Diet Tips Just How Many Calories Should You Eat to Lose?

There's a plethora of information about how to lose weight. Most can be divided into "common sense" and "stupid and dangerous." But there are grey areas. Like calorie limit. Just how many calories should you eat per day? Depends on who you ask.

Most weight loss advisers use a BMI (body mass index) calculator to determine how much you should weigh. It factors height, weight and sometimes gender, age, body shape and clothing size (the good ones include those). I've lost 95 pounds. Here's my thoughts on calorie counting.Diet TIp Just How Many Calories Should I be Eating, Anyway?

Weight Loss Tip, Plan When to Eat, Not Just What

Dieting is very one-day-at-a-time. I've been doing it for about 20 months. Some days, I'm so sick of counting calories I want to scream. I'm always looking for ways to make dieting less tedious. I realized that it's as much about when I eat as what.

I've lost 95 pounds (left November 2013, right 2011) by allotting myself 1,350 calories a day. I eat six small meals and snacks. I eat breakfast within 30 minutes of rising (Dr. Oz recommendation). I've found that to have less trouble with hunger, I have to balance calories between meals and snacks. 300 for breakfast, lunch and dinner; 150 for snacks.   Diet Tip Plan When You Eat, Not Just What

Warning, Binges and Blowouts Make Dieting and Fasting Harder

I'm a Catholic: well not cradle Catholic-- I'm a convert. One thing I love about being Catholic is that we sure know how to celebrate life. Take Fat Tuesday (aka Mardi Gras): it's a huge Catholic lollapalooza before the solemnity of Ash Wednesday and Lent.

All good Catholics, it seems gear up for the penitential season by overdoing it in the party season. I have my doubts about the wisdom of this. And this isn't just for Catholics. It's for everyone trying to lose weight. I have lost 95 pounds and take it from me. Fat Tuesday Feasting Makes Ash Wednesday Fasting Harder That's me now left and int 2010 right. Blowouts and binges make dieting exponentially harder. Just sayin.

Weight Loss Challenges--Maintenance Diet After Weight Loss

I write a lot about weight loss. Over the last 10 years, I put on 100 pounds. I went into menopause and everything went FUBAR. So I've been working to lose shed that fat. I've only got about 7 pounds left to go. I'm trying to do it healthy, making little tweaks. I made up my mind I wasn't going to crash diet, nor make huge, invasive changes, like surgery. I'm looking to build healthy habits I can sustain once all the weight is gone.  Diet Difficulties--Weaning Into a Maintenance Diet After Weight Loss

Neither Shaming Not Enabling Helps the Obese Person

You've heard those PSAs "if you love someone, DO this or that for them?" Help them, get help for them. Okay, sometimes we can assist. And other times, the most loving this is not to help. Encourage them to do it themselves or just butt out and be a friend. Like losing weight. Several adult friends are overweight. Their parents and/or spouses are trying to force weight loss.  Shaming, Enabling Obesity Does Not Help--I Know

Junk Food Tax to Cut Obesity

Junk food tax? Yes. Mexico will now levy a 5 percent tax on calorie-dense foods. The point is to curb obesity. Gum will be taxed 16 percent. Though why specifically gum as it's not food. There's some dispute as to which country, Mexico or the U.S., is the fattest. But both tip the scales at over 32 percent overweight. Juvenile obesity and related illnesses are escalating. Juvenile diabetes, hypertension, health and liver disease, cholesterol problems--kids are getting these younger and younger. Here are some impacts taxing low nutrition food might have on obesity.Will a Junk Food Tax Cut Obesity? A Weighty Question

Diet Recipe of the Day: Low Calorie, Super Protein Cottage Cheese

I've lost 75 pounds dieting and still have 25 or so to go to get to goal weight. Every day, I'm submitting a diet recipe using the +Dietrecipeoftheday tag. I've been craving savory foods. But salty snacks are mostly carbohydrates with no protein. And I'm trying to cut gluten and bread. Here's a snack that hits all three and is filling and tasty  Diet Recipe of the Day: Low Calorie, Super Protein Cottage Cheese

Low Calorie, Low-Fat Superfood Entree Recipes, Cheap and Easy

I'm dieting to lose 100 pounds. It's a journey, but I'm down 71 pounds. Along the way, I've created and tweaked recipes to subtract calories and fat and add superfoods (fruit, vegetables, lean meat, alternative protein). Here are homemade low-cal, low-fat entrees that are cheap and quick.  Low Calorie, Low-Fat Superfood Entree Recipes, Cheap and Easy

Diet Plan, Food Choices that Helped Me Lose 70 Pounds

I can't believe it. I've only got 30 pounds left to lose to hit my 100-pound weight loss goal. Sometimes it seemed the weight would never come off. I started dieting about two years ago, but got serious 10 months ago. I tried every eating strategy, except crash diets. I want to develop new healthy eating habits. As I've learned, I've tweaked my diet plan. That's paid off. I'm losing more each week. Here's the menu I followed to lose the first 70 pounds. I eat six small meals daily, totaling 1,350 calories.   Diet Plan, Food Choices that Helped Me Lose 70 Pounds

Qnexa Anti-Obesity Drug a Poor Substitute for Diet, Exercise

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the anti-obesity drug Qnexa for weight loss. Qnexa, an anticonvulsant plus appetite suppressant cocktail, has risks, says the LA Times. The FDA says being fat is a bigger threat to health than those issues, though. I disagree, but not just because of the potential for birth defect and heart problems. Qnexa or any other diet pill is a placebo, an enabler. It doesn't address the real problems with obesity which are eating too much and doing too little. And I know what I'm talking about. I put on 100 pounds, thanks largely to a pill and the vicious circle of health problems it caused (Paxil antidepressant). I have lost a little over half of the weight just from changing to a healthier diet. I haven't even added much exercise. I have several back issues (not from obesity but from structural defects). If you need a supplement to jump start weight loss, try a green tea-antioxidant supplement. Mega-T is a great appetite suppressant and it's natural! For an herbal water pill try (Uva Ursi, Parsley, cranberry). And don't forget a natural fruit cleanse: bilberry, Alive, Whole Food Multi.  Please, for health's sake, avoid diet drugs. If I can do it, so can you. Qnexa Anti-Obesity Drug a Poor Substitute for Diet, Exercise

