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Posted: June 17, 2017 at 5:43 am
Calories in, calories out. The saying is painted on the Pinterest boards of health enthusiasts, raved over by fitness models, and even preached by some nutritionists. But recent studies suggest that this method of dieting could be making people less healthy in the long run.
The premise of calorie counting is that based on your weight, height, and activity level, there is a magic number of calories that is optimal for your daily consumption. Those who wished to regulate their calories would theoretically limit their intake to that calculated number (numbers that may be more difficult to find once Obamacare ends).
There have been multiple apps, websites, and programs based solely on the practice of calorie counting for weight loss. MyFitnessPal, VeryWell Calorie Counter, and Lose It! are a few well-known examples. Despite the many articles presenting evidence that all calories are not created equal, the proliferation of calorie counting has gotten out of hand.
Even if calorie counts were accurate, evidence suggests it still isnt a good idea. In essence, calorie counting is a strict version of dieting: the bodys natural signals of hunger and fullness are thrown to the wayside in favor of a predetermined number.
Many who count calories have reported going to bed hungry, obsessing over their calorie counting app, and becoming frustrated when their weight stalled at a higher number than expected. When it comes down to it, calorie counting is often an attempt to control the body and adhere to a weight loss diet.
The science tells us that weight loss diets dont work. One study showed that 90 to 95 percent of weight loss diets result in any weight lost while dieting simply being regained in the following years. You dont have to be a health enthusiast to see this effect in real time; theres a reason your friends conversations so often revolve around attempted but failed weight loss attempts. If dieting worked, it would be easy. If dieting worked, people wouldnt need consumptive programs like Weight Watchers or going low-carb.
In an attempt to understand the widespread failure of diets, another group of experts convened to evaluate the effects of calorie restriction on the body. Their investigation revealed that one-third to two-thirds of dieters regain more weight than they lost on their diets. So, in essence, weight loss attempts were actually counterproductive.
Like nutrition expert Jonathan Bailor, author of The Calorie Myth, told Prevention, counting calories leads to failure 95.4 percent of the time and often leaves people fatter.
The specific reasons for this failure of dieting are a little less clear, but research suggests that it has to do with the bodys fear response to starvation. According to Traci Mann, a professor of psychology who has studied nutrition for over 25 years, After you diet, so many biological changes happen in your body that it becomes practically impossible to keep the weight off.
To summarize her explanation, the three changes that occur are reactions from the body to try and escape the state of deprivation:
There has been no reliable evidence published to support that dieting improves any aspect of health or wellness. To the contrary, however, studies have revealed some adverse health effects of dieting, including irreversible effects on metabolism and mental health.
By restricting your body to a calorie number, you could be condemning yourself to future weight gain alongside negative effects on your health.
Its time to put down the calculator and leave diets in the dust theyre not doing our health or our waistlines any favors.
Originally posted here:
How Calorie Counting Is Sabotaging Your Weight Loss - The Daily Meal
Posted: June 17, 2017 at 5:43 am
We havent seen the last of the Mama June and her family!
Following the success of the reality TV matriarchs weight loss and television show, Mama June: From Not to Hot, its being reported that WE tv the network that brought Mama Junes journey to the small screen is looking to create another weight loss-inspired series following the 37-year-olds daughters Alana Honey Boo Boo Thompson, 11, and Lauryn Pumpkin Shannon, 17, as they embark on weight loss journeys of their own.
MUST SEE: Sugar Bear Is Kicking Himself After Seeing Mama Junes Transformation!
The girls have been doing press today in New York you can catch them tonight on @InsideEdition @etnow @socrazygirl30 @mychelle_lauryn pic.twitter.com/4D8oxzOddN
The girls are up for it, because the show will be all about them, and theyll have their own big paydays, a source tells OK! Magazine.
This is a potentially interesting development, as on the show, a doctor advised Alana change her eating habits, and she insisted that she liked her curves and had no intentions of changing her ways like her mother.
Mama June expressed her concern about this and said that she didnt want her daughter to end up like her, weighing in at nearly 500 pounds.
