Posts by carmenxox

gahh that reminds me, I turn 20 in less then ONE MONTH + ONE WEEK... my B-day is December 24th!!

It's scary to think that I'll finally not be a teenager anymore... crazy

a couple years ago I started taking my dog for evening walks, we'd go for 1-2 hours and he loved every minute of it... as did I. It was a chance to clear my head and chill out; relieve the stress of highschool... for him it was his chance to "mark his territory" and torment the bunny rabbits

he's gotten too sick and old these last 2 years or so, therefore walking for so long isn't on the agenda anymore... his joints get too sore, and he starts limping after a while. He's not the energetic young pup he used to be.. it happens.

Last winter I picked up a copy of the Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno, and I was insipired. The transition to clean eating wasn't too hard since I had been trying to make smart choices for the last 6 years or so, but after reading I REALLY learned what was best and worst to look for when choosing food and reading labels.

I also began my New Years Resolution of getting in shape last year, after I noticed that my treadmil had been collecting dust. At first I could only run for a few minutes at a time, but I improved everyday, and now I can run at a fast pace for over an hour now!

I began tracking my progress and my miles weekly in my workout journal, challenging myself to add more miles each week or beat my record times... it became an addiction, a way to ease stress, boost my mood, and keep myself fit and active.

I also began addicted to Oxygen and Hers Muscle and Fitness magazines, I look forward to each issue, and read them religiously! Hey any motivation is good motivation right?

Last month I also got a membership to the gym in my area, and am making rapid improvements in my fitness... all the new equipment keeps my body guessing and continuely responding to my workouts. Im now seeing more and more results which keeps me even more motivated.

I'm thinking about trying a spin class or boot camp class sometime soon!

The best advice I can give is find something that you like and go with it! Some people hate running, but they love weight lifting or yoga.. don't force yourself to do something, or else you will avoid doing it. Working out is fun if you don't consider it work or a job you HAVE to do! Do it because you like it,, not because you should.

Its like when it comes to healthy eating, you're not going to like everything, but you're guarenteed to like something. Don't be afraid to try new things, or prepare things in a different way. The possibilities are endless.

you still havent said how tall you are

you're probably at a healthy weight, but you have body image issues... i dont see how at 123lbs you could possibly be "fat" even at like 5'0 you'd still be thin and healthy

Original Post by cinnamon822:

I've recently gotten into the Diet Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate. I also really love Jello Mousse Cups.

perhaps "low cal"... but deffinately not healthy.

try real food/

you should be eating AT LEAST 2500cal to get your metabolism back to normal, and then probably upwards of 3000-3500cal to put some weight on and be a NORMAL teenaged guy

My boyfriend is like 6'2 170lbs, and eats probably 3000+ calories a day and is SKINNY AS HELL... I wish he'd put on some weight, he'd look so good with a little more muscle mass. I still think he's attractive and all, but he could afford to gain a good 20lbs

Original Post by trikki:

Calories are pretty much the ONLY thing that counts. Ever.

 what is this nonsense you people keep preaching?

not all calories are created equal, you want to choose quality WHOLE foods over processed crap.

sure you could lose weight eating 1600 calories worth of Cheetos but you would only turn into something I like to call "Skinny Fat"

Some of the leanest cultures in the world eat a diet of about 2000calories a day, and are very healthy and LEAN. Americans eat a diet of about 2000calories a day, but as for healthy and lean? Um not so much.

the differense is QUALITY.. if you're gonna eat 1600calories of processed food and sugar, you may lose weight, but you're not gonna look very good.

Now if you eat 1600cal of high quality whole foods like fiberous vegetalbes, lean protein, low sugar fruit, healthy fats, and some whole grains, you are guarenteed to build a better, healthier and leaner body

you could be 58lbs lighter but with a high body fat  and "squishy" appearance, or you could be 58lbs lighter with a low body fat and lean toned muscle

it's your choice

using the arms and legs is like doing compound excersizes like squat-curl-presses... you're burning more calories because you are doing more at once and using various parts of your body, but the effort is distributed so that it feels easier

it's like using the elliptical compared to using a stationary bike... the bike will tend to feel more difficult because all the stress is focused on the legs, while the arms don't really do much. You're not necessarily burning more calories, you're just stressing different muscles

the best way to tell how hard you're working and burning the most calories is to use a heart rate monitor, and rate your efforts... if it feels hard, it probably is! (don't cheat yourself)

up the resistance on the elliptical and give it your all... dont be one of those crazy ladies who flops around like a fish out of water on the elliptical with a low level resistance.

