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Re-starting!
I am restarting this journey to weight loss & a healthier life. I'm 22 years old with a BMI of 34, class 1 obese. That's a problem. I want to be stronger, fitter, happier, healthier. This is what I need to do to make these things happen.
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Opinions on "starting slowly"?
What do you think of making lots of changes at once vs making small incremental changes every so often? I ask this because I "fell off the wagon" pretty hard this past semester, and getting "back on track" is proving to be very challenging - more so than my first attempt to "start" was, somehow. I thought that making…
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"Earning your treats" mentality?
Do you think the mentality of "earning" or "deserving" treats through exercise is good or harmful? Why?
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Meal size, macros, & timing? IF?
I was very tired yesterday and opted to lay in bed for an extra 40min instead of getting breakfast. I ended up just having tea (with milk) and a 1/3 cup of peanuts until 4pm when I got a meal. Weirdly I felt like waiting to eat a "real meal" helped me control my cravings. I've always been very afraid of the idea of…
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Decent-tasting non-dairy protein powder?
I tried the Vega One protein powder and I 100% could not stomach it. Even one tablespoon in a big fruit smoothie made the smoothie inedible for me. I gave up on protein powder. However, I need some sort of back-up protein option in my cupboard for days when I'm just not getting enough protein. I tend to get a…
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Spicy Dark Chocolate Popcorn
I just made this and I find it really yummy! It's not exactly low-calorie, but it's lower than other snacks, and all made at home, so I'm happy. 1/4 cup popcorn kernels 4 squares (or one row) of dark chocolate - I used 71% Camino (fair trade) 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp chili powder a few shakes of salt I have an…
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Exercise on no sleep?
Would you exercise on no sleep? I very much want to try out the gym at my school, and I've made plans with a friend to go together tomorrow afternoon. She won't go alone, so if I don't go she will be mad she brought her things. But it's about 5am and I've been tossing and turning all night, and I need to be up in an hour…
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Negative self image a hindrance or a help?
Do you find thinking negative things about yourself motivating or detrimental? Why or why not?
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Best strategies you've found for keeping up healthy habits when you're stressed/underslept/in pain?
I've had a bit of a stumble in my weight loss attempts. I lost and regained about 15lbs. I've noticed I tend to be on top of things and motivated until I miss a few nights of sleep, have a big assignment due, or get a headache. I tend to stop working out, say "whatever" and eat more junk food, stop making lunches ahead…
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Best way to combat sore muscles?
I'm not working out too intensely or even very frequently (working on doing more) but after I do anything in sore for days. For example I'll do some squats and lunges, and my glutes will hurt for about 5 days. If I lift some (fairly light, about 5lbs) weights my shoulders and back are extremely sore & I get a headache. I'm…
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What dumbell weight would be best to invest in?
I'm a fairly weak person, but I want to work on my strength a bit. I'm doing some squats and lunges for my leg strength, but I'm still too weak to really do push ups. I made a weight for myself with a bunch of change in an old hot chocolate cylinder and I think it's probably somewhere around 8-10lbs. I just do some basic…
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People who used to eat emotionally - what did you do instead when you were stressed/sad?
I'm in a terrible mood. All I want to do is put on my coat and go buy some candy and ice cream. But I know it's not healthy physically or mentally. I'm just sitting here feeling worse and worse, and I don't really know what else would help. I'm starting to give myself a headache from being upset. What do you do that helps?
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How do you track your progress without a scale?
Before October I was weighing in at my dietician appointments, but my time with the dietician ended. I had a knee injury for a few months and wasn't exercising or logging for a while, and I know I gained a bit since my last weigh in. I've since recovered and I'm logging and doing low-impact exercise now, and I can feel…
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How did you overcome 'eating your feelings'?
I will think I've beaten it, succeeded, and then I'll be stressed out one day coming home and think "screw it" and stop at a convenience store and then eat a whole big bag of chips in one sitting or some other variant of that. I know that changing behaviour isn't always linear, and slip ups happen. But I haven't seen…
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How are your New Years' Resolutions going?
I have a love/hate relationship with resolutions. They feel cliche, but every new "starting point" in a year (new semester, the beginning of summer, etc) generally comes with some goals, whether or not they're "resolutions." I've had a bad habit of creating gigantic lists of big things that I want to accomplish that never…
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Ok I'll bite - is "cooking and food prep" really exercise?
I see it all over my feed, people burning hundreds of calories by cooking! I wear a step counter, and I spent 2h cooking today, and my step counter told me I have burned no calories. Is this real?
