skinnylion

Why is everyone eating below their BMR? I don't get it.

Try making your journal public so we might be able to help you better. Are you using measuring cups? Sometimes calories sneak in when you guess, like when adding cream to coffee in the morning. Do you have a food scale? It's a good way to double check the meat you eat at dinner. Next time you weigh in, make sure it's NOT…

Here's another article you could read if you think it might help! http://befitandstrong.com/the-only-3-ways-to-lose-body-fat-part-i

Right, if you were in a coma that's how much energy you would need to maintain your weight. I think the rule of thumb is to add 100 (or more) calories to that since you're living and active. That means you should probably be eating ~1700 calories a day, not 1200. If you work out and burn 300 calories at the gym, then add…

Yup! Unless you're really short, your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is probably higher than 1200. It's important to eat that amount of calories so that your body can get the nutrients and energy it needs. Also, MFP varies by a little bit on its prediction each day you finish your diary. I wouldn't worry! Edit: If it's easier…

You should actually be eating more than 1200 calories. Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/567092--read-this-figuring-out-your-calorie-goals

Great idea to start adding some to your diet! I love chocolate and deciding to add a square every few days to my lunch was the best choice I've made in a while. :P Glad you've been converted to the "dark" side (haha pun intended). I like Ghirardelli and Lindt because they come in several different percentages and use…

As long as you're eating above your BMR and eat back your exercise calories, it probably isn't food related. You might be getting sick with something. Do you usually get seasonal allergies? Stressed about anything? Try getting more sleep or take a day off of working out!

A "REAL" one? Probably last Halloween! But I had a lot of candy on Easter so that's basically the same thing. If I could have one now it'd definitely be a Watchamacallit. They are amazing. I miss them. (And if not one of those, then a bag of M&Ms! I had to stare sadly at them in the vending machine today while pushing the…

I haven't tried making these yet but I found a recipe a while ago for cookies made with chickpeas. They're high protein and look pretty tasty. http://thefreshbakedfreak.blogspot.com/2011/10/so-how-do-you-like-get-protein-and.html

I am not a diabetic or an expert on nutrition, but would carbohydrates with a lower glycemic index be easier on your blood sugar? Grains like farro or oatmeal have a reasonable amount of protein, and although they are high-carb I'm pretty sure it takes longer to convert them to sugar in your blood. Broccoli is similar,…

Muscle Milk might help you. It's a little expensive but only like 6g of carbs per bottle and ~30g protein. Very filling. Or you could try the whey powdered muscle milk to make shakes. Otherwise, you're kind of limited. Since dairy is out, I would stick with lots of meat! Chicken, pork, beef, nom nom. I can't remember if…

It's a tie between broccoli, cauliflower, and baby carrots. It's even better when I can eat them all at once from a microwave steamer bag. Easy and delicious. :D

The basic way is to calculate your BMR, then calculate your Daily Calorie Needs, then subtract about 500 calories from your Daily Calorie Needs number to lose 1 lb per week. (7 days in a week, and 3500 calories in a pound) MyFitnessPal usually does this pretty accurately but you need to remember never to eat below your BMR…

Treating your relationship with food as something necessary for survival is a good way to look at it. Try to stop making food an emotional experience, and instead see it as "What do I need to eat? How much do I need to eat? When do I need to eat it?" For me, I treat my diet as a daily science experiment. It's not so much…

I read an article today in a local magazine about how low-intensity workouts can result in storing fat instead of burning it. I'm wondering how credible that information actually is... the author claimed that doing cardio exercise on a treadmill or similar machine 20-60 minutes a day for 5 days reduces blood sugar levels…

PB&J was probably the worst... I now measure the peanut butter before making them! What else? Chinese food, donuts, cheese, cereal in the mornings (never realized how much sugar or milk I was actually consuming), and pretty much whenever I went out to eat I would get something fried. Usually chicken fingers, fries,…

I actually just calculated it, and it's about 1630. Reading other threads here, it seems like it's a bad idea to eat less than your BMR and yet I've been doing it for a while now. Oops. :(

I've actually noticed more muscle definition since beginning to work out, since before then I did little to no exercise other than walking. And I don't want to give up! I'm just wondering if it would be better for me to eat a little more.

Try doing strength exercises to build up muscle definition.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, bell peppers. Usually we try other fun stuff too like corn, carrots, lettuce, and sometimes hot peppers (jalapenos were a success but the habaneros were ridiculous!) And once in a blue moon we get a random pumpkin plant that pops up from the ones we let decompose on the dirt after Halloween.

Apples, bananas, grapes, strawberries, baby carrots, celery, lettuce, grape tomatoes, dried mango... the list is endless as far as fruits and vegetables are concerned. Go crazy with them! I also really love steamfresh bags for dinner and snacks because you just microwave a whole bag of whatever vegetable you want and it's…

Unless you're doing a lot of weight training I wouldn't attribute your weight maintenance to being fat/muscle conversion. Just make sure you're measuring everything and keep up with the good work. If I could make a suggestion, it would be to make sure your cookies are being calculated correctly (you've put the recipe into…

Yes, eat your exercise calories. I promise you'll still lose weight. :D

Cake. Seriously! I can resist every food under the sun, but if there is cake in my house I will eat all of it hahaha. I always say it's my kryptonite.

I loved that documentary. I don't know if I'd necessarily recommend doing the same diet, but it was a great film to watch. Really motivational!

I incorporate a little bit of "cheating" into every day's menu. Usually it'll be a square of dark chocolate, or maybe some jelly beans - just something small and simple that keeps me feeling happy. I used to avoid candy and fat like the plague but noticed I would get to the weekend and binge because I felt too hungry or…

I stopped drinking soda because the artificial sweetness altered my tastebuds and would make me crave unhealthy food. A few weeks after I stopped, I had a Diet Coke and it made me feel terribly sick. Bloated and just... gross. So now I don't drink it at all! Milk and water are my go-to beverages. (And Muscle Milk lol). But…

Nice to see I'm not the only peanut butter and jelly fanatic! A good low-calorie PB&J I like to make uses the 100-calorie thin bread (I think they're called deli flats by Pepperidge Farm). The small circular size makes it good for using only 1 tbsp of peanut butter, and for jelly I use the reduced sugar kind. It adds up to…

That looks pretty good to me. Personally, when I buy bread, I pay a lot of attention to the ingredients list. If you want whole-wheat bread, make sure the first ingredient is whole-wheat flour! And I also try to stay away from added preservatives, dyes, and chemicals. My favorite is Arnold Honey Whole Wheat. It's 100…