Synchronicity Member

I had a lot of trouble when I first started squats, similar to what you're dealing with, and for me the problem was that I was very 'quad dominant'... meaning I used my quads and never my hamstrings. Adding even a little weight to this threw everything off kilter and I just couldn't do anything but body weight! I "fixed"…

@ the OP, Sorry you stepped on a land mine :) "Cleanse" is an unfortunate word choice (not your fault, you didn't know... welcome to the forums). Link cleanse to "veggie" and... well... To address your original question, it's not going to hurt to eat a diet of mostly fruits and veggies for a short while, but you will (as…

Donating blood doesn't burn much in the way of calories- you sit passively by while they bleed you. Regenerating the blood that you loss does take some energy, but it's spread out over 30+ days (the time it takes for a stem cell to become a red blood cell), give-or-take, and will not significantly alter your calorie…

This is a perfect response :)

The answer depends on: 1) Why you are limiting your carb intake? 2) What is your calorie goal?, and 3) How far away are you from your calorie goal? I would recommend a protein shake, some chicken, eggs, or something similar that is high in protein and low in carbs.

Calories are a just a measure of heat-energy contained within food... And yes, they are necessary for life. Energy is necessary for life. Our bodies turn the energy contained within food into high-energy chemical bonds that are then stored and used for energy to power all the biochemical reactions that make life possible.…

You're male and averaging only 1050? You do realize that's very low, right? Best guess is the 5lbs gain is water weight due to you replenishing some glycogen stores. Nothing to worry about.

Excellent :) This.

Sustainability :) It's just hard to stick to a diet. Period. Even when you're restricting your food intake by a tiny bit. It's even harder when you're restricting it by a lot. There's some issue with malnutrition too when you're calorie intake is very low- it's hard to get the nutrients you need for optimal health. But the…

:love: science

Your stomach is a network of smooth muscle cells that can expand to hold the food you eat. In it's "relaxed" state (empty), the lumen of the stomach (inside the 'sack') has a smaller volume than when the stomach is full of food and gastric juices. So... you could say that your stomach is shrinking and expanding all the…

:laugh:

Good advice :)

They don't work very well because, as far as I know, most of the over-the-counter stuff is voodoo and the few products that aren't are... well... just not that potent. Think about it. If they were potent, if they worked really well, they'd be illegal. :) Or at the very least they'd require a prescription.

Nobody on MFP can answer this question conclusively. It could be your gallbladder, but your tests did not support this conclusion. So really, what you need to do is keep pushing your doctors to find out what is wrong. Push, push, push. Seek a second and third opinion. Be vocal. And get the issue fixed. I do wish you luck!…

Just a suggestion... but you might try learning about weight loss together with your fiance from a more reliable place than MFP. There are some very knowledgeable people on here. And there are some not so knowledgeable. And there is everything in between. You should really seek knowledge backed by science. Anyhow... I…

This. It's unlikely that you're gaining much muscle mass. That takes time and normally a calorie surplus. In the beginning, gains in strength are due to other things (training your neurons to recruit muscle more efficiently and so forth). So yah, the weight gain is most likely water retention due to swelling in the muscle…

No offense... but telling someone to "get off the pills" is irresponsible. You have no idea what her medical history is. @OP, You can do it. It's hard, but possible! Good luck.

P.S. Weight fluctuations throughout the day are normal. And... scales aren't always accurate.

Based on everything I've read and learned, your metabolism **might** decrease with extreme weight loss and dieting by... maybe 10%, and that decrease is usually explained by the fact that you naturally move less when you are eating at a calorie deficit and that you have less body mass and therefore consume less energy. The…

Human nature. Honestly. We evolved over thousands of years to maximize survival. We seek out calorie dense food to pack on the pounds so that we can survive the long winter months and times of famine when food used to be scarce. Unfortunately, we live in an age where calorie dense food is easy to find and afford. Famine…

Huh. I know nothing about this. What a fun topic! Alas, I can not contribute any actual knowledge to this thread except this little tidbit: Proteins contribute to osmolarity too (see colloidal osmotic pressure and net filtration/absorption between capillaries, interstitial fluid, and the lymph system). It's not just about…

Are men interested.... Um. Sounds like you are trying to stereotype the entire sex. Not a very productive past-time.

Your coordination and judgment may be impaired after consuming alcohol... so... you decide

I agree completely with this statement. If you are not interested in medication, at least consider therapy. Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Sunlight/light therapy, Exercise, and the other tricks and tips that you may have read about or that are being recommended here can help mild depression to some extent, but they are not…

I mean no offense here, but I think you are focusing on the wrong thing. Why would you restrict yourself from drinking water just so you can get a better number on the scale? That's not weight loss. Drink throughout the day. Drink when you're thirsty. Don't obsess over each and every weigh in. Look at the long, downward…

I struggle with depression too. The best advice I can give you is: go see a professional. Yes, depression is going to hinder your weight loss. It's a viscous cycle. You KNOW that if you exercise and that if you get out and do things, you WILL fill better (at least a little), but the fatigue and darkness inside make it hard…

I feel like squats have strengthened my knees... and hips... and lower back... I do squat with my toes pointed out about 45 degrees and I make sure my heels are shoulders' width apart. The toes-out stance seems to help take the stress off the knees. Don't know if that's the "right" way to do it, but it works for me.

Yup. You need to see a doctor. Nobody here can tell you what the problem is. There are too many possible issues and only an exam and possibly blood work are going to give you the answer. You should have gone months ago... I'd get in as soon as you can.