Waking up in the morning of 26th of December each year reminds most of us how quickly this year too, is drawing to a close. More often than not, it feels just like yesterday we welcomed the new year and it already is time to bid goodbye to it! With the new year, come the new year resolutions that keep getting more and more similar to the past years resolutions. And as we all are aware, the most common one is to lose weight and get fitter. But with the ongoing celebrations all these months starting from Halloween up till Christmas, we tend to be a little carefree with our diets and indulge in all the high-calorie festive food that comes our way. From comforting hot chocolates to spicy, delicious cakes, the festival season kind of makes it difficult for us to resist all of the heavenly deliciousness around us and blesses us with a few extra kilos. But there is nothing to worry about as we have a simple solution for you to shed those extra kilos in no time. Here is a list of 7 useful tips that would help you lose weight post-Christmas:

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7 easy weight loss tips to get you in shape post Christmas - Times of India

Four years ago, Chris Pridham was excited to jet off on a holiday of a lifetime to Mexico, but it quickly turned into a nightmare when he struggled to get in his seat.

When he finally managed to do his seatbelt up he decided he would have to make some changes to his lifestyle, after holding everyone up on the breathless walk to the plane.

Chris said his experience at the airport "set the tone" for the whole holiday and due to his 24 stone weight, he could not partake in all of the activities with his partner and old friends.

He said: "When we boarded the plane I could hardly get my seat belt on and there was no way the table would go flat as my stomach was very firmly in the way. Arriving in Mexico was amazing as Id never been anywhere quite like it but I found the heat and humidity so uncomfortable.

However, I was determined to make the most of it and we booked ourselves on to an excursion to a medieval place. When we got there I realised it would be a challenge as I weighed in at over 24 stone and the terrain was steep and difficult to walk around."

He said it was "a real kick in the teeth" when his friends suggested that he used a mobility scooter.

After two weeks back at home I ended up in hospital with an infected mosquito bite and got sepsis and cellulitis. I was really ill from that and the extra weight didnt help" Chris said.

He was spurred on to lose the weight after his partner "point black" refused to travel abroad with him again.

"It was a bit of a wake up call and when I recovered I said to my partner that I wanted to visit my daughter who lived and worked in New York.

"She refused point blank!!

"She said she couldnt go through another airport and plane experience and said I had to lose weight if I wanted her to go with me.

That was the shock I really needed and I went online to look up my nearest WW workshop. I found one in Saltash and signed up immediately."

Chris said his coach, Gemma Medlicott has been "brilliant" in explaining the programme and he was able to understand the smart points system, which has now helped him lose more than six stone.

He said: "Basically, I was given a daily budget of smart points and every food had a value. It was up to me to balance my budget which I did and in a short space of time, I lost two stone and went to New York with my partner to visit my daughter.

"I could walk around and thought, this is brilliant.

I love bread and before joining WW would have three or four slices of thick white bread with lashings of butter and marmalade for breakfast, a big sandwich for lunch and a huge dinner. I now start the day with fruit and yoghurt; at lunchtime I have two slices of granary bread with a boiled egg and salad; dinner is stir fry veg with left over roast meat.

"I eat a lot of salad and am never hungry!

"I dont deny myself anything and have realised you have to have a bit of what you fancy otherwise you dont stick to it.

"I always make sure I have enough smart points for a couple of glasses of wine with dinner and two glasses of scotch for later in the evening! I even track those in the morning so I know how many points I have left for the rest of the day.

Chris said his partner is "delighted" by his transformation as now he can walk around, which was one of his "biggest struggles" before.

He said: "The WW programme has three pillars, food, movement and mindset. Walking around was one of my biggest struggles before but now I walk a mile and a half every day with the dog and I do the housework and help around the house.

"My partner is delighted!!

Research carried out by WW has identified what is known as the ripple effect.

This shows that when somebody joins a weight loss programme, the other members of the family can lose weight too without even trying as they are influenced by the new healthy habits they see.

A few years before, Chris had been best man at his nephew Gareths wedding.

Gareth had asked him to take on the role as his father, Chris brother had sadly passed away when he was only 60 years old.

Gareth and his wife Aimee had watched Chris transformation and were so impressed, they asked if they could come with him and join the same WW workshop.

They too found the flexibility and freedom the myWW programme offered them fantastic and a year later have lost nine stone between them which makes an astonishing difference of fifteen stone lost in total!

Chris added: I am a life time member of WW now because I want to maintain my weight loss. My GP is delighted with me and has given me a recommended weight leaving me 7lbs away from that and then Ill be at goal!

"Aimee produced this photo of the three of us and it looked horrendous and now we are unrecognisable as we have lost 15 stone between the three of us. People dont recognise us at all.

My partner is delighted. Weve been on lots of holidays and even did a cruise in the Caribbean. We flew to New Orleans and walked around for six days.

"I have no problems walking anywhere now. No more mobility scooters for me!! My biggest nightmare is fitting myself out with new clothes as Ive spent a fortune and all my bigger clothes have gone to the charity shops as my waist has gone from 48 to 38.

"If it wasnt for Gemma, my coach and the workshop I belong to and those lovely and encouraging Thursday night members I would not have stuck at it. I have never stuck at it before and Ive tried everything.

