Posts by etahbear

Chocolate cake. Even if it's not the most amazing cake on earth it's chocolate cake so its worth it.

Welcome kbella and ifeelpurple! I look forward to hearing about your progress!

Thanks okie, you're a sweetheart. I have what seems like a long way to go still!

Dplatzer- I'm anxious to hear an update from you. I have to imagine that it was just freak water weight somehow or a weird scale, I know how fit you are.

Where are all the talls girls at? I've been gone a couple weeks and the thread has barely moved at all!

I had my tummy tuck, it was a smashing success. No more embarassing belly flap! I atually have a real bellybutton now too, these are exciting times. As soon as I'm allowed to exercise again I hope to lose about 15 lbs, some of which I gained while my mom was here taking care of me (pumping me full of cakes and muffins). I've already started on the first step- cutting out sugar again. I got addicted to it again and now I'm suffering without it. Lots and lots of fruit flavored sugar free gum!!

How is everyone else doing?

I have bad knees and I was only able to run after finding a really really good pair of shoes for the way I run. I suggest going to a place where they video you on a treadmill and then fit you with a shoe. I am a big time supinater so getting the right support has made all the difference to my knee pain. Also I only run on barked jogging trails, never on concrete. It tends to slow my times down a bit but it saves my joints.

Grrr to the tall girl joints!!! I was in a lot of pain after pushing myself too hard with my weight lifting and running so I decided to go to the gym and just focus on upper body to give the old knees a break. Of course I dislocated my shoulder lifting a giant weight 3 sets in. I have been in serious pain and had to take an entire week off from any exercise at all. It's really frustrating when I have only one more month to get into the most amazing shape I possibly can.

I didn't weigh in but since my pants still fit I assume I'm fine. Next time I weigh myself I'll probably have gained 15 lbs and will pass out.

Congratulations to all you losers. I am definitely jealous. You guys are inspirations.

I can only tell you how we do it at our house. Firstly my kids don't have free access to any food, they have to ask if they want a snack. They don't have a problem with asking because I normally give it to them but they know they can't just grab whatever they want. This is more about "I'm the mommy and I'm in charge" sort of respect than nutrition but it's helpful anyway. When they ask for a specific food and I don't think it's healthy I tell them so and they enjoy thinking of something that might be healthier. These days my 5 year old will reject candy and say "I want a healthy snack!", what a little weirdo.

As far as the not eating meals but snacking thing, my kiddos (also 5 and 2) know this does not fly. If you don't eat your lunch you don't get snacks. I never force them to eat the food on their plates if they aren't hungry but no way are they going to snub lunch to raid the pantry. #1- it's my job to make sure they get proper nutrition and the best way to do that is with complete meals. #2- it again shows me disrespect if they decide they don't want to bother with what I took the time to make them, they just want to grab snacks. #3- Introducing children to a wide variety of foods and encouraging them to try them (yes, I enforce the "no thank you bites" rule around here) makes them healthier and more adventurous eaters later in life.

However, if they are eating their meals well and they are still hungry for snacks I don't have a problem with feeding them. I do sometimes ask my 5 year old "are you hungry or do you just want to eat?" when it seems like her intake is particularly high. I do want to make her aware of the difference. On the whole though kids are fairly good at intuitive eating. Their bodies will tell them when they need the extra calories for a growth spurt or to recover from illness (my kids get sick and eat poorly for 3 days they turn to skin and bones, I am sick for 3 days and eat poorly my metabolism screeches to a snail's pace and I gain 5 lbs. There is no justice in this world)

That's pretty much all the verbal diarrhea I have on the subject for now. Good luck!!

I *believe* the idea behind doing HIIT after lifting rather than before is that you spend a LOT of energy before you get into the weight room and then you aren't able to give as much effort to the lifting as possible. You'll want to give all your energy and intensity to your lifting to really get the results you want. You'll find that in later phases of NR intervals are included in the routine, after lifting. I believe phase 3 switches between intervals and a body weight matrix.

