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Re-comping but trying to make sense of macros / carb cycling / IF
I'm female, 33 years old, 5'5", 126lbs. I'm eating at maintenance at about 1600 calories. I've been lifting in the evenings 2-3 days a week with the StrongLifts 5x5 program for about 4 months now. I pay attention to calories and eat pretty healthy balanced meals, but haven't really paid attention to macros. My lifts are…
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No change after 4 months of recomp - suggestions? How long does it take to see change?
I'm 33 years old, 5'6", female, approx 126lbs. I eat at maintenance at 1570 calories a day (open diary). I went from zero exercise a few months ago to lifting with the 5x5 program 3 days a week and doing some light cardio, usually for 15 minutes after lifting, occasionally for a 30 minute jog on rest days. I understand…
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Do you take supplements? And what would you recommend?
I've been lifting for a few months (total newbie!) and my hubby (who has been lifting for years) keeps suggesting supplements to me. I know the word "supplements" encompasses a lot. I take a multivitamin and I have protein powder that I mostly use it for cooking since I don't usually have a problem getting enough protein…
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Cabbage recipes? How to use it in a salad?
I like cabbage anytime I have it at a restaurant but I've never tried making anything with it at home. Any recipe suggestions? If I want to use it in a salad, can I just it in place of lettuce? I figure if I prep meals for the week it will hold up better than plain spinach. Advice appreciated! Thank you!
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Help me tweak my protein bar recipe so it's not so sticky
Below is my current favorite no-bake protein bar recipe. The taste is amazing but because of the honey, it doesn't really "set up". Even after putting these in the freezer, they're still soft and sticky. Any suggestions on how to tweak these so they are a little firmer and drier but still maintain their sweet chocolaty…
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Ideas needed for "healthy" birthday party food
We're hosting a small birthday party for my one year old son this weekend and will have a few family members over for cake and a song. I'd like to put out some snacks or even a light lunch but I'm having trouble thinking of ideas of healthy (reasonable calories) and easy to put together foods that non-healthy eaters will…
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For those of you with "fit" significant others - do they help or hold back your progress?
Love my husband but he's one of my biggest hurdles as far as my diet and fitness goals go. My husband was very overweight when we first met but he's been lifting weights for about 10 years. He's in the best shape of his life right now- honestly, like a magazine model with abs and a 7 minute mile. I'm about 3 months into my…
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My favorite protein bar recipe! What protein powder brands/flavors should I try next?
I've been loving making homemade protein bars but I'd like to try some new flavors. So far I've just made variations of chocolate and peanut butter with Optimum Nutrition Whey protein powder. Any ideas on other good brands and flavors to try? I was thinking about cookies and cream next. Here's my current recipe: 6 bars at…
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Do you get the recommended 5-13 servings of fruits and veg?
Just curious how everyone does with their daily servings of fruit and vegetables. I try to get a lot of veggies with my lunch and dinner but doubt I get the recommended amount.
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Share with me your favorite youtube cooks
I'm looking for new recipes and ideas and, while pintrest is great, I love to watch people cook and see how the food really comes together. Share with me some of your favorite youtubers who cook healthy meals.
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Do you work out when you're sick (a cold)?
I've been sick for the past three days with a cold. I'm not on my deathbed by any means but I feel pretty crummy- headache, congestion, runny nose- all the normal delightful symptoms. Do you still go to the gym when you're sick? I usually lift weights and do some light cardio every other day but I skipped yesterday. I was…
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5x5 Stronglifts - what do you do when the squat rack is taken at the gym?
I've been following the 5x5 StrongLifts program for about a month now. About half the time I go to the gym the one and only squat rack is in use by someone lifting MUCH bigger plates than me, and taking pretty long time to do it (since my workouts are still pretty short at around half an hour). What do you do when the…
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3 months of sticking to my diet... but the last couple of weeks I keep going over!
I started logging about three months ago. I've tweaked my calories a few times as I was trying to find what worked for me and while I tried to decide if I want to try to loose weight or to do a re-comp. The last couple of weeks I seem to be hungry all the time and I'm going over my calorie limit nearly every day. It's so…
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Personal question for the ladies....
Do you adjust your calories up or down around your monthly cycle? I find myself hungry the week before my period and was just wondering if rather than being cranky or feeling guilty after a mini-binge, if I should just plan to eat a little more this week and a little less on other weeks. What do you ladies do?
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5x5 strong lifts- how fast did you progress?
I'm not moving up each week. It's more like adding weights a bit each month. Is that normal? How fast did some of you move up with this program?
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5x5 Strong Lifts question- do you also do other exercises or should I only stick with the 3?
