MelisaBegins Member

Absolutely fantastic and inspiring! Way to go!

I took a quick look at your diary and it seems like your daily intake is only in the 600s/700s??? Are you just not logging everything, or truly eating that low? That seems like starvation mode to me. I think with your age and activity level you could add about 1,000 calories a day to this amount ... just my .02. I'm…

6 days/week of the following (most days are double-up on work-outs): 4-5 runs; 3 strength; 2 bikram yoga. Sunday = rest day.

I agree with wearing what you are comfortable in - physically and socially. I run hot, but I have *never* braved just a sports bra. I always wear a tank top or short sleeve shirt.

In cereal, I always choose skim (cow's) milk. Life is short and that's the taste I like in my cereal, which I don't eat often, so I'm not going to switch. For my smoothies, which I have daily, I use unsweetened coconut milk because it has the fewest calories and just adds a bit of substance/flavor (I use So Delicious…

I always seemed to gain during my previous marathon trainings, but I also wasn't watching calorie intake AT ALL. This time around, I'm starting FIRST with some weight loss leading up to the start of my marathon training in Sept. My goal is to get to my target weight by the time I start training so that I can focus on…

I can't speak from personal experience in terms of doing 2 that close together (I've done 7 but they were spaced months/years apart!) but I used to follow a blog about a woman who had been a non-runner about 5 years ago, was asked to join a friend on a marathon, and got hooked. She has gone on to run over 50 marathons -…

Can't the same be said of EVERYTHING we eat today vs. the sixteenth-nineteenth centuries? Meat is different. Vegetables are different. Don't get me started on organic (which I still tend to buy, especially dairy) because there is no way the soil that 'organic' produce is planted in is entirely free of chemicals. I would…

I workout and run in the morning and always have 1/2 a banana and a few sips of water beforehand. I always wake up so hungry so if I don't put a little something in the tank I feel shaky and bonk fast. When I get into marathon training this fall and start to do longer runs, I will have something a bit more substantial…

I definitely get the busy schedule: I'm a mom that works full-time too. And volunteers weekly. And has a spouse, family, friends, etc. If you have kids that are doing homework until 11pm, I'm guessing they're older? While they're doing homework in the evenings, could you break away for 20-30 minutes and do a work-out video…

Yep.

I have never trained with one because I'm so basic and bare-bones with my training (finally just got a Garmin - the very base model - that is huge for me! :) Anyway, I have always trained using my RPE - I push it when I can and try to always leave a bit in the tank for the end.

Our daughter is in all kinds of different activities after school, so it is always a juggle. I plan every breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack on Sunday and do 100% of our shopping for the week in one day. I use our family calendar as a guide as I plan. For example, Thursday of this week is going to be bonkers with horse…

You are gorgeous and inspiring! Way to go!

Finishing for me is priority #1. PR'ing is great after that. I have never set my sights on beating anyone - running is very individual to me. I did an IronMan for my 30th birthday (a few - cough cough - years ago) and I felt like I was winning after making each time cut-off, then by finishing. Hours later I found out that…

I second this advice and would add that you definitely shouldn't stress yourself out with worry that it didn't happen. That won't mentally do you any good on race day. Best of luck to you!

Gawh, at the risk of this going to Doug's head, gotta agree with this. I like Optimum Nutrition brand (chocolate) - I order it through Amazon - but use it only as a sometimes snack when I need more protein. I mix it with unsweetened coconut milk. You won't often see it on my food log though because it's hard to fit into…

Yep, yep, yep! If the shoe fits, buy it!

Oh, the irony! THE IRONY! I literally just got my FR 10 in the mail yesterday. :) BUT, the deal for me is that I wanted the most basic of Garmin models and am looking only for horseshoe/hand grenade type of accuracy. It's a huge improvement from my past marathon training which entailed a 20 dollar Timex IM watch from…

I try to stock up when I can find them on a *decent* deal through Amazon or GNC. Love Quest bars! Right now I am working my way through a bunch of random bars we still have from our Spring Break trip (ahem, Doug, I don't wanna hear about it) but will be back on my Quest bars soon! I would say I probably eat a protein bar…

<Insert gif of a box turtle giving you a thumb's up>

Girlfriend, you sure know what to do with 5 extra pounds! <insert a gif of a baby squirrel giving you an air high-five>

The only 0 calorie food that I consume is air. I consume a TON of it, every single day, but I don't log it on MFP. ETA: that is a lie. I also consume a 0 calorie beverage. Water. I also don't log this, but I probably should.

Oh honey, it's probably the sodium in the yummy Chinese food, don't you worry your pretty head about it one single bit. Just call it water retention and shrug it off and when you're done, just keep being awesome!

Wait, Dave, don't go! :) Though I don't personally have experience with Spark, my body-building, personal-training best friend SWEARS by the stuff and has replaced coffee with it 100% (she actually drinks it hot in the morning. um). She is legit and I trust her opinion since she isn't one to get swept up in fads. She uses…

Absolutely fantastic. Keep up the great work!

I think this topic is interesting because people are so different when it comes to their wants and fears. For me, I am THRILLED to have smaller breasts as I lose weight. I've had a sizable rack since I was 13, and at my highest weight was spilling out of 36 DD bras. I find it uncomfortable and hard on my neck and shoulders…

Sweat For President! Seriously, though. I am a crazy sweater when I work-out, too. Especially during bikram yoga, and I realize that would seem obvious because of the heat in the room and all, but seriously you guys. The sweat POURS off me and I love it. It feels like I'm doing something! Jillian Michaels says "sweat is…

You sir, are awesome. Pretend there is a gif here of a tiny bunny rabbit clapping its paws because I don't know how to insert gifs into forum posts.

I can't be 100% sure, but there's a chance we may be talking about two different kinds of pushin'.