Posts by cc31

Original Post by cellophane_star:

Kale is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat. I sautee a leek (white part only) in olive oil, add some garlic, then add kale with a squeeze of lemon juice. Let the kale wilt down (but still bright green) and at a pinch of nutmeg & pepper.

I use this method as well - except I will sometimes vary the nutmeg & pepper for crushed red pepper flakes.  I have also used chinese five spice on them and toasted sesame seeds at the end.  Delicious when sauteed with shiitake mushrooms. 

My favorites are mustard, turnip, and broccoli rabe.  I also really like lightly wilted escarole with a little red wine or balsamic vinegar and crushed red pepper flakes (or hot chillies chopped very small).  Last time I had greens it was at my mother's house, and she tossed them with thin brown rice spaghetti - it was delicious. 

I love working out in the mornings.   I have become a morning person because of it.  I actually look forward to waking up in the morning!  Of course, I also go to bed early enough that I get a good 8-9 hours of sleep, so I am not dragging when it's time to wake up.

I am a runner, and for me the mornings are so peaceful - almost like meditation.  It makes for a great start to my day and it gives me incredible energy.  It's my favorite time of the day!

You are making your edema worse by taking diuretics.  That's why you're waking up so puffy - the rebound water retention from diuretic use.  Just drink plenty of water, watch your sodium, make sure you're getting enough potassium and protein, exercise to "sweat it out" some, and give it time.  Your body will balance out on its own.

I'm usually a morning exerciser and find that I often lose my appetite after working out - although I'm usually hungry enough for a late lunch around 1 pm.  However, if I've had to work out in the afternoon, that will usually mean I'm not hungry for dinner.  So when that happens, I eat a piece of chocolate.  Works like a charm!   It gets my appetite going immediately (for more chocolate!)  The thing I do is, rather than eat more chocolate, I eat dinner :)  

I have had issues with low iron levels (borderline anemia) due to heavy periods, coupled with running. 

My first thought is that as long as your mild deficit didn't compromise your nutrition (meaning, that cutting calories didn't imply cutting protein and fat so much that it would affect the nutrients you're getting) then it would be OK. 

However, if you're low on energy, and your mild deficit causes your energy to be further compromised, then I would suspect that you might need to keep your intake at maintenance to feel better, at least for now.  

Typically, whenever I feel 'off' I focus on feeling better, mostly through making sure my nutrition is optimal and that I am getting plenty of rest.  Mind you I am not trying to lose weight, but I don't worry about my calories and if there is a gain, either.  I think your focus should be on getting back to your old self. 

I hope you feel better soon, and wish you the best of luck on your tests!

Any type of packing/warehouse, grocery store stock room work, even some factory jobs where you are assembling parts... working as a mechanic in certain capacities where you're only dealing with machines. 

Still, in all jobs you will have to deal with people in SOME way - be they your clients, your supervisors, or colleagues.  

I don't know much about weight gain, but I think it might be a good accomplishment for you to be able to make do with what's available at the house and let go of the "perfect" meal ideal...It would definitely take some pressure (and focus) off of food and eating, and make it easier to embrace flexibility in your meals.  Don't you think? 

Ironically, sports forced me to forgoe counting calories. My activity level shot sky-high, and it just became impossible to count and log food anymore... I started taking extra servings at dinner, putting on a bit more pb, nibbling here and there... I just started eating more until I finally said "screw it" and stopped counting all together. 

I think this is what I need to do.   I have been playing around with intuitive eating for a while now and struggling - I think I just need to stop counting altogether.  Like you, my activity level is quite high because of my running, so I am always doubting whether I'm eating enough or balancing my nutrients appropriately (hence, logging).  I like your "screw it" idea.  I think I need to implement it! 

I love, love, love homemade cranberry sauce.  I make mine with orange juice and it turns out delicious.  I particularly love it when it turns out chunky enough that some of the berries pop in your mouth. 

I am the "cranberry sauce person" for my family at the holidays and I *always* have to make extra because people want to take some home it's sooo good. 

First, let me say it is great that you are exercising and you should keep that up for your health, not just weight loss. 

That said, the reason we lose weight is that we burn more calories than we consume - the basic calories in vs. calories out equation.  So, are you counting your calories and keeping a food log?  Are you logging your burn through exercise?  If your weight hasn't budged in 6 weeks, chances are that your intake is evening out with your burn, leaving no deficit = no weight loss.

I would use the tools on this site to track your calories (measure what you eat by weight for greater accuracy) and burn and take it from there. 

I add all kinds of things to oatmeal - both savory and sweet.  For sweet: pumpkin, cut up apples, peaches, blueberries, mashed banana, apple sauce, sliced almonds, walnuts, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, cinnamon, apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice, unsweetened cocoa, caramelized ginger, nut butters of all types.  For savory: I make it either broth or water (or a combination), toppings range from scallions & soy sauce, sunny side egg (with runny egg yolk), asian hot sauce, cut up or shredded chicken, shrimp, pesto, spinach, crushed red peppers, bell peppers, tomato sauce...sky's the limit. 

I love oatmeal (well, oat bran cereal, actually) and have it for lunch daily (along with a piece of fruit and/or raw veggies).  The things I mix into it change every day, though, to keep it interesting :)

ETA: For savory oatmeal, I usually prefer something like Steel Cut oats for more texture.

This used to happen to me when I started running.  I was tying my shoelaces too tight.  As you run, your foot swells and the tight shoelaces cut off some circulation = numb feet.  Just make sure your shoe is actually properly sized for your foot, and that your laces are tied properly ... I think that might take care of the problem! 

Original Post by run4eva:

Ran cross-country in college!  My diet in college sucked, hence my performance sucked! Good luck in your pursuit of athletic excellence- wish I could have realized back then that crappy intake means crappy output!

THIS ^^^^  Cannot stress enough how important your intake is to good performance.  By that I mean not just intake quality, but also quantity.  Make sure you have enough energy in for all the energy you are expending!! 

Actually, for me it depends.  When it comes to logging in my running by itself, I find that it captures my calorie burn well.  However, when it comes to setting an activity "type" (lightly active/moderately active/etc) and not logging in my workout separately, I find it underestimates. 

Have you tried setting yourself to sedentary and adding in your workouts afterward?  That's how I got to the most accurate number for me.  It might take you a few weeks (up to a month) to find your "magic number"...  You might want to try going by the phord calculator and override the number that CC gives you.

Edited for typo. 

I currently run about 25-30 miles per week.  I do HIIT three times a week for 20 minutes.  I take one day "off" on the weekends where I go hiking, play golf, tennis, go kayaking...to change up the activity.