(Part 3) Top products from r/xxfitness

Hey girl! Congrats on losing the first 50lb! That's amazing!! Here are some notes for you, based on your post:

1. You cannot target any part of your body for fat loss. Carb cycling is no more helpful than any other method of weight loss in terms of reducing belly fat. Genetics is the only factor that determines where you will lose fat first, which, unfortunately, we have no control over.
   
   
2. In order to get a flat stomach, you will need to drop your total body fat %, and not necessarily your weight. (Many women actually end up gaining weight to get a flatter stomach, believe it or not!) This is because muscle weighs more than fat, meaning that 1 lb of fat takes up a lot more space (volume) than 1 lb of muscle. Because of this, I would highly recommend you stop weighing yourself. You can buy a BF% scanner on amazon for $30 if you want to track your numbers, but honestly, the best way to judge your progress is to take photos and go by how your clothes fit.
   
   
3. Diet is 80%. Exercise is 20%. Yes, I would recommend lifting heavy, and starting a workout program (see side bar). But more importantly, I would recommend cleaning up your diet. As in nixing processed food. As in, if the ingredients list has more than 10 items listed, or things you can't pronounce, then don't eat it. Flat stomachs are made in the kitchen.
   
   Best of luck! And again, congrats on your progress thus far.
   
   

I love love LOVE dry shampoo! After the gym I usually blow dry my sweaty hair and then apply dry shampoo to the roots. It can sometimes look a little chalky after applying, so I use my fingers to work it into my hair.

As someone who has thin hair that looks greasy after 24 hours, it's a lifesaver on days when I don't want to wash my hair again.

The only brand I have liked is Batiste in the clean and clear scent. It smells fresh and doesn't have the same icky residue as the other brands. It's amazing!

I’ve used the Polar H7 Bluetooth Heart Rate Sensor & Fitness Tracker (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007S088F4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1y7wCbX7BZXTZ for the past couple years, and it works super well!

I had the same issue - I kickbox and felt like my Apple Watch couldn’t keep track of my heart rate. I’ve been very happy with my Polar chest strap and feel like it’s more or less accurate.

There are a few bodyweight-based programs, all of them are fairly similar, but they take a different slant on things.

You Are Your Own Gym is built around military-style calisthenics. There are variations of all the different movements that are based around making them easier so you can do fifty of them and experience that brand of misery, or to make them more difficult and strength-focused. YAYOG has a very nice set of apps that go with it as well.

Convict Conditioning is another bodyweight program based around six different movements (handstand, pull-up, push-up, leg-raises, back-bridges, pistol squats). The progressions are pretty nice, but the way it's presented is like it was written for fifteen year-olds. 2edgy4u, and such.

Overcoming Gravity is a gymnastics-based program, but is also a huge firehose of information about fitness in general. It's a great resource for designing your own program, but if you're a beginner, I don't think the sheer volume of information would be helpful.

All of these would require a pull-up bar. There's the classic Iron Gym, or this thing if the Iron Gym ends up being too low, and if you can screw something into a wall somewhere, I suggest this one.

You should check out Kelly Starrett's site MobilityWOD and his book Becoming a Supple Leopard. Some of his videos are behind a paywall now but there are still plenty of free ones. The exercises are a lot more targeted and effective than just plain 'ole stretching.

Also, yoga is a great place to start! I just did 10 minutes a day for awhile and it made a huge difference.

My gym essentials:

For the gym

• Liquid chalk. THIS SHIT IS THE BOMB FOR GRIP. It's been so great when I'm either sweating a lot or I've over-warmed my cold hands with warm breath.
  
• A notebook. I liked using this one when my workouts were more varied. Since I'm doing a more simplified routine right now, I've just been using a mini composition notebook because it's compact. A notebook is great for keeping track of your progress, keeping track of your lifts, and making notes about how you're feeling. Especially great if you find yourself having low energy days - you can take a look back at what you were eating during the day leading up to your workout and note things like your cycle, any new supplements you've tried, etc.
  
• Water bottle
  
• Carabiner with a key ring on it. I don't use this so much now that I'm only using my office gym, but being able to attach my keys to the loop on my Camelbak or the lid arm on my Nalgene water bottle is convenient.
  
