vineas

When running I usually go for top 40 pop, hiphop or dance, something that's upbeat and somewhat fast helps get through the tough parts or get you to hit your speed. Took me a while to figure out what worked for me, I'm normally a metal head so typically wouldn't listen to this type of music, but it's so perfect for running.

How long have you been running? When you start it can be that way, but once you've done it for a while you get into kind of a groove and it's not like that anymore - it was that way for me at least. Lots of people find it almost like meditation - you let yourself clear your mind and think of nothing except the running.…

Thanks for the advice everyone! With everyone's help and some additional reading I did, I think I've figured out what to do to hopefully kick-start things: 1) Drop the protein shakes for now, but probably pick them up again once I hit goal. 2) Continue doing the strength training as-is - I lost a LOT of strength losing the…

I used to work retail, and it is pretty normal to exclude Black Friday sales from the normal return/exchange policies. There's usually a disclaimer somewhere that states that the prices are valid only in person between the explicit hours stated in the ad (7-11 am or whatever). Sucks, but avoids several potential issues,…

Have you been cleaning the chest strap after workouts? Seems a bit gross, but when sweat dries on the strap, the salt can crust up and cause the sensors to have problems reading. I typically rinse the strap off after every workout and throw it in the washer every couple of weeks. Check the users guide to find the care…

Garlic Pepper is really good for this too - I use it all the time, but it really stands out on greens. Can use a bit on cottage cheese for a different flavor too (seems odd at first, but it grows on you).

My wife is on Medifast right now, which looks to be a pretty similar system to Optifast. It's been working great for her, she's lost 56 lbs in the same time it took me to lose about 30-35, and she's continuing at the same rate of loss. The biggest thing for her that made her think she couldn't do a "normal" weight loss…

Same thing happened at my last appointment, he mentioned that my blood pressure was down, but didn't say a thing about the 44lb weight loss. Not that I was expecting him to jump up and cheer or something, but even just noticing it would have been nice. Same thing happened at a company party the other day, I'm a consultant…

It could be your speed causing the problem as well - I know at first I was going too slow and was having problems finishing, but I sped up just a bit and it got easier (some kind of sweet spot perhaps). I ended up repeating week 6 when I was figuring this out, but then it was better. This spot for me was right about 5 MPH…

I'm not sure why I didn't think of it earlier, but there was one other change at about the same time - we recently picked up a SodaStream (basically a way to make homemade soda) and I've been drinking A LOT of that, after about 3-4 months of only a very occasional soda. I've been using the standard mixes - full of the same…

That's the thing - this isn't something I EVER do, it's not me at all - once I calmed down, I realized how extremely odd and out of character it was. I'm a very mellow person, things that make most people mad don't usually even phase me.

I think you may be on to something with the amino acids - from what I've read now, it doesn't look like I'm getting much in the way of them at all. I'll have to hit up GNC for some supplements and see how that helps. Thanks for the heads up on that.

These were cut out a long time ago, and I never really had this kind of reaction when that was done, just some headaches - which I haven't been having lately.

Not really eating any soy, very little at least. Looking over my diary over the last week or so, I'm close to my goals in the carb/fat/protein areas, a bit lower in protein than before, but still at or near my goals. Most of my protein is coming from dairy products, but I'm not eating much more than before - pretty much…

Interesting, that's basically the breathing pattern I've fallen into without ever reading about it. I'll definitely have to look up that book.

What I've done is if my workout is very intense and longer (more than 40 mins), then I need to eat something, and a banana fits the bill perfectly. If I have a shorter or less intensive workout then I don't have anything and do it in the "fasting" state. I always eat my normal breakfast within the next 30 mins. I found out…

So basically - from here out, unless it specifically says "organic", assume it's a frankenfood. BTW, article is here: http://www.examiner.com/food-in-midland-odessa/dole-monsanto-and-the-gmo-genetically-modified-food-war-part-1

That's the way I started - and it didn't work well. I was eating crap, less of crap is still crap so I didn't lose much. I didn't really start losing until I started actually paying attention to what I was eating (not just how much), and changed it up to eat much less processed foods and more whole and organic foods. After…

Second the diet change. I started getting severe migraines last year every month for about a week solid. It got to the point that I would know when the hell week would start just based on how much time had past since the last one. I finally tracked it down to the fact that when I dropped soda from my diet, I replaced it…

The biggest change for me was my breathing after even minor exertions. I work in a large building, and before I lost my weight when I just walked to the other side of the building I'd be out of breath, but this morning I noticed that I went across the to the other side, walking fast because I wanted to get back to my work,…

I've always run this way, in high school people used to comment on how "weird" I ran. Once I started running again this summer, I picked up some Newtons and they are so nice. I still run the same way in regular running shoes, but the Newtons are far superior to it. Are there any alternatives to the Virbrams that have the…

I'm sure they feel great ... but they are still a bit goofy looking :) Once my Newtons wear out, I'm going to take a look at them, but I don't think I'll be able to wear them anyway because I'm one of the odd ones where my 2nd toe is longer than my big toe (from what I've read that pretty much puts me out of using a…

When I recently started running again, that's what I'm doing - though I didn't want to get the goofy looking vibrams, I picked up a pair of Newtons that are made to work in the barefoot running style (just with shoes that look normal unless you look close). This wasn't a change for me because I haven't run in many, many…

Are you measuring what you eat - with a scale, measure cups, etc? I know at first I wasn't doing this and just eyeballing portions, but when I started measuring I found out just how far off my eyeballs were. Turns out I was still eating FAR too much, even though my food diary said I was OK.

Definitely sounds like you're on the right path now - what is it they say, admitting it to yourself. Might sound odd - but I think you'll find that as you lose weight and get further along, your emotions won't have as much affect on you. One of the problems of being overweight is that it throws your body all out of wack,…

This is totally normal - especially for the first week or two after you change things up (like exercising more, changing exercise, drastic diet change, etc.) The thing you need to realize is that changes don't happen overnight, they take a while to progress, and minor fluctuations are completely normal.

That is some funny stuff, especially at the gym. I love messing with these people - anytime someone does that to me and I happen to be close, I take my sweet time getting everything in the car, walk real slow bringing the cart back, etc. They just get so frustrated they usually leave for a new spot.

The 208 could just be a glitch. My HRM glitched like that occasionally while working out when I first got it and wasn't cleaning the band enough. That could be all it is, but maybe it's real - no way to know for sure. Bottom line though - if you're worried about it, talk to your doctor.

Yep, just account for it. I have the occasional Bud Select 55 (55 cal beer), but not much and it definitely hasn't slowed my weight loss at all.

I'll also go with the consensus here - always go with the HRM. If I do something long that I didn't have my HRM for (like mowing lawn, or a walk with the family), I only take about 70% of what MFP says the calorie burn was, since that is what the typical number is for me when I have to enter the HRM numbers.