Category Archives: Lose Weight Fast

VANESSA Feltz showed off her 3.5 stone weight loss in a ruffled mini dress at the panto last night.

The 57-year-old looked incredible as she posed in a gorgeous frock and showed off her slimmer legs.

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The radio presenter grinned as she wrapped an arm around her grandson, who looked adorable in a very jazzy grey suit.

Vanessa is now down to a size 12 after undergoing surgery for a gastric band after years of struggling with yo-yo dieting.

Despite her dramatic transformation, and her three-and-a-half-stone weight loss,Vanessa has said she won't stop there and aims to lose another seven pounds by the end of the year.

Talking about the impact her weight loss has had on her relationship with her 47-year-old partner Ben Ofoedu, Vanessa admitted to Woman Magazine: "He doesn't seem to have become any less keen on a bit of how's your father, put it that way.

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JUNGLE MATCH Caitlyn setting daughter Kendall up with I'm A Celeb campmate Myles Stephenson

dan like it I'm A Celeb fans 'feel physically sick' as cheat Dan meets Jac after win

Exclusive

SHE'S A KEEPER Strictly curse back as David James and engaged Nadiya share intimate embrace

Jac attack I'm A Celeb champ Jac Jossa shows off weight loss during tense chat with parents

Jac's back I'm A Celeb winner Jac Jossa arrives back in the UK with husband Dan Osborne

MEMORY LANE Holly and Phillip's 'rift' explained as she tearfully discusses their history

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"He likes a bigger woman with a big fat bum.

"Mine has almost dwindled away, so I don't think he'd have cared if I hadn't lost an ounce, but he likes the confidence."

She added: "I've been able to get sexier underwear. I love a negligee - I've got some fabulous satin ones which I think are absolutely irresistible to Ben.

Size-12 Vanessa was able to wear a bikini for the first time on holiday in 35 years earlier this summer - and felt fantastic.

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Losing weight has also helped her worry less about having a heart attack or suffering from diabetes.

And she claims it's helped with her menopause symptoms as she feels "less hot and bothered, less bad tempered and less stressed".

Its her second gastric band after the first one, fitted in 2010, almost killed her when it went wrong.

Vanessa has been engaged to lead singer of Phats & Small since 2006. They were due to wed in 2007 and again in 2011 but have yet to get married.

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Vanessa Feltz shows off her 3.5 stone weight loss in a ruffled mini dress at the panto - The Sun

Weight loss of others can be the inspiration and motivation needed for some people to embark on their very own weight loss journey. One woman and man recently shed more than 20 stone combined, after struggling for a number of years with their weight they decided to transform their lives for the better and documented their dieting journey through Reddit.

In a separate post, her partner revealed the reason behind their lifestyle change.

Writing under the username Sin859, he revealed: I got turned away from the Gringotts ride at Universal Orlando last year due to body restrictions.

The pair decided to use a Keto diet plan in order to shed the extra body weight.

Lillykate22 revealed: I started doing Keto, intermittent fasting, and exercising at least 4-5 times a week.

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Once I started losing weight it was addictive.

Now sometimes when I look in the mirror, I dont recognise myself.

Her partner had a similar approach to shading weight, he said: Ive still got a long way to go, but Keto and working out almost daily have helped a ton.

My girlfriend decided she was jumping head first in weight loss and I told her I would try it for 30 days.

Now its been a few months and I feel great.

Pursuing my hobbies I lost interest in, going outside a ton, walking everywhere and just going to the gym and not feeling like Im going to die.

I went from only being able to walk a mile, to running 3+ miles with minimal effort.

The weight loss has really changed [our] lives.

As well as following a restrictive diet, the couple also engaged in regular physical activity.

The Keto, also known as the Ketogenic, Diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that offers many health benefits and shares many similarities to the popular Atkins and other low-carb diets.

The Keto diet is an eating plan that drives your body into ketosis, a state where the body uses fat as a primary fuel source (instead of carbohydrates), says Stacy Mattinson, a motivational nutrition guru, and healthy lifestyle blogger.

Many followers of the plan will eat less than 25 grams of net carbs a day in order for their body to enter the fat-burning ketosis state.

So what can you eat on the keto diet? Get ready to feast on fish, other seafood, low-carb vegetables (forget potatoes or carrots), cheese, meat, poultry, eggs, plain yogurt, and of course fats.