  In the locker room
  
  
• Two pairs of underwear - One pair I wear specifically for lifting - spandexy boy shorts that don't breathe well enough for all-day wear but do a good job of not riding up and keeping my jiggle to a low when I run. The other pair I change into after.
  
• The rest of my outfit (top, compression leggings, shoes)
  
• Some kind of headband and/or clips and a number of hair ties.
  
• Moist wipes. I can't remember what brand I have now, but I get ones that are meant for the face. If I can't shower right often, then I use one after sweating to clean off my face then use the remainder on my chest, upper back where my barbell rests, then armpits, then towel dry everything.

Back in my soccer days, Pre-wrap was popular (https://www.amazon.com/Mueller-Rainbow-Sports-Pre-Wrap-colors/dp/B00CA5IA4G). You rip off a strip of it, tie the ends together to make a loop, and wear it like any other headband. Cheap, disposable, stayed in place nicely (after you do some experimenting to figure out the right length of strip for your head). Might sound a little crazy, but it really did the job.

We'd match the colors to our uniforms because we were cool like that :)

Hey girl, I'm there with you! Sucralose gives me migraines so I can't have it either. I like the BCAA capsules (even though they're large, they're something my body can handle without headaches) and I also use Quest protein powders (contain less than 2% Sucralose and I find this doesn't really affect me) and protein bars. You could also try using collagen powders that are unflavored like Vital Proteins unflavored, or even do the Isopure zero carb protein powder, which is unflavored/unsweetened.

​

I don't take preworkout, so unfortunately I don't have a lot of advice to offer there, especially if you're looking for caffeine free. Have you tried capsules instead of powders for these? Here's one I just found online: https://www.bodybuilding.com/store/evlution-nutrition/pumpmode.html

There is a BCAA powder from XTend that is free from artificial sweeteners. The GNC person helped me find it. Link: https://www.bodybuilding.com/store/scivation/xtend-free.html?skuId=SV4090069&PLASKU=SV4090069&mcid=CG_PLA_US_OD_Segment_US_New_Desktop_High_Margin&gclid=CjwKCAjwxILdBRBqEiwAHL2R8-YGa6FIsJkQwe6gFUNCBflu35-6bhp5-_BZvT2qnbfJ5gzLSWO5khoCUOUQAvD_BwE

I have an elliptical that I got through my friend's amazon prime account for $100.00 not including taxes and honestly I'm very happy with it. It doesn't require a plug in or battery and you can adjust the resistance which is controlled by a belt/fan inside as you peddle. It's quiet as well, easy to move, and doesn't require much space.

Here's the ad


EDIT: Format

http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-BackBeat-Wireless-Headphones-Smartphone/dp/B00KJLMBSO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420174555&sr=8-2&keywords=plantronics+wireless+headphones

I splurged on these and love them dearly. They hook over the ear, because I have the kind of ears that forcibly eject ear buds even when sitting completely still. The battery goes for about a week, and did I mention that I love them?

I have this exercise bike. Running is my prefered workout, but I live in southeast, and when it's 89 degrees and 99% humidity at 9:30 PM, I just can't face it. So...this is my no-excuses tool. I put it in front of my tv and get going and it does exactly what I need it to do, which is get my heart rate up and get me sweaty enough to feel like I did something. It's nearly silent and light enough I can carry it around easily (maybe 35lbs?). It's not free, but it's about 6 months of a gym membership near me and I've had mine about 5 years.

I have to wash my hair after I get really sweaty. I've just kind of learned to live with it. I work out at night and in the morning, and after my night workout, I shower but don't wash my hair until the next morning after my AM workout. I use a sulfate-free shampoo/conditioner.

Best dry shampoo I've found by far is [Batiste.] (https://www.amazon.com/Batiste-Shampoo-Clean-Classic-6-76/dp/B008D5HAHU?th=1) It's pretty much the only one that doesn't make my hair feel greasy.

I was having trouble with earbuds not staying in my ears until I found this over-the-ear style.
After researching all the over-the-ear style brands and models, I decided on this one from Plantronics and have never looked back.
They are super lightweight, I often forget Im even wearing them. Very good sound quality and sweat proof. They last ~12 or so hours so I get 5 or 6 workouts in before needing to charge.
All in all I think they are awesome, and are way more affordable than some of the other options. Highly recommend. I got them at Christmas and cant imagine using anything else.

