Posts by lchmommy

I LOVE green tea! I drink it all day long at work, which usually runs into 6 or 7 12oz. cups - plus my daily water intake. Green Tea is very good for you.

Since I started drinking the above mentioned amounts, I notice I have more energy and generally feel better throughout the day.

Original Post by safina1:

I read that when buying fish, go for organic and wild, NOT farmed raised fish. Is that true? is wild better than farm raised? should I go for organic fish whenever I can afford it?

how do  you buy your fish?:))any tips?

Good morning!

I always buy organic whenever possible. If not, I go for all natural, though my preference is organic on everything.

When you buy fish, it is best to buy it fresh - not frozen, previously frozen or (the funniest I've seen) "freshly thawed". It's not that it's unhealthy or sanitary - but the ice crystals actually break down the physical components of the meat and nutritional values. When you buy fresh, fish shouldn't smell "fishy". If it smells fishy, it's no good. On that note - when you're cooking fish (and shrimp), if it gets to the point where it smells - like that commercial where everyone is covering their noses - then your fish is overcooked.

Farm raised will most likely be fed hormones - or worse - by-products. Do some research in this - I think you might find yourself converting to many natural and organic items afterwards.

I've read that the best fish is Tilapia. It is yummy, I must say. I tend to favor sturgeon - the consistency is a little more like chicken than fish, if you will, and is great grilled, baked, fried... whatever!! :)

Hope this helped a bit.

Often times when we're thirsty we mistake that feeling for hunger. First grab a glass of water. Many times that helps me. If you find that you are indeed hungry, have fruit or carrots and celery on hand! Great healthy snacks...

You NEED to eat breakfast.

Eating that meal first thing gives your body the "ooomph" it needs to get going... to get your metabolism going! The reason you're not very hungry when you don't eat breakfast is becuase your body is actually storing the fats to run off of. So... when your body keeps the fat and then you eay more later, guess what... your body is still storing the fat.

It's pretty simple. Eat breakfast, preferrably with protien (2 egg whites??). Don't worry if your breakfast hits 400-500 calories - you're body needs them to burn off throughout the day. then when you're snacking on fruits and vegetables and eat a sensible lunch and dinner, smaller in caloric intake than your breakfast, your body is getting a healthy balance of "energy boosting" when it needs it most and you'll be less likely to overeat in the evening and go over your caloric limit.

We're on a tight budget as well. Instead of wasting your money on the cheaper junk food, opt for fruits and veggies, which are often much cheaper in comparison - you'll get more for your money in the long run.

Really watch the ads as well - whenever you see something natural or organic on sale, get that instead (this is my preference, anyway, as our bosdies were not created to handle all of the extra "goodies" man puts in foods, etc).

You can find many healthy things for a lot cheaper than you might think if you try shopping at different stores, local farmers markets and sales.

Good luck!

Original Post by spirochete:

My friend treated me to a special lunch (long story) and I just logged all the calories.

I ate a 2200 calorie lunch.

Anyone tempted to feel badly about themselves can remember "oh wait, at least I didn't eat a 2200 calorie lunch"

I honestly feel like I'm going to be sick. I mean there's no getting around it; that IS disgusting, and I totally did it.

 Oh my gosh - I did that just last week! Pizza. Such a killer.

I'm glad that you understand how I feel! :)

Original Post by veggiedoodle:

Original Post by kay_h:

Either way, for me, it is about counting first, then eating the crackers.   Try it.

Kay. 

 That helps me too! I am horrible about eating half the box of something without realizing it. So now, I always check the package, find the serving size and the calories, and figure out how many calories I want to stay under, take that many crackers out of the box, and put the box away! Eat them on a plate and have some water (or whatever) to drink with them. Then, when they are gone, don't pull the box back out!

 This was my downfall - normally I will take half to one serving and put the box back. This time, I sat down with the box - but I knew that I should have put the box away. It was like the good and bad of your inner conscience battling between right and wrong! I felt like I was sinning. :)

BUT - I totally didn't beat myself up over it. I just was disappointed that I didn't pay attention to my brain - or my body. I paid for it though - lovely heartburn. A nice reminder of why I shouldn't snack in the later evening.

Original Post by alibsam:

Original Post by kae03:

There will be a lot of studying for me the next 2 weeks. 

What have you been doing for the last 9 months?

 My thoughts exactly. Those who have failed to pay attention over the past many months have truly missed out on  alot of important information.

To pick Sarah Palin was to throw the chance at presidency away, in my opinion. Not only is she not qualified, morally sound or - educated?!?! This also shows the psychological issues (for lack of a better term) I find with McCain - angry, sparatic - too quick to pull the trigger. He condemned Obama for analyzing the financial situation and making a sound decision - where he jumped the gun and ended up screwing himself (yet again).

