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Will eating/drinking/taking [whatever] make me lose fat?
As usual, there's a healthy dose of threads asking if whatever thing - be it supplements, 'fat burners', green tea, apple cider vinegar - will make a person lose weight or not. Many of us have been doing this for long enough, or have enough background knowledge in physics, to know that the answer is universally 'no'. But…
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Why is it SO HARD not to eat kids' leftovers?
I know all the helpful thoughts - especially "it's still wasted if you eat it, only now you need to burn it off as well" - but I still feel this powerful urge, like it really bugs me to see the wasted food and I feel like it won't be so bad if I eat it. I don't even want it! And it's only half an omelette, it's not like…
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Sweet potatoes broke my heart
I thought they were low in calories. Everyone talks about them like they're low in calories, but they're just the same as regular potatoes. I spent time learning to like them cos I thought they would save me calories, but they were lying to me the whole time. But I've added another vegetable to my repertoire, so that's…
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Do you have a "wall"?
A podcast I was listening to brought up the concept of a weight loss "wall" - a weight that you struggle to get below, not because of physical difficulties but because you have a mental block - you just can't imagine yourself being that light and so when you approach the boundary you self-sabotage or quit. The interviewee…
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Fro yo!
It's been so long since I used my ice cream maker - far too long. Was going to buy ice cream today to go with dessert, but ran out of cash and had a surplus of yoghurt, so I threw 500ml full fat plain yoghurt (not Greek, just normal) in the machine with about 4tbsp sugar, half a tsp vanilla, and the grated zest from a…
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Shout out to delicious. magazine for down to earth good sense
I've been a long term subscriber to this magazine, which has awesome recipes (very thoroughly tested and notable for turning out looking exactly like the picture!) but I used to tolerate their occasional nutritional nonsense - no worse than the average tripe, but no better, either, with faddy nonsense, bad science and…
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Pulled Pork
Hi all. I've been thinking of trying pulled pork for weight loss and I wondered if anyone had any experience with it and any thoughts on the pros and cons. I was going to start by eating a bowl of pulled pork every morning before breakfast. I hope this will steady my blood sugar and melt fat. Let me know what you think!
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Hit a wall (psychological not literal)
Well, I'm spinning my wheels and have been for 3 weeks. I just cannot seem to get going again after the holidays. I'll have a good day and then the next day I'm just eating all the things. I'm still logging everything, but that alone seems to be taking all my willpower. I'm hovering around maintenance on average, so not…
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Wagamama's crazy calories!
Heading out tonight for dinner to Wagamama. Thankfully I'm prepared this time, but for anyone who's never checked the calories, they vary hugely from dish to dish, between a very frugal 500-600 for a huge bath of food, to a slightly frightening 1300 for a similarly sized portion. For those struggling with calories, the…
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Winter appetite changes making things difficult
Hi all, I wondered if anyone else struggled with changes in appetite during the winter? I don't just mean Christmas treats being everywhere (though that's challenging, too). I mean changes like: - Wanting more fat. Everything with fat in it looks REALLY good right now. - Resistance to fruit and veg. Generally I rely a lot…
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Elliptical/cross-trainer versus bottom step of the stairs
Hello all. I generally prefer to move around when I do cardio - bike or walking - but every now and then I find myself daydreaming about some shiny bit of exercise equipment which will solve all my cardio problems and let me exercise in the dry in front of the TV. Thus far I've managed to resist the temptation due to cost,…
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BBC iPlayer "Clean Eating's Dirty Secrets"
Just watching this show, in which a health-and-beauty YouTuber tries out various permutations of clean eating and consults dietitians about them. Pretty interesting, just putting it up here in case anyone else is interested. I'm afraid I think you can only get it in the UK.