This is a far cry from the Mama June we first met who fed her kids sketti and go-go juice and said shed never pressure her daughter to lose weight.
EXCLUSIVE: Mama June Dishes on Her Love Life!
Were so happy to see Mama June encouraging her girls to make healthy choices!
Scroll through the gallery to see pics of Mama Junes transformation!
Read more:
Mama June's Daughters to Star in Their Own Weight Loss Series ... - In Touch Weekly
Posted: June 17, 2017 at 5:42 am
The National Cancers Survivors Day Foundation celebrated over 15.5 million cancer survivors alive on June 4, and the American Cancer Society wants to ensure they remain healthy by following six steps it posted on its website.
"Achieve and maintain a healthy weight," Stacy Simon, senior editor for the American Cancer Society, said in the posting. Simon recommends cancer patients avoid overeating, unhealthy foods and weight gain while in treatment or thereafter, and if help from a physician is needed, ask about how to safely lose weight.
The second step is to be physical, move and get active. "Studies show that exercise is generally safe during cancer treatment and can improve many aspects of health, including muscle strength, balance, fatigue and depression," Simon said. In fact, data has shown that those who engage in physical activity after cancer treatment live longer and have a lower possibility for returned cancer.
Next, Simon said to eat a balanced diet of healthy foods including fruits and vegetables. Simon said studies have shown immense health benefits are related to diets filled with these healthy foods. Processed foods such as sugary items, deli meat and fried foods are discouraged.
The next two steps are similar in nature and focus on cancer surviviors' futures. Simon said to get routine cancer screenings and draw up a care plan. Follow-up screenings will keep health records up to date and check for new cancer. A care plan allows survivors to know in detail their doctors and specialists. This is an organized way to keep track of all medicare care, Simon added.
The last step in ensuring continued health is to effectively manage emotional and mental health. Simon recommended to spend time with loved ones, focus on things that make one happy, and join local support groups if needed.
These six steps should help in maintaining health for cancer survivors and allow them to live prosperous, long lives, Simon said.
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American Cancer Society posts 6 steps to help survivors live longer lives - Patient Daily
Posted: June 17, 2017 at 5:42 am
My fitness journey started with a climb up the spiral staircase to my office. It is a short, spiral staircase, consisting of 17 steps. But to me, it might as well have been my Everest at the rate it left my lungs breathless and my legs burning.
This will not do, I told myself. And thus began yet another search for fitness.
In the past, the aim to lose weight was an annual resolution. But 20 years have gone and 10 kilos have come - and stayed.
It was time to try a different tactic and this is why I decided to sign up for The Straits Times Run, which will take place on July 16.
In the past four months, while training for the 5km run, here's what I've picked up about losing weight and getting fit.
As noted above, losing weight was an annual resolution but my targets were never specific enough.
Signing up for a run gave me a clear goal (to finish the 5km without stopping) and a deadline to work towards. In other words, there's pressure.
Participants at The Straits Times Run last year. Training for the run this year, to be held on July 16, gives one a clear goal to work towards, says the writer, as there is pressure to be ready. The closing date to sign up for the run has been extended till June 28. ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
For me, this meant trying to remove as many excuses that could crop up. So I decided to pick a gym (True Fitness in Ang Mo Kio) that was only a five-minute drive from my home, as opposed to a swankier and newer outlet that was in town but would entail me spending as much as 30 minutes on the CTE in the morning in order to reach it.
If not heading to the gym, I also sleep in my running gear, so as to psyche myself up and remind myself I have a "date" with the road.
For newbies like me, this has been an invaluable tool. Not only have I learnt to train safely and efficiently, but my trainer Mohamed Faizal is also my motivator and cheerleader.
This is where the value of having a PT comes in, as opposed to training on one's own. Faizal keeps a strict eye on my form, that is, he ensures I do a movement correctly, which reduces the chance of injury.
He also ensures that I use my muscles - and not just momentum - in executing a move. When performing any exercise, doing it correctly is more important than doing it fast, or doing more reps because you are working the correct muscle.
