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Does Nutrasweet (aspartame) cause cancer (in people)?
It's been a little while since we debated this. Maybe everyone else has moved on from artificial sweeteners and I'm just falling back on my 1990s habits! (Wouldn't be the first time...) It's topical for me as I'm cutting and I decided to drop the agave syrup in my tea, using Nutrasweet (aspartame) instead. I typically use…
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Fun with time-restricted feeding (TRF)
I am inspired by a recent study that showed that, for fairly large subjects, and fairly modest weight loss (<5% of body weight), time-restricted feeding (TRF, aka "intermittent fasting") works about as well as calorie counting. Shock! I've been using MFP for years and have done many cuts using a calorie counting approach.…
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Maintain or main 'taint?
Hello, fellow maintainers! I'm at that old goal weight once again. It brings such a mix of feelings: Wanting to stop worrying about my weight all the time and but also wanting to lose just a little bit more. Always an interesting moment. (I've been here many times!)
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Failure to maintain strains my brain
Excuses: - Moved into new house, everything's in boxes, just getting things set up - Got a new puppy, wakes me up at 5:45AM, can't leave him alone, too little to take on longer walks, interrupts any attempt to exercise at home (all with great puppy joy) - Had a couple of injuries (foot and shoulder) - My regular pool…
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Foot numbness/aching from running
In the past few days, my foot has been aching and I have numbness on the outside sole, near the pinky toe. X-ray showed nothing unusual. Doctor declared it plantar fasciitis. It's a bit of a catch-all for every non-specific foot problem. I read that it's unusual to have numbness associated with it. Anyone else gotten…
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Cycling is a "good deal" (maybe too good...)
I know it's come up before, but I am just amazed that Garmin will give me ~800 extra calories for cycling to work and back (9.5m each way with a moderate climb). Lot's of people may jump in and claim "that's too much," but I've found the cycling estimates lead to weight maintenance. The only catch is that I can easily…
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Two pounds to go!
Here I am, about the 10th time I've done a New Year's Resolution cut, usually of 10-20lbs. Always trying to get back to a BMI of ~25. Yep, it's the same old 10-20lbs every time. They just keep coming back! Now, I'm within 2lbs of goal. If I can get them by end of month, losing the 19lbs will have taken 6 months. And, the…
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Now it's my turn to plateau!
I've responded so many posts of people reporting a brief plateau during weight loss, recommending they just stick with it and it will resolve. But, I acknowledge that when it happens it is both aggravating and de-motivating. I started the cut at the new year at 189lbs, shooting to reclaim 170lbs (BMI of ~25). My net…
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Singulair (Montelukast)
I monitor my sleep using a Garmin watch. It's crude, but at least somewhat helpful. Of course, there's also my recollection of the night and how I feel the next day. In January, I had a period of improving sleep. I was really feeling great! But, into for the past several weeks, my sleep went back into the Garmin watch…
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Dry January is working! Why'd I wait?
If you drew a plot of my alcohol consumption over the year it would peak in the last few weeks. My consumption of salt, sugar, and carbs also peaks, as I sample all the fantastic holiday foods. Sound familiar? Well, this is my 10th Dry January and it certainly isn't disappointing. I always combine it with eating in…
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Celery!!!?
I am a creature of habit, eating the same breakfast and lunch most days. I usually include a baggy of little tomatoes. My wife suggested I take some celery, because we had extra. Raw celery!!!? I don't eat that! Well, I've found that it's very satisfying and seems to keep me full for a while after lunch. No wonder everyone…
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So easy to overeat!
It never ceases to amaze me how easy it is to overeat. Take this inexpensive trail mix bought at a gas station mini mart. For $3, it contains more than a days worth of calories for someone like me. (I bought it just for that reason for a long trip by air, but other food choices became available.) Yes, I could easily eat…
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Two Garmin “excellent” sleep ratings in a row!
This is unprecedented. My most common Garmin sleep rating is “poor.” It feels like a huge accomplishment. I think it is associated with my dry January. Also, I’ve been exercising regularly and cutting sweets. Anyone else monitoring their sleep with their Garmin watch?
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New Years resolutions working? I'm feeling a bit faster!
I'm getting just a little bit faster in all my activities this month. I do multi-sport (swim, ride, run). Late fall is my slow season, but I get motivated again in January. I also gained some weight last year. I had a lot of stress and distractions. I'm cutting back on all my vices this month (Dry January, deserts, etc.)…
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January Attack!
