parmoute Member

I would consider myself a success story in progress. I've lost 32 lbs in the last six months, with another 68 lbs to go. I have been working out sporadically (which is more than I can say for any other time in my life) -- enough to almost see the muscles in my upper arms! My depression hasn't been much of an issue for…

I'm back!! :happy: Last week I felt like the more I tried to make time for the 30DS, the more I didn't want to do it. Wednesday morning I got up early, got dressed, put it on, made it as far as the first round of push ups and turned it off. Since I'd gotten up that early, I was determined to do some kind of workout, so I…

^^ This. But I also try to plan ahead so I can get as much food into my day while staying within my calorie budget. Really the only way to do that is to eat less junk food and eat lots more fruits and veggies. When I first started, carbs was the macro I paid most attention to because I really like carbs, but now that I'm…

How's everyone doing? I have to admit I'm not doing as well as I hoped I'd be at this point: finals are this week and next week, schedule has been crazy, I've been feeling run down, and overall I'm less motivated than I was a week ago. I'm still fighting to get it in my schedule when I have the energy, but since I'm not…

If it's primarily your quads, then it's from being on the bike. You might not feel it right away when you get off the bike (though try walking up a flight of stairs and you might!), but the quads do a lot of work. Back when I could run, I was also biking (and climbing a lot of stairs!) and it's amazing how differently they…

Woo hoo! Way to go! I have to get my license updated soon (moved to another state) and even though I've lost 30 lbs, I'll still have to add 30 lbs to mine. But getting it updated again would be an interesting "reward" when I finally reach goal weight.

I tend to agree with truushot -- why spend six weeks trying to figure out exactly what the number is when my goal is to change it anyway? -- but I also agree with the OP that the one thing new people need to know is that calories in < calories out = weight loss. It's important to understand the meaning behind the TDEE. It…

My plan was to try to move up one level every 10 days. If I start level 2 and want to die, maybe I'll go back to level 1 for a few more days. If level 1 gets easy early, I'll up the weights for strength and/or up the speed for cardio.

Finally did Level 1 Day 2! I'm not sure if it's the cardio that is my problem or if it's my quads, but the middle cardio section--right after the squat and press--seems to be the hardest part of the whole workout (with bicycle curls and push-ups a close second and third, respectively). If I'm going to lose my stamina,…

Checking in: I should have done day 2 yesterday, but it looks like I'm now on the 62 day plan! It was a super long day and I was exhausted so there was no way I was going to do a full cardio workout after getting home at 9:15 pm. I should have done it in the morning, but I was so wiped out from the previous day that I…

Pictures would be a great idea, but I have to admit that I have a hard time seeing the progress unless it's really obvious (for example, I have a waist now, whereas I didn't before :smile: ) I might want to do measurements though. I've never done mine (ever, mostly because I don't want to know) and I've heard some people…

costa_cristia -- That sounds like a great idea! I'm going to start running in January and want to use the 30DS to strengthen up for it. tcfuller09 -- Great to have you along: you can coach us newbies through it! Any recommendations on when to increase the amount of weights throughout the program? leanveins -- I had planned…

I'd be delighted to have a yoga buddy too! Have you looked at some of the yoga videos available on YouTube? Your public library probably has a few too if you want to try a few for free before committing to anything.

YES! You have no idea how often I say that to myself -- because it's so very true. To the OP (and anyone else having an off day): You really can do this. If I -- the person who would be perfectly happy to eat pancakes three meals a day at the while telling myself for the last 10 years that I need to lose weight -- can do…

This worked for me too. I'm not much of a dark chocolate fan, but I keep a bag of Hershey kisses in the freezer and some thawed out in a dish on the counter. I have one almost every morning with my vitamins (maybe another after dinner) and then for the rest of the day I can tell myself I've already had my treat and I'm not…

I've sent you a friend request :flowerforyou: I've been on MFP for almost two years and my days logged counter is at 30-something. I've lost count of how many times I've ended up "started over." Sometimes the interruptions are more legitimate than others (moving: legit, feeling bad about myself: not so legit), but this…

I agree with the above in celebrating with food, but sensibly. As a fellow PhD student, I always celebrate those milestones with friends and food (I don't drink, but I do love dessert!). As far as celebrating weight loss, I'm less likely to do that with food. Instead, I start looking for a new dress, and not just any dress…

Cookie dough and Rooibos chocolate hazelnut... I have to find those!! :heart:

I like the Yogi teas also: the Vanilla Spice Perfect Energy is a great substitute for soda when I need a caffeine boost. For calming down, I really like the Tension Tamer blend from Celestial Seasonings. Sleepy Time (Extra) (also Celestial Seasonings) made with 8 oz water, 4 oz almond milk, and 1 tbsp of honey is a perfect…

It's certainly worked for me this month! Sundays are weigh-in days and today I've decided I cannot keep ignoring the 4 lbs I've gained back. I'm not upset or disappointed about it -- life's been happening and it's going to keep happening -- but it sure is great motivation to get my butt back into gear :happy:

Simple answer: That depends on how quickly you want the weight to come off and how well you think you'll be able to stick to the calorie budget you set for yourself. My stats are pretty similar to yours (5'6", currently 204 lbs, target weight around 130) and I have my profile set to lose 1.5 lbs per week. Sometimes that's…

That's fantastic!! What wonderful news. Congratulations!

Thanks to both of you for the support!

How fast are you going? I've been thinking about starting it, but I'll probably only be able to do it 3-4 days a week at best. If that's okay, then count me in, otherwise, good luck on your quest!

This thread couldn't be any better timed. I had an awesome day yesterday nutritionally and I've been really happy with myself lately, but today is going to be a mess. I have insomnia and it's been screwy lately, which means the rest of my body has been too. Today I'm so over-tired that I'm moving around like Ricochet…

Hi! I've also been through several relapses of depression and know how overwhelming it can be. Right now I'm going through a minor relapse mostly because of insomnia. Without the energy to keep up with my normal life, my healthy eating has been derailed, I'm too tired to exercise and I'm falling behind in school again (I'm…

Are things getting better? I hope so. I've recently moved from IL to IN and the stress has been enormous. For a few days I was mentally and physically exhausted and just wanted to cry (and did so often!). It's getting better though, and whatever you're going through will get better too. Today's my first day back on MFP…

Did you try cottage cheese yet? It's got about as much protein as Greek yogurt but less sugar and therefore fewer carbs (than even plain/unsweetened Greek yogurt--that's why I switched) and, if you choose, 0 fat. Half a cup of cottage cheese is only 80 cal. Go to tomorrow's page in your diary and put in a bunch of options…

I second the request for help! I'm in the process of packing up my current place; I'll be moving into a new apartment out of state on Aug 7th. Tonight I'm making a big batch of healthy food I can take for my last week of work lunches, but if anyone has ideas for good meals I can eat in the last week here/first week there…

You might want to start out filling your workout time with something like yoga or pilates. Breathing is a central focus in both practices and you'll learn how to control your breathing for the more intense workouts. Plus, if it's been quite a while since you've been active, both will help you lengthen/loosen your muscles…