Registered Dietitian in TX here to answer questions.
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Hey Tony !
I'm a fellow Texan close to Dallas
My question is about sugar. I have a significant amount of belly fat to shed and I am convinced that there is a correlation between sugar and belly fat. Correct or no? Furthermore, I'm worried because more than one serving of fresh fruit puts me over my daily allowance for sugar. Is that still okay and if so, how many servings are too much?
Also, I am a tested "pre-diabetic". Am I genetically destined for diabetes or can I beat an early diagnosis?
Thanks !
Sugar does not cause you to gain fat. Eating more calories than you expend causes weight gain. Some other things like weight lifting, protein intake, etc. etc. help to determine your body composition. If you want to lose fat, you have to eat less.
There is no specific amount of food or portions of any food that is "too much" unless eating those amounts inhibits you from moving toward your goals and maintaining a balanced diet with the right amount of macro and micronutrients.
You can certainly beat early diagnosis. Maintaining a healthy weight/body composition and exercising are the 2 most important things you can do to prevent type 2 diabetes.0 -
Are organic foods worth the extra $ in terms of nutritional content?0
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Is drinking dairy milk going to make me fat?0
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I am in my 30's and I am a pear shaped person with more weight in the bottom I was wondering what exercises or certain foods would help me lose the extra weight I am carry. I have tried several diets and different exercises in the past and I just don't know what will work for my body type. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
There are no special exercises or special foods or diets that can help you spot-reduce your bodyfat.
If you want to lose weight you have to create a caloric deficit and stick to it. If you want to change your body composition, you need to eat enough protein and lift weights.
If you've tried a lot of different diets and exercise plans in the past to no avail, I recommend looking into hiring a personal trainer and or dietitian to help give you some 1 on 1 guidance and keep you accountable. It would be worth the investment to get a handle on this now and empower yourself, rather than fall victim to fad-diets in the future.0 -
Thank you for taking time to answer questions.
I am a 43 year old woman, 5'7", around 125 pounds, trying to eat a healthy diet. I find that I consistently get only around 25% of the daily recommended amount of potassium and I'm wondering if that puts me at risk for hypokalemia. I don't take any medications other than a daily multi-vitamin and an occasional Advil...
Deficits have ranges and are accomplished over time. If you continue to get low amounts of potassium, you will start moving toward the deficit range.
I would take your potassium level readings with a bit of skepticism. I've seen some pretty crazy calorie ranges on some of the foods in MFP, I'm not even sure what the potassium levels may be like.
There are lots of yummy foods that are high in potassium. Why not try adding some to your diet?0 -
Are organic foods worth the extra $ in terms of nutritional content?
In my opinion, no. But I will say that in my experience, the organic fruits and vegetables to tend to look and taste better than the non-organic. So in that sense, if I enjoy my fruits and veggies more, I'll be more likely to eat them. I've not seen any studies that show a clinically significant nutrition difference from comparable organic to non-organic foods.0 -
Hi Tony, Thanks for taking the time to do this! There's a ton of information out there on nutrition, and it's nice to know what a person's credentials are when asking for their ideas / advice / opinions.
Here's my personal info
46 year old female, 5’8”
Presently 220 lbs (*Sigh*) but had been overweight all my life until I decided to change things when I hit 40 and tipped the scales at almost 300 lbs.
I followed the Weight Watchers plan and lost 100 lbs and maintained at 195 for 18 months. I had wanted to loose that last 10 lbs - so I started running. I ran my first 1/2 marathon in 2010 - and felt great! The training schedule I used including 5 days a week of running, including those dreaded long runs on the weekend. I also have a personal trainer and I was hitting the gym to do strength training 3-4 times a week including a session with him.
After that first 1/2, I continued with the running, but in the last year or so I've found that my energy levels seem to decline as the week goes on. I will have energy and motivation on Monday, by Wednesday it's waning but I still can push myself to go out and do something. Now, however, by Friday I have 0 motivation to do anything healthy and usually end up bingeing Friday evening. MY PT session is on the weekend, so I drag myself there for that, but other than that I can’t seem to push myself to get to the gym more than one other time. I can pull myself out of the binge over the weekend and the cycle seems to start again on Monday. Now the weight is coming back on (binge eating will do that - I know) and I can't seem to find how to keep the motivation and energy at a point where my mind isn't sabatoging me with the lack of energy/motivation.
I'm thinking there's obviously something missing in my nutrition plan in that I can't keep my energy levels relatively consistent (even tho my calories seem to be fairly consistent during the weekdays - - until Friday hits). I've added a daily regime of Cod Liver oil (1 tsp) and avocado (2 Tbsp) ino my diet in an effort to get those good fats which does seem to help a little. My customized MPF plan has me shooting for about 2000 cals per day, with a 40/30/30 split - trying to keep the protein up so that the lean muscle that I've gained over the past years doesn't just fade away . . .
