thyme4 Member

Upgraded from a One to a Charge HR in January. It is an essential tool for me, and I love having my TDEE records so that I can adjust my eating or my activity as necessary to hit my goals. Also with the HR it does a better job of adjusting for the hills and inclines in my daily walking route.

I see this topic has been around for a while, but felt like I wanted to add my experience. About 16 months ago I decided to restrict my overall sugar consumption in order to assess its impact on pain and stiffness in my feet. I take several dance and yoga classes a week, and had been reaching a point where I was worried…

I do track sugars because for me, there is a clear link between sugar and cravings. If I keep my total sugar for the day less than 40g, no cravings. It has been much easier for me to stick to my program when I am not craving sweets all the time. But if it isn't a trigger for you, and no other health reason to suggest sugar…

I weigh every day, but more for accountability. I don't log unless the weekly average changes more than a pound. Within a week I tend to fluctuate within a 3 - 4 pound window, based on workouts, carbs, sodium, etc. so I don't worry about it unless the trend triggers an alarm. It was useful for me to recognize how much…

Others on this site are more qualified to give you specific advice, but I will start with how important I find good record keeping to be. It might just be because I have a background in science and love my data, but I also find that my FitBit and MFP keep me honest about my activity and my eating. I have and use a food…

I have done several BB programs (Combat remains my all time favorite cardio routine). However, I toss their nutrition guides. I don't want to suggest that they are purposely misleading, because their advice is pretty consistent with lots of other programs out there. I just think it is misguided. I am pretty sure that if I…

So for the past month, I have not been exercising at the same level that I was while losing. Not so much by choice, just due to circumstances including work related travel. While I still do walk at least 5 miles/day, my other workouts pretty much fell off the schedule as I was adjusting to my new routines. As a result, I…

I don't really think the timing of your meals will impact weight loss. That is really based on your TDEE and what your deficit is. However, I have been following an intermittent fasting protocol and it can provide some specific benefit when working on body composition, especially when combined with strength work. So in…

Agree with many others who have suggested your pedometer is out of calibration, because your run should cover your 10K steps. During the temperate months, I can walk to and from my office (about 2.5 miles each way). But when the weather is bad or during the snow and ice season, I have a hard time getting in my steps. I…

LOVE Combat! Have been doing the program since March this year. Followed the suggested schedule; still do several sessions a week just because I enjoy it so much. When I started, I was pretty close to my goal weight but I did still lose inches. I was interested in Pump as a way to balance my workouts by adding in strength…

I have used Shakeology, got it when I purchased a "challenge pack" with one of the BB videos. I think whether or not you (or anyone) would like it depends on a number of factors. 1) Are you already eating a healthy and balanced diet? What I have observed is that the people who find the product virtually changes their lives…

I have been following 16:8 protocol for about six weeks. I set my calorie goals at around TDEE less 15% and do not eat back exercise calories unless much more active than normal (since exercise already factored into TDEE ). So it depends on how you set up your goals in MFP. Regarding your comment about not burning fat…

In my case, it took about two weeks off sugar for my cravings to go away. Most of my white flour consumption was tied to baked goods, so when I stopped the sugar I also stopped the white flour. During that time, I did consume products that used other sweeteners - sugar free soda, also used stevia in my coffee and tea. For…

I am female, 55, and pretty much within a few lbs. of my "target' weight. I have been following a 16:8 protocol for just over a month, with the intention to work on body composition. I do both my cardio and my strength workouts in a fasted state. My primary observation is that it is even more important when doing IF to…

My favorite and "go to" workouts are the Combat series. But I didn't think Pump would be the right approach for me since I wanted to go heavier, hence CX. I am going to try to establish my base program using NROLFW based on my first week long work trip. I did not have DVD access, and realized my Win8 laptop no longer plays…

Many people tend to become overly zealous about what worked for them. And if we were simple organisms, that would be fine. But even though the basic principles and mechanics are the same, there are lots of individual factors, from our genetics to our mental outlook, that alter how we specifically will respond to any…

Thanks - will definitely check out the STS series. Normally I would feel the need to cleanly finish a program, but I am just not feeling this one, I actually thought my TDEE was a lot lower until I got the FitBit; having that data was pretty empowering.

Check out the group Eat More to Weigh Less. It will help you get some great perspective, and as a teenager I think it can help you avoid years of weight frustration. Lots of good informational posts.

I used to take holiday food gifts to my office , where I would donate it to one of the support teams (IT, Sales Suport, Mail Room...any group that was providing service but not close to my desk)! As for meals with family and friends, I would ask if I could bring a dish or two,so that I would have some healthy filler and…

About a year ago, I did give up sugar for a month with the exception of lactose - that kept cheese and yogurt in the mix. I did not worry about the minuscule amounts in veggies, but No fruit, no alcohol, no added sugars of any type. After one month, my cravings for sweet things were gone, I had lost weight while still…

I have not checked out the diet, but I do have a few of the books and subscribe to the news feed. The author makes it very clear that she is not a nutritionist; she is someone who enjoys eating and has done her best to find accommodations that work for busy people who don't want to feel deprived while losing or maintaining…

You might want to use the activity tracking mode (not the reset) if you are interested in isolating specific time periods. You hold the button till a timer starts at the beginning of the activity to start, and then again to stop. This will show you steps, floors, and calories for that period when you log in (doesn't break…

For me, I had to limit fruit. Sugar in pretty much any form is a craving trigger for me, and I have found that my "safe" level is around 30g a day. Higher than that, and my cravings return. So I still have it, but in small amounts and always in combination with other foods. I am so grateful that MFP helps me track and plan…

I think we all want the scale to reflect a nice, predictable straight line that we expect when we stay on program! But our body machinery is individual and complex, so it is rare for that to happen. As others have posted, all kinds of things cause fluctuations during the day and from day to day. I weigh every day or two,…

I am 5'3", 55 years old. My lowest adult weight was in my mid 20's, when I was running and doing aerobics regularly; I weighed about 126 then. Moving into middle age (and middle management) I was tipping the scale at 188 last April and decided I needed to take action. That was when I started using MFP. My initial goal was…

I have had my Fitbit One since early this year, and I love it. I like it better than the Flex (which my husband uses) because I didn't want to wear something on my wrist, and it lets me review my measured data without using my phone/tablet. For me, having the Fitbit is like having a food scale - I am verifying my…

Sugar is a real craving trigger for me, so I watch it more than fat. When I first started my program, I eliminated all added sugars as well as fruit for the first month to break the craving cycle. I have slowly reintroduced fruit but try to stay with lower glycemic options. Honestly, I will eat a good hearty bread before a…

From what I have seen on a few sites, 10000 is a goal for being generally fit. If you are trying to lose weight, a goal of 12000 to 15000 is more effective. My husband and I recently acquired Fitbits, and it has definitely helped develop our awareness of what those numbers mean. I now count all the time! I determined that…

I love my Fitbit - have the One because much of my baseline cardio work involves stairs and hills, I have definitely noticed that I am more active knowing that I am being tracked! That has been very motivating! I originally got it because I felt like I needed better data to calibrate myself for those "last 10" pounds and…