Running nSuns while on a slight caloric surplus will definitely add muscle as well as strength! Since it's an LP, I highly suggest picking up some micro-plates, since you might not be able to add 5 lbs to your bench each week. I recommend adding only 2.5 lbs to your bench & OHP, and between 5 and 7.5 lbs to your squat & deadlift each weekly cycle. You'll enjoy a more steady gain in strength for a longer period. Oh, and if you're using the nSuns spreadsheet for your weights, tick the "kilograms" instead of "pounds" box, after you've entered your starting weights for lifts; then it will display the weight to be lifted in 2.5 increments. Just use pounds instead of kilos, but use the numbers the kilos setting gives you. Does that make sense?

It has - I check it about once a week and adjust my Spreadsheet of Doom accordingly.

I made a web form (with Google Docs) that I fill in every day with some items I wanted to track, like weight. I import that data into my food tracking spreadsheet as a separate page and input the bf%, then plot total weight and lbm (lean body mass) over time. It was pretty useless at first, but now I can point out several features, like when my period is, dietary changes, "plateaus", etc.

I think possibly the most useful thing about tracking body fat % is a sense of pride in how I'm doing. I've been at approximately the same weight for the last 1-2 months, but my bf% has been dropping. Before I tracked bf%, that sort of "stall" would depress me, but now I have more insight. Plus, good calipers are only ~$5.

Also, if anyone's interested, I can go into more details about my tracking setup - the websites never quite did what I wanted them to.

I use these headphones with my iPhone SE. They've been great. This morning I did a card deck workout with burpees, jump rope, box jumps, and pushups and they stay in place with a good connection to my phone sitting off to the side. Then I did a 2 mile run with them and again, they worked great. I also weight lift with them on and no troubles there. I also wear them throughout the day at work listening to podcasts. They last about 8 hrs of solid play before I have to recharge them.

I do wayyyyy shorter of runs, but I'm personally having success with and heard good things about Panache. Here's the one I use which is designed for us busty ladies. linky

I have read from several respected fitness bloggers/writers that a body fat caliper would be a good, affordable option. I got myself one months ago and use it to measure my body fat percentage once every week.

This is the one I have: https://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-Personal-Caliper-Measurement/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=acu-measure&qid=1554464345&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A2UDNPGKURPVSY

Because I log my measurements once every week, I am able to see the numbers drop, which is, frankly, seriously exciting and eye-opening.

Even if it is not accurate to the decimal point, it is still an easy and cheap way for you to self-test and it would be obvious on the caliper if there is, say, a 2mm drop from the last time you measured.

​

​

This may be an unconventional answer, but based on your answers in other comments here I would suggest looking into Hunger Directed Eating. It's a good way to break from the overcontrolled nature of diets and get back into eating for your body's nutritional needs without overdoing it by eating too much. a really good book I enjoyed was The Rules Of Normal Eating
and I'm currently working through
Thin: How to have your cake and skinny jeans too

It is informed by cognitive behavioral therapy strategies to help people overcome the psychological barriers to eating normally, in a way that will not make you gain weight. Much like the way people who are naturally thin eat.

This is the only thing that has led to stable change for me, over time. I was struggling with managing my eating since I was a teenager and this has allowed me to think less about food and worry less about treating myself. . . and I've lost about 7 pounds (over the span of a few months).

Take a look at the samples and see if these are for you. they won't solve all your problems, but it might help give you a new way to look at post-diet eating habits.

https://www.amazon.com/Alternative-Maximize-Potential-Grip-Calluses/dp/B007V5CCY4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1526939806&sr=8-3&keywords=lifting+pads
I use these for doing pull-ups and sometimes just for gripping dumbbells or barbells that have the knurling which can sometimes cut into your hand. I however don't deadlift with them. I prefer bare hands then. I think it might juts be a bit of mouse pad material to be honest Lol, but there is a firmer one too which feels like some type of rubber. Both the soft and firm versions work well to me and you don't have to keep them on constantly, so no sweaty hands.

I have fine frizzy hair as well, and i live in a hot and humid city!

