drcherokee

This is why I would advise against a very low calorie diet. Energy is energy, and very low calorie diets do work...but is it sustainable? Should long-term eating habits be either feast vs. famine? Only lettuce or 17 cheesecakes? Both extremes involve suffering and stress. It's the same psychology that involves binge…

Very nice...I'll have to remember that one.

You could just say, "Oh, that's private...I don't talk about that." If they're offended, then tough. It's not necessarily an appropriate question to begin with, or at least it's perfectly appropriate and reasonable not to answer. Just like when people ask age, religion, politics, ethnicity, or income. NONE OF YOUR…

I'm proof that you can eat whatever you want and lose 70 pounds of weight as long as you're at a deficit. The only kicker is that you must METICULOUS count calories, as I have done. This is especially true if you're new to this and don't have a good feel for calories or knowing how to properly estimate them. Don't…

Calories are fuel. I mirror what burtnyks said. I've lost 70 pounds or so. I eat fast food VERY often, several times a week. French fries. Pizza. I meticulously count my calories I put in. I meticulous count my calories burned when I exercise. (Obviously, I can't eat large QUANTITIES of fast food or I would take in way too…

Bingo. If we're talking purely weight loss (and weight correlates in many ways with overall health) calories are relatively similar (net) no matter the nutrient source. Obviously metabolism is complex, and there are lots of caveats, but small caveats oftentimes block the bigger picture when it comes to dieting: take in…

Good post!! THINKING you are at a deficit is different than BEING at a deficit. If you can accurately record calories in and out, you've accomplished a lot right there. Weigh stuff. Standardize it. In most "nutrition facts" you can get a weight = a certain number of calories.

You could be overestimating your daily activity level (go with "sedentary" if you're unsure), overestimating exercise, or underestimating calories. Or any combination. It doesn't take much to throw it off. Just like a budget, it's SO easy to spend money and not stick tightly to allotments. I'm not saying you're doing any…

Agreed. I'm not talking about trimming down, I'm talking about obesity level weight loss. I should have clarified. I needed to see progress. 2 pounds a week worked for me. Now I've cut myself to only 750 a day deficit.

^^ This. Furthermore, you've gotta drastically change the way you EAT. Meaning, exercise is great but count your calories and be meticulous and accurate. When I first started, I minimally exercised, but I was at 1000 calorie a day deficit under maintenance. If that's too strict, do 750. I lost weight almost like clockwork.…

AJ, what you said is right. People who tend to eat fast food TEND to take in way too much, and that presents the problem. It's so easy to overeat fast food because, as you said, it's packed with a lot of calories and a lot of potentially bad stuff if taken in too-large of a dose. As for me, I eat fast food almost on a…

Caloric deficit = weight loss. I do think our problem in this western culture is too many concentrated carbs that mess with our metabolism, so it's natural to try to want to reduce those. I think what's been said is correct, though, especially by AJ_G. Show the scientific journals and research, not opinions by popular…

Using this site is no different than taking a medication. Let's say you have high blood pressure. The best thing is to exercise and eat better to get your blood pressure down. However, that isn't always feasible. Sometimes medication is needed. Sometimes assistance is needed. Sometimes calorie counting is needed, because…

"Even Critics of Safety Net Increasingly Depend on It" Has our society become ADDICTED to too many safety nets?

Who is the arbiter of what is "healthy"? That's like asking the government to decide what's beautiful. I don't disagree that we as a nation are fat, and I don't even necessarily disagree with public service messages about how bad sugar is, or how bad cigarettes are, etc., but overregulation is depressing our economy and it…

Agreed. Fast food companies want to maximize profit, so how can they maximize profit if they're getting horribly bad press? It's not in their interest to "make people obese," it's in their interest to make a profit. Too much bad press about unhealthy foods, then they offer healthier ones. Luckily, with the internet and…