CaffeinatedConfectionist Member

Squats as a primary/compound lift. Lunges as penance for my sins.

This. I love going out to eat, but I also don't see the point in wasting money on something that doesn't taste as good as what I can make myself. I don't have a lot of disposable income, so I'm pretty picky about the quality of food that it gets spent on. I also don't have time/energy to cook every single night after work,…

I'd recommend inverted rows, barbell pull-overs, and, if you can, assisted chin-ups or pull-ups (resting your feet on something for support) I freakin' love inverted rows (aka bodyweight rows). They are a great compound movement and a good way to work your lats and back. If you're not familiar with them:…

2 slices of pan-fried bacon is like 100 calories. I get that people are concerned about the saturated fat in their diet, but unless you're eating a pack of bacon a day (or have pre-existing health concerns) you really don't need to worry. I eat a pretty high fat diet (and don't intentionally limit my saturated fats) and my…

Yuuuup. I can buy it and eat it in moderation if I am sober. But I had to give the peanut butter a pass at the store yesterday because I knew I would be drinking this weekend and that if drunk me gets her hands on a jar of peanut butter, it's over. It's one of the few foods I will intentionally avoid buying, because <3

Waitwaitwaitwait, there are four of these? (And to remain vaguely on topic, I do not log cleaning, work-related walking, or anything I was doing before I started tracking. If it's something I was already doing, it's part of my total daily energy expenditure and is included in the calories MFP provided when I set my…

Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, protein bars, maybe try to find a protein powder that you actually like the taste of. If you can have fish, it's a great resource. Otherwise, eggs + beans can make a pretty decent protein-laden meal. 1 cup of black beans (which is a lot...) is only about 225 calories for 15g protein. Maybe try…

tl;dr: I started exercising because I wanted to be thin and I exercise now because it makes me feel good (and I still want to be hot ^.^ ) I've always kind of dicked around with exercise ever since high school. As a teenager, I was one of those people who would buy into (philosophically, if not literally) every…

This was extremely helpful, thank you for sharing. I'm not quite at the point to begin bulking yet, but I know where I'll be turning to for info once I am.

I have found, like someone else suggested, that eating a late dinner helps cut down on this. I usually eat dinner around 9, and go to bed around 10, 10:30 (I get up at 5, sigh), which doesn't leave me much time to snack. I also try to pre-plan my snacks for the evening. That lessens the chances that I am going to make poor…

Firstly, I wouldn't worry about the dietary cholesterol (ETA unless you have pre-existing health concerns and are one of the minorities discussed below). Dietary cholesterol =/= cholesterol levels in blood.…

When I need a pick-me-up:

Just saying hi to all my fellow Wisconsinites! Although I am, sadly, currently exiled to Missouri. /grumble grumble grumble

I normally eat between 1700-1900. I'm doing a more restrictive cut for a few weeks for psychological reasons, but will be bumping back up to that range soon. Not sure how useful my diary would be, though, because I've always been a natural intermittent faster, so I do most of my eating after work and tend to have fairly…

My fitbit flex tracks my elliptical "steps," but I have heard that other people have had issues with this. An HRM will be more accurate for calories burned, if you get one with a chest strap. I used to have a Polar FT60 (I think that was the model) and enjoyed the data it gave me for my workouts. Just bear in mind that…

Of course - I always like having new friends! I'm not an expert by any means, but I'm pretty active on MFP and have a bit of an obsessive tendency to read journal articles about fitness or diet related questions.

Thank you! When I first got started with weights, I started with bodypump, actually, going to the gym with my sister. If you start out lifting at home, I would really recommend starting with very light weight, or just bodyweight, and recording yourself performing the exercises so that you can check your form to make sure…

You can purchase Bodypump for the home, I believe, which involves a barbell and sometimes dumbbells. But bodypump is high rep, low weight. A more effective way to retain your muscle while eating in a deficit would be to look into a program like New Rules of Lifting for Women (you may be able to get the book at your…

B)

Except, of course, for the Hulk.

Yeah, I'm not knocking Jack Links; I've eaten my body weight in that stuff. But Krave tends to be more tender and more flavorful. It can take some getting used to after Jack Links, though.

I've found it in some local grocery stores, but it's hit or miss. Of the four or five grocery stores I have frequented, only one carries Krave. Amazon is usually a good way to go.

If you've never tried Krave jerky, it's pretty delicious. Many more (and more interesting) varieties/flavors than standard Jack Links or something.

Letting it rest in the fridge, and then stirring it again before you eat it, also helps if you're mixing it in greek yogurt or cottage cheese (which makes for a pretty good protein bomb, just doesn't do it for me, texture-wise). Otherwise you can end up with clumps.

You could try some other varieties of protein powder. I am a big fan of Body Nutrition's Trutein line. It's a blend of whey, casein, and egg white. You can order samples from their website for like $1-$2 per flavor, so you're not outlaying a lot of cash on something that may or may not work for you. ETA: I second the idea…