I have learnt not to dismiss the small stuff in this aspect. One doesn't need big, huge movements to get an effective workout. For instance, when I was doing leg raises, I started by raising my legs 10cm to 12cm upwards but Faizal corrected my movement and limited it to only 5cm and, boy, is that harder than lifting my legs way higher because it targets the correct muscles (lower abs).
I run on my own and on the treadmill in the gym. That takes care of the cardio element.
But my workouts with Faizal focus on building up my core muscles, which ensure proper posture while running, and also my leg muscles.
Maintaining a proper posture has been key to helping me feel less fatigued on a run. It was a huge challenge initially, correcting years of poor posture where my shoulders in particular were hunched, and I would always lean forward. But my posture has since become slightly more upright although it is still a work in progress.
To me, running is about as interesting as counting rice grains. I admit it. Particularly if one is on a treadmill. By mixing things up in the gym, be it doing lunges or a farmer's walk and core workouts, I am challenged in different ways at each gym session with Faizal and this keeps me going.
I learnt that one does not need to use fancy machines to become fitter.
Very often, the workouts I do with Faizal require minimal equipment and sometimes nothing besides my own body weight. This is particularly true for things like calf raises and lunges. I have found the hardest exercises to be simple things like sideways lunges with a simple band. As I said before, form is king. If you execute a movement with good form, it will give your muscles a workout.
When the dietitian told me this, I remember thinking: "Why don't you just kill me now."
Sad but true. But this is a simple case of mathematics, plus and minus. Make sure you can burn off what you put in, or if you put in something that you're not going to burn off through exercise, then make up the difference somewhere else by taking something out that day. For instance, if I know I am going to have a Coke that day, then I know I have to "minus" something else from my calorie intake.
I will be the first to admit that this is easier said than done. Especially when I am stressed and head for comfort (fattening) food as a habit, cue Milo dinosaurs and mac and cheese. Nonetheless, just having that knowledge has helped me be more conscious and make more careful choices in the food I eat.
I must underline the fact that I am by no means an expert on running, although I am pleased to say that I have lost 1.3kg of fat and built 500g of muscle since embarking on this.
But if I can do it, you can too.
The closing date to sign up for the ST Run has been extended to June 28. Sign up at straitstimesrun.com
Send an e-mail to askST@sph.com.sg
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Staircase climb was her first step to fitness - The Straits Times
Posted: June 17, 2017 at 5:42 am
Losing Weight Will Feel Easy If You Do These 4 Things
Whether you have five or 50 pounds to lose doesn't matter losing weight is hard! But it doesn't have to be. Make your weight-loss journey easier and more enjoyable by following these four tips. Heck, you might even lose weight faster!
Keeping a water bottle nearby at all times is an absolute must because drinking a ton of water (it doesn't necessarily have to be a gallon!) fills you up, so you eat less. Drink at least eight ounces first thing in the morning (with a little lemon or grapefruit is great!), drink at least eight ounces every time you sit down to a meal, and also reach for water in between meals when you start feeling hungry for a snack. Dehydration symptoms like headaches and low energy can trick you into thinking you're hungry when all you really need is a few huge gulps of water. If you have a hard time remembering to drink throughout the day, set reminders on your phone.
Fitness instructor John Kersbergen said, "The most efficient way to get results is to do some form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that includes strength training for a total-body workout that burns fat and builds calorie-burning muscle." He added, "The whole workout including warmup doesn't need to be more than 45 minutes to be effective." And three to four times a week is enough. Try this 45-minute HIIT workout for weight loss.
Certified dietitian Leslie Langevin, MS, RD, CD, of Whole Health Nutrition told POPSUGAR that fiber, healthy fats, and protein are the three essentials you need for every meal and at least two for every snack. Fiber fills you up, the healthy fats keep you feeling fuller longer, and protein sustains your energy. So every time you're about to eat, look at your food and make a mental checklist to ensure all three are present.