I wash my hair every other day. On wash days, I towel dry, use L'Oreal Botanicals Camila Disciplining Cream and spritz a little Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturising Sea Salt spray. If I really want to enhance my curls, I scrunch my hair up with a little Kevin Murphy Motion Lotion - it is pricey, but works really well with my hair. I leave my hair down and let it air dry, takes about 20-30 minutes.

On no wash days, I use Batiste dry shampoo. I have black hair and they have a brunette tinted one which works really well for my hair. Then I usually style my hair into a ponytail or a high bun.

This gives me good variety in terms of how I wear my hair, and is much less hassle than blowdrying, etc.

Dear u/chosen_at_random I mostly lurk but your message brought back me some painful memories. Because I used to be where you were. Here are some resources I used to get back on normal food. I hop eyou find them as helpful as I did. :)

http://routineexcellence.com/its-not-because-youre-hungry-14-ways-to-control-your-eating/

https://redd.it/2f0p7y

https://www.amazon.com/kindle/dp/B00B9JKNBC/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_eos_detail#navbar

You can definitely escape the dieting triangle of despair!!!

Sure do!

Omron HBF-306C Fat Loss Monitor, Black

Very easy to use, just make sure you're holding it in the correct position. I thought the price was well worth it for not having to fuss with calipers.

Assuming you are mostly concerned with aesthetics (looks) & looking athletic, you probably want to stay in the 20-25% body fat range as a woman.

Untrained, a woman with your current stats is predicted to be around 27% body fat, so slightly above the top of the range you want to be in. This is just an estimate though, and you can get an accurate body fat % measurement with a caliper. However you calculated that you were 25% when you were at 156 lbs, was inaccurate.

Here's a basic plan for you:

Initially cut down to 125-128 lbs, or around 20-22% bodyfat, on a diet of 1400-1500 calories a day, weight training 3x a week or more. Once you reach that goal, slowly bulk back up to 135-138. Keep alternating these cycles to build muscle & stay in the right body fat % range. Keep in mind that if you are in a cold climate, you may struggle with cutting weight in the wintertime.

You want to spend 3-4 months in each phase (so avoid rapid loss or gain), lifting weights with progressive improvement along the way. Each time you go back to the lower weight, you should have a slightly lower body fat % than the last time you were at the weight - if you are actually building & retaining muscle mass through training. If you have the same body fat % each time you come back down, your training is sub-optimal because you didn't build & retain muscle - you just gained & lost the same body fat for no good reason.

Repeat these cycles for a few years or until you are happy, and then eat & train to just maintain that weight if you want going forward.

Here is some baseline info for you to check out re: goals & diet plans, etc:

Basic Info | |
--------- | :---------: |
Gender | Female |
Age | 26 |
Height | 5'6" |
Weight | 138 lbs |

• | - |
  BMI | 22.3 |
  BMI Categorization | Normal weight (18.5 - 24.99) |
  
• | - |
  Estimated Body Fat % | 27.3% |
  Estimated Fat Free Mass | 100 lbs |
  *Estimated Fat Mass | 38 lbs |
  
• | - |
  Estimated Goal Weight @ 30% BF | 143 lbs |
  Estimated Goal Weight @ 25% BF | 134 lbs |
  *Estimated Goal Weight @ 20% BF | 125 lbs |
  
• | - |
  Estimated Weight Change for 20% BF | 13 lbs |
  Estimated Time @ 1 lb/Week | 3.25 months |
  *Estimated Goal Date | 4/10/2017 |
  
• | - |
  BMR (Calorie burn per day at rest) | 1383 |
  Exercise Frequency | 3x / week |
  | BMR 1.375 |
  TDEE (Calorie burn per day w/ exercise) | 1901 |
  Estimates more accurate for untrained individuals. Use a caliper for actual values.
  
