As the new year looms, so do resolutions of weight loss. Dieting to lose weight is the second most popular resolution in the United States for 2019, with exercising to get into shape being the first. Even though only 64 percent stick with their resolutions after January and only 46 percent after June, every year Americans pledge to lose weight.

Diet resolutions feed into our fatphobic society, worshipping thinness and degrading fatness. In fact, data from 2010 show that Americans spent over $60 billion on dieting and diet products. Womens magazines advertise weight loss at every grocery store check-out lane and social media is littered with clean-eating accounts and weight-loss promises. Even television hosts Jenna Hager and Hoda Kotb nervously weighedthemselves live on air before starting their intermittent fasting diet. Moreover, Michigan is the only statewith a civil rights law prohibiting a workplace to fire someone because of their weight. While some cities have similar protections, the other 49 states have no state-wide laws. All of these contribute to our nations diet culture.

From intermittent fasting and the keto diet to low-fat diets, you usually have at least one friend trying something new in an attempt to lose weight. Fad diets continually cycle, brainwashing people into believing they will actually work. About 95 percent of people who lose weight from diets will regain the weight (and possibly even more) within one to five years. Additionally, there are more side effects to fad diets than temporary weight loss. Dehydration, weakness, nausea, headaches and general lack of nutrients are some of the side effects from fad diets. I suffered from these same side effects when I was actively in my eating disorder.

Unfortunately, dieting does not only affect adults. Teenagers and kids are just as subject to dieting and fatphobia. According to a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics, teenagers aged 14 to 15 who dieted moderately were five times more likely to develop an eating disorder and those who heavily restricted their diets were 18 times more likely to develop an eating disorder.This was coupled with unhealthy weight control behaviors. According to researcher Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, teenage boys and girls engage in skipping meals, smoking, vomiting, laxative use and fasting. Diet culture is an issue that affects every age and gender. And for those already eating-disordered, diet culture perpetuates eating disorders and makes a full recovery almost impossible. For me, much of my time in outpatient treatment involved coping with societal triggers and evading diet culture, especially near the holidays.

This is not to say never try to lose weight or be ashamed if you have. Everyone has different reasons to lose weight. For some, it is because of compromising health conditions where it is important to work with doctors and dietitians to create a sustaining meal plan to remain healthy. But by doing so, one can still help resist diet culture.

There are multiple ways to counteract diet culture. First, use the Health at Every Size logic and guidelines weight loss or gain is not necessarily a sign of improved health. Excluding extreme cases, people can be healthy or unhealthy at any weight. Personally, I know skinny and fat people who are healthy as well as some who are unhealthy. Weight is not the sole determining factor of health, yet society continually shames fat people even though being extremely underweight is ultimately more dangerous than the counterpart.

Furthermore, through fad diets and fatphobia, our culture glorifieseating disorders for fat people, while showing concern for eating disorders in thin people. Society degrades fat people while putting thin (and emaciated) people on pedestals. Therefore, equal access to care is necessary. But equal access cannot happen until society reframes their thinking around fat people. It is important to reflect on your own weight biases and actions.

Second, acknowledge your thin privilege, if applicable, and use it to help resist diet culture. Though a newly popular phrase, thin privilege has implications everywhere, especially in seating. Knowing you are able to comfortably sit in movie theaters, doctors offices, planes and restaurants means you have thin privilege. This is not a bad thing; people did not ask for it. Thin privilege is merely a result of a fatphobic society. However, people can choose to acknowledge their thin privilege and become involved in activism. From asking how to help, welcoming fat people to sit next to you or participating in Weight Stigma Awareness Week these small actions can help fight the nationwide fatphobia that diet culture encourages.

Finally, do not give out unwarranted health advice. Health advice should come from professionals, such as doctors or dietitians. However, make sure your doctor or dietitian is part of the Health at Every Size movement, as even professionals can be fatphobic.

There is no one way to cure diet culture. It is a $60 billion industry. However, we can perform small acts of resistance to not only help ourselves but others impacted by diet culture and the fatphobia within the culture. Fat people deserve the same treatment as thin people. Weight is not a measure of worth. It is time our society reflects that.

Chloe Plescher can be reached at chloebp@umich.edu.

