<p>Thanks for the info about fat cells, hmom. Clever little critters. </p>
<p>Re fiber: For reasons unrelated to weight, I try to eat at least 25 grams a day. (I don’t think I ever make it to 35. Yikes.) Berries, especially blackberries and raspberries, are a great fiber source. A cup of either one has nearly 8 grams of fiber. Costco often has them priced low. Legumes are a great source, too. Throw a quarter cup of canned kidney beans into a salad and you add 4 grams of fiber to it.</p>
<p>“I’m with your husband, I love nuts and have to buy them in very small amounts to not get too tempted. It’ so easy to consume hundreds of calories with them without thinking about it.”</p>
<p>I buy almonds for this reason. I enjoy them but am able to eat them in small quantities. Peanuts? Cashews? Forget about it.</p>
<p>"Another tip is to think about when your weigh in day is. For awhile I was always starting off the week, by weighing in on Monday AM - BAD idea cause more than likely, I will be a little more lax on the weekends than during the week. The structure of my job and our home routine keeps me more on target during the week.</p>
<p>LOL abasket, that is exactly why I chose Monday for a weigh-in day. I like to think it keeps me a little more in check over the weekend.</p>
<p>^ The best source of fiber and the best tasting one for me are Prunes (also from Costco, I love this store). I have them with walnuts or with tea every evening. Yummm!!! Nothing else works, althoug I eat tons of fruits every day, I do not know anybody else who consume as much fruits as me.</p>
<p>FallGirl, the last time I went on a serious diet, I weighed myself daily. It was really interesting to see how my weight would be the same for a week or two and then drop a couple of pounds overnight. I also could see that at certain times of month I always gained weight - so I learned not to obsess about those plateaus. If you are also stepping up an exercise program - you may lose less than you expect because fat weighs less than muscle.</p>
<p>Teriwitt, I agree that you might find you can eat fewer frosted miniwheats. I can think of two approaches. One is to keep adding more and more non frosted ones to the bowl till you get a proportion that still tastes good. The second is to just make them a snack/appetizer food. Just have one or two with breakfast or as a midmorning snack.</p>
<p>A quick OT request: Can someone tell me how to successfully quote other posts? I’m not having much luck. Thanks!</p>
<p>Miami – Prunes are a great source of fiber, but those calories can add up fast. I love all dried fruit, but I’m trying to be more judicious about how much of it I eat. I’ve been in the habit of tossing back dried apricots or cranberries with abandon. No more.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Sure, jklm:</p>
<p>Start with [ quote ]. Fill in the text. End with [ /quote ]. (But eliminate the spaces between the text and the brackets.)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Thanks, wjb. So do you have to copy and paste the part you want to quote? I always check the box that says “Quote message in reply” but it never works for me.</p>
<p>You did it! I always copy and paste what I want to reply. I’ve never tried the “quote message” function.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes, I agree. People often overestimate how quickly a woman could build muscle. Most of the time in the early stage of lifestyle changes, when there seems to be a discrepancy between what the scale says and how one feels or how clothes fit or measurements show, it’s really about fluid balance.</p>
<p>So true about dried fruit wjb. Like nuts, easy to eat a lot and lots of calories that add up quickly. I like to throw a couple of prunes into a smoothie before working out.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Very true, and for reasons I don’t understand, the more water you consume the better when you’re trying to lose weight.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>My H, who is a string bean, eats copious amounts of peanuts, especially at night. It’s some kind of weird nightly ritual. He like cracking the shells or something. He also takes the dog out at night for a walk but first fills his pockets with unshelled peanuts. I think the dog gets about half.</p>
<p>Anyway… Fallgirl, you might try measuring yourself rather than weighing yourself, or both, especially if you’re exercising regularly. But only do it once a week. You can measure your waist, thigh, upper arm, since that’s where the excess weight seems to come off first. </p>
<p>I don’t need to lose weight but I seriously need to tone my muscles. Since my 40’s I seem to have acquired some real flabbiness and extra flesh on my upper back, especially around my arms! Everthing is real squishy around there, including my upper arms. I want to wear a tank top this summer – anybody have any tips for firming up those areas? I do the usual dumbbell routine occasionally, but they seem to be more about the arms only.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’ve heard it’s because the more water you drink, the less your body feels it needs to ‘hang onto’ water. Makes sense to me.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>Fallgirl, are you tracking calories or points or anything like that? It’s possible to eat healthy and still eat too much. Even though I am attempting to eat healthier, I still do WW to make sure I’m not eating too much. That may not be the case for you but I thought I would mention it.</p>
<p>Looking for some advice. DH is an avid runner and lately I noticed he was icing his knee a lot. He says it’s been bothering him. He was an athlete in college but has just returned to exercise in the last 2 yrs (he’s 46). What else can he do while he deals with a bum knee? He gets so grumpy when he hasn’t exercised :)</p>
<p>^Swimming?</p>
<p>Ex runner with a bum knee here. I’ve had a few stops and starts since but the darn thing always ends up hurting after a while. Doc said to give it up.
Sooo…biking is good - although hard to do when it’s freezing out. Those bikes in my club are made tolerable by my ipod.
Can he swim? I’m a terrible swimmer so that’s not a choice for me.</p>
<p>First of all, send him off to be checked out by his doctor. </p>
<p>Swimming is good. Has he tried ellipticals? They are much gentler on the knees. </p>
<p>There are some things one can try to prevent knee injury (these tricks will not work if the knees are already in bad shape). I bought CW-X knee support tights upon the helpful advice of other CC runners. I swear the tights work! Even my hubby admits that the hassle of putting them on pays off for him. A runner friend says glucosamine/chondroitin supplements helped her when she dealt with a painful knee. H’s doctor recommends shoe inserts and says that running shoes have to be replaced every 3 months to avoid hurting the knees.</p>