ruststar Member

I don't get any monthly visitors thanks to the miracles of birth control methods - haven't for 5 years. Plus, I have not felt something like this - true stomach growling intense hunger - in decades.

You can adjust your calorie needs in your diary. I have mine set at 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fat because I needed more protein with all the exercise I've been doing. i've tinkered with the percentages a few times, but that's the balance that works for me.

You might start with breakfast to help fuel you for the rest of the day. A serving of peanut butter will give you 200 calories as well as protein, and isn't too hard to add in at breakfast time. You might also up your snacks to give you more to work with - an extra handful of nuts, string cheese. I'm not sure what your…

I was obsessing over the sugar for a while and struggled to stay close to the allotted number, but I had headaches and felt generally yucky because I had to cut fruit to make it possible. After getting some advice about sugar from others on here I've started focusing more on the amount of added sugar in my diet and not…

I usually run around my neighborhood and only go when somebody else is home, but occasionally I've ventured out to other areas. When I do, I lock my keys in the car and take the door remote with me, pinned to my shorts. As for my iPhone, since I'm using the Runkeeper app I find looking at my speed really motivating so I…

I love oatmeal but rarely have time to make it in the morning (I don't do quick oats because of the sugar). This morning I mixed in a teaspoon of almond butter, a 1/2 tsp of brown sugar, and a drop of vanilla. The almond butter helped fill me up and it added a nice flavor.

I also have a problem with pronation, so I went to my local running store to get expert advice. They had me run in the shoes I was training with, then compared how my run looked in all kind sof other brands. There were other options that seemed to correct the pronation, but I found the Brook's the most comfortable and…

I noticed this same thing recently and asked for suggestions to help. I love my morning coffee and wasn't satisfied with tea, so I tried other things. Two version I've liked: Replacing my 1/3 cup(!) of flavored creamer with a half cup of Silk Almond or Coconut milk and a sprinkle of splenda - only 1/4 cup of milk needed,…

I like Just Dance 2 and do it frequently for my workout, but I've learned a few things after pulling my hamstring doing the game: Make sure you STRETCH before and after Wear shoes - jumping around on a hard floor (even carpeted) isn't good for you. Drink water while doing it - there is often a pause between songs long…

I'd really like to keep my sugars from all natural sources, but skipping out on fruit altogether wasn't doing it for me. Strawberries are a great substitute, as are raspberries and kiwi fruit. I'm going to keep researching fruit looking for those with the lowest sugar counts and stock up on those.

@deathtaco - I do love sweet potatoes. And oatmeal. I think I'm going to stop tracking sugar so closely and just keep mental track of the sugar that comes from non-natural sources. Thanks for the advice!

I found that I can make a better pizza than I can get delivered, and it leaves me in control of my calories. We have pizza about twice a week because my dough recipe makes two pizzas, and I saved it on MFP as a basic recipe along with toppings. After much tinkering I found that a Pepperoni and Mushroom combo has the least…

I was struggling to keep my sugar under control and found the major culprit for me was my morning coffee. I switched from coffee mate flavored creamers to Silk Coconut milk and splenda and that's made a huge difference. Plus, I had been logging a generic whole wheat bread which had a high number of sugar grams, and then I…

Hmmm...I've tried the bending knees and leaning forward, but my feet just come out from under me. If I need safety equipment to be able to do it safely, I think I'll have to give this exercise a pass! I love to run, and the last time I fell at the roller rink I felt the bruise on my tailbone for more than two months. I…

My "cheat day" is on Saturdays for two reasons: 1) I can sleep in and breakfast becomes brunch, so basically I'm missing a meal 2) I can always fit in exercise on Saturdays, usually for longer periods of time Today was supposed to be a cheat day for me, but since my first meal of the day was at noon and I'm going to have…

Can you squeeze in some exercise before or after? That could help you bank some calories. Also, when I'm going out to eat I research the menu to find something I can eat that won't totally sideline me - you'll skip that artichoke dip if you know it's 1000 calories! But there is probably something you can eat that won't be…

After looking at your diary there are a couple of things you could do to help meet your calorie goals - choose a different bread, one that has more calories per slice. I buy Franz Whole Wheat bread, which is 80 calories a slice (only 1 g. of sugar!), but the slices are not huge, so they shouldn't fill you up too much.…

Sitting on a stability ball at home helps me. I use it when I watch tv or mess around on the computer, and it's helping to strengthen my back.

Update - I tried Silk Vanilla Coconut milk in a 10 oz. cup of coffee with a little sprinkle of Splenda and it worked just fine!

I'm a career counselor at a private liberal arts college, so I'm surrounded by young, fit people all the time. It's mostly a desk job, but the campus is big so I can fit a 1 mile walk in during lunch if I don't wear heels. I have to get up at 5 to workout at the gym. I'm looking forward to the day - April 25th! - when it…

I'm really liking the idea of the almond milk - I'm going to have to try that! Thank you all for your suggestions, these are all great ideas.

Re: creamer for flavor Mostly I use the creamer for the flavor - but I may just have to get over that or simply own the calories, as another poster suggested, and just plan for it in my day.

I think I'm too attached to my flavored creamers and i may just have to unhook from them. While the sugar free version of my favorite coffee addition gives me "intestinal distress", I can do splenda packets when I'm at a restaurant w/o trouble. I'll pick up some nonfat milk and splenda today and see if that gets me…

In Port Orchard, WA - I can wave to you from across the water.

That depends on you. Do you tend to eat when you drink? Is it harder for you to resist appetizers and snacks and/ or a late night trip to a diner for pancakes if you've had a few? I know I find it harder to resist when I've got alcohol in me, so I avoid drinking more than one or two glasses of beer or wine. If you struggle…

Hi there - thank you all for the tips and advice. I am continuing with regular weight lifting, but I probably have been more sedentary as result of having to ice and elevate my knee and being afraid to push it. One suggestion that I reset my setting was a good one, so I went and adjusted with no planned exercise and it…

When I know I have a big event planned I map out my food for the day, being realistic, and see how much it might come out to, and then do some pre-emptive exercise. One hour on the elliptical burns nearly 1000 calories for me and once I've done that I don't feel guilty if I had a piece of cake or whatever, because I'm…

I have found planning my meals out for the day helps, and if I go over I spend some time on the Wii Fit.