Don't get me wrong - I have a lot of respect for Mr. McCain - but his recent choices of and decisions have made me really question his judgement. I don't like the way his campaign has been run, and I don't understand why people are voting merely because of party preference. It's time to get over that, people - look at the plans, the facts, the behaviors of each candidate - then make your EDUCATED decision. If you're decision is not educated, your vote won't help the American people.

I'm in!

25 y/o F
Current Weight: 184.4
Goal Weight: 140

I weighted myself this morning, so Wednesday if perfect!! I haven't measured, though - are we posting measurements?

Okay - I'll bite. I have done them, and I'll continue to do them. Yes, your body should be able to cleanse itself as spirochete said, but sometimes it's a plus to help your body a bit in order to get rid of the "build up" from the processed foods, etc. that are stuck (and have been since you quit eating that way) in your bowels.

If you're looking for something simple but natural, Arbonne International has two different detox products that I have used. One is the herbal colon cleanse in pill form, and the other is a toxin cleanse - a 7 day mix that you add to water. While the colon cleanses help break down and release the "build up", the detox supplement (liquid) helps release various toxind that your body soaks in naturally - pollution from the air, contaminated water, foods, etc.

I'm sure you could find an herbal colon cleanse at a store like Super Supplements - I just prefer to purchase from Arbonne. I've tried some other ones, but they made me crampy and a bit... "uncontrolled" - the Arbonne stuff is very gentle and I have had no negative side effects from either of them. :)

I hope I've been some help.

Okay, mine's kinda funny, but true: Wii Fit!!! It is SO much fun and really gets your heart going and sweat pumpin'!!

Name: J
Age: 25
Height: 5'4.5"
Start Weight: 187
Goal Weight (by September 29): 181

1/9/08: 187
8/9/08:
15/9/08:
22/9/08:
29/9/08:

Total weight loss:

Original Post by moonikins:

Original Post by p0nda:

I wasn't passing judgement until I had plausible evidence in my own hands, and now that I do, I think it's pretty crappy. While I don't see why 14 year olds can't compete in Olympic gymnastics (I think the rule is stupid), the current rules say they can't so unfortunately they should be stripped of their medals.

Pretty damning evidence.

This site and was referenced as one of the reasons why the IOC finally has opened an official investigation into the girls' ages.

 Here's an article on it:

By Chris Chase

The International Olympic Committee has ordered an investigation into the age of Chinese gymnast He Kexin, The Times of London reports. Faced with almost insurmountable evidence which suggests that He is two years younger than the birth date listed on her Chinese passport, the IOC has launched an inquiry that could result in the stripping of He's gold medals.

This news comes on the heels of another Times report that details the findings of a New York computer security expert who found official Chinese documents that list He's age as 14 years and 220 days. Mike Walker used a Chinese search engine's cache feature to find He's actual date of birth on spreadsheets from a Chinese government website. The spreadsheets were taken down off the site recently and He's name had been removed.

Assuming the IOC is committed to a real investigation and not some dog and pony show, the revelation that the Chinese government covered up the ages of gymnasts could end up being the defining moment of these Games for the host country. Officials wanted the Olympics to be a coming out party for a new China. But while the Games have been a huge success, there is a legitimate possibility that China's legacy from Beijing '08 will be that of a massive government cover-up, not the magical Opening Ceremony or the transformation of Beijing or anything else positive.

All the good work China did to put on these Olympics could be forgotten because of an unnecessary, arrogant move by the government. Why risk everything to put a 14-year old in the competition when they could have replaced her with an of-age 16-year old gymnast? Sure, He is a better gymnast than the Chinese gymnasts who were eligible to compete, but with the judges they had at the Olympics, would it really have mattered?

Photo via Getty Images

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We have started walking (when it's not raining) after dinner at the local track - we get in a mile for right now. We try to go 5 times a week, but the weather has been awful the past several days and there's not really a good indoor alternative nearby, so we haven't gotten 5 days a week in. In fact, we haven't gone walking since last... Friday. Wow. We just started about... 3 weeks ago, so it's not been a long habit.

So should I have my profile set for sedentary or should it be light exercise?

Original Post by sheibar80:

The sedentary activity factor is 1.2, so you would use that instead to arrive at your own tailored numbers.

Here's an excerpt from a page at http://www.bodybuildbid.com:

Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)

 So here's what I came up with:

Female, 25, 185.6lb, 5' 4.5"
BMR: 1498
TDEE: 1798
To Lose: 1198 (though I know I should be eating AT LEAST 1250 cals a day)

Am I correct?