perrim

If you have a Trader Joe's, I LOVE the spicy thai peanut dressing. It's not low fat or low calorie. It's 70 calories per serving (2 tbs), but I feel like it goes a long way and it makes my salads my favorite food I eat in a day. I LOVE my salads and it's mostly because of the dressing. And of course, I actually measure it…

I woke up today not really that motivated to do my 60 minute weekend jog/walk but knowing that summer is quickly approaching here in Phoenix and my outside workout days are numbered, I went anyway and had a great workout! Jogged more than usual and felt so good afterwards. It's an awesome feeling! And yes, so addicting!

I put sliced almonds on my salads for some crunch and I make sure to measure them out so that I know exactly how much I'm having. They're a lot of calories, but worth it, I think. Also, if I eat peanut butter or almond butter (yum!), a trick I recently discovered is to use creamy vs. crunchy because with the creamy, you…

oh, and I had no weight gain either, but I started my healthier lifestyle about a month or two after getting it.

I've had one now for about 4.5 months after my 2nd (and last) baby. I was concerned because I'm very anti-hormonal birth control, but was convinced by many including my doc that the very small level of hormones are mostly contained in the uterus and do not affect you like bc pills. I also have a history of migraines and a…

woo hoo! That's awesome! My work is doing something similar this year for the first time. It started in February and goes until the beginning of December and so far, I'm in first place. I don't expect to win as I know there are a couple more people in the contest who have lots more weight to lose than me, but it feels…

I did it years ago for the Atlanta half-marathon. I think it's a great program. My only complaint is that it's really meant for people that are already pretty active. I found it to be a fairly aggressive training schedule. I had never run before in my life (could barely run a block), I was somewhat physically fit, not…

I just bought the polar FT7 and LOVE IT!!! It retails for $109. It has made a big difference in my workouts and has really helped keep me motivated and buring more calories than I would've otherwise.

what do you do for exercise? maybe you have to find something fun and new to do to get you excited about it...either that or new tennis shoes or a gadget like a HRM...those are the things that get me motivated to exercise!

I had a health coach tell me that too much more than 60 minutes of cardio a day ends up having diminishing effects on the body, so you're best off limiting yourself to 60 minutes a day. Personally, I LOVE the elliptical. You may also want to try the stationary bike. Swimming is a great suggestion too. In re: abs. I'm sure…

I have dealt with depression over the years and was on medication a couple of times for it. The last time, I was at my all-time (non pregnancy) highest weight which was a major contributing factor to my depression. I saw a wonderful therapist who helped me through it and also referred me to a psychiatrist who put me on an…

I'm not a vegetarian, but I may as well be one. I rarely eat meat. I eat big filling spinach salads for lunch (in addition to the veggies that I put on my salads, I also put 1/3 cup black beans, 1 serving of sliced almonds and 1 ounce of goat cheese). I make my salads on Sundays so that I have them for the whole week.…

definitely stretch A LOT before and after your walking. The main cause of shin splints is tight calf muscles. Even just letting your heels hang over the edge of a step will do the trick, but there are tons of great stretches that you should do. I got them too in the beginning and now I stretch just a little before and…

Thanks so much for sharing, I just joined the site! I'm a natural/organic girl myself and I definitely feel a big difference when I eat a "clean" diet. I have a theory too...when you eat a clean diet and not putting a bunch of artificial flavors/colors/sweeteners/chemicals/antibiotics/hormones etc. into our bodies, our…

I just dropped 26 pounds - halfway to where I want to be and it seems like in the last couple of weeks people really just started to notice. And it seems like I always get the most compliments during a week where I've barely lost anything and am feeling kind of "blah" which only helps keep me going! Just know how good you…

I did a raw diet for about 6 weeks before getting pregnant with my first child about 4 years ago. I felt fantastic, lost about 5-10 pounds and really enjoyed it. BUT, it takes TONS of time, preparation and $$$$$. I don't think I'll ever go back to 100% raw, but I do try to eat at least 50% raw on most days and although I…

coconut oil has medium chain triglyceride fat which sounds bad, but is actually very good for you. It's the type of fat that helps your body burn fat. There is more to fat than just unsaturated vs. saturated. Coconut oil not only burns fat but is supposed to be excellent for your metabolism.

I'm not a fan of anything coconut, but coconut oil is actually pretty good, I don't mind it. Use it to cook with, especially veggies. I'm a big fan of nuts, even a very small handful (one serving or less) can do the trick for me. I used to have a "problem" with nuts, especially almonds (can't stop myself from eating way…

that's impressive and quite a testament to the fact that big changes can happen in such a short period of time!

Without more details, I would say, it sounds like you may not be eating enough during the day. Maybe if you try to eat more of your calories during the day and less in the evening, it may help (it may take some getting used to). Also, not sure how much water you're drinking, but the more water you drink, the more full you…

congrats and welcome! I just had a baby boy in September (my second...and last!) and like you, I was overweight when I got pregnant too. I had lost all but ten of what I gained when I started and am already down another 25 since joining this site in February. It takes lots of hard work and dedication, but this site is an…

raliegh's suggestion is easy and great. it's amazing how roasting veggies (especially root veggies) makes them taste so sweet. I also do something similar with broccoli, asparagus and cauliflower...a little olive oil, s&p, roast in 400 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes (depending on oven and how done you like your…

I agree that it totally depends on the friend, but what about trying to change up your music? I find that if I listen to a certain list of songs, I can run the whole time, no problem, but other songs just don't do it for me. Maybe if you program your ipod (or whatever) with a continuous list of rockin songs that will keep…

I used to manage a health food store and was one class away from becoming a nutritionist (in a previous life), not that that makes me an expert, but here are my thoughts. I highly recommend that everyone be on a good whole foods based multi vitamin (not the cheap one a day type vitamins from the drug store) , good, high…

you look wonderful (and about 10 years younger!)

I'm pretty sure all of the Polar HRMs are waterproof. I'm sure you can easily find out for sure on their website.

Hummus with carrots larabars - I LOVE THEM! If you live near a trader joes, I'm also a little bit addicted to their sour cream & onion corn puffs. 2.5 cups is only 140 calories (they're kind of like pirate's booty if you're familiar with that). Not necessarily the most nutritious, but satifies the munching thing for me.

that would be my question too. The ones without the chest strap are not accurate because they don't continuously monitor your heart rate. The amount of calories you burn depends a lot on how much you weigh. If you're heavier, you will burn more calories. If the treadmill you're using does not have you enter in your weight,…

oat bran hot cereal with ground flax seeds, agave nectar and unsweetened vanilla almond milk..sooo yummy! spinach salad with alfafa sprouts, red onion, cucumber, tomato, black beans, slivered almonds and goat cheese!!! larabars raw carrots and hummus ezekiel sprouted wheat tortillas

There's a great program that I've seen a lot of other posters mention here called c25k (or something like that). I'm slowly building up my endurance to be a jogger, and basically, I just started by walking fast and then adding a minute or two of jogging. I go very slow, probably about 5mph. And I started out just going…