rcthale

Protein bars are fantastic as meal replacements, and they're a good way to make sure you stick to a good diet while you're out of the house. They're only bad if you have problems feeling full, because they have a lot of calories for their size.

The only real benefit to palm oil is that it's not trans-fat. It's one of the few natural plant fats that stays solid at room temperature. If you need the convenience of no mixing, then it's not bad. Still, why not go with the peanut butter that has actual peanut oil in it? You have to mix, but it's a slightly better fat.

Agreed, fiber and protein, especially fiber if you're not afraid of vegetables. Carbs tend to make you want more carbs.

I think fiber gummies are probably great for general benefits like helping with cholesterol. But fullness is usually about plain-old volume. For that, vegetables are good because they bring fiber and take up a lot of space. For other people, fullness is about some type of nutrient deprivation, which spurs binging.

Nuts are good fats, but they're still very calorie-dense, so they're not ideal for losing weight. If you're using nuts just for the good fats, you could switch to flax seeds or even eggs to lower the calories.

TDEE factors in everything. So, if you eat back your exercise calories, you won't get anywhere. I like to use my BMR as my goal and let my exercise create my calorie deficit.

The marinade calories that actually get to your mouth are probably less than a pat of butter. It's when you're using it as a salad dressing that it matters big time.

If you're on a continuous regimen of pain meds, they will drag down your energy and will. I've seen family members in and out of that haze for several days at a time. Heal up and get off the meds, then try exercising again.

What a lot of people don't get is that it is 100 times harder to lose weight if you've been overweight since childhood. For a lot of people, weight loss is like their bodies' "remembering" their older skinny selves. Not so with lifelong obesity. My wife struggles even after Lap-Band surgery. Better foods, smaller portions,…

You could still bake chicken drumsticks for dinner. Yes, they're more fatty than breast meat, but it's still way better than beef, especially if you remove the skin after cooking. You can buy generic seasoning salt to be fancy without worrying about a recipe. Green beans are my go-to kids vegetable. They're not as…

You're right; you won't be giving your body enough calories to function. But, your body will steal those missing calories from your own fat. As long as you've got some spare fat, your body will use it to make up the difference that it needs.

Your BMR is the number of calories you need to support your body as it is right now. Eat under that, you lose weight. Eat over that, you gain. If you stick to your goal calories each day, you'll lose weight until your lighter body has a BMR that equals your goal. This is the plateau, when you recalculate your BMR and then…

I've heard a theory, I think from Bob Harper's rules book, that if you avoid carbs several hours before sleep, your body will be forced to burn fat during sleep. Theory.

Vinaigrette is probably the best dressing you can use, but be careful: Olive oil has about 119 calories per tablespoon.

If you want to save or gain muscle while you lose fat, keep the calorie deficit small, maybe 20% of your BMR/TDEE. Then try to fit in protein-dense foods without going over your calorie goal. 1200 sounds very low.

The cheapest source of protein I've found per gram is reduced fat string cheese. Three sticks will get you about 24 grams protein in 180 calories. Get your protein in line first, so you can keep as much muscle as possible while you lose weight. Nonfat cottage cheese is good as well; it's as protein dense as Greek yogurt,…

You will still lose weight with low calories even if a lot of your calories are fat. Too much fat means there is room for improvement in the types of foods you're eating, but only total calories matter for weight loss.

When I started, I didn't change anything that I was doing. Instead, I just kept track of everything I was eating to find out how many calories I was really eating on an average day. After a week of keeping track, I compared my average to my BMR, then decided how much I felt I could stay below that number and start losing…

All that exercise makes your weight an unreliable statistic. Focus more on how your clothes are fitting differently.

Find out what your BMR is, and use a few online calculators to make sure they give roughly the same number. Then just count calories and exercise as normal, but ignore MyFitnessPal's goals. Use your BMR and then target about 500 below that daily for a pound of loss each week. MFP told me that my BMR is around 2200, but…

Totally true, you can lose weight with any type of food as long as you have a caloric deficit. But, weight is not the only aspect of health.

If you switch to fruits, you can eat almost as much as you want. For about the same calories as a 12-ounce can of Coke, you can eat about 30 cherries, 25 strawberries, or 2 whole oranges. If you still want processed sweets, artificially sweetened are the way to go.

I like to start with yogurt or cottage cheese for some satisfying protein. If you eat yogurt, Greek-style is the one with protein. If you actually have some time, then oatmeal is a good starter also.

If you've never done weights or resistance, then dip your toe in the water with bodyweight exercises. It's the safest way to start and avoid injury. The big ones are push-ups, chin-ups (and later, pull-ups), and bodyweight squats. You can get nice and sore with only these exercises. After a few weeks, you'll be primed for…

At the very least, you could try one of the less dense Blizzard Minis, like the Hawaiian (300), Choco Cherry Love (330), or the Banana Split Mini (290).

Agreed, either tailor them or donate them. The psychological crutch of having bigger clothes will work against you.

Nutrition is not really part of medical school programs yet, but most physicians feel pressured to live up to the high reputation they have with the general public. So, they end up giving advice about areas they know little about. The same happens with medication advice, which would be better handled by pharmacists.

The most calories come from rice and noodles, so you're in relatively good shape just by avoiding those. But, it's still a buffet, so just accept that it won't be an under-goal day and at least make sure those extra calories are high-quality.

For some vegetarians, it's about animal rights. For others, it might be heart health, and for a few it's trendy. For me, it became too much work to find good recipes, quality produce, and also keep my nutrition in check. But, I do think vegetarian is the healthful way to live and will do it again when my career is more…

The same happens to me if I stay up late on the computer. I'll spend a solid hour grazing on cheese sticks, crackers, popcorn, chocolates, and it doesn't stop until I just go to bed.