To get your fill of fiber (at least 25 grams a day) go for fresh fruit instead of juice, whole grains instead of refined and processed carbs, and lots of veggies. Avocado, nuts, seeds, and olive oil are great choices for healthy fats. And when eating your daily protein, choose beans, nuts and nut butters, lean meats, and dairy. Eating all three at every meal will fill you up faster so you eat less per meal, but your hunger will also be satiated longer, so you'll need to eat less throughout the day.
When sitting down to eat, serve your food on salad plates and in kid-size bowls. This will force you to eat normal, appropriate portion sizes, but since the food will fill up the entire plate, it'll convince your brain that you're eating a huge meal. It works! This is a great trick for people who have a hard time not overeating.
All four of these changes may take a little time to get used to, but once you start incorporating them into your life, that's when they become a habit and when the results will start happening.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Sheila Gim
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How to Make Losing Weight Feel Easy - POPSUGAR
Posted: June 17, 2017 at 5:42 am
Lets face it, dieting can be exhausting, overwhelming, and frustrating. There are tons of different diet plans to choose from, many of which involve calorie counting, food restrictions, and prepackaged foods that are filled with artificial ingredients. But you dont have to diet to lose weight. In fact, by following these tips youll be able tolive a healthy lifestylewithout feeling deprived.
Eating Mediterranean mealscan reduceyour risk of heart disease and cancer,and has also been linked to a decreased incidence of Parkinsons and Alzheimers, Mayo Clinic explains. Following the eating habits ofthose who live in the Mediterranean consists of eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, and nuts; replacing butter with healthy fats, such as oil; and using herbs and spices rather than salt to flavor your foods. In addition, Mayo Clinicsuggests eating fish and poultry at least twice a week, and limiting your red meat to no more than a few times a month.
Shape adds that you can also enjoy an occasional glass of red wine. By focusing on healthy, antioxidant-rich foods, youll feel full and satisfiedthroughout the day.In fact, Shape notes that byallowing yourself to occasionally sit down to a glass of wine or a steak dinner, youre ensuring you wont end up feeling deprived, which cancause you to binge eat or ditch your diet altogether.
Eating frequent, small meals has proven itself to be an effective weight-loss strategy. Livestrong.com explains that eating five small-portioned meals a day can help you maintain a healthy body weightby keeping you feeling full and satisfied throughout the day. This ensuresyou wont end up feeling extremely hungry and overeatinglater on.
After about 3 hours without food, blood sugar begins to fall. And after 4 hours, your body has already digested whatever you sent down earlier, Amy Jamieson-Petonic, a dietitian, told WebMD. Once youve crossed the five-hour mark, yourblood sugar begins to plummet, and you grab whatever you can to refuel. The best strategy? When you wake up, make sure one of the first things you do is eat breakfast. After that, Web MD recommends continuing to eat small meals every 3 to 4 hours, which should consist ofcombinations of lean proteins, grains, vegetables, and fruits.
Youd be amazed at what the occasional meat-free meal can do for you. According tothe Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, vegetarian diets are high in fiber, naturally low in saturated fat, and filled with antioxidants and phytochemicals. Those who eat meatless meals have lower rates of cancer, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and asthma, states the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. However, you dont need to swear off meat for life in order to reap these benefits.
SparkPeople explains you can become a semi-vegetarian, meaning youonly need to replacesome of your meat with plant-based foods.By filling up on more grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables, youll be eating fewer calories, less fat, and more vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Womens Health Talk suggests eliminating animal products from your diet for one meal each day or one day each week. One thing to keep in mind: Make sure you are replacing your meat with produce, legumes, and grains. You wont benefit from thisif youre just substituting it for artificial, sugar-packed foods.
Experts estimate that our brains register theyre full about 20 minutesafter our stomachs do. Readers Digest warns that if you eat too fast, you wont give your brain time to catch up toyour stomach, which leads to overeating and weight gain. Eating slowly, however, will help prevent you from eating too much. To force yourself to eat more slowly, WebMD recommends turning off the television and any other distractions, and simply concentrating on the meal in front of you. You can use this time, particularly at dinner, to catch up with your loved ones. Remember, the more you talk, the more slowly youll eat!