Any suggestions on what you've found to keep energy levels at a consistent level?0 -
When we see in the MyFitnessPal database that a 7-ounce baked potato has 220 calories, is the recited 7-ounce weight the weight of the potato before cooking or after? My observatioon is that a potato that weights 7 ounces before it is baked weighs only 5.5 ounces or so after cooking. If I cook and eat such a potato, which weight should I enter in my diary? Or to put it differently, if I alloow myself 220 calories of potato, should I cook a potato that weighs 7 ounces raw, or shoud I select a heavier potato, so it will weigh 7 ounces after baking?0
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I am in my 30's and I am a pear shaped person with more weight in the bottom I was wondering what exercises or certain foods would help me lose the extra weight I am carry. I have tried several diets and different exercises in the past and I just don't know what will work for my body type. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
There are no special exercises or special foods or diets that can help you spot-reduce your bodyfat.
If you want to lose weight you have to create a caloric deficit and stick to it. If you want to change your body composition, you need to eat enough protein and lift weights.
If you've tried a lot of different diets and exercise plans in the past to no avail, I recommend looking into hiring a personal trainer and or dietitian to help give you some 1 on 1 guidance and keep you accountable. It would be worth the investment to get a handle on this now and empower yourself, rather than fall victim to fad-diets in the future.
As a person who was able to afford a Personal Trainer - I agree!! Unfortunately, they are are expensive but worth their weight in gold if you find one who aligns themselves with your goals (not theirs)0 -
I eat a lot of lean meats such as chicken and fish. However, i love to use marinades and spices. Surely the meat does not soak in all the juice. How do i incorporate marinades into my diet?0
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Hey, y'all. My name is Tony. I'm a RD and personal trainer in Flower Mound, TX. I enjoy answering questions on here and helping people out:
I've done this once before and I got overwhelmed with questions so please read these few points before you ask your questions.
Here's the last thread I did: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/755064-registered-dietitian-in-tx-here-to-answer-questions
1. I am not here to argue science, methods, or prove any advice I'm giving. I have a formal education in nutrition, keep up on the current research and have my own opinions. I welcome you to share yours, but I will not engage in debate, nor will your opinion be likely to change my positions. I will not be posting links to peer reviewed journals for my recommendations. I am aware of the laws of giving nutrition guidance online, etc. etc.
2. I am only going to answer questions for people in general good health. If you have questions about a medical condition or disease state (ie diabetes, thyroid disease, cancer) My answer is always going to be, "talk to your doctor and dietitian."
3. If you "have tried everything and cannot lose weight" or if you're eating "x amount of calories and still can't lose weight." my answer will always be the same- you are eating too many calories. Be consistent with your current intake and cut by 10-20% while making sure you are getting enough protein. Make sure you are correct with your portion sizes and choosing the right foods in the MFP. In other words, if you can't lose weight- you need to eat less and exercise more.
4. The more information you can provide me like your age, height, weight, bodyfat %, current workout program, etc. will help me help you.
5. I can't accept any more friends on myfitnesspal.com right now. If you want "bookmark" me to ask me a questions later, you can link up with me on facebook. http://www.facebook.com/Foodandfitness . I repeat: do not friend request me. I appreciate it but I can't keep up with everyone on here.
Ok, *whew* now that that's out of the way, fire at will!
If I don't get to your questions right away, I will do my best to come back on here.
Wow. Tony, you're brave for attempting this!
I am an MS,RD,LD,CDE in Alabama, I am boad certified in sports nutrition and diabetes management but am not here to promote a personal/private practise as you apparently are, so I try to avoid answering most questions because of the issues you have listed above. I find It becomes quite tiresome when you spend your whole life working with people professionally, have a "real" license to practise and in my case, a successful 20 year career in the medical and fitness field and you have to "argue" with people over the most basic, highly studied nutrition related topics.
I LOVE being an RD and helping people improve their health and overcome medical problems. But, I try to keep my MNT proactise in the hospital and out-pt clinic where I work, in order to maintain my sanity. Haha!0 -
Hi Tony, I'm not sure whether a dietician is the right person to answer this, or if it's a silly question, but here goes...
i've been trying to increase my hydration levels. i read that i should aim for 31ml per kg, so i've been aiming at that. my question is, does it matter if i guzzle it all down between 9am and 4pm, or should i really be trying to space it out over the day more?0 -
Hi Tony, Thanks for taking the time to do this! There's a ton of information out there on nutrition, and it's nice to know what a person's credentials are when asking for their ideas / advice / opinions.
Here's my personal info
46 year old female, 5’8”
Presently 220 lbs (*Sigh*) but had been overweight all my life until I decided to change things when I hit 40 and tipped the scales at almost 300 lbs.