Just like many years, I'm doing a Dry January. (Actually, I'll stay mostly dry as long as it takes to get my weight in check, probably into March.) I want to log for several months and be active every day. I want to work on resistance training (rather than all cardio). I want to do more group workouts. And, I want to…
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That bloated feeling
I'm 60+, and I think this is related to age. I often feel bloated even after modest meals, by which I mean my stomach feels uncomfortably full even after eating meals I've had for years. Anyone else get this? It seems like a new phenomenon for me and I'm wondering what causes it.
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Early summer heat kicking my *kitten*!
I had a harder time working out this spring due to COVID in April and a big move in May. I gained a little weight, too. Now the weather is warming up a but (still only in the low 80s), and running/cycling workouts are kicking my *kitten*. Plus, I'm trying to cut the pounds, which also makes my normal workouts a little bit…
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Mindfullness training
I am a chronic weight-gainer! I'm going through a 6-month period of downsizing from our house while facing changes at work. Work travel is also increasing. Living in a new and temporary location while looking for a new house. Of course, all of this affects my weight, which has been trending upward: +13lbs from my goal…
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Travel Day Eating
Doing a road trip on the east coast to move a kid into his apartment. An all-day affair, rent a truck, pick up a bunch of stuff, 2 hour drive and stops around town to pick up various items, carry stuff to a 2nd floor walk-up, drop truck and take a train back home. A fast-paced and hectic day, eating all meals quickly on…
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Oh, Garmin, you rascal!
TL/DR: The cycling calorie estimates of Garmin are higher when I don't monitor heart rate. I think that's ridiculous! After a very difficult winter and spring (COVID and a big house move), I'm finally starting back up with outdoor cycling (among other things). I have a Garmin bicycle computer (Edge 530) and a Garmin watch…
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Swimming during Omicron
Does going to a pool during the Omicron spike make you nervous?
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Chin/pull-ups at home
Hiya folks! I do some simple exercises at home with bodyweight, bands, and a simple barbell (only used for curls, actually). I've put together a pretty complete set of upper body exercises. Triceps and lats can be done with bands over a sturdy doorway, for example. So far, I've avoided getting any large equipment. But, it…
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How many people who have linked fitness watches (or similar) enable "negative calorie adjustments?"
I have my Garmin account linked to MFP and have gone back and forth on enabling negative calorie adjustments. Among people who have FitBit, Apple Watch, Garmin, Samsung, etc. I'm interested to see how many use the feature. (My experience with it has been mixed.
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Small-group coached workouts
Every year I struggle with the end of the summer season and the change-over to more indoor activities as the days grow shorter. All the competitions have ended for the season. (Although I didn't do any this year, but did a lot of great runs, OW swims, hikes, SUPs, rides, etc.) I've had a couple of great fall moments, like…
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How much exercise do you need?
A loaded question that I answer with "need for what?" Anyway, I found this page and podcast very interesting on the topic: http://blogs.wgbh.org/innovation-hub/2021/9/17/whats-point-exercise/ Comments welcome!
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Trying out a new info-graphic: How fast can I safely lose weight?
What does the crowd think of this one? Useful or confusing?
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Garmin: Steps while swimming (!)
I like my Garmin watch a lot. The swim widget works reasonably well for pool swimming. (It sometimes misses a turn, but it times the intervals correctly.) But, as I've complained previously, the calorie estimate for swimming is low (relative to other estimators) and it also has a terrible bug where it counts steps while…
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Smoke gets in your lungs!
As if we haven't had enough problems, now, in the eastern US, we're getting bad air quality from fires in the west. A few days ago the AQI was well over 180 way out in the suburbs, mostly from particulates. I'm old enough to not want to exercise in those conditions without a face mask. Wearing the disposable "N95-ish mask"…
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Eat to exercise or exercise to eat: which describes you?
The question about "eat to exercise" or "exercise to eat" is a good one. I guessing that big exercisers do a little of both. Which one describes you? How would you know if you had a problem?
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Sweat gets in my eyes while cycling!
I've been using Halo headbands that have a rubber strip to try to guide sweat away from your eyes. When cycling, the sweat pools in the front, however, and drips right down the middle of my face. (Works much better for jogging, etc.) I've tried lots of other solutions, but have not found a perfect one. It's a real drag to…