In addition, Readers Digest suggests scheduling more time for meals, so you dont find yourself quickly gobbling up your dinner. If possible, try to tweak your schedule so youre taking about 30 minutes to eat your meals. You should find yourself starting to get full about two-thirds of the way through. Finally, Greatist states you should take sips of water in between bites. This will force you to take breaks and help to fill you up. You can also pace yourself by chewing each bite at least10 to 20times before swallowing.
Dont deprive yourself of anything. Instead, become an intuitive eater. Science of Us explains that intuitive eaters dont believe in good or bad foods but know there are nutritional differences between the two. It follows the basic premise that cravings shouldnt be ignored and by occasionally indulging, you will prevent yourself from binge eating later on. This means that an intuitive eater may eat a piece of pie but will then instinctively crave more nutritious foodsafterward to balance out the excess fat and sugar.
It might sound easy on the surface. But it does take quite a bit of practice, Michelle Gallant, a Harvard University Health Services nutritionist, told the publication. Gallant explains that this approach doesnt mean you can overindulge on burgers and fries. Instead, it means listening to your body and figuring out what foods will make if feel best. The main idea here is if you focus on what foods your body actually needs, you wont find yourself constantly craving junk food.
Beginning a meal with a broth-based soup or a nutrient-rich salad will helpyou eat less. The Huffington Post writes startingwith a side salad has been shown to help you eat about 12% fewer calories at that meal. Additionally, research has also shown that people who startlunch with a vegetable soup end up eating 20% less than those who dont have any.
Livestrong.com explains that the high water and fiber content in soups and salads helps fill you up.But in order to reap these benefits, make sure youre making the right salad and soup choices. Try to fill your soups and salads with nutritious, low-calorie foods, such as vegetables, lean meats, fish, and legumes. Make sure your salad dressing comes on the side and choose soups that arebroth-based. Looking for a few homemade recipes to help get you stared? Eating Well recommends trying its creamy chopped cauliflower salad orspinach and warm mushroom salad.
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Yes, You Really Can Lose Weight Without Going on a Diet - The Cheat Sheet
Posted: June 17, 2017 at 5:42 am
Sean Dowling
Jun 16th 2017 10:23AM
When it comes to losing weight, we know diet and exercise play a role.
However, a new study shows it's what you cut out that makes the pounds melt away and boosts metabolism by reducing muscle fat.
That doesn't mean just sugar, but meat has got to go too!
We'd all lose more weight if we went vegetarian, according to new research published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
Making this change can help you lose weight twice as fast, compared to conventional low-calorie diets.
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Coconut
Both coconut milk and oil can turn a dish into a calorie bomb. One cup of canned coconut milk contains a whopping 445 calories and 48 grams of fat, which is 74 percent of your daily recommended amount of total fat. Add a few cups to your soup and you jack up the calories and fat. So what about coconut oil? According to the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans, coconut oil is categorized as a solid fat with high amounts of saturated fat and should be eaten sparingly.
When using: Choose light coconut milk, and use coconut oil in very small amounts.
Nuts
Banana bread tastes so much better with walnuts, and who doesnt like a nice mixture of nuts in trail mix? Think Im nuts? Check out the calories. One ounce (or 14 halves) of walnuts contains 185 calories and 18 grams of fat. Add several ounces of crushed walnuts to your brownie batter or grab a few handfuls to munch on and youre talking several hundred calories.
When using: Keep servings to 1/4 cup or less, depending on the recipe.
Dark Chocolate Chips
To make dishes healthier, many folks swap milk chocolate chips for dark chocolate chips. A heavy hand even of dark chocolate chips, however, can sabotage muffins, pancakes, waffles, and any other delicious treat, breakfast or snack you make with them.
When using: Use about 1/4 cup per batch for baking. If you want to up the chocolate, add unsweetened cocoa powder in addition to a small amount of dark chocolate chips.
