significance Member

To me, romantic love is a combination of affection, attraction, respect and something else that's hard to define... a shared responsibility, perhaps. As to where romantic love comes from, I think comedian Tim Minchin sums it up very well in his song, "If I didn't have you" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeZMIgheZro).

From what I've read, bad insulin results probably indicate diabetes while low vitamin D usually means you're not getting enough sun.

Interesting. I'm averaging less than 1000mg sodium/day, so I hope this isn't true. I think the preponderance of evidence is still that too much salt is bad for you, so (since I don't like the taste of salty food anyway), I think I'll stick with what I've been doing. But I'll keep an eye on the science news.

Thanks for the reminder! I had spaghetti for dinner tonight (with onions, capsicum and tomatoes in it) but completely forgot that I'd bought Brussels sprouts to go with it! And I love Brussels sprouts! I also found a cob of corn in the fridge when I went to get the brussels sprouts - I think I have enough calories left…

Congratulations! My first thought was that you must be TOO skinny, but I checked your profile and it seems you are a healthy weight! You must be built very differently from me!

I'm not a doctor, nor in any way an expert, but from what I've read, it can be much harder to get pregnant when obese. If you do, there's a risk of developing diabetes and it's likely that your baby will be big, and you may need a caesarian. Also, the baby may be at greater risk of also being obese when it grows up. Talk…

I'm just over 5'1". I've set my net calorie goal to 1000 calories per day, but make sure I never eat fewer than 1200 calories (usually 1600-2000 in fact). I exercise away the difference. That allows me to get a balanced diet and still lose weight. I've been doing this since the second week of January, have lost 24 lbs so…

For me, moderation leads naturally to cleaner eating. I don't deny myself anything in particular, but I'm on limited calories. For a day's snacks, for example, I'm free to choose between: a) a couple of pieces of fruit plus a handful of nuts spread over the day; and b) a small piece of chocolate that I'll eat at 10am then…

My big goal is the mid-way point of my healthy BMI, which is also a weight that I have maintained stably and comfortably in the past. My mini-goal was the top of my healthy weight range, which I reached recently. I didn't set goal-dates as such, but set a target weight loss rate of 0.5kg/week and aimed for that.

When you fall off track, log everything you eat that day anyway. There's a temptation to think "oh well, I've failed today so I might as well give up and start again tomorrow," but you can also (especially if you have the phone app) track your weekly stats: if you're a little over today, you can make up for it over the…

I eat it plain with fruit or with sugar-free jelly (US: jello). It is a bit of an acquired taste, but having acquired it, I now find most sweetened yoghurts sickly sweet.

158cm (5'2"), 60kg (133 lbs) and I wear a size 12 (Australian - I've heard that's about a size 8 US?)

Vigorous step-ups are a great way to burn calories quickly. Skipping (jump rope), likewise, though it is very hard work to keep it up for even 10 minutes. If you're pretty fit already and have no injury issues, burpies are a fast fat-burner and a good workout. Jogging on the spot, lifting your knees as high as you can, is…

Normal spaghetti with vegetables (broccoli and mushrooms, say) or a vegetable-based sauce (with no fat or protein) is most filling for me, for dinner. Best eaten late (maybe 8pm) rather than early, as carbs tend to burn quickly and you want the feeling of fullness to last until bed-time. If you like, you could add a light,…

For those wanting boots that will actually fit, try DUO Boots (http://www.duoboots.com/products/boots/). You can buy them in a wide range of calf sizes, they ship internationally, and they look great. Also, I find the combination of knee-high boots and an appropriate knee-length dress is a great way to feel sexy and…

If it was me, I'd keep the tortilla in the burrito and use the lettuce to replace the cheese, instead! (I like my carbs).

If anyone yells or screams at me, my inclination is to oppose and resist whatever they want me to do (or simply to quit and get out of the situation wherein I'm the target of such abuse).

Don't worry about water retention weight gain, as it will resolve itself as you get back into your normal routine. Any departure from the routine will tend to send your weight bouncing around a bit. I bicycled 300km over the Friday and Saturday just past, ate well below my calorie goal those days (negative net calories,…

I aim to keep my calorie deficit of around 500-700 cal/day (to allow a 1lb/week weight loss). Since my maintenance calorie intake is 1500 net cal/day and MFP set a minimum of 1200/day, that means I aim to eat back some but not all of my exercise calories.

As long as it averages out to about your goal over the course of a week, as long as you are getting the nutrients (vitamins, fibre, etc) you need, and as long as you don't eat so little in any one day that you get dizzy, head-achy or too cranky, I don't think it matters.

Sprinkle dried chilli flakes over your food, or spoon in a little fresh, ground chilli.

I've heard that swimming and walking in water can both be good rehab-type exercises.

The "Run Lola, Run" soundtrack!

I love oatmeal/porridge. I buy quick oats and cook it with water (just 2 mins in the microwave), then stir through just a little milk when it's done. The great thing about porridge is you can really vary it. I usually stir in some kind of fruit (frozen rasberries or chopped banana or sultanas/raisins) and often also add…

Usually, it's because I get to my goal and then stop paying attention and go back to my bad old habits. A few times, I haven't got to my goal but got to a point where I was happy with how I looked, lost my motivation, and let the bad habits creep back. A few other times, it has been because life stresses have been severe…

I got married last April and we decided not to spend money or time on a wedding photographer, but instead get some professional photos taken of us as a couple at a later date. We've been putting it off since then and I have decided I will finally get them done when I reach my goal weight. I'm looking forward to that!…

Any time you can fit it in is good. During the week, I get most of my exercise cycling to and from work, but also walk up a nearby hill at lunchtime when I can fit it in. On weekends lately, I often spend much of the day walking or cycling.

If you're 5'2 and eating 1200 net calories per day, you can expect to lose less than 1 lb per week. It will be slow going, but you should still be able to lose weight. When you are this close to your maintenance calorie requirement, though, any small mistake in calculating exercise or food calories will have more impact,…

Never. Have you ever been swimming during a storm?

Taking lessons together (learn a new language or craft, or perhaps massage lessons) Observatories or planetariums Theatre (local amateaur theatre is often cheap and fun) Spectator sports Participatory sports (try tennis together or squash or badminton) Art galleries (big state galleries but also openings of small art…