Dairy Food Swaps to Lower Cholesterol, Cut Calories

I started dieting 18 months ago. Along with losing weight, I needed to lower my LDL-low-density lipoprotein, "bad" cholesterol. Wanting to avoid medications, I tried reducing cholesterol with diet. A big step was lowering dairy consumption. Here are food switches that reduced LDL cholesterol and helped me lose weight. These food swaps cut 500-1,000 calories a day.  Dairy Food Switches to Cut LDL Cholesterol, Lose Weight

Diet Dangers--Things to Avoid to Lose Weight

 Dieting is one of the most challenging behavior modification acts to perform. Unlike quitting smoking, where the smoker can give up cigarettes altogether, the dieter has to eat to live. I can't give up food but I can avoid certain pitfalls. Here's my diet danger watchlist. Diet Problems

Curb Christmas Cookie Monster Cravings with Low Sugar Switches

Tis' the season to be snacking! The holidays are about sweets. But I will be fa-la-la-fatter, if I'm not careful. I can't abstain from Christmas goodies all season long, but I will make simple food swaps to curb my inner Christmas Cookie (Candy, Cake, Pie) Monster. Here are easy, healthy, low-sugar holiday switcheroos.  Read more

Sweet Tooth Taming Tips for Holiday Dieting

Holiday baked goods and desserts, Christmas cookies and candy, Hanukkah treats--from Thanksgiving to Epiphany, the holidays mean sweets. If you're dieting or watching your weight, holiday goodies can pose real stumbling blocks. Why not try these tips to tame the sweet tooth and curb holiday cravings?  read more

Healthy Snacking Tips for Holiday Dieting

The holiday season wouldn't be the same without cookies, candy, cheese balls, dips, ham, alcohol and calorie-laden goodies, right? From Thanksgiving to Epiphany, the holidays mean overindulgence. If you're dieting or watching your weight, holiday foods can pose real stumbling blocks. And if I stop dieting for the holidays, it seems all the harder to restart in January. Why not try these tips to tame the taste for decadent desserts and delicacies with these healthy alternatives? read more

What parents should know about childhood obesity

For a society that values tolerance, there's one population we're not very nice to--fat people. We treat fat kids especially badly. We rail against bullying, but then we shame overweight kids and guilt parents for making them fat. We make cruel, sententious remarks like "it's their fault for letting (insert name) get 'that way.'" I always want to retort "what way? Nice? Smart? Helpful? Cute?"

Oh right, fat. Because that's all that matters is that he's chubby. Never mind what an awesome person he is. And I'm not convinced that juvenile obesity is the epidemic we tout it as. Sure I've seen the grossly overweight adults on their hover-rounds. Their fat is more permanent, unless they make lifestyle changes. But among kids, there's more too it. Fat in kids is more transitional. Part of it might be a money-making ploy on the part of healthcare. But then I do tend to wear a tinfoil hat when it comes to government and national health initiatives. And I digress. The point is that not every fat kid may be overweight. Here are things parents need to know about fat kids and weight loss.  What parents should know about childhood obesity

Obesity Awareness Event, Health Expo in Detroit

Four out of five African American women are overweight or obese, says Women's Health.gov. These are statistics we can't live with; fortunately, a Detroit organization is doing something about it. The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is fighting obesity with a "30 Days to Lose It!" initiative. Here are details.  Obesity Awareness Event, Health Expo in Detroit 

Key Components of Successful Dieting and Weight Loss Programs

 "Diet tips" and "Weight Loss" have been hot keywords for several decades. There are many diet and weight loss plans available, but the successful diet plans contain several key ingredients: portion control, choice, behavioral change and self-management. Let's look at how these key components work in successful weight loss.

 Portion Control: I know quite a bit about health and nutrition, but when I started dieting, I was surprised when I did the math on the portion sizes I was eating. I was consuming many more calories than I could eat to maintain a healthy weight. I was not binging. I was just not aware of how many calories were in the portion sizes that I was consuming. When I began to read nutrition labels for suggested portion size, losing weight became much easier. I could see where I needed to cut back to lose weight.  Key Components of Successful Dieting and Weight Loss Programs 

Qnexa Anti-Obesity Drug a Poor Substitute for Diet, Exercise

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the anti-obesity drug Qnexa for weight loss. Qnexa, an anticonvulsant plus appetite suppressant cocktail, has risks, says the LA Times. The FDA says being fat is a bigger threat to health than those issues, though. I disagree, but not just because of the potential for birth defect and heart problems. Qnexa or any other diet pill is a placebo, an enabler. It doesn't address the real problems with obesity which are eating too much and doing too little.Read more at Qnexa Anti-Obesity Drug a Poor Substitute for Diet, Exercise

Healthy Snack Foods Product Review: Nutri-Grain, Cereal Bars, Fruit Snacks

Healthy Foods: Are Nutri-Grain Products, Fruit Snacks, Yogurt Raisins and General Mills Cereal Bars Healthy?
I'm on a mission to rout out snacks that claim to be healthy and expose their true nutritional value to consumer scrutiny. I've had it with snacks food that proclaim to be healthy but are in fact full of junk. Follow me as we explore healthy snack myths.
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