EmBlazes Member

Great thank you guys! Of course I could have just Googled it but its helpful to get ideas from other people who have tried thing or have a "go to" channel they enjoy. Lots of ideas for me to play with here :D

I tend to stick to rice and potatoes a lot as staples but preparing them a little differently can make things more interesting. If you can find it, I really like roasted buckwheat as a substitute for oats or as an addition to smoothies and salads and stuff - it is kind of nutty and crunchy and high in protein. I still eat…

I've deliberately set my weight loss goal lower per week but I still normally lose more than the "0.25kg a week" suggested. I'm at 1600 calories a day and when I'm sticking to it (ahem) I lose weight. I also do a lot of exercise and try to eat at least half my exercise calories back depending on hunger levels. It takes a…

Brilliant that you found something that works for you. I haven't seen these in the UK but they do have a website so I will keep an eye out for them next time I'm trying on trainers. Interesting that you have gone for a "running" shoe over "walking" shoes. I never got on well with shoes which were supposed to be especially…

Some people report that they get very bad gas from pea protein. I don't find that personally, but I don't have tonnes of the stuff, just a small amount in my breakfast smoothie. I go between pea protein and brown rice protein for variety (I'm not vegan or anything, I just don't drink milk so avoid whey and don't like soy).…

I have a Garmin Vivofit with the associate HRM but I'm careful about only using the HRM for running and spin classes and stuff like that. The good thing about the step counter is that I still get a small amount of calories each day when I make my daily step goal and it encourages me to be more generally active during the…

I've done both and now I just make myself accountable for my own "weigh in" by writing each result down on a chart. Not the same as going to a weigh in with a leader but it helps. Haven't missed the points system at all - my nutrition has improved a LOT since swapping to MFP because I realised I wasn't eating nearly enough…

You could try making it with low/no fat yogurt as the base instead of cream. I've had some success before doing that. Blend whatever fruit you like in with it and you probably don't need much sweetener. Add protein powder as needed but not so much that it becomes gritty. Of course using yogurt it will be more like frozen…

Thanks for taking the time to post about your experience in so much detail. It is very interesting. I have experimented with this myself from time to time but never to the point of "no carb". I tend to have a couple of lowER carb days each week just before my weigh in day because in my experience, it seems to help with the…

OK thanks. I will have to work that out then as I normally weigh in kilos.

I eat a mix of the two but I didn't realise that brown rice caused problems with nutrient absorption. I actually feel better when I eat white rice. The higher fibre content in brown rice tends to disagree with my digestion. Thanks for posting - interesting article.

Great post! Glad to find some people to connect with :) I'm EmBlazes I have a Vivofit - only got it this week so I'm a bit of a newb!

Your pedometer is probably the cheaper option :D I just got the Garmin Vivofit and I love - it is like a more sophisticated pedometer (so does the step counting which is good for your day to day activity). It came with a HR monitor as well which I wear when I do spin classes and other cardio stuff. For me, it was on sale…

Thanks for the advice everyone! Yes I can set the heart rate zones manually on the Garmin Connect site and they are currently at "default" which probably explains why I'm not getting what I think is an appropriate burn. The idea about checking my resting heart rate is a really easy thing I can do so I will try that…

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately we have Watt bikes in the gym but not in the group cycle class. The ones in the group cycle class only show calories burned if you sync a HRM (which no one seems to be able to get to work). But again - we'd be back to my low HR not giving me a great burn rate :s There is no indication…

Worth trying: http://hypothyroidmom.com/how-to-use-seed-rotation-to-regulate-your-menstrual-cycle/ The seeds to help with progesterone boosting apparently reduce the symptoms of PMS. My symptoms have improved with healthier eating (which is so hard when you crave every carb in sight!). Hope you find a solution.

You can also use them as a replacement for eggs in some recipes (they act as a binding agent): http://deliciouslyella.com/banana-bread/ I'm in the UK and I got my Chia seeds through Amazon - they sell a whole bunch of health food stuff at reasonable prices (sometimes! check the weights and postage costs before purchasing)…

I tend to pre-log on the day before each meal, mainly to check that the calorie count is what I expect it to be. If I'm eating out, I might pre-log the entire day to make sure I can fit in whatever I'm planning to eat out. For me, once it is in the diary, that's it. I find it very hard to change it because it is already…

I'm originally from Australia but now live in the UK. I have lost weight successfully in both countries now >:) so I can't really say that one is better than the other. In Australia, I found there was a big cafe culture in cities like Sydney and Melbourne. You end up drinking a LOT of coffee and while there is often good…

--- Thanks for the tip - never thought of that!

I'm getting a Garmin Vivofit with HRM (was 40% off on Amazon - gave me a big incentive to buy it). Decided that I wanted to go for something that recorded my HR as well as doing the "fitbit" type thing. Depends really what you want to achieve with it.

Thanks - great to understand other people's experience. Can't wait to get my Vivofit. Hurry up Amazon!! Popeye - yes it is tricky when you are at home all day (although lots of people claim to be envious) but it can be really hard to be "active". Looking forward to the little alarm when I've been sitting for too long. I…

Thanks - I would always take a conservative estimate when thinking about "earning" calories. I should get a good idea how hard I am working though which is another reason I like the idea of monitoring my heart rate. When I used one before, I knew when I was taking it too easy and needed to up my resistance on the spin bike.

I still go for the biggest size no matter what clothes shop I'm in. I KNOW I'm in a smaller size now but I can't make myself pick it up off the rack first time. I always have to pick up the biggest and then go down (normally 2 sizes) for my actual size. I'm sure I'll eventually get used to it but, since I've been…

Actually it wasn't the battery in the polar watch that was the problem - it was the chest strap and it was quite a few years ago now. At the time I would have had to buy a new chest strap which was expensive. Just prefer to get a new one as that one is quite old now. I bought a new one to monitor two things - normal daily…

Hi. I'm in Bristol, UK. Good luck with your goals :)

I'm in a very similar situation to you (having lost most of my weight on WW) and asked the same question about "storing" up calories so am interested in what people say. What I've been doing is overeating on the days I do a lot of exercise (so still not going over the exercise calorie + food calorie total) and then having…

Thanks Popeye - yes I like the idea of eating half back. I will log any heavy lifting I do seperately anyway but I do a lot of cardio so it will be great to have a more accurate idea of how much I'm burning there. mfermo - None at all? Well I guess if you don't need it its OK. Thanks - I like my glasses B)

Muscle soreness 1mum which I think is within normal limits. I just don't like being sore because it seems to impact my ability to work out on subsequent days. I know my form is OK because I used to have a personal trainer so I've been taught how to lift properly, but I can't afford one now so sometimes I'm not sure how…

Found some on offer: http://www.regattaoutlet.co.uk/trailridge-walking-boots-brown.html?gclid=Cj0KEQjw-OCqBRDXmIWvveLE3_cBEiQAZWfImRKVNhA3a0G12hCkZmRJbUoJGBRegnMNiR85TmjRe1UaAtKo8P8HAQ I've worn regatta ones before and they are pretty good. Enjoy walking Ben Nevis :smiley: The views are amazing!