Mariposa_Lily Member

I don't have a problem with that, provided people don't give their unsupported opinion as fact, with vague references to "science" to make themselves seem legit. This is particularly true when people are suggesting going against a doctor's orders, or are castigating someone for what he/she is doing, simply because that…

Laypeople also think that, just because one study is later shown have led to erroneous conclusions, that makes it "bad science." It doesn't. My dad (a retired geology prof) taught things early in his career that have now been shown to be patently false or untrue. Was the science bad? Was he a poor teacher for passing those…

Staff pose is one of those misunderstood and underestimated positions--most of my instructors in the past have rushed through it in their hurry to get into a seated forward fold. But, like mountain (another underestimated position), when done right, it's quite the workout, even though it *looks* like you're not doing…

I love triangle, rabbit, shoulder stand, wheel and the full expression of pigeon (even though I'm currently working very hard with some hip issues that make pigeon a little challenging). They just feel so good and stretchy. My nemesis is crow. Some of that is because of strength, but it's moistly because I have very…

I like this idea of calling them "treat days"; "cheat" sounds so negative, just like talking about how you were "bad" on a particular day. Life needs to be enjoyed. Sometimes that enjoyment involves food that we don't normally eat, or food in higher-than-usual amounts. And that's OK! If I know ahead of times I have such a…

One idea is to buy a soda stream machine and make your own carbonated water; then at least you can get your fizzy fix while you're trying to deal with the caffeine addiction part. (I researched a bit to double check; multiple studies seem to indicate that plain carbonated water is not harmful to your teeth or to the rest…

My inexpensive $20 scale is digital and switches back and forth between grams and ounces at the push of a button. I think I'd get really frustrated if I didn't have that flexibility....

One thing to note--MFP sets sugars really, really low. Two servings of fruit a day can put you over. For that reason, unless you have a medical condition that renders sugar a problem, I know a lot of people don't worry about the sugar goals IF most of them are coming from natural sources and not from added sugar in baked…

There are some recent studies, I believe, that show that the main problems with artificial sweeteners (in terms of weight loss) are that they increase people's appetites for sweet things (thus doing nothing for our typical sugar addiction), AND they may temporarily trigger chemical changes that affect the way the body…

I use grams for smaller or very calorie dense things (i.e. dry pasta, cooked rice, peanut butter), but ozs for bigger things, like meat. I generally reserve "cups" for things like veggies and fruit, where accuracy doesn't matter that much, calorie-wise. ("Cups" are also fine for most baking-related things, since bakers…

I'm trying to lose a total of 10 lbs (5 down, 5 to go), and I'm petite. So, I'm set at the 1200 calorie level; I do low impact exercise, but seldom eat more than 1300 calories a day total. I say this, because I still manage to incorporate pasta and rice and other grains (plus half a glass of wine, popcorn, frozen yogurt,…

Keep small, healthy snacks on hand. For example, my local store sells 100 calorie mini-cliff bars, 100 calorie packs of nuts, and 100 calorie bags of microwave popcorn. Kashi granola bars are around 140 calories. Two stalks of celery with a Tbsp of peanut butter is 110 calories. A half cup of frozen yogurt is around 100…

If you have time, experiment with making your own low calorie smoothies! For example, today I blended up 1 cup of cucumber, 2 cups of spinach, a peach and 2/3 of a cup of blueberries, plus water and a little stevia. Total calories? 158 for 28 ounces. I split it in two, and drink it with a snack of nuts or a hard-boiled egg…

Currently unemployed college English professor. :-)

If you search for this, you'll find lots of threads on it. A lot of people ignore their sugars, IF they're getting it from natural sources like fruit and if they don't have an underlying medical problem. MFP sets the "goal" so low that it's impossible to stay within it if you eat more than one piece of fruit a day.…

I keep my freezer stocked with home-made, under 200 calorie, high protein/high fruit/high fiber muffins. I can eat one every day for breakfast if I want, and feel like I'm cheating with sweets, but I'm not. :-)

If I weighed every day, I'd get so frustrated because I'd never know whether that oz. or two lost or gained was *real* weight, water, whatever. I find it much more satisfying to weigh once a week--the change is bigger!

I'm just trying to lose a few lbs--I just turned 40, and I'm trying get down to the weight I typically was in my 30s--and just become more fit. I'm discovering that I can't talk about my goals because everyone says I don't need to lose weight, I'm already skinny, etc. Then the truth came out at a recent gathering: "I don't…

5'2" and in the middle of losing 10 lbs. My advice would be to not try to go too fast! That 1200 calorie number is there because it's difficult to get enough nutrients at a lower number. Mine is set there, too, and I'm set to only lose 1/2 lb per week, though I've been exceeding that a bit. I will admit that my *net* is…

I make a green smoothie (half fruit, half veggie, and usually around 150 calories) almost every day, and it by itself usually makes me hit or exceed my sugar number. BUT, I'm still generally well under my total carb number, and at or above my protein and fat numbers for the day. So, I don't worry about sugar from natural…

Right now, when I'm losing, I weigh once a week--Wednesday, mid morning. I think I chose Wednesday because weekends are the times I'm most likely to be "bad," so that gives me a couple of days to recover and helps me plan the second half of the week. For me, daily is too much stress,. Some call it "accountability," but I…

5'2", 40, and currently 118 (down from 122)--aiming for 112 or slightly higher but with more muscle, which is where my body used to stay naturally before I started getting older! I'm eating 1200-1300 per day to loose, and exercising five days a week (moderate--walking and yoga). "Eat more" is not the right answer for me,…

College English professor by trade, though currently without a college to call my own. *le sigh*

Not maintaining yet, but I'll (hopefully) be there soon--I only had 10 to lose, and I'm down to less than 6 now. Feel free to add me! (Oh, and I've got two pretty healthy muffin recipes to die for --> friendship bribe)

I have a husband whose calorie requirements are way higher than mine and he likes a substantial dinner.... and late night snacks. I can resist some, but I know that I end up snacking, too. So, I try to divide my calories in half--50% before 5:00 (spread out with breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack),…

I make a smoothie with 2-3 cups of greens, half a large cucumber and a couple of modest servings of different fruits every day, and that single smoothie (only around 150 calories) usually puts me over my MFP sugar target. But, you know what? My good fats, protein, and fibre are all great, my total carbs are usually below…

Make your own snack mix since pre-mixed ones tend to have a lot of fat. I like to mix raw pepitos (green pumpkin seeds), lightly salted roasted soy nuts, sunflower seeds and wasabi peas (for spice). Figure out the serving size/calories you want and either take a baggie of it each day, OR keep a tin, a measuring cup, and a…

If you can find them, there are Cliff bar minis--100 calories each. Sometimes I see them at Target, and when i do, I buy several boxes--They make great "I don't want to eat but can't sleep until I get my tummy to stop rumbling" snacks. I'll also sometime do a banana and a small glass of skim milk--if I remember correctly,…

Back when I was teaching, I would use Slimfast for a quick and easy breakfast or lunch on many days, but never both. I loved it because I could "eat a meal" and talk to students at the same time. But, I was always so hungry by snack time I can't imagine trying to do it for two meals a day....

I'm not on SSRIs any more, but I was on Zoloft for migraines back when the medical establishment was saying SSRIs did not cause weight gain and blamed any gain that did occur on people eating more when they were no longer depressed. I know for a fact, though, that it caused me to put on 10 lbs in 6 months (from 112 to 122)…