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Chloe Plescher: Resist diet culture in the new year - The Michigan Daily

Fans of the high fat, low-carb keto diet praise its appetite-crushing benefit, which is why keto dieting is so popular for weight loss. But since we dont live in a keto-friendly world, the call of carb-rich fare from healthy options, like fruit, yogurt and oatmeal to less healthy foods, like pizza, French fries and dessert can make it hard to stick with the keto diet. Even if youre not craving carbs, a normal social activity, like dinner at a friends house, can pose problems. Enter keto cycling. In this fairly new approach, you cycle on and off the keto diet at various intervals. Though this may sound like the best of both worlds, there are some red flags you should know about.

The keto diet is designed to encourage your body to adapt to using fat instead of its preferred fuel source, glucose, which is the substance thats broken down from the carbohydrates you eat. Though it sounds simple enough, the process involves many biological modifications and it may take a few weeks for these changes to occur. Youll lose weight during this process initially mostly water weight as your body depletes its remaining carbohydrate stores (known as glycogen) and makes this adaptation.

The main challenge keto dieters face is the extreme carb limit, which is capped at about 5 percent to 10 percent of your daily calorie intake, or around 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, depending on your individual calorie level. This amount of carbs is less than the amount in a large banana and given that even non-starchy foods, like nuts and broccoli, contain some carbohydrate, youll reach the cap easily. That means doughy foods, like pizza, pasta and bagels, as well as sweets, are strictly off limits. Thats why keto cycling is so appealing.

Though it has no official definition and theres no actual science to back up its effectiveness, many people take it to mean following the keto diet for five or six days and then following a higher carb menu for a day or two. Besides the obvious benefit of being less rigid, adding back nutritious carbs, like fruit, beans and whole grains, can provide a spectrum of health-protecting substances, including fiber, which is often low on a typical keto menu.

According to the recently released National Lipid Associations scientific statement published in "The Journal of Clinical Lipidology", this type of eating pattern is difficult to maintain and while those who follow it often experience an initial weight loss advantage, over time, the keto diets weight loss benefits arent any better than a more balanced plan.

In theory, keto cycling might make it easier to follow this program, but according to Molly Devine, RD, owner and founder of MSD Nutrition Consulting and Eat Your Keto, the reality may be quite different. Few people have the ability to go on and off keto successfully, she says, explaining that the main challenge is intense cravings for carbs and sugar, which come back once you reintroduce these foods. In Devines experience, this is true whether you take a break for say, a holiday weekend, or even just a meal.

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For those who have struggled with sugar addiction and battled getting sugar out of their diet, following a strict ketogenic diet is the first time they don't feel overwhelmed by cravings due to the metabolic shift from glucose for fuel to ketones. Keto cycling or cheat meals are very challenging for this group because as soon as they get a taste of those foods, the cravings hit hard and they have a tough time getting back on the wagon, she explains.

Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE, a writer and expert on the medical review board of dietdoctor.com agrees, but says it can depend on the person. She explains that some people do well knowing they can have a small scoop of ice cream or another non-keto treat on occasion and that planning for these non-keto foods can make it easier to stay on the keto diet and facilitate weight loss and better blood glucose control. But she admits that for other people, this approach can lead to intense carb cravings, making it difficult to return to the keto diet.

Setting aside intense cravings, there may be other risks of cycling on and off the keto diet. In one short-term, small study, researchers investigated the impact of following a strict keto diet for six days and then going off plan by consuming a drink containing 75 grams of carbohydrate. For reference, thats slightly less than the amount of carbs in two cans of soda. The damage: We saw a temporary increase in the levels of endothelial microparticles (sometimes called micro vesicles) in the blood, explains study co-author and Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia Jonathan P. Little. Endothelial cells are the single layer of cells that line and protect our blood vessels. Microparticles are small vesicles that get released from cells when they are inflamed or damaged, so finding an increase in endothelial microparticles tells us that the endothelial cells that line our blood vessels experienced some damage and inflammation when glucose spiked. Though he says that the increase in markers of blood vessel damage was temporary, the long-term impact remains unclear. We know that these endothelial microparticles are elevated in conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, which is why we were interested in measuring them, he explains.