"I look forward to Thursday nights now and I still turn up even if Ive had a bad week. WW has given me back my life and I am so grateful!

Chris WW coach, Gemma Medlicott said: I am so proud of Chris, Gareth and Aimee! They have embraced the myWW programme by changing how the eat, move and most importantly by shifting their mindsets to recognise they could change.

"Health is wealth and they have transformed their futures together as a family.

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Weight Watchers family lose 15 stone in incredible weight loss transformation - Plymouth Live

A new study shows that half of Americans will be obese within the next 10 years. As a psychologist, Im concerned that society has become numb to this critical issue.

That were feeling powerless to turn this public health crisis around, but the physical and emotional health of our country and the financial impact of obesity do not afford us much time.

We have effective interventions to prevent and treat obesity. More people need access to affordable versions of those interventions, and we need a strong partnership with the food industry.

Obesity can be a very stigmatizing condition. Unfortunately, our society blames and shames individuals with obesity.

The way we see and treat people with obesity is very personal for me. I watched my single, working-class mother deal with lifelong problems associated with obesity. Sadly, these contributed to her death just a few weeks ago.

Please let me help by sharing what we know and what can be done about obesity. Long-term success in preventing and treating obesity requires substantive changes that can be demanding and difficult. It is, however, much more comfortable to face these challenges together.

Decades of research tell us that people who are obese have elevated risks for significant health conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Obesity also increases the risk of stroke, certain cancers, osteoarthritis, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, and orthopedic problems.

Also, obesity is related to systemic inflammation, which increases physical pain in our bodies. When one has these obesity-related diseases, like my mom, they are often taking a lot of medications and receiving a large amount of health care services. Obesity places an incredibly heavy burden on our health care system. The best estimate for medical costs associated with obesity for adults aged 18 and older in the U.S. was $342.2 billion.

While the physical health consequences of obesity are clear, the mental health effects are less well understood. Many of the mental health consequences depend on how an individual identifies him/herself. In other words, perceiving oneself as obese is what is associated with an increased risk of depression and even suicidality.

The person who sees themselves as obese is ingesting and internalizing societys devaluing views. Obesity stigma is getting under the skin and into their psyche, weighing them down with self-doubt and shame.

Last summer, at the age of 72, my mom said, I have no willpower. She didnt feel that she could stop herself from binging on large amounts of unhealthy food. A lot of people, and some health professionals, mistakenly assume that a lack of determination and the overconsumption of food are the sole causes of obesity.

I tried to explain to my mom that there are numerous contributing factors. Like many Americans, my mom had a very sedentary lifestyle, spending hours sitting and watching TV. She didnt cook healthy meals for herself. Instead, she consumed hyper-caloric processed foods and drank a ton of sugary beverages.

My mom couldnt tackle obesity on her own. No one can. Often the solutions my mom chose were too-good-to-be-true. Like most people, when she reached her short-term weight loss goals, she would quickly regain most of the weight. This cycle of little progress and quick fall back set her up for further failure and demoralization.

Similar to many Americans, my mom couldnt afford meal plans or a gym membership. Despite my husband and me paying for a membership and a certified fitness trainer, my mom was unable to maintain her motivation to go.

I couldnt convince my mom to work with a health partner to establish a personalized health action plan. If she had, she would have learned that there are often psychological reasons at the root of problematic eating. Much has to do with a persons ability to manage their emotions.

When we feel depressed, angry, anxious, or bored, we frequently reach for food to soothe our emotional pain. For some, food is tied to comfort and connection. One might say these individuals are starving for soothing and affection and use food as a substitute.

If my mom had agreed to attend an evidence-based treatment program, she would have learned to identify the physical reasons for eating, and how to recognize what the sensations of hunger and satiety felt like. She would have learned to spot her emotional states before eating and find alternative ways to manage them.

This could have helped her reduce, and over time eliminate, her unhealthy eating behaviors. Of course, her plan would have also included changes in diet, exercise, and problem-solving on how to move more. But, these kinds of programs can be costly, and her insurance might not have covered it. Even then, it probably would not have been enough.

Dr. Robin Masheb, a professor and clinical psychologist at the Yale School of Medicine, has spent the past 25 years researching obesity and eating disorders. As the founder and Director of theVeteransInitiative forEating andWeight (The View), she started the first and only national program dedicated to addressing the broad spectrum of eating and weight problems in the Veteran population. Over the years, Dr. Masheb has figured out what works to effect positive change.

She says, The obesity crisis in our country is a problem thats still growing. Solutions focused at the individual-level are just not enough. We live under environmental conditions that allow industry practices and systemic issues to override individual choices that prevent obesity. We need to prioritize legislation and regulatory practices that create healthier defaults in schools, supermarkets, and society at large.

In the previous U.S. presidential administration, there was a substantial public awareness effort targeting obesity prevention by improving the availability of healthyfood and physical activity forour children. T

hese programs have shifted from the limelight as apathy toward obesity has set in. There figuratively is no one minding the candy store. We need to come together as a society and recognize that obesity can only be addressed if we engage in change at the systems level.

I agree. As a society, we need to do something comprehensive about this crisis that goes beyond the individual. And, for the sake of our children, we need to do it now.

