JenniferInNY Member

Huh. I never thought of doing that. But it makes sense that many people might say yes, especially if their fruit trees are supplying more fruit than they can possibly eat. And it never hurts to ask. I'm trying to get fresh fruits and veggies on a budget -- I never thought about just asking people if I could have some off…

Cut-up raw tomatoes, with salt and freshly-ground pepper. Red bell peppers. They're great raw (esp w/ a little low-cal Italian vinaigrette dressing), but if you roast them they're even better. I just cut them into slices and stick them in the toaster oven on the bare rack. Then once they've cooled I eat them plain.…

Hi! Jennifer in northern Manhattan.

Faster-paced yoga, hiking, dance classes (hip-hop, ballet, jazz, ethnic dance).

My weight loss goal is a half-pound per week, so I record everything or else I wouldn't be able to tell how things were going. My scale measures to the half-pound. I know some of it is normal fluctuations, which is why I look at the progress graph of MFP to see the general direction. If the progress graph is a zigzag then…

Sure. I would want my trainer to be *fit.* I want them to be able to do the workout themselves, too, because I want them to understand what they're assigning me. But if they're fit and physically capable but still look pudgy, or even obese (i.e., "fat fit") -- sure, I don't care. I'm paying them to help me, not to be…

Huh. It's also interesting how the muscles look pretty much the same size. Almost all the extra volume in the 250-lbs person seems to be fat.

Interesting. Where do you get those podcasts?

You can still do intervals outside without staring at your watch. I use a phone app (Android) called HIIT, and it times your intervals for you and beeps with different sound effects when it's time to change pace. You can do all different intervals, alternating, cycles of 5-6 different intervals, etc. I love it. The only…

I do this too. Personally, I find it helpful to weigh myself every morning, log the weight in MFP, and look at the trend line (the "Reports" tab) daily. This prevents me from deceiving myself that "oh, it was just a random pound." It's true that my weight fluctuates slightly from day to day and that it may not be…

I agree -- I've seen more change on my inner thighs, less on my outer thighs.

I have this issue. People on MFP (esp. men, I notice) always say that "women can't bulk up through weight training," etc., etc., but I can tell you from personal experience that's not true. I'm slim-ish (3 lbs from my goal weight, yay!) and I do no weight training (all cardio, sometimes yoga). Yet people still ask me if…

I have this difficulty, too! Here are some things I’ve tried… - Purchasing some low-cal treats for late night, and then deciding I can have 1 per night. I have tried little cups of sorbet, or pieces of biscotti, a square of dark chocolate, or something like that. - I try to eat strongly flavored things late at night, so…

Same problem here. I maintain anonymity to avoid the weirdo I stupidly used to date, who now tries to reach me through Faceboook, my cell phone, by calling all our former mutual friends, by calling my old boss, by emailing my old email addresses, etc. I did a Google image search for "strong girl," which is what I aspire to…

I sometimes exercise at night. It has been keeping me awake lately, though, so I've been trying to incorporate a few "wind-down" activities into my routine. I'm thinking that if, after I exercise, I take a hot shower, then have a cup of herbal tea and then maybe read a few pages of a boring book, that should be enough to…

Sure, sounds like fun!!

I am a teacher, so I can confirm, no, parents do not have to be mature. Here’s my favorite, in body-image obsessed Manhattan: Mother, in front of daughter (my student): “Since you’re a teacher, I think it’s important for you to be modeling a healthy body for the students.” Since she’s a parent, I think it’s…

Huh. Thanks, I had no idea.

This sounds like a big challenge. I agree that you might find yourself going more towards “maintenance” for a little while. I think if you can get through this without re-gain, that’s a victory in itself. This would be a situation where I would buy more pre-packaged healthy food. Normally, I don’t like to buy…

Something steamed -- like steamed shrimp & broccoli, or chicken & broccoli. If you can, keep that white rice portion as small as possible -- it's packed w/ calories and not many nutrients. But good for you for planning ahead! Try entering your planned food & portion size into MFP in advance to see how it will fit in your…

Hello! I live in Wash Heights/Inwood area.

One plus is that, as you lose weight, the amount of beer/alcohol that you want/need will go down because you weigh less. I used to like to have 3 drinks on a Friday night when I went out with the gals. Then I lost about 15% of my body weight and went out with them and had my normal 3 drinks…and found myself really full…

That's me, I think. Feel free to add me--I can use more support. :-) I was aiming to lose 24 lbs, and I've lost about 21, so I'm now in the average weight range. But I set a goal and want to stick to it, so I want to lose those last 3 lbs. I've worked hard and don't want to settle for less. But it is slow. Although my…

I think preventative strategies are helpful – like don’t buy foods you tend to binge on. Also, sometimes I put tempting foods in the freezer (like butter and cheese). Then, I still have them in the house and can use them in moderation in cooking -- but it’s harder to randomly slather butter on a slice of toast for an…

Hi, welcome! Feel free to add me. It sounds like you have a very busy schedule, which is also something I struggle with. Perhaps we can get some ideas on healthy living/weight loss within our time constraints. :-)

Yes, that is more or less what I’ve done. It hasn’t really been my plan to do it that way, but before I started losing weight I was already exercising about 2x/week. I just can’t seem to increase it due to scheduling. I go to school full time and work full time. I occasionally get in 3 or 4x/week for exercise, other weeks…

Congratulations! That's awesome. I am a beginning runner and I hope to have a running moment like you describe. I can run for about 25 minutes max now, so I'm still a bit far from where you are...but your story is very motivating!

I agree…I have this same issue. I’m eagerly awaiting the responses you get. Here are some ideas that kind of help me: 1. Do a ton of exercise over the weekend – like a long Sat. run. When I do this, I still go way over on calories, but it’s not so severe. 2. If I’m going out to a high-calorie restaurant, I go to the…

I like how I look so much more. I look at least OK in most clothes – shorts, tank tops, swimsuits, workout clothes, etc. It’s easier to buy clothing and to get dressed in the morning, because most clothes look fine. I look more organized, disciplined, and professional at work now that I’m slimmer. I don’t overeat so often,…

I'm seeing some good ideas here. To stay full, I eat as much protein and high-fiber food as possible. A lot of eggs -- scrambled, hard-boiled, etc. Also tuna fish, tofu, and chicken. I find that I enjoy the protein more and I stay fuller if I use a fair bit of salt with it. I know it's not the the healthiest, but I'm just…