I've started lifting with the 5x5 Strong Lifts app and feel like I get through the reps for those 3 exercises fairly quickly- usually in about 25 minutes. When I'm done I've been spending another 15-20 minutes doing cardio but I really want to focus on weights right now. Can, or should, I be doing other lifts if I have…
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Best sweeteners to make my favorite baked goods a little lower in calories?
I haven't used anything but straight up white or brown sugar in baking before but am looking to make some of my favorite sweets a little lower calorie. I've made some of the usual switches- applesauce for oil, etc, but some of my treats take a cup or two of sugar so I want to try to tone that down! What are the best…
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South Indian restaurant... what would a high(ish) protein, low(ish) calorie meal option?
I'm meeting my mother in law for dinner at a South Indian restaurant tonight and need some suggestions on what meal to choose. When eating out I usually look for items that aren't too high in calories and have some protein in them but South Indian is typically vegetarian and what we usually get is dosai with potatoes,…
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How do you season your chicken before baking?
I love boneless skinless chicken thighs but I usually just bake them after lightly breading them. I'm in a rut and need a new (easy, kid friendly) way to cook them. What are your favorite ways to cook chicken?
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What should I adjust if I add protein powder to a recipe? Looking to pimp my zucchini bread.
I'm thinking about making my next batch of zucchini bread with some protein powder added. If I plop in a scoop of vanilla protein powder, what should I adjust? Can I just substitute a cup of flour with a scoop of protein powder? Thank you! Bonus points for thoughts on sweeteners for my zucchini bread. I'm planning to use…
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Going camping this weekend! Need some low calorie camp meals.
I'm thinking about taking the family tent camping this weekend and I need some low calorie meal ideas that are easy to pack up, put together and cook with just a fire pit. All I've got so far are salad fixin's in a cooler and some chicken sausages. And if the cooler didn't tip you off, my idea of camping is a little tame.…
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Fellow lifting ladies - where do you carry your phone/music player when you're at the gym?
I like listening to music through my cell when I exercise. When I used to go jogging, I always just carried my phone in my hand and that worked fine. Now that I've started lifting weights at a gym I'm having trouble figuring out how best to carry my cell so I can continue to listen to music. The shorts I started out…
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What food (if any) do you eat nearly every day?
I have good quality cottage cheese with frozen blueberries on top at least once (sometimes 2 or 3 times!), every day. It's my absolute favorite. I try to eat a variety of different foods but cottage cheese is happening every day. What things do you guys have every day?
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FAIL. I just realized the black bean brownies I made have as many calories as the regular.
I made black bean brownies for the first time ever tonight and, while they were delicious, I just realized that they have as many calories in them as the regular. Now, my "recipie" is a major cheat. I just took a box mix and replaced the egg and oil with black beans. I don't know why but I still expected they'd be a bit…
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Low calorie cookie/brownie/bar recipes?
I feel the urge to bake but don't want to use up half my day's calories on a treat. What recipes have you guys found that are somewhat low calorie? I'm super intrigued by the idea of black bean brownies but haven't given it a go yet.
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What is the best protein powder to use for baking? Looking for specific brands please :)
I love the taste of Trutein protein powder (chocolate peanut butter) but I've tried baking with it and the results were pretty disastrous- bordering on comical. I think the problem is the casein. I'd like to try making brownies, cakes, etc but I don't know what protein powder to buy for this. I don't want to try out too…
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To eat or not to eat breakfast, that is the question
I grew up with the mantra that eating breakfast is good for you because it gets your metabolism revved up for the day. My husband has been doing intermittent fasting for around 6 months or so and that's opened my eyes up to a whole new way of eating. I do notice that the earlier I eat breakfast (sometimes 7am), the earlier…
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Ideas for new mini monthly goals?
I've found great success with small, monthly goals. When I first started it was 1 month cutting out candy, next was 1 month tracking meals every day, then 1 month sticking to the 5x5 strong lifts program. After a month I decide if I want to keep up with what I've done or change it up. So far I've stuck with all my goals…
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Have you ever made your own cottage cheese from scratch?
I really love dry pressed cottage cheese... it's like a really firm cheese cake when you top it with fruit. Yum!!! But I can't really find it in grocery stores, except for expensive individual serving sizes. Have any of you ever made your own cottage cheese from scratch? I see recipes online but I'm wary.
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What's the best way to add veggies to breakfast and lunches at work?
I get a big side of veggies with most dinners but I'm trying to eat more at breakfast and lunch. Volume eating makes me happy! :) What are some of your favorite ways to work veggies into those meals? Cold raw veg doesn't sound great for first thing in the morning. I work a pretty early shift so I need meals that I can eat…