up2me2lose20 Member

I've been at my goal weight for over a year and I still don't always "see" it when I look in the mirror. I'm getting better at it, but once you are a big person and you hate that about yourself, it's really hard to see that you are anything else (at least for me!). As time goes on, though, I am gaining confidence!

Ezekiel toast with natural PB and sliced banana is my fave. Protein pancakes--make ahead of time, freeze and then pop in the toaster as needed. And honestly, a lot of times, I just drink liquid egg whites from the carton mixed with almond milk for my protein. It works. :) Other ideas: whatever lean protein you have in the…

I make mine with oats, almond milk, chia seeds, greek yogurt and whatever fruit I have. Very yummy! :)

I have always worn mine under. That's what the photo in the instructions said to do (of course, it was a male model in the instruction booklet, lol).

I have also read that side cramps can be due to lack of sodium and potassium in a runner's diet. Food for thought. :)

Yum Dark Chocolate! I like Green & Black's Organic Dark Chocolate. I live in smalltown-middle-America and I find it at my local grocery store in the candy aisle. Look for something 70% or more cocoa. Still going to be fat calories and sugars, but it is a better option. :)

This really depends on your goals. When I'm really bulking to build muscle, I go 40-40-20 (Carbs/Protein/Fat). Right now I'm doing more of a "cut" at about of a 30-40-30 (Carbs/Protein/Fat) though many days it's usually more like 25-50-25. USDA regulations say roughly: 55-15-30 (Carbs/Protein/Fat) I think you have to play…

The order I'd put them in for most protein vs. least calories: Fish. :) Chicken breast Lean Pork Lean Beef Egg Whites (you need to eat a lot to meet protein requirements, but I do eat a lot of them, lol) Cottage Cheese (high sodium) Plain non-fat Greek Yogurt (higher sugars) Whey protein powder is also agreat source of…

I had a lot of loose skin too, and I think I still do have some, though I can hide it, if I need to now. For me, I really started to tighten up once I started adhering to a pretty *strict* clean diet. No processed foods. No refined sugars. Lots of water. Also weight training has allowed me to gain some muscle to add under…

You will put on muscle mass if you strength train and eat in a calorie surplus. It's hard (tho I am sure some will argue) to gain muscle while eating in a calorie deficit. If you want to define your muscles more (if that's what you mean by toned), strength train, lift weights, incorporate lots of explosive, high intensity…

YES!!! You can always gain muscle mass. It's not easy and it takes dedication to both working out and eating well, but it can be done!

All the suggested exercises are great. Throw in some split squats or bulgarian split squats with the rear leg elevated. Try some jump lunges. Single leg squats are great too as are single leg deadlifts and single leg ball curl in's. Just concentrate on squeezing the glutes and hamstrings. Add weights to make everything…

I worked out at home for a long time before we joined a gym. I love going to the gym so that I can get out of the house (WAHM). But I could totally get a good workout at home. There are a lot of options for at home with little equipment. As far as when to workout, I get mine in at 5AM. It's what works for me. Just part of…

I work at home (licensed child care) and have 3 children of my own 12, 8 & 2. I hit the gym at 5:00am and get that done 1st thing. Oh-I workout 6x a week (M-Sa) about 1 hour each session.

Yes, you could just maintain by lifting the same and keeping your diet in check. :) You won't go backwards or lose muscle this way. That's not bad! That's good! Some people have different goals than others.

I use it once in a while to fill in between programs. I love it too!

Yup, find a good lifting program. The model in the pic you posted probably lifts very heavy...she trains to look like that. I have been lifting for a year now and am seeing fantastic results. It's almost 100% impossible for women to look bulky from lifting. We don't have the chemical and hormonal make-up to do so. But we…

Thanks for your replies! Right now I use a EAS whey protein powder and RAW 1 multivitamin for women and a fish oil supplement. I can't say I've noticed huge changes. I need to start pre-prepping my protein powder so I can have it immediately after my workout instead of an hour later when life slows down at home (I get home…

I love the body matrix, lol. I mean I hate it, but I LOVE it. :) I have done the YTWL's on the ball when the (single) bench in the weight room is being used. It works, but I need to brace my feet or the ball seems to move. Maybe I just haven't mastered the form yet.

I think I'm going to give it a try. I did finish up Stage 5 today. So I'll probably take a break for about a week, but after THanksgiving I'll start stage 6!

I never thought I could eat that many egg whites either, lol. But it's not really that much. THere's a product out there called ALL WHITES. Which is sold near the eggs in the grocery store, comes in a carton like egg beaters or egg substitutes. It's 100% liquid egg whites. I will use that to make scrambled eggs every…

I have 1 more workout to go in stage 5. But I've looked at stage 6 and I'm not sure if I'm going to go there. I've tried the negative chinup and I pretty much just fall, lol. I don't have the strength. I have not gained the weight like I would have liked to (in the form of muscle) since I've started, but I have liked my…

I LOVED doing the one-armed snatches. I just hate the word, "Snatch". LOL People looked at me like I was crazy, but I didn't care. I watched a bunch of you tube videos to find the proper form for this exercise, so I knew I was doing it right...people just like to stare at anything out of their little box. :happy:

Great blog post! I actually am going to do Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer Program after the Holiday Season has passed. I'm going to commit to 12 weeks...bulking & cutting. Excited and scared all at the same time.

I lost a lot of weight and lost it quickly doing the same cadio, calorie deficit thing. I was at roughly 1200 cals a day and I also ate back exercise cals. I starte the NROL in June and also hit my goal weight in June. Now I eat about 2000 cals a day and I have maintained my goal weight (give or take a few pounds during my…

Ok, took my first class 2 weeks ago and have taken 2 more classes since and I am loving it!! Very sad that I'll miss the class this week due to a previous committment. My rear really didn't get that sore. A little bit. Nothing major. Don't be scared of that. Bring a towel & some water because you will sweat. A. Lot. I was…

I was really intimidated the first time I went in to the weight room. Ours is really small. not a lot of room. No barbells. Just dumbbells and machines. So, I just started doing my thing. Now, I am not intimdated at all. I go in with my book, pen & training log every time I go. I've even had a few people ask where I find…

I took a week off between each stage. But my "off" week was still full of exercise. I can't just sit. LOL I did things like pull out some old DVD's or try a new class at the gym or find some kettlebell workouts to do. I didn't do any really HEAVY lifting, but I did workout during my off weeks. I could really tell the…

Hi ladies! I am a 36 year old momma to 3 kiddos, 12, 7 & 2. I started this journey to healthy living in January of 2011 and just have not stopped to look back! In 2012 I want to take things to a whole new level. I plan to start the Live Fit program after the New Year and I can't wait!!

I completed stage 4 a couple weeks ago. :) I like those lunges. Really watch that you keep your upper body in a straight line without leaning forward. You are probably already aware of those things, but this will help with the knee pains. I pulled a calf muscle in July that has hindered my one-legged movements in this…