curiositycat Member

These are all fantastic ideas, and I've personally had success with many of them: track running so you can go at different paces but still supervise your kids, they bike or scooter while you run, etc. I do lots of workout videos at home, too, and my six-year-old daughter will join in. She has a pair of 2-lb. hand weights,…

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Try eliminating wheat from your diet for two to three weeks. I did a complete grain-free trial run, and I went from 126 at 5'6" to 120 in five days! I couldn't believe it, but I concluded that I must have some sort of sensitivity that was making me bloated and causing me to hold on to excess fluid. I'm still pretty much…

Wow--your last post was very telling. Sounds like the eating is more stress-related than hungry related. I'm struggling with binge eating episodes right now that are directly linked to major job-induced anxiety. Perhaps confronting the stress and finding ways to manage it might curb your binging. A couple books you might…

Although it's not a perfect fix, chewing gum can sometimes help. Strong breath mints, too, might dampen the craving for the sweets.

Replacing grain-based carbs with vegetables with give you a ton of volume for very little calories. Grill up some veggies with olive oil, then serve with a few ounces of lean meat for a fantastically healthy, filling, and low-cal meal.

Obviously, refined sugars are going to jack up your insulin levels, which is what you want to avoid. Once your insulin drops, you are going to crave starches and more sugars. You're better off sticking with fresh produce, which won't mess with your insulin. That being said, there are a few fruits and vegetables that will…

I eat 40-30-30 at every meal, and my weekday lunch is always a wrap: 1) La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious 100-calorie Multigrain Wrap made with EVOO (the amount of fiber in these is astounding!) 2) 3 oz. of organic grilled chicken breast (I always have some in the frig ready to go--I make it on the stove in my grill…

Yes, go for the intervals. The time will go by much faster that way, and you'll increase your fitness level more quickly, too.

I LOVE PB2! It's PB without all the fat. Only 45 cals for two tablespoons!

Yay! I'm so glad you got your ring back! I, too, can no longer wear my engagement ring and wedding band, having gone from a size 7 to a 6. I recently inquired about getting them resized, but it'll cost me between $100 and $120 (they're platinum), so that won't be happening for a while. In the meantime, I bought a cheapo…

Wow! You've had some amazing success for only 30 days! You should be incredibly proud! Let all these great achievements motivate you to keep going and keep making healthy changes for yourself. Can you imagine where you'll be a year from now if you stick with it? :smile:

1/4 cup 2% cottage cheese plus a Wasa Hearty Rye Crisp with two tablespoons of Boursin Light Garlic and Herbs. That's 140 calories AND it's 40-30-30!

Get the Lauren Brooks kettlebell DVDs--she's the best and instructs you on correct form before you launch into the workouts. I started with a 15 lb. bell, which was perfect. However, if you are new to any sort of strength training, you will want to go lighter.

I was in your exact same position not too long ago. However, I knew that simply substituting other foods/behaviors for the sugar I loved and craved wasn't really solving the problem. After some research, I knew that spiking and then crashing insulin was resulting in my starch and sugar cravings, and that was the underlying…

Actually, fructose doesn't spike one's insulin the way other types of sugar do.

A VERY general rule of thumb is 100 lbs. for a woman who is 5' 0" + 5 lbs. for each inch over that height. I'm 5' 6", so that would put me at 130. However, I'm currently about 123 with great muscle definition, and I'm loving it. I don't think I look too thin, and no one has said that to me. Of course, it's all about your…

I'm a big fan of grilled pork tenderloin--lots of protein and very lean. I rub a pound of it with an herb mixture, then grill it with canola oil spray in a grill pan. Super easy, and a great alternative to grilled chicken (which I also eat on a daily basis). Low-fat cottage cheese is also a daily staple for me.

I was in your same situation as I got close to my goal weight. I switched my settings to .5 lbs. per week and ate back most of my exercise calories. At the same time I started eating 40% of my cals from carbs, 30% from protein, and 30% from healthy fats--and it worked! The scale started moving again within about a week and…

Probably even more critical that frame sense is bone density. African Americans have bones that are much more dense than Asians, the group with the least dense bones. That's why BMI is only a ROUGH estimate--it doesn't take this sort of genetic factor into account. I'm 5' 6" and weight125, but I have a well-defined…

Check out the Zone diet--it's exactly what you're describing (40 percent of your calories come from carbs, 30 percent from protein, and 30 perfect from good fats). There are tons of Zone books that can get you started, and there's an official Zone website, too. It's more work, of course, to pay attention to your ratios and…

Go for the 30 DS first. There is a modifier, so you can adjust the moves to a level that's manageable for you. Plus, the strength-training component is so critical. I completely reshaped my body doing 30 DS (and kept it up by following with the Ripped in 30 DVD), and it feels GREAT!

Dr. Barry Spears (of the Zone diet) actually recommends a 40/30/30 (% of calories from carbs, protein, and healthy fats, respectively) before one goes to bed in order to keep insulin levels as steady as possible even while asleep.

I, too, have heard that weights aren't the best for kids because their growth plates are still developing and haven't yet closed. In fact, I started crew at at fourteen (lots of weights in that sport), and I was told that is the minimum age at which kids should start. Maybe she could start off with body-weight training for…

Five days ago I started eating 40% of my calories as carbs, 30% as protein, and 30% as good fats. From day 1 my sugar cravings completely went away! I have a TOTAL sweet tooth, so it's pretty unbelievable, but by keeping my insulin levels steady throughout the day, my body isn't screaming for starches and sugar anymore.…

I'm currently working on eating a ratio of 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% good fats at each meal, and I have seen a HUGE drop in my desire for sweets. In fact, I haven't had any sweets for three days.I have a considerable sweet tooth, so this is a major triumph for me. Bringing down my carbs and upping my protein from how…

If you go into custom settings and select 40% for your carbs, 30% for your protein, and 30% for your (healthy) fats, you should do great.

LOVE mine! I use it constantly. It has really taught me what portion sizes of different foods look like, so even when I'm not at home I have a pretty good idea of how much I'm eating. I think mine was only about $7 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

How about eating more calorie-dense foods? Peanut butter, nuts, and protein bars should fit the bill.