Besides the potential for blood vessel inflammation, Little also cautions that the metabolic adaptations your body experiences on the keto diet means that youre relatively glucose intolerant, so a meal (or day) of high carb eating might not be the best plan. When you adapt to a ketogenic diet, you become a proficient fat burner and this occurs at the expense of carbohydrate metabolism. It probably isnt the best thing for your metabolism to throw carbohydrates (especially high glycemic index carbs in high amounts such as a glucose tolerance test drink that we used or a big 'cheat meal') into the mix if you are on a ketogenic diet, he says.

Devine agrees and shares concerns about the long-term risks of this approach. The benefits from a ketogenic diet are a one-way street, she says. You can get away with a high intake of dietary fats (including saturated fats) without the negative impact on risk factors for cardiovascular disease (specifically, particle size of LDL and triglycerides) only when these foods are not consumed in conjunction with refined carbs and sugars, explains Devine. In her view, going back and forth will cause more harm than benefit over time. I stress the importance of not cheating on a keto diet because once you start introducing sugars, the high-fat aspect can do more harm than good long-term.

Experts also caution about the risks to your emotional health with keto cycling. Starting keto with the idea that you can go off plan whenever you want and just jump right back in when you feel like it may be counterproductive for your weight, overall health and quality of life, explains Spritzler. Devine also notes that chronic yo-yo dieters may become less successful over time. In her experience, each keto hiatus can become longer and longer and as a result, its likely youll put the weight back on. At that point, the hurdles start to feel insurmountable, she says.

Despite the concerns, if you want to give keto cycling a try, experts recommend cycling in healthful sources of carbs instead of those craveable, heavily processed refined or sugary carbs. Think sweet potatoes, beans, milk and fruit over muffins, rolls and chips.

Its also a good idea to make a plan for your carb-heavy days so you get the most benefit. For example, Spritzler says you might eat them on a workout day. Pay attention to how you feel on the days you eat more carbs, she says. Some questions she suggests asking yourself: Do your energy levels drop or soar? Are you happier and satisfied or anxious and hungry? Does your sleep improve or worsen? Pay attention to your answers. If you feel better off eating carbs occasionally and it doesn't seem to interfere with your weight, keto cycling may be a good fit for you. On the other hand, many people do seem to benefit from staying consistently keto or alternating keto with low carb (around 30-60 grams of net carbs per day), she explains.

Whether you add in those higher carb days or not, your keto diet should focus on other principles of healthy eating. Devine says to emphasize whole foods, quality proteins and heart-healthy unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and fatty fish instead of processed saturated fats, like cheese and processed meats. Spritzler agrees that the focus should be on minimally processed foods and she suggests this simple framework: Consume adequate protein (3-6 ounces) at every meal, include vegetables at most if not all meals, and eat enough to feel full but not stuffed.

The prescriptive nature of total carb abstinence may be appealing to some, but for others, can feel unnecessarily rigid. Its important to get clear on where you fall in the spectrum and use that to guide your dietary decisions. Whether youre trying to lose weight or just get healthier, it also makes sense to think about the foods you enjoy and the way you like to cook and then pick a plan that lines up with your food and lifestyle values. Be real with yourself and identify some non-negotiable foods. If pasta is one of them, keto cycling might be preferable to keto, but you might want to try another approach altogether.

Remember that the keto diet isnt the be all end all even for weight loss. As Kevin C. Maki, co-author of the National Lipid Association Scientific Statement points out, the long-term health impact is unknown. While ketosis may have some benefits for reducing appetite, it may not be necessary to go to such extreme levels of carbohydrate restriction to lose weight and experience some of the other benefits, such as improving blood glucose excursions and triglyceride levels, says Maki, whos also an Adjunct Professor of the Department of Applied Health Science at the School of Public Health at Indiana University, Bloomington Indiana. He acknowledges that a keto-type diet for a limited period of time may work well for some people, but also points out the issues with long-term compliance. Our general view is that most people would be better off focusing on regular exercise (e.g., walking) and consuming a high quality diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, seafood and non-tropical oils, such as a Mediterranean diet pattern.

Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, Director of Womens Cardiovascular Prevