Posts by justinagrado

IN my experience kicking sugar is just like beating any other addictive food habit(like caffeine), so it all depends on which method you want to use. cold turkey, gradual, whatever it takes; if you feel it's necessary for your health and peace of mind find ur method of choice. Mind over matter as they say.

As for actual tips: i try to have naturally sweetened, healthier alternatives to old favourites(like oatmeal cookies sweetened with bananas and agave nectar) or just plain sweet grapes, and i use a LOT of will power to focus on their sweetness so I get used to it and not the brownie :)

it may or may not work for you, hopefully something does :) Good luck!(although luck has nothing to do with it)

I wouldn't necessary develop a hate towards "less healthier" choices, but I would convince myself that healthier choices are better-for example, picturing spinach or whatever going in to my body, my body digesting it hungrily and all the nutrients and oxygen rushing out to my veins and organs-LOL ok that sounds weird, but it may help

side note*: mind over matter is a scientifically proven theory(quantum physics) and yes it does work because the mind doesn't know the difference between what is reality and false. Google videos "what the bleep do we know?" movie. awesome!

according to a nutrionist i once spoke to about pregnancy, you only need an extra 200 calories to feed the baby

best of luck and look forward to seeing pics of your healthy baby!

diet is important, and some type of movement is necessary for a healthier lifestyle. some suggestions to get movin": work-out dance videos(belly dance, carmen electra, latin) dance lessons!, jogging, walking, swimming, aqua classes, WII fit,  yoga, hiking(i live near the rockies so this is easy for me)-basically, whatever gets the happy juices going! :)

HI everyone! happy hump day! man this week is just zipping by...:)

I just need some clarification as i'm fairly new to the site, and this group is nice and small so it makes chatting more comprehensible.

CC tells me that I burn 2100 on an average day, with light exercise. it tells me to eat 1350 to lose 1.5 lbs a week.

in the initial analysis i put only light activity because other than exercising at the gym im pretty sedentary.

so the question is: should i adjust the calories on days that i DO work out? for example, stick to 1350 daily, but if I work out(maybe 30-40 mins moderate cardio + 30-40 mins weights) should I add calories? and how many? I'd really appreciate your input :) and can't wait till Friday!

GW –115 lb

CW – 173.5

Total lbs lost/Goal lbs to loose: 0/58.5

09-12-2008 – 173.5 lbs
09-19-2008 – 173.5-but I think I lost an inch or so in the waist, my pants are looser
09-26-2008 –
10-03-2008 –
10-10-2008 –
10-17-2008 –
10-24-2008 –
10-31-2008 –
11-07-2008 –
11-14-2008 –
11-21-2008 –
11-28-2008 –
12-05-2008 –
12-12-2008 –
12-19-2008 –
Goal < 12-25-2008 –

Hello! My name is Justina, I'm a 26 year old Canadian, eh :) I'm married, no kids(weight may be the reason for that, so I'm very motivated to lose weight). I work as a Program facilitator in the developmental services field, so either sitting or standing. I work out 4-6 x week, and I alternate between cardio machines and weights, and classes.

Sorry for the late post; I did weigh myself Friday evening :)

Congrats to all! It was a great first week!

Original Post by deflepfan16:

I kind of do something and it makes me feel absolutely crazy..so I wanted to know if anyone else does this.

Ok, so I've read a lot about how good Naturally More Peanut Butter is for you and stuff, because it has egg whites, flax seed, etc. yeah well, I never saw anyone say it has cane sugar and honey in it and I didn't check the label before I bought 4 jars!!!!

Now, don't get me wrong, this stuff is DELICIOUS! However, I have worked so hard to remove all added sugars and artificial sweeteners from my diet..and now just the thought of eating those jars is nagging me. I'm thinking about going and returning them and using that money to buy some all natural, one-ingredient peanut butter. Most people would say just eat them and know that for the future, and don't buy it again, and that amount of sugar won't make much of a difference. But it's like I can't keep eating them..I've worked so hard to get rid of that stuff!

I have also returned some bagels when I got home and realized they were made with wheat flour and not 100% WHOLE wheat flour!

Anyone else done this/do this? Or am I seriously crazy haha

generally if you believe in something(a faith, or not eating processed foods or added sugars, or whatever) then stick to it and NO you're not crazy

"stand for something or you'll fall for anything"

Original Post by shoppinggirl1229:


OK! so i am a vegan, and recently went out for a whole week and gained alot of weight just from drinking alot each night and in return eating alot the next day! My question is if i only eat vegtables, like carrots with hummus, edamame, baby boc choi, mushrooms, celery etc...will i loose weight by doing this, im not eating a ton either...600 calories at the most but i am completely cutting out breads, starch and sugar...any advice or opinions?/

my uneducated guess would be that you'd lose weight but mostly water and muscle mass???

my moral vegan friend eats tofu and soy nuts as a protein substitute, as well as various beans. i don't think our bodies were meant to survive on veggies alone, as wonderful and colourful as they are :)

Original Post by lalalexi:

I need more fiber. I average only about 10gms per day according to my food log analysis. But here's the catch: I don't like fruits/vegetables. I know, I know, I'm a weirdo, and I wish I did, but I don't. So I need either a) relatively low calorie food options or b)supplements. I'd like to get up to 25 gms if possible.

