tutujoli Member

As women, our bodys are just not programmed to bulk up that way. You shouldn't have a problem at all. What's more important is that you train your core evenly. (don't forget your back!!)

Along with cardio, you need a healthy dose of ab workouts to restrengthen those muscles that have been all stretched out, and an even healthier dose of patience. It takes a while for those muscle to draw back in!

Honestly, my lunch maybe isn't that healthy, but it works for me. I eat a lot of "convenience" lunches (lean cuisine paninis, freezer food) or soup. About once a week I get a grilled chicken salad from Arby's right by my house (yummmy) but I'm SO busy during the day that I need fast and simple to stay on track.

Welcome to Onederland!

My answer to a plateau is always the same....change it all. Change up your food, try some new recipes, switch the balance of your calories (eat more at breakfast, less at night, or vice versa), try cycling your calories (150 over today, 150 under tomorrow). Change up your exercise. Get out of the gym, go hiking, swimming,…

I think that works at the end of a journey, but doing it at the beginning makes me scared for you. Look at the quote in your signature. You CAN do this!!! What if you make it so you can be on "Autopilot" all day? I log my food the night before. It takes me about 10 minutes, but it means that I don't have to think about it…

:huh: DANG girl!! How dirty ARE you?? :laugh: :laugh: :flowerforyou:

Take a two day break. Seriously, it helps. Plan just one good "treat" meal, eat how you know you should for the rest, don't log it, and then come back refreshed and ready to go.

About a year ago I had kind of a revelation. If I had stuck with it even ONE of the time I was trying to lose weight but gave up because I was losing "too slow."....I would be at (and enjoying) my goal weight already. So for me the motivation is the big goal. lol Little goals make me impatient to get there. It's easier for…

Another vote for the Cacique bras at LB. It hit me the other day (like a ton of bricks) that I will eventually be too small for them and have to find a new bra. I nearly cried. lol

Yep! I use it on special days (Birthday, christmas, etc) to give myself a small "celebration" allowance. If you type in "Holiday Allowance" in the food database, it will give you 300 extra calories for the day. ;) It keeps me honest when i have a "treat" day.

Awesome! I bet that felt fantastic! WTG!

Set a kitchen time to go off every two hours or so. When the timer goes off, get up and walk around, stretch, and have a glass of ice water. :) It REALLY helps to keep things moving.

I eat three, with one good sized snack and a treat at the end of the day.

(((hugs))) You can do this. Can I give you a piece of advice to help you get started? Plan your food the night before, or first thing in the morning. Pick a few breakfasts, and a few lunches, and a few snacks that fit your goal. Rotate through those for a while, so the only meal you REALLY have to think about is dinner. :)…

I spend about 5 minutes before I go to bed each night. I make any adjustments for todays food that I need to make, and then I plan tomorrows meals. When I have time (rarely right now) i jump on to the message boards, but staying away hasn't slowed me down.

Mine is public! (Be nice, my DD's b-day was yesterday....lol Was not a good food day.)

I always feel so bad when they weigh in and they've worked SOOOOO hard and the only measure they accept is the number on the scale. I also have a very strange out look on weigh ins though. lol I weigh every single day, but if I see a gain, I just assume it's water weight and take it as a sign to be more careful to drink my…

Definitely stay off of it. Maybe do some strength training instead. :) You can get a resistance band at most drug stores for a couple of bucks if you dont have any equipment. In the meantime, ice and elevation for the first 24 hours, and then maybe look up "contrast baths" to help things heal up.

Just an anti-hangover tip from me.... Drink only water all day before you go out, and watch your salt intake all day, and then have one glass for every alcoholic beverage you drink while you're out. Have a glass before bed. 90% of a hangover is dehydration. It really REALLY helps.

Now you have a bargaining chip! Ask him for a partial refund, or a free year, to offset the cost of child care away from the gym.

Onieanta (sp?) is INCREDIBLE. It's about a 2 story sheer rock face on either side, about 10 feet apart, with the stream running the entire bottom. There's a few good trails that come through there, and the we always hike up the stream to the waterfall at the end of our day. It's a good way to cool off. ;)

The best plateau buster I've ever found is one good Cheat meal (go over a litlte!!) and take a hike. Literally. Go do something you don't normally do in place of your normal work out. Then go back to normal. :)

It's not bad, in all honesty, as long as it's what I call "Controlled Cheating." LOL In other words, you're not feeling out of control, you're not eating everything in sight. You've made a concious decision about what you actually want, with full knowledge that it's not on plan, and that you will have to be back on plan in…

If you've just upped your workouts, give it a week or two. Your muscles are probably retaining water, and possibly lots of it. Keep at it and see if things level out, and if they don't, you might try upping your calories a little and see if that helps.

Isn't that the best? I had SUCH a chocolate craving today, so I bought a single Lindor Truffle at the fabric store. 70 cals, in place of one of my small snacks, and it was PERFECT. Yum. But two would have made me feel horrible, and I used to eat them by the fist full. ick.

I love Beacon Rock for a challenge. ;) Oneianta Gorge is awesome too if you're A. not afraid to climb over the log jam, and B. not afraid to get wet to the chest. It's a COLD stream in there, but so SO worth it. Really stunning.

Are you planning ahead? I obsess a LOT when I don't have my food planned for the day. I worry that I won't be able to find a dinner that fits, I don't eat enough during the day, then I binge at night, etc. Sound familiar? :wink: If I plan my food the night before, I can be on auto pilot all day the next day, and I KNOW…

I'm one of the lucky, I guess, where I don't seem to have sleep problems working out late. But I've also been doing it since high school, so maybe I've just adapted. LOL Here's my thinking....if I work out today but don't eat it, I'm about 400 under. If I eat it tomorrow and dont workout, I'm over 400. Isn't that a lot…

Bravo! When I have a couple of days like that (I'm there right now, in fact) and I know its water weight....that's my motivator. I always want to take care of it before water weight becomes real weight.