So in my many years of trying to lose weight, there are a few things I think of from time to time. Ask a doctor or personal trainer, you get different information. I read what some of everyone is saying on here and it's all different as well. So here are my questions, feel free to answer any or all of them

1. It's important to eat every 3-4 hours? That's what the Dr. and personal trainer tell me. Keep the metabolism up. Some of what I've read on here is only eating 3 meals a day, fasting, growling of the belly.

2. Have about 1200-1600 calories a day? Some of what I've read on here talk about the keeping it under 1000, liquid diets. What's better?

3. Cardio workouts vs. Muscle building. What's better? Shouldn't both be used?

Some other things I am wondering, just for my general dieting. I find it hard to buy a bunch of veggies and find the time to make meals for the next day. I'd rather buy veggie meals from the box I can throw in the microwave at work. Also those 100cal. snack: cheesecake bars, rice krispie treats, oreo bars, etc. Are these good to have?

Any other useful information and tips would be great also!

It all sounds very conflicting, doesn't it? I think the biggest lesson we've learned here is that there is no such thing as a 'one size fits all' diet plan. Everyone is unique and must find what works for them, which probably won't work for the person sitting next to them.

Part of the reason for that is that everyone starts at a different place and has a different goal, and i'm not just talking about the numbers on the scale.

1. Eating every 3-4 hours works well for a lot of people. But not all people want or need to eat that often. Some people find it helps them to stay on plan because they feel satisfied more often and are less likely to eat something they shouldn't. As far as metabolism, though, it might be a myth. You will see it recommended as such, but I've never seen a study that showed it actually had an effect on metabolism. In fact, a published study at Vanderbilt University showed that rats who consumed frequent meals did not have an increase in metabolism. If the same number of calories were consumed either as 10 small meals or 2 large meals, the weight loss was identical.

2. 1200 to 1600 may or may not be right for you. You always want to start on the higher end because as your body weight decreases, you will probably need to reduce the amount of calories you consume because your body will need less. You need some wiggle room. We usually recommend starting at 1800, give it a week and see what happens. Drop down a little at a time until you start to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. If you start out too low, you are more likely to run into problems later. We don't support very low calorie diets here and really recommend at least 1200 calories at minimum.

3. Cardio vs Weights. Both are important, but the scale may tip in one direction or the other depending on your unique body needs and your long term goals.

100 cal snacks - Some people find them useful. Others find them too tempting to stop at one. Still others cringe at the ingredient lists and would rather snack on apples or grapes or a cheese cracker.

Veggies - Are the veggie meals in a box the type in cheddar cheese sauce? Frozen vegetables are just as good as fresh, it's just what you do with the veggie that makes the difference

1. I eat when I'm hungry. This is usually every 3-4 hours. For me personally, it's important to eat only when I'm actually hungry - boredom & comfort eating are bad habits of mine, so I make sure that I'm actually hungry (not enough to be starving though!)

2. The actual number of calories will depend on your philosophy in terms of the loss. For me, I want to eat as much healthy, delicious food as I can and still reach my goals in my own time. I'm not in a rush, so I usually eat around 1500-1800 a day. I've lost slowly but steadily. It's more important for me to learn to eat in a way that's sustainable - I can still have treats here and there, a little junk food occasionally, but this is how I'm going to eat for the rest of my life, so it better be enjoyable!

3. Cardio + weights seems to be the way to go for general weight loss and toning.

Instead of 100 calorie packs, I portion out different kinds of homemade or healthier treats. Half a cup of blood orange sorbet from a local healthfood store is 100 calories; a hearty blueberry bran muffin (google for the recipe, it's on AllRecipes.com) is only 120 calories. These have way more nutrients and taste much better than those packs of junk food.

I'm one of the ones on a lower-than-1200-calorie diet (800-1000) but it is medically supervised and I won't be on this for the entire journey. I eat 6 times per day, with lunch and dinner being from-scratch meals I cook myself. In my case, I was rather rapidly developing some icky health issues such as high blood pressure, the early stages of diabetes, worsening asthma, reflux, escalating joint pain - these were ruining my quality of life and I (literally) didn't feel I had the time to do this as slowly as some are. Plus, I'm the type who mentally needs a jump start, and need structure until I get the hang of things. I do best on low-carb, always have. Your mileage will vary.

Soon I'll be adding exercise to my regimen - I will start with daily walks, increasing the distance. My knees and ankles don't like running (even when I was thin) so I think I'll check out some kind of dancing, plus yoga and weight training. I used to be very strong and I want to get my strength back. I want to be able to keep up with all my gardens and be able to build rockery beds like I used to.

I've lost 20 lbs. and already my breathing has improved and I've mostly lost the constantly-thirsty and perennially lightheaded diabetic feeling. My left hip has stopped hurting. Haven't had reflux in a week. I am sleeping better than I have in ages, and my allergies aren't bothering me as bad. I feel more energetic than I have in years. And it's just going to keep getting better. I am amazed; it's a revelation!

The point is that you see so much conflicting advice because we are all different! And because names aren't made by expounding the same ol' same ol' - the 'experts' need to put their own spin on it if they are going to be able to package and sell it.

1. I eat every 2-3 hours, six mini meals per day. I feel it keeps the metabolism revved, but who knows? I just know it works for me and staves off hunger...usually.