To optimize health and reduce the financial burden on our nation, in terms of higher health care costs and lost productivity, we need to recognize that obesity is a complex chronic condition that requires a team approach.

First, we need to invest more money upfront on these evidence-based programs to prevent obesity and manage it rather than driving up the cost of health-care utilization after the fact. Second, we need to address weight stigma and bias in this country, and at the same time, help people engage in positive change.

We need to balance empathy and compassion with encouragement and support and make these evidence-based programs affordable and accessible.

Finally, we need to address the systemic issues in our food landscape by increasing healthy food choices in our schools, supermarkets, and restaurants, and discouraging unhealthy decisions, such as sugary drinks and high-fat snack foods.

These changes wont save my mom, but they may keep you and yours.

Joan Cook is a psychologist, and associate professor at Yale University who researches traumatic stress and clinically treats combat veterans, interpersonal violence survivors, and people who escaped the former World Trade Center towers on 9/11.

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In 10 years half of Americans will be obese here's what we can do | TheHill - The Hill

( Fitbit via Twitter )

Fitbit has come a long way since its initial plain fitness tracker days. The FitbitCharge 3now has a few smart features like notification mirroring, while theVersa 2has a larger suite of apps available. With all these new customizable smart features, Fitbit owners might want to do a little bit of fiddling to make the most out of their Fitbit. We've got a list of X things that every Fitbit user should know to make the most out of their Fitbits.

These are some tips useful to owners of every type of Fitbit, from Inspire, Charge, Versa, to Ionic.

ALSO READ:Got Weight Loss New Year's Resolutions? Here Are The Best Apps To Help You Lose Weight

Here are some tips specific to the more capable Versa tracker, especially for users of the Versa 2.

2018 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

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10 Tips to Make the Most Out of Your Fitbit - Tech Times

2019 was a year to remember. We enjoyed a chicken sandwich war, got really into ros and discovered Trader Joes sells wine in a can. Chalk this year up as a win.

But not everything was rosy were all still making egregious mistakes out there in the food world. Perhaps another year and a little more perspective will turn the tide as we age into the roaring 20s.

Here are just some of the things that need a do-over.

1. Gluten-Free When You Dont Need To Eat Gluten-Free

Death, taxes and seeing gluten-free everywhere you go. As we embark on the 20s, its high time we get a little perspective when it comes to that wonderful substance that gives bread that singular chew we find so addicting.

Unless you have a true diagnosed celiac disease, its usually the other ingredients that are a problem [for your health], like quick rise yeast and a lot of sugar, said Mareya Ibrahim, celebrity chef and author of Eat Like You Give a Fork.

Not to mention, many gluten-free flours are just refined white flours, which arent great for you, Ibrahim added. As weve written in the past, breads that are high in sugars and refined flour tend to pack on the weight and dont offer the nutrients of whole-grain breads.

Obviously, those with celiac or gluten allergies absolutely need to abstain, but in many ways the gluten-free trends popularity is just a smidge ridiculous.

As Ibrahim put it, Listen, youre not fooling anyone with a gluten-free fried doughnut.

Valeriya Tikhonova via Getty Images

Its an avocado. Its bread. I dont care if youre throwing watermelon radish or regular radish on it, its not worth $13.

Is it good? Yes, avocado toast is amazing. Its also why Ive been making it in my own kitchen since I discovered bread and the wonderful spreadability of the avocado.

Now I cant get a sensibly priced avocado toast outside the home because so many of you have decided that dropping serious coin on this overpriced menu item is reasonable at brunch. I feel like we should blame the bottomless mimosa for such a poor fiscal decision.

The first rule of the ketogenic diet is that you tell everyone that you are on the ketogenic diet. The second rule is that you get a friend to join as if you were trying to recruit for your downline.

Theres a reason you know at least a couple of people on this diet: It sounds amazing. At its root, keto means eating low-carb, high-fat until you inevitably fall off the pizza wagon or decide that you can indeed have too much bacon for one lifetime.

One worry about a diet like this is that its restrictive, often cutting out foods that are actually beneficial for your body.

Ibrahim referred to one of her Facebook videos on cleansing: Thats where diets like ketogenic diets worry me a little bit, because theyre so focused on fat and not so much on the fiber. You need the fiber think of it as a broom through your system just raking things through.

As a lover of foods healthy and not-so-healthy, I also find it insanely difficult to subsist on steaks and bacon and wonderfully fatty foods and not want to dive into a bowl of spaghetti. There is a question of how sustainable this type of diet can be for people who struggle to make good nutritional choices.

Also, when you load up on fat, there are other concerns. Eating a ton of bacon and cheese is not a long-term approach to overall health, Ibrahim said. Your poor arteries.

4. Believing Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Are Perfect

When it comes to plant-based meat alternatives, squeezing the texture and taste of actual meat out of a faux substance is indeed possible. But some liberties are taken in its creation.

Animal meat is high in saturated fat, but plant-based alternatives have their own issues.

Often manufacturers of these plant-based meats load them with excess sugar, fat and sodium to compensate for their bland taste and texture, explained nutritionist and Candida diet creator Lisa Richards. The sodium content of some meat alternatives can reach nearly 20% [daily value] for sodium while most animal burgers stay around 5% DV.

Ibrahim has previously dissected the benefits and pratfalls of the budding plant-based meat industry.

