fresh_start59 Member

1. Chicken breast 2. Cottage cheese 3. Carnitas 4. Filet mignon 5. Roast/shredded beef 6. Pinto beans 7. Ground beef 8. Turkey sausage 9. Peanut butter 10. Almonds I wish I liked fish, but I don't. :-(

Below are the two ways I use most often to batch cook chicken breasts: Marinate the chicken breasts overnight in some Franks Red Hot sauce before baking. Put in crockpot with some chopped onion, pepper, garlic powder. Then add enough chicken broth to barely cover the chicken. Cook on high for 2 hours, then turn to low and…

Here in the US, the FDA allows any food with 4 calories or less to be labeled "Zero Calorie". I don't know why that is, as it seems to be very misleading. I count ... 4 calories for each packet of Sweet N Low 5 calories for each 8 ounces of Crystal Light 1 calorie for each spritz of 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray

WOW! You guys/gals are AMAZING!! I'm 5' 4" and started out at 249 pounds. It has taken me 5 1/2 months to lose 21 pounds. But then, I'm in my 50s, unemployed and quite sedentary (although I've been working on the sedentary part since the first of the year). Edited to add that I am not "dieting". I've done that in the past…

Interesting. I am 5' 4" and way back (way, way, way back) when I weighed 117 pounds, I wore a size 7. But then, I wasn't a compact, muscle gal. I was thin (much too thin for my frame) but I was still soft in places.

Fatigue and depression run hand-in-hand. I'm battling both. I'm finding that moving around (walking, resistance bands, etc) help me with the general malaise. The hard part is getting started on the exercise/moving. For me, every single day is a struggle. As far as the cold goes, that *could* be the temperature in your…

I'm 53, post-menopause (also surgical), hypothyroid and fighting an uphill battle with fatigue. In my case, I don't believe the hormones (or lack of them) are the problem. A lifetime of being sedentary is what got me to where I am today. But I'm working on it ... a little at a time.

Mayo. I never did like the taste of Miracle Whip.

One thing not mentioned here is mental health. I have found that depression and anxiety play a HUGE part in my physical health. Anxiety and stress has been a major contributor to my blood pressure issues. And depression sucks the energy out of me like a giant sucking on a straw. I'm working hard to get past these issues,…

You skipped a step ... unless someone added it later in the thread. You forgot LICK THE SPOONS!

I can't do the protein shakes ... well, not until I find one that I can tolerate. Instead, I eat chicken breast or cottage cheese. Like mamatrombone, I like with mandarin oranges.

We've quit using sour cream at home. Instead, we use Greek yogurt. I like it some of the same ways you like your sour cream ... mixed with salsa, used on taco salad, etc. I also like to mix in a bit of cumin and red pepper flakes and smear it thick onto a whole wheat tortilla before tossing on some chicken, cheese and…

I don't have the BMF, but I have read plenty that says these gadgets are notorious at overestimating strength training. So, be sure to make whatever manual adjustments that are needed before calculating your TDEE minus the cut. Also, I don't see a problem in starting to up your calories now. The sooner you do it, the…

I didn't lose any weight with any of my major surgeries. I gained after having part of my thyroid removed. I think I also gained a bit after my hysterectomy. After the last one surgery, a gallbladder removal gone haywire, I didn't gain or lose. I didn't move much and I didn't eat much. But I did exchange some of my lean…

I've been on Zoloft for about five years with no ill side effects. They were prescribed for anxiety and panic attacks, but in January I had the dosage increased in hopes that it would help with a nasty bit of depression I've been dealing with. I have lost 8 pounds in the past 9 weeks. Like you, I dealt with panic attacks…

Ken's fat-free raspberry pecan dressing. No fat, but it has 10g of sugar, 12g of carbs and 50 calories. I love it on fresh spinach with a couple ounces of chicken breast and some crumbled bleu cheese or cheddar.

Losing 1/2 a pound a week is not too little, especially if you are close to your goal weight or have medical factors that have slowed your metabolism down to a crawl (ie: menopause). You don't give any specifics about your weight, age, height etc, so it is hard to say if your calories are adequate. For the amount of…

I log everything as accurately as possible. There are some things that I have to guesstimate, especially when I eat out at a restaurant that does not give calorie estimates. I even log my "no-calorie" sweetener, which actually has 4 calories per serving and my fish oil supplements which pack a 18 calories into each…

I find heybales' spreadsheet on the IPOARM group to make calorie calculation super easy, plus it gives a way to track my calorie changes as I lose weight. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amt7QBR9-c6MdGVTbGswLUUzUHNVVUlNSW9wZWloeUE Here is the post that tells how to use it:…

Nope. Wish I did! That is the first place I lose. I can afford to lose it everywhere, except there!

Took a look at your profile. What punk song was written about you? I hope it wasn't "Prison Bound." If you know who sang that, then you know my favorite band -- at least this decade. :-)

I haven't seen my collarbone in decades. I hope I still have one!

Starbucks Java Chip ice-cream ... it is the only item that I don't trust myself to bring into the house.

Here are some reviews on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Polar-FT1-Heart-Rate-Monitor/product-reviews/B005VPBG0M/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 I didn't read through them all, but it appears that you can't change your own battery with the FT1. You have to send it back to Polar. Like several others, I have…

LOVE ... Spinach (raw); tomatoes; potatoes; corn; green beans; cabbage (slaw & cooked); Brussels sprouts (my new love, used to be on my hate list, not sure what happened); asparagus (if lightly steamed or sauteed); red bell pepper; mushrooms (sauteed in butter or cooked with chicken); yellow & white onion (sauteed until…

Here's my 2-cents worth. Keep in mind that I have a bunch of weight to lose and am certainly not an expert, especially when it comes to exercise. But I've done some reading on the subject. From everything I've read, it boils down to calories in / calories out. Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight. Running helps…

Sometimes, when I have a green salad, I'll toss in some beans for protein and flavor: kidney, garbanzo and pinto are my favorites for this. I like pinto bean tacos, too. I just warm up the beans, put them in a warmed corn tortilla and top with cheese and whatever else strikes my fancy. Edited to add ... I also like to eat…

A friend let me borrow her Leslie Sansone Walking DVD geared toward seniors. I am embarrassed to admit that those 80-year-old, gray-haired ladies kept right on moving while I was huffing and puffing. I need to give it another try. Six weeks later and I think I might be able to keep up with them now. LOL Edited to add this…

I am obese. I started walking in December. In February, I added resistance bands a couple times a week. I'm doing better, but I can't say that it's easier. Instead, I just keep trying to do a little more. BABY STEPS! That's my motto for 2013. So far, it's working. As for being terrified to exercise, I know that feeling.…

Fast food, chocolate and cookies ... but my diary is open so my friends and anyone else on MFP can see my food "sins".