I followed the Weight Watchers plan and lost 100 lbs and maintained at 195 for 18 months. I had wanted to loose that last 10 lbs - so I started running. I ran my first 1/2 marathon in 2010 - and felt great! The training schedule I used including 5 days a week of running, including those dreaded long runs on the weekend. I also have a personal trainer and I was hitting the gym to do strength training 3-4 times a week including a session with him.
After that first 1/2, I continued with the running, but in the last year or so I've found that my energy levels seem to decline as the week goes on. I will have energy and motivation on Monday, by Wednesday it's waning but I still can push myself to go out and do something. Now, however, by Friday I have 0 motivation to do anything healthy and usually end up bingeing Friday evening. MY PT session is on the weekend, so I drag myself there for that, but other than that I can’t seem to push myself to get to the gym more than one other time. I can pull myself out of the binge over the weekend and the cycle seems to start again on Monday. Now the weight is coming back on (binge eating will do that - I know) and I can't seem to find how to keep the motivation and energy at a point where my mind isn't sabatoging me with the lack of energy/motivation.
I'm thinking there's obviously something missing in my nutrition plan in that I can't keep my energy levels relatively consistent (even tho my calories seem to be fairly consistent during the weekdays - - until Friday hits). I've added a daily regime of Cod Liver oil (1 tsp) and avocado (2 Tbsp) ino my diet in an effort to get those good fats which does seem to help a little. My customized MPF plan has me shooting for about 2000 cals per day, with a 40/30/30 split - trying to keep the protein up so that the lean muscle that I've gained over the past years doesn't just fade away . . .
Any suggestions on what you've found to keep energy levels at a consistent level?
There's a lot of things that can affect your energy levels. I'll touch on a few...
1. Stress-
2. Sleep
3. Training- are you overtraining?
4. Recovery time- are you recovering from your training sessions?
5. Diet- obviously affects your energy. Some people even find that they have a meal frequency that works best for them and their energy levels. If you're running a ton, you may want to increase your carbohydrate levels.
You are obviously a highly motivated and determined individual. It's hard for me to pinpoint exactly what's going on with you. Why not taper off your training for a week and see if you can't be more compliant with your diet? That could be a good clue to the puzzle.0 -
When we see in the MyFitnessPal database that a 7-ounce baked potato has 220 calories, is the recited 7-ounce weight the weight of the potato before cooking or after? My observatioon is that a potato that weights 7 ounces before it is baked weighs only 5.5 ounces or so after cooking. If I cook and eat such a potato, which weight should I enter in my diary? Or to put it differently, if I alloow myself 220 calories of potato, should I cook a potato that weighs 7 ounces raw, or shoud I select a heavier potato, so it will weigh 7 ounces after baking?
The rule of thumb is to weigh your foods raw.
The practical advice is to be consistent with whatever you choose to do. If you want to weigh out foods cooked, that's fine, but be consistent and do it with all foods. This way when you have to make changes as your body adapts to your diet, you can have something to work with. I hope that makes sense. Thanks for your question!0 -
Hi Tony,
I had posted this in one of the groups but haven't gotten a reply and wonder if you could give me your opinion...
A little background: I am what some folks refer to as skinny fat. I weigh 135 right now, look just fine in clothes as long as it's jeans and long sleeves. I don't do shorts cuz it's darned scary! LOL Short sleeves are ok, but not great. I'm not sure I want to lose a whole lot more weight necessarily, but I most definitely need to lose fat.
I average somewhere between 900 - 1,100 cals per day and have been this way for about 15 yrs due to stomach surgery (Nissen Fundoplication) to repair a non-functioning sphincter muscle. I could never understand how I could eat so little and still be overweight, but I am. My problem here is that I have trouble reaching my calorie goal each day due to the surgery. I'm really trying to up my calories though (have made some progress in the last few weeks) and have an appt with my doc tomorrow to see what can be done about it.
I started lifting about 3 weeks ago but I am a real wimp when it comes to strength (spent nearly a year (2009) in bed/on the couch due to side effects from chemo, lost a lot of muscle and have been slow to rebound) so it's slow going. I don't have an Olympic weight bar so it's fairly light and all I could manage was a 4.4 lb plate on each end. That's slowly improving now and I think I'm up to about 20lbs total for most lifts. I know that's not a lot but it's the best I can do right now and I'm adding more weight each time if I can. I'm doing a kind of cobbled together combination of Starting Strength and StrongLift 5 x 5 with squats, chest press (alternating with overhead press) and stiff-legged deadlifts (alternating with bent-over rows). Can't seem to get the technique down for the power clean.
For cardio, I do a walk (3mph)/run(4mp) combo. I'm trying to work through the C25K program but my asthma's holding me back a bit so that's slow going too. And I take Tae Kwon Do classes 2 times a week.
