ShannonMpls Member

Optimum Nutrition Double Rich Chocolate and Banana Cream are both great. Mix with water and it's fine, mix with milk and it's delicious. I like to mix the flavors together too. It's about half the price of what you're paying now. Trutein is also good; check out their website. The Cinnabun and banana from them are my…

I am also wondering why. Well, it would be pretty simple, and it would require you to substitute lean protein and carbs for the fat. So, chicken breast, tuna, ground poultry, vegetables, fruit, grains like rice, pasta, bread. I could very easily eat 1200 calories of protein and carbs. That fat limit would make me stabby,…

I'd count them as ten calories per sample. You likely didn't consume a full ounce of each, so that's a fair guess. But it's totally a guess :)

Nope, exact same size. I never had wide feet though.

No. I set a protein and fat minimum. Once I hit that, the rest is fair game - carbs, or more fat/protein. 1200 cals is pretty low, however, so you're going to be carb-limited by design using this method if your protein/fat goals are sufficient.

I estimate serving sizes. I've always estimated them. Actually weighing out servings is a little too over-the-top for me. Most of my recipes feed five (two servings each for me and my husband, two half-servings for my four year old). I take about 1/5th. If I'm feeling really anal, I'll serve up everyone's portions. For…

I tried running only when training for a half - still strength trained upper but nothing on lower. I ended up with extremely weak glutes and hamstrings, though my quads are nice and strong. Also got plantar fasciitis which my physical therapist thinks is related to the posterior chain weakness. For me, running was…

MFP was the most important, gym was second. It's such a regular part of my life now that I look forward to my workouts, especially certain classes, I have friends there, and I am sad when I have to deviate from my regular schedule for whatever reason. Definitely one of the best things I did to change my life - joining and…

Optimum Nutrition Double Rich Chocolate or Banana Cream (or mix the two - my favorite). I typically mix in a shaker bottle with water, but it's even better mixed with milk. Trutein is also good, especially their Cinnabun flavor.

Sorry about that. I exceeded my bandwidth on photobucket and I'm too cheap to pay up, ha! They'll be back later and several are in my profile as well.

Coming from someone who also used to weigh 300+ pounds: It's going to take some work to get to a healthy weight. Yes, it's tedious entering your recipes into the recipe builder but guess what? It's not that bad. I don't always work from a recipe either, but I am always able to enter the ingredients I add to the recipe…

Yep, this exactly. To maintain, I log my food MOST of the time. I do not log special occasions....didn't do it while losing, don't do it now. Logging becomes a drag for me and taking a little break on holidays, special occasions, etc keeps me sane. Now I typically don't log my weekends at all. I don't weigh myself very…

I would not take my food scale to a family holiday event and weigh my food. That is not a lifestyle I choose to live. And one thing I decided when I first began this just shy of three years ago was that I wouldn't incorporate any change I was not willing to stick to for the rest of my life. Instead, I like Go Kaelo's…

Biggest piece of advice: Start, and then don't stop. I am convinced that the difference between those who succeed and those who don't is perseverance. The rest - how big a deficit, macro ratio, exercise routine - is really just details. Those details are important, because they can speed or slow your loss and may…

I like them both. Preferably fat ON my carbs. Or carbs on my fat would work too.

Or any unseasoned meat.

butter, cheese, cream cheese - full fat I use half and half in my coffee fat free yogurt Sometimes low fat sour cream, though I seldom use it Mayo - full fat. not a chance I'd use anything else. Though I love full-fat greek yogurt, it's a huge calorie savings to have skimmed, and unlike other cheese products, nothing odd…

^^ he's got a good point. If you're a runner and would like to have GPS, consider one of the Garmin models.

Stick with Polar, in my opnion - the FT4 or FT7 are fine. I started with an Ft7. Now I use an F40 and like that too. It has some sort of "fit test" to more accurately estimate calories but I doubt it makes that much of a difference honestly. I use my HRM in conjunction with my Fitbit - I like them both a lot.

Oh, with your current mileage you can most definitely run a half in 6 weeks. You may not make a competitive time goal, but who cares? It's your first half :) Given your base, you can start around week 6 of any 12 week training program pretty easily in my opinion. If you currently run four days a week, I'd keep that up but…

If I weigh spinach, I weigh it raw - whether I am eating it raw or steaming it. But frankly, I rarely weigh it unless my scale happens to be out and ready. It has so few calories that I don't sweat it.

There is at least one group ex instructor that I'd most definitely follow to a different gym. I don't think she'd find it creepy, but rather be really flattered. Do it!

No. You won't get any sort of accurate calorie expenditure picture wearing a HRM 24/7. The algorithms they use to estimate calories burned assumes steady-state cardio at an elevated heart rate. A Fitbit or BodyMedia will help you estimate TDEE.

This is actually kind of true. My husband hated brussels sprouts. Until I cooked them with bacon fat and garlic. Now he happily eats them roasted with just olive oil and salt. This is how I introduce my kid to new vegetables too. Make them unbelievably good with cheese and butter and salt and bacon and whatever else. Then…

That is kind of ingenious.

Fruit - oranges and apples are very transportable, containers of grapes or berries Nuts/Chocolate/Dried Fruit - weigh out a serving of almonds and chocolate chips, peanuts and dried cranberries, etc into a small container or bag Wasabi peas - again, weigh out individual portions Crackers and babybel or string cheese (which…

Because I don't want a device that shows under literally every piece of clothing I own, I'm self-conscious, ashamed and embarrassed of my active interest in health and activity? No. I don't think so. When I'm in trial (I'm an attorney), I don't want a big armband showing under my jacket. I go through metal detectors almost…

Having used both, my opinion: BodyMedia - Annoying to wear. It even looked weird under long sleeve, my suit jackets. I would never wear it with a tank top or strapless dress. That was the worst bit. You have to pay to access your data after the initial subscription expires. Syncing with the iPhone sometimes worked but…

This is how I use it. For something like carrots: Set a plate on top. Turn on scale. It should read 0. Add your food item to the scale. Go to MFP, search for "carrots raw". Find an entry with no asterisk, because that if an MFP standard unit from the USDA rather than a user-contributed entry. Choose a g measurement option…

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Double Milk Chocolate and Banana Cream are both great. A half scoop of each is especially great. They're both around 120 cals per scoop, 24-25 g protein. I normally mix in a shaker cup with just water, but it's really great mixed with milk. Trutein Cinnabun is also really, really good. ON is…