Enigmatica Member

I think people need to differentiate between "diet" (as in calorie deficit) and "diet" (as in nutrition) when it comes to the effectiveness of "diet and exercise" for improving mood and sense of well-being. If I go on a diet that just slashes calories and leaves me feeling deprived, frustrated, and unhappy with my life,…

But... what dietary changes did you make that didn't work? If you followed the old recommendations to slash fat and cholesterol the bad news is that more research is coming out indicating that may not work if your body is producing LDL in response to vascular damage that may be caused by insufficient nutrition. A lot of…

Exactly! I also went from one extreme to the other initially because I went toooo low fat instead of knowing to choose helpful fats. Not *enough* cholesterol and triglycerides can be a whole other boatload of trouble including inadequate tissue repair and disruption of hormonal system that can mess with your sleep, trigger…

There's a whole other line of thinking about cholesterol that my doctor has explained to me. Beyond the very basic "HDL is good, LDL is bad" premise, most people don't understand why our bodies create cholesterol at all. (Most cholesterol is created by your own body, not sucked out of food you eat and dumped into your…

I'm 50 years old and have successfully lowered my blood lipids into what my doctor calls "terrific" levels through diet and exercise. Most recent results: Total VLDL = 12 (goal <30) ~~~~ Total HDL = 69 (goal >40) ~~~~ Non HDL = 90 (goal <160) ~~~~ Triglycerides = 41 (goal <150) ~~~~ Total Chol = 160 (goal <200) ~~~~ Lp(a)…

I use a FitDesk at my office - a consulting firm. Everyone who's ever seen it thinks it's the coolest idea ever. I've been known to rack up 30-40 miles over the course of the day sometimes. It's ridiculously easy to type while you pedal. It's also surprisingly easy to do in a skirt if I want to. The only problem I've ever…

When I was a teen I'd have to sleep with my calves wrapped tight in Ace bandages in order to get my English riding boots on for shows. I had huge calves all my life until a couple of years ago but I don't know if they've slimmed down from all the walking and jogging I've been doing or because of the hormonal changes that…

I had a chance to do a 30 day free trial of the raspberry ketone pills. My grade on them is: FAIL So glad I didn't pay for them!

Hah... I just eat like *me* and adjust my calories based on my activity level. I'm usually over 2000 cals per day and would rather work harder to be able to eat that much than kick back and cut back. Works for me.

There's at least one really good thread on here where someone who owned both fitbit and bmf took the time to write up a detailed comparison. For myself, I spent a lot of time reading reviews and looking at what friends on here who owned each device had to say about them, and decided on the BodyMedia FIT Link. I've found it…

After watching the pitiful downward spiral of my public school district over the past 30 years, I would try very hard to homeschool if I had school age kids anymore. I did homeschool my youngest for a year after issues with a principal who was more interested in her political powers than in student education. After that…

Height? 5'4" Starting weight? 220 pounds Current weight? 125 pounds Goal Weight? 125 pounds Age? 50 How many calories you eat a day? 2000 +/- depending on activity level for the day

I've been in maintenance mode for quite awhile. I just continue to log, sometimes go over or under, no big deal as long as it all balances out over time. It's perfectly normal to have a 2-3 pound +/- range around your goal weight due to hydration level, etc. All in all I've found it to be pretty easy and fun :)

In my case the food pusher is my DIL's mother, and she is very LOUD about it. She also doesn't believe me that I get sick from gluten and dairy. We had it out last year after she lied to me about ingredients and I got sick. I have ZERO tolerance now for being pushed to eat anything I don't want or don't trust. If anyone is…

I recently tried vegan diet for a week out of curiosity. There was just no way I was going to hit my protein goal without blowing carbs through the roof except to use vegan protein powders. It was okay for a week and I didn't have a problem with craving meat (maybe because I kept protein level in usual range) but I found…

Well, I may not look like a 20 year old but after losing more than 90 pounds my weight is what it was when I was 20 years old. I feel *much* better as a slim active healthy 50 year old than I did as an obese depressed discouraged 45 year old. Do not give up hope. Keep trying until you find out what works for you and your…

I've done my own blood glucose tests on the exact same breakfast with and without 1 tsp of cinnamon. It definitely makes a difference for me. And yes there are cinnamon capsules available if it doesn't fit into your food choices very well. I put it in my breakfast smoothie every day.

I'm another one who didn't follow a "book diet" to lose weight. Yeah, years ago I'd tried Atkins, South Beach, etc, and those didn't work out well for me. What did finally work was to just focus on good nutrition and calorie control using exercise and moderation. I lost over 90 pounds, gained tremendously in health, and…

Jerk. So was mine. He used to call me "The Crisco Kid" and always had to add, "Because you're FAT IN THE CAN!" He thought that was SO hilarious. I was a 5'4" teenager who weighed 115 pounds at the time. When I let him know that it bothered me he told me I was oversensitive, which I eventually figured out is just an abusive…

I used to be a binge eater, a stress eater, a bored eater, a depressed eater... an all around eater. Which is how I got all around round. Now I'm pretty much a clean eater. I'm experimenting with vegan just out of curiosity but I don't plan to stick to it long term unless something unexpectedly amazing happens.

http://magazine.foxnews.com/food-wellness/better-workout-morning-afternoon-or-evening =) I'm tooootally a morning workout person. But some of my friends tooootally aren't, lol.

My diary is open. I dropped over 90 pounds by eating sensibly and exercising and am maintaining between 125-128 the same way. Currently experimenting with vegan just out of curiosity but ate all kinds of stuff during weight loss.

I lost over 90 pounds with a mix of walking, jogging, hiking & elliptical. The key for me is calorie control regardless of exercise. Jogging is currently my favorite because it's good stress relief and I need that lately.

What kind of recipes are you looking for? I've been dairy free for quite awhile and find waaaay too many yummy things to eat, lol. Are there any other foods on your banned list? For example, I use nut milks instead of animal milks.

There was a huge thread on this not too long ago. You might be able to find it with search. Someone who has both devices put a lot of work into comparing them. I chose to get the BodyMedia FIT last spring and find it very helpful. It seems to be pretty accurate and has been the best tool I've found for helping me estimate…

Although I have relatively high protein vs carb ratio, I've found that going tooo low carb kills my go. It also triggers depression, anxiety, and nasty mood in general for me. Nevertheless, I've had no difficulty losing and maintaining weight loss while still consuming quite a bit of carbohydrate. I typically run at least…

I have pretty much the same breakfast day after day because it fits my needs and I *adore* it. Lunch and dinner vary quite a bit though.

The Evil Dead series!!!

Heh. There certainly are alternatives. I get 33 grams of protein in a vegan breakfast that doesn't use soy at all. And I'm not even vegan. =)

Nonsense. When I was out of shape, 4 years ago, my resting heart rate was 75-80 bpm, oxygen saturation levels were mediocre, and lung efficiency test was poor. Now my RHR is 48-52 bpm and the other test results are in excellent range too. Overall I've lost more than 90 pounds by walking, jogging, and eating sensibly. Never…