sydneyplainjane Member

I learned something interesting when I went to donate blood a few months ago. They said you should avoid strenuous exercise or working with heavy weights a few days before donating. The reason is because your overworked muscles release certain enzymes into your blood stream and that can cause elevated levels of ALT, AST,…

For me, I find that I have to eat back calories after strength training; my body kind of craves them, and especially something like a big bowl of oatmeal or something with rice. If it's light aerobics, like walking, I might eat back about half of those calories. Generally, I listen to my body. I'm a low carber, and every…

Amazing! Gives those of us who are seniors and struggling to lose weight a lot of hope!

I do both, too. My multivitamin is one of those vitamins for women of a certain age (LOL!) that I get from the health food store. It helped a lot with joint pain, digestive problems, etc. Then I take a few fish oil capsules.

I do all kinds, depending on what I can tolerate. I prefer cream in my coffee, but if it's iced, then I might have 2% milk or skim. My body can only tolerate so much dairy, though, so once I start to feel bloated or start having gastro issues, I lay off the milk and just have yogurt. My body doesn't seem to function right…

Great job! I joined at about the same time you did and, well, as you can see in my timeline below, I haven't achieved even half of what you have! Keep up the good work. Hopefully, I'll be able to post some before/after pictures maybe this spring.

That's a little over 2 pounds a week, and I've been losing about a pound a week (average). But, what the heck. I need a new challenge. And, I just got a fitbit for Christmas, so maybe increasing my activity more and trying to sticking to my calorie goal will help. I'll try!

Congratulations, you look wonderful! You and I are the same age, and your comment about being able to play with your grandchild really stood out for me. I'm about to be a grandmother myself, and that's one of the things I want to be able to do is get on the floor with my granddaughter (and then get back UP again!).

Wow! Ugh, that's another thing I'm looking forward to is to be able to wear boots that go above my huge calves!

I got the Fitbit One for Christmas, and I'm already hooked on it and have already synced it with my MFP account. I am still thinking about getting a heart rate monitor, because sometimes I feel as though I work out too hard (or am not working out hard enough), so I think a HRM might be useful for things like that. Plus, I…

Nice! I can see the difference, especially in the waist area.

I weigh myself about once a month, and it has to be a day when I "feel" lighter, if that makes sense. If I feel bloated, constipated, legs heavy after a hike or from a workout, I'm not gonna hop on the scale. And, whatever it is, I'll record it. As long as I show progress from one month to the next, that's really all I'm…

For me, definitely oat meal is at the top (or, actually, I eat oat bran). Followed by bananas, black beans, collard greens. Flax seed sprinkled in my yogurt.

Wow, that's amazing. And, you and I started MFP at about the same time, so, the loss is even more amazing.

You look great! Keep it up! And, I know what you mean about not wanting certain foods when you stopped drinking Coke (that saying "things go better with Coke" really is true, at least it was for me). But, I found that I just didn't want things like fries, buttery popcorn, etc., all the bad salty stuff, unless I could have…

What an amazing difference in just three months. I guess I just have to try Jillian Michaels. Lots of people here have been doing the 30 Day Shred, or Ripped in 30.

Thanks. When I tried them out at the store, I had problems raising the 20 pound bell with one hand, so that's why I went with the 10. But, maybe I should have two sizes - the 10 pounder for some exercises and the 20 for things like swings (since I can use two hands). These things are expensive, though!

Week # 1 – December 2nd -- Goal 180 minutes: Mon: 34 minutes (walk during lunch hour) Tue: Wed: Thur: Fri: Sat: Sun: Total / min left: 34/146

One of my favorite foods for weight loss, or at least when I've reached a point where I stop losing. I prefer the oat bran, with, yes, butter and sugar (I saw my cholesterol level drop significantly, even though I ate it with a little butter). But, if I ever reach a stall, something like a big bowl of oat bran helps get me…

What's a good starting weight for a beginner? Coincidentally, I just bought a 10 pound kettlebell this morning, even before I saw this thread. When I got it, though, I was thinking about doing more than just swings, so I bought something I could lift with one arm. But, for swings, maybe I should be using a higher weight?

Wow, look at that waistline! And, I love the green dress in the first "after" pic!

Minimum 180 minutes a week? Hmm, that's 3 hours? Or, maybe 30 minutes a day, with one day off. Okay, I'm in. I feel I really benefited from the walking challenge I did in October/ early November. And, while I've kept up some walking since it ended, I'd like the challenge of something more structured. This time, though, I…

I tend to drop after a "cheat" day, too, although, I've stopped calling mine cheat days. I did read on one of the TDEE calculators that it's good to eat at TDEE at least once a week (preferably on an exercise day). For me, it's usually on Saturday or Sunday, and I allow myself a pancake or waffle breakfast, with all the…

Great job, you look fantastic! You must be tall (or at least over 5'6). I'm the same weight as you, and I can't even get a size 20 jeans past my thighs!

Great job! And, looking at how large your arms were, compared to now...it gives me some hope with my big ole' arms.

Well, mine is about 41 inches...measuring at the narrowest point, which is above my belly button (even when my doctor measures, that's where she measures it). When I started MFP in August, it was about 44 inches. Right now, my goal is to just get in the 30's, but would like to end up in the 20's.

That's a nice change, in only two month's time. You give me hope! Seems like I'm losing everyplace but my belly. Do you lift?

I agree about the coconut oil, and I discovered it by accident. I was using it on my hair for a while, and I would rub the excess coconut oil left on my hands onto my belly. After a few weeks, I noticed how the skin on my belly started to feel smoother and more supple (didn't just hang there). So, yeah, definitely give it…

Wow, what a change. You look so much younger, too!

Wow, it looks like you've lost more than 40 pounds to me. Keep it up! And, I think your treadmill time is fine...it still takes me about 20 minutes to walk a mile (although, my mile has lots of inclines so that could be slowing me down a bit). Also, I know what you mean about being between sizes. My size 24 jeans hang off…