rcthale

My Early Burglary Years - Morrissey

Sugar is bad if it's empty calories. Fruits are great because they have fiber and other nutrients, so they're far from empty. Even if you challenged yourself to binge on fruit, you'd be full or in the bathroom before the calories become excessive.

The shakes themselves are fine, with good amounts of protein and fiber as meal substitutes. But, the sales culture around Visalus is just too pushy. Just use the shakes and don't get caught up in the push to become a distributor.

Frozen vegetables are sometimes better than ordinary grocery produce. They're frozen when they're still fresh, instead of waiting on a truck followed by the store display. Some foods even tenderize as their water content crystallizes, so cooking is easier.

My rule of thumb is that the food must either give me protein or give me fiber. Ak-Mak are the only crackers that fit for me; it was very sad to say goodbye to my favorites, Cheez-It and Wheat Thins.

I weigh myself every day so that I can get a feel for what my average or true weight is for the week. There are fluctuations higher and lower, but I'm trying to see if that zig-zag line is generally going down.

I start almost every day the same, and dinner is usually around 1000 calories no matter what I choose, 1500 if I eat out. Breakfast: 1 cup cottage cheese (1 percent fat), 1 banana. Total about 280 calories. Lunch: Half-cup oatmeal (1 cup after cooking), 3 teaspoons sugar, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder. Total about 210…

My favorite is cottage cheese (1 percent) with a banana sliced in. If you really want to limit calories, then start sampling protein powders until you find your match.

Walking doesn't work as quickly, but it's safer and easier to fit in without special clothing or anything. Just walking 30 minutes could give you around a 200-calorie edge each day, I think. Running can tear up your knees even at 250 pounds, if you don't use good form to avoid bouncing up and down.

If I have to get fast food, maybe during a road trip, I look for chicken nuggets or strips. You can find them anywhere, and it's decent protein without overloading calories. Just avoid french fries, regular soda, and breads. Meat only!

One day won't make a difference, maybe even two. But, you can end up malnourished even if you're overweight, and that can affect your energy, muscle strength, and immune system. Just don't make it a habit to under-eat.

It depends on how you're measuring your other foods and meals. If you're weighing or using measuring cups for meals, then you should account for every bite. However, if you estimate your meals by sight or if you eat out, your total is already inaccurate anyway, so one bite is the lesser problem. Either way, stay at or…

This situation is a good example of the difference between legal and ethical. Taking water pills didn't break any rules of the bet, but it was unethical. That last weigh-in was not a good representation of his natural weight.

I usually end up trying to count each major ingredient. The eggplant, the breadcrumbs, and a little butter or oil. And gradually get to know what one pound feels like and what one cup looks like. Whatever you estimate won't be accurate, but neither are most of the entries that people have put into the MyFitnessPal…

No. Fitness requires internal motivation.

I set my goal based on my BMR, because my TDEE just isn't consistent from day to day. So, exercise calories are like a bonus to my daily budget, and it's a pleasure to eat them because it doesn't affect my goal.

I probably used to clear 500 or 600 calories right before bed, usually brownies. I still eat before bed, but I switched to fruit, a bowl of cherries or strawberries. You can eat a lot without too many calories.

If the choice is really between fried brown or steamed white, go with steamed white. You'll spare yourself all the calories of oil, and you can get fiber from other places. Brown rice has some fiber, but it's not a fiber powerhouse.

This sounds like a great idea, and it's already laid out. Don't listen to the bodybuilding dichotomy of bulk versus cut. Try and see what works for you.

Juliet Of The Spirits by The B-52's. Good for running.

I've seen a toasted version that's marketed as soy nuts. The salt and the crunch are delicious.

Start off cheap and simple. A good powder should be able to fit 20 to 30 grams of protein in about 100 calories. Everything else is secondary if you're just beginning. Walmart carries two brands you can try first, Body Fortress and Six Star. Buy the smallest sizes you can so that you can test the taste without wasting…

Wow, nice menu! You won't do too badly if you avoid breads, nuts, and potato.

Higher fiber content usually means fewer calories. Multi-grain is a sort of trick because it sounds like it means fiber, but it really just means the bread is made from several plants aside from the usual wheat. The best I've ever seen is 45 or 50 calories per slice, in varieties of whole wheat or in white with added fiber.

If you're lactose intolerant, you might be able to sneak in hard or aged cheeses like parmesan or extra-sharp cheddar. If the cheese is aged enough, the bacteria have finished eating all the lactose.

Before you change your favorite foods, first meet your calorie goal. If you can do that, then start making small changes or substitutions of the things you usually eat. If you're young and healthy, excess sodium, vitamins, or even sugar won't hurt you. The only harmful excess I know of is too much iron. If fruit is the…

That soup sounds good if it satisfies you. High sodium won't hurt you unless you already have health problems such as high blood pressure. Just make sure you're drinking your eight glasses of water or more each day.

The nutrition facts look good with protein, fiber, and nutrients to replace a meal: http://visalus.com/sites/default/files/products/facts/d1208us_sellsheet_vi-shape.pdf My problem with shakes is that it's temporary by nature, rather than a true lifestyle change. You can't spend the rest of you life drinking those shakes.

The best cheese I've found is reduced-fat string cheese from Target. It's 60 calories per stick and 8 grams protein.

Protein is usually accompanied by fat, and nuts are the worst offender for this. My favorites: Cottage cheese Greek-style yogurt Reduced fat string cheese Frozen chicken breast Beans (but these come with a lot of calories) Maybe keep some protein powder around if you can't reach your protein goal for the day.