Posts by bittybrit

10!!  I love when kitty snaps his ear - lol!!  Our boy cat Goober has gotten into a habit of sitting on top of the TV on my dresser...naughty naughty, so now I have to leave the door shut all day (and all night so the two don't bug us).  That sure doesn't stop the kitties from scratching under the door to get in, jumping at the knob, or trying to climb the door frame.  Weirdos. 

Do love the clip though!! 

First of all, is that the limit that CC has given you after you have provided your height, weight, and activity level?  You may want to go ahead and find a BMR calculator and put your information in there as well to be aware of that number.  BMR is the amount of calories your body naturally burns sustaining life if a person were to lie in bed and do nothing all day.  

I know it can be hard to stay within that limit, especially this time of year when there is Valentine's Day and Easter (big candy holidays).  Some things to keep in mind when it comes to eating healthy is to consume about 20g of fiber in a day.  Fiber takes longer to digest and therefore keeps you fuller for a longer period of time which also helps you from overeating at other meals.  I like FiberOne bars, and they even come in a chocolate flavor - yum!!  Snacks like apples have fiber naturally occurring in their skins, otherwise fiber is found in whole-grain breads and other sources of whole-grain.   

Otherwise, if you eat a lot of full-fat products, try the low-fat or fat-free versions, you really can't notice much of a taste difference in my opinion.  Cottage cheese doesn't taste any different in the fat-free version, and you can jazz it up by adding fruit for a sweet snack.  Low-cal yogurt options are Yoplait Light at only 100cal per pot, or Dannon Light-n-fit at 60cal per pot (this one seems watery to me though).  

If you eat a lot of meat, try substituting ground turkey for a hamburger or in recipes that call for ground beef.  It is still okay to have red meat in moderation, but go for the leanest cut available (97% or leaner) to reduce fat intake.

The key in eating healthy and beginning a successful change to your body is smaller meals more often.  If you have: whole grain toast with peanut butter for breakfast, an apple or another piece of fruit about 3hrs later, spinach salad and a chicken breast (no larger than the size of a deck of cards) for lunch, FiberOne bar or protein shake as another snack 3hrs after lunch, a choice of fish filet with fruit and steamed vegetables for dinner, and a low-cal yogurt for a dessert/snack style last meal that could be a sample menu for you while encompassing a good balance of carbs, proteins, and fats as well as good nutrients from fruits and vegies.   

You are incorporating a nice amount of exercise, but to notice a loss in fat you will want to kick up the intensity of your cardio workouts.  40min 4x/week or more would be ideal to start to show results.  Hope this helps!! Good luck and welcome to CC!! 

Okay - I see what you mean about using an online calculator...I Googled it and then plugged in my measurements and it came up with 31.23% - I almost cried!!  Where would I get the body calipur measurements done?  Dr.'s office??

techdog - what is a good balance for losing fat? 

jjlovecub - thanks for the info about the burn meter.  I've placed my settings at sedentary and then add activities based on the notion that the settings think I'm doing very little.  As I add those things, the burn meter fluctuates to a much higher level...from about 1650 without activities added to about 2250...so how should I calculate my deficit if I don't have a realistic view of the burn??

All of this gets really confusing to me, I just want to know a proper goal of cals per day to eat to sustain healthy muscle but NOT gain fat. 

Also, are there any online calculators where I can plug in my measurements to find out my body fat percentage?  

Thanks for your help everyone...also to bufflara, I'm sorry I've taken over your post!!

Ha - maybe I need to update my profile because there's no way I'm eating under 1100 I track everything and it's more than that.  But the nails are still bluish...

I don't know for certain if I'm iron deficient but before I started including iron in with my other vitamins I was constantly tired and sluggish and now I don't feel that anymore and the only thing that really changed was adding iron so I just assumed it was helping.  Will it be bad for me if I continue to take it even though I may not have an iron deficiency?

I'm not quite sure what fruits and vegetables are best in terms of minerals and vitamins, but I've always heard to eat lots of green leafy vegetables.  I like spinach a lot but what else could I add?

Thanks for all the suggestions so far! 

When I am feeling lazy about getting to the gym (which is a lot - I have a hectic schedule), I just think of how good I'll feel about myself after I've gone.  Knowing that I can come home and relax - maybe in a bubble bath - is always an incentive too.  I also read Self magazine while I'm on the elliptical machine, it helps time pass a lot faster.

Good luck!!