The foods youll be forgoing include fruits, grains (including bread and pasta), legumes and anything with added sugar.

On a standard ketogenic diet, calories should be made up of 75 percent fat, 20 percent protein, and 5 percent carbohydrate, which for many could be a hard adjustment to make.

Pros

Though the keto diet can be hard to stick to, it has been shown to result in weight loss, at least in the short term.

Research from 2014 published by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health shows that the ketogenic diet can be a useful tool to treat obesity in the hands of the physician.

Cons

As with any health trend, especially one that can seem restrictive, there have been some specific concerns raised by the medical community that the keto diet might not be a safe or realistic long-term eating plan.

It is common for people starting the diet to experience symptoms such as headaches and fatigue, dizziness, light nausea, difficulty focusing (brain fog), lack of motivation and irritability, Dr. Amnon Beniaminovitz, a cardiologist, said.

These are the same sort of symptoms people experience when they wean themselves off caffeine or soda, leading some to suggest the diet is a period of detox.

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Weight loss: Couple follow diet plan to drop whopping 20 stone in less than a year - Express

Today's Tim aint the Tim you remember. Timothy Zedd Mosley (a.k.a. Timbaland), the musician, rapper, and record producer who's worked with everyone from Jay-Z and Kanye to Coldplay and OneRepublic, and who curated the top-40s soundtrack to the last 20 years of your lifethat Timbalandis still very much here. But theres also another Timbaland weight-sled-driving into 2020. Hes 47 now, a bit smaller, and sober. And he says he's found his "value."

Mens Health caught up the the legendary producer at his home in Miami to find out how Tim became Tim.

Timbaland says his turning point came when looking at himself. I would look at pictures and I was like: no way, he remembers. He says one time when standing next to a girl, he realized their anatomy, well, aligned more than he would have liked. I looked at my breast, I looked at her breast, and I was like: we both cant He says after, when he went to the doctor, he learned that his weight wasnt just an aesthetic concern; he was at risk for diabetes. Enough was enough.

Timbaland then entered what he calls a two-year 360 where he revamped his diet and fitness, and was able to cut out the prescription drugs he said had kept him in the sunken place. That includes addiction, low energy, failed relationships, and a clouded mind.

Now, Timbaland keeps it simple. Hes adopted a diet that more resembles a bodybuilders routine than any mainstream trend. He calls it Plain Jane, (perhaps a reference to A$AP Ferg?) or, in other words, you're not eating for taste; youre eating for fuel.

Timbaland says a portion of his meals now are prepared and deliveredlike chicken and greens. He enjoys the consistent Plain Jane fuel. Still, Timbalands fridge isnt without color, and part of whats helped him stave off cravings and maintain his new weight is his fridges flavor array. Inside, he stores lose pineapples, Tupperware filled with fruit (hell add kiwis, almond milk, strawberries, and cantaloupe to his protein shake along with kale to give it that thickness), and rows upon rows of juice and waterincluding a gallon of alkaline in which Timbaland adds some lemon slices for hydration.

I dont believe I understood my value when I was the other Tim.

But Timbaland says the biggest part of shedding the old Tim was honing the motivation that made him successful to begin with. He always had it within him, just hiding behind some pounds.

Now, hes up at 7 a.m. and in the gym by 9. He says the clarity and weight change has also re-shaped his own business savvy. It makes me not just focus on Tim and makes me understand what the brand of Timbaland is, he says. I dont believe I understood my value when I was the other Tim. His value, he says, is to find the next version of himself, the guy who did the most prolific beats to make people dance.

Sounds like exactly what we all need in 2020.

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Timbaland Explains His Weight Loss and Music - menshealth.com

Thirty percent of the US population is at risk for metabolic syndrome a deadly combination of risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol. Initial treatment of metabolic syndrome includes lifestyle changes, such as eating a low-calorie, healthy diet and beginning an exercise program. However, this approach is not always successful in managing metabolic syndrome and physicians often have to treat patients with medications.

There is a real need for a treatment program for metabolic syndrome that is easy for patients to follow and works with current medications.

American researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies recently completed a study on intermittent fasting, called time-restricted eating, to determine whether it had any effect on metabolic syndrome. Their results were published in the journal, Cell Metabolism.