She found that while a ground beef patty has about 4.2 grams of saturated fat, a Beyond Burger of the same size has 6 grams and an Impossible Burger comes in at 8 grams.

It seems counterproductive to add fat to a plant-based meat, but this is common practice for some manufacturers, Richards said. Check the trans and saturated fat content to confirm you are consuming less than you would with an animal-based alternative.

5. Unicorn Anything

At some point, we all became pretty jaded with toast for being, well, too milquetoast. The solution was to unicorn it up.

Instead of making the toppings delicious, we colored them and moved ever closer to living in a Skittles commercial.

The amount of sugar in these over-the-top rainbow bowls overflowing with toppings that look like a unicorn pooped on it is killing people, Ibrahim said. They might be pretty, if youre 5, but not healthy, especially in the morning.

Johner Images via Getty Images

6. Celery Everything

Sadly, very few people in the history of the world have ever shoehorned how delicious celery was into a conversation. Then, 2019 happened and everyone looked to celery as a savior, because when the world hits rock bottom you tend to grasp at anything.

Richards does give major props to it, though: Celery contains some healthy micronutrients, including lots of beneficial flavonoids. These are plant compounds that act as antioxidants in our bodies and reduce inflammation.

But as for being a miracle vegetable, hold your horses.

No one food can cure all of your ailments, and the claims that celery juice can cure cancer and other serious medical conditions on its own has not been proven by any scientific studies, registered dietitian Alyssa Pike explained to HuffPost in April.

7. Expensive Juices

Unless it comes in tandem with your breakfast meal at the drive-thru, youre going to pay handsomely for juice. Were not talking the orange juice served in a shot glass at the local diner, which is expensive as well. Were talking about that ginger, turmeric, apple-flavored Divine Clarity juice you get at the local juice bar the kind of place that only lets you in if youre wearing yoga pants or are currently embroiled in a conversation while wearing AirPods.

The thing is, juicing is a science. And done poorly, it can rob you of proper nutrition.

Juicing has gotten out of hand, Ibrahim said. You lose all the fiber when you juice, which can make sugar content [go] through the roof. And the cost is prohibitive.

Juicing obviously has myriad benefits. As with anything, widen the scope of what youre eating and imbibing.

Juicing is popular for its supposed health benefits, Richards said. While juicing can lead to weight loss, it does not tend to be sustainable and juices should not replace whole foods and meals. There may be a significant amount of nutrients in these beverages, but there are many that are missing from simply following a balanced diet, especially protein to balance out the concentrated carbohydrates.

Or as Ibrahim suggested, Eat the food! It is better for exercising your metabolism, too.

8. Intermittent Fasting

One interesting way to lose weight has been to call off eating altogether, at least for a short period of time. Intermittent fasting has become increasingly popular, and for good reason.

Intermittent fasting does closely replicate the way that many of our ancestors would have eaten, explained Richards. It slows metabolism less than traditional calorie restriction and, if implemented correctly, can lead to sustained weight loss.

But the concern is that a trending diet like intermittent fasting could lead to egregious missteps for the uninitiated.

While reducing calories [is] an effective means of losing weight in the short term, it can sometimes lead to weight gain in the long term, warned Richards. First, it causes your metabolism to slow down. Your body essentially begins to believe it doesnt need as many calories as it used to, so when you do begin eating more calories, they get stored as fat more quickly. Second, it can actually lead to over-eating in some cases. If you are fasting for a 24-hour period and you have a moment of weakness, you can over-indulge due to hunger and lack of calories.

Done improperly, intermittent fasting can actually put on the weight.

Westend61 via Getty Images

9. Food Created For The Gram

Lets be honest, some of the food out there is designed for Instagram rather than for the belly.

I would love to see over-the-top garnishes disappear, said Joey Schwab, pastry chef at Spiaggia and Caf Spiaggia. Whether its milkshakes accented with a sickly amount of sweets or Bloody Marys with an entire meal on top, its excess for excess sake.

Rather than conjuring something that will leave an indelible culinary mark on the taste buds, their creators often design the items just to look pretty.

These dishes are created with social media in mind in hopes that the photos go viral but with the aesthetic as the top priority, the drinks lose their culinary focus, and in turn, the final product isnt very special, Schwab continued.

Ibrahim echoed the sentiment: The whole Pinterest-perfect and noodled-to-death with tweezers has to go.

See the original post here:
9 Food Trends That Need To Calm Down In 2020 - HuffPost

To lose weight before the New year and celebrate it in all its glory the dream of many women. But what if for the December vanity of time for the implementation of this plan left to spare? It turns out that even 2 weeks in a comfortable regime to shed a couple pounds, and find lightness in the body and freshness. Just follow the simple guidelines from the dietician and expert on nutrition Valentina Ivashkina.

1. Give priority to with warm boiled water instead of raw cold. At the very least, drink it in the morning before Breakfast and evening before dinner 1-2 hours after. Water should be svezhevspahannoy! But this does not mean that you need to drink water. Water needs to cool to the temperature of the tea to drink it was comfortable. Make it very easy: pour a glass of water in a wide bowl, and after 2-3 minutes it will already be the right temperature. Or can be diluted with hot water previously cooled boiled water that was kept for more than a day. I always keep this in the jar. Warm boiled water very well removes excess mucus from the body, activates the metabolism, strengthens the digestive fire it burns off extra pounds.

2. Reduce the amount of raw fruits, vegetables, leafy salads. At least for the 2 weeks before the New year, eat fruits only for 30-40 minutes before lunch or 2-3 hours after. The main meals consist of foods heat processed. Thus, you will be able to pull off an important trick to lose weight! The food is prepared on the stove so the stomach will only a little it deprevity. So you remove the burden from all of the digestive tract. As a result, the digestion is accelerated, the chair becomes regular, the body becomes lighter. Many, after the usual vegetable cream soup immediately turned on the intestines. Every day to go to the toilet is very important if your goal is to lose weight.

3. The basis of the diet should be:

lighter grains: buckwheat, basmati rice, quinoa, barley;lean meat: chicken, Turkey, lamb, veal;steamed/baked vegetables;white lean fish: cod, hake, Pollock, redfish;legumes only 2-3 times a week and let it be lentils and chickpeas;from dairy products only to leave the yogurt from 11 to 18:30 and separately from the main food;some fresh vegetables as a Supplement to the main food;to reduce the amount of coffee, canned foods to exclude yeast cakes.

4. Sweet can afford once a day. Just keep in mind a few nuances: it should not be chocolate bars, marshmallows, gingerbread cookies and other products a long shelf life. It is best to make dessert by themselves or find something in the shop of healthy food. And remember: there are best in the afternoon or evening.

5. Remove from the diet or reduce the amount of nuts, seeds, crackers and cereals. This food is difficult to digest and slows down the metabolism. For weight loss need a warm, lightweight, warming, slightly oily food. For example, stews, porridge, soups. It quickly saturates and enriches all necessary and simultaneously clears mucus and toxins.

Sample menu might look like. 1st day: buckwheat with steamed carrots in the morning, chicken for lunch, fish with roasted vegetables for dinner. 2nd day: porridge made from barley flakes or barley with berries and melted butter in the morning, cutlet of veal with rice for lunch, cream of spinach, cauliflower and zucchini for dinner (dinner not later than 20 hours, not later than 3 hours before bedtime).

Also weight loss contribute additional recommendations.

Maria Batterburyis a general assignment reporter at the Saxon. She has covered sports, entertainment and many other beats in her journalism career, and has lived in Manhattan for more than 8 years. Vivian has appeared periodically on national television shows and has been published in (among others) NPR, Politico, The Atlantic, Harpers, Wired.com, Vice and Salon.com..

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How to lose weight in two weeks: 5 simple tips from a nutritionist - The Saxon

AS Lucy Kidwell watched her big sister Katie walk up the aisle she beamed with pride - just as she had done the day before.

But getting married on the same weekend wasn't the way the pair had imagined their wedding days to go.

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Tragically their dad Graeme Crook, from Lothersdale, Yorkshire, had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in August and given just months to live.

Both Lucy and Katie's boyfriends knew how much it would mean to have him at their weddings and went in secret to ask for his blessing.

Incredibly, within three weeks the couples had arranged to exchange vows - one day after the other.

They had desperately hoped that their dad would be there to walk them up the aisle but sadly the 63-year-old's condition took a turn the night before Lucy was due to marry.

But Graeme was adamant that their big days still went ahead on September 28 and 29 this year.

Instead of toasting at their reception, both girls rushed to the hospital as soon as they'd said their vows to be with him at his bedside - still wearing their wedding dress.

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Speaking to The Sun Online, Lucy, 28, said: "It was bad enough that he wasnt able to be there so this was the next best thing.

"He was over the moon. It meant the world to us that we both managed to get pictures with our dad on our wedding days."

Graeme managed to survive the weekend of their weddings and was able to go home but sadly he died a week later on October 6 - just nine weeks after being diagnosed with cancer.

Lucy said: "The videographer was incredible and managed to get the videos to us within a few days.

The smile on his face - he was so happy to see both his girls get married

"So we were able to sit and watch them with my dad.

"The smile on his face - he was so happy to see both his girls get married.

"I feel like we were lucky to be able to have that moment together."

She added: "The day after we watched the wedding video he looked at me and said I've had enough now.

"I understood what he was saying.

"We were all sat by his side - even then he was still holding on - and I said to him, 'don't be scared dad', and he slipped away."

Lucy said that she knew that pancreatic cancer was a form of the disease that killed quickly - but didn't realise how fast it would be.

She said: "I thought that the worst case scenario he might have three to six months but it was actually nine weeks in my dads case. It was so awful."

Lucy explained that her dad Graeme, a patient transport driver for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, had no idea about some of the early warning signs.

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"He used to like walking and had just been a holiday to Peak District with my mum," she said.

"He was in a bit of pain - in his back and stomach - and as he was diabetic, he went to see his GP.

"The GP recognised that it was something that needed to be looked at quite quickly.

"He was referred through the two week pathway but his pain was getting worse so he had to go to A&E where they did some scans.

It was quite a big shock to go from being ok on holiday one week to 'you've got cancer' the next

"They thought he had gallstones but the scans showed nodules on his liver which turned out to be pancreatic cancer which had spread.

"It was quite a big shock to go from being OK on holiday one week to 'you've got cancer' the next - and it's spread.

