notOpel

BMI standards are pretty unrealistic in general. Try calculating your body fat percentage for a better idea of where you stand. :flowerforyou:

Take a look at your overall nutrition and figure out what you might be lacking. I'd recommend iron, calcium with vitamin D and fish oil or flax seed for Omega-3 for everyone. If your profile info is accurate I'm guessing calcium is especially important for you. In your case I wouldn't hesitate calling the doctor's office…

Sneezing? Oh gosh, poor guy! The yoga idea makes me think of King of the Hill, but I'm a giant nerd. <3 Sounds like a great way to ease back into exercise, though, and I've always wanted to try it. With the thousands of free instructional videos floating around on the net there's no reason not to. Thanks!

Awesome, I'm doing this as soon as I can sit with my back reasonably straight! ;)

Your going to get a lot of conflicting opinions/facts on starvation mode, but I personally don't believe that 1200 is the magic number that everyone must adhere to. My goal is 1200 a day and I'm almost always under, sometimes by 100-300, sometimes by more. Even on weeks were I average 800-900 calories my weight loss is…

Always look at the nutrition label and make sure that "whole wheat" isn't enriched or bleached. "Enriched" bread means that all the nutrients were stripped and then artificially added back, so you really may as well be eating white bread. I go for the whole grains, myself. The calorie content is a bit higher but it…

I take a prenatal vitamin and fish oil. The prenatals are a great multivitamin but people sometimes freak out when they find out I'm taking them. No, they don't increase your fertility but they do contain 156% of your daily iron requirements and an extra boost of B vitamins compared to a regular multi vitamin! The fish oil…

Sure, theres a lot of people on here who are aiming to bulk up and gain muscle mass. I like this calculator for estimating calories for people trying to gain better than MFP: http://www.scoobysworkshop.com/caloriecalculator.htm Good luck to you both!

Thanks, good motivation! I keep telling myself "I'll quit when things aren't so stressful" but the fact is theres ALWAYS a stress-factor in most people's lives! Time to kick the habit!

I don't have a success story to share because I haven't quit yet... I've cut waaaay back, and am "prepping" to quit tomorrow. From what I understand, quitting is associated with weight gain because people tend to eat more when craving a cigarette. I'm planning on keeping a bunch of healthy, low-calorie snacks around so I…

Here we go: Highest Weight: 188 Current Weight: 142 Goal Weight: 130 Current BF%: 21.71 Goal BF%: 17%

Just what I needed! :heart:

This.

Strength-training is great for overall fitness and fat loss, you can't go wrong with it! Theres some exercises here: http://www.natural-breast-guide.com/articles/breast-firming.html but I don't know how much of an impact they'll have on your actual bust size or your fitness level, for that matter. I'd aim for a "real"…

Man, I thought I was crazy but I can TOTALLY see the difference in my wrists when I'm having a "fat/skinny" week lol

Unfortunately, your breasts are going to "shrink" a bit at first. They're just fatty tissue, though, so it makes sense. Take heart, though, because many girls actually end up with "larger" breasts after the fat around their ribcage and midsection starts to go! Focus on exercise, that will help with your trouble areas.…

I'm at 1200 as well, and like Pixie said its not too difficult if you focus on eating healthy, nourishing foods. If your already at a low weight then your calorie goal is going to be fairly strict, but its definitely do-able. Feel free to add me and good luck to you!

In a word, no. You should actually aim to eat 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight, ie. if you weigh 180 pounds then strive for 180 grams of protein a day. This is especially true if your working out, even more so if your strength training (which everyone should, it really helps with losing fat). When any of the "good"…

Tomorrow is my weigh-in day, so I'll officially join and post my stats then. This challenge was made for me!!

Wow, congrats on your lovely lady lumps! :laugh: NSV for sure!

1lb a week is average weight loss... don't focus on the scale so much and remember that your making an awesome change for a healthier, happier life! Also, if your working out then keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat. Body fat % is a much better indicator of your progress. Keep it up, your doing great!

Eggplant is easier to cook than a lot of people assume. You can "sweat" it, which is when you put your cut of sliced eggplant into a bowl and sprinkle a little salt over it. Let it set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and rinse it off. Sweating eggplant makes it less bitter and more tender, but if your watching your…

Just wanted to pop back in to say that you have a really beautiful face as well lol

Stellar!!! You look really fantastic! :heart:

I'd suggest you have food on your stomach, but for general health/safety reasons rather than cutting calories... Obviously, drinks affect us more on an empty stomach and I'm thinking their effects on our liver are probably amp up in that case too. Plus, I have a hard time believing that after 5 or 10 drinks your going to…

Thanks a ton. Its definitely a good workout and pretty intense for a former couch potato like myself. I feel extremely light headed after a straight half hour! I'll definitely check out some of Jillian's videos as well... recommendations, anyone?

Two words: prenatal vitamin. 156% of your daily iron requirements. And no, they won't increase your likeliness of becoming pregnant nor will they make men grow breasts. As stupid as it sounds, I've heard people say both of those things. :huh: Edit: A large bottle costs around $10.00 and you can find them at any pharmacy,…

I'm not a fitness guru but from what I understand it works like this: If your doing strength training, your going to gain muscle. If your looking to lose fat (muscle gain will help this) then you need to be cutting your calories. If your looking to gain weight, aka bulk up, then you need to be upping your calorie intake.…

This sounds delicious! I'm going to give this a try using whole wheat flour. Thanks for sharing!

It could be a dozen different things, but self diagnosis is a slippery slope. Make an appointment to see your doc, asap. Whatever it is, eating healthy can never hurt you.