lobsteriffic

Another vote for airbnb. I just used it to find a short term rental for a week and it was great - lots of thing that weren't on Craigslist.

I was also 455 calories below my maintenance level of 1100 yesterday to offset the re-feed calories of 3000. Plan on doing somewhat the same or if I go closer to maintenance to get thru a good back workout, then i might let up alittle and get closer to 1100 today.

I'm curious how you calculated your maintenance calories to be 1100. Seems like your BMR alone would be more than that, no?

Marcina I'm so glad you are back! I was just looking over the VBBF profiles on the main site the other day and wondered what happened to you.

I'm very sorry to hear about your struggles, but best of luck to you as you are moving toward being healthy!

I've read 'THRIVE' and his footnotes are seriously lacking. Yes, there is a bibliography, but that doesn't tell me if what he's saying is in fact derived from any of those sources.

I more or less like Thrive and I like Brazier, but I do agree with you on this point.

Some of the claims in that book just seem like he plucked them out of thin air or there aren't any peer-reviewed articles cited. I can't give specific examples as it's been a couple of years since I read the book. I'm not picking on just him though, I noticed this with a LOT of health books on the market.

Personally I like to take peer-reviewed research into account when making decisions about my health, but I know not everyone feels that way and I'm certainly not looking to start an argument on this thread.

That being said, I still think his books are a good read for athletes and I would recommend them to others, with a couple of caveats.

My parents always say vay-gun. No matter how many times I correct them. I figured I was fighting a losing battle and gave up.

I don't buy bread often, but I like Ezekiel breads. My local Safeway carries it in the freezer aisle.

I'm a bit surprised you think Lara bars taste like figs - all the flavors I have tried don't even contain figs (do you mean dates?). Have you tried Luna bars? They don't have figs or dates.

I don't buy Special K. I did a quick Google search and found this re: the Protein Plus cereal. You might want to verify the info yourself since that thread is from 2009.

Cut back on beans and incorporate more tofu/tempeh/etc for protein? I'm not saying give up beans completely, just cut back. Maybe that will help?

Steamed cabbage works alright. It's not super filling since it's just vegetables, but it works for a 'sushi craving'

http://plantfueled.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/recipe-rice-less-sushi/

I read that last year. I love it. I refer to it all of the time and when new vegans ask me for book recommendations I always tell them that they should really get it. Such a valuable resource.

I've never been to Vegas, but if I ever go I'd make a beeline for Ronald's doughnuts.

Yeah, a lot of gluten free baking is an investment initially, as a mix of flours really works best. Bob's Red Mill makes a pre-mixed bag of gluten-free flours, I don't know how well it works in sandwich bread though.

The Rudi's brand is vegan. I see it a lot but I haven't tried it. You can go here to see where to buy it in your area:

http://www.rudisbakery.com/where-to-buy/

I've done a bit of gluten free baking for cookies and muffins, but not yeasted breads - sorry I'm not more help there.

I found a few on the internet, but since I haven't tried them I can't vouch for their success:

http://aprovechar.danandsally.com/?p=228

http://gingerlemongirl.blogspot.com/2010/09/gluten-free-vegan-crusty-bread-recipe.html

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2009/03/gluten-free-multi-grain-sandwich-bread.html

http://www.missionvegan.com/gluten-free-vegan-sandwich-bread/

As with most gluten-free baking, they require a mix of different flours and xantham gum and what-not, so depending on what you have already it might be a bit expensive to acquire all of the ingredients.

Can't wait to hear how your comp goes on 4/7!

Wow Mary - I am so shocked/happy for you that you are able to train so soon after surgery! That's awesome!

Does the plate come out eventually or is it in there for good?

Best wishes for a speedy recovery and a kick ass racing season!

Not every vegan has eczema. What causes an eczema flare up in one person is not necessarily going to cause another person to have eczema.

My understanding is that the link between eczema and stress is pretty clear. I'm not saying that's always what causes eczema, it certainly isn't the case for everyone, but the data suggests that it certainly can cause a flare up.

It take some experimentation to see what helps your symptoms. Try cutting down the stress if possible and see if you react. If you think it is something you are eating then just stop eating it and see what happens.

Also, I find that hydrocortisone cream helps with the symptoms. It's not getting at the root cause, but it can provide you with some relief.

Hi there,

I second what mrsbadmouth said, I tend to get flare ups when I'm really stressed out. Do you notice that you have more stress in your life right now?

If you think it might be caused by high fats, I would suggest cutting down how much fat you are eating for a few days and see if the eczema gets better.

or develop an allergy.

Is that actually backed up by science? I'm not asking in an accusatory way at all, I just don't know the literature on that topic and I'm curious where you heard/read that.

wow, I second what kareno said! Good work!

aw thanks!

catch-up:

22/02/12:

15 rounds of 1 minute work, 10 seconds rest. Did the following circuit 3 times:

1 min jump rope (I don't actually have a jump rope so I used an invisible one)

1 min run in place with high knees

1 minute mountain climbers

1 minute sumo air squats

1 minute burpees

23/02/12:

5 miles in 50:17

24/02/12:

3 miles in 26:57 (yay!)

Wow!!!! I'm still in shock - it's amazing - thank you!

She did a vegan episode awhile back where she had a few different vegan guests. One of her daughters is vegan. She said on the episode that she would start including more vegan meals in her magazine. I don't buy the magazine so I'm not sure if that actually happened or what.

what to eat before and after exercise - it had some great tips

Ooh, next time I'm home for a visit I need to give this a try! So many times when I visit out in the boonies Subway is the only option for food. It would be nice to not have to eat some sad veggies on bread.

I would definitely go see a doctor just to see if it's a normal hereditary thing or what.