Posts by Richard Jackson

Hmm... I've switched over to a macrobiotic diet, but the stubborn pounds aren't budging yet...

My lower back has been killing me all afternoon.
Here’s a photo (it was just the first thing that popped up on Google...)
Could this be kidney issues or something else??

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/2124/bolwp3.jpg

Honestly, there's zero design here and absolutely nothing else to show for it...

I mean, I get it, but you know how it goes... hope dies last

Forum admins, you really need to do something about this terrible skin

Is there an option to change the forum skin anywhere? This current one is just terrible...

jadesailor14 said:There's actually already a thread 😉

like this one

Exactly what I needed! Thanks!

I finally decided to eat a decent lunch today—made some soy protein (the powder kind you mix with water and pan-fry, though I skip the oil entirely)—paired it with some beets, and had a little instant broccoli soup as an appetizer. I even had magnesium dissolved in water as part of the meal...

Anyway, I'll try harder to learn about all this stuff and actually carve out time to cook real food instead of just grabbing these quick fixes I've been living on lately.

I’m about 5'9" right now and weighing in at 160 lbs. I was down to 152 before the school year started, but then the weight just spiked out of nowhere...

Does anyone have a good link for vegetarian recipes?

I truly appreciate everyone's help—you've been wonderful.

I definitely need to give this recipe a shot!
Since there might be some nutritionists in this group, I was wondering how many calories I should actually be aiming for daily?

If I clean up my diet—say, by browsing some vegetarian recipes online and sticking to those—will the weight just fall off on its own? That’s the big question for me. I’ll be much more motivated to dive into veggie life if I actually feel good in my own skin.

One more thing... what is considered a safe amount of weight to lose per week?

Thanks again,

Man, I am completely overwhelmed right now... Tomorrow I'm heading over to Whole Foods to finally write down everything I eat from actual, real food sources.

I eat fish, but honestly, I don't know how to prep anything from a seafood market—so I just stick to canned stuff.

I eat dairy, too. Though, I try to avoid it because of all the fat and whatever else is in there.

I'm actually watching this documentary on TV about some guy who ate nothing but McDonald's for 30 days straight. It's horrifying. I usually only stop by once a year for a McFlurry, but even that is getting cut out of my diet. Gross.

Does anyone have any other food recommendations? I've been a vegetarian for about 10 years now, but I clearly have no idea what I'm doing... It's pathetic.

We’re running ourselves ragged out there—sparring, training, all of it. It burns through so much energy (and calories too...)

My mom doesn't cook for me anymore, except for those rare occasions when things are actually calm.
And honestly, I can't just graze on fruit and water all day (I don't touch juice or anything else... just water, Gatorade, and effervescent tablets).
I'm seriously struggling because of this. As far as my metabolism goes, I can tell it's slowed down—I can feel it!

The hardest part is dealing with this entirely on my own; I have no idea who to even turn to. My family isn't interested in my vegetarianism at all. It sucks because then I have to figure everything out myself, doing all the research and navigating it alone... and as you can see, I'm not exactly succeeding at it.

Hit the gym and focus on building some muscle mass. You can definitely indulge in more sweets here and there—just don't go overboard. Personally, I think the gym is the best way to go...

I am being completely serious here—I’m not joking around!

I know my diet is terrible, which is exactly why I’m looking for advice. My mom doesn't really have much of an opinion on what I eat; she just picks up some tofu, couscous, or soy for me every now and then...

It’s not even a choice whether I stay vegetarian or not. It isn't about animal rights for me—it’s just that the smell and texture of meat honestly make me nauseous.

I eat fruit. I don't exactly love vegetables, though I'll eat them occasionally if they're around.

What should I do? This weight gain is getting ridiculous—it's honestly starting to mess with my head...

Just eat a couple!!! Peel them first...

You're out of your mind, but if you really insist, go ahead and eat some raw potatoes

I don't eat dinner.
It’s incredibly rare that I actually find the time to whip up a proper vegetarian lunch. Most days it ends up being just some tofu paired with organic bread or maybe some couscous—just plain water-boiled stuff. At worst, I’ll just grab some chocolate cereal or whatever flakes are lying around (but nothing like Nesquik, thank you very much).

I would honestly love to have cereal every single day, but I'm stuck at school so it’s not really an option.

I tried using L-carnitine for a while once, but it didn't do a thing for me.

Are there any pills or something else that could help me drop 9 pounds? I’m getting so desperate that the thought of picking up smoking actually crossed my mind as a way out of this... God, that's awful, I know.

Thanks for the heads-up regarding the MRI!

Since I’m still finishing up high school (senior year), my eating schedule is all over the place because of—well, school. Does anyone have recommendations for breakfast options that aren't calorie bombs? They always say breakfast should be the most important meal of the day...
Lunch is actually the bigger struggle. I'm the only vegetarian in my family, so I end up having to prep everything myself. After spending nine hours at school followed by an hour-long commute on the bus, the last thing I want to do is cook a full veggie meal... so I often just settle for a bowl of chocolate cereal for lunch. I do practice Taekwondo, which isn't exactly easy, and I assume I'm burning quite a few calories there—but clearly not enough.
Also, I keep getting warned that I'm not drinking enough fluids. Right now, I'm mostly sticking to water, Gatorade, and some effervescent tablets (magnesium and stuff like that). What's the ideal daily intake? It sounds crazy, I know, but there have been nights where I don't even touch water until around 11 PM...

As for the anorexia thing... I'm nowhere near that. Honestly, I think I'd need to lose another 10-15 pounds before I'd even be close to being anorexic, so that's definitely not the issue...

Since school started back up, I’ve been putting on weight even though my diet hasn't really changed. I'm a vegetarian, so I honestly don't get how eating things like tofu, soy, or couscous could cause this much weight gain... My question is this: If I have yogurt for breakfast and rice pudding with skim milk for lunch, is it actually possible to drop 3 pounds—maybe even more—in just two weeks? I know suggesting this for lunch sounds silly, but back when I had to cut weight for competitions (I'm an athlete), this kind of thing worked. I skip dinner entirely, so that should help too. I realize this method is probably stupid and bad for my health, but I feel terrible in my own skin and I need to lose 4 or 5 pounds as soon as possible because I just can't stand it anymore...
Thanks in advance for the advice. Please, just skip the "are you crazy?" or "that's a disaster" comments—just give me specifics. If there are any nutritionists on here, I would really appreciate your input.

Just as a side note, I saw a Center for Non-Smoking and Weight Loss back in Vlach. Is it worth checking them out for their treatments? Apparently, they do something involving magnetic resonance...

Best,