Thanks for your non-judgemental recommendations! :)

Nutrilite Invisifiber-4 g of fiber, mix in to juice, water, sprinkle on food, has no flavor or gritty texture

www.jgrado.qhealthbeauty.com >vitamins and supplements >digestive health

here's to good health!

i would like to have tons of yummy recipes for squash(spaghetti, and whatever the other ones are called)

any ideas??????????\

also wheat berries are delicious made like a salad with corn, green onions and a salsa type dressing, very nutritious

Original Post by aeroplanexc:

it's funny, ever since i started my weight loss journey, i cut out all beverages with calories in them; milk, juice, gatorade, etc. it worked; i lost over 50 pounds. obviously that wasn't my only cutback, i counted all my calories as well. But the other day, after my shift at work (starbucks), i decided to order an iced soy latte. it kept me full for hours! i don't know if it was the volume or the protein, but it was very satisfying.

so; do YOU drink your calories, or do you stick to water?

I stick to water usually because it's the best liquid you could give your body, but I also drink XS energy drink which is 0 carb 0 sugar and damn tasty!

also, Tim Horton's is the rave over here (In canada) so a small iced cappuccino made with milk instead of cream is 150 calories if you're out with friends or whatever.

occasionally i'll make a shake with soy protein and 2% milk or soy and fruit if i'm rushing out and i need a small meal.

as for calcium intake, I take a supplement so that helps me along if I forget about the milk or dairy.

Original Post by maggiejeter:

According to his autobiography...

3 Sandwiches of fried eggs, lettuce, tomato, cheese, fried onions, and mayo. One omelete, a bowl of grits, 3 slices of french toast with powdered sugar, and wash that down with 3 chocolate chip pancakes.

Pretty amazing, huh? He said he's supposed to eat between 8 and 10 thousand calories a day. Can you imagine having to eat that much?

i'm salivating

Original Post by katiimenya:

I am. Who else is?

i am eh. originally from windsor, ON, now in cow-town(calgary)

Original Post by petite_powerhouse:

To be honest, I don't think the majority of people pay any attention to the 2,000/2,500 recommendations. They eat when they want and what they want and pretty much ignore (or are ignorant of) calories.

Many people don't realize drinks have calories. Many don't even grasp that cream and sugar added to coffee, and even ice cream added to it at Baskin-Robbins, makes it caloric. (That one is really hard to swallow, but has been shown again and again to be true.) That or they choose to pretend they don't know it. They also don't understand that many dressings can make a salad worse for you than a Big Mac. And they don't realize that they are eating foods that don't keep them full for any length of time despite the huge amount of calories they are ingesting. Not only that, but they eat sugar-laden foods that can trigger cravings for more sugar. And there always seems to be room in the tummy for sugar, nay? So for these reasons they eat again and again and again throughout the day, and the foods they eat are loaded with calories.

They also eat off the dollar menu because it is cheap. And super-sizing is cheap, too, so they do that as well, without considering just how much food they are preparing to eat.

I could go on and on.... But you get the picture.

It is these kinds of things that (medical conditions aside) make America overweight.

As far as the FDA goes, I think the recommendations are realistic. At 5' 3 1/2" and 109 lbs. I'm eating 3,000 to 3,500 calories to maintain. If I were less muscular and worked out more like the average active person, I could eat 2,000 and maintain quite easily.

Of course, the guidelines are an average. But on the average, I think they work. Exercise and eating right are the keys.

all excellent points. i can remember tons of times conveniently "forgetting" about the added salad dressing or cream and sugar. that can be quite dangerous if you eat a lot of salad and drink a lot of coffee!

Original Post by petite_powerhouse:

Original Post by justinagrado:

Original Post by petite_powerhouse:

Original Post by justinagrado:

spot reduction is tricky but not impossible. overall weight reduction will happen but you can make extra efforts to reduce the middle parts.

Spot reduction is not possible: the body loses fat wherever it chooses to. Toning so that you look better when the fat is gone, however, is very possible.

spot reduction has been studied and has been proven effective but not the only way to lose weight. ive lost inches in my stomach from doing the above exercises. of course ive lost unwanted inches in other areas(chest for example) but that just comes with weight loss unfortunately. J

You lost inches in your stomach because your body decided to lose inches there—along with elsewhere, as you said. And because you targeted that area with exercise, it looked better when the weight came off.

Dr. chet Zelasko, natural remedy doctor and healtha dvisor from Michigan:

Weight-Loss Wonders: Spot Reduction
Dr. Chet Zelasko | July 28, 2008


If there’s one topic that people really wonder about, it’s spot reduction: can you lose weight from a specific area of the body? The research as well as the prevailing thought is that you can’t. But when you examine the way that the research was done, I think it could be said that it wasn’t the right way to do the study. Researchers put volunteers on resistance programs that targeted specific muscles such as thighs or abdominals. The programs did build strength and muscle but did not result in reduction of fat in the target area. I believe that the exercise program should have been more aerobic in nature--that means doing thousands of crunches and leg lifts over the course of a day, not three sets of 10. The problem is simple: who has the time to do that kind of study? And who would want to be a subject?

However, there’s an approach that I’ve seen work twice in my career. My observation is that people lose weight proportionately--that means equally from everywhere. But I’ve observed two women who lost weight by dancing regularly for a year while changing their diets; I estimate they danced an hour or more most days of the week. Both had carried proportionally more fat in their hips and thighs, and they both lost a lot more weight from their hips and thighs than from the rest of their body--surprisingly more. In other words, they spot reduced.

To make a blanket statement that spot reduction doesn’t work would be wrong. It really comes down to this: do you have the time to make it work?