I'm having surgery at the beginning of July with a serious recovery time after. I've been hitting the free weights hard and will continue to up until the day of surgery. I want to have as much muscle as I possibly can for when I'm ready to be up and about again. When I was put on strict bed rest for 3 months while pregnant I tore a disc in my back within days of having the baby, I have absolutely no intention of going through sciatica pain like that ever again.

I'm not sure exactly how many carbs you're eating now but going from eating almost no carbs to an appropriate amount of carbs is a surefire way to gain weight, that's why I would never suggest to anyone cutting them down so low to begin with. It might take your body a little while to adjust to burning carbs for fuel again. I am no authority, of course, but it's one possibility.

I pretty much ignore the grading system for recipes. I make all of my bread from scratch using whole grains and fresh natural ingredients but my wheat bread gets a B and store bought pre-sliced type bread gets an A.

Some of my recipes that give me a B will come to an A in my analysis if I enter the ingredient separately in my food log.

The system is definitely not perfect but it's a good general guide.

Welcome to all the new amazons! You will definitely find support here!

Well, I am optimistic this morning! I have scheduled a consultation with a plastic surgeon, this is actually going to happen and I'm suddenly insanely nervous!!

I have gained 10 lbs. When I saw the scale I literally screamed and cried and kicked something so hard I bruised my foot. Then I took measurements and my waist is down 1.5"

I'm really torn now. My weight is going up as I am gaining insane amounts of muscle from the New Rules program and I can definitely tell the difference in my day to day life, I lift things like they're nothing, I can squat down and do things. I can pretty much do anything physical I want to and I'm loving that feeling but my thighs are definitely thicker (they were muscular before, now they're hard as a rock even when not flexing and just insane) and my weight number keeps going up. I am trying really hard to not weigh myself but some days I think I should stop lifting and go back to being a cardio bunny so I can look bony and emaciated. sigh

Hang in there, Carol! I swear to you that some if not all of that gain is water weight. Let your body have a tiny bit of time to adjust and maybe up your exercise a bit if you can. You're so tall, you should be able to eat more than you are, really you should. Your metabolism will adjust and speed up and your body will release the water weight. Drink lots and try to relax, you look amazing!

I use fat free cottage cheese to make protein pancakes at least 3 times a week. 1/3 cup cottage cheese, 3 egg whites, 1/3 cup oatmeal. Put it in the blender and whip it all up, fry with a little spray in a non-stick pan. It's delicious with a little bit of sugar free syrup or applesauce on top, packed with protein.

I usually eat 6 times a day . If I don't plan my snacks I'll find myself grazing, grazing is my downfall.

I always eat something small when I first wake up, then sip on tea until 10:30 or 11 when I'll have second breakfast, my favorite meal of the day. Then I'll do lunch at 1 to 2, snack (usually a berry smoothie) at 4-4:30, dinner between 6-7 then a dessert or snack after the kids go to bed at 8:30.

Hey guys! The New Rules program is going really really well, I feel good about it. I come out of the gym feeling like I've worked hard and I'm starting to see more muscle, especially in my arms and shoulders. I will not miss seeing my collarbone stick out so much where it meets my shoulder, that is an ugly knob.

While I was at the gym trying my first ever dead lift I had to wait behind someone who was huge and looked like he knew what he was doing. I asked him to show me how and it turns out he's the record holder for the deadlift in my state or somethingorother, anyway he's a competitive power lifter and personal trainer. He went down my list and helped me do all of them. Man did it make a difference! I was apparently doing some things slightly wrong and doing them right made me feel like I was being ripped apart...that's a good thing! I also really enjoy being the only girl hanging out at the free weights with the guys. I feel super cool and hard core. Those are sexy times for me.

I haven't weighed myself and don't plan to for at least another week. Who the heck knows? I do know that I set a new PR when I ran this morning. It did help that it was HAILING on me, that's motivation to move my rear end. I also know that it's TTOM so who the heck knows what my body is doing right now. I do feel bitterness when I realize men don't have to deal with what their hormones are doing to their weight all the time. Boys are dumb.

-Erin