"My mum has had cancer three times so she sort of understood.

"I went onto the Pancreatic Cancer UK website to find out more because I'm one of those people that has to know what I'm dealing with.

"That's when I read there's a one per cent chance of survival. From that I learned it was stage four."

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She said that on August 6, Graeme was told that surgery wasn't an option because the cancer was too advanced.

The only treatment they could offer was palliative care.

Lucy said: "He said he would try the chemo but we all made it clear to him that if he didnt want to go through it that would be fine as well.

"I think people presume that you have to have chemo, even if it wont save your life.

"It made us realise that actually that quality of life is so important and chemo can really affect that.

"He ended up only having two sessions of the weakest chemo because hed just lost too much weight and they struggled to find a vein so they had to put a pick line in.

"It was just really difficult. There were a couple of times he was all geared up to have chemo and they would say they cant do it because of one reason or another."

Not long after he was diagnosed, Lucy's then boyfriend Colin Kidwell and Katie's partner Matt Bourn - who are best friends - went to see Graeme in hospital.

Lucy said: "They secretly asked for his blessing to marry his daughters.

"They said he was absolutely over the moon about it and theyd never seen him so happy about something before."

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Graeme managed to keep it a secret - the only one he's ever managed to keep from their mum Susan in 37 years of marriage.

The boys proposed on the same day with Matt taking Katie, 29, to Whitby for a romantic picnic.

While Colin, an IT architect, designed a custom game which he asked Lucy to play at home.

The 12 signs of pancreatic cancer you need to know...

Pancreatic cancer is known as the silent killer because it's hard to diagnose early - it does not cause any signs or symptoms at the early stages.

That's why it's so important to be aware of the symptoms to look for as soon as they start.

The most common symptoms to look out for include:

She said: "He asked if I'd test out the first level of this new game he had designed and I was like ok.

"Then when it got to the end screen it said 'Lucy Crook, will you marry me?'

"I turned around and he was down on one knee."

Then ensued three weeks of wedding planning to get both of the big days schedule for the last weekend of September - the week of Graeme's palliative chemo.

But the week before they were due to say I do, Graeme contracted sepsis and was admitted to Airedale Hospital in Keighley, West Yorks.

"The doctors were talking about end of life care but as soon as they said that he should speak to his daughters about cancelling the weddings my dad gave the strongest NO theyve ever heard.

We thought it was so important that he saw us married to good men before he passed away

"He said, 'those weddings are going ahead. They have to happen.' That helped us know that we were doing the right thing and he wanted us to have good days.

"He couldnt come to the weddings himself but he said that our mum had to go. He didnt want her sat by his side crying. He knew she needed to be at the weddings.

"We thought it was so important that he saw us married to good men before he passed away."

11

The night before Lucy's wedding, doctors called them into the family room.

She said: "They told us we should say our goodbyes - they didn't think he would live until the end of the weekend.

"My sister said she wasn't sure if she could go ahead with it without our dad, but he assured us we had to."

Lucy and Colin were married at Broughton Hall, in Skipton, and Katie and Matt got married at the Alama Inn in Laneshaw Bridge, Lancashire.

She said: "We only had 15 people at our wedding and I left an empty chair for my dad at the ceremony.

"When we watched the video a few days later I pointed it out and said 'that was your seat'. He was delighted.

"The first thing we both did after the ceremonies was to jump in the car and go straight to the hospital to see him.

"It felt like we were in Coronation Street or something - we thought 'how could this be happening to us?'

The first thing we both did after the ceremonies was to jump in the car and go straight to the hospital to see him

"In the hospital they gave him his own separate room so when we came in in our dresses and we had that private space.

"He was sat up, alert and talking - that moment, it meant so much to us."Lucy said their first Christmas as married couples will be tough as it's also their first without their dad.

She said: "We used to call him 'gadget Graeme' because he loved getting the latest tech.

"When we were little we weren't allowed to go and see what Santa had brought until he had put his camera on record.

"He had shelves of home videos - he was so proud of us."

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Lucyis urging others to support the charity Pancreatic Cancer UKs campaign Demand Survival Now by signing a petition calling on future UK Governments to produce a national plan in response to the pancreatic cancer emergency.

Survival for pancreatic cancer hasnt changed in 50 years - currently 93 per cent of people will die within five years of diagnosis, making pancreatic cancer eight times deadlier than other common cancers such as prostate, breast or bowel cancer.

Pancreatic Cancer UK is calling on future UK Governments to transform the future for patients by devising a dedicated action plan focusing on increased research investment, delivering better, faster care and raising public awareness of pancreatic cancer symptoms through a national awareness campaign.

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Our dad was given days to live so we got married and rushed to his hospital bedside in our wedding dresses - The Sun

Clock on white plate with fork and knife, intermittent fasting, meal plan, weight loss concept on ... [+] blue table

With the holidays upon us and everyone focused on watching their waistline, its a natural to think about the ideal diet to prevent weight gain and maybe even promote weight a little loss.

Lets face it, its really difficult to go on a diet. Diets are faced with a high risk of failure with the bulk of them failing, ending with eventual weight gain above and beyond where you started.

