Tag Archives: advice

User Queries : How many calories?

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Image courtesy of db*photography

Image courtesy of db*photography

I’d like to lose the 20lbs that stand between me and a size 12, or  even the 50lbs that stand between me and a size “Wow!”.  I know that to do so I need to make calories in less than calories out. But how many calories should I shoot for in general?

I’ve used a number of calculators, with so vastly different results.

Here’s two examples:

The American Cancer Society says I need 2318.

The Mayo Clinic says I need 1550.

What gives? Where can I get a reliable number?

Thanks,
Naomi

Ok.  Wow.  You guys have really decided to stop throwing softballs at us when it comes to these questions, haven’t you?  Next time why not ask us how to perform open heart surgery or something?  Sheesh.

Seriously, though – The reason this is a difficult question is because the first (and most honest) response is “it depends.”  It depends on a lot of things.  It depends on how old you are, how tall you are, how much you weigh currently, how active you are, what your sex is, and what type of calories you’re putting in to your body (a 1200 calorie a day diet consisting of nothing but Snickers bars isn’t very likely to warrant positive results).  With all of those factors in place it is no wonder that you’re having a hard time finding a solid answer to your question.

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Dieting on a Budget : 100 Calorie M&M Packs

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Pre-Packaged 100 Calorie PacksHealthy food is expensive.  There’s just no two ways about it.  Fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and low-calorie treats are all generally a lot more expensive than a box of Patio Burritos.  Many of the lower income members of society who struggle with their weight simply cannot afford to eat well (and it goes without saying that gym memberships, diet supplements, and pre-packaged meal programs are simply out of the question).  Even those of us who aren’t necessarily struggling to pay the bills have to deal with the fact that our money just isn’t buying as much as it used to, and with all the economic uncertainty that is out there today it just makes sense to save wherever you can.

With that in mind were here at ShrinkGeek thought we’d occasionally share some of the ways we have found to eat better and save a few pennies in the process.  Our subject for today is the 100 Calorie M&M Snack Packs.

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User Queries : Dealing With Loose Skin

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Question Mark

One of the things I am having to deal with already in my weight loss effort is loose skin on my inner thighs, lower abdomen, and pelvic regions. I have looked around on Google and gotten a LOT of conflicting information that focused mainly around BMI and lean tissue vs body fat content.  I am not sure what to trust short of going to a dermatologist or Cosmetic Surgeon for a consultation and asking, “What do I do?”

– Anonymous Reader

Well, anonymous, let me state right off the bat here that if you want a definitive answer to this question you SHOULD go see a medical professional for a consultation.  I’m not a doctor, nor is anyone here at ShrinkGeek, and all of what I’m about to offer is simply a healthy mix of some internet research peppered with my personal opinion.  I don’t have the fancy letters after my name to prove that anything you’re about to read is true, nor do I have the malpractice insurance behind me if it turns out I’m completely wrong.

Now that I’ve gotten all those messy disclaimer things out of the way to cover my posterior let me state that I have, indeed, done a bit of research into this subject.  I, too, have wrestled with the loose skin question and have often said that I may end up needing to have surgery to remove it as well.  I have even gone so far as to have consulted a plastic surgeon about my predicament, and as such I’m happy to pass on what I have learned to you.

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Trials and Tribulations of Telecommuting

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Image Courtesy of roland

Image Courtesy of roland

Ah, telecommuting.  That dream within a dream for the working professional.  While most of us are stuck in traffic or trapped behind a cube wall while the person next to us listens to “Come On, Eileen!” for the tenth time the telecommuter is sitting at home, sipping home brewed coffee in their pajamas and basking in the serenity that is home life.

Well, that is how we envision it is, anyway.  The truth of the matter is that working from home, while it has many advantages, is not quite the golden apple that those of us in the cube farms picture it to be.  While the telecommuter may not have to deal with Lundberg face-to-face, he or she has to deal with a whole variety of productivity hurdles that someone in an office is safely isolated from;  Kids, pets, door-to-door salesmen, distracting spouses, telephone solicitors, and the perception that the fact that working from home is not really “working” and as a result you should somehow be expected to drop whatever you are doing at a moments notice to deal with the latest non-work related situation that has cropped up in your life.

There is one other major challenge that the health conscious telecommuter has to deal with.   Staying in shape.  Having just finished a period of over four years in which I was telecommuting about 80% of the time I can assure you that while it is easier to avoid the weekly doughnut trap in the break room there are a whole series of roadblocks to being healthy that appear when you start working from home.  If you find yourself fortunate enough to end up with a telecommuting opportunity there’s a few things you can do to help minimize the negative impact on your physical AND mental well-being.

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In Defense Of The Walking Dude

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Randall Flagg from "The Stand"When I started out this project I specifically picked a group of folks who I knew had some very different takes on the whole weight loss and fitness field.  I did this for a variety of reasons, but primarily I did so because I know there is no such thing as a “one size fits all” solution when it comes to weight loss and fitness and that having multiple perspectives on certain subjects is a great way to help our readership find out what works best for them.

Take, for example, the article that Rafe wrote the other day about doing something other than walking in order to get in your daily exercise.  It’s a fine article, and the exercise he mentions certainly seems challenging, but in reading it I felt the need to write a response and give you all the “other side” of the coin.

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Two Quick Updates

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The Muppet Show's NewsmanThe Virgin Healthmiles program that I wrote about in this post now has a membership program that individuals can sign up for.   The initial fee is $29.99 and that includes the first month, and just like your typical MMORPG there is a monthly fee after that of $12.99.  Considering the fact that you can earn up to $500 in rewards in a year you only have to make it to Level 3 to see a “profit” from that in your wallet (and you’d most definitely see one on the scale).  For more information check out the information and registration page on the Virgin Healthmiles site.

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Is It Worth It?

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This isn’t some kind of deep, soul-searching blog post.  Please don’t let the title fool you.  I’m kicking around a financial decision and I could use some advice/input from my friends.

I have two $10,000 life insurance policies that my Mother took out when I was in elementary school and passed on to me.  If I’m reading the paperwork correctly, at the age of 36 these policies that are probably close to 30 years old have amassed a whopping cash value of $596 each.  I pay $18.20 quarterly for each of these policies, so I’m shelling out $145.60 a year to maintain them.

I have PMI on my mortgage that is paid monthly, so if the worst were to happen the house would be paid for.  On top of that I have a sizable life insurance policy through work that I pay extra to have increased.  It is set up to be split between Alex, Krystalle and Jareth if.  It wouldn’t be enough to set them up for life, but the house would be paid for and Krystalle could make sure all of my debts were paid off and they would all still have a decent cushion for a while.

I’ve always looked at the two $10k life insurance policies as my “funeral” policies.  That money would probably cover the funeral and subsequent mad party I have requested should I shake off this mortal coil.  In the grand scheme of things, that money is a pretty small drop in the bucket and won’t come near covering what my other policies do.

All of this leads to my question – If you were me, would you continue paying for the two policies or would you cash them in and use that money to pay down debts (or, more likely, pay off the new debt incurred by Christmas)?