Indieflickers

@@Bandora I haven't had much success either. I've made on batch of cupcakes with Swerve and it had a really weird aftertaste. The second batch I used Xylitol which had a different weird aftertaste. I think I may just look at some of the paleo recipes that call for honey or another natural sugar and just have a very small piece. @@Oregondaisy that recipe looks great but unfortunately I can't really tolerate Splenda. The most I can manage is the tiny amount in my daily Quest bar. @@BigViffer that's really good to know! I love Vitamin Shoppe!

@@Lemon109 It looks very tasty. I haven't heard of Sugar Not before, which is the sugar replacement they use. I'll have to do some research!

@@JosieAppleHead I may do that too. I don't really seem to dump at all (something I'm weirdly disappointed about) so I may have a few bites - my brother's birthday is 3 days after mine so we're doing a joint celebration. I have a week though so I thought I'd play around with some recipes as long as they don't require über expensive and obscure ingredients. @@OutsideMatchInside I'll check those out! Thanks!

@@Djmohr all the recipes I've found that use honey or coconut sugar are still a little too high in sugar for me. I'll let you know if I find one though!

@@Mountaingal well I figured I'd try. If it doesn't work I'm fine with that too. Thanks for the birthday wishes! @@Boombalatty I've always wanted to try the birthday cake Protein powder but all the versions I've found are so expensive that I'm hesitant to buy it in case I don't like it.

@@jess9395 I'll try that. I freeze mine overnight because it doesn't taste very good warm (which it is by the end of my ride). I'll try letting it sit out for awhile first.

@@jess9395 how do you let it get flat? Just leave it uncovered?

@@jess9395 oh that's good to know!

@@James Marusek oh I have no desire to start drinking carbonated beverages. Those Nuun tablets are only mildly fizzy and I had serious cramps all day! As for caffeine, I have a cup of black tea in the morning and occasionally one in the afternoon. That's pretty much the extent of it. But I definitely do need to find some way of replenishing my electrolytes. Vega Sport has an electrolyte drink and I've read the Ultimate Replenisher is a good low sugar source too. Has anyone tried either of those?

@@James Marusek is almost 7 months far enough out? I'm do drink caffeine, just not a lot. I'll check them out!

@@FocusOnMeNow I'll check those out!

@@Bonbini it's also got sucralose.

@@gerio good to know! I sweat a lot too which is why I've been using the electrolyte tabs. Though I'm starting to suspect that they're giving me terrible gas pain! They didn't seem fizzy but I hardly ever get gas pains and they're the only new thing I've been ingesting as I haven't actually tried the Gu yet. Has any one else used them and had this problem?

@@OKCPirate @@McButterpants I did some googling and there are some great trade in places near me so I'll try and see if I can trade in my bike for either a hybrid or a road bike. How heavy is your hybrid @@McButterpants? I live on the second floor and have to carry whatever bike I get up and down a narrow flight of stairs. That's part of the hassle with my cruiser. But I do like idea of being able to ride on rougher terrain at some point. @@catfish87 I did the yogurt this morning and didn't have any nausea but I was also drinking the Water with the electrolyte tab at every stop light. I have a couple cyclist friends who swear by Gu but I don't know if it's worth it for only an hour bike ride. Have you had any experience with it?

@@OKCPirate Thanks! I'll look into that. I know there are some good bikes secondhand, but because I'm such a novice the idea makes me anxious. I don't know what to look for!

@@catfish87 I ride on asphalt and concrete. I don't foresee doing anything other than urban environments for awhile. I try to have a bit of yogurt about an hour before I exercise but I save the protein shakes for after. I went to the bike shop and got some electrolyte tablets to put in my water. So we'll see if that helps!

@@BestDayEver that's a good idea. I'll look into that!

@@JamieLogical that's an incredibly healthy and sane way to look at it!

@@JamieLogical very good advice. I wish it were an exact science. More precise.

@@JamieLogical how do you know when to increase your calories? I'm so conflicted about it. Logically I understand the concept of starvation mode but the idea of eating more calories still makes me so anxious. How do you know when your workout is intense enough to require more calories? I log every activity and mouthful in the Jawbone UP app and it tells me how many calories I've burned, but other apps say differently so I'm always doubtful of their actual accuracy.

@@JamieLogical no worries! Your house definitely seems like a hectic place to be right now! Those weights are great. I actually have little briefcase that sits under my desk that has a 1lb, 3lb, and 5lb weight. I'm mostly doing the 3lb now. I just wish I'd started sooner!

Do you guys who stay low carb do protein shakes? I make my own - unsweetened almond milk, protein powder, BCAA powder, and a frozen banana. Because there's very little fibre it's about 22 grams of carbohydrates.

@@Stevehud thanks! Those are good ideas! @@JamieLogical great plan! Exactly what I was looking for. I want to do the C25K and after about a month of walking for three miles every morning I tried running in 30 second bursts and now I'm recovering from killer shin splints. I think it was because I was running on concrete and also because I was actually flat out running, not gentle jogging. I'm giving myself a week off from walking/running and have just been riding my bike. I bet you can't wait to have your house back! I'd love more equipment but as I live in a shoebox studio apartment, if it's not something I can hide under my bed, I have no room. I was thinking of getting a little stair stepper because while I can walk at a good pace for a long time now, climbing a few flights of stairs still makes me über sore.

@@ylluz thanks!

I cook with olive oil and haven't had any problems with it. I don't use it as salad dressing but that's simply because I don't eat much salad. I try to eat no more than 4 ounces at a time and 3 of those ounces are Protein which doesn't leave much for salad. As for fat content - my nutritionist gave me a good rule of thumb for figuring out if something is high in fat - low fat is 3 grams of fat for every 100 calories - i.e. a 300 calorie meal should have no more than 9 grams of fat. As it is, my meals don't tend to be over 200 calories anyway. However, if your nutritionist says no more than 5 grams, it's probably best to follow their advice, at least for the first few months when you're figuring out what your body can and cannot handle.