BeetleChe13 Member

$7.75/hr. Barely over minimum wage, and I barely get by, but I LOVE my job and am working my way up. :drinker: I've had better paying jobs in the past (nothing like what people on here make though, apparently), and I was miserable. Today I'm stress-free, happy, and have the flexibility to work whenever I do or don't feel…

I went through a very similar situation as your step daughter when I was growing up. She may be socializing as a way to deal with the stress, but as for encouraging her to get her grades up, my mom would pay us for the grades we made. $2 for an A, $1 for a B, nothing for a C, and if you made lower than a C, you owed my mom…

Me too. They may be faint to others, but in my eyes, they may as well be bright red. :laugh: I also have some on my knees, which is just awkward.

I really respect women who can confidently go without it. I've had bad acne for a long time, and while my skin has mostly cleared up, it's riddled with ugly scars. :frown: No leaving the house without make-up for me, although it looks very natural on me. I wear concealer (a lot), powder foundation, mascara, a neutral…

Three pillows, hubby, and an obese cat to keep our feet warm. :laugh:

Anytime you change up your diet dramatically, your body will react to the change in unexpected ways for the first few days. This happened when I upped my protein, but it was a good change. Carbs=energy, and often boost our moods. I'm not sure how low carb you are going, but you may try slowing backing them down so your…

Being small chested is fashionable? *gasp* That's the first time I've ever heard that. I must be one hip chick. :drinker:

LOL. A 36C is a pretty generous bustline. I was a successful bartender with nothing up front, but I guess I gave them a good butt to look at. :tongue:

:laugh: Me too. Started small at my top weight and only got smaller. 34B--->30C. Too bad 30C's are rare so I stick with a 32B. At least I don't have to worry about sagging and back pain, even though I wish they were bigger. My body type just won't allow it to happen naturally.

Do whatever is healthiest for your body. I agree with getting your body fat % accurately tested. You may not be able to get much smaller if you are large framed and have good muscle mass. Sometimes our ideal weight is a magical number that isn't realistic.

Yep. Mine is 5'9" and only 135!!! He's a manager at a fast food restaurant, meaning he eats there for free. :noway: Seriously?

The one in Nashville opens in October. Me and a coworker are gonna be all over it like white on rice. :bigsmile: I can't wait!

Wow. Seriously? I'm amazed at how sexist most gyms are nowadays. (Well, it's the people that are sexist, but you know what I mean.) I'm a beginner at strength training and -started- with 5 lb weights. Sheesh. :huh:

*high pitched squeal* You're kidding! I LOVE Tamora Pierce. I must look into these. =D

I can see what you mean. Women tend to be more judgmental of each other than men are of women. I know it bugs me to see a woman come into the gym with full make-up on, and I would probably feel like I'm being sized up. Although, the idea of a women's only weight room sounds pretty nice. I'm too scared to weight train…

It looks like you've been working really hard. You deserve to show off a little. :flowerforyou: And your man is looking like he's lost some along the way too. Congrats! You look younger.

Me too. Sad day. :frown:

I'm a newlywed and only twice a month. :blushing: We work opposite shifts though, so when we're together, at least one of us is sleeping.

Hey, I love nuts too. :happy: I eat as many as I can fit into my fat macro, which is usually two servings. Poly and monounsaturated fats are good for you, but I'm not sure how much you would have to consume for it to be detrimental. I would be more concerned about any saturated fat that is in them, such as cashews. I…

I don't need to look at pics of strangers. My hubby has the V. :laugh: I'm so blessed!

I'm shaped just like this too. :flowerforyou: You look great!

I've heard/read many places that to maintain muscle/lean body mass, you should have 1g protein/lb of lean body weight. So I aim for 89g of protein a day, but I'm also fairly small. OP, I only eat fish twice a week. The rest of the time, I supplement with protein powder, tuna, greek yogurt, nuts, and dried edamame. I've…

Thanks! I bookmarked it for my next pay day. I'm glad it's affordable.

They're useful for weight loss in that getting enough protein helps your body maintain your lean body mass while you lose excess fat. You should aim for 1g of protein daily per lb of lean body mass.

I've heard of PB2, and I would gladly substitute my processed junk for it, if I had any clue where to get it from.

Wow. Burning up to 400 calories an hour is awesome! I know I'm small, but even playing racquetball-my most intense exercise-I only burn 350/hr, which seems really overestimated to me. Whatever you're doing sounds great. I would agree with giving HIIT a try.

Is there a common store you can pick this up at, or do you order online? That sounds amazing!

Oh cool! I'm not big on rice crispies, but I think it'll mix better with the various fruits I usually have. I've considered mixing the chocolate w/my strawberries, but I'm too chicken so far. I think chilling a pot of coffee to mix with it will help. (And taste like a Frappuccino, I hope!) The chocolate is pretty good,…

I have the Market Pantry Chocolate whey right now, and I'm thinking of switching to vanilla because it only mixes well with banana and peanut butter. I DO have issues getting it to blend though if I don't use a blender. I like to mix it in my coffee for a latte, but I gave up trying and let the lumps win.

It depends on what my macros looks like. If I have any fat left over, I fill that up first with peanut butter or almonds. Carbs, I go for a warm bowl of oatmeal. (Helps me fall asleep too.) I had a 900 calorie deficit yesterday that I just couldn't come back from though.