Posts by mindalynn

Get yourself to a doctor!

Original Post by corduroyfirekills3:

Although I appreciate the frustration behind sentiments behind comments like eerica's, can I make a small rebuttal to your wording?

No, scientists aren't really sure what's "good" or "bad", and they are very aware that it's often a more nuanced case than just one or the other. So they do studies, which are frequently highly complicated and detailed, and are often meant to provide new avenues for other scientists to study.

The articles are also available to the public, and people who need to generate content to make money (journalists, health-centered websites, and people with something to sell who need to sound like they know what they are talking about, like our Dr. Mercola here), interpret the findings of basic science and translate them into something that will direct traffic to their site, store, or publication.

Typically, people who aren't already studying biochemistry don't give two craps about a finding about a chemical in a food product interacting with a subtype of cells in a particular organ in a certain way, so they over interpret the findings and publish something that the common person will find interesting, like "Soy is Bad" or "Carbs will kill you."

So it isn't the scientists saying Soy is wonderful one day and Soy is terrible the next, it is people who generalize small findings into overarching headlines and have to backtrack every time a new study comes out. Luckily, wacky "scientists" who "don't really know" are always there to be a convenient whipping boy.

Lay off scientists. They are trying hard to make your life better, and it's not their fault that the progress is slower than news cycles would have it.

EDIT: eerica please don't feel singled out... people use that "scientists don't really know" schtick so much that it's cliche. you just said it on the day i feel particularly verbose. :)

Amen, Corduroy!  That was very well said, and I totally agree with you.

On the subject of soy--I try not to each too much of it.  I have a blood clotting disorder, and the hormone stuff (which has been connected to soy intake) can have an effect on blood clotting too.  I'm probably being overly paranoid, but before I had my first blood clotting episode, I *was* eating a ton of soy-based stuff.  Now, of course there were lots of OTHER more important factors causing my blood clots, but I always wonder if all that soy contributed too.  So, I limit my intake these days (I still eat tofu and stuff sometimes, though.)

Just to clarify for people who may be getting confused:  BMR is the amount of calories you would burn if you did nothing at all--just stayed in bed all day, with no sitting, standing, walking, etc.  This is NOT the same thing as what CC will tell you your burn rate is if you enter sedentary.  This is because even a "sedentary" lifestyle will burn more calories than your BMR (it takes calories to sit, walk to the bathroom, etc.)  The amount of calories you burn on "sedentary" mode is actually 1.2 times your BMR (as amethystgirl pointed out).  So I'm not sure which number this 2000 is.  If it really is your BMR, then you don't want to eat below 2000.  But if it's what CC says you burn on sedentary, then you have to divide that by 1.2 to get your BMR (about 1650).  In that case, you don't want to eat less than 1650. 

In all cases, you want to have a deficit around 500 (not more than 1000).  If you are eating your BMR and want to create a bigger deficit, you should increase the exercise (NOT decrease calories below your BMR).

Good luck!

My advice is this:  Go to this

link and figure out what your basal metabolic rate is.  Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of calories you would burn if you just stayed in bed all day and did absolutely nothing.  (But remember that even a person who sits at a desk all day will actually burn more than this number--this is just for basic bodily functions.)  Without knowing how old you are, I'd guess your BMR is somewhere around 1500.  Whatever that number is, you NEVER want to eat lower than that number.  Period.  Even if you don't exercise at all, you should eat at least this amount.

Also, for optimal weight loss, you should try to stay with an *overall* deficit of 500-1000 calories.  When figuring out the amount of calories you burn in a day on CC, I recommend setting your activity level to "sedentary" on CC and then logging in any extra exercise you do (such as your running).  A sedentary person burns 1.2 times their BMR each day (it is higher than the BMR because sitting takes more energy than laying down, plus things like walking to the bathroom, etc. add in extra too).  So, let's say your BMR is around 1500, then the amount of calories you'd burn if you sat around most of the day would be roughly 1800.  Then, adding in the extra 1375 from exercise, and you get something like 3100.  That means that for optimal weight loss, you should be eating between 2100 and 2600 calories.  The 1375 estimate for exercise calories does sound a tad high, but it depends on how fast you were running/walking and how hard you were playing tennis.  But I'd say you easily burned 1000 calories.  (2.5 hours of exercise is a lot!) So at a minimum, your calorie intake should have been 1900.

Sounds to me like your deficit is just too big and you should try eating a bit more.  I'd also recommend swapping out some of the aerobic activity for some serious strength training.  You can get some really good results that way.  Good luck!

When I first started my weight loss goals, I told my husband I needed his help.  He said he wasn't sure how to help, because he didn't want to be the "mean" one.  I told him I *didn't* want him to scold me for making bad choices.  Instead, we made this plan:  I would tell him my goals and then report back to him on how I did.  For instance, I would say in the morning that I was going to eat only ONE cookie at this meeting where I knew a friend was bringing some amazing cookies, and that the rest of the day I'd be careful about the other things I ate.  Then, at night, I'd let him know whether or not I accomplished that goal.  If the answer was yes, he was all praise.  If the answer was no, he said something like "don't worry--I'm sure you'll do better next time.  WE all have bad days."  The real motivation came for me because I knew I'd have to return and report, and just that accountability gave me extra drive.  I didn't need him to watch over my shoulder or scold me for bad choices--I just needed some way to be accountable.  So maybe you can encourage your fiancee to make her own goals and share them with you.  Then, she can periodically report back to you on how she's doing.  There's no need to criticize what the outcome is--just the fact that *she's* making the goals and staying accountable should really help.  And, you since the goals are her own, she doesn't have to feel pushed. 