Honey
This natural sugar contains a small amount of minerals, which makes it a better choice than other artificial sweeteners. Added sugar, however, is added sugar. The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends no more than 10 percent of calories come from added sugar, which is 200 calories in a 2,000-calorie diet. One tablespoon of honey contains 64 calories and 74 grams of sugar. It doesnt take more than several tablespoons of honey to reach that added-sugar maximum.
When using: Opt for 1 to 2 teaspoons per serving.
Granola
Traditional granola includes oats, oil, a sweetener, and flakes or crisps. Add-ins like dried fruit, coconut and nuts are now becoming more popular. On average, 1/4 cup of granola without nuts contains 100 calories, 2.5 grams of fat and 17 grams of carbohydrates. Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cup of granola over your oatmeal or Greek yogurt and you can be downing 200 to 300 calories from only granola.
When using: Get a delicious crunch by using 2 to 4 tablespoons per serving. If you need more volume, supplement with whole-grain cereal, which tends to have fewer calories per serving.
Half-and-Half
Add 1/4 cup of half-and-half to your morning cup of joe for an extra 79 calories and 7 grams of fat. That may not seem like a lot, but if you like a few cups of coffee throughout the day, the few extra calories start to become hundreds in one day. Now think about how many hundreds (or even thousands) of extra calories that is during one entire week.
When using: Add low-fat or nonfat milk to coffee throughout the day. Save the half-and-half for that all-important morning cup.
Vinaigrette
A bed of greens topped with vegetables is super-healthy you cant argue with that. Toss it in 1 cup of balsamic vinaigrette, though, and you add an additional 800 calories and 80 grams of fat! Even if the salad is made for four people, thats still substantial: Each serving contains an additional 200 calories and 20 grams of fat.
When using: Vinaigrettes are made from healthy oils, but pour on a maximum of 2 tablespoons per person.
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Researchers studied 74 men and women with type 2 diabetes. They were randomly assigned either a vegetarian diet or conventional anti-diabetic diet that followed guidelines from the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.
The vegetarian diet was all about fruits and veggies, grains, nuts and a max of one low-fat yogurt a day.
Everyone restricted their diets by 500 calories a day, so that obviously helped cut weight a little bit.
Researchers found that vegetarian dieters lost an average of 13.7 pounds compared to 7.1 pounds for conventional dieters, nearly twice as much over the course of several weeks.
The vegetarian diet also reduced muscle fat. That's a big deal for people with type 2 diabetes because muscle fat can worsen insulin resistance, according to Men's Fitness.
So if you want to lose weight, I hope you like broccoli!
RELATED: 5 food mistakes that won't let you lose weight
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1. Steer clear of coffee First, if you're stressed, your body will react. Stress produces cortisol which hurts your body's ability to digest food, and if your fix to stress is coffee, we've got some bad news. Coffee can produce cortisol too, which means DOUBLE the hormone, and therefore, double the amount of body fat your body will store. Instead of coffee, try Detox teas.
Photo credit: Getty
2. Sit down to eat Don't eat all your meals on the go. Although it's great for time management, it's not great for your digestive system. So take a second to sit down and eat. This will help you digest your food.
Photo credit: Getty
3. Drink lots of water You have to hydrate! And this doesn't mean two glasses of water a day. Without water, your body will slow it's digestion down, and in turn store more fat around your belly. So make sure you're drinking around eight glasses of water each day.
Photo credit: Getty
4. Eat nuts in moderation There is a proper way to eat nuts, because they're so high in fat -- and that's in moderation. Also, if you soak them in warm water overnight it will help to neutralize the phytic acid, which can cause irritation to your digestive tract.
Photo credit: Getty
5. Choose the right fat And speaking of fat, some fats are your friend! Foods that are high in omega-3's help boost your metabolism and give you energy. They keep you fuller for longer, so you won't be reaching for those naughty snacks when that 4 p.m. slump hits.
