Have a Health & Nutrition Question? Ask the RD!

I can only seem to lose about a pound per week no matter how deep I cut my calories or how much exercise I put in. I feel like I've made every meaningful adjustment; is there anything else I can do?

I'm told that going by BMI and standard weight charts are not reliable. How can I find what my ideal weight should be?

I hike a lot. Over the past few years, I've figured out that my average calorie burn per mile is 130 kCal. I want to make sure I'm carrying the right amount of food because at the start of a week-long hike food is the single heaviest item in my pack.

What calculation should I use to determine how many calories to bring? (BMR x # of days I'm hiking) + (miles I'm hiking x 130 kCal)? Or should I use a figure less than BMR because 130 kCal I'm burning per hour includes the BMR for those hours?

A prior RD suggested I could run a calorie deficit of up to 250 kCal/day without it having a negative impact on performance while I was training to run an ultramarathon. I'd like to come close to my daily calories burned because eating enough while hiking also helps keep me warm at night. But I don't want to repeat the experience I had a few years ago: I packed what I thought was six days of food, it took me seven days to do the hike, and I still had a kg of food in my bag.

Thanks in advance!

I need help losing 15 pounds and a protruding abdomen. Active at 72. Thanks

I am having issues absorbing Vitamin D...I tried increasing the dose (2,000 IU/day) and taking Vit K2 with it (100ug) with it but after 3 months the level has barely increased and is still below range. Any suggestions (other than increasing to 4,000IU/day and 200ug of K2)?

What do you think about the keto diet?

I am 74 years old. I have been following MFP for many months. I have been eating around 1300 calories. I have not been doing much exercise because of a bad back. Going to have surgery on it in 3 days but my question is: I have not lost any weight in all that time. I really like the program but am discouraged. What can I do to lose some weight? I would like to lose 40 lbs by the end of the year. Thank you.

Canned soups always seem to have lots of sodium; is that distributed evenly between the liquid and the solid portions of the soup? In other words, if I strain out the liquid, am I reducing my sodium intake proportionately?

I want to start exercising more, mainly weight lifting (I'd be going from once a week of swimming to adding 3 days of weightlifting). How do I calculate how much more I'll need to eat to help fuel my workouts and/or refuel after a workout without overeating?

What is the best "sugar" to use for health benefits? I use raw honey but I just read that Maple syrup has a lower glycemic index which helps your blood sugar not rise as much. In artifical sweeteners, I use monk fruit or swerve.

I have colitis. Have a difficult time losing weight because if I eat too many salads or fruit, I will have a very bad day. I’m working out 6 days a week, for an hour. What is a good diet that will help.

I was recently diagnosed with diabetes. Each book I read suggests a different program. One says 60 grams of carbs a day and another 69 per meal. What is the healthiest diet to follow to reverse diabetes?

Is there a way to track added sugar alone as opposed to total sugar in Myfitnesspal or similar apps?
I am more worried about my added sugar component than the total sugar.

How should I build out my diet?

I’m 52, post menopausal with under active thyroid, high blood pressure and cholesterol. I’m really struggling with energy and lack motivation due to losing only 1lb and have 7 1/2 stone to go. Feel really heavy, especially my legs. Please help.