<p>Slow to record, but I did weigh in this morning, and then put on some pants that were 5 lbs too tight, so good incentive to stay motivated.</p>
<p>Let’s do this!</p>
<p>I might add that, according to my scale, I weigh 1 lb more than I did on 9/11, despite the fact that I have been eating between 900 and 1200 calories per day and burning 500-600 calories per day on the treadmill. I am ****ed!</p>
<p>I also weighed in. And rode my bike to tai chi this morning.
Consolation, that is discouraging. How long does it take to burn that many calories in the treadmill?</p>
<p>About 45-60 minutes, at the pace and level of incline I use.</p>
<p>I didn’t weigh in this morning being a bit distracted by having minor surgery done, but I’ll go by yesterday’s weight which was a nice easy to remember round number. It’s going to be a bit extra challenging since I’m not allowed to do anything with my upper body for the next two weeks. </p>
<p>My weight can go up or down a couple of pounds over night, so I don’t even bother to get discouraged. Generally I weigh less on Friday than I did on Monday, and more on Monday than I did the previous Friday. The trick is to get a weekly downward trend.</p>
<p>Mathmom wishing you speedy healing. I also weigh more on Monday versus Friday. Agree the downward thread is the trick.</p>
<p>I am in.
Down 0.5 from 9/7; hope to keep the trend going (but at a slightly brisker pace).</p>
<p>177.8 this morning</p>
<p>The goal this month is to shake off 5 lbs. as an effort to get us all cheering each other on in being our better, healthier selves. No one has to reveal their actual weight, just their progress. </p>
<p>Try these tips if you don’t know how to even get started:</p>
<p>1) Drink at least 64 ounces of water each day (coffee doesn’t count, soda/pop/juice definitely doesn’t count)
2) Walk 30 minutes at least 3 times this week, unless you already have a more intense plan. Don’t worry about pace this week, just get out.
3) Each lots of fresh vegetables, some fruit each day
4) Make sure you are getting lean protein at each meal (egg whites, tuna, lean meat, fish)
5) Record everything you eat in a journal or an online log like MyFitnessPal. Don’t forget to count the sweets!</p>
<p>Many of you have other tips … use what works for you. Go us!</p>
<p>Okay, I started today! Ate sensibly and will go for a walk this evening. Here’s hoping.</p>
<p>So this is my 4th day on MFP and I’m posting to complain: it’s horrifying to count every calorie!!! :-)</p>
<p>I planned to buy a footlong subway sandwich and eat it over 2 days. My plan was ruined by non-stop meetings, so I grabbed a HealthyChoice pasta thinking at least I’d save a bunch of calories for an evening “treat”. </p>
<p>Ha! That tiny little thing was the same 280 cal as the 6" wheat ham & turkey I could have had and not NEARLY as filling! </p>
<p>On the plus side I LOVE that you can scan the barcodes of items. That is awesome. It’s getting a little tedious typing everything in, but hopefully it will get easier.</p>
<p>I’m at 133# and I’m allotted only 1200 calories per day. The only thing that saves me is a half hour (on the weekend 1.5 hours) of exercise to give me an extra 100!</p>
<p>Would love any tips from you experts.</p>
<p>I don’t have any advice, I just want to weigh 133 lbs!!! :D</p>
<p>I need to get the app; I have just been looking for rough equivalents and going with them. I did not get off to a good start today. Being awake since 3 a.m. reulted in the worst day since I started with MFP. I’ll go to bed early and have a fresh start tomorrow.</p>
<p>That’s what is great about the calorie counting apps. They truly educate me and make it impossible to live in the food fantasy world that I have become accustomed to! When I am paying attention, I can truly milk those 1200 calories for all they’re worth.</p>
<p>EPTR - I HAVE to pay attention or I could easily be done with all 1200 calories before dinner :-). </p>
<p>UGhh…and I just remembered that I didn’t log my 9 pieces of candy corn (yes, I count them out - 19 is a ‘whole’ serving so I just ate half).</p>
<p>Ugh. I just learned there are 150 calories in 26 pieces of candy corn. I can think of a lot of things I’d rather eat! 35 calories in one Dove dark chocolate square. :)</p>
<p>[10</a> Snacks Under 150 Calories | Eatstrong.com](<a href=“http://www.eatstrong.com/10_snacks_under_150.php]10”>http://www.eatstrong.com/10_snacks_under_150.php)</p>
<p>Snacks you can eat for 150 calories - these look so much more substantial than a handful of candy corn!!!</p>
<p>10 walnuts halves—and a kiwi!
Kiwis are a superfruit, loaded with antioxidants such as vitamin E and vitamin C (more than an orange). And they have more potassium than a banana. The little black seeds are rich in alpha-linoleic acid, an omega-3 essential fatty acid. If you leave the skin on, you’ll get fiber. Pair it with walnuts (fiber, magnesium, abundant omega-3s and protein) and you have an easy, portable snack which requires no refrigeration. Tip: eat the kiwi with the skin on (yes, really). Avoid salted, oil roasted or smoked nuts.</p>
<p>Cottage cheese and peanut butter
Start with a half cup of no-salt-added 1% fat cottage cheese, and mix in a tablespoon of peanut (or almond) butter. Keep your sodium down by looking for the no-salt-added kind. Combining the cottage cheese with peanut butter (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!) gives you extra protein, plus omega 3 fats, vitamin E and magnesium. It makes a satisfying snack which will leave you feeling comfortably satiated.</p>
<p>It’s a (whole wheat/egg white) wrap!