The researchers followed 19 patients that had at least three symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Most of the patients were obese and had high blood sugar. At the beginning of the study, patients were fitted with a continuous glucose monitor and a unit to monitor the patients circadian rhythms. Blood samples, blood pressure, weight, and blood sugar data were collected. The patients were trained to use an app to track calories, exercise, and sleep. For the first two weeks, patients did not make any changes to diet or exercise.

For the next 12 weeks, the patients self-selected a 10-hour daily window in which they would eat all their calories. No other caloric intake was allowed outside of the 10-hour time-restricted eating window other than water. Patients continued to track their calories, activity, and sleep on the app.

At week 13, patients visited the researchers to have the CGM and a circadian monitor placed again. During week 14, the devices were removed and the patients underwent the same tests as at the beginning of the study.

Researchers statistically analyzed the patients data and determined that participants decreased their daily caloric intake by almost 9% just by following the time-restricted eating guidelines. Participants also rated their sleep quality had increased by 23%. The participants also lost weight, had lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and had reduced abdominal fat.

Study co-author Satchin Panda, PhD, said in a press release, Time-restricted eating is a simple dietary intervention to incorporate, and we found that participants were able to keep the eating schedule. Eating and drinking everything (except water) during a 10-hour window allows your body to rest and restore for 14 hours at night. Your body can also anticipate when you will eat, so it can prepare the body to optimize metabolism.

The study results suggest that time-restricted eating offers a promising treatment option to supplement the traditional treatment of metabolic syndrome.

Written by Rebecca K. Blankenship B.Sc.

References:

Image bycongerdesignfromPixabay

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Can time-restricted eating help with weight loss? - Medical News Bulletin

Doctors recommend that women gain between 15 to 40 pounds while pregnant depending on their pre-pregnancy BMI. However, a 2017 review in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports that most pregnant women gain more than they probably should.

In their study, researchers reported that close to half, 47%, of the over 1.3 million women in the review gained more than what's recommended, while about a quarter put on less. And getting rid of those pesky pregnancy pounds can be tough. But be patient.

In general, new moms can expect to lose their pregnancy weight, "within a year of delivery of their child," says Craig Salcido, MD, an OB-GYN with Mission Hospital in Orange County.

Here are some tips for how to manage your expectations for weight loss and get back to your normal weight after pregnancy.

The first steps start even before you become pregnant.

"The amount of weight a woman gains during pregnancy depends on the following factors: their pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), the number of prior pregnancies, physical activity levels and nutritional habits," says Craig Salcido, MD, an OB-GYN with Mission Hospital in Orange County, CA says,

But having a healthy pre-pregnancy BMI and staying within the gaining guidelines can make it easier to lose weight after you give birth, according to the Institute of Medicine.

"Women tend to shed weight immediately after giving birth because of the loss of the placenta and amniotic fluid," says Salcido. And that will likely continue in the initial postpartum phase: "Expect that within the first two weeks after birth to lose an average of eight to 20 pounds as your body clears out excess fluid."

But after that, you will most likely still retain some residual pregnancy weight. Now, it can be tempting to start counting calories and try to lose all of that weight fast. But if you're breastfeeding that's going to be difficult because breastfeeding moms need an extra 500 calories daily.

That said, it's safe to start on a diet and exercise regimen while you're breastfeeding, says Salcido. You just need to give your body enough time to recover first. You'll need between four to six weeks:

"Weight loss of about a pound and a half a week is safe and likely won't affect your milk supply if you are nursing," he says. Therefore, if you have 30 pounds of residual pregnancy weight, and you lost 1.5 pounds per week, you can be back to your pre-pregnancy weight in 20 weeks, or 5 months.

Breastfeeding could be helpful when it comes to weight loss. In one 2015 study, published in Preventive Medicine, US moms who exclusively breastfed for at least three months lost more weightjust over 3 poundsand were more likely to return to their pre-pregnancy weight a year after giving birth compared to moms who didn't breastfeed exclusively or at all.

While this is encouraging, other studies have found conflicting results. Overall, it seems that the longer you breastfeed, the more effective it is at helping you lose weight.

As far as which diet works best, Salcido says: "The safest and easiest way to lose pregnancy weight is to eat small meals throughout the day, instead of three large ones, to boost your metabolism." He recommends always starting your day with breakfast, picking healthy snacks, like nuts, and drinking lots of water throughout the day.

Plus, as expected, sticking with fruits and veggies is smart. "Keep in mind to eat plenty of fruits and vegetablesthey help provide your body with needed nutrients while also breaking up fatty deposits," he says.