upping the resistance is like upping the incline on a treadmill, the higher it goes the harder it's going to be.

thanks a lot guys, this has been helpful... still a little confused, but im sure once i play around on the thing a bit more ill be able to know what is "the hardest I can go" and whats a good recovery pace

the "HIIT" workout on the machine has the 90 sec recovery time at level 3 resistance, and the "sprint" at level 8 for 30 seconds

I guess you need to push yourself super hard for those 30 seconds and get as much SPM as you can, cuz otherwise a level 8 resistance is relatively easy at a 130-140 SPM pace

it's not a bad thing.. it's actually very beneficial for your body to eat 5-6 times a day, each meal spaced 2-3 hours apart

this keeps hunger under control, prevents overeating/binging, keeps your energy up, and blood sugar steady

as long as your meals are healthy, balanced and full of whole natural CLEAN foods.. and you're not overeating or undereating then it a GOOD thing

EGGY BUM FLUFF

ahahaha are you serious? lol very nice

good luck on your journey

meh I don't care for it either

cabbage rolls= yuck

meatballs= barf

mashed potatoes= boring

gravy= ugh salty slimey gunk

cranberry sauce= um are you kidding me?

...

turkey I can do, along with a bountiful array of winter squash and pumpkin (puree, not pie!)

BUT i'm from Canada so we had our Thanksgiving like a month or two ago... and I didn't care much for it. It's boring, everything is like the same dirty color...WHERE'S THE VEGGIES!!??

Plus all my family lives in another province so I never see them, and my mom tends to burn something every year... we're thankful if the turkey comes out not charred to ashes!!

I LOVE SAUERKRAUT!! Most people think it's digusting

I also love tomato paste, fish of all types, steamed cauliflower, brussel sprouts, spaqhetti squash, pumpkin, zucchini, berries, flax seed, soy milk, tofu, and NATURAL NUT BUTTER!!!

I hate RAW TOMATOES, ugh I can eat them canned or in sauce, but that nasty acidic taste and the texture when they're raw is dreadful!! I also hate hard boiled egg yolk, I LOVE it runny/over-easy, but when it's cooked it's all chalky and nasty.. oh and most cheese is disgusting!!

DON'T STOP WEIGHT TRAINING!

Even if you've plateaued for now, that weight training will do more for your body then cardio ever will.

Cardio will only make you a smaller version of your former self; but weight training will add muscle, decrease fat, and shape your body beyond your wildest dreams.

I stopped seeing results with just doing cardio, so I incorporated more weight training, calisthetics, and resistance excersizes, and now I'm seeing more and more results everyday!

I've lost inches, firmed up, and have TONS more deffinition in my arms, legs and stomach... see my profile picture? Well, I need a new one!! I don't look like that anymore!!

...

a pound of muscle burns an extra 50 calories a day, so add muscle and you'll be able to eat more!

besides muscle weighs more the  fat but takes up less space, allowing you to lose inches and drop sizes, even if that stubborn scales not budging.

remember people judge you on how you look, not how much you weigh.. if you look good, you feel good, and everyone else notices.

tuna steaks

salmon fillets

shrimp skewers

hallibut

snapper

...OR if you're feeling adventurous:

chilean sea bass

swordfish

octopus

squid

shark steaks

...

my favourite still is Mahi Mahi though.. but of coarse you could grill pretty much ANY fish, just season it to your preference, wrap it in tin foil, and through it on the grill. This works exceptionally good with whole fish too, like rainbow trout

maybe you should of got a job better suited for your condition...?

I'm not trying to insult you, but I'm sure you knew ahead of time what the job required. Just saying, you need to know your limits. Don't attempt things that your body can't handle all at once... that's how alcohol poisoning happens.

Saying "well I have ADHD" will ALWAYS sound like an excuse, especially if used often. My boyfriend likes to use that excuse when he's bored during a movie or something and wants to fool around.. yeah nice try. I know his games.

Perhaps you should actually talk to your boss about your condition, most jobs are interested in medical history especially if it will effect performance. You wouldn't trust a person with a sleeping disorder to drive a semi would you? And risk them falling asleep at the wheel on the freeway? I sure hope not.

Maybe this job isn't for you, or maybe you just need to learn how to organize yourself better (take notes, carry a journal/notepad, plan things ahead of time, etc) let your boss know that you can only do so much at once, and maybe they'll spare you some of the work load.

I'm a waitress at a sports bar, and I doubt my manager would of hired me if I was missing an arm. You can't serve food with no arm...