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I feel your pain!! Was drinking diet soda to at least cut out the calories but didn't want the chemical sweetners anymore. Found a natural soda called Zevia that is sweetened with Stevia, a natural, no calorie sweetner. They do taste different than regular diet sodas, but I like them. They have an assortment of flavors -…

Hi Nikki, I'm in!! I have been doing so poorly for the last 2 months that I need a kick in the pants to get back on track. Not sure what I'll do, was walking 5 days a week and dancing (tap & jazz) one day and made good progress. Then came days of less daylight and cold weather. Not as easy to get the walking in after dark…

From what you've described, the passive solutions offered won't work. It seems she wants to be near you (maybe for her own motivation) for whatever reasons and moving to another machine every time she shows will definitely foster ill will. After a few times of that, she'll pick up on that and be offended for sure. My…

I actually first signed up with MFP in January 2011 and guess I wasn't ready. Actually gained 7 pounds by June when I finally had my epiphany of 'enough is enough'! Since then, 22 pounds gone and in the overweight vs. obese category of life. Even so, there are days when exercising is the LAST thing I want to do and some of…

I solved that problem with the Genie Bra. Sort of blew off the infomercial on it, but my daughter kept on me about after hearing yet another complaint about a poor fitting bra and the annoying trying on 20 to find one half ways decent fit at the store. Was skeptical, but made the plunge and bought some. One of the best…

Are you getting enough rest? Lack of down time will cause irritability. As Stacy asked, are you taking any supplements that you weren't before? There are some that will amp you up big time. Try taking Valerian root to calm down. It's totally natural (stinks to high heaven though!) and should help you feel calmer and more…

You are amazing! Perfect example of what someone can do when they put their mind to it - you should be very proud of yourself. I think you should have the skin removed. It will add to the weight loss and keep you from being frustrated by those last few pounds that are actually the excess skin. It will add to your improved…

My opinion is to NOT eat the exercise calories if you can help it. Your daily calorie level should be where if you didn't exercise, you would still slowly lose weight. The exercise calories are a bonus to the weight loss effort. Since you have to burn 3500 extra calories to lose one (that's right 1!) pound, I do my best to…

The biggest thing that has helped me is to exercise to jack the metabolism up. The change causes that to slow down and we don't burn calories like we used to. Finding MFP was a blessing to me for the calorie insight - watch what you eat! I was amazed at how much I was actually eating when I thought I was doing "so good".…

Either do as taylorsean suggested and start bringing lunch at least 3 days a week and maybe go out to lunch with them once a week. Be truthful, tell them you are trying to be healthy and eat well and they should hopefully understand and be supportive. You can't let others undermine your efforts and if you still go out once…

My thoughts - for days that you may have to pack both, I'd look into dehydrated fruits, jerky, granola/fruit bars, fruits with skin you peel (orange, banana, grapefruit, etc.) for the dinner option as that will all keep well. Now that you have a Trader Joe's, you can get very healthy versions of the dehydrated/dried foods…

Would depend on what you had for breakfast and what you plan for dinner. Based on that, you can determine which would fit in with your daily calorie/fat/carb/sodium allowance. Bear in mind that protein will keep you satisfied longer in the hunger department as it takes longer to digest than carbs. As tammykoon said, tune…

I have myself set for 1200 calories a day and do very well with that as long as I eat smart. I have definitely become more aware of what's in the food I eat and the food database is awesome for helping figure it all out. I do not find myself to be hungry or tired because of it and feel better for having lost 12 pounds so…

I've been drinking/cooking with soy milk (prefer Westsoy organic plain) for over 15 years now and am raising both my daughters on it. Outside of lack of thicking properties like milk, wouldn't go back to milk for anything. If you aren't consuming a ton, the calories are in the noise of your daily intake. As far as the…

May be repeating first attempt at reply, it disappeared on me :0 Agree with wedjul05 on switching lunch porridge to breakfast as it's more filling and less calories. However, protein shake at lunch is ok as long as you add fiber to it. There are good ones that dissolve nicely and you will feel fuller longer. My main…

I'll qualify this reply with the statement that I'm not a doctor, so take my advice as you will. From my mom's saga with high bp that the cause of was missed, learned as much as I could to help her, but found the necessary help for her too late. Most high bp is caused by narrowing or arteries, veins, etc. The good Lord put…

Would love to work with you while we get back in shape! Add me to your friend list and off we go :)

It would be a pleasure to work towards our goal of slimmer, trimmer, healthier selves together. Feel free to add me.

Another thing that helps with joint issues overall, but requires patience for results, is Knox gelatin. Learned about this years ago and have seen it help several folks over the years. One friend couldn't walk upstairs w/o severe pain but after 7 - 8 months of diligently doing the gelatin, was taking the stairs! Real…

Developed bursitis in my left hip and after going to physical therapy and getting not much relief, did some research on what exactly it is and once I read the word inflammation, knew what to do. Bought curcumin supplement from my local health food store and started taking 2 capsules 3 - 4 times a day. Within a month,…

Ok, as a female I'm going to tell you straight --- DUMP HER FOR GOOD!!! She is bad for you on every level and is a self-centered, mean-spirited, cruel hearted nit wit. It is very obvious that she does not have any real feelings for you if she can say such cruel things when you are obviously working hard at getting to a…

Kayla, would be glad to support and receive support in return. I'll do the add thing on my part and you can complete on your end. Think you'll find the site very helpful in many ways - it's been a eye opener for me on the food diary. Amazing how much I was eating and really didn't think it was all that much. Being as…

Since you had your gall bladder remove, you should consider supplementing with black walnut to aid in the process the gall bladder used to perform. I've known several folks who had their gall bladders removed and suffered from similar symptoms until they started supplementing with black walnut. Does not eliminate problems…

Eating often is the problem - the body never (and I mean never) enters fat burning mode eating like that. Your body has to use up the insulin secreted when you eat, then it burns the glucagon (another sugar) stored in the liver, and then starts burning fat. The fat burning does not start until about the 4 hour mark AFTER…

Don't give up - those last pounds are always the hardest. One tidbit to pass on that I know works from experience, I'm just not disciplined enough to make the lifestyle change permanent. Would call them 'eating rules' - 1. Keep meals 4.5 to 5 hours apart with no snacking 2. At each meal, eat palm sized portion of protein,…

@jennicain and others diagnosed with hypothroidism - there's is a remedy if you are disciplined. Root cause of hypothroidism is an idoine deficiency in our diets and the thyroid NEEDS iodine. I receive several natural health letters each month and a few years back one addressed this very topic. Recommended a product called…