CaptainMFP Member

Remember, nobody (and I mean NOBODY) is as hard on us as we are on ourselves. No matter how much we progress we have the ability to focus on and amplify our flaws. I'm down to a 34" waist after starting with a 40+" waist in April, and there are still days where I look in the mirror and see GUT. Clothing simply cannot lie.…

A very valid point, Crystal. The majority of trainers I know are not educated at the level you described, but you are absolutely right in noting that some are. It's all about the source and how the info is used. :smile:

Two responses to this quote. (1) I've seen in a past forum a great reply from a woman recovering from an eating disorder who pointed out that skinny does not inherently equate to healthy and from her perspective, the difference is not trivial. Having never walked in her shoes, I still agree with her fundamental point. (2)…

As a general rule, change is hard and takes time. Frankly, it sounds like you are trying to control too many things at once that you didn't do before. What could be the culprit? Lots of things. My best advice to you is to set reasonable behavioral goals and phase them in to develop the habits that you need to be…

Used my HRM once...I'm obsessive about accuracy and using the HRM is just too much trouble...so no. It's unrecorded bonus activity. :laugh:

Same here. Can't imagine ever wearing skinny jeans...just not worth it.

And of course just about any substance can be a poison if consumed in large enough doses. Randomly calling something a poison don't make it so. Please see the poorly reported scare regarding dihydrogen monoxide (http://www.dhmo.org/) if you don't believe me. :wink:

True, but don't oversimplify its function. Insulin and glucagon operate in the aftermath of meals to stabilize blood sugar. However, normal, non-stress-related releases of cortisol happen a couple of times a day to ensure that blood sugar doesn't crash between meals...I'm talking those extended periods (like sleeping) when…

A lot of it has to do with mathematicians (IMHO). I've met very few who care about practical application or recognize that non-mathematicians don't care about the theory or derivations behind something like a normal distribution...they care how it is used. In all my time of taking math/stats courses (4 undergrade, 2 grad…

This is not a skewed statistic. What you point out is the REASON this stat exists. The point is that the screening test is set up based on the risk being higher in one group (women over 35)...but that doesn't mean women outside that high risk group will be affected. The simple reason the screens aren't done more…

Pretty good! Screening tests cannot be used for diagnosis. Classic example. How many cases of breast cancer have been diagnosed with a mammogram? Zero. It's not diagnostic, and it's for statistical reasons. If you think in terms of normal distributions, both diagnostic and screening tests try to discriminate between two…

And of course when riding a bike you aren't putting weight on your knees, so they are less mechanically stressed by the activity...hence both benefits that rebekah529 identified could provide a noticeably pleasant sensation.

This is pretty spot on to my understanding. I'll add that ultimate control of cortisol and its partner glucocorticoids begins in the hypothalamus...which is at the heart of the emotional brain. This is the best link between stress and weight gain.

Very cool! Will have to try this!

Here is a sample flow diagram framework I use in class. It's not in color/no bells/no whistles. It's designed for students to sit in groups of 3 - 5 and, based on reading assignments, diagram all hormones linked to a particular process. This one is for the hypothalamic/pituitary axis and BMR.

It all depends on what you call hilly. I ran in that area for a few days this summer while visiting family. I live in Reno at about 4500 feet and EVERYTHING by my house is an incline to some degree. Personally, I didn't find Nashville too bad. Of course, I'm deliberately making my first in Indianapolis next May...F-L-A-T…

Ah so! But if you know basic principles in endocrine you can travel many miles with it! That is my approach in class...learn basic principles first, figure out how to apply them, and THEN start working out what specific hormones do. If anyone is interested, I have some basic flow diagram frameworks for basic relationships…

Ha ha! Missed this before...I tell my students every semester, the two least popular medical specialties are endocrinology and immunology. Who wants to stress over the complexities of these systems when you can make better money with less knowledge as a cardiologist? (And that's not a knock on cardiologists...they have to…

Tardy though I may be to this party, the Cap'n has some info to share! (As an aside, remember that BMR is not fixed. It moves up or down based on a host of factors, including (perhaps especially) hormonal signaling.) Nearly all regulation of BMR begins in the hypothalamus. Given that the hypothalamus produces all of the…

Haven't made up my mind. Kind of want to get a light run in (2 miles-ish) if my knee will allow it, but I may do a cross-trainer this evening (JM30DS, Level 1) to dovetail on yesterday's longer strength training session. No matter what, I'm hitting the foam-roller and some dynamic stretches twice today. Make it hurt so…

I'm Steve! I've lost nearly 53 lbs. since beginning to use MFP in April. I started running in July and have since run two 5Ks (best time 24:53 last week) and an 8 mile trail run near Lake Tahoe (1:14:43). I'm signed up to do my first half-marathon at the Mini 500 in Indianapolis on 05/05/2012 in celebration of my 38th…

I totally get this...my wife and I had to let go of our darling of 11 years, Sienna Lucille, on our 9th anniversary last December. Bladder cancer. People who've not had cherished pets don't understand that this is akin to losing a child. (Having lost both, I'm qualified to say they are very similar and very hard on you…

I won't parrot all the good advice above, but I'll share this. Set reasonable goals and take it slow. I did not use C25K when I started this summer but I used my own version adapted from a book on running. It took me about five weeks of run/walk intervals before I could run 2 - 3 miles without a break. It was worth taking…

Metabolically, at the stage you describe, you have to be careful. On one hand, you're right, you can't create as big a deficit. However, as your body fat drops so does the production of the hormone leptin which normally promotes high metabolic rate. The reduction in leptin creates a metabolic drag. (Everyone is not…

Two things work in our house, in which my wife and I both work and have a 5yo and 2yo in the house. For evening workouts, we'll go in shifts. One parent occupies/watches the kids while the other runs or does their video. My wife will get up very early (around 4:30/5:00) and get in her workout before the kids get up and so…

Keep on with the mixing, as it gets them in. I've taken to integrating veggies wherever I can, whether it's tomatoes, asparagus, and spinach mixed into omelettes...or lettuce, tomato, and avocado on a sandwich...or a really tasty mixture of craisins, ground turkey, quinoa, summer squash, and spinach. It's good to hit…

I don't count it any more but I used to when I was less active. I wore my HRM on several occasions, and depending on what I was playing, even sitting down I got my HR well above 100 bpm on most occasions. The fact that you are sitting is immaterial. It's all about what you're doing while sitting. If you sit in a chair and…

We do a really good version (will be doing it this week!) that we got from a Sesame Street cookbook (goes in the diary as Cookie Monster Meat Loaf :smile: ). It uses turkey and pork and is cooked in muffin tins rather than as a full loaf so that it cooks a bit quicker. One "muffin" is essentially a serving and is the…

Weighing naked is the number one reason I prefer MFP to traditional Weight Watchers. :bigsmile:

A close read of this article reveals that it is dated (am not saying it is not rigorous, but with an '02 publication it is old, scientifically) and it seems to focus on the premise that we need 8 cups of water daily to be healthy. The separate issue -- the benefits of increased water consumption for weight loss -- are not…