2. 1200-1600 is perfectly reasonable depending on the person's start weight. You won't find too many around HERE sing the wonders of sub-1000 or even sub-1200. Those of us who DO follow 1200 calories are called out on it from time to time. It's really about what works for you, but I don't think going below 1200 is sustainable and it's the sustainability I'm after.

3. Cardio and strength!! Both!! Definitely. I'm a huge advocate for both. Cardio does amazing things for the heart and strength does amazing things for the bone and general build of the body. Never mind what they do for weight loss! LOL!

As for 100 calorie snack packs, they're not for me!! Couldn't stop eating them. They would not fill me up and I would just move on to more crap. I don't have enough room in my 1200 calorie diet for processed crap. But that's just me.

There doesn't seem to be a "right" answer. The best answer is to pick what works for YOU, so that you can stick with it the rest of your life. For me:

1. I eat every 2-3 hours most days, but on weekends when I'm more likely to eat with other people, I tend to eat at more "normal" intervals.

2. I eat a daily range 1200-1900 calories with average 1600.

3. Cardio mostly. Almost no strength. I find weight lifting tedious and only do a few minutes of it per day. However, suspect that cardio with an extra 100 lbs. I've been carrying around results somewhat in "weight" work as I have some pretty impressive muscles at this point!

4. I don't do the 100 calorie snack packs as they would just leave me craving more and eating the other packages in the box.

Hi there..

I don't have all the answers, but what worked for me was this....

Calorie counting...aiming for a range of 1200-1500 per day

Walking at least 30 minutes a day. In the beginning, it really helped because I had been inactive. So I committed to taking a 30 minute daily walk, and eventually increased my time and speed. I added more exercises later on, but walking was the key for me!

Cooking healthy meals at home and adapting favorite meals into healthier versions. Also, freezing leftovers into individual, calorie controlled portions for quick meals later on. This has been a godsend for me!

Still dining out, but making healthy choices. This way, I am still living my life and not feeling like I can't handle food in various situations.

Hope this helps!

I keep my diet journal, and write down the nutrition facts. I have done this for 2-3 years now. When I initially lost the 75lbs. I will look up info on a restaurant nutrition facts (if I can find them on the 'net or Ipod) so I know what I want to get before I get there. I try to keep my cal intake between 1200-1600 a day. But I'm not perfect and have gone over that before.

I go to the gym 4-5 days a week. I have a personal trainer on Wednesdays. I do mostly cardio w/ some weight lifting in there. I do find that boring though so I try not to do too much of it. If I'm bored when I'm working out... it's not going to last long.

100cal snack packs I can control and just eat one. Just a little "sweet treat" to take w/ my lunch or something. Satisfy the taste buds.

Just as a contrast to what others are saying regarding eating every 3-4 hours or so, I eat 3 meals a day (B, L, D) with one small-ish afternoon snack. The longest I go without food is about 5 1/2 hours, from breakfast to lunch, but my breakfast has quite a bit of protein and fat, so while I'm definitely hungry by lunch I'm not dying.

I tried the eating 6x a day thing, and I know it works for others, but for me I would rather be hungry for a bit, then eat more calories/food at once and feel very full (not stuffed), than to be never hungry but also never have that big calorie meal. I'm not going overboard, of course; ever my "high calorie" dinner is maybe 450-600 of quality calories, since my daily average is 1400.

Another reason I decided to eat this way is because, after years of of emotional/overeating, I had NO connection with my hunger anymore. I couldn't just eat to stave off hunger, because I could MAKE myself be hungry and overeat. My way, I eat according to the clock and hunger pains have to be dealt with. As long as my meals are planned and I'm committed to them, hunger never hurt anyone.

I do pretty good w/ a diet. Then things happen like today, at work. It was two of my fellow co-workers birthday, so a cake was brought in. Then (I work at a hospital, rehab.) the new outpatient rehab department was giving the inpatient rehab. a tour. There were cookies, brownies, and cupcakes. When it comes to things like that, as much as I would love to be able to... I can't say no! It's impossible. My body, my brain, says indulge!

Eating every 3-4 hours helps some people to keep from binging because they get too hungry. The only real thing that matters is that your calories in are less than your calories expended, if you want to lose weight. You can do that with one meal or six, your choice. And it doesn't matter what time you eat. You can eat right at bedtime and you won't store it as fat provided your overall calorie expenditure is more than your caloric intake. (There's other reasons not to eat at bedtime, but I'm talking about weight loss here.) I eat 3 meals a day and sometimes a couple small snacks (piece of fruit, handful of nuts). It works for me. Six small meals may work for you.

Typically 1200-1600 calories a day is good. Never go under 1000, it puts you in starvation mode, impacts your metabolism, makes you light headed, and makes it difficult to work out because you simply don't have enough calories to support the extra functions. A good rule of thumb I've read is to eat the amount of calories you would eat to maintain the weight you want to be AT (as opposed to the weight you currently are at.)

I've always been a big fan of strength training. For one, you burn more calories from strength training than cardio because you have afterburn while your muscles rebuild, plus the higher metabolism from having more muscle. Muscle is metabolically active, fat is not. Then there is the aesthetics- muscle simply looks better, and takes up less space, than fat. Plus if you circuit train you can keep your heart rate up and get your cardio too. That's pretty much what I do.

Snacks are fine as long as they aren't "crap". Sorry but rice crispy bars or other snacks that have high sugar or fat content and low nutritional value are crap. Your body needs nutrients, not sugar or fat. Eat an apple with peanut butter, a handful of nuts, etc. That way you get your calories and your nutrition.