Posts by bflo_liska

I've never found the flavor to come through with applesauce, though it will with bananas (not that I mind that, but you might).  The applesauce also just makes for the moistest cake you could hope for, and you can cut a little of the sugar out as well.  It might not rise quiiiiiiite as much, but it should be nice 'n' tasty.

Just beware if you try this replacement in cookies - you'll lose the cookie texture altogether and come out with something more like a muffin top. 

When you have to wear your favorite jeans with heels because they hang two inches lower than they used to.

When you wave goodbye and your underarm no longer continues shaking in a flabby echo.

I think a lot of us have been there at one point or another - I know I certainly have!  I have left the mall crying because I couldn't find a pair of work-appropriate pants in the size I swore I was that didn't cling to my backside like sausage casing.  And I've snapped at a dear friend for putting too much food on my plate after he made me dinner... and the list could go on and on. 

That friend gave me a touch of perspective when he informed me (very gently) that my self-loathing and inability to enjoy a meal with friends was WAY uglier than my butt, no matter it's size and shape =)

If you're 15, then you need more calories than, say, a 30-YO of your size just because being a teenager takes more energy than being an adult.  I was about your height and weight at your age, with a medium frame, and in retrospect, that was pretty skinny.  If CC is suggesting 2100-2400 cals/day, it's probably because you're still young, and you aren't overweight.

I freaked out in high school going from a really skinny kid to a normal sized adult, because the numbers seemed to jump up so quickly and I was deathly afraid of becoming fat.  But now that I've been 5'11" for a while (I'm 30 now), I know that I'm actually pretty thin when I'm 155-160.  One of the toughest things about being a tall girl (other than dealing with short boys and finding clothes that fit right), is coming to grips with the fact that "normal-sounding" weights on most women are totally irrelevant to us.  On the up-side, we will get to eat a little more than our short friends for the rest of our lives =)

Just a word of warning that I know you'll probably ignore, but I gotta throw it out there, and then I promise to stop being a preachy old lady: back when I was your size and age, I was not quite done growing (obviously, since I'm 2 inches taller now).  In retrospect, dieting when I wasn't overweight and wasn't done growing seemed to mess up my metabolism for a while afterward. 

Good luck finding what works for you!

Vitamins definitely do tend to be more absorbable from foods than from pills, but a balanced multi-vitamin is a good insurance policy for any gaps that may exist in your diet.  If you're female, then it might be a good idea to look for something with calcium in it - women tend to need a little more than the RDA, which is based on men's dietary needs. 

I personally take a multi with calcium and iron in the mornings (osteoporosis runs in my mom's family and I tend toward mild anemia).  My hematocrit has been a lot more stable since I started taking it.  On days when I haven't had any dairy, I'll also take a second separate calcium supplement at night.  I don't take both at once because it's my understanding that the body can't absorb a whole day's worth at once.  The two together are still just under a day's worth... I'm not personally a big believer in mega-doses.

Original Post by iblameitontheradio:

apparently we are all already meant to be skinny, and therefore don't get a gym

  - I just knew that the gene for fashion sense was linked to the gene for a willowy frame!  (I possess neither, BTW). 

I'm with ptcmama - if there's nothing comparable you can find cheaper, and you can make the payment while still paying your bills, join for a month and see if you're really getting your money's worth.  If there are really no strings attached and you can cancel any time, then you might as well give it a try.

I can get access to a local college gym for $99 US a year through my employer.  It sounds like a great deal for a basic gym (decent cardio room, weights, etc), but it's actually a rip-off for me.  Why?  Because I won't go.  I don't love being there, and I can't quite get a decent work-out in at lunch and I don't feel like going after work.  So it's $99 for... nothing.  And since I haven't invested very much in it, I don't feel the financial guilt just not using it.  On the other hand, I gladly spend $120/month for an unlimited pass at my yoga studio, which is charming and friendly and convenient to my home, and I get every single penny's worth because I'm there all the time.  You just have to find the right balance for you...

I find tuna too dry unless it's tuna salad, which usually has way too many cals from the mayo, but my mom recently clued me in to a trick I call "Miracle Dip."  You mix fat free plain yogurt with low fat mayo or Miracle Whip in a 3:1 ratio.  I usually make a cup at a time, so I use 3/4 c yogurt and 1/4 c mayo.  Then you chop up any fresh herbs you like - scallion, parsley, dill, chives - whatever sounds good to you - and mix them in.  You'll have to check the cals on whatever yogurt and mayo you use, but I can usually make this for about 50 calories per 2tbsp - perfect for jazzing up a can of tuna. Add some veggies, and you're still under 300 calories for a pretty filling meal/snack/thingamajig.

I love you, samalamadingdong.  I am so glad you recommended this.

I have been starving on 2400 high-fiber, high-protein calories a day (I'm very tall and fairly active) and have been looking for a way to tame the hungries without going nuts on calories.  I picked some glucomannan up at lunch today and took a half dose with my afternoon snack - and those carrot sticks lasted me 4 hours... which is about 3 hours and 50 minutes longer than carrots would normally last.  I look forward to not feeling hungry all day long tomorrow =)

Where are all the giantesses?!

Female

Age: 30

Height: 5'11"

Start Weight: 172

Current Weight: 165

Goal Weight: 160?  (153 used to look awesome, but I have more muscle tone now than I ever have before, so I think 158-160 will probably be about right)

Frame: medium / apple (I think the apple / pear body type is an important factor for women with regards to their weight)

Favorite Exercises: yoga and bicycling

Food Preferences: pescatarian (mostly veg)

Fitness buddy?  Where are you?

At the risk of sounding supremely OCD here...  I'm a slow mover in the morning, and I often don't feel like being in the kitchen all night to prepare for the next day, so I prepare a ton of food on Sunday afternoon.  After I get home from the grocery store, I split things up into single servings so I have a stash of little plastic containers in the fridge that I can grab and throw into a bag in the morning.  This also gives me time to look up calories if needed.  Granted, if you're sharing your fridge with roommates or family, this may not go over well with them! 

I don't know what your "personal space" situation is at work, but I also keep a box of the Kashi hot cereal packets at my desk - I can mix one up in my coffee cup whenever I have 10 minutes to spare and they have enough fiber and protein to keep you going for a little while.

Mimi's right of course that fads don't get you anywhere in the long term.  That being a given, however, South Beach is probably one of the less freakish short-term diets I've seen (My opinion only! I am not a dietician!).  If you're going to try it, though, I'd strongly suggest that you take a day to read up on it before you dive in - I've done it before and did lose weight quickly (combined with running and pilates), but there were drawbacks, too.  I found that I needed a truly absurd amount of water to combat fatigue - I don't know if that has to do with the increase in protein or the decrease in carbs or what  the water seemed to help, though.  Also to mimi's point - I've done South Beach successfully in the past... yet here I am now.  And I'm not looking to gain weight, if you catch my drift. 

Good luck, and congratulations on graduating!  Now there's a long-term accomplishment =)

I have recently become obsessed with this for breakfast: 1/2 c Kashi Go-Lean Crunch (the granola-like one) mixed with 2tbsp natural peanut butter.  The whole thing weighs in at just under 300 cals, and it will keep me going from 5:30 am until 9:30, including a 25 minute bike ride into work.  Sometimes I'll cut the PB in half and substitute a small banana.  I don't feel right calling anything a "meal" without a fruit or veggie...