cafeaulait7 Member

That's just such a weird thing to doubt about someone. Do you also doubt shoe sizes of folks at the same height? It's just a little bizarre. Can't you look at images of thin famous people and tell when it comes to shoulders? They aren't exactly hidden, and when you can see the shoulder bones it should be pretty clear…

I'm so bad. I like really small portions of meat. I do need help getting in enough to hit 100g. Plus the bars are like a candy bar but better on my glucose because of all the protein :grin: I eat them before I run (and they are yummy!)

I have broad shoulders, yeah. So does my brother, and my uncle. It's genetic. I don't have fat on my shoulders, thanks. My shoulders are 18" across bone-to-bone (not including delts or arms) at 5'6" and I'm not fat at all (many folks here are in maintenance). That's broad enough to change my shirt size for the seams to fit…

Protein powder will only help if you use those muscles hard. That's why it's popular with weightlifters. If you have a hard time getting enough protein it's good in general, though. I like the bars much better than the drinks.

You won't gain weight on your calories. You just might not lose as much for one week. But can you get to a pool? That would be fun while your foot heals. You could also try some floor work online, like Pilates or even a ballet thing called 'floor barre'. It's all tough enough and darned fun (I think), and I use it when my…

Carbs can cause dark skin areas on folks who have blood sugar problems. I forget what it's called, but it's a pretty serious symptom. If yours is just from rubbing, that makes sense :) I'm just saying that carbs really can cause skin symptoms in people, but it's the high blood sugar doing it.

Those are good numbers! I hated giving up fries, darnit. The fries don't agree with my BG, even though I always had the kids' size. But I can eat a little cheeseburger with the top bun removed. Get creative :)

How can that measurement end up lower than anyone's navel, though? Here's WebMD's opinion: http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/calculating-your-waist-circumference__ "To measure your waist circumference, use a tape measure. Start at the top of your hip bone, then bring the tape measure all the way around, level with your belly…

There are all kinds of antidepressents and even epilepsy medicine used as a very safe antidepressant, etc. If they never agreed with you, is there a chance you are bipolar instead of unipolar? There are even more off-label alternatives to traditional courses of drug therapy for that. You do have to find the right shrink to…

It sounds like she's trying to figure out a plan that lets her lose weight while still eating as much as she likes of at least many kinds of dishes, imho. OP, I know that sounds harsh, but it really does sound that way. Why did you 'shut down' on logging again? If it had to do with never being able to fit in what all you…

For women, we are supposed to measure the narrowest part. Lower than the navel would certainly give bigger numbers, unless you are straight up and down in shape. I'd do the navel at lowest.

I can never work my upper traps because of a nagging chronic pain thing I've got going. They are overworked all the time naturally now (and it sucks, lol). I have to treat my back muscles differently than most because of my problem, but I have a really good system going now :) Since I already do mainly isolation lifts for…

Do you believe anyone has a large frame, though? I'm in the middle of the healthy BMI range for my height, but I really do have a wide frame. It's why my ribs are very visible even though I'm not skinny. I have wide shoulders (bones, not delts. I want more delts!) and a wide ribcage, like certain breeds of dogs, lol.

I get it in strange little muscles around the top of my lats after lifting. Nowhere else. But I do get a visible dent near my shins after things that could cause shin splints. That's freaky looking, but not nearly as painful as real shin splints, so it's all good :grin:

It's OK if your girlfriend squats more than you, btw. She's been training longer. Don't try to keep up with her progress.

I shoot for lower than 140 2 hours after a meal. That's usually easy for me if I watch my carbs. The dawn phenomenon is what gets me. Well, and if I eat a bunch of carbs, lol. If I want a really carb-heavy meal like the shrimp and grits I had for Superbowl, I'll eat a small portion and then know that I can eat another…

Yeah, abs are easy to get DOMS in, I think! If some ab thing is new I always feel it there strongly.

I like CVS brand "Spectravite multivitamin/multimineral supplement: Adult 50+" (even though I'm in my 40's) as a good all-around one that adds some minerals I don't eat much of. I have to add some separate ones because of anemia issues and more Mg because of a medicine I take, etc, so it'll definitely depend on your own…

Yes, IR can cause many people problems with losing weight. If you go low enough carb and/or take an insulin sensitizing medication like Metformin, it may well help. I'm not as hungry as I was before with my levels bouncing all over the place, too. I'd get shaky and headachey with a great amount of calories eaten and no…

It depends on how much I'm going to walk at a time, because I have malformed toes that get sore if I walk far too quickly (depending on my shoes, too). If it's a mile or two, I do 4mph generally. Longer than that and I'll usually slow down, unless I'm trying to get somewhere fast ;) I'm 5'6" but my legs are long for my…

Thank you! Mine was a vitamin deficiency (auto-immune caused) that's crazy easy to treat with injections of the vitamin. Most everything came back totally, but I got a bit of permanent nerve damage because my very bad doctor never did diagnose what I had. I went to a new doctor and his guess on the first appointment was…

Different ways work different muscles, btw. So the gut punch is the deeper muscles and more of your other core muscles. If you are trying to work more superficial muscles for whatever reason, that's more like the crunches or reverse crunches where you contract in towards your spine more (and the spine moves) as you pull. I…

You probably need to build up your stores of various vitamins. Your doctor sounds very ignorant to not put you on Rx supplements for a while, imho. But that does depend on your actual levels. You can take a multivitamin with minerals yourself, especially if you have your own test results. But don't take huge doses. Maybe…

For general purposes, act like someone is about to punch you in the stomach (imho).

If your period is that bad (I do understand), ask your doc about iron deficiency anemia. I had low hemoglobin because of my stupid period. It does make you fatigue much earlier than usual. I'd shown up as iron-deficient for months and months and didn't know it. My doctor only did something about it when my hemoglobin…

The Metformin helped me not get hungry so often. I don't mean just at first; I mean all the time. I get sensitive to glucose changes. I even had symptoms of hypoglycemia often that anyone would say sounded like it. Except my monitor showed blood sugar that was quite high enough. It was just from the drop in my blood sugar…

I like richer foods in small portions. I swear it really is like my stomach shrinks a few weeks after I draw in my portion sizes. OTOH, close to bedtime I do get hungry (or want to chew on food) enough sometimes that I want something filling and low-cal. Frozen collard greens with a touch of olive oil cook up hot, easy,…

Actually, the cell count is nice and high anyway with B12 deficiency anemia. It's just filled with duds ;) But yeah, B12 won't help your blood any unless you really are deficient in it, which usually doesn't come from diet at all.

Why would you overlook the scary medical things folks are bringing up? I feel like there's something you're not telling us. I've had my scale register 17 lbs differently on the carpet, so maybe your scale got put on some different surface?

You could probably try short sprints or something plyometric for your lower body muscles, imho. It totally depends on form, but if you don't have any problems keeping a neutral pelvis and spine in most positions, you should be cool if you still take it easy when doing them. Don't try any exercises that use your lower back…