Posts by mztenderheart02

I agree with most of what the previous poster said. Definitely eat more, but I would go with maybe 1,500 and see how that works for you. Also, I would incorporate more than just brisk walking into your workout routine. Maybe start a little bit of resistance training or weight lifting to give your body something it isn't used to, so that it scrambles and uses more energy.

The problem is probably that your body has become accustomed to the amount of daily calories you consume and type of workout you're doing, thus using its energy more efficiently, which means less weight loss. Switch it up a little, eat more most days and exercise differently to confuse your system and force it to use more energy. Besides, resistance and weight lifting will help you build LEAN muscle, which will ultimately burn more calories and help your body tone more.

Hope this helps. :) Good luck!

Much Love and Alohas,

-Ihilani Kapuniai

Technically, the time of day or night that you eat really has nothing to do with weight loss. It's all about calories. Whether you have all of your calories before 6pm or after 6pm, it doesn't matter. You might see a slight change on the scale the next morning, but it's misleading. It's like weighing yourself before you pee in the morning, then after you pee. Or before you drink water, and after you drink water. If you eat later at night after 6, you're bound to still have most of that in your system when you weigh yourself the next day. If you eat before 6, it'll most likely have digested most of it and you'd weight a tad bit less. It's an illusion. It isn't REAL weight loss unless not eating after 6 saves you from consuming more calories, in which case that WILL result in weight loss.

Personally, I'd rather shave off 500 calories daily from my maintenance level calories and stretch it throughout the day until about 8 or 9, as I don't go to bed until 11 or 12. That way I'm not starved in the evening, cause I can't get a good nights sleep if I'm hungry, and sleep is important in weight loss as well. And filling myself with water just doesn't cut it, cause I'm hungry one minute after that!

Overall, I say do what you feel is best for you. If not eating after 6 sounds good and you think you can do it without binging because of the evening cravings and stomach-cramping hunger, then go for it. But not eating after 6 will not help you lose weight unless it helps you cut your daily calories. :)

Much Love and Alohas,

-Ihilani

Plateau's are a normal part of the weight loss process. Usually - not always -  they happen because the body's become accustomed to the diet/fitness plan you have. The body is a very smart creation. If you've been consuming around the same amount of calories and doing about the same types of exercises, the body will adapt and become more efficient at doing its job, thus using less energy, ultimately slowing down your weight loss. In the case of a plateau, the best thing for you to do is to change up your energy/calorie consumption AND exercises to something different, that you aren't used to doing, probably something more challenging to kinda confuse and shock your system so that it'll expend more energy to keep up with your new regimen.

Hope this helps. :)

Much Love, Aloha, and Good Luck,

-Ihilani Kapuniai

I don't think there's any particular "diet" in the typical sense of the word that is perfect, but in a looser, more permanent sense I would just say to figure out roughly how many calories you're allotted each day, break it down in about 4 or 5 meals and plan everything around that. The rule of thumb that I TRY to go by (don't always succeed, but I try lol) is 1/2 plate of nonstarchy, but filling veggies, 1/4 plate protein, and 1/4 plate whole grain and/or fruit.

For example, a couple of my favorite meals:

1. Chicken breast, brown rice, steamed/sauteed veggies

2. Kung pao chicken with extra veggies and light sauce

3. Scrambled eggs w/ spinach, onions and tomatoes w/ toast

4. Sandwiches are GREAT... it has your carbs/grains (bread), protein (meat), dairy (cheese if u want), and veggies (lettuce/tomato/onions, etc). And they're so versitile!

5. Spaghetti - ground beef/turkey, whole wheat noodles, tomato sauce w/ onions, mushrooms, zucchini, green/red/yellow peppers... spaghetti is another great thing. You can easily add a TON of veggies and the sauce is usually overwhelming enough to disguise the veggies, if you don't like veggies. Like me lol.

6. A perfect SWEET meal - Peanut butter and jelly sammy on whole wheat bread/toast.

There's a ton of other things I could list you, but I'll keep it short lol

Hope this helped/answered your question... ?

Much Love and Alohas,

Ihilani Kapuniai <3

Personally, I'm a little on the fence when it comes to cheat days. It pretty much implies that every other day is restricted, which means that, ultimately, you're depriving yourself from certain foods, which I'm against... but that's totally because I love my junks LOL I'm a personal advocate of the "eat-whatever-you-want-in-moderation-and-keep -within-your-calorie-limit" diet, so that I can indulge in the usual off-limit junks. That's not to say I eat them every day... matter of fact, I've found that if I allow myself to have these junks once a day, I'm more likely to go days without craving them, as opposed to being deprived and giving myself only one or two days a week to have junks, in which case I crave them all the time. Weird how the psyche works. I'm not saying that eating junks every day is healthy, especially when there are other foods that could provide me with better/more nutritional value... but it works for me. To each their own, right? :)

Anywho... if I were to have a cheat day... I'd have to say that my cheat meals would be ridiculously huge portions of anything italian ... or chocolate. Ugh, I love chocolate! Deliciously evil milk chocolate kisses taunt me! And Olive Garden has this delicious dark chocolate torte cake that is so mouth watering to me. I might have to get me one this weekend lol And their lemon cream cake. OMG I love lemon stuff. *salivates* Okay, I'm going to stop myself now lol

A_C_M - I admire your willpower! I've tried the Paleo thing for awhile and I couldn't bear it lol I wish I could, but I loved my junks and processed foods too much lol

Much Love and Alohas,

Ihilani Kapuniai <3

Congratulations on your weight loss! Peoples' weight often fluctuates daily, even more so while their time of month, so don't sweat the numbers on the scale while aunt flo's in town lol

It sounds to me like your diet/exercise regimen is pretty on point, and your goals are realistic enough. I think the main concern with quicker weight loss is that it's been proven (by some - mind you, there are always contradicting articles) that slow and steady weight loss is more likely to be long term and permanent, as opposed to quicker weight loss which may or may not lead to maintenance difficulties and possible weight GAIN. That, and weight that is lost over a longer period of time is usually fat and not muscle.