But if you find yourself with cravings, similar to the ones you had while pregnant, you're not alone. "Some women may continue to experience cravings after birth because of changes in hormone levels," says Salcido. Cravings may include anything from sugar to caffeine to protein.

Salcido says a good rule of thumb with postpartum cravings is to treat them like you would when you had them while pregnant: everything in moderation. Moreover, "these cravings tend to disappear within six months postpartum," he says.

The bottom line is that when it comes to weight loss, studies show that eating well and working out is the way to go. Most women will get the OK from their OB to start exercising by 8 weeks after giving birth, says Salcido. And once you do, the usual advice for moderate exercise applies. About 2.5 hours every week, which equates to 30 minutes a day for five days a week.

Originally posted here:
How to lose weight after pregnancy and how long it will take to return to your previous weight - INSIDER

I'M A Celebrity: Get Me Out Of Here! 2019 is now over and the camp mates have already returned home.

With food at a premium in the jungle, it's almost impossible to come out and not have shed some pounds - check out the cast's before and after pics below...

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Former Rugby player James Haskell usually consumes over 4000 calories, but had to resort to less than 1000 whilst in the jungle.

It is unclear how much weight the star has lost, but he certainly did lose a substantial amount and spoke to Ant and Dec after his eviction about the physical toll the jungle experience had on him.

He said: "My body started to shut down bizarrely, but it was the fact that I couldnt walk past jobs that werent done, so if the water needed topping up, Id go and fill it up."

I was up and down the stairs the whole time and I was burning a lot of calories and a lot of adrenaline, and, obviously, all the walking to go to the trials.

I couldnt concentrate and my legs I had nothing in my legs, I was getting very tired."

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The new Queen of the jungle showed off her slimmer figure at the I'm A celeb coming out party.

The former EastEnders star took part in her fair share of trials on the show and started the series on basic rations of rice beans, as well as enduring time in the jungle jail.

The 27-year-old defeated DJ Roman Kemp and Corrie star Andy Whyment to win the crown and was greeted on the bridge by her controversial husband Dan Osborne.

The actor took to her social media to thank her fans for voting and she is "absolutely fine."

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Roman transformed his body this past summer after revealing his shredded abs after undergoing a strict training regime.

The DJ was spectacular in the trials and was breath of fresh air in camp.

He kept the campmates on their toes with his very unique questions and did his best to perform his Dad's song when doing karaoke at the jungle arms.

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The Rak-Su star was the sixth person to leave this year's I'm A Celeb and showed of his weight loss before he even left the camp.

Whilst walking around camp, James Haskell told Myles "Looking leaner again today."

To which Myles then replied: "Am I?", to which James replied: "Yep. So lean brother."

Myles caused some controversy in the camp when it was reported that he informed Jacqueline Jossa that her husband Dan had cheated with his ex Gabby Allen, which caused Jac to leave the camp and send Dan a voicemail.

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The comedian was the second celeb to be eliminated from the jungle.

The Irishman had a spat with Ian Wright on more than one occasion and at one point the challenge of the jungle looked to be getting the best of him.

He bravely took on the trails, especially when he was locked in an ark with various animals such as iguanas and camels.

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Kate Garraway's I'm A Celeb experience has seen her undergo a stunning three-stone weight loss.

Since leaving the jungle theGMB star, 52, gave up sweet treats and dropped two stone before heading to Oz, while a diet of beans, rice and lean meats in the jungle helped her lose another stone.

She showed off her new slimmer figure in a glam red play-suit as she reunited with her campmates.

Kate told The Mirror: I was a bit shocked when I got into the dressing room and looked in the mirror. I thought "Oh, my God!" because you don't see yourself. There is no mirror in the jungle."

The journalist took part in the show's famous trial Celebrity Cyclone and finished in an impressive fourth place.

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Actor Cliff Parisi was a late arrival in the jungle and lasted 16 days in camp.

According to heart.co.uk, Cliff revealed he had lost a huge one stone and a half in just two weeks.

Talking to Lorraine, the former EastEnders star said: It's the beans that have done it - I am never going to eat a bean in my life again."

"I have been paid to go on a diet, somewhere sunny, and live in a jungle."

The former EastEnders star has vowed to continue the diet and lose and some more weight.

