shakespearessister

I'm Celiac. I also was diagnosed with IBS (as a teenager) and have always had some sort of gut disturbance, despite a healthy, whole food, diet. Nothing really changed with the way my stomach/gut felt that made me suspect Celiac. Rather, I had delivery complications with my first two children, then had chronic vitamin…

Yes, my first nursed until she was almost three, and I was tandem nursing her brother while pregnant with my third. I forcibly weaned her because while I'm all for tandem nursing, I was NOT nursing three kids! So I've been nursing almost without break for the last 6 years. When I've weaned, I've been pregnant, so obviously…

Heh. Well. This has been enlightening :-P

It isn't an unreasonable goal on paper, but go by how you feel. My goal was 130 (I'm 5'6"). I weighed around 120 pounds when I got married, so I thought 130 was a good goal. However (after 4 children in 5 years), I've gotten down to 136, and I look and feel good. It seems to be my natural set point now, as I've been…

I use 1200 as my base but add between 240-500 per day for breastfeeding, depending on the age of the baby, and how much they're nursing. I'm nursing my 4th baby and I concentrate on nourishing myself with the calories I'm allotted and have never had an issue with supply. Some moms have definite supply drop off when they…

I had four babies in five years...before I even got off the pregnancy weight, I was pregnant again . I have PCOS with insulin resistance and hypothyroidism, which made it difficult to lose ANY weight after having a baby, on top of the close pregnancies. Throw in severe PPD and boredom eating from being very isolated and…

I love them in kombucha. Also, in gluten free baking, grinding them into a meal/flour gives great texture and nixes crumbliness.

I eat clean, gluten free, and organic. I had my fourth child in 5 years, so exercise time is limited. I lost 55 pounds just by logging calories and eating clean. No exercise. I'm now trying to tone and get more fit as my baby gets older and I get more of a chance to exercise.

I weigh LESS than when I got pregnant with my first child, but my pre-preg clothes don't fit right. The weird thing is, my hips are more narrow...it's my waist that's bigger. While there are certainly women who don't seem the least bit changed after pregnancy, I don't think it's that uncommon for your shape to just be…

If I'm reading your post correctly, you're only 3 weeks post-partum? It's entirely too early to work out. Things like gentle walks are fine, but you need to be gentle on yourself until you have your 6-week visit with your OB. Your stomach muscles need time to go back to normal (you can actually injure your abdominal…

Stonyfield organic Oikos pineapple. Also Eros Organic strawberry. Like dessert!

That's why it's such a good idea to buy from companies committed to fair trade. These articles show how the quinoa farmers' lives have improved from fair trade projects. So don't give up such a great superfood, just buy it from companies who help their farmers instead of exploit them.…

artoftea.com. The best handcrafted loose leaf tea. Their dessert teas are to die for. Vanilla berry truffle. Velvet tea. Chocolate monkey. Oh MY! That helped me lose weight because in the evenings when I wanted to graze, I would drink tea with a splash of cream and a bit of stevia.

First, the extra calories I consume for my coffee in the morning make me HAPPY and so I count them worth it. However: 1. Good gourmet coffee 2. Brew it a little weaker or get a lighter roast 3. Use a smaller cup :-) We're real food fiends here, so I won't use traditional "creamers," but the SoDelicious coconut milk creamer…

I lost 54 pounds in the 8 months following the birth of my fourth child (in five years). I didn't have people accuse me of cheating or lying, but I did have people ask what the secret was (ahem, by overweight people, I may add). It was actually really insulting. I wanted to yell "It was discipline and hard work, people! No…

Your face and maybe arms...it's hard to tell in the waist because your shirt is loose and kinda bunched up around the waist. Definitely measure...it's not as hard as lifting ;-)

I have PCOS. I've lost 54 pounds since having my son 9 months ago. I eat clean, but I also watch carbs. No white flours, and very limited white sugar. I know a calorie is a calorie, but when I get most of my calories from protein, good fats (coconut oil, clean meat, organic dairy), and veggies, my weight loss is super…

Yes, if you have the willpower cold turkey does work best. Once you get over the hump those first couple days, you really lose the craving. However, something that hugely helped me is increasing my intake of fermented foods. Yogurt, kefir (plain and sweetened with stevia), kombucha, etc, really helped take away the…

Also, Yumnuts makes a cajun cashew that's pretty spicy. Obviously, they're nuts, so pretty calorie dense, but also good for you. You just have to watch the serving size.

I was also going to say popcorn. I made a homemade barbecue powder and added cayenne to it. On plain popcorn, give a little blast of olive oil and sprinkle the seasonings on. It's really good, high in fiber, and relatively low in calories (as long as you only eat a couple cups)

I've been using stevia for years and never had a problem, but that doesn't mean that it's not the cause of your migraine, although, as some of the previous posters noted, it could be some of the additives. Pure stevia is actually green (it's an herb). Perhaps stop using the processed stuff and get hold of some pure green…

I've lost 52 pounds by diet alone in the last 7 months(and I'm at a healthy bmi). The first 6 weeks, I was under activity restriction because I had just given birth, then with 4 children 5 and under and a husband who is away 14 hours per day, exercise isn't happening for me right now. That being said, exercise is important…

Fantastic job, and gorgeous, gorgeous family!

I use it in homemade baked beans. It's also good as a substitute for (real) maple syrup and can be used over oatmeal and stirred into homemade baked pumpkin or winter squash. It is fairly calorie dense, but it is nutritious with a high mineral content. It's thick, like honey and could be spread on toast. It's sweet but it…

He was only 9 pounds 12 ounces, 21.5 inches. He looked scrawny...my last one was 11 pounds!

Hmm...my parmesan (Organic Valley) has 110 calories per 1/4 cup. But I'm still trying these. I can't wait to get some zucchini!

Salad...I've found that if I stuff whatever I'm eating with greens, it fills me up without a lot of extra calories. I use organic spring mix (it has a ton of different greens like spinach, radicchio, arugula, etc). Even if I'm just eating an egg on half a gluten free wrap, I'll stuff all the greens I can get on it. For an…

For steamed veggies, I use a small dollop of butter (to help absorb fat soluble vitamins) and Celtic sea salt. Sometimes on peas or green beans, I use Simply Organic Italian dressing mix, and just sprinkle the powder over the steamed veggies. The small amount of butter and moisture on the veggies make the powder dissolve…

Late Night Snack, Phish Food, and Karamel Sutra. I had some other favorites before I went gluten free...I think there's a Strawberry Cheesecake that I loved. If you go to their website, they list all their flavors and what's in them. That might help you decide. Occasionally on my free day, my dh will bring me a tub of Late…

Have you tried chia seeds? Psyllium husks will totally rip up your gut if you have any sensitivities/gut issues at all. Chia seeds have a ton of fiber, as well as other nutrients like omegas, but don't make you feel bad. I stir mine into kombucha for a weird gelatinous drink.