However, I feel that as long as you're eating right, meaning eating no less than 1,200 nutrient-rich calories, and exercising, whether the weight comes off quickly or slowly shouldn't matter. It really all depends on your body, and one body may not act the same as another. Eating healthy and keeping active is the main thing, so as long as you keep up with that, your weight loss will definitely prove itself in due time.

To answer your question simply: yes, I believe your plans and regimen is enough for a slow and healthy weight loss. Just don't forget to eat, exercise, replenish and rehydrate (lots of water!). :)

Good luck to you!

Much Love and Alohas,

Ihilani Kapuniai <3

I'm sorry, but I personally think this is a jealousy issue that you have with your brother. Though it's true that a grown man shouldn't fall below 1,500 calories/day, if the doctor put him on such a diet, there should be a good reason, and there is: thyroid AND diabetes problems are not to be taken lightly. This diet could be a way of breaking the ice into a healthier lifestyle, or teaching your brother to be more conscious about what he eats versus what he SHOULD be eating. It's hard for somebody to manage weight while suffering thyroid issues, so I personally don't see a problem with your brothers current diet. The doctor pointed out that he should eat a lot of veggies and protein, so.... as long as he's getting in his proper nutrients, I don't see a problem.

I think your frustration has a lot to do with the fact that your brother will lose more than you in a shorter amount of time, as you've subtly hinted in your post.

"My parents are praising him right and left because he has lost so much weight in a week.  I have been doing things the right way and haven't lost that much weight, however I am trying to pull myself out of a chronic starvation mode... I am just starting my 3rd month and am hoping to finally start losing." <<- this is about you, not your brother. This tells me that you're frustrated because your parents don't praise you the way they praise your brother even though you're doing things correctly, and that you're jealous because he's getting the attention you've probably been wanting since you started this lifestyle.

"I am also upset because my parents know absolutely nothing about being healthy and haven't said hide nor hair to me about what I am doing. It is so frustrating.  Luckily, I have my fiance there for support and knows what I am trying to do; he is my sole source of praise I get from my family.  I think that I won't get any praise at all, because he will lose his weight much faster than I anticipate losing mine, and he will have so much more to lose than I do, it won't be visible." <<- A good portion of your post has nothing to do with your alleged worry for your brothers current Dr. advised diet, but your frustration with the lack of praise you're getting from your family because you feel you're doing things right and getting nothing while he does it wrong and gets it all.

I wouldn't worry so much about what other people say or do. Look out for number one and take care of yourself; do not let others bring you down or discourage you. You don't need praise from anybody but yourself. Support is one thing, but praise is something entirely different. Don't let that keep you from being successful. Perhaps praise may come with success... so keep your head up and keep on truckin'.

Much Love and Alohas,
Ihilani Kapuniai

LOL that's funny.

Last night I made something. I wouldn't exactly call it a sandwich, but not really a pizza either. I wanted BBQ chicken pizza, but all I had was bread, so I slathered BBQ sauce on the bread, put some shredded cheese, white and green onions, then some diced chicken and baked it. Came out pretty good. Wouldn't say weird. Although I am the only one I know that likes cheez-it crackers in vanilla ice cream. :)

I haven't tried this particular drink, but I've tried another one of Dr. Oz's smoothies:


-2T Whey powder (I used Designer whey vanilla)
-2T ground flax seed (I would try 1 tablespoon first, unless you're used to it)
-1T psyllium husk (I'd add in a little more, or some Fibersure for extra fiber)
-2T wheat germ
-1/2 banana OR 3/4c mixed frozen berries (I use both)
-600mg fish oil (from capsules)
-juice (any viariety) as needed (I use crystal lite or any sugar free zero cal juice drink)
-Ice, optional

Blend all and voila... you've got a super healthy, but nasty tasting breakfast smoothie. :) I personally couldn't get it all down. I don't know what it was. It could be the whey protein, or the texture of the ground flax seed and wheat germ, or the fact that the juice and fruits didn't provide enough sweetness. I do plan on remodifying it until I find a recipe that I like, because there are a lot of good, healthful elements to this smoothie that I would like to make a part of my daily diet.

q_u_e_e_n_b:

The brand names of things doesn't really matter. One brand may taste good to one person but horrible to you. It's really a hit or miss experience, especially with whey protein powders. As for everything else, like the flax, wheat germ, psyllium, etc, it doesn't really matter the brand. You can find these things at any health food store, or you could check the bulk area of your regular grocery store, but your best bet is a health food store.

Also, jgt2004: Instead of psyllium husk, I'm pretty sure you could just substitute with regular fiber. Check different fiber brands to see if it's made from/with psyllium husk, because that's all psyllium husk is: indigestible dietary fiber.

Much Love and Alohas!
Ihilani Kapuniai

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my banana and Nutella, with a piece of whole wheat toast.

AND I have to say that my favorite breakfast "dessert" would be crepes rolled with peanut butter and jelly. It's SO yummy!! I might have some for dessert tonight actually.

Love and Alohas,
Ihilani Kapuniai