According to The Express Cliff said: I went in there to go on a diet. I am planning to stick with the diet and lose a bit more weight. I dont know what my employers are going to think about thatIve been in the series for 10 years and Im the big, fat, useless mechanic.

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The former Arsenal footballer was put through the ringer during his time in the jungle, partaking in more trials than anyone else prior to his eviction.

There seemed to be a big difference to Ian's body throughout his time in the jungle and it shows as he donned a smart-looking waistcoat at the coming out party, especially after the first week where he predominantly had basic rations.

The Premier League winner's time in camp will be remembered fondly for screaming through the underground trial with Jacqueline and fumbling his way through the pitch-black trial with James.

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The former Girls Aloud band member left the jungle in a shock double-eviction with Caitlyn Jenner.

The singer was already very slim upon entering the jungle, but showed off an even leaner frame on her Instagram page.

Nadine started her jungle journey by parachuting out of a helicopter, before winning a trial with Adele Roberts to earn a spot in main camp and escape the dreaded rice and beans ration, well least for a little while longer.

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I'm A Celebrity runner-up Andy Whyment has revealed his hilarious secret nickname in camp following his 11lb weight loss.

The Coronation Street actor, 38, was a late addition to the Aussie jungle line-up yet the scant diet of rice and beans saw him drop a whopping five kilos.

Soap fave Andy told host Lorraine Kelly: "I have lost five kilos, but I didn't think I had five kilos to lose.

"Myles started calling me noodle arms because of it."

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Caitlyn Jenner sported long skinny legs at the I'm A Celebrity Coming Out Party.

The 70-year-old looks incredible for age as she posed for photos in a red mini-dress.

The reality star was eliminated from the show in the double eviction with Nadine and also entered with her by parachuting out of a helicopter.

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The BBC radio 1 DJ lost weight prior to entering the jungle on a no-sugar diet.

She seemed to be losing more weight throughout her time on the show and viewers were worried over whether she was getting enough food.

After her exit from the jungle she tucked into a delicious-looking burger and fries on Instagram, so Adele seems to be getting on just fine!

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Im A Celebrity 2019 weight loss transformations revealed from James Haskell to Jacqueline Jossa - The Sun

KATE Garraway's I'm A Celeb experience has seen her undergo a stunning three-stone weight loss.

The GMB star, 52, gave up sweet treats and dropped two stone before heading to Oz, while a diet of beans, rice and lean meats in the jungle helped her lose another stone.

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At the series wrap party, Kate looked dramatically different from pictures taken just months before.

She showed off her new slimmer figure in a glam red playsuit as she reunited with her campmates.

And while she was in the jungle, Kate had viewers mesmerised when she wore a red bikini in the famous shower.

Kate's transformation has been so impressive that her co-star Susanna Reid, 49, wrote in her Mail column how she felt inspired watching her good pal.

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The journalist's campmates were just as impressed, referring to her as a "cougar".

Speaking about her weight loss, Kate told the Mirror: I was a bit shocked when I got into the dressing room and looked in the mirror.

I thought, 'Oh, my God!' because you don't see yourself. There is no mirror in the jungle.

"They weigh you before you go in and they weigh you when you come out and I've lost a stone I was really eating in there as well, so rice and beans is kind of the way to go.

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JUNGLE MATCH Caitlyn setting daughter Kendall up with I'm A Celeb campmate Myles Stephenson

dan like it I'm A Celeb fans 'feel physically sick' as cheat Dan meets Jac after win

Exclusive

SHE'S A KEEPER Strictly curse back as David James and engaged Nadiya share intimate embrace

Jac attack I'm A Celeb champ Jac Jossa shows off weight loss during tense chat with parents

Jac's back I'm A Celeb winner Jac Jossa arrives back in the UK with husband Dan Osborne

MEMORY LANE Holly and Phillip's 'rift' explained as she tearfully discusses their history

Kate swapped sugar and caffeine for avocado prior to the jungle.

Despite looking amazing before doing the show, Kate admitted she had brought "a lot of swimming costumes"that she feels comfortable wearing in the famous jungle shower.

She told The Sun: "I've got a lot of swimming costumes. It's quite hard as I've got bits of my body that I'm trying to cover up. In fact, a lot of my body I'm trying to cover up. I was looking for one that starts up here and goes down to my ankles.

However, her husband Derek revealed she had some skimpy bikinis and it wasnt long until she wore them in the famous jungle shower - sending pulses racing amongst those watching at home.