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New study finds one simple diet change can help you lose weight twice as fast - AOL
Posted: June 16, 2017 at 3:44 am
Bryant Stamford, Special to the Courier-Journal 6:50 a.m. ET June 15, 2017
Apple cider vinegaror ACV," as its called among enthusiastsis having its superfood moment Time
Diet plan and healthy food(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
When it comes to health issues, too often we ignore the mountain of facts staring us in the face, and choose instead an implausible solution that we hope is quicker and easier only to find that it was a fools errand with no chance for success. This is the case with weight loss, and we buy the latest fad diet book, Dr. Flim Flams Get Skinny Overnight Diet, hoping to drop 30 pounds of body fat in one month. Unfortunately, we lose mostly muscle and water weight, and as a result we feel terrible, our immune system is compromised, we look worse than when we started, and we end up fatter as a result.
(NOTE: Your percentage of body fat is the ratio of fat weight to lean weight. If you lose muscle and water (lean weight) your percent fat goes up, even though you lose weight.)
So it was with this mindset that I read a question from a reader who has struggled to lose weight and keep it off. She asked my opinion of apple cider vinegar as a good way to lose weight. My first impulse was to trumpet a healthy diet and daily exercise and to tell her to forget such foolish options. But as I spoke to my wife, Anita (a nutritionist and registered dietitian), about this, she told me of some credible research I should look into before responding.
Dutifully, I took her advice, mindful of a recent episode in my favorite comic strip, Blondie. Dagwoods son asks him, Dad, why dont you and Mom ever argue? Dagwood responded, It saves time. The son: You mean because Mom is always right. Dagwood: Yes.
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As I looked into the issue, I found that apple cider vinegar may offer a possible modest benefit when it comes to weight loss. More compelling, however, is the work being done on the effects of apple cider vinegar to help regulate blood sugar.
A clinical study in Japan found that adding two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to water helped obese subjects lose from two to four pounds over three months. Although this rate of loss is quite modest, it is consistent with my philosophy that fat loss is a very slow process.
Two possible mechanisms have been proposed. Apple cider vinegar may suppress appetite when taken prior to meals. If so, it may or may not be that important for Americans, because regardless of appetite we too often eat mindlessly and automatically as a response to the mere presence of food. Think about what happens to the tray of donuts on the front desk at the office. A second proposed mechanism is that apple cider vinegar turns on genes that help break down fat. Sounds sophisticated, but I am doubtful of this one.
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All in all, its possible that subjects in the Japan research study were more disciplined about eating because they knew they were in a research study, which could explain the subtle weight loss. Or, perhaps apple cider vinegar is modestly helpful in some way. More research is needed on this issue before drawing conclusions.
Considering the epidemic of Metabolic Syndrome (pre-diabetes) in the U.S., anything that helps regulate blood sugar (glucose) concentration is welcome news, and this includes apple cider vinegar.
Studies on apple cider vinegar conducted at Arizona State University indicate that it may help retard digestion of starch. Starch is a long string of glucose molecules. When you consume starchy foods (potatoes, bread, pasta, cereal, etc.) a series of enzymes starting in the mouth and continuing in the small intestines break the long strings into progressively shorter segments, ultimately ending up with single glucose molecules.
Its not clear at present, but apple cider vinegar may interfere with the work of enzymes to digest starch, thus reducing the amount of glucose entering the bloodstream. If so, the effect would be similar to some medications that reduce blood glucose concentration.
Recent research suggests some of the claims surrounding apple cider vinegar may be legitimate. More research is needed, but if you are inclined to take apple cider vinegar, my advice is to cover all the bases and include it as an add-on to daily exercise and a healthy diet, and certainly not instead of.
Reach Bryant Stamford, a professor of kinesiology and integrative physiology at Hanover College, at stamford@hanover.edu.
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Good news! Apple cider vinegar weight loss claims may be legitimate - The Courier-Journal
Posted: June 16, 2017 at 3:44 am
Symba, a 6-year-old cat whose lifestyle has resembled the lasagna-eating cartoon feline Garfield, is up for adoption at the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington, DC as he continues his weight-loss quest.
Last week, Symba's previous owner called the adoption agency saying they could no longer take care of Symba. When they brought Symba to the adoption center, he weighed 35 pounds.