For me, I just threw out worrying about the definition of "hips" and "waistline."  My body is pretty much just round around the middle, without a real defined waist (sigh).  So, I just fine the "largest girth" and "smallest girth" measurement and keep track of those.  I have noticed, though, that as I have been losing weight, the largest distance around has moved down a bit.

Actually, I had a waaaay easier time losing weight on the pill--I didn't even do anything or try at all and I lost weight--it was awesome!  But now, sadly, I cannot ever take hormonal b.c. again (turns out I have a blood clotting disorder, and b.c. pills really increase your chances of blood clots).  Anyways, the weight came back when I got off the pill...I think it has something to do with my weird hormones--I have a "minor" case of PCOS.

Original Post by alle0299:

Original Post by sanguines:

Original Post by goddess9:

Alle, I cover about 2.3 miles in 30 minutes, so feel speedy. I'm also about 201 pounds, so I guess that's an excuse.

My best mile time was today - 11:48. I'm proud of being slow. If I can do THAT at 201, people better watch out when I'm 160.

Be honest - anything less than a 6-7 minute mile is not much more than fast walking. Seriously - in the military we do large group runs at about 6 minute pace, during which it's easily possible to keep pace without picking up your feet ("running"). Running is 7 parts mental, 3 parts physical. It's all about how motivated you are.

This is sort of funny because we routinely pass up a large group of Army runners when we run.  If I am going 9min/mile, they must be going 12 min/mile.  I've watched them to see how far they go too - they do three loops on a 1.3 mile trail. So, their slow pace can't be due to a long distance.  *shrug*  My bf likes to make fun of them because he's a former Marine and thinks all ofther branches are whimp ;)

I wonder if what the army guy meant was 6 mph, not 6 minute/mile (which is 10 mph).  There's a big difference!  Even the race walkers at the olympics don't walk 10 mph! I know I sure can't *walk* that fast (run, yes--walk, no), not if my life depended on it. 

Yes!  I agree whole-heartedly!  I have written about this before too.  I would like to be able to see a log (and hopefully, a graph!) of my net calories for each day.  It would be sooo useful to be able to look at my weight graph and my net calories graph together (like on the same plot maybe even?)  That way you could really see visually how the two are correlated.

Have you ever tried PB2?  (See bellplantation.com).  It's like peanutbutter with the oil removed.  Not everyone likes it (it tastes more like natural peanut butter than like Jiff or something) and it's pretty expensive...but it might help you out!  I don't like it plain so much, but in a PBJ or on an apple or something it's pretty good--and only about 50 calories for 2 tablespoons!

At my undergrad university (I graduated in 2004), there were TONS of dance classes, as dancing was EXTREMELY popular.  In fact, our ballroom dance team has been the national champions every year for like the last 25 years or something.  So we had multiple ballroom dance teams, a HUGE folk dance ensemble, a traditional dance team that performed at football games, etc.  I myself took 5 different ballroom dance classes just for fun during my years, and I had roommates who took folk dancing and tap dancing...

As part of our required curriculum, we had to take a couple of fitness classes.  Some of my dance classes counted for this, and I also took soccer (so fun!)  There was a huge variety of different courses offered too--not to mention the not-for-credit exercise classes you could sign up for (like step aerobics or whatever).  Plus, I had a fun time playing on various intramural sports teams.  So there's lots of different ways to exercise at college!

Also, I agree with everyone else--most college campuses will have some sort of gym to work out in.  And most will have a myriad of other options for getting a workout too.  If dance is something you specifically care about a lot, make sure to look into what sort of dance departments the colleges you are looking into have before you make your decision about where to go. 

You're welcome!  It's hard sometimes to not get impatient with the weight loss--I definitely understand!  Good luck with your efforts--and remember the important thing is that you are taking control of your health and doing something!  You are to be congratulated for that.  :)

I had mine out in December...but not until AFTER they had gotten REEEEEALLLLLY infected.  They had grown in, but only partly, years before and the dentist originally said just let them grow in...well, they never came all the way up and were still half covered in gum, making them easily infected. 

So anyways, my point is that they were WAAAAAY painful before getting them out--horribly, terribly painful.  But then I had them pulled, and everything was SO much better!  Yes, the healing from the surgery hurt some, but in comparison it was nothing.

So, the bottom line is:  better out than in!  I so wish I had gotten mine out before they ever got infected--would have saved me a lot of pain!  And *usually* the surgery's not all that bad.  Being put under is not scary at all--one second you're looking at the oral surgeon and the next you wake up in another room!  Just make sure you have someone to help you that day while you have gauze in your mouth and everything, and you'll be fine!  Good luck!

If you ask me, it's too much.  Most of those days are 2 hours or more of working out, and you don't have any days off.  I think your body needs at least one break day a week, so it can recover properly. 

For Ashleym--PCOS is kind of tricky to diagnose because you can have some of the symptoms but not all, etc. You should talk to your gyn--they can do some blood tests and they can also do an ultrasound of your ovaries to see if you have cysts on them or not (it might sound kinda bad, but the ultrasound's not too uncomfortable actually.)

I have sort of a "minor" case of PCOS if there is such a thing--some cysts, but not as many as severe cases. But I agree with gi-jane--you don't need to cut carbs for a low GI diet--just switch entirely to whole grains. Also, you can make sure you eat protein and a little fat with your carbs rather than consuming them alone. Fiber and protein help slow the body's digestion of carbs. Good luck!