Posts by mogochud

I think it's kind of sad how they try to brand shirataki noodles as "miracle diet food". It's a Japanese food that has been around forever.

I can't remember exactly what they're made from off the top of my head, but it's a type of root. Because our bodies can't digest the fibre in it they are extremely low calorie (it was usually 2kcal per package in Japan).

They are quite yummy in cooking, but you need to make sure that you rinse them thoroughly and then boil them on their own for a few minutes before you add them to whatever dish you are making. Also, don't try to go on a diet based around them...there have been a few famous cases of Japanese actresses that went on a shirataki diet and died of malnutrition.

There is nothing wrong with a short-term cleanse or detox. I work in a store that sells organic/natural foods and it's full of people that insist on trying those type of short-term diets.

I would also like to warn you that from watching all of these people go through what they do while they are on a cleanse, I would never do one myself. For every person that tells me that they feel great afterwards, I have 2 or 3 that say how awful they felt and how they would never do it again.

Also, as far as I know it isn't possible to "reboot your immune system" through dietary means, so take a good look at what your detox claims it will do before you commit.

As a final note,  it was mentioned that vegans/raw vegans can be perfectly healthy. It is EXTREMELY difficult to maintain a healthy diet while being vegan or eating only raw foods. It is possible, but takes a lot of hard work. Keep in mind that some vitamins, etc are best absorbed after the food has been cooked =)

Original Post by degnik:

I have a running theory that people are improperly using the precor ellipticals which causes the calorie count discrepancy... just about 100% of the people I've seen bounce up and down on the machine like they're on a stepping machine. I think the calorie count is calibrated to be if you're minimizing that bouncing motion and your heels do not or barely leave the footpads at all.

The precor is supposed to be a low impact machine on your legs/knees which also leads me to believe that you're supposed to try to keep your heels planted and not bounce. If you do the exercise in such a fashion it suddenly becomes much more strenuous and makes the calorie count seem much more accurate.

Is this true? I've never heard that before.

Hah, for me, being at work is the problem! Home is where I eat healthy.

I work at a deli in a grocery store, so every day going in and out of work I have to walk by this bakery full of delicious items, and I spend all day serving really yummy looking food and having cooks offer me extra tidbits. Saying "no" can be really hard!

Once you get in the habit of saying "no", it does get easier to ignore the temptation. In your case, that would be the overeating once you get home. Maybe a cup of decaf tea after work would help?

What's amusing is that somebody actually went to the trouble to figure that out.

If you feel a stitch coming on try inhaling and exhaling fully a few times...it usually lessens the pain or helps it to go away. If it gets bad your best option is to slow down to a walk for a minute or so until it goes away before starting again.

As for breathing in general...just don't forget to! That "lungs on fire" feeling could indicate that you are over-exerting yourself. Try slowing down a bit until you catch your breath before upping the pace? It could be that you've jumped into this workout a bit too fast and your body just hasn't adjusted to it yet, it should get easier as time goes on.

I think just about everything has been mentioned already, but keep in mind those of us that have skin problems or allergies.

I have a skin/eye condition (it's related) and if I wear make-up I will break out and my eyes will turn bright red. I'd much rather look natural and "lazy" than have to go through that every day.

Also, not everybody feels that they have to enhance their appearance to get ahead, or be treated better

I have tendonitis in my right wrist, so I can sort of relate. Unfortunately it never really goes away, you need to strengthen the muscles before you can start to use your wrists normally again.

I have to do exercises for a few minutes every day to keep it strong. The best one is to grab a tennis ball and squeeze it - hold it for about 5 seconds and then let go. I usually do 3 sets of 10 reps of this exercise every day. He should start noticing a difference in just a few days.

Once he has strengthened the muscles a bit he should be able to do some lifting. In the meantime I would recommend cardio. My doctor mentioned that the increased blood-flow while doing cardio might also help, though I'm not sure if that's true.

Those are good suggestions!

It's 3 days of just cardio (about 30-45 minutes of running on average per day) and then two days of cardio/strength training at the gym. On the gym days I've just been doing 20-30 minutes on either the elliptical or bike, and then the strength training exercises.

Once I'm back to uni I will really need those two days off.

Original Post by ching12:

how would not eating help??

It's not that she should not eat, but that she should try eating less before a workout. Working out on a full stomach makes lots of people feel nauseous or otherwise not great. IE: Before I go for a run I'll usually only eat half a banana or an orange. Breakfast comes after I've come home and stretched.

Yes, of course you can!

It will taste best the first night, but you can definitely reheat them.

It sounds to me like a lot of you might be drinking too much water. Try using the about.com hydration calculator:

http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercal culator.htm

I drink about 1.5 litres a day and that works great for me. Don't forget that you will also absorb water from food, as well as anything you drink (even if it is not water. ie: tea)

Well aside from the fact that you don't need to lose any weight (I checked, and your BMI is 19.7 which is definitely on the lean side) you're not doing anything wrong. I don't know how fast you're expecting to lose weight, but a pound in four days is quite a lot, especially at your height and weight. You don't really have much weight, if any, that you can afford to lose...so it's not going to come off easily.

Why do you feel that you need to lose weight?

Definitely cut out the junk food as much as possible, I find it hard to concentrate on an essay when I'm on a sugar high - especially when it wears off. Try drinking tea (or even hot water) instead of soda, and keeping veggies to munch on. I find celery is really good while you're thinking as it takes a while to chew!

Also, if your uni has a gym you might be able to use it for free or at a discounted price as a student. I find that taking my readings to the gym with me and doing them while on a cardio machine (varies by day) forces me to study while working out.

I agree that it is very disturbing, however I'm not sure that blocking them is the answer. There is a chance that by browsing the other forums on this site and reading the posts they might start to think about healthier options (as in toning up as opposed to losing weight). If their accounts are blocked they may end up looking at pro-ana sites for weight loss advice, which is really scary.