Given's Symba's weight, the Humane Rescue Alliance hopes to reduce the cat's weight by at least 15 pounds. At 35 pounds, Symba is at a higher risk of health complications.
Symba is fed a strict diet of two-thirds of a cup of food every 12 hours. Symba is also going through some physical therapy.
"Right now, he can only take a few steps at a time without getting short of breath, so staff are encouraging him to learn to walk on a cat wheel," the Humane Rescue Alliance said. "From now on, it's just one foot in front of the other for sweet Symba."
Justin Boggs is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk.Follow him on Twitter@jjboggsor onFacebook.
Posted: June 16, 2017 at 3:44 am
By Carrie Dennett By Carrie Dennett June 15 at 7:00 AM
I joined in a wave of the intermittent fasting trend about 10 years ago before I was a dietitian. Thats when most of the writings on the topic were in the form of blog posts and self-published PDF e-books. Today, a perusal of the Internet turns up several best-selling books extolling the benefits of intermittent fasting for weight loss and improvements in the metabolic risk factors that contribute to Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Then, and even now, the intermittent fasting hype was way ahead of the science. Most early research data came from animal studies, with human data coming from observations of participants of religious-based fasts or from small, short clinical studies. A systematic review published last year in the journal Nutrients looked at studies of at least six months that assigned adults with overweight or obese BMIs to either intermittent fasting or daily calorie restriction, and found no evidence that intermittent fasting was superior. The authors cited the need for longer, larger studies to assess sustainability and effects on weight maintenance.
So I was eager to read the results of a a study published in the May issue of JAMA Internal Medicine that was longer and larger, enrolling 100 participants for a year six months of weight loss and six of weight maintenance. Researchers randomly assigned metabolically healthy adults ages 18 to 64 who had BMIs in the obese category to an alternate-day energy restriction group, a daily-calorie-restriction group or a control group whose members ate their usual diet.
Researchers found that the intermittent fasters had a harder time following their diets and were more likely to drop out than daily calorie restrictors. Weight loss and weight regain were similar between the dieting groups, as were changes to fat and lean tissue which is significant, because one intermittent fasting claim is that it leads to less muscle loss than traditional calorie-restrictive diets. Reduction of cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides, were also similar between the two dieting groups. The conclusion? Intermittent fasting was no better, and no worse, than a standard, calorie-restrictive diet.
Although no one study should be taken as a be-all, end-all answer, the results add substance to what previous research studies have overwhelmingly found.
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The JAMA study used alternate-day energy restriction for the fasting group, whose members ate one meal containing 25 percent of their usual daily intake on fasting days and feasted on 125 percent of their usual daily intake on the other days, for an average 25 percent calorie reduction. The calorie-restriction group reduced calories by 25 percent each day, spread over three meals. Participants started out sedentary, and researchers asked them not to increase activity.
The takeaway? Intermittent fasting may actually be less sustainable in the long term for most people than daily caloric restriction, which itself is not sustainable, as the majority of people who lose weight on calorie-restrictive diets regain the weight, sometimes repeatedly, as with yo-yo dieting. The authors questioned whether there was a difference in perceived hunger or actual levels of appetite-related hormones between intermittent fasters and calorie restrictors. The answer is no, according to a small study published in April in the journal Clinical Nutrition. Researchers found that neither method has an advantage for weight loss or for lessening the bodys means of compensating for perceived starvation, which include slowing the metabolism and increasing levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin.
I tolerated the hunger that ebbed and flowed on fasting days and wasnt ravenous when it was time to eat, but not everyone has that experience. I stopped doing intermittent fasting when I went back to grad school to study nutrition because I had a hard time focusing on fasting days. My brain needed regular fuel! Today, I know that restrictive diets dont work, regardless of the form. Despite the hype, intermittent fasting isnt a magic bullet its plain old calorie restriction in a new outfit.
Dennett is a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Nutrition by Carrie.
Continued here:
Despite the hype, intermittent fasting isn't a magic weight loss cure - Washington Post