  Macros - Female (3x / week) | Calories | Protein (.8g/lb) | Fat (.4g/lb) | Carb | Fiber | lbs / Week |
  --------- | :---------: | :---------: | :---------: | :---------: | :---------: | :---------: |
  Lose Weight / 20% Deficit | 1521 | 110g | 55g | 146g | 21g | -0.76 |
  Lose Weight / 15% Deficit | 1616 | 110g | 55g | 169g | 23g | -0.57 |
  
• | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  Maintain Weight | 1901 | 110g | 55g | 241g | 27g | 0.00 |
  
• | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  Gain Weight / 5% Surplus | 1996 | 110g | 55g | 264g | 28g | 0.19 |
  Gain Weight / 10% Surplus | 2091 | 110g | 55g | 288g | 29g | 0.38 |
  

I have this bluetooth one from Polar. I found it useful because I'm trying to stay at maintenance calories and sometimes that's hard if I don't have a good gauge of how hard my workout is. This helps me remember that an hour long bench press workout seems to burn about 1/4 the calories of an hour squat workout, whereas tracking both in an app like My Fitness Pal might give them the same calorie burn for being one hour of weight training. Keep in mind that the calorie burns on these aren't necessarily perfectly accurate. This goes back to the frequent discussion about finding your TDEE through trial and error. For myself, I find that I stay at current weight using 50% of the calories the heart rate monitor reports. Meaning if it says I burned 700 calories in a workout, I'll only eat back 350 to maintain.

On mobile so no fancy links lol book :Thinner Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Female Body https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938895290/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glQ7ybSCQG9K6

And workout notebook: The Year One Challenge for Women: Thinner, Leaner, and Stronger Than Ever in 12 Months https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938895320/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_AmQ7ybMSZGW7Z

I was able to get farther on my deadlift when I used a grip aid. My gym doesn't have chalk available, so I tried using my pole grip 'lotion' and it worked really well. Dry Hands is nice because it's pocket sized, just takes a few drops/no mess, and it's great for pole, rock climbing, and lifting!

I have seen a lot of people over on fitocracy use the book You Are Your Own Gym Seems like a of people like this guys books. Also I have heard good things about the Convict Conditioning.

Linkys
http://amzn.com/0345528581

Also one just for women
http://amzn.com/0345528972

I like some callous to be on my hands for gripping, but I do like my hands to otherwise be soft. Accordingly, I lotion my hands pretty consistently, even on days I'm not lifting or poling. When I need the grip, I use Dry Hands solution which I equate to liquid chalk solution. I also exfoliate in the shower and use a homemade sugar scrub on my hands. When the callouses get bad, I use this foot scrub. The majority of my callous development comes from pole dancing, so your mileage may vary with these techniques.

I don't think your legs look big at all. As said by previous posters, I think your doctor is biased. You mentioned your quads are very tight. I don't know what your issues are specifically, but have you tried mobility work (I know crossfit is big on mobility. I don't do crossfit, but KStar (physical therapist and crossfit coach) wrote a really awesome book about technique and mobility that has helped my joints and functioning in general.

http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-Preventing-Performance/dp/1936608588

1300 calories is way to low, IMO. I'm muscle building and losing some fat and I eat 1600-1800 calories a day. 22-23% body fat for a woman is healthy.

Uping your protein intake is important for muscle building and helps burn fat, too.

Carbs is what really makes it hard to lose body fat. There have been a lot of research on it.

My intake is:

Protein: 150-250grams

Carbs: 50-100 grams

Fat: <65grams


Personally, this is just my diet, I'm not saying that everyone should follow it, just a general idea. (I'm 5' 6'5" and I weigh 138-140lbs but I look about 120 because of muscle)

I hate cardio, I really do, aside from swimming, but cardio helps burn fat quicker and tightens your muscles. While weightlifting builds your muscles and body tone.

How often do you weightlift?

I suggest getting a BFP Hand Scale or something similar to this:
http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Loss-Monitor-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341949478&sr=8-1&keywords=body+fat+percentage

And maybe reading up on If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM)

http://www.thespartanwarrior.com/post/9041775488/understandcalories

http://www.thespartanwarrior.com/post/6114152789/iifym



Oh and I went from 136lbs at my lowest weight up to 140lbs and lost a pant size, too. So, I definitely gained muscle and lost fat. :)

I have experienced the same anxieties. If you are exercising regularly or incorporating weights into your program - try to only weigh yourself every week or two (on Sundays in the AM, for example.)

Also invest in some Measuring Tape to get a better idea of progress. The scale can be really toxic, but if you are paying closer attention to your measurements and how your body feels in general then hopefully the anxiety will lessen! Muscle weighs more than fat, so the scale can be pretty useless once exercise becomes more of your daily routine.