The concept of caloric restriction which has been explored as a way to improve longevity has been shown to be successful in animal models (mice), offering an enticing possibility to humans. But implementing this into your daily lifestyle may be problematic and may not be realistic in the long run.

Another more intriguing approach that has been gaining popularity in the past decade is intermittent fasting (IF), a form of time-restricted eating.

In a nutshell, its a way to extend the window of time during the day in which you dont eat. Instead of eating from the time you awaken, the goal is to delay the onset of eating, thereby extending your fasting period that naturally occurs when you sleep.

IF involves only eating for a defined period of time in a 24-hour period. For example, it may involve eating for an 8-hour period during the dayas opposed to grazing on food all day longand fasting for the remaining 16 hours. (During the fast, you are permitted to drink water, have black coffee, or tea.)

For example, instead of eating from 7 am when you awaken, you would begin eating at 11 am or noon until 7 or 8 pm. When you do eat, the goal is to eat moderately, although you are permitted to eat the foods that you would normally eat.

Variations on this theme include the 5:2 approach (eating normally 5 days a week and approximately 500-600 calories 2 days week), or alternate day fasting (ADF).

With IF becoming more popular, its important that physicians and other healthcare professionals be aware of the principles and science behind the diet in order to have a rational discussion with their patients.

In an article published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, Mark Mattson, PhD, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, explains the nuances behind the approach to IF, along with why he adopted this approach to eating more than 20 years ago.

Mattsons personal reasons for adopting intermittent fasting began well before he embarked research into the topic itself. It actually began about 35-40 years ago as a method he could use to reduce symptoms related to acid reflux which he found were worse if he ate breakfast and then rode his bike to work in the research lab.

I started doing it way back in graduate school at the University of Iowa in the early 80s, he explained. So I quit eating breakfast and found that I didnt get the refluxand I havent eaten breakfast since then!

Little did he realize that this was at the beginning of a pursuit of a concept that would shape his research, and have broad implications for disease management, metabolism as well as weight loss.

Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

While certain subgroups of patients, including those with diabetes and pre-diabetes may benefit from adopting this approach to eating (by lowering HB A1C levels), its value and principles certainly extends to other subgroups including those with cardiovascular disease, neurologic ailments (multiple sclerosis, Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease) and patients with cancer.

While IF may facilitate weight loss by reduced caloric intake, its more important benefits include improved glucose regulation via lower insulin levels, reduced blood pressure and lower resting heart rate, all indicators of improved health.

There may also be a reduction in weight-related medical conditions such as elevated cholesterol, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), offered Dr. Minisha Sood, an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York City.

Importantly, intermittent fasting or alignment of eating with our natural circadian rhythms may positively impact the gut microbiome which could improve overall metabolism and health,she explained.

Metabolic Switching

The concept by which this is facilitated is known as metabolic switching, which according to Mattson, is a healthy homeostatic mechanism that evolved in Homo Sapiens over thousands of years during periods when food was scarce. This involves switching by our bodys cells from using glucose during the fed state to free fatty acids (FFA) and ketone bodies during periods of starvation. This switch, which is metabolically advantageous, actually serves to reduce inflammation by utilizing adaptive pathways in our cellular machinery.

As Mattson explains, glucose is the normal fuel our bodies rely on during the fed state. When we eat, excess glucose beyondimmediate caloric expenditures is stored as a compound known as glycogen in the liver for quick burst of energy, but excess as fats (triglycerides). Triglycerides or fat is broken down to compounds known as free fatty acids (FFA) along with glycerol. Further metabolism of FFA by the body produces compounds known as ketone bodies which are used by the brain, heart and other organs during periods when glucose is not immediately available.

Clearly IF is not for everyone, with lifestyle, age, medical history, work hours (shifts) and personal preference being key factors that may influence the ability to adhere to this lifestyle and approach to eating, as Mattson explains. There may also be sex differences and genetics that ultimately influence individual success with IF.

Time restricted eating or intermittent fasting may be actually easier to stick with than daily calorie restriction or daily calorie control, explained Sood. When studied head-to-head, intermittent fasting and daily calorie restriction are both equally effective for weight loss so its really a matter of finding an approach which works with ones lifestyle and which can be followed consistently.

In regard to potential downsides of IF, Sood explained that some people may experience increased hunger toward the end of the fasting period each daythe hunger response may wane over time and people adjust. If they do not feel an improvement in hunger levels or they experience headache or fatigue while fasting they may want to consider a shorter fast or an alternative approach to weight loss.

Health coaches and fitness professionals also have seen encouraging results in terms of improved stamina and muscle strengthening after integrating IF into workouts and training sessions for clients.

Ive seen clients drop 1-2 lbs per week, making no changes to their diet at the startonly changing the time that they eat, said Nicole Winhoffer, a fitness artist, and creator of the NW Method in New York City. Their brains functioned better, they performed better, and were able to execute 30% more in their workouts.

Elite athletes have also embraced this concept, according to Mattson. Its clear that British athletes have excelled in the Tour de France in the last 5-7 years, he offered. The potential reason? The use of keto esther, a supplement which Mattson points out has surged in popularity among elite British cyclists in recent years. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), he explained, has cleared this compound since it is naturally derived. The results have been rather impressive to say the least.

Intermittent Fasting to Treat Chronic Disease

Buy there are several areas where Mattson believes that IF may have positive benefits including cancer and neurologic diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) Parkinsons, and Alzheimers disease .

