fudgebudget Member

Milk is a hydrating liquid, therefore it can count as one of your glasses of water as long as you also log it with the rest of your calories and don't consider it a freebie. The point of the 8 glasses of water is to ensure that you're not getting dehydrated.

For those who find it cheaper to buy fresh food than packaged, you must not be anywhere near a food desert. The difference in the price of fresh produce between where I grew up and where I now live is staggering. I pay almost twice as much for fresh produce here as I do when I go home to visit my family. It's really…

I have a Mirena and it does the same thing to one's flow that Implanon does, and I get crampier w/ a heavier or breakthrough flow after most hard workouts.

Exercise is known to speed up the shedding of the uterine lining during our periods - that's one reason it's recommended to help with cramps (same goes for sex/orgasms, since they cause the uterus to contract, btw :) ) What you're experiencing shouldn't be a problem, although it's always good to discuss it with your doctor…

I love eggs, and the yolks are where most of the nutrition is (choline, etc). Research says that in most people they won't raise cholesterol levels, and that they will in fact help you to lose more weight in the long run. I understand cutting back on calories, but unless you have an actual taste aversion I don't really see…

Oh man, the first Extreme Makeover was terrible - the Home and Weight Loss editions are both much, much better - they don't cater to people's insecurities. Every once in a while on the first Extreme Makeover they'd help people with real issues (like the people that needed $10,000 worth of dental work because of a car…

I don't know if you have access to the streaming shows on ABC in the UK, but they just did a miniseries called "Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition" where morbidly obese people spend a year getting into better shape and losing weight without any kind of weight loss surgery. They did a pretty good job with it, I think,…

If you're still having issues with swelling and pain, you should also consider going to the doctor. I had what I thought was a really bad sprain as a kid, Dad said, "Walk it off!" when the ankle was the size of a grapefruit. Eventually the pain waned, but that ankle was always weaker and prone to hurting (not to mention a…

My apartment was so hot this summer that bacon grease wouldn't solidify. Those were sad times.

Are you on a low dosage pill? The every other week thing usually happens if a woman is on a progestin only pill. Depending on what your personal levels are at, you may need more hormone. It's not a weight loss thing unless your weight loss has altered the levels of hormone you're creating, or if your lower body weight is…

Ditto to what some of the other posters have said - I try to limit myself to the occasional cheat meal, about once a week or so, which will usually put me over my calories for the day (though I haven't gone over 2000 calories/day in a really long time). However, last weekend I cheated both Friday and Saturday and at my…

You don't have to be engaged to know that someone wants to marry you. I responded to your comments the way I did because you are coming off (in this thread at least - I am not making a judgment here about you as a person) as pretty unreasonable and a little immature. If you want to know if he wants to marry you, then you…

Wow, so do you think that he OWES you a ring? Because that's kind of how you make it sound. If you're the one with the arbitrary deadline then it's up to you to take the step toward it. If a ring is really that important to you, then he probably needs you to be able to explain why in a way that makes sense to him, because…

I drink tons of iced tea, all of it unsweetened. This is especially easy if you use flavored teas - Celestial Seasoning makes a cold-brew raspberry tea that's super tasty, but in the last couple of weeks I've also made peach-flavored tea and mint tea and the flavoring sort of negates the need for sweetness.

I made falafel for the first time last year and it was so good! Of course it's deep-fried, though. I need to see if I can perfect a baked version when it gets cold enough outside to turn my oven back on.

If I'm drinking really good coffee (like got-up-early-to-grind-my-own-beans good ... which doesn't happen often) I drink it black. Sometimes I'll add a tablespoon or two of really good half and half or cream. If I'm drinking crap coffee ... well, I don't drink it. I'd rather save myself for the good stuff. I have the same…

Cups are awesome! I was worried about using one when I got my IUD, though (the suction can mess with the strings), but I got a Mirena and haven't bled enough since then to even need my cup. Win! It's cut way, way back on my PMS issues.

I make lentils with sauteed onions and homemade chicken stock - SO GOOD. It made me love lentils. I play around with different spices, but usually when I use the green lentils (French lentils) I use "herbs de Provence" and it works beautifully.

Some of the natural repellents work better than the high percentage DEET stuff. My friend had one in Yellowstone that had geranium oil in it that was fantastic. I'm in NM, but I work right next to the Rio Grande and we have crazy mosquitoes. I got Lulu Life's shea butter mosquito repellent and have yet to be bitten since.…

If you want flavor without the sugar, you can use the same trick with vanilla beans that you can also use for baking sugar - after you use a vanilla bean (order these online instead of in stores - you can literally save more than 75% of the cost if you go through an online vendor - I use Beanilla and have been really,…

This is one of my most favorite cupcake recipes ever - http://www.notquitenigella.com/2008/08/26/persian-love-cupcakes/ If you make 12 cupcakes with this recipe, the cake part by itself is only 64 calories per serving - then ice it with whatever you want. If you're concerned about fat, then maybe mix some rosewater in with…

Just make sure you don't put off getting it checked out for too long - I kept postponing the follow-up with my doctor and ended up with a stone lodged in the common bile duct. It was not fun.

I make a Subway run a few mornings a week when I'm running low on time and have a hectic day ahead - if I get a foot long breakfast sub (only $5 if you get the ham and egg) then I can eat half for breakfast and the rest for lunch, so I don't have to leave work. This works best if you have a microwave and don't get lettuce…

I lost 60 pounds my freshman year of college due to an eating disorder (never got underweight - I did actually need to lose all of that weight - I just didn't do it very healthfully). SURPRISE it didn't stay off, though it did come back very, very gradually. Unfortunately, the healthier I got emotionally, the fatter I got.…

I had my gallbladder out a year ago, and after about 6 months I could pretty much eat normally again. Some fats seem to aggravate my system more than others, but everyone is going to handle it differently. Give yourself some time on a low fat diet (don't go no fat, because the body needs fat to absorb a lot of important…

Hormones are not my friend - I completely empathize. We all have bad days, but just because today sucked doesn't mean that tomorrow has to :) Let today be what it is and recognize that it's only one day and you're going to be okay. Let tomorrow be another day and let it be better! :)

Chile rellenos are usually deep fried and filled with cheese unless you get the authentically traditional kind. I would stay away from chile rellenos unless you know exactly how they're prepared if you're watching calories. They make a fantastic splurge, though!

Do you have access to a microwave? You can make No Pudge brownies in the microwave with fat free yogurt and they are pretty tasty (and fast). My roommate and I managed to eat pretty well with just a microwave and a toaster oven. I also recommend hummus and pre-cut veggie slices - easy and fun to snack on when people…

YES. :D As an aside - there is PLENTY of Mexican food out there that doesn't have tons of cheese and dairy on it. My boyfriend comes from a Mexican American family, and they all hate cheese, but they eat very well. His mother has ruined me for restaurant mole.

I've lost 12 pounds in almost exactly 2 months. I wanted to go a little faster, but I'm hoping that losing it slowly will make it easier to keep off!