SarahSmilesCA Member

I log them because fruit is about 50 cals per piece, a 100 cals per cup. That adds up fast. Veggies I log because I want to track my fiber and nutrients like Vit A and C... I don't worry about the calories too much from them because it takes a lot of energy to process raw foods, but calories do count, so I log them.

My favorite after workout meal: Blue Almond crackers (one serving is like 16 crackers and only 23 carbs and 120 calories) and my homemade chicken salad on a bed of greens and other veggies: Chicken Salad: 1 cup of Shredded Chicken 1/4 cup almonds or pecans 1/4 sliced grapes a tbsp minced dried cranberries 1/4 cup celery…

Here are a few things that have helped me with retention and inflammation (the real reason you are retaining water). First find out the foods you are eating that are making you retain water. It can be a med issue but it is often combined with food intolerances that cause edema. Research then eliminate foods in your diet…

Thank you...someone stating a real reason... Protein does not have to be expensive. Egg whites are cheap and the second best protein for BCAA's (second only to whey). You can add them to just about thing you eat because they are so neutral in taste and the calorie to protein ratio is amazing. I used this nutritional label…

This...I could not lose weight until I started taking both T4 and a low dose of T3 (armor). Now I am nearly bullet proof. I am losing weight consistently and I can even splurge a little every month, but I am working hard on both my diet and my exercise program. Also I let a lot of years go by before I got serious with my…

Yes this...and I LOVE your video!

Yep this, plenty of other things that are just as good, like Greek Yogurt. With that said I agree with the posters who said brand is important... I do not like fruit at ALL with cottage cheese, I like salt and pepper. I even use cottage cheese as a base for dips, and eat veggies with it...maybe the problem is you need to…

The key is to give the fruits and veggies to your child when they are babies, so they grow up developing a taste for them. Too many people just give junk to young kids and they never develop a taste for healthy food. For my kids, sodas, chicken nuggets, and other junk was not allowed in their diet until they were about 5,…

Yuk not sure why anyone uses commercially produced soy, almond, or coconut "milks". They have nothing nutritionally in common with milk, they have a bunch of fake crap in them, no protein, and no real taste blech...

Dude, if I had a .99 store like yours I'd be SOOOO HAPPYYYYY. Though I have looked around at my local Dollar Tree in the frozen food section. EPIC deals on frozen fruit!!! Can't find frozen fruit for cheaper. :) [/quote] Yep Dollar Tree is good, I have seen the steaks occasionally there but I find better fresh food at the…

I have recently learned that the .99 cent store is loaded with fresh fruit and veggies and their freezers often have pre-portioned meat that is pretty good, especially on the barbie this time of year. I found frozen steaks and chicken breasts for 99 cent each and they were 3 oz each which is just the right size for most…

And to answer the OP question. I have reduced my carb intake to 125 on my cardio days and under a 100 grams on my strength training days. I eat most of my carbs directly after my workout which ends usually around 1 pm. My meal at night has few carbs, just enough for digestion and sleep, and lots of protein and fiber to…

No she isn't. Simple truth, carbs increase blood sugar and blood sugar spikes cause hunger which increases Gherelin, the hormone responsible for stimulating hunger, so when you spike blood sugar you are increasing Gherelin. Do it at night and it results in night snacking which for many people is the reason they battle with…

When ever I come on MFP and see the Soda/Pop Tart/Carb wars I get annoyed because I think a lot of people on this site give crappy eating advice, especially in regards to carb consumption. It like drug addicts telling you that doing drugs in moderation is "just fine"...yeah except you are a drug addict buddy! The…

You are going to get a million opinions here and everyone will challenge this but there really is only one effective diet for PCOS, that will help you get your fertility back and help you lose weight and that is a low carb diet that is nearly gluten free. You should research this on your own, but you are going to find that…

Balance your carbs with adequate protein and healthy fat or even more protein than carbs per day and see if that helps. Cravings and strange unexplained hunger are usually always hormone imbalances and/or blood sugar issues. You can control those things by increasing protein, decreasing carbs (like under 100-150 per day)…

This...read this again and considers what he says. Reducing your calories to an extreme calorie deficit messes up your metabolism...and makes you gain the weight back faster.

I have a torn Meniscus and ACL. I actually have found swimming and spinning/biking a lot easier on my knee than walking. Walking seems to really push too much pressure on my hip and foot which in turns puts pressure on my knee, so becareful with that. I can walk now though, but when I first started couldn't even walk 5…

I would image that BCAA's do have the potential to mess with the kidneys but even a low carb diet can do that if you are predisposed to kidney issues and you over do protein. I do not worry any more about BCAA's than I do about any other protein I am taking. With that said I love my BCAA's. I take them in the morning with…

I often put in my own calorie entries for common foods because I find that many of the entries on here are off in the macros and servings. This is especially true of the sushi, it is crazy the values I have found. It is like people have no idea what an oz of fish looks like or how many protein grams it has (about 8 per oz,…

I have had hypothyroid for years and it was not diagnosis properly for years and then I was on a roller coaster of different meds to stabilize it. The medication is no big deal. Just be certain you get to TSH of 1 and make sure BOTH T3 an T4 are in the normal range (demand a full thyroid panel be done, especially at the…

SO beautiful and what a joy to see your child ;)

The best diet is the one you can do successfully over time. In other words it is a life style not a diet. I have done a lot of things but over all I have manage to discover what works best for me. That is Intermittent Fasting 16:8, exercise and balancing my macro nutrients . You need to discover what works for you based on…

No it is not just about calorie deficit if you want to retain muscle tissue. If you go to BodyBuilding.com or Leangains.com they recommend many things but a few things are consistent all over both websites, reduce carbs, and maintain good levels of protein and fat and keep your calories at 20 % percent below TDEE. Lift…

If you click on Cardiovascular strength training is an option (who knew?!!). Just put in your minutes and it calculates the rest. I was wondering the same thing until someone told me it is listed under cardio...go figure. I just ignore the strength option column now and list everything under Cardio. I think the estimate…

This is the most unusual surreal post for a former vegetarian... Do not take your 3 yr old to see the butchering...that is really not appropriate for children(especially 3 yrs old) who are not raise on a farm. I was raised on a farm and I still have memories of squealing pigs and headless chickens.But I have a city raised…

It does not have to be per body weight but per lean tissue weight. And that number can be what you SHOULD weigh not what you currently do. Lyle McDonald explains it well, according to a quote from his Body Recomposition website: "So basically we have an intake continuum ranging from about 1.5 g/kg (0.68 g/lb) as a minimum…

While shopping at the mall for new jeans stop by Victoria Secret and get new panties as well so you feel sexy under those jeans. They are my favorite little reward for losing weight. Awesome job!

Supplements can not replace good nutrition and exercise program but they can enhance it. Sorta like the multiplication property If you do zero to reduce calories and add exercise supplements it will not give you any results (multiplying by zero, you get zero), but if you add supplements to a good program is does render…

This...MFP is obscene in its estimations. At my stats when I bike for an hour it says I am burning 1000 cals. My HRM says about 700, which I still think is crazy high, but I know it is well over 500 so I only eat half of my exercise calories back at most and some days I sorta ignore them if I don't feel I need them. With…