He points out various studies where improvement in tumor burden may be seen. His rationale for this approach is based on the premise that cancer cells can only use glucose to proliferate. With IF, with only ketone bodies available, the cells are unable to survive and the tumor burden is reduced.

Research also supports the numerous beneficial metabolic effects of IF related to neurologic function, including positive effects on verbal and working memory and cognition seen in older adults. The benefits further extend to disease states such as MS where ongoing trials hope to show improved function based on preliminary results seen thus far.

Mattsons article is an important contribution to our understanding of metabolism.It demonstrates that beyond choosing healthy diets and avoiding high sugar/high fat and processed food, the amount of time between meals can provide significant benefits as well, offers Benjamin Hirsh, M.D., Director, Preventive Cardiology, Northwell Health's Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital, Manhasset, New York.

Physician and public health guidance on how to implement healthy lifestyle choices overall will yield much greater benefits overall to individuals hoping to improve their health and the population at large, he explained. However, for the individual who wants to try a diet where the pattern is as much about fasting as it is about food intake choices, there is now a dietary pattern that they can pursue.

However, this also must be done under the guidance of a physician very knowledgeable about this science, and the diet must be followed very strictly, which will be difficult to do outside the context of a clinical trial, he added.

Breakfast As The Least Likely Meal

Mattson sums his thoughts about IF up by stating that from an evolutionary perspective, breakfast is the least likely meal, a reflection of his thoughts that embrace cellular adaptations and metabolic switching as products of evolution of human physiology. Mattson explains that we never awoke to a ready-made breakfast over ten thousand years ago, prior to the agricultural revolution.

Instead, humans had to forage or find food, or make a kill. It involved work and time with the natural process of fasting already part of our existence before we could ever eat.

He also envisions how this approach could one day be adopted as part of an approach or treatment for obesity, to help jumpstart the process with inpatient stay, ideally reimbursed by insurance companies or other third party payers. Since we already treat alcohol use disorder and opiate abuse in this manner, why not obesity? The concept is compelling to say the least.

Read more:
Can Intermittent Fasting Help You Lose Weight And Improve Your Health? - Forbes

The first hour of the day is the most crucial part of your entire day. And the way you spend it decides how your day will proceed. Have you ever noticed when you wake up and reach out directly for your phone to check work emails, a strange anxiety settles in? From nutritionists to wellness experts, everyone suggests that the best way to start your day on a positive note is by doing things that will benefit you mentally as well as physically. While there is no better way to start your day than with a minimum of 30-45 minutes of workout, the best way to make it a habit is by choosing a workout or activity that you love doing. It can be as basic as skipping, walking to gym workout, yoga or cross fit. If you follow something that you have to force yourself into, it is best to look for another option. It can even be dancing to any music you enjoy listening to. The idea is to take your heart beat up and expend calories. But not only your physical health, your mental health too needs deep care. We all know our country is seething under the burden of mental health issues, because people do not have time to manage their mental well being. For that very reason, an increasing number of people are discovering the magic of meditation. If you don't know how to go about it, there are many apps that are available across mediums that can help you through guided meditation. Pick a corner of your house where you can sit peacefully, without anyone disturbing you. Do it for 5 minutes on the first day and you will feel a sense of calm within you. Alternatively, you can also play some soulful music and try to take your minds off issues that are hampering your mental peace.

Original post:
Weight loss challenge: Spend the first hour of the day meditating and working out (Day 11) - Times of India

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Start the Roaring Twenties off right! Take charge of 2020 with an internal cleanse and begin the new year with a clean body, fresh mind, and spirited outlook. Whether youre trying to lose weight, clean your digestive tract or botheven if you want to kickstart the Keto Diethere are the seven best detoxes on Amazon.

After the long holiday season is over, we all feel like we need a reset. We ate too much, we drank too much, and worst of all, its an awful lot of effort just to relax! We could all use to drop a few post-holiday pounds. But even the stress of the holidaysfamily, travel, gifts, all of it!feels like it needs to be flushed away.

A cleanse is a great way to start any new year. The timing is right, and theyre easier and more affordable than ever. Amazon has dozens of cleanses for the body. Whether its pills, powders, or gummies, theres a cleanse for most every need.

Looking to flush your digestive tract and drop some water weight? Dozens of digestive and colon cleanses can help you approach 2020 with a clean, er, conscience. Party a bit too much this holiday season? We get it. Amazon has cleanses for the liver, kidney, gut, and even THC. We chose to focus on internal body cleanses for this list. But rest assured, theres a cleanse or best detox at Amazon for pretty much everything.

Did you know the human intestinal tract is 25 to 30 feet in length and covers a surface area the size of a tennis court? Its massive, and it needs the occasional detox. Furthermore, by the age of 40, the average person can have 10-20 pounds of hard, compacted fecal matter lodged in their intestinal tract. Flush it away and give your body a reset in 2020 with one of these awesome cleansers and detoxes available at Amazon.

Below are seven of the best detoxes on Amazon that we know are great and can recommend.

Check out all the best detoxes on Amazon here.

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Time for A Cleanse? Need to Lose Weight? Here Are the 7 Best Detoxes on Amazon - Men's Journal