Posts by skp_here82

What's stopping you from asking the gym staff, that's what they are there for? If you are feeling uncomfortable because you are new, or because you are a bit out of shape, or because you don't know anything about the machines - they have seen it all, and they will be happy to help. They can also usually help you put together an exercise plan.

Original Post by gi-jane:

If you're totally sedentary the amount of calories you need to maintain your weight are around 2000 per day.   On the other hand, if you move around at all for more than half an hour a day (walking etc.) then it shoots up to 2700.

This doesn't make sense. Just over half an hour of walking per day would not cause him to use 700 kcal more a day. More like 100 kcal more.

One of my favourite dishes in the world is dal (or daal or dhal), one of the staple foods of India.

In a cooking pot, cook about 300g lentils in water until completely mushy. I would use either the small red lentils, or the yellow lentils or yellow split peas. I would not use the regular larger brown lentils as they are more difficult to cook into a mush. The cooking time will depend on the type of lentils - small red lentils will take only about 20-30 minutes, yellow lentils maybe 1 hour 30 minutes.

In a frying pan, fry 1 large chopped onion in a bit of oil until soft. Add some indian spices (a curry mix and some mustard seeds will do the job) and a chopped fresh tomato. Fry for a few minutes until everything is mixed together, then simply add the contents of the frying pan into the cooking pot, stir, and that's it! Simple and healthy.

The consistency of the dish can be anything from thick stew to medium thin soup - whatever you prefer.

I would say it is highly unlikely you got amenorrhea from eating cocoa. One is much more likely to get it from not eating enough or from not eating enough fats. How is your eating in general?

It sounds like you are at point in life when you are craving big changes, which probably explains your decision to consume only 1200 kcal, but I would urge you to reconsider. With a BMI of 25.4 you are only just slightly overweight. Also, you are quite tall. I think, based on posts by others here, that 1600-1800 kcal would probably be a better idea. 1200 might set you to fail, 1600-1800 would be easier for you and therefore you'd be less likely to give up, or overeat when feeling particularly hungry.

Original Post by cellophane_star:

Less water would probably dry it out. I use 2 parts water to 1 part oatbran.

Only 2 to 1? I usually have 30g oatbran and 180 ml milk or part milk part water (sorry, I am metric), which is 6 to 1. I just stick it in the microwave for a couple minutes, stirring every minute.

Eating most fruit makes me hungry! I agree it's then better to have fruit with a bit of protein - for me it's a small chunk of cheese, usually.

What is your nationality? If you are American, you could ring the American embassy and ask if there is any kind of expat network you can join. I am sure people will share tips about food and shopping.

Have you tried talking to any local people to ask them where to get produce?

When I lost 30 lbs last year, I seem to have lost the weight everywhere except my breasts...I have a very Dolly Partonesque profile as a result, and bras in my size (32G!!!) are quite difficult to find. On one hand I love my boobs, on the other hand I often wish I was a more normal size, so I could jump, run etc.

Original Post by ryanndani:

diet pills, starving, laxadives, energy shots, throwing up. anything and everything that will make me thin and fast. i know this is stupid and unhealthy so i dont need to hear it. but advice girls? but does anyone have any get skinny quick tricks other than the ones listed above? oh and what r the best diet pills to use for someone lookin to lose 25 pounds? 

In one of your other posts you mentioned you majored in nutrition. How about you go back to your college book about nutrition and re-read it? Please don't behave towards your body like it's your worst enemy.

Original Post by loseitx:

1 tsp of curry has only 20 calories, 0.9g of fat, ZERO cholesterol, 3 mg of sodium and only 0.2g of sugar. And its a great seasoning. WEll, I personally LOVE it. But I had no clue that it was so..empty!

So, i'm gonna use this to make tomorrow's lunch. Maybe I'll curry some chicket breast with some veggies but i'm not sure.

Anyone out there have any curry recipes and idea's they'd liked to share? =)

Which type of curry? Also, are you talking about curry sauce or curry paste?

I agree, curry is delicious - I love curries an often cook them myself, from scratch. A thing to remember is that if you found a type of curry sauce that is low in calories, it does not mean that all curries are, especially those in Indian restaurants, as they are often laden with oil and ghee.

Another thing to remember about curry is that many of the ingredients are really good for you - turmeric has numerous health properties, other ingredients like garlic, chilies, ginger are also good for you. Enjoy :)

Original Post by trustwomen:

I think "thinspiration" is a terrible idea, whether the models used are healthy or not. It makes you focus only on externalities, for starters, keeping things nice 'n shallow. Objectifying people, who then become what they look like and no more, making it even easier for a person to think that she herself is only what she looks like and no more.

Reverse thinspo is a disgusting, hateful practice. It is also just so incorrect - "if you eat that slice of pizza, you will look like this 600-lb person!". Nope. Eating like a normal person makes you look like a normal person. Eating like a chubby person makes you look like a chubby person, no more than that. Eating when you are hungry, which is what thinspo and its reverse counterpart is trying to prevent, is actually a good thing. Telling (or "inspiring") people not to eat when they are hungry is destructive, counterproductive, and unhealthy.

The main complaint I have about the legions, and I mean legions, of young women who are obsessed with losing weight/staying thin/not getting fat is that they honestly don't seem to have anything else to think about, focus on, or be. There is so much more in this world, from things between one's own two ears to things that are happening in the world around us, that have nothing to do with waistlines or scales or clothing sizes, and I resent these people for trying to make the entire world just as shallow as they are. "Thinspiration", with its obsessive focus, does just that. Takes young women and reduces their entire selves to whether or not they look just like the model on the screen, whose full-time job it is to look that way and who honestly is not accomplishing anything in this life beyond looking pretty. That, in turn, "inspires" all our young women to also seek to do nothing with their days, their critical years, or indeed their entire lives than just try to look pretty. And that's a damn waste.

I would just like to second what trustwomen said, and she said it much more eloquently than I ever could.

I read this article and I liked it, obviously because I am a UK size 12!

In terms of converting to US sizes, I recently went into the new Banana Republic shop that opened in central London, where all the sizes are obviously US sizes. I told the sales assistant that I was a UK 12 and they recommended I try size 8, however that was still slightly too big for me, and I could fit into their size 6 (jeans).

I know you can't generalise on the basis of one shop, and I think generally it is two sizes down.

Hi!

I just turned 33 a month ago, have been married for five years, but no children - hubby doesn't want any, I am not sure if I want any, and have nine nieces and nephews anyway!

My highest weight was a year ago - about 180 lbs, I am now hovering around 150, and would ideally like to go down to 140 or so.

I don't actually count my calories every day - I am trying to stick to South Beach Diet and use this website every now and then to check the calorific values of various foods. Love the forum though!

(And I am glad not to be the only 30-something without children around here!)

Talking about weird sizes, I am a 32G at the moment (32FF at best). I honestly don't know anyone else built like me - I have short legs, large hips, small waist and tiny ribcage and then huge boobs. It's never easy to find clothes that fit!

Here in the UK we have a lovely shop called Bravissimo (bravissimo.com) that caters for larger boobed women, size D up - and they have band sizes as small as 28 inches.

I would not recommend going for a larger band size unless the bra is uncomfortably tight - the band is doing most of the support and needs to fit fairly snuggly.