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Eating the same thing every day?
Is it a problem to eat the same things every day? I tend to have the same thing for breakfast on weekdays (vanilla Greek yogurt with blueberries, raspberries, or cherries) and I've pre-made a red lentil, carrot, & leek soup for my lunches that will probably last 2 weeks from the freezer. Is it perfectly fine to repeat the…
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Do you take a day off when you're sore?
I've been following Yoga With Adrienne's 30 day Yoga Camp, and yesterday was day 6 & my legs are so sore today. It's supposed to be a continuous 30 days, but especially the poses on hands & knees are very challenging for my knees & wrists. I'm wondering if taking a day off would be beneficial or not?
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Winter walking?
I've been working on being a bit more active for the last few weeks, but the weather has turned sharply cold. It's supposed to hit -10 tomorrow, and the wind, snow, and icey patches have all started to pick up the pace. I have access to a gym, but I really prefer to be outside. The only problem is my legs get so cold when…
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Making Realistic Goals
I'm very good at planning. Specifically, somewhere between 3 and 5 am when I'm staring at the ceiling, not sleeping, I can plan out a really specific daily structure that will change my life for the better. I make lists of things to buy, places to go, times to get up, times to go to bed, I'm going to lock the internet for…
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Dealing with extra treats sitting around the house for the holidays?
We've adopted the practice of having little to no treats/junk food in the house for pretty much forever because my mom is diabetic. But for the holidays we're hosting a few dinner parties, and my parents thought it necessary to have a bunch of different desert options. We have ice cream, pop, chocolate, cookies, fancy…
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how often would you take rest days as a beginner?
I have been very, very inactive since about september (not taking the stairs, taking the bus, not going for walks, etc). I've had full clearance from my physiotherapist since November to get back to working out like I was before, but I was worried and only just started exercising again. I went for a maybe 40min walk…
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what's your best "self-talk" for creating new fitness/health/weight-loss behaviours?
I like to eat when I'm not hungry, when I'm bored or avoiding doing something else. It's a habit. Sometimes I think I'm hungry when I'm not (and I've likely recently eaten a good amount of calories, like ~600, and I'm still peckish?!). I've found the best check is to ask myself "am I not-full enough to do some exercise?"…
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Building Strength From Nothing?
I've seen weight lifting programs floating around on here, but I don't really have the ability to begin one of those just yet. I'm very weak. I've been doing physio to increase glute strength because the weakness of my glutes was impacting my knees. It's made me aware of how weak I am just in general. Now my knee problems…
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tips for getting more/better sleep?
I keep getting tripped up by not sleeping well. When I'm under-slept it's easy to justify treats, I feel hungrier, and I don't want to exercise. I also take longer to do regular things, and I just want to sit around watching tv or reading. Has anyone else had this issue? Any suggestions on how to circumvent it or fix it…
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Getting Back Up - School Stress
So this semester really knocked me back down. I haven't weighed myself, but I'm pretty sure I gained back most of what I'd lost during the summer (probably about 10lbs). I had a lot of setbacks early in October, with a bad knee injury that kept me from exercising. I had a lot of insomnia and migraines that were really…
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Is Stevia worth it? What's your favourite not-sugar sweetener?
I want to reduce my sugar consumption because apparently my blood work is pre prediabetes or something (not at the level of pre diabetes, but the dietician thought that lowering my sugar would be useful for nipping it in the bud or w/e). I don't feel like I eat a ton of refined sugar to begin with, but I do put it in…
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Does anyone else not tell people that you're trying to lose weight?
I've decided specifically not to mention it, at least right now because the "support" I would get from people would not be helpful. As it is, I told my parents, and one day I got to the end of my day and I'd only had about 1000cal, and I was starving. By talking about that, my dad was like "why do you want to eat, what…
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Getting back to exercise after a prolonged injury + illness?
I've had a bad knee injury, and haven't worked out for about 2 months, but my physiotherapist finally cleared me for swimming! Yeah! No long walks or jogging yet, but the pool is mine again! ....except now I have a terrible head cold so I have to wait a little bit longer :( That said, how have you found it going back to…
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Did changing your diet ever help with binges?
I have a very short history of binge-eating, just the past 2 years where I bought and hid junk food. I haven't done that again since joining MFP, and I think that it's realistic to think I can avoid ever doing that again. However I have still had some "binges" with white rice with soy sauce and maple syrup, or toast with…