My current schedule is: Walk/Run Combo & TKD - Monday and Friday, Lift - Tuesday & Saturday, Rest Day - Wednesday and Sunday and Thursday I am doing various light cardio or light strength training (dips and lunges).
So, my question: Since I still do have a fair amount of fat to lose (calculators put me at about 30% BF), should I continue with the cardio as I am? If so, at what point do I drop back on the cardio and up the lifting to 3 days? Any other lifts I should be working on? I do have the NROLFW book but just haven't had a lot of reading time the last week or so.0 -
Hi Tony, I'm not sure whether a dietician is the right person to answer this, or if it's a silly question, but here goes...
i've been trying to increase my hydration levels. i read that i should aim for 31ml per kg, so i've been aiming at that. my question is, does it matter if i guzzle it all down between 9am and 4pm, or should i really be trying to space it out over the day more?
I think it really depends on what you're doing after 4pm. If you're going to exercise, you should drink some fluids to stay hydrated. If you're just being sedentary, then I think you're fine. I'm sure if you get thirsty, you'll drink something. Interesting question. I've never been asked that before.0 -
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seems like there is a book here. that would have a much wider reach than this blog and could potentially help a lot more people. since mfp does not have a big ad budget like other online companies its still relatively unknown.
For example. The book could be something like "100 People who lost 100+ pounds and Kept It Off For At Least 2 Years". It should be written a professional writer, you, a psychologist, and a personal trainer perhaps with comments sections from the professionals on what those people did right.
I think there is a lot of misinformation out there on MFP and in general about diet and weight loss. A book like this without any agenda could really contribute to helping people change their lives rather than being the 95% that just end up putting the weight back on.
It could also examine which diets promote long term health. I hope you would give this some serious thought. The world needs a weight loss book like this. I think there are a number of paths to weight loss success.
I wish MFP would setup something for professionals like yourself that could address questions that come up over and over again, and often people get bad information or so so information from other members. I know this could get touchy for them and it could affect their advertising. I know some fad diets buy ad space on MFP and the reviews they get might not be very good.
People could really use better professional direction though and that is something that is sorely missing from MFP.0 -
Hi Tony,
I had posted this in one of the groups but haven't gotten a reply and wonder if you could give me your opinion...
A little background: I am what some folks refer to as skinny fat. I weigh 135 right now, look just fine in clothes as long as it's jeans and long sleeves. I don't do shorts cuz it's darned scary! LOL Short sleeves are ok, but not great. I'm not sure I want to lose a whole lot more weight necessarily, but I most definitely need to lose fat.
I average somewhere between 900 - 1,100 cals per day and have been this way for about 15 yrs due to stomach surgery (Nissen Fundoplication) to repair a non-functioning sphincter muscle. I could never understand how I could eat so little and still be overweight, but I am. My problem here is that I have trouble reaching my calorie goal each day due to the surgery. I'm really trying to up my calories though (have made some progress in the last few weeks) and have an appt with my doc tomorrow to see what can be done about it.
I started lifting about 3 weeks ago but I am a real wimp when it comes to strength (spent nearly a year (2009) in bed/on the couch due to side effects from chemo, lost a lot of muscle and have been slow to rebound) so it's slow going. I don't have an Olympic weight bar so it's fairly light and all I could manage was a 4.4 lb plate on each end. That's slowly improving now and I think I'm up to about 20lbs total for most lifts. I know that's not a lot but it's the best I can do right now and I'm adding more weight each time if I can. I'm doing a kind of cobbled together combination of Starting Strength and StrongLift 5 x 5 with squats, chest press (alternating with overhead press) and stiff-legged deadlifts (alternating with bent-over rows). Can't seem to get the technique down for the power clean.
For cardio, I do a walk (3mph)/run(4mp) combo. I'm trying to work through the C25K program but my asthma's holding me back a bit so that's slow going too. And I take Tae Kwon Do classes 2 times a week.
My current schedule is: Walk/Run Combo & TKD - Monday and Friday, Lift - Tuesday & Saturday, Rest Day - Wednesday and Sunday and Thursday I am doing various light cardio or light strength training (dips and lunges).
So, my question: Since I still do have a fair amount of fat to lose (calculators put me at about 30% BF), should I continue with the cardio as I am? If so, at what point do I drop back on the cardio and up the lifting to 3 days? Any other lifts I should be working on? I do have the NROLFW book but just haven't had a lot of reading time the last week or so.
Based on what you've told me in this post, I would go with more weight lifting before anything else. It sounds like that is your greatest weakness right and and focusing on that to build back lean body mass is definitely a good idea. Both of those are good programs. I would just pick one and do exactly what the program tells you to do. 3 weeks is not a long time to be lifting weights. You'll see more improvements over time. Power-cleans are a difficult move. If you don't feel safe doing them with proper technique, don't do them and substitute something else. or break up the exercise into 2 parts like a deadlift combined with a high pull.0
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