finchase

I put it on turkey sandwiches in lieu of lettuce. I also have a couple of Mediterranean recipes that feature spinach prominently: Greek spinach and rice, and Spinach and Chickpeas (one of my favorites!)

Fruit provides so many other benefits, I wouldn't worry about the additional carbs. As someone else pointed out, it's refined sugars that are you real enemy, not the natural sugar from fruit. Since you said you are a vegan, I'm assuming that you already stay away from the dried fruits that sometimes have additional sugar…

Like a grain. I think it's an acquired taste, honestly. I make it very simple with just a little salt and maybe a bit of butter if I feel I can afford the calories that day. However, I found a recipe recently for quinoa pudding, which is made with apple juice, raisins and cinnamon that I really like. It was suggested as a…

Mediterranean food, which encompasses quite a range from tradtional Greek to Lebanese and Turkish. I've even started making a few dishes at home. I suppose that as far as types of food goes, this is not the most unhealthy obsession I could have, but it's really difficult to eat moderately at some of the buffets we've going…

I use an FT7 and find that it gives me all the features I need. While it is true that it will not really help you lose more weight, I nonetheless found it very enlightening to see a more accurate presentation of how many calories I was really burning versus how many calories whatever machine I was using estimated.…

Funny you should ask this now! I just found one a few days ago and made it for the first time. Here is the original recipe (from allrecipes.com): Quinoa Pudding Recipe makes 6 servings 1 cup quinoa 2 cups water 2 cups apple juice 1 cup raisins 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoonground cinnamon, or to taste salt to taste 2…

That sounds really good! I'm going to have to try it.

Going to the gym has definitely been one of the keys to my success. However, I started out well without it by maintaining a strict diet and walking every day. But I knew that hot summer weather (I live in Texas and even in May last year I could tell it was going to be a really bad summer) would make it difficult to keep up…

I'm not too far from going into maintenance mode myself, and I'm worried about it. I lost weight before--quite a lot at various times--and always gained it back plus some. I think this time I've done a better job of changing my lifestyle and eating habits than I did in the past, so I hope that will help me. I suspect that…

I can't comment on the Fitbit since I don't have one, but my HRM is great. I've been using my FT7 (the best price I found was through Amazon) for a little over a year, and it's been a powerful motivator for me. I knew MFP and even the workout machine was too high in the amount of calories I was really burning, but the…

I drink several cups of green tea each day. Actually, I drink a lot of tea, period, as I don't drink coffee (can't stand it) and I've gradually weaned myself off diet sodas, except as an occasional treat. I was always more of a black tea girl and I still love it, but I've been making a concerted effort to drink more green…

That sounds really good! I've copied out the recipe so that I can try it soon.

I steam it a lot and use a little Accent Seasoning and Cavender's Greek Seasoning on it. Not exciting but tasty enough. I also also like to combine it with spinach for salads. I'm going to try it in soups soon.

As long as you are not lactose-intolerant, I think cheese is good for you. It's high in protein and calcium. However, just as with everything else, moderation is required. It is high in fat. If you eat a lot of cheese one day, then you probably should give something else up that day in order to balance it out. I love…

I agree with this post. I am 5'4, and I am aiming for 130, which is right in the middle of the range for my height and frame size (large). That may not be where I end up, however. It's going to depend on where I look and feel best, but first I want to attain a healthy BMI. I'm about 5 lbs away from that goal.

I found an elliptical was relatively easy on my knees. The recumbent bike actually hurt my knees for quite awhile, as they didn't bend very well.

That's been my worse problem: The people who try to tell me that I'm too skinny. Just the other day my sister (who needs to lose 20-30 lbs herself) suggested I should be happy going into maintenance where I am right now. I'm still 5-7 lbs away from FINALLY (probably for the first time in my life) reaching a healthy BMI)…

I really struggle running on a treadmill. I can't keep it up long. For some reason I do better outdoors. I'm not much of a runner, however, as my knees aren't very good. I'm just trying to add it to my cardio routine since the elliptical doesn't get my heart rate as much as it did when I was larger and less fit.

I'm 5'4 and my goal weight is between 130 - 135 pounds. Anyone else getting told by family and friends that this is too low? I feel sometimes like I'm surrounded by saboteurs.

I started out at 355 in February 2011. My BP was out of control, and my knees and hips were so painful that I couldn't even sit in my desk chair for more than a few minutes at a time without having to get up. The hardest part was starting out at all. I finally did and slowly built momentum. You can do it but you have to be…

1) which one was it? - Polar FT7 (still use it, since last Sept.) 2) how did you like it? - I like it. I was astonished initially by the difference between what the machines at the gym said I was burning and what the HRM, which is supposed to be much more accurate, said I was burning. The machine had me burning nearly 2x…

First, I am not going to lecture you about the need for hitting 1200 calories; it seems you already know this, anyway. Besides, there were several months there when I went through exactly the same thing. I was eating three meals a day plus healthy snacks, and I still wasn't consistently hitting 1200 calories. And I would…

Definitely an elliptical. I have knee issues and can't take the pounding on the treadmill very long. I just can't get my heart rate up enough on bikes. With the eliiptical, I feel I get a really good cardio workout.

Another option to log it under in cardiovascular is Circuit Training. That's what I use as I alternate between 2-3 different exercises for each set without resting.

Fat all my life. Suffered some severe teasing in school, too, which perhaps helps explain my at times crippling shyness all these years later. I've never felt comfortable in my skin. As someone else said, I know in my head that I'm not really fat anymore (even though I have haven't reached my ideal weight yet), but I don't…

I also have always carried most of my weight in my lower body, especially my hips and legs. I don't know that this will help you, but I definitely lost weight first in my upper body. In fact, I started getting friends and family telling me that I didn't need to lose any more since I had lost so much through my face, neck…

I love diet coke, but I've really tried to move away from it, based on the advice of my doctor and my personal trainer. I still drink a can occasionally, but it's more of a treat once or twice a week now, rather than having a can every day as I used to. I also keep small bottles in my refrigerator because some mornings I…

I started out at 355. My blood pressure was out of control, and my knees and right hip had gotten so bad that I could barely sit in my desk chair at work all day, and walking was quite painful. To make matters worse, thanks to the other problems and some not so great walking shoes, I shortly thereafter developed plantar…

Perhaps try adding some foods that are high in protein to your diet, such as nuts. One ounce of almonds (approximately 24 nuts) is only about 170 calories and has a lot of protein. Also, I've heard that if you combine eating the nuts with drinking 8 ounces of water, it wil make you feel fuller for quite awhile. Hmm, maybe…