PippiNe Member

I know it's no fun to see lower numbers in your calorie burn, but it does seem to be pretty accurate. And accuracy logging = lower numbers on your scale (no matter how slowly they come off) :o)

OP, I'm sorry for hijacking your post, but the responses here have answered so many of my questions. I still have a few more though along this same topic: How do you determine the duration of your bulks and cuts? Should you be at your ideal weight before you start the bulking/cutting process? I am currently 6 lbs heavier…

Your plan to eat healthy sounds perfect! Adding walking into your daily activity is definitely a great idea. While you are eating for 2 now, I was always told (I've had 5 kids) that your body really only needs 400 more calories per day to support the new life you now carry. 400 calories is not a whole lot, so just make…

I, too, do not have a HRM. So I have found the website below to be very useful in calculating calories burned. I estimate my VO2 Max using their estimator. Then I take my pulse a few times during my workout and figure my average beats per minute once my workout is done. You just plug in your numbers and it tells you your…

^This - It is hard to avoid, because fast food is everywhere and our busy lifestyles often make it seem like the only choice. It takes a great deal of planning and preparing ahead to make sure you can feed your family-on-the-go a good healthy meal. It only takes a couple of minutes to run through a fast food drive-thru.

I believe if you keep your body fat % at a healthy number, not on the super low end, and stay hydrated, you will look younger. If you have too little body fat or are not adequately hydrated, your appearance can suffer and you may look older than you really are. For example, without enough body fat, your veins will be more…

Some time ago I bought a middle range HRM. After questioning its accuracy, especially for any exercise that was not done completely standing upright, I was led to the following website by another MFP member. It will calculate your gross and net calories burned. You will need to take your pulse a few times throughout your…

It is available at Walmart and you can usually find it at Shopko, Kmart or Target. Cost is about $10 at any of those places.

Ha Ha! Have to reply to this one because I just went out for a half hour late night power walk so I would have enough calories to eat a protein bar. So yep, been there, done that. It works for me because I don't have any willpower if I go over my calories. If I'm over, I throw in the towel and just eat whatever because "I…

This was the first workout video I did when I started my diet last summer. Had awesome results doing this dvd and following a diet. I did not complete the workout in 30 days (more like 6 weeks at 4-5 times per week plus I did some extra walking here and there) but I lost 12 lbs in that time and went from a size 12 to a…

OK, thanks guys! You're the best! I'll just leave it as MFP tells me the burn is.

I find that eating a 6" turkey sub loaded with veggies way more filling that it's 350-400 calorie equivalent at McDonalds. Subway is my usual choice when I need to grab a quick meal on the go just for that reason.

I did nearly the same thing and in hindsight I think it was because I didn't set a new goal for myself. Perhaps figure out a new goal for yourself (ex. focus on building muscle, competing in an upcoming fitness event, etc., rock a new outfit for an upcoming social event) When I reached my weight loss goal, I anticipated…

Find an abdominal workout plan and do it 2-3 times per week. P90X has an awesome one. Don't get discouraged if you can't manage to do even half of it at first. Do what you can and push yourself. Even 1 week later you'll be impressed how much more of the workout you'll be able to do. You'll be doing old-school situps before…

I agree with the other posters if that is you in the pic. However, if you are heavier than the picture shows, it is possible to lose 10 lbs in that time frame. When I first started, I weighed 154 lbs. I dropped 12 lbs in 6 weeks eating at the 1200 calorie level plus eating back some of my workout calories. This only…

Pregnancies were the main reason for my weight increase over the years. With each one, those last few pounds didn't come off. Twelve years and 5 pregnancies later, I was 35-40 pounds overweight and feeling frumpy as ever. As a busy mom, I didn't think it would be possible to find time in my day to do a workout that would…

If you know someone who has the P90X workout series, ask to borrow the Yoga X dvd. Personally, I hate doing yoga, but I have to admit, that workout soothed my aching muscles in a way no pill ever could! Before doing the yoga dvd, walking up and down stairs was painful. Sitting down was more like falling onto a chair. My…

Don't give up! If those pictures make you feel bad, tuck them in an envelope and seal it. Put it away somewhere for safekeeping and forget about it. Stick with your diet and exercise. Monitor your progress both on the scale and my measuring yourself every few weeks. It will take time to see changes happening and probably…

Do you have an indoor mall nearby? Around here, winter walkers just do laps around the mall. Our local mall even unlocks the main doors before the shops open just for walkers. Worth checking into. Also, ditto the indoor track at a local university. Good luck :o)

Weighing yourself daily is not a big thing, many people on here do weigh daily (me too!). Weigh yourself in the morning wearing the same amount of clothes (or nothing). Do not weigh yourself multiple times a day or after every little thing you eat. Your weight will fluctuate throughout the day and you cannot base your…

^ This. When I weighed 160lbs, I didn't feel sexy anymore. My hubby still loved me and found me sexy, but I didn't feel that way. Losing weight has allowed me to feel sexy again. Now if I could just shed 15 years or so - lol!

I too love my chocolate! For me, I have found that chocolate covered protein bars satisfy my chocolate craving as well as provide me with a healthy and filling snack. Zone Perfect Chocolate Peanut Butter bars or Zone Greek yogurt chocolate bars are two of my favorites. I would not get rid of the chocolate in your diet, as…

Agree with everyone who said lift. You mentioned your body shape is masculine and broad. What lifting will actually do for you is likely give you a more feminine appearance. By sculpting muscular shoulders and arms and thighs, you visually narrow your waist - therefore creating an hourglass shape :o). You don't need to…

I was thinking the same thing. Your weight seems about right for your height. Maybe it's time to focus on building muscle to lower your body fat%. At 114 lbs, you couldn't have all that much more weight to lose to stay in the healthy range.

Maybe someone already mentioned these, but I love Special K Cracker crisps. You can eat 30 of them for 110 calories. Even half that amount makes for a nice-sized snack. That and yogurt are usually my go-to's if I have less than a hundred calories to eat. If I'm tempted to eat and I'm out of calories though, it's best that…

I usually keep hard-boiled eggs in the fridge. I also keep a large bag of individually wrapped frozen tilapia filets in the freezer (20g protein per 4oz). They thaw in warm water in minutes and can be grilled on a cooktop in about 5 minutes. Always have Zone protein bars in my cupboard (14g protein). I usually have…

^^^This^^^

I literally had to pick my jaw up off my keyboard as I scrolled down and saw your after pics!! Absolutely incredible transformation! Job well done! And thank you for sharing your story, I can especially relate to making the choice to eat healthy or give in to cravings - unfortunately the cravings have been winning lately.…

I'm sure you could do p90X, but a couple caveats: 1) Be aware of the time commitment before you buy this program. The time involved for p90X workouts if you follow the program. Day 1, 3, and 5 workouts will total about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Day 4's workout is 1 hour and 30 minutes. Days 2 and 6 will be right about 1 hour.…

If you are allowing yourself 1200 calories per day, that is around 500 calories less than what your body will burn if you just go about your normal daily activities (no added exercise). So even WITHOUT exercise, you will lose weight simply because your calories burned is greater than the amount of calories you are eating.…