Start with a whole wheat wrap under 100 calories. Now add two scambled egg whites plus one tablespoon of parmesan cheese. No need to shun carbs, an essential player in muscle rebuilding, with fiber, some protein, vitamin E, calcium and zinc. For a really satisfying snack, though, don’t eat just carbs: Pair them with the protein-rich egg whites for an optimal post workout (or anytime) snack.</p>
<p>Go Greek!
Look for fat-free Greek-style yogurt, and pair it with two tablespoons of slivered almonds. You can sweeten with a non-caloric sweetener if you’d like. Greek yogurt offers more than twice the protein of standard yogurts as well as calcium, vitamins A and B12, and potassium. While delicious on its own, it is best paired with a healthy fat such as nuts to ensure staying power (as well as a little fiber!)</p>
<p>Yes, You Can Eat Chocolate
Start with two ounces of the best-tasting dark chocolate you can find, and add a half-dozen almonds. Good quality dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants and may help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Pair it with healthy fat such as nuts, which slow digestion, easing rise in blood sugar. Choose a chocolate bar with 70% or more cacao. Tip: Watch out for imposters which replace some of the cocoa butter with vegetable oil.</p>
<p>Turkey and avocado
Take a quarter of an avocado, and slice it into strips. Now take three ounces of low-sodium deli turkey, and wrap each piece around one of the avocado strips. Turkey’s rich in protein, iron, zinc and B12, phosphorus, and potassium. Pair it with avocado, which is rich in “good” monounsaturated fats (including beta-sitosterol, a compound shown to lower cholesterol levels), folate, vitamin E, and glutathione which are all great for your heart.
The whole egg
Make a mini egg salad: Mash one hard-boiled egg with ½ teaspoon of lowfat mayo and your favorite spices, and spread it with a small whole wheat pita. Avoiding egg yolks? Not necessary. Egg yolks do contain cholesterol but they are jam-packed with nutrients, including fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids. In fact, the nutrients in a yolk is so comprehensive that one a day offers the same insurance as a multi-vitamin. Paired with complex carbs in a pita, you get added fiber, protein, vitamins A and B12.
Freeze this!
Ok, it sounds odd but it tastes great: Blend one cup of 1% fat cottage cheese on high with one teaspoon of sugar-free lemon jello powder. Allow to set 3 hours in refrigerator. Top with 2 tablespoons of fat-free whipped cream. Lowfat cottage cheese is a lean protein. As a pre-bed time snack this can’t be beat. Prepared as directed above (the jello and non fat reddi wip add negligible calories/nutrients) and you’ll be tucking into a snack which may even let you lose while you snooze.
Nooks and crannies
Top an open-faced whole wheat English muffin with two tablespoons of tomato sauce, two tablespoons of lowfat ricotta, and two tablespoons of parmesan. Broil in your toaster oven. You’ll almost think you’re eating pizza when tucking into this healthy snack, which offers complex carbs as well as protein from dairy.
Bananas, peanut butter and chocolate
Sounds like a gut buster, doesn’t it? But if you practice portion control, it can be a great snack. Take half a small banana, cut it into “coins”, and dip them in a half a tablespoon of peanut butter, topped with a tablespoon of semi-sweet chocolate chips. An old favorite with a chocolate twist. Create bite sized snacks with potassium-packed bananas and the protein and healthy fat in peanut butter with heart-healthy chocolate chips (you’d love them even if they weren’t) and you have a tasty snack even your kids will love.</p>
<p>Yesterday, ate 1180 calories, burned 695 calories in 60 minutes on treadmill. This AM: weighed almost a pound more than yesterday AM.</p>
<p>According to MFP, I should be losing weight at the rate of 2 lbs a week or more. </p>
<p>This is unbelievably frustrating. Right now I hate all of those smug people who talk about it being a simple matter of calories in/calories out. And say that us overweight people eat whole containers of ice cream, yadda, yadda, yadda.</p>
<p>You won’t want to hear this, but put away the scale - have someone hide it. Keep doing what you are doing (eating better, exercising several times a week) and pull the scale back out in 2 weeks. You will drive yourself crazy being a slave to a number on a scale. </p>
<p>Make your motivation be more than a number. Have it be feeling better, feeling stretchy, eating healthier food, maybe having your clothes feel a little looser - get your “high” in a more natural way than trusting that little machine - the scale can come in play later - never daily or even more than once or twice a week. </p>
<p>It’s just a suggestion for those of you who feel frustrated with the #'s. 
Keep up the effort Consolation - what you did yesterday is the right track!</p>
<p>A friend of mine suggests a weekly weigh-in on Wednesday. That way you have a couple days to get back on track if you indulged a little over the weekend.</p>
<p>I’ll give you an “atta girl” Consolation; that’s fantastic! :)</p>