The Iron Gym is decent and you can find it anywhere.

But after owning several pull up bars, I have to say the Perfect Multi-Gym is the best I've owned. It's more adjustable (I have very small door frames in this apartment, it's the only one that fits) and it's cushioned on all contact points. It hasn't left a scratch on my door frame or the wall above it.

I highly recommend getting the workout log/journal that goes with the lifting program if you decide to try it. It makes everything crystal clear re: what to do what day. https://www.amazon.com/Year-One-Challenge-Women-Stronger/dp/1938895320/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Plantronics backbeat fit are the bomb and sound like they fit what you're looking for. They're over-the-ear, bluetooth, water/sweat-resistant, and usually priced around $80-$100. I'm not the pickiest in terms of sound quality, but I have no complaints related to that. They're loud, and I didn't realize how crappy my cheap earbuds were until I wore these. I've had mine for almost a year and a half now, wear them 4+ times a week, and they're still going strong!

I especially like them because the excess cord doesn't touch your neck. My first bluetooth headphones had a longer wire, and it would bounce my neck when I ran. I would get really annoying feedback in my ears each time it bounced.

I use one of the "bar tampons" that are usually by the squat racks. I bought this one and it works like a charm.

This is how I got my chin ups and pull ups, too! :) I ordered my bar off of Amazon for $25 at the time ($30 now)

This is what we have in our apartment! We leave it up on the bathroom and if we have guests we just take it down :)

This book is very popular with crossfit-types. There are a lot of mobility exercises here that you can do to assist your T-spine.

http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-Preventing-Performance/dp/1936608588

I use Nature's Best Isopure Unflavored. It has no flavor at all, so I add vanilla extract or cocoa powder to mine. It is very plain, if that is what you are looking for.

Turkey (seasoned with whatever you like), throw some chicken in the slow cooker, top with salsa (or maybe not, cause onions, but maybe top with lemons/limes), let it cook,tupp it up, meals for days, scrambled eggs (no added liquids), old-fashioned oats (+ cinnamon (or cocoa powder), sweetener, flax seed), deli turkey sammiches (tomato, mustard, meat, and bread), steak +veggies ...

and what about Pea Protein Powder?
http://www.amazon.com/Now-Foods-Pea-Protein-Pound/dp/B001DB4MFO/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1426770604&sr=1-2&keywords=organic+pea+protein+powder

I bought mine from Amazon. $19 with shipping, and I use them every week as do better raising in 2½ increments instead of 5.

My best advice is to get "pure" protein powder - not the ones with all that added sugar, etc (check the ingredients). I'm vegetarian and am trying minimize dairy intake, so lately I've been using soy and pea. Personally I would not suggest rice protein, it had an awful grainy texture and made me gaseous (gross!)

Seconded! I recently bought this Panache sports bra and it makes a world of difference. I don't need to wear a second sports bra or a top with a built-in bra when I go running now!

This thing is fabulous. It lets you take the measurements yourself, keeping the tension consistent each time.

Weird but get some prewrap tape. It's cheap too. You can make a headband or wrap a few times for a hairband. It's crazy strong and the only thing that holds my daughters massive thick curly hair. It is also the only thing I have found that doesn't leave a big dent in either of our hair http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CA5IA4G/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it?qid=1464724983&sr=8-1&keywords=prewrap&pi=SX200_QL40

Has anyone done the Year One Challenge? It looks interesting, but these year long things are hard to keep up.

Pea protein has 120 cal | 2g fat | 1 g carbs | 24g protein per scoop.

You can also try fractional plates. I had to get them to progress on my OHP. They are so cute! I carry them around in my gym bag with me and I used to be embarrassed to use them, but now people ask me to borrow them.

Now Foods makes a pea protein my boyfriend used to use when he was vegan. Now Foods Pea Protein

http://www.amazon.com/Omron-Monitor-model-HBF-306C-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK

That is what they used at my gym, which came up with 26%.

You can use pre-wrap to make a cheap headband that doesn't slide around

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yva0QPVItzo

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Link: this Panache sports bra

• UK: amazon.co.uk
  
• France: amazon.fr
  
• Germany: amazon.de
  
  
  This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting).

