ungeneric Member

I have become a big fan of bean pasta -- that is, pasta that is made from beans rather than grains. It's not super expensive and it is extremely easy, as you can just use it as a substitute for regular pasta. Preparation is the same as normal pasta -- boil and drain -- except you should rinse it after draining. There are a…

I aim for MFP's default number and basically never hit it. Switching completely from white grains to high fiber foods has helped a lot. Like, I used to eat a lot of wheat pasta, now I replaced it all with bean pastas. Switching out rice (another former staple) with barley or quinoa has been more challenging...

My understanding is that foam rolling is basically the only soreness "cure" that shows any result in clinical tests, and even that has very little evidence so far. (As in: very few tests, though those tests have been promising.) I do the foam roller after lifting and, anecdotally, it seems to help a lot with keeping my…

Stationary bike is my go-to for low impact intervals. Pool exercises also work very well but I wouldn't chance it with a back injury -- most pool stuff is very core-intensive.

It's more than that -- there has been at least one study that found that it's nearly impossible to turn people obese who don't have a predisposition to it. Like, "some people have to eat 10,000 calories a day and be prevented from walking around in order to make them obese, and they will lose the weight as soon as they are…

The only product I've seen that is really comparable to Quest bars are Manbake bars. They're pretty similar in terms of protein and (soluble) fiber per calorie. I'm told they taste pretty similar, too.

Amen to this. I personally am always interested in noodle replacements -- I'm very happy right now with black bean pasta (made from black bean paste instead of grains), because it's high-fiber and high-protein rather than just empty calories, but it's interesting to know that there is a zero-cal (or nearly zero-cal) noodle…

A tablespoon of cinnamon is also a lot of cinnamon, though. Most people would find that overpowering in a single serving. And if we're talking about a fraction of 20 calories, then that's such a minor difference that it might as well be a rounding error.

There are lifts that may avoid aggravating your particular issues. For example, maybe doing squats with a safety bar -- those are designed for people with shoulder issues. You might never be able to do a particular exercise ever again, but I bet with a bit of thought you could work out a strength routine that works out all…

1) Get a night splint. This is basically the only treatment that has been shown to bring immediate (albeit temporary) relief. They cost like $20USD, and in my experience they work much better than the Strassbourg Sock. 2) Get good shoes. I bought a nice pair of walking shoes with motion control, they made a big difference.…

Starting Strength teaches to try and go from the very center of the foot, between the heel and the ball, and to lift by trying to raise your hips toward the ceiling rather than by trying to push your feet down into the ground. I find that following this advice helps a lot with my form. When I blow a rep, it is usually…

Squat shoes tend to have raised heels and they aren't very bouncy -- they tend to have hard, stable soles, that don't deform much when you put weight on them. That sounds a lot like a pair of pumps. ...But, you know, don't work out in pumps. :) No one wants you to twist your ankle or ruin your shoes.

I have the EatSmart Precision Digital recommended here: http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-bathroom-scales/ And it's great. I have gone through a couple of scales before this one, but they were obnoxious for various reasons. This one just works. I don't need any fancy features in my scale. I just want it to take my…

I had weight-loss surgery because my joints were so bad (due to obesity) that I was constantly in and out of physical therapy. After the surgery I started exercising very regularly. A month or two after the surgery, I had to jog to catch a train, a thing that previously would've filled me with agonizing pain. It didn't --…

(PS, I am really glad that your medication has stopped you having panic attacks. Those are absolutely unfun.)

When I first starting doing HIIT, I hit a point during one set where I suddenly felt a profound panic, like I was running for my life and there was something chasing me and if I didn't get away I was going to die. I guess I was tapping into some primal fight-or-flight circuit -- I was telling my body that I needed to run…

I dunno, I aim for 1300 net calories, and I'm a 6'1" male... ...of course, I also had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, and frequently go over that number anyway. And I take vitamin supplements to make up for the nutrients that I am probably not getting. And I'm under the supervision of a physician (though admittedly, that…

I get joint pains from Smith machine squats that I never get from barbell squats (and, consequently, I no longer do squats on the Smith machine!)

This is true, but not as true as some people think it is. Speaking just about the surgery I had (vertical sleeve gastrectomy), since it's the one I did the most research on... For 90+% of people -- last time I checked, I believe it was something like 97%? -- the stomach never again reaches its original size. For most…

My mom is one of those who had the surgery (gastric bypass, specifically) and never fully adapted her eating habits. She still gets dumping syndrome about once a week, and also spends one or two nights a week wandering around with hiccups because she has undigested food in her esophagus because she ate faster than her…

Unfortunately, sardines and octopi are not vegan. Even if they were vegan sardines!

(Am I immature for giggling at this typo?) I think that's pretty common -- you get out of the habit of eating these things, or rather you get into habits that do not include those things, and so you don't have to exert force of will so often to avoid them. I think the point of a scheduled "cheat day" is to make it sort of…

I use an unflavored one* and blend it into other foods. (Sauces, soups, smoothies, etc.) I find it easier to use an unflavored one (or else buy a variety of flavors of canned protein drinks). If I use a flavored powder I get sick of the taste long before I run out of powder... monotony is a real killer. *Isopure Zero Carb…

I am not a vegan, but I dated a vegetarian for a few years, so here's what I got: There are vegan protein bars and shakes, made mostly from soy as I understand it. Googling "vegan protein bars" gave me this: http://www.vegancoach.com/health-food-bars.html Might want to keep a few of those on-hand for days where you are way…

Swimming is good, if you enjoy it. I do a lot of that since I have joint issues. Dancing can be great cardio, as can hiking or climbing. If you enjoy sports (e.g., soccer), that can be a great way to work in some cardio that doesn't bore you.

I use IsoPure Zero carb, mentioned by betuel75. I use the flavorless one and I quite like its ability to blend into other foods/drinks without really altering their taste. It is definitely a bit spendy, though.

For people who have not yet achieved nirvana and purified themselves of desire, though, there may be some cognitive or emotional cost to weight loss. Running a sustained calorie deficit may require the regular exercise of willpower, and tallying up every calorie eaten may consume some amount of focus and energy. For people…

I have a semi-cheat-day thing, where I don't calorie count over the weekend. I still exercise, I don't use it as an excuse to binge eat, I just sort of listen to my body and my emotions. I am sure that I probably go over my calories on the days I don't count, but I don't think it's by very much, and I find the emotional…

Bingo. Almost anybody can lose a bunch of weight. At my heaviest I was 405 pounds. I had lost 75+ pounds on more than one occasion with calorie counting and exercise. And I would regain it in less than a year, because losing that kind of weight was a full time job for me, and I was only able to successfully during times of…

Do you swim? Swimming is great exercise, and a bit more fun than hitting the pavement.