BJPCraig Member

Hey! I've been a vegetarian for @ 20-some-odd years, and have slowly drifted to where my wife & I describe ourselves as 90% vegan (we allow ourselves some egg or cheese when we are out eating with friends and family, none of whom are vegetarian). Interesting thing is that when I originally decided to try being a…

Just found this site today: http://www.unique-bodyweight-exercises.com/index.html Also Hulu.com has some of the old ExerciseTV videos (although they are interrupted a few times by ads).

My wife and I used to belong to a gym. I hated it. Spent an hour there several times a week, the people who were in shape (including some of the staff) so OBVIOUSLY looked down on those where weren't in shape but trying to get there, and despite all the work, I felt like I got ZERO results. Now I work out at home. It's…

Depends on personal taste and how many calories you want to use. I have protein bars on the way to my Kung Fu classes on Monday and Wednesday night (because I can't eat until late those nights), I've used several that I like: Detour Bars Met Rx Colossal Cliff Bars Pure Protein Other healthier low-cal snack choices we've…

I think the problem is that people are too egocentric, and can't accept the fact that something is NOT all about them. So, if you become a vegetarian and they aren't vegetarian, what you're REALLY doing (they think) is calling them stupid and indicting them for their food choices. So, they feel the need to defend their…

What kind of cereal are you eating? Granola is reasonably healthy but a bit high in calories/healthy fat, so that might be a good choice to add to your numbers.

Not sure how it would interact with IBS, but what I'd suggest otherwise would be to try to add maybe some nuts/nut butters to your diet for some healthy added calories. You also might want to try adding things like chia seeds or sunflower seeds to your salads (again, if they won't adversely affect the IBS). Another…

Aren't you afraid you're going to "lap" yourself and have the belt go around you twice?

Nowadays I don't care. But I have vivid memories of my first time lifting weights as a teenager. We were in my friend's basement and blasting the Village People's "Macho Man" while working out. How embarrassing is that?

Never actually tried these, but they looked interesting and I planned to give 'em a shot one day... http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/protein-bars-recipe/index.html

You should be proud of yourself, that's fantastic! At the rate you're going, you'll never need a car again! What's up next, a cross-country jog? Or a nice light triathlon?

So, what are you eating for regular and for cheating? As i said, my wife & I feel better when we eat healthier; we have yet to feel deprived of anything!

Well, really, who says you HAVE to have a cheat meal? My wife & I don't have any set "cheat meals;" we're actually happier when we eat healthy (and we we have to "cheat," like when we went to Red Robin with a friend last month, we eat light the rest of the day so that we stay under on calories). If the cheat meal is…

I was always over on protein, too, so I asked my doctor about it. After talking to him and doing some research, I really feel that the protein count on MFP is a little on the low side, so I wouldn't stress about being a bit over (it's not like you're doing something unhealthy like Atkins where ALL you eat is protein). I…

For quite some time, my wife & I did some of the more processed vegetarian proteins (Morningstar Farm, Quorn, etc.). BTW, they actually are a good starting point, FairySoul, because pretty much everyone is familiar with a burger or a chicken patty sandwich! We eventually cut most of them out of our diets, although we do…

Where in the hell did you get a "red-eyed, rage induced rant?" I simply presented some facts to refute your statement (and although you didn't use the word "need," you did make it an imperative, not a suggestion: "If you are active or do resistance training, supplement that with lean cuts of fish or meat."). Perhaps you…

Kind of a weird one, but you asked.... This morning the wife & I were lying in bed (neither of us is feeling well), and I had an itch on the back of my thigh. I lifted my leg to scratch and suddenly realized that the back of my thigh was actually tight with some real muscle tone, rather than the flapping flabby mess I was…

That's an amazing change... And you have NO reason to feel "bummed out" about your journey, because you look great on your own, not just in comparison to the "before' pic!

My wife was diagnosed with borderline diabetes a few years ago, and was afraid to eat for like a month. Then she found an ad for this book: http://www.diabetesmiracle.org/ We followed the plan and she not only lost weight, but she reversed the diabetes. We still follow most of their plan, and I HIGHLY recommend it.

I'm sorry. I really try not to be one of THOSE vegetarians, who spend 90% of their waking hours as a combination Food Nazi and Evangelist; this is my personal decision and I'm not about to force it on anyone (although I am willing to help others when they've made the decision for themselves). However, this kind of…

Check these out: http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/vsk/vegetarian-starter-kit http://www.vegetariantimes.com/2007/pdf/vegetarian_starter_kit.pdf http://www.livevegan.org/vegguide/index.php http://www.mercyforanimals.org/vegan-starter-kit.aspx I've also found good recipes @…

Depends on what you mean by "taking a day off." My wife & I usually do a day when we don't do our normal heavy workout, but on those days we usually do a long walk or some tai chi or yoga or something light. From what I've heard/read, you not only need some rest overall, but if you want to build muscle, exercise helps to…

I recall reading somewhere once that our stomachs are roughly the size of our fists, so we should only eat as much food as we can hold in our hands.

If you feel you HAVE to go, just plan accordingly. Do a large salad at lunch, avoid alcohol (WAY too many empty calories) and just plan on low-cal breakfasts & dinners. And, of course, there's always plenty of exercise to earn more calories...

Holy cow! You look like a totally different person! Keep up the great work; you look fan-freaking-tastic!

Although I've technically yo-yoed over the years, I never payed enough attention to scale to know how bad it was (which is why I have 90 lbs to lose...). It does get a little harder the second time, but only physically. But psychologically, it should be easier. You know you did it before! In fact, you're doing less this…

Photobucket isn't showing your afters.... But comparing the befores to your profile pic, WOW! Great job!

Like ejmcam said, try looking @ recipes for different spice ideas. To keep from getting overwhelmed, you might want to focus on one type of cooking. Like, if you're doing stir fries, check online or in cook books from the library for oriental cooking recipes and see what spices they use. After you get used to them, move on…

Hit your local health food store looking for vegan alternatives. There is vegan cream cheese, cheese, yogurt, & sour cream, so I'd guess there's a vegan cottage cheese (I never looked). I also know there are some vegan protein bars & drinks (including one brand actually called "Vega").

I'm w/emswanson. Eat as healthy as you can, but get in some working out. If you're @ Disney, you'll be getting in a lot of slow walking, but that burns calories, so make sure you track and log that. Also, if you're at a resort, hit the pool at some point. When my wife & I were away last month, we spent about an hour & a…