Limit portions. Drink mostly water. Keep jogging as you can, and consider adding some bodyweight exercises to your day (this book is fantastic!). And if you have access to a fruit stand or a grocery store, buy yourself some fruit to eat. Keep at it. You can do it!

Stationary Bike

I use Isopure Whey Protein Isolate, Unflavored. It's a little pricy but I like that it's basically just protein. 26g protein with no fat, carbohydrate, sugars or lactose, artificial flavors or artificial sweeteners. And you still get your BCAAs and L-Glutamine.

I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/AccuFitness-MT05-MyoTape-Body-Measure/dp/B000G7YW7Y?ie=UTF8&keywords=tape%20measure&qid=1462593283&ref_=sr_1_3_s_it&s=hpc&sr=1-3

It prevents me from pulling too tight or too loose.

Take everything I say with a grain of salt, this is what works for me and may not work for you.

I've been doing intuitive eating (or attempting at least) for about 2 years now. It's not been easy it took my a good 5 months to figure out what the heck my body wanted. So the thing I learn that helped me:

1. Eat slowly. Seriously. Turn off the TV, sit at the table, and actually take 20-30 minutes to eat a meal. It's a pain in the ass, but it works. At first I tried using a timer, a bite every minute but that was meh for me. What worked best was focusing on each bite, did I like it or no, what could make it better (I got all foodie on my food). If it stopped tasting as good as the first bite I stop eating.
   
   
2. Fast Days. Every so often (about once every 3 months or so) I take a day where I don't eat. I eat dinner the night before then don't eat until dinner the next night (and I don't workout, it's normally a rest day). I find it "resets" my hunger so I remind myself, oh yeah, this is what hunger feels like. And it reminds me I won't die if I don't eat.
   
   
3. I have scale in my head, 1-10. 1 is Thanksgiving, if I eat another bite I'm going to die. 10 is if I don't eat now I'm going to kill you for that stupid poptart. It took me a while, but I try to stay between 2-8, so I eat when I'm about a 2, which is hungry, been hungry for 20 minutes, am still hungry. I eat until I'm about an 8, which is I could eat more but I'm not hungry, my food tastes a little meh and I'm starting to get distracted (I'll often put my food down and push it away a little when I hit 80%, natural thing I've noticed).
   
   Books that helped me:
   
   

• How to have your cake and skinny jeans too - one of those books with a crazy title, but good tips.
  
• Intuitive Eating Site - They also have a book that is really good
  
  I'll still eat to much sometimes, but it's a lot more rare and it works for me.

I have ridiculously small hands (I'm 5'3" with small frame) and my grip will always be my weakest link. My main goal is aesthetics over fitness so I do what I can to help make my lifts comfortable so I will keep doing them and keep progressing with them. I was using gloves and still use them if I'm doing a more endurance lighter weight workout, but I hate the feeling of my hands feeling hot. So now when I lift heavy I use straps or these little grip pads (I use the firm grip pads) depending on the lift.

i've been wanting to try one out, too, and the Polar H7 comes up as a sort of new thing-- in that it is bluetooth and talks to an app on your phone (iphone and maybe android too? not sure). So you don't have to have a watch, which is a pro and a con. I always jog with my phone nearby, and when I lift weights it might be off to the side but it would still be receiving data I can look at when I'm done.

I think anyways! If anyone has experience with the Polar H7 speak up! I'm looking for a simple HRM though, not a full foot-pod-watch-strap thing that i know some crazy serious runners and things use.

It's on Amazon here and only $54 with prime.

I tried lifting gloves when I first started but they didnt work out for me at all due to my extremely small hands. However what did work for me was lifting grip pads I found on amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Grip-Power-Pads-Alternative-Potential/dp/B007V5CCY4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1542815017&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=lifting+pads&dpPl=1&dpID=61RR5UPGdLL&ref=plSrch)

These were life savers for me at the beginning when my hands werent used to the weights my calluses would hurt sooo much. I've gotten to a point now where I no longer use these at all. But they worked very well

I've used these at my gym:

• Harbinger
  
• Champion
  
• Valeo - this one was the worst of the three
  
  I'm hip thrusting about 200-250 depending on how many reps and all of these have kept me from bruising.