Julie1984

That's interesting, thanks for sharing. The fact that a few of those articles were based on literature reviews rather than single studies lends them even more credence. Then again, I've never felt bad about not getting my magical 8 servings per day all of the time anyway...

Awesome! That's great news. I just got my HRM a few weeks ago, and I'm exercising a whole lot more since I got it because it's so fun to play around with.... hoping my resting heart rate will go down in time also, because it's not so great right now :ohwell:

My goals for this week 1) Work out 6 times, and burn a total of at least 2,000 cals for the week 2) Snack on mostly fruits, nuts, and vegetables 3) Just move more throughout the day... it's really cold here in WV and sometimes I just want to spend my days off curled up in bed reading.

I believe the most accurate way to measure your heart rate is to get a heart rate monitor with a chest strap. Polar is the brand that most people recommend (I have a Polar F6 and it's really nice). They are a little costly, though. Type in "polar heart rate monitor" on Amazon.com and check them out, they are a little…

I just did level one for the third time... it's definitely not that easy. Sometimes I have to pause and take a 30 second break, and sometimes I can't do as many reps as the girls on the video. It's no big deal, just do your best and you'll eventually get to the point where it feels easier. It's a really great workout!

Hmm.. is your mat nice and thick? Getting a thicker mat or putting the one you have on top of a rug or carpet while you work out could help, maybe. I've found that doing Pilates makes my abs feel firmer and stronger much faster than doing regular crunches and whatnot, and if you keep up with it it starts feeling a lot…

Well, I suppose that it's good that your salads don't feel you up... that would be pretty weird, haha. Anyway, I try to keep bags of frozen veggies in the freezer so it's easy to just pop them in the microwave and add them to meals. Some fruits, such as bananas, are pretty cheap but still have lots of good nutrients.

It's normal for your muscles to be sore the day after you work out- especially if you haven't really worked those muscles in a while, and if it was an intense workout like that one. Next time, make sure that you stretch more afterwards... Jillian doesn't really make you hold those stretches for very long. Also, make sure…

I don't know about healthy choice, but I have a few lean cusine meals a week and they don't seem to keep me from loosing weight. The problem with meals like these is the sodium content- it's usually pretty high. Having these types of meals every day would probably mean that you're getting too much sodium in your diet,…

I got a Polar F6 a little over a week ago, and I've been exercising a lot more now that I have it- I find that it's really motivating to know how many calories I'm burning. I thought the chest strap would bother me, but I barely even notice it. Definitely worth the money.

Great article. I've heard/read several times that exercising at a lower intensity is burns more fat, but that never really made sense to me... Thanks. Is that a pic of a Tim Horton's Iced Cappucino, healthy is best? Those things are the devil. I'm glad there is no Tim's in my area, I have a hard time resisting them.

Ok, I'll join this challenge. Late evening snacking is my biggest problem, lately. My cutoff time is 9:30pm, since I sometimes go to bed pretty late. Good luck everyone.

My mom is a manager at Applebees and gets yelled at about this all the time... she asked the higher ups about it and they say they can't provide that info due to differences between stores and the fact that their menu changes so often. I know it sucks, and I very rarely eat there anymore because of this... but please don't…

Sparkles- I sometimes eat before bed, and it doesn't seem to hurt anything. Lately I've read a few articles in health magazines which said there's little evidence that eating late at night leads to weight gain. If it seems to have an adverse affect on your body though, try to make yourself eat a larger or higher calorie…

Hey, I'm still here. I weighed in at 179.5... technically a half pound loss since last week, though it's the exact same as last Tuesday. I don't really know why I'm losing so slowly lately, but I'm not going to get upset about it. I'll just try to stick to the plan a little better this week and hope for the best.

Kerri- congrats on your 10 lb loss and acceptance letter! That's great news. :smile: Since my McDonalds splurge the other day was such a success, I decided to really go for the gold and had a big ice cream cone yesterday. Actually, it was frozen custard... I have no idea if that's better or worse than regular ice cream,…

So, a funny thing happened. I've been stuck around 180-181 for the past two weeks in spite of being fairly strict with myself in terms of food and exercise. Well, yesterday I was feeling really lazy. I skipped my workout, and just kind of ate whatever I felt like. Grilled cheese and ramen for lunch, a McDonalds quarter…

A few days ago I had Amy's stuffed shells, and they were really delicious. I also like most lean cuisine stuff, especially the paninis and flatbread varieties. I find that I can eat them without going over on sodium as long as I'm careful during other meals.

Well, I don't think it's exactly bad for you but you may way a few pounds more than you would in the morning after going to the bathroom. If you like weighing at night, then just try to do that whenever you weigh rather than switching between morning and night, because your numbers will be more consistent. edit: Ok,…

Sorry to hear about your grandmother. It's natural to feel depressed for a while after a loved one passes on- that doesn't mean that there is something wrong with you. It sounds like you're doing well with your weight loss, 6lbs a month is nothing to be ashamed of. Losing 2lbs a week is at the upper end of what is…

Well, I know that since I started counting calories I definitely think about food far more than I used to, probably more than I should. I remember doing the same thing several years ago when I was "dieting" and I've read about others feeling the same way. I don't think it's healthy- obsession of any sort isn't healthy- but…

Oh, some doctors definitely prescribe unnecessary antibiotics... my mom's doctor gives them to her for anything and everything, and now her body is very resistant to them so they barely work for her when she actually needs them. It's a good idea to be wary and check into any medical advice, traditional or non.

I just watched an episode of Pen & Teller: B.S.! last night about this sort of thing, and it was quite entertaining. As others have already pointed out, the body does a fine job of "detoxing" itself, and most of these programs have a lot more to do with relieving you of your money rather than your health problems. One guy…

I weighed in this morning- still at 180... seems I've hit a plateau. However, I still need to measure. I think I may have lost a bit from my thighs. I've decided to up my calories just a bit this week and see if it helps, since I've been feeling too hungry lately even though I've been having about 1300 kcal a day. My goals…

Ok, I guess I'll try this one. Current weight: 180 July 4th goal: 165 End goal: 150 The weight has been coming off very slooowly for the past 2 weeks... trying to change up my exercise/eating habits to see if I can speed it back up. I wish fresh produce wasn't so freakin expensive.

Lately I've been working out to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Also, there's a new song called "The News" by Carbon Silicon which has a good beat :smile:

Hi, my boyfriend is planning to thru-hike the AT next year and talks about it all the time so I know a bit about the trail. Most shelters don't have running water, but there is usually a stream nearby that you can get water from. Of course, you have to sterilize it before drinking it. Be aware that most of the shelters are…

Omelet with two whole eggs and a bit of fat free cheddar cheese, and one cup of vanilla soy milk. When I was a kid, I was allergic to eggs and have only recently discovered that I'm able to eat them again so I've been taking advantage of that lately :laugh: I find that they keep me full longer than cereal, my old breakfast…

I just weighed in- 180 this week, down from 180.6 last week. Not a huge loss, but I'm happy about it because my weight has been fluctuating between 180.5-182 all week, so I thought I might have to report a gain. I'd like to see a 1.5lb loss this week- can't wait to see the 170's. Also, I need to try to stop going over on…

Definitely not having any fast food today, don't even want any. I need to work on staying at my calorie limit though, I keep going over by 50-100 even though I've been eating mostly healthy stuff.