melcowenfitness Member

There are 3 keys to reducing insulin resistance and keeping your blood sugars in check:* Good meal planning: try to eat fresh, whole foods as much as possible: fruits (still need to limit to 1-2 servings/day because of natural sugars), non-starchy veggies (anything except for corn, peas, winter squashes), and whole grains.…

There are 3 keys to reducing insulin resistance and keeping your blood sugars in check:* Good meal planning: try to eat fresh, whole foods as much as possible: fruits (still need to limit to 1-2 servings/day because of natural sugars), non-starchy veggies (anything except for corn, peas, winter squashes), and whole grains.…

I'm finishing up 21 Day Fix right now and next will be Beast. I'd love to see what your hybrid looks like! :)

Awesome! Just sent you a message.

I just started an Eat Clean Challenge on Facebook. It's a group of women encouraging and supporting one another through various challenges. This particular challenge is focused on eating clean - what it means, how to do it, and be successful! You're more than welcome to join us! You can ask to join the group here:…

That's so awesome when you have a husband that supports you like that! Glad to have one of those myself too!

As Julia Roberts says in Pretty Woman - "It's easier to remember the bad stuff". It's human nature. We see ourselves in a certain way no matter how we actually look. Keep looking at before and after pics. That is the only thing that has helped me not see the frumpy woman I used to be. It's visual proof to wrap my brain…

Thank you to everyone who has responded to my post! You all have made my day!!! Not just because of the number of you who took the time to post something but also because of the humor many of you have. I needed a good laugh today and many of you brought that! :happy:

Love me some Tony Horton and Chalene Johnson! They take the guess work out of strength training.

Seriously dude? :wink: For you yes - you've got testosterone. For women - you gotta do some pretty extreme lifting and diet modifications to get that bulk.

If it's part of a physical, they typically will do a blood count (white blood cells, red, hemoglobin, hematocrit,etc.) as well as check your cholesterol levels, blood sugar, etc. All will give you a pretty good idea of how well you're currently doing with exercise/nutrition and where you might need to make adjustments. In…

I agree with what everyone else has said - take it small chunks at a time. I counsel people on this topic all the time and my answer is always the same: 1. Choose YOUR why. Why do you want to do this? It has to be important to YOU. Doesn't matter what society, your friends, or your family say to you - it has to be for you.…

I'm 5'3" and lost 30 pounds by paying more attention to my nutrition. Great workouts help too but without fueling your body properly, you're not going to see the results you want. There are several things you could look at but it all boils down to two things. I just did a video about my personal experience of what has…

I'm finishing up my last week of the Reset and very much looking forward to starting a round of P90X on 8/6/12! It'll be my 3rd round but I haven't done the workouts in over a year. So excited to give it another go, particularly now that I'm a P90X certified trainer and have substantially more knowledge now than I did back…

I find it very helpful to eat throughout the day. I eat something every few hours. If I'm having an issue getting in my protein, I'll end my day with a protein shake as my evening snack. It helps get in the protein I need AND it satisfies my sweet tooth!

To get the most results out of your workouts and be able to put the most into them, you will need more than 1400 calories. Otherwise, you will eventually feel sluggish from lack of food energy. What I found helpful was to increase by 150-200 calories every couple of days until I got to where I was supposed to be with my…

Hey everyone! Several of you have mentioned that you are not seeing much in the way of weight loss. There are other non-scale victories that should be seen that have also been discussed: - how are your clothes fitting? Have you dropped a pant/dress size? - what about those inches? Are they decreasing from key areas like…

Those are some pretty amazing results! Great job!! I've done 2 rounds of P90X and let me say this - after trying tons of different workouts, going to the gym, etc. P90X was the only thing that helped me lose weight. Lost 30 pounds and have kept it off for over a year and a half now. It's definitely a combination of the…

The majority of jumping is really only during the Plyometrics workout. You do that once a week. Some of the warm ups will have you jogging in place, so I guess if you're heavy footed, it might get loud downstairs. :smile: Using a jump mat would soften some of that sound AND it's good for your joints. Double score! Great…

You're in! Glad to have you join us.

YAY!!! Just added you. Let's have some fun!

I tend to get the same feeling around Week 10 of any program. What you're describing are pretty common symptoms of overtraining. There are a couple of things you can do: 1. Make sure you are taking a recovery week - I find taking one every 3-4 weeks is very helpful. It's a week of lighter workouts (kinda like what you…

The Fat Blaster workout (which is a TurboJam workout) can be a little hard to follow at first. Stick with it - you'll pick up the moves. And as long as you're moving throughout the workout, you're still burning calories! The bulk of your results will come in the last phase. However, the lack of results can also be tied to…

Yep. Plus everything that STRONGisSEXY mentioned above. I actually wanted to start the week before but one of my friends is joining me and wanted to wait until after the holiday. I'll send you a friend request! :) Mel

Hmmmm..... I've never eaten back my exercise calories but instead try to stick to a range of calories/day (1800-2100). Seems to work for me. I do, however, eat way more calories than I used to because I know my body needs it. When I was trying to work out and only consuming 1300 calories/day my energy levels and my weight…

Haha! I know what you mean... but I find it's money well spent. Every workout I've done from Beachbody has gotten me great results and I know if I don't like it I can return it for a refund. It's a win-win for me. I also like that I don't have to "think" about what workout I'm going to do because it's all laid out for me.…

I had the same concern so I did the meal plan only a couple weeks ago. There is prep time involved but if you get it done at the beginning of the week, it goes much smoother. The recipes are really delicious! I'm looking forward to adding the supplements and completely resetting my body from the inside out!

Two years ago, I was in the same place as you. I thought I was doing pretty well with my eating habits but was not losing weight. Then I got into a workout program that taught me a lot about my nutrition - and I continue to learn more and more each day! The biggest "take away" I can give you is that it's not just about how…

Congratulations on your progress! Sometimes it's all about the timing. One day you may not be ready but when you are... watch out! :happy: Keep up the good work! Mel

You can always start with the Fit Test - if you pass, go for it! If you're not quite there yet, give another program a try - like Power 90. Even 30 days of Power 90 can get you better prepared for a workout like P90X. Both are really good workouts! Mel