honestly i tried both.. i used to eat breakfast religiously early on in my weight loss journey... but i would always get hungrier during the day and want snacks... now i pretty much eat when i'm hungry.. during the week i'm ok with a hot cup of green tea and make sure i'm hydrated.. if im hungry i will eat... usually not hungry till noon which is lunch time anyway. like one of the folks here said.. not all diets are one size fits all..

thank you preggo!

@ jess i'm not sure if its from years of always underestimating out of fear and now seeing an actual number? or if something is wrong!.. i've always pushed hard... and i know its hard to calculate on these estimation calculators b/c i do a lot of intervals.. i don't know.. i guess i'll work with it!

I just need some clarification!... i've based my exercise/calorie burn information on the estimates on generic calculators or using MFP/Fatsecret for a long time. I finally got a HRM and it seems to calculate my calories burned at a higher rate than any of my other calculators have estimated. I have always low-balled my exercise for fear of under performing and over estimating... should i go by my HRM which is based on what i'm actually doing?

i've been on both sites for a little bit now too... i have so much history here.. so its like home, but i'm logging on both so i can decide where i'd rather be... pros and cons to both.. but they do some unique stuff on MFP that i like.. still undecided..

The scale will only read what your weight is... which was affected by all you put in ur body. BC i weigh myself every day for the most part, i can tell you that once i have my pre breakfast weigh in i won't weigh myself again till after the next morning so that the food can process. this doesn't mean you are gaining weight.. but everything you put in ur body has a weight. brush it off and continue what you're doing :) if anything i do multiple weigh ins b/c i am interested in how certain things affect my weight. but i def don't put too much thought into it or do i let it affect me negatively. :)

i would just give them a rough answer (which at this point would be 50 lbs) <congrats by the way!... i realized the more i hid my weight from people the less accountable i was about it and i would gain. Once i started being honest about my weight i noticed how much harder i worked to keep it there... i stopped talking about it for a while and my repercussions was being lazy and gaining back some... u should be proud of what you have accomplished and anyone that would come back and say anything about how much u have left is jealous and not a great person... 50 pounds is amazing.. regardless of how much weight u still have to lose.

Oooh good idea!

You both make sense.. Ima get a new updated workout plan going next week

@kat awesome!.. final question.. how do i determine a starting weight for me to lift besides just trying and changing.. just base it off of getting in 12 reps?

Thanks all for ur responses!! @kat... i'm thinking muscle definition... i think..lol.. endurance isn't helping me as much b/c i've been a cardio freak for a while and the weight isn't really moving much and i gain faster... i want to "tone" my body to the best of my ability. b/c i'm tired of the scale and i noticed since even the little bit of weight lifting i'm doing my body is transforming so i wanna take it up a notch... currently i increase once i feel i can get thru a rep fairly easily, but i'm doing low weights high reps. should i change that? and would it be safe to say 3x a week cardio (tues thurs sat) and 3x a week weights (mon, wed,fri)with monday upper, wed lower, friday.. uh.. ??? and i've never really heard the work till muscle failure thing.. can u explain that a little? (oh.. i'm the luckiest person alive kat to get your 1000th post)!! lol

Ok, after all the posts and articles i've been reading i want to re assess my exercise regiment. Can someone give me a basic idea of what i should do everyday? Currently i would do 30 mins on the treadmill every morning (2 miles at least), then 15-20 mins of weights. I love to jog and love my cardio as most do, but i don't want to hinder myself. How often should i do this and can i just get a generic idea of what's appropriate for weights? at least to start with? Thanks!

What an interesting thread!!!! I'm in a 12 now at 176 and fit into some of my tens... If I keep workin out I'll be a solid 10 by my goal weight of 165... 8 was my dream size only bc it was a single digit but honestly i looked good in a 10.

I have a really pretty and detailed geisha on my back standing next to a cherry blossom tree... I another cherry blossom tree kinda on my right arm.. Had some added to it so it's almost a quarter sleeve... Have little ones everywhere lol big calf one.. And yes avoid the sun lol

Omg I love this topic!!! I have about eleven tattoos.. And I love them!!! And as far as my weight loss I've put some on my shoulders and arms to accentuate my now best feature!! I'll post pics when I get home

I agree with Kat...(she's a pro).... The more protein in my meals the longer I go without being hungry... Every morning I have an eggwhite omelette with some type of cheese at about 930 am and am usually not hungry till after 1 pm...

Very interesting information!! Thank u all for ur comments... I think ima stick to no energy drinks prior to work outs. Mainly bc I want to feel my own strength get me thru and feel the improvement. Thanks again!

The ones I drink are sugar free... And low Cals so as far as nutritional value it's not a concern.

It was 20 calories and it really was a physical boost bc I wanted to bolt lol

Ok so I have had redbulls before and they were ok... But today had a rockstar and it totally energized me!.... So it made me wonder... And I'm curious on several opinions... How bad would it be to drink one before workouts and would it count if I jog more or workout more using the assistance of an energy drink?... Would pushing past my normal strength and energy be dangerous?