Stripeness Member

One more thing about things you don't keep in the house - it doesn't have to become "bad" food. For example, I like to have Coke Classic and movie popcorn. So I happily do that when I go to a movie. I'll also have Coke if I'm eating out. It's a system that makes me happy. Others have opted for microwave popcorn & Diet Coke…

If your calves are bulking, then your ankles should look *smaller*. Seriously. They're not encased in muscle. If your *ankles* have "disappeared" you need to seriously consider having your doc check you for edema or other cause of swelling. If your quads are getting smaller, your knee area might look less defined.…

Our family enjoys varying degrees of OCD-ish tendencies, and we encountered some of the same difficulty. I've also noticed a lot of folks have the same kind of experience with the scale (people scale, not food scale!) Anyway, our little herd of 3: we each tackled things differently. A. One weighs/measures food, logs…

^^This, but I'll go a little further, in case you're wondering "why?" Your profile says you want to "lose, gain, or whatever in a healthy way" And here's what's driving you: "I'm terrified of dying early. I want to live a long life, and learn to be proud of myself." Do you see how negative and self-hating that is?…

Umm, that's not a pity party. That's you totally have a sucky doctor. Srsly. And I would love to tell you how UNUSUAL that is, but it's not. If you haven't browsed too deeply here, do. Lots of us have been told - yeah, 800 cals for life. Or "eat like a bird"...*sigh* If there is any possible way, please please see another…

:bigsmile: Not laughing at you. SO many of us have been there! MFP handles macros as a percentage. Meaning that if you log a workout (and you should!), the grams change (as you noticed!). There are MANY *reasonable* approaches for how to handle that. ONE approach is to figure out your protein macro number (a common # is…

Don't purge your closet right now. Store the stuff that's too small - sorted by size. When your current clothes feel too loose, move to your next size. Purge after you're working for a number of months and have *totally* gotten the hang of what you'll want for work - including more/less casual days and any ghodforbid…

^^THIS (and the chart is admittedly glorious)

Good for you, returning! Other commenters covered your original query, so I just want to say that the logging will get MUCH easier very quickly! And if you use the app on your phone, you'll get the benefit of scanning the barcode which can be a real timesaver. Go you! :drinker:

No motivation involved. It's really pretty simple. I'm a healthy active person, so I need to fuel that for the years to come. --Instead of putting me last and burning the candle at 3 ends --Feeding my body what it needs, instead of what's left or what's easiest b/c I'm exhausted (see candle-burning) --No more tearing…

Okay. Yeah. It's easy to feel like all the "right" stuff is too hard. But if you take a deep breath, look at what others have suggested about exercise - take it easy. There are plenty of successful folks here who haven't put themselves through 3 days of pain each time they exercise (or 2 or even 1). Heck, I didn't even…

In 2009, I was diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri (PTC): high intracranial pressure, right at the diabetic threshold (99), low thyroid, mass on my left adrenal gland, UARS (sleep apnea cousin), and blood pressure/cholesterol numbers/heart rate that were still normal, but definitely trending upward from the super-low…

I started lifting heavy when I was 236 lbs (I'm a 5'6" female, for reference). It didn't in ANY way stop me from losing weight. Otoh, I wasn't lifting to lose weight. I was doing it for stress relief, because it was one of the few things I could do at 100% intensity given a couple of medical issues, and I happen to love…

TL;DR - Moderation. And my moderation may not look like your moderation. YMMV! For me there are no off-limits foods. As others have said, there are foods I don't keep in the house. I love having movie popcorn and coke classic when I go to the movies. It's wonderful. I've also *never* kept soda or buttered popcorn in the…

YES!! This took me years to figure out :flowerforyou:

I like to cook a family-value pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts at 450 in a pan of water, with a bit of garlic and jalapeno. The water seems to help keep the chicken from drying out, and the spices make it bearable to eat as-is, but I rarely do that. After they cool, I take them out of the water, trim, and put in…

Thank you everyone for the ideas. I'll definitely be making some changes - starting w/no more lemonade, & also reading the label on the steel cuts for a higher protein brand. MUCH appreciated!:heart:

Ooooo! I'll definitely try this! The ones w/flavor are just icky in oatmeal (I'm not a sweetened oatmeal fan). Thank you:flowerforyou:

:-( Yeah, that's gonna have to be the last of the lemonade. The honey-roasted peanuts are already gone, and I don't buy them - but obviously I'm willing to eat them as an empty-nesting leave behind! Protein's set based on my lean muscle mass, discussed with my doc. Also, tbh, extra carbs = another slice of toast or another…

Thank you for the ideas! I will definitely try barley, and maybe throw in some yogurt & protein powder (that throws off my VERY lazy 1-thing breakfast, but hey, you gotta be willing to experiment) I do eat back my exercise calories. NOM NOM NOM. 1220 *is* teeth-grittingly low, but my medically measured RMR is only 1100.…

^^Gaining some weight is not the same thing as blowing up like a balloon ala prednisone (which is why I specifically called out that distinction). The smartest thing to do is log your calories. That way you can see what is really happening. If you are gaining an unusual amount of weight on a (for you) small number of…

^^That's it exactly! It's the rest-of-the-day fighting to make my protein macro, and avoiding carbs b/c then I won't hit my calories or protein/fat macros...I end up feeling like a low/no-carb nutjob, and hate that :grumble:

Start with logging. Seriously. Just that. In my experience, depression can make things get overwhelming FAST. So be kind to yourself, and just start by seeing where you're at. Do not stop taking your meds if they seem to be helping your depression. If you haven't been around the depression block enough times to realize,…

If you have the option, travel with a small cooler. The little soft-sided beer coolers work just fine. Still, if you don't have one, no need to go out & buy one. Just pack some healthy snacks as recommended by the other commenter, and remember, there are grocery stores pretty much everywhere you go! You can buy deli meat &…

Using the overnight technique made the steel cut ones just as easy as the 1-minute - worth trying, if you've got 'em sitting around... I actually most often eat egg whites/egg for breakfast. For me (HUGE YMMV), a high-pro breakfast gives me the most energy and least hunger before lunch. But I do like a little variety, and…

Ladies, are you saying you don't worry about your macros? I'm not being snarky, I'm genuinely curious. I'm not villifying oatmeal here, btw. I like it. I'm just having a hard time figuring out how to make it better fit my macros. ETA: OH! Let me clarify: I'm not concerned with "starting the day with carbs!" metabolic BS.…

^^What he said. I'll add for me just a *bite* or two of fruit or toast or gulp of tea will take me through up to an hour of cardio - steady or intervals. Longer workouts, a 1/4 peanut butter sandwich works well for me. YMMV (as others noted, some don't do well with fruits or fats) Also, as with so many things, fasted…

Red flag RIGHT THERE - if you're only looking to lose 20 lbs, unless you have *specific* bodybuilding/powerlifting/other goals, you sure won't need a year to get there. And a good, trustworthy trainer knows that. You might very well want to continue working with a trainer. Lots of people's goals evolve a bit as they make…

*crickets*...really?? There must be some SoCal folks w/nothing to do but troll the forums on a Monday afternoon...

GREAT job! :drinker: