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Can you gain strength without gaining muscle mass?
I'm generally confused by all of the conflicting information I've read on these forums over the last couple of years. Some people will say that in order to achieve body recomposition, you need to go through bulking and cutting cycles and that you absolutely cannot increase muscle mass unless you're eating a surplus of…
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A/C is making us fat?
I had an interesting conversation with a coworker the other day. His theory is that our bodies tend to hold on to our fat stores to help keep us warm and comfortable since we're typically in an air conditioned environment all the time. Like an evolution kind of thing? On the flip side, you could argue that we actually burn…
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I don't need to lose weight but I need a lot of work!
I'm having a really hard time finding motivation. I'm at my goal weight. My health is great. Blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. all check out perfect, except my "good" cholesterol is at the bottom of the range and could stand to be higher. So what's the problem? I've always had a soft body, despite being thin. Even in…
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I think I should be eating more
but I can't seem to convince myself! I'm near my goal weight, but my body fat percentage is higher than I'd like (I think it's around 25%, would like to get down to 20%). I have my settings to lose 1lb per week but that's not really happening the last couple of weeks. I'm supposed to eat 1,330 calories for that rate,…
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Mexican Pasta - super easy!
This started as a recipe I found online somewhere, but I've modified it and now keep it in my head and I'm not sure where the original is. 8 oz pasta (I use Barilla plus or whole wheat rotini) 1lb chicken breast 1 15 oz can black beans (I use Bush's reduced sodium and rinse) 1 15.5 oz jar salsa 1 cup frozen corn 2 cups…
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Drinking water - where does it all go?
Okay so I get the basic biology that input = output, and the more you drink, the more you pee. This is part of the problem for a lot of us trying to up our water intake - it sucks to feel like your bladder is going to burst every half an hour. I've read several posts on the boards that say you'll get used to it and stop…
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Anyone have problems with your heels?
I'm calling the doctor tomorrow, but I'm curious if anyone else has this issue. I'm halfway through the 30DS and if you're familiar, you know there's a lot of jumping going on. Since I started level 2, my heel has been getting progressive more tender. It's not significant pain, but it's getting worse. The pain is located…
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How do you handle your un-motivational friends?
You know, those friends who mean well and think they're helping, but really aren't? My mom has struggled with her weight all of her life. I have conversations with her about it on a fairly regular basis, especially now that I'm on my own journey. I ask her for advice, since she's seen a trainer in the past and has been on…
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If you are vegetarian or vegan...
This is a pure curiousity question. If you're a vegetarian or vegan, and you eat out, are you particular about whether the utensils used to make your food has touched meat? I was in Subway a long time ago and the girl in line ahead of me got very upset when they used the same knife to cut her sandwich as they did to cut a…
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Lower metabolism after losing weight
I keep seeing this tossed around - that people who lose weight have a slower metabolism than those who never gained the weight in the first place. Are there any scientific studies that show this? Or does anyone have a good explanation? The only reason I can think of is because when you lose weight, you often lose lean…
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BMR vs TDEE vs MFP recommendation
I'm sure this has been asked in the past but I couldn't find it. The BMR calculator on this site says my BMR is ~1450. A TDEE calculator on another site estimates my TDEE at 1755 for a sedentary life, although I'm somewhere between sedentary and light activity when I'm not exercising. MFP has me set at 1330 calories a day…
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Getting dehydrated and rehydrating, water weight
On Sunday I was away from home most of the day and didn't have good access to water (and I didn't think to take any with me). Honestly I didn't drink many fluids all day. Yesterday I was feeling the effects and drank about twice as much water as I usually do to rehydrate. This morning I weighed in about 1.5 pounds up. I'm…
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Determining body fat %
How do you determine your body fat %? I don't own any calipers. I input my measurements into the army body fat percentage calculator, and it estimated I have around 25% body fat. I have a tanita digital scale at home that told me this morning I have ~31% body fat. I don't trust it, though. Its numbers are all over the…
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Did I injure myself?
Yesterday I did the 30DS level 1 (day 7) with 5 lb weights. Previously, I had been doing it with cans from the pantry. I felt okay yesterday after the workout, but figured I would be sore today. I sleep with my arms folded and when my baby woke in the middle of the night to eat, I hopped out of bed and straightened my arm…
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Abs and body fat %
I want to be fit but not ripped. Like many women, my target area is my midsection. I'd like a flat stomach, but I don't necessarily need to have a 6-pack. Fit for sure, but not hard. Is this even possible? What should my body fat % goal be? I haven't been formally tested, but I input my measurements into the military body…
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Lifting question for women
Ok so this is a boob question, lol. After gaining and losing 50 pounds rapidly when I was a teenager, I've always had "sad" boobs. After two pregnancies and nursing two babies, they're simply pitiful now (thank goodness for good bras). Is lifting going to affect them in anyway, positive or negative? I don't want to have…
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What would you do?
This is semi-hypothetical in a sense that it happened a long time ago, so there's nothing to be done about it now. But I've been seeing the term "anorexic" on the boards a lot this morning and it made me think of this experience. When I was in college, every time I'd go to the gym I'd see the same girl on the elliptical…
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So confused - gaining muscle, losing fat
So you can either eat at a deficit and lose fat (and potentially lean muscle as well), or you can eat regularly or at a surplus, and gain muscle, right? Why do I see so many posts that say, "I'm working so hard and eating right, why did I gain?" and the answer is so often, "You're gaining muscle and losing fat." And I hear…
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Am I crazy?
My husband seems to think I'm setting myself up for failure. I should be getting the 30 day shred DVD in the mail later today and I'm planning to start it tonight. He said he doesn't think I'll stick with it, but then said to prove him wrong. I told him that's not good motivation for me :( Later he said something that…
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Beginner starting 30 day shred - muscle soreness Q
My youngest is 5 months old and I'm looking to get back into shape as I lose my last ~5 lbs of pregnancy weight. I'm "skinny fat" so I'm looking to keep losing fat and replace it with muscle to maintain my weight once I've lost these last few pounds. I've ordered the 30 day shred. I'm not sure if I will do it every single…
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The dreaded loose belly
I have two beautiful girls. As a result of two pregnancies, my belly is rounder than I'd like. I start out the day fairly flat, but once I start eating, it starts rounding out. If I eat a big meal, I look like I'm about 4 months pregnant. I'm 5'10" and weigh ~146 currently. My goal is set at 140 but I'd be happy at 142. I…
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How to get motivated to exercise
For me, losing weight by restricting calories alone is working. I don't need to lose much, about 5 pounds, to get to my goal weight. I'm a mom of two, a 3 year old and a 5 month old. My 3 year old is sick and my 5 month old is not sleeping through the night, so I'm one tired mama. My days are active but not to a degree…
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Question about plank pose
I'm 5 weeks postpartum and ready to start strengthening my core again. I'm interested in doing planks because they're low impact but effective (or so I've been told). I'm just not sure where I should start and what my goal should be. So how long should I hold position and how many times should I do it a day to ease into…
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Building lean muscle mass while dieting
I'm within a few pounds of my goal weight and I'd really like to switch my focus to strength training and building lean muscle mass instead of cardio. I do want to continue to lose weight if possible. I know that cardio in combination with dieting can cause you to lose lean muscle mass as well as fat, and I didn' t have…
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What type of exercise should I be doing?
I'm near my goal weight and I'm curious about what types of exercises I should really be doing. Currently I'm doing ab exercises 6 days a week and riding an exercise bike for 30 minutes 5 days a week. I'm trying to get down to 140 in anticipation of gaining a couple pounds back when I go on maintenance. My ultimate goal is…
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Leg cramps/fatigue
I'd like to get some opinions. I started a diet and fitness routine at the beginning of last week in order to lose about 10 pounds and get back to my pre-baby shape. It's also in large part an effort to be more healthy in general. Part of that is cutting out as much sodium as possible. I've been riding a stationary bike…