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Kate Garraway shows off incredible THREE stone weight loss after Im A Celebrity - The Sun

Revathi Unnikrishnan went from 82kg (left) to 56kg in a year and a half. Image Credit: Supplied

Its the little things in life that make a huge difference. At least this was the case for 33-year-old Revathi Unnikrishnan and her weight-loss journey.

After giving birth to a healthy baby boy 11 years ago, the pharmacist was looking forward to going back to her pre-pregnancy weight. But what with Aryurvedic post-delivery supplements, unhealthy living and a fast-paced return to work, the kilos began to pile up. At one point, says Unnikrishnan, she found it difficult to breathe.

Her job requires her to stand for hours on end and comes with shift work, which plays havoc on a persons biological clock; hunger strikes at odd times, portion sizes tend to be out of control because the body is craving food to turn into energy; junk nosh begins to look like a feasible option. After four years of this sort of self-abuse, she woke up to the numbers 82, which at the height of 5-foot-two-inches meant some heft.

She realised that for a subtraction of weight, shed need to make some reductions in other parts of her life. First I cut out all the fast-food items, she recalls. Then she cut her portion sizes. Finally, she began to eat at about 7pm every evening, come rain or shine. Then Im not eating more fat items, healthy foods only, she says. Im drinking a lot of water.

The idea of working out elicits laughter. My work is only work for me, she explains. Revathis lucky break came because she doesnt really have a sweet-tooth, so besides an occasional dusting of sugar in her tea, she was happy to cut out that weight-magnet. Over a period of a year-and-a-half Revathi had changed; she was leaner, much, much fitter and no longer struggled with her daily tasks. She had dropped 26kg.

This was about four-and-a-half-years ago. Since then, she says, she hasnt paid too much attention to her diet. But thats only because it became a lifestyle change.

Today, the Keralite expat is eating more leafy vegetables, salads than she once did.

Her rice intake is restricted to the afternoon.

And junk food well, thats out of the question.

When asked if this has meant an overhaul for her family, too, shes quick to giggle. I used to eat everything when I was a child, so I cant say anything to [ my son], she explains.

Its an adulting thing, one supposes - when little things start to make big differences.

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UAE weight-loss: How this Indian expat lost 26kg in 18 months - Gulf News

A once-colossal cat who was double her ideal weight has transformed after six months of pet fat club.

Sparkx, who lives in Moss Side , had eaten and slept her way to a massive 6.95kg.

Her owner Christina Jacobs, 29, said her pet had been stealing food from her feline housemates , leaving her barely able to clean herself or jump on the sofa.

The podgy puss was at serious risk of health problems due to her excess inches.

But six months after enrolling onto the Pet Fit Club, run by PDSA, Sparkx has shed an impressive 3.5 inches off her waistline and lost 10.5% of her bodyweight.

She now weighs in at a much healthier and trimmer 6.2kg and has been awarded the runner-up prize of the UK-wide pet slimming competition.

Vets and nurses provided Sparkx's owner with tailor-made diet and exercise plan to help her shed the pounds.

Christina said she has been 'delighted' with the results so far and has seen Sparkx gradually become 'happier, healthier and more mobile'.

She added: "BeforeSparkxwas so big she couldnt clean herself but she can now and thats the best change of all.

"She used to be a lot grumpier too, but since she started losing weight shes more friendly and kitten-like.

"Her energy levels have definitely increased; she can easily jump on the sofa now which she struggled to do before!

Sparkx's owner used a microchip feeder to stop her from stealing food from her other cats.

She said despite a 'couple of slip-ups', she is 'so pleased' with Sparkx's progress so far.

Read more of today's top stories here

Sparkxstill has more weight to lose to reach her ideal weight of 3.5kg.

Christina added: Pet Fit Club has been the best start to her weight loss journey and were going to continue with the diet until she reaches her target weight.

"Im excited to keep going with it now Ive got the advice I need from PDSA vets.

Sparks weight-loss has been supervised by Jill Hodgkinson, Vet Nurse at The Manchester Pet Wellbeing Centre, The Montague Panton Pet Hospital.

Jill said: Sparkxis on the way to becoming much happier and healthier.

"Shes a lot slimmer than the cat that could barely stay awake for her very first Fit Club weigh-in six months ago.