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"Eat back half your exercise calories"
I see a lot of people saying "eat back half your exercise calories" or "eat back a third" or whatever. Am I the only one who thinks this is a super complicated way to approach things? Seems like it would involve a lot of mental arithmetic at the moment of deciding whether to eat something or not. If I'm worried mfp might…
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Logging while on holiday, give me your tips and encouragement
Hi there, I'm one week into my 3 week holiday, and because not logging during trips away has derailed me in the past, I've decided to keep logging right the way through this time. I'm aiming to maintain, and have my calorie goal adjusted to suit. So far I'm not doing too badly, the numbers suggest I will have gained about…
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Strangest fitness inspirations?
Just thought this might be a fun thing to share. What is your fitness inspiration or motivation that doesn't fit the usual stereotypes of "healthy"? We live in a country village with a foot- and cycleway that runs through woods and connects several villages to the nearest town. 4 miles away along this path is McDonald's.…
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Best weight trend app
Hi all, I'm wondering if those of you who plug daily weigh-in data into a trend app could tell me which one you use? I've been using Libra, and I like all its features, but I'm becoming increasingly unhappy with the actual trendline, which seems like nonsense to me. Of 20 data points, only 1 is above the line - the rest…
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Every Day Sausage Rolls (a bit lighter than the usual version)
I love sausage rolls, but we can't always be downing mouthfuls of lard on a daily basis. Here's my solution: 8oz sausage meat (bulk sausage) (any kind) 2 sweet dessert apples* 6oz SR flour + extra for dusting 3-3.5oz water Pinch of salt Egg or milk for glazing Grate the apples and squeeze out the juice (drink this, it's…
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Losing faster than expected, should I correct course?
I'm aiming to lose 1lb a week but after 5 weeks I've lost 9lb, which is closer to 2lb a week. I would say "water weight" but for the past week or so I've been plugging daily weigh-ins into a trend app (Libra) and it calculates the trend to be 1.6lb per week. I am pretty generous with food estimates and conservative with…
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How much hunger do you consider acceptable?
Just thought this might be an interesting question to ask, as we've had a few questions on the subject of hunger recently. How much hunger do you consider just a normal part of life when losing weight, and how much is too much? I'm on a 500 calorie deficit. I don't find I can manage without any hunger on that deficit, but…
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"Secret Eaters" TV show
Just wondered if anyone else likes this show from UK Channel 4. It's a bit trashy but the message is basically sound, and I've actually learned from it. What they do is they take 2 people - like a couple, brother and sister, 2 friends or whatever - who are overweight and don't understand why. They give it the usual "I eat…
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Modest goals
Hi all. There are a lot of inspirational people here with ambitious goals - God speed you noble heroes. I just wondered if anyone else has a really modest goal they're aiming for, the sort of thing that will never be announced over epic music by a guy with a movie trailer voice, but would be more appropriate stated blandly…
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How much steak?
I got all excited and bought steaks. I never buy steaks. I asked for two rib eyes, nice and thick so I don't overcook them, and then was a bit surprised at the price (like I said, I never buy steaks). The butcher pointed out that it amounted to a pound and a half of meat! I bought them anyway, got them home and right…
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Protein - does it wear two hats? (technical input welcome)
I'm confused about protein calories. The main purpose of protein in the body is to be used *as* protein - separated into individual amino acids and used to build things. It can also be entirely broken down and converted to glucose, which is used for energy. Reading up on this in the Web, iI keep coming across statements…
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So you want cheesy pasta...
... But you don't have the calories in your budget? That's OK - try replacing half the pasta with your favourite veg. I used peas, sweetcorn and blanched carrots cut a similar size to the pasta. I actually think this was an improvement, as it added a bit of variety in texture and flavour, and vegetables are lovely in…
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Knee injury making weight loss difficult.
Hi all, I've been back on the weight loss track for a few days, and I'm doing OK so far but struggling because I've picked up a knee injury which severely limits how much exercise I can do. Previously I've relied a lot on exercise calories to bring my daily goal up to a decent level, as my default numbers are pretty low.…
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An illustration to help understand water weight
I know a lot of people struggle with the idea of water weight, and remain convinced that if the scale goes up, they've gained actual fat, and if the scale goes down, they've lost fat, when it just isn't that simple. In the hope it might help, I've used my mad Powerpoint skillz to create these diagrams, which give a…
