gmallan Member

There are entries for both dry and cooked in the database, just make sure you're using the correct one. The package should hopefully specify whether the nutrition information is for dry or cooked.

I like making things like curries, soups, stews, dhal etc. that freeze well. I always bulk them out with lots of veggies.

Strong curves has body weight, beginner and advanced as options. I agree with the classification as advanced beginner. It's a bit more complicated than some of the other programs but still achievable as a beginner with a bit of experience.

I love seeing newbie female lifters I love seeing people doing hip thrusts and not even in a creepy way, just because they're an awesome under utilised exercise and slowly becoming more common I love watching people doing kick *kitten* body weight work because I suck at it I love seeing females doing pull-ups and the…

You should weigh yourself at the same time every day. Preferably first thing in the morning, no clothes after using the bathroom. Don't compare this weight to your weight later in the day - if fluctuates greatly and the food and liquid you consume has mass.

As the others have said you just need to eat less than you burn - calorie counting works well but isn't the only way to achieve this. It is however a great educational tool and I would suggest weighing and counting for 2-4 weeks until you learn how many calories are in different foods and what a proper portion size is for…

You've been going for 8 weeks and you've lost 40lbs so roughly 5lbs/week. That's a pretty aggressive deficit for a sustained period of time. Your body is literally starving so it's telling you to eat more food. It's probably time to slow things down a little in terms of rate of weight loss. Generally the closer you get to…

Cutting calories when you're already stressed could be a bad idea. It's basically another form of stress on your body, as is exercise. I find there's only so much stress in the different forms that I can take at any one time and one effects the other whether you're talking about mental or physical stress on your body. As I…

Going back to fundamentals here. Why is she living with you? Why doesn't she do her own shopping? Does she contribute to the household financially or otherwise? Can you ask her to move out? Seems like that would be a good solution if both of you are frustrated with her, acknowledging that this may not be possible as she's…

Your post was a little confusing as you've said you didn't grow big old muscles and you didn't bulk. You seem to be a little confused about the concept of building muscle. You either add muscle, lose muscle or keep the same amount. There's no distinction between bulky muscle or lean muscle (all muscle is lean by…

first response was spot on. I will add that if you are looking for a protein powder as opposed to a meal replacement then look for one that is at least 80% protein by weight (80g or more per 100g). A protein powder should be mostly protein and used to supplement your dietary protein intake as opposed to a meal replacement…

I do what is programmed for me for the day by my very experienced S & C coach. All my max lifts are in the "experienced" to "elite" category for my body weight, age and gender and this is maintained while playing intense contact sport which requires other attributes like speed and endurance that generally trade off with…

Whereas I manage this just fine. I'm okay lifting heavy fasted but can't do conditioning or my energy seriously tanks and I don't get what I need out of my workout.

Curious as to what her reasoning for this is? How long before the workout does the non-drinking extend? You could get through a workout just fine without water provided you are properly hydrated before and especially if you aren't sweating a lot but I can't actually see any advantages to denying yourself water so it makes…

I think it's not a bad idea for some people and can definitely be good for mindset/mental health to have a break as long as that break isn't an excuse to go back to the way you ate that caused you to gain weight in the first place. I have frequent periods of non-tracking and just eat normally for me generally without…

If your pants feel looser around the waist that's probably more a sign that your waist has gotten smaller :) Lifting weights can cause you to put on muscle in your waist but it would need to be fairly targeted and coupled with a calorie surplus. Putting on muscle isn't easy and you generally wouldn't put on a lot from body…

1. What made you accept the invitation or join? I'm a fan of your blog and the straight up information you provide on the forums. 2. What's your biggest challenge when it comes to your fitness? I feel like I'm in a great place right now in terms of my fitness. It's my first time in about 5 years coming off the end of a…

Dark chocolate coated strawberries or just dark (70% plus) chocolate generally. Yum!

Anything you eat for breakfast is breakfast food. No reason you have to stick to foods you normally associate with breakfast. Just eat a normal high protein meal if you feel like it

I have a strength and conditioning coach who specialises in athletic development. I play Aussie rules football. My training depends on where I am in the season/off-season/pre-season cycle. It did focus on strength to begin with in the early off season but getting closer to the season and in-season I do a combination of…

Set your activity level appropriately so you don't need to log everything, only intentional exercise. If there is a huge variation in your activity level you might need to eat a couple hundred calories less or more on active/sedentary days to account for that.

If you want the cake then eat the cake. If you don't want the cake then don't eat the cake but maybe have something else you enjoy as a treat. My point is that just because we have developed a tradition of eating cake on our birthdays doesn't mean you have to have cake if you genuinely don't want it. I love cake and will…

It would be helpful if you listed your goals, experience and schedule so we've got something to go off

The more you do it, the better you get at it. It's literally your brain re-wiring your reward circuits so they don't expect highly palatable food in certain circumstances. That doesn't necessarily help though :) Distraction helps - music, walking, talking to a friend or family member, doing your nails, exercise... Managing…

I agree that it's likely somewhere in the middle. I've done a bit of reading ((and there is a lot of information out there) and have settled quite comfortably around the 1g/lb or 2g/kg mark. There are some studies that suggest in certain circumstances, like trying to retain muscle on an aggressive calorie deficit, more…

For a 60kg person 0.8/kg would give 48g of protein which is probably too low. Converting that to lbs give 132lbs which at 1-1.5g/lb would give132-198 which might be on the higher side depending on your opinion. I think you might be confused.

Save enough calories for some crunchy snacks and/or find something healthier to crunch on. Popcorn isn't too bad, veggies and dip could be a good option. Whatever it is don't let it put you over your cals for the day and you'll be fine

Although on 1200 calories there's probably not very much room for splurge foods while still getting adequate micro nutrients. With a more aggressive deficit and low overall calorie intake you need a higher percentage of whole foods IMO (for general health, energy and satiety).

Haha, wrong Olympics for figure skating. Why shouldn't you give tennis or skating a try if it interests you though. You won't become an Olympic athlete overnight but you might discover a new active hobby that you enjoy!

I'm planning on giving rugby 7s a go over summer. The Australian women's team killed it and are definitely all inspirational. Fast, strong, athletic ladies. I also find the underdog stories of the Olympics inspirational - the independent athletes and the refugee swimmer. I have a lot of love for the people who aren't…