Posts by ootek

Remember, mostly, that organic is a method of production and doesn't have much impact on the nutritional value of the end product.  People will fall into the trap of thinking cookies or whatever must be better for them if they're made with organic ingredients.  They're still cookies. 

Avoiding pesticides is one thing, but the nutrient content is the same and organic junk food is still junk food.

You might be fighting an uphill battle against genetics, for one thing.  If you're more cut, you've lost fat.  It might not be in the places you'd hoped to lose it, but you can't look cut without losing the layer of fat between muscle and skin.

You also can't spot-lose.  I assume this is why you're trying to lose all over, but it's not going to be easy.

No matter what: You are not eating nearly enough for . . . anything, really.  You're not eating enough for a sedentary lifestyle, much less the very-active one you're actually leading.  Undereating can undermine your weight-loss efforts.

You don't say what your carb intake is, but carbs don't magically cause weight gain, so do make sure you're eating enough high-quality carbohydrates.  Calories cause weight gain, and you're way low there as it is.  (Also: Everyone is different, but I find that if I don't include enough carbohydrate in my meals, I'm hungry no matter what I eat.  I'm one of those people who just can't feel satisfied on protein and vegetables.  If I add some brown rice or something, though, I am immediately less hungry.)

The best way to get rid of water weight is to monitor your sodium intake. 

OK, what bothers me here is that, if that's what the boyfriend said, it almost sounds like he feels like he's settling for the "heavier" version of you.  You're already at the bottom of the healthy weight range.  You definitely do not need to lose.

One, how old are you?  If you've known him five years, your body has probably changed and you may not ever be 104 again without seriously hurting yourself.  That doesn't mean "bad" weight gain--I got even curvier and more buxom in my mid-twenties even though I was considerably thinner than I had been in high school.  You may simply have filled out in places where you, um wouldn't want to lose weight, anyway.

If he's not happy with you as you are, or you +10 pounds, have a talk with him.  I think a lot of young men don't understand that the women they see in the media are fake (we know they're fake, but men don't have to worry about this as much and might not be as clued in), and expect us to be able to achieve that type in real life.

You can't socialize with your friends with a little less wine?  Seriously, find something else to do (with your friends).

Domesticity may not be your husband's thing, naturally, but you're putting in too much time and it's his turn to pick up the slack.  It doesn't have to be fancy--surely he can learn to bake a couple of chicken breasts and make a salad--but he lives in the house, too, and you probably work just as much as he does; you shouldn't be doing all that other stuff yourself on top of it.  Housekeeping isn't "my thing", either, but it has to be done.

That said: Housework is good exercise.  Not kidding.  Do you have a lunch break?  Can you walk laps around the parking lot (if it's safe.  I do this but I work in a quiet area)? 

This may also be where Calorie Count can help.  Even if you don't have a lot of time to exercise, reevaluate what you're currently eating and see if you can trim your calorie intake.  Not a whole lot, of course, but if you're busy and tired you may be eating more than you think or choosing foods that may be convenient but are more calorie-dense than you need.

I carry most of my weight in my thighs, too, and I'm gonna tell you right now: Accept it.  You can't spot-lose. 

Your weight is fine (we're the same height and weight).  Work on toning your legs, but there is no need to focus on weight loss.

Be careful about your salt intake, but if it doesn't go away, see a doctor.

Honest to goodness, I don't understand the hysteria over crossbreeding as "genetic modification". Okay, yes it is, but people have been doing this for thousands of years.  Does anyone here think that any of our domesticated agricultural species--animal or plant--in any way resemble wild types?  Do you know what wild-type corn looked like?  People have been selectively breeding things for as long as there has been even rudimentary farming.  Ever eaten a nectarine?  A Meyer lemon?

Creating plants that are pest-resistant means we can use fewer pesticides.  Creating plants and animals that are drought-resistant means feeding more people worldwide, because the entire planet is not temperate, fertile, Iowa.  Think before you go nuts and condemn.

Sometimes, plants and animals crossbreed on their own.  In the wild. 

You don't need to lose weight.  By all means, focus on eating well and toning what you have, but you're 17 and your weight is fine.  Don't forget that you're still growing: You don't have the body you had last year because . . . you don't have the body you had last year.  You outgrew it.  I've been the same height since I was 12 but my body *shape* kept changing until I was in my twenties, and I don't mean weight gain.  I mean distribution.  Waist size changed, bra size changed, even though my height and weight didn't change.