"Every month weve seen the small changes in her as shes lost some weight.

Her owner has been very dedicated, overhauling her diet and exercise programme to transform her life!

Any owners who are worried about their pets weight should seek advice from their vet, who can work with them to get them on the right diet and safely increase their pets exercise levels.

The winner of Pet Fit Club 2019 was a once-bulging Beagle from Cardiff who lost 30% of his bodyweight and eight inches off his waist.

Get breaking news first on the free Manchester Evening News app - download it here for your Apple or Android device. You can also get a round-up of the biggest stories sent direct to your inbox every day with the MEN email newsletter - subscribe here . And you can follow us on Facebook here .

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Astonishing 'weight loss journey' of Sparkx - who is half the cat she used to be - Manchester Evening News

Gift giving is a big deal this time of year.

To find the perfect gift, Americans will spend about 15 hours this holiday season shopping. Women will do about twice as much as men. And theyll shell out about $1 trillion on gifts.

While retailers relish the holiday shopping season as a time when consumers open their purses or wallets, for many consumersespecially those who do not like shoppingthese days are filled with dread. They mark moments when shoppers clog malls, websites become overloaded, and delivery trucks block streets. The entire process generates untold amounts of stress and anxiety.

One source of stress is just how much to spend on gifts. Spending too much can put you in financial distress. Spending too little may make you look cheap.

How do you decide whats the right amount to spend on gifts?

As an economist, I study holidays and gift giving because a large fraction of retail shopping is driven by seasonal events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Super Saturdayalso and more appropriately known as Panic Saturdaywhich is the last Saturday before Christmas.

Gift giving is stressful because nobody wants to buy what they think is a perfect gift only to discover it is a dud.

The long lines of people returning items after the holidays seem evidence enough for that.

This has led some economists to argue theres a dead weight loss to Christmas presents that destroys as much as a third of their actual value. A 2018 study estimated Americans spend $13 billion a year on unwanted gifts.

Other economists, however, have resisted this Scrooge-like view of gift giving and point to evidence that a present can actually have more value to the recipient than the price the giver paid. In other words, a gift, even when technically unwanted, could have more value simply because someone else bought it for you.

So if youre dead set on buying some gifts, how much should you budget for it?

Since gifting is a social act, it makes sense to consider how much other people typically spend.

There are a number of surveys run each year that ask people during the fall to estimate what they plan on spending for holiday gifts. The National Retail Federations annual survey of holiday spending estimates the typical American will spend $659 on gifts for family, friends, and coworkers in 2019. On the high end, Gallup puts the average at $942, with more than a third of respondents expecting to spend over $1,000 on gifts.

But these figures arent that helpful for an individual since $659 means something different to someone making $40,000 a year versus $200,000.

Thats where the Consumer Expenditure Survey comes in. Its a large survey run by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that tracks the spending habits of 12,000 to 15,000 families each year. The government uses the survey to determine the cost of living and inflation rates for the typical family.

The survey follows gift giving very precisely. It has categories for common holiday presents like electronics, books, and clothes, as well as gifts that typically arent associated with the season, such as housing and transportation.

After removing these nonholiday gifts, the typical US family spends about one percent of its annual take-home pay on gifts. So whatever you earn, you could multiply it by one percent to get a figure that is in the ballpark of what the average American spendsbut wont break the bank.

While calculating a gift budget is one way to take the stress out of how much to spend on gifts, my family has another: only give gifts to children.

Adults get wrapped boxes filled with paper. After the real gifts are opened and the young children are safely moved out of the way, we crumple up the paper and throw it at each other in our annual paper fight.

That keeps the cost down while making the kids feel special. It also ensures the kids dont feel left out when their friends talk about the gifts they received. Other families follow their own methods for controlling expenses, such as secret Santa gifts or by focusing attention more on togetherness than on the stuff received.

Whether you have a paper fight or follow another family tradition, my main message is that it doesnt take very much money to make the winter holidays memorable.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

POV is an opinion page that provides timely commentaries from students, faculty, and staff on a variety of issues: on-campus, local, state, national, or international. Anyone interested in submitting a piece, which should be about 700 words long, should contact John ORourke at orourkej@bu.edu. BU Today reserves the right to reject or edit submissions. The views expressed are solely those of the author and are not intended to represent the views of Boston University.

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POV: It Doesn't Take Much Money to Make the Winter Holidays Memorable - BU Today