had a HRM that was only the watch and 1/2 the time it wouldn't register or he had to push it onto his wrist to see his actual rate and he said it was very frustrating. I recently purchased a Polar FT7 and I LOVE it. Polar has more basic models…

I'm not sure there is a way to know *exactly*, but most heart rate monitors can give you a good estimation as they take your heart rate, age, sex, weight and height into account.

I personally love peanut butter. I read somewhere that a peanut butter and chocolate milk shake is not only over the top tasty, but is PACKED full of protein (and the peanut butter cranks up the cals too).

At home we often put things in our water jug that add a little something. I've really enjoyed cucumber (and ginger if you want to kick it up a notch), or even just a lemon slice.

I totally do. Weekends are the worst for me, hanging out with friends and eating out etc. After keeping a journal for awhile though, I think we can make more educated guesses as to what is "ok" when you eat out. Maybe only eat 1/2 of the dinner and bring the rest home for lunch the next day. Or if you're having that glass…

I know what gets me moving is electronic music (mostly drum and bass music)... the fast beats per minute gets my heart pounding even sitting still! I'm not sure if it will suit your tastes, but you can always give it a try! I've ran 10km runs to the group Pendulum and my current fav to listen to is Netsky. There are also…

I was told that a bowl of oatmeal and some fruit is a good way to start. It's also very quick (I am not a morning person, and I need something I can have ready and done in sub 10 mins). I find it's easy to eat even if I'm not hungry as well, but it really does kick your system into gear. Sometimes I toss some protein…

You haven't really given us much back story. How fit are you? How long have you been working out? Were you losing weight and now you've plateaued? Even though you're not dropping weight on the scales, how are your clothes feeling? If you've just started working out then often you won't see much of a weight drop since you…

My current cals per day is roughly 1300 as well. I was given that number from both this site, and a nutritionist I talked to, so I don't think the calculations on the site are that far off. Given your height, gender and current weight, I think 1300 sounds roughly correct (give or take cals here and there depending on…

The less you weigh, the less calories per day your body will require... so perhaps after losing 10 pounds your caloric intake is evening out such that you aren't seeing such a drastic decrease in weight per week? Muscle is heavier than fat for sure though, but perhaps it is time to re-evaluate your cals/day? Just a…

Welcome :) Just taking that first step to be mindful about your diet and what you eat each day is very helpful. I am very sorry that you had to go through such a horrible experience (I cannot imagine the stress and sadness of a miscarriage). Hopefully this site can help you make little changes that will make a big…

Have you tried putting anything in the water to make it taste different/better? Crystal light, or even something as simple as lemon, lime (or cucumber and ginger if you dare!)? Water is so important to our bodies, and I find drinking water during the day can even help curb my tendencies to snack unnecessarily. I also…

From what I've read in forums, the Kinect requires a fairly large tracking space, roughly 6m by 6m - which seems really large to me. It also requires really good lighting. How large is the space you are setting it up in?

Welcome! I started using this app a few months back (welll, I joined years ago, but didn't start *actually* using it until a few months ago), and I find it has really opened my eyes to how much goes into everything I eat during the day. Makes me think twice about unnecessary snacking, and pushes me to make smarter snacking…