omma_to_3 Member

I've had it done twice and am going back in a couple of weeks. I was surprised the first two times to find that my RMR tested about 10% *higher* than expected. I really thought I'd be on the low side. But, both times it came back 10% higher than expected (and I was about 25 lbs. different in weight between the two tests).…

Thanks! That's the one I originally had, though an older version. I was able to get this version to work. It only goes back 1 year, but I can work with that.

This worked great for the calories, thanks! Is there a way to get the exercise data too? The calories don't reflect net calories so without that piece it isn't very helpful.

No, I wasn't looking to pay to do it, but thanks!

I would definitely NOT use your Spark for linking to MFP due to the calorie counts being way off for me. They're almost double what they should be on my runs.

I use my Spark for my runs. I don't have it linked to anything. I use my FitBit for steps. I also don't have that linked to anything, but if you want it linked to MFP, you could.

Run. There's no reason not to and it's good for your sore muscles. I always do my long runs the day after I meet with my trainer. I'm usually sore. It's good for you (of course, barring pain from an injury, but normal soreness is fine)

At least do one brick workout before the race, so you know what it feels like. I did my first duathalon this year. I could've survived without doing a brick workout, but it was nice to know what it feels like to do them back to back to back. Go slow, and have fun!

If you want a calorie burn that is as accurate as reasonably possible (none are truly accurate) then stick with a Polar HRM with chest strap. It's reliable, and at the upper end of the accuracy scale. FitBits with HRMs have been tested really poorly for calorie counts. I can also say that my TomTom Spark Cardio watch…

I too use the Plantronics Back Beat Fit. Love them!

Mine underestimates a bit, but almost entirely because it thinks my BMR is lower than it really is (according to multiple tests at a hospital). For anything step based (running and walking) it seems very accurate to me, based on the BMR formulas. If you know your BMR is higher or lower than the estimates, it will be off.…

Go with the treadmill. Your stride will change on a treadmill as compared to 'regular' walking, your stride length is likely different.

I've never had a problem with these: http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/products/RRL2189/womens-rgear-speedpro-compression-8-short/

I'm not an all or nothing kind of person. I prefer to allow myself treats, but sometimes it gets out of hand. In January, I did a no dessert, run every day (which meant two workouts on days I lifted too) challenge. I had no desserts all month - no sweets, no donuts, nothing. I had as much fruit as I wanted and flavored…

The one thing cinnamon will do for you, that potentially *could* help, is it helps control blood glucose. So, if high blood sugar or elevated insulin levels are contributing to your weight, it's feasible it could help. But the effect would be pretty minimal.

For a treadmill when walking or running, they should be pretty accurate, and pretty close to what MFP has (my treadmill is over MFP, which is over reality according to a HRM, but not significantly over). The elliptical on the other hand, both the machine and MFP seem to overestimate that one quite a bit more.

Loose ponytail, then braid, then loop the braid in through the top of the ponytail?

I had the 235 for almost a month and returned it due to a lot of bugs (they may have worked some out by now, this was at the end of January. I got the Tom Tom Spark Cardio instead. I previously had the TomTom Runner and really liked it. The Spark is great - simpler than the Garmin (and with fewer features) but much less…

Is it safe? Yes. But, if you follow MFP, they're going to give you a lot more calories than that that you can eat. When I started I was about your size (not sure how tall you are, but I'm only 5'4") and MFP gave me 1670 calories a day to lose 2 lbs. So, you're definitely at a pretty high deficit.

As we age (and I realize you're still young) our bodies kind of make a last ditch effort to get pregnant. My cycles started spontaneously at age 35. I've been on Metformin forever and that never did it. Sometimes our hormones just straighten themselves out a bit. As for weightloss, if you don't have undiagnosed/untreated…

Yes, many training plans only have you running 10 miles max for a half. Those last 3 miles breeze by. Curious why you view taking walk breaks as a problem. I run 8/walk 1. I started doing this due to hip issues and was pleasantly surprised to realize I'm faster that way. It helps me keep better form too.

The Garmin 235, while expensive, does have a lot of downloadable watch faces, some of which have much larger numbers than others.

It is very likely that it is NOT using the 24 hour HR info for calories burned. It's likely using basal rate tables and adjusting for number of steps and the data recorded during an activity. So, you wear the watch all day and take 5,000 steps. It uses that info to set your calories burned for the day. On that same day,…

I too had knee issues with 30 day shred. I do not have knee issues with other high impact things like running. I narrowed it down to jumping jacks. My knees just don't like them. Try doing something else instead of all the jumping jacks and see if that helps. Also, there have been interviews with Jillian Michaels where she…

I disagree with this. DOMS is not only if you've just changed your activity level. Some people are prone to it, and others aren't. 2 days is typical for DOMS, but 3 or 4 isn't out of the norm. 5 is a bit much. I am prone to DOMS do I expect it. I do agree that active recovery will help. I always run the day after a…

I've had it for about 2 weeks now. It's good and I like it. I don't sync it with MFP so can't answer there. It's not as feature rich as the Garmin 235 (that I had and returned) but it has potential to add more features soon. I've used the music feature a couple of times and it worked quite well. The GPS works great and I…

We make a slightly thicker version of crepes at our house. I top them with 2 cups of raspberries boiled down with 1/4 c sugar (you could use less too). They are delicious and three of them, with the topping is only around 300 calories.

I would suggest setting your activity level to active and just don't record your work. That is what the intention of the activity level is for - sedentary, lightly active, active, based on your lifestyle and job.

I didn't read all the responses, but yes, you ABSOLUTELY will improve by continuing to do just what you're doing. There is room for a lot of improvement for all new runners. I would say my race pace continued to improve for more than a year when I started running, JUST by running more at the same slow pace. Don't increase…