geekymom57 Member

Have you seen a registered dietitian through your health care provider? Trainers are trainers, not necessarily experts on nutrition. Frankly, the trainers at the gym I go to a essentially useless unless you are interested in working out with free weights. They run you through a program provided by the franchise and decide…

To the OP--been wondering how the past few days have been and if you've tried any of suggestions people threw your way or if you're finding something else what's helping feel more hopeful about the benefits of sticking with it for the long haul.

Congratulations on the hard work! I have to ask, though, how you have accomplished a size 8 at 5'4" and 172 pounds? I am 10 pounds away from that and the same height and will readily admit that I am waaaaaay more than 10 pounds away from a size 8! So inquiring minds want to know what you did! Strength training or some…

Absolutely! This can be a very effective tool. It's like thinking of your daily calorie goal as a debit card and everything you eat comes off it. YOu can exercise to put some back on it, but need to be honest about how much you are really putting back on so you don't over-draw your account. I can't tell you how many times…

You ned to weight, measure, etc., yourself--they won't portion it out for you. And even if they did, it wouldn't be the same learning experience for you, because this needs to become a life long change. My husband is used to me taking the food scale to the dinner table, using a half-cup measure as the serving spoon/ladle,…

If your emotional eating fodder is at home, then consider throwing it out/bringing it to work/giving it away if you simply can't resist it. Pamper/indulge yourself in some other way that doesn't involve food, or if it does, have a small treat--a really delicious high quality piece of chocolate, a quarter cup of an…

If you didn't use the same scale, you won't know if you gained/lost or if the scales were calibrated differently. It's very very easy to eat more than one realizes. Are you weighing your food (e.g., chicken), measuring (e.g., rice, juice, milk), and counting EVERYTHING you eat or drink? It's incredibly easy to mindlessly…

I was experiencing a similar problem and read somewhere to shift the weight to the heel and/or to keep your feet completely flat on the foot pad. There's a tendency to shift weight forward and that puts a lot of pressure on the ball of the foot, esp. if it's a long and/or strenuous workout. RE: how long and how often. When…

If it's not a chain restaurant you'll probably have to estimate the calories. If you pick a relatively "simple" food you ought to be able to identify the likely individual components, estimate the amounts, and give your best guess. Keep in mind that most restaurant portions are much more than what a "normal" portion would…

I've been marriee 27 years and have never once called, or been even remotely tempted to call, my husband "hubby" and he hast certainly never called me "the missus." I can't even imagine how I would respond if he did so. I have several siblings, most married, and can't recall ever hearing one of them call their spouse…

I've not baked with Splenda, but if you made the crust instead of buying one pre-made, maybe you could substitute Splenda for the granulated sugar in the crust and in the filling. I'm not familiar with nondairy cream cheese, but there is a lower-fat option that you could try. If you were to make substitutions, I'd…

Everything that everyone else has said with one comment. Depending on what you were eating before and how many were empty or high calorie/low nutrition calories such as soda, fried foods, chips, etc., you may actually be able to eat as much or more as you used to, it'll just be different things. If you eat out much, be…

Several years ago I was in a similar rut--major work, family, and volunteer stress and commitments, seemed to take up every bit of energy. I finally decided I had to do something for myself, both to help deal with the stress but to show my daughters (teenage at the time) that the world didn't revolve around them and their…

When my kids would trick and treat, by about a week after Halloween they were tired of the candy. I'd bring it to work or sort it by type (chocolate, hard candy, etc.) and bag it separately and store it. The shelf life of most candy is pretty long, so it stayed fresh enough that I could pull it out for a snack if we had…

Great insights! And see? You already have made progress towards your long-term goal by setting the first goal. Starting with achievable goals and succeeding at them is so important. A marathon runner doesn't start by running a marathon day one, right?

Everything that everyone else has said, but especially get the crap foods out of the house. If you are at risk for diabetes, so is your son. You need to establish good eating habits for him from the outset. Ditch candy, chips, soda, etc., and use the money saved on those things for other things--a gym membership, workout…

Congratulations on a job well done! I've done the same or even taken food out of my mouth and thrown it out after realizing I really didn't need what I thought I needed. Hard to overcome that impulse, though, to not waste food that most of us were taught while growing up.

I weigh myself pretty much every day and it goes up and down by as much at 5-7 pounds at times, often if I've been on my feet a lot or had a lot of sodium--definitely fluid retention. Unlike some others, I don't log an increase IF I have completely diligent and honest in logging what I am eating, drinking and exercising.…

For what it's worth, I have several close family members who have OCD and their primary symptoms are anxious thoughts and obsessive worry cycles. In every case, once they began taking medication they had a huge recognition that most people don't have those constant thoughts, worries, etc., going through their heads. Not…

I think part of it is perhaps your age and the amount of weight you want to lose. It's going to take a while and it's going to require that you develop eating habits that aren't necessarily consistent with that 18 year old females and males eat. Binging on pizza after going out, fast food trips after the mall, sweet coffee…

At the risk of sounding like a mom of young adults (which I am), I'm going to share some mom thoughts/questions, since these are the things that come to mind to me as a complete stranger when someone your age expresses so little optimism, hope, motivation, etc. You mentioned your family had been affected by financial…

I read your message just after calculating in my head what my average weight loss has been since starting MFP in late March and the phrase "jump start" doesn't apply in my case. I've been on various doses of Synthroid for the past 3.5 years and the MD is having a hard time stabilizing the TSH levels. I stalled for a good 8…

This is a perfect time to practice one of the most important things to help from gaining weight back: self control. I know it's easier said than done, but it really is the only permanent solution. Your kids will have candy again, you'll be at parties with foods you like, etc. If you bombed today, then start tomorrow with a…

I use the sauna after my exercise and before the whirlpool. It's part of my relaxation goal. It's not going to help with permanent weight loss but it's very relaxing. My gym has separate saunas for men and women, and there are rarely any other people in it when I use it. I take my color nook and read, so it's also a nice…

I go over but on days that I know I will eat/drink more I generally try to exercise more to earn the extras. My "red zone" days when I'm over are usually when I get home from work and my retired husband is bored and wants to go out to eat and I didn't have advance notice to plan. I don't poke around others' diaries much,…

The pharmacist always reiterates that I should take the med on an empty stomach and not to drink/eat anything for at least an hour. That included any vitamins, supplements, etc. I am currently treated only by my family practice physician. She has my TSH levels tested about 6 weeks after she makes a dosage change to see…

Keep in mind that the contestants on that show are basically living an unnatural life that bears no resemblance to the life they left.. They are exercising for hours a day, not working, not taking care of family, etc., and their JOB is to lose weight. Look how often they struggle when they go home, and if you google them…

I'd say it depends on the burrito--how big it is, what size and kind of tortilla is used, the fillings, etc. Based on my own experience with my "treat" foods," I usually start with no more than half of whatever it is. Most of the time, I'm full and the flavors/tastes I've craved have been met by the first part of it.

A couple of ways to approach this decision. First, was the goal you set for yourself for the jeans because you could never fit into them and now you can, or because you absolutely loved them, they look better than any jeans you've ever worn before, and you'll wear them to death? And is the price ($150 or so, if I recall…

Great post. Weight loss is not a math story problem where if done correctly, everyone will have the same result. I struggle to understand why it seems to be so difficult for people to accept that. I remember being told by a physical therapist that when working on a PT issue, you should expect the recovery to be at least…