metacognition Member

I lifted at what MFP suggested as maintenance and ended up losing a few inches of belly, back, and arm fat along with slow gains in strength (barbell hip thrust went from 130 to 180, pull ups went from 0-1 to 4, squats stayed almost the same and dead lifts went up from 70 to a measly 100 pounds in the span of two to three…

Focus on body composition. Lift heavy weights to provide definition to the upper body, and eat at maintenance. Over time, you will lose fat mass and build muscle, which will make your thighs look smaller and leaner.

Well, my binge eating was caused by three issues: hunger, exhaustion, and stress. My binges started whenever I cut calories. Small deficits resulted in major increases to hunger. My body did not feel comfortable at maintenance. So I gave up on the idea of weight loss. I ate at maintenance for about six days. It felt like…

On exercise days I get activity specific hunger which ends once I eat. On rest days I don't get so many cues.

Well, pectoral exercises will make the chest appear slightly perkier if you have a low enough body fat to show it, but working out the chest will not help the shape of the breasts. If you lose weight slowly the skin will stretch back as you are still a teenager.

5 or 6 days a week, from :20 to 1:30. Bonuses at maintenance: faster recovery, strength gains, easier to avoid burnout.

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I find myself shaping up at 1630 calories on inactive days; this is probably too low on days that I exercise. I maintain around 110 lbs. I have a standing job. I can eat up to 1900 on work out days and still lean out.

If it's super huge, I give it away to thrift stores. If it's just baggy, I still wear it.

I recommend three books on strength training for women: Fat Burn Revolution by Julia Buckley, Strong Curves by Bret Contreras, and The New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler. Use heavy weight to exhaust the muscle groups you're targeting. Do the 8 - 12 rep range and get close to exhaustion by the end of your sets.…

Why worry about something that you can't change or make it monumentally important? Just take a breath of new air, recognize that you are free once you leave that building and until you walk back in for another shift.

"Those athletes who train for function end up with better form than those who value form over function." Many torn rotary cuffs and herniated disks beg to differ.

In my experience people who have struggled to lose weight associate deprivation and dissatisfaction with healthy bodies, because they've gone through an unpleasant experience in dieting. They're intimidated by people who succeed because it ruins their excuses.

I used to eat half a jar per day when I was obese. I would freeze the jar, take it out twenty minutes to soften, and eat it with a spoon. It tastes like chocolate icing. I don't keep any in the house now. 3/4 cup greek yogurt with cocoa powder = less than one tablespoon of Nutella. Dangerous.

I am a super slow runner. For 5 - 6 miles, I get about 5 miles per hour. For shorter runs of less than 30 minutes, I can haul butt at a slow 6 miles per hour. For short sprints, I have gone as high as 9 miles per hour on a treadmill for no more than a couple of minutes. My knees are starting to get a lot of aching after…

I eat a big meal in the morning and small meals all the time, and stack them a little around the hours I have to stand or move around a lot. Always eat something every couple hours to avoid the desire to binge eat.

From personal experience, 1200 calories is acceptable for the start of a long weight loss program. But at the end of the journey you may want to bump up calories. When I was obese, I began at 1200 calories and had two weeks of headaches, mood swings, and irritability. There was a constant tiredness, malaise, and the risk…

There are a million subtle differences that determine how much energy a body can get from food, use, and store on a given day. Genetics, age, muscle mass, digestive ability, activity levels, number of fat cells, etc. How much energy is wasted in digestion for a specific kind of food is another issue. If you follow a…

I used to get finger pain after heavy weight workouts that involved holding large dumbbells for lunges and sumo squats. My hands would open a little bit and all of the weight would be sagging for dear life on my finger tips, which strained them. Wrap your fingers tightly around the bar, don't let your hands open or let the…

Any sudden drop or fluctuation in calories will cause hormonal disruptions, sleep disruptions, mood swings, and a protective response from the body - most people binge back their calories within two weeks of starting a diet, and end up heavier than before. Any sudden change in food intake - even if it's still above weight…

Yes, maintaining is harder. Right after going from a deficit to maintenance, the cravings and symptoms that dieters have can persist for weeks or months until the body has adjusted to the lighter size. Weight gain and rebound risk are high. There is still a big temptation to overeat. Weight can creep up easily, as being…

I don't know if it's healthy, but I regularly jog five miles on the days I want to eat more.

The only protein powder that ever tastes palatable to me - is Optimum whey in vanilla. I had a sample at a big box store, and the lady pummeled it in a blender. The taste was smooth and creamy. There's something about protein that reminds me of chalk. It probably has to do with the macro nutrient ratio. You would probably…

Most processed foods contain added sugar: bread, cereal, pastries. It's not really junk food that causes obesity, it's a glut of calories and a lack of moderation. A big portion of one's diet can be comprised of simple sugars without necessarily causing harm, if a person does not overeat, has varied foods, and exercises…

I gained four pounds the first week I started exercising. Give it time. As in a month or two. If you are losing weight your body will give you certain hints, even if the scale doesn't budge. They can include: disrupted sleep habits (for instance waking up 2 - 3 hours early for no particular reason) increased cravings,…

No, although that would be really convenient for me. It would probably cost businesses a fair amount of money to professionally test the amount of calories in their food. What are the penalties if their numbers are inaccurate ? Is some federal agency going to individually and randomly audit the restaurants nationwide? Does…

Yes. If your body's metabolic rate is accurately predicted by the formula, then it's best to follow the calorie guidelines. If you are not losing weight, then adjust as needed.

Go by how you feel. Obviously extremes at either end of the spectrum will be unhealthy, but the human body has more genetic variations in a given population than what is encouraged under the BMI scale. At 4'11" and 97 pounds I felt weak, craving, freezing all the time, and susceptible to colds / flu. I was not even…