a_stronger_steph Member

You can get some dip mixes at the grocery store or other outlet (my mother sells Epicure Selections mixes, so I get some of those)... mix that with 0% fat greek yogurt instead of mayo or sour cream, and voila! A low-cal, healthy, protein-full dip! :)

Ohhh I was "that person," once! I was an orientation leader during my undergraduate days, and we had silly uniforms. I looked at the sizing chart for the shirts and pants and was so ashamed. I am pretty sure that, at the time, I should have been an XL in the tops, but got either a L or M instead. The pants, I think I was a…

I usually make this by eye, but roughly quantified, my favourite homemade dressing is: 4 parts greek yogurt 2 parts apple cider vinegar 1 part pure maple syrup (or honey) ...play around with it to taste. It's around 20 calories per tbsp (depending on how much maple syrup you add), and you get a bit of protein from the…

I don't eat apples very often anymore, but in the past I have definitely experienced the same effect you have felt! Strange - I thought I was just an odd one. I wonder if there's a physiological reason for it.

Even cheaper than tinned tuna is tinned sardines and tinned herring. They can be about half the price of tuna in my grocery store. They're also much smaller fish, which means less mercury. And, if you're into sustainability at all (which is probably a good thing to be aiming for, though I do know it's super hard when…

Haha, weird - I'm 5'4", 25, no kids, started at ~175-178ish. I'm now down to about 149ish. The loss seems to be slowing as I near to the last 15 pounds! My goal is around 135. I've basically just been tracking with MFP and exercising. I try to net about 1430 calories per day, though usually it's lower on weekdays and…

Woo thread rolling! :) Whether your protein powder has sweetness or not depends on what protein powder you've ordered. I have the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard ones in Extreme Milk Chocolate, Mocha Cappuccino, and Vanilla Creme, and they all have sweetness to them (I'm assuming it's artificial sweetener, but that doesn't…

If you can't complete it, I would just keep trying that day, rather than restarting the whole week. BUT. You will surprise yourself, I think, with what you can do. I was anxious about W5D3 as well...and I definitely was shocked to realize that I COULD run for 20 minutes (and probably a few longer at that point). After W5D3…

Of course it's okay if you like to weigh daily -- don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise! How often you weigh is a totally personal thing, and if you're okay with the fluctuations, then that's great! I am also a daily weigher - I track my weight in a spreadsheet and take the moving average from the past 5 weigh-ins,…

I'm not sure I understand the connection between you eating popcorn and corn being used to fatten up cattle. Eating corn (or popcorn) will not make you fat. Consuming more calories than you expend (over a long period of time) will make you fat. ...so go ahead and eat your popcorn! :) Alternatively, you could perhaps add…

This sounds brilliant. Definitely going to try this sometime soon! Thanks!!

I recently broke the 150 barrier and crossed into 140s-land... but, there wasn't really anything I did differently than when I crossed into the 160s or 150s! :) Basically, I try to eat around 1430 net calories (MFP says this should give me a loss of 0.7 pounds per week). I end up doing a mostly-unintentional version of…

Before I go to any new gym, I'm always sort of terrified of it. I usually get a guy friend to come with me the first time. After that, I'm fine. Maybe you could rope a friend (male or female!) to come with you to make the experience less intimidating. I also think baisleac is right on: getting one of the gym employees or a…

Hey - I'm 5'4" and started at 175 lb. My calories have been about the same since I started MFP in March: 1430 calories (to NET!!). At the time that was about 0.9 lb/week loss rate. To be honest, I didn't want to eat less than 1430, because I tend to get quite hungry if I try to eat much less than that. :) Anyways. I've…

MFP goes on the idea that if you eat 3500 fewer calories per week, you will (ideally) lose 1 lb (hopefully of fat). So if you were on a 1lb/week loss rate, you would need a deficit of 3500 calories/7 days = 500 calories per day. So you would need to eat 500 fewer calories per day than your maintenance calories. If you want…

I bought some Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard in Mocha Cappuccino, Extreme Milk Chocolate, and a small tub of Vanilla Creme. I know it's ideal to use it right after a workout, but I almost always tend to drink them before a workout. I usually hit the gym with a few friends, and we tend to go right after work, at ~5 or 6pm.…

I LOVE my pair of compression shorts. They're on the longer side, though - the come down to about 3" above my knee, so much longer than conventional running shorts. I feel like I would look absolutely dorky wearing shorts over top of them, since they're longer than any running shorts I've seen. So... I just wear them on…

Haha to be honest, I haven't switched to the ones with skin and bones yet... so I suppose I would indeed recommend going the skinless/boneless route! :) As for heating them, I don't think it made much difference in the end. It crisped them a little bit so that was nice, but taste-wise I think it's pretty much the same. You…

Girl Talk!!!! A friend of mine recommended his mashups for running - and I've gotta say, I love it. I am normally not a huge "top-20" listener, but the mashups are the best (and they draw from all sorts of music, from Snoop Dogg to Arcade Fire). No one song bit is on for too long so I never get bored. :) AND - it's all…

I, too, was a sardine virgin until a few weeks ago. I bought the boneless, skinless kind, because I was a bit squicked at the idea of eating the bones. I was very pleasantly surprised - they were like a slightly fishier version of tuna. I heated mine in a pan (even after draining there was still oil on the fish, so I…

I just mix mine with non-fat greek yogurt (it's tangy like sour cream is) and sometimes add green onion and some dip mix. :) It's the seasonings that matter! Dip mix is great because it's usually just herbs and spices (or at least I have some that's just herbs and spices) and you're supposed to add it to sour cream or mayo…

I started at 6mph but have found that I need to slow it back to about 5.8 mph for the 5+ minute runs (I am just starting week 5). I also use a 1% incline. I've only tried to run outside once, but it was in 35+C heat, at around 11am...not the smartest decision, I'll admit. It was rough. My walking speed is usually about…

Actually, weekly isn't likely to be more accurate than daily. How can fewer data points give you more information? It would be most accurate to record your weight at the same time each day and then take an average for the week. (Or take a rolling average of your past five or seven weigh-ins - that 's what I do, it helps…

I went to a music festival just this past weekend, and was running around shooting the whole time. In the end I didn't even try to count that weekend. I guess you could try to determine how long you were standing/walking out of the day (so keep track of when you're sitting down), and then log that as a "leisurely walk"…

Hmmm that would be interesting. I wonder if that would also explain why, in the past, I've burst the blood vessels in my face whilst being sick. Maybe lots of people do that, but it's just more visible on me? Hmm.

Haha just thought I would chime in to the chorus to let you know that you are not alone!!! I go beet red as well, though I sweat everywhere, not just my face. But yeah. I look ridiculous. Especially when I really push myself! I've lost 20 lbs and I STILL get this way, so I'm not holding out too much hope that it will…

It's a bit presumptuous to assume that those of us who want to keep on track by weighing daily aren't motivated by all those other factors as well, isn't it? I would be surprised if anyone here things that all they are is just their weight. But it's hard to deny that daily weighing is highly beneficial to some people. For…

I don't see why you shouldn't give it a shot! Though, from my personal experience, endurance on the elliptical doesn't necessarily translate to endurance in actual jogging. I could go for 45+ minutes on the elliptical, even with the resistance cranked up, without pausing, but I don't think I could for running on the…

^^^^THIS!

I alternate between the Silk Vanilla Light Soy Milk and the Silk True Almond milk. I like the soy milk because it has more protein, but I like the almond milk because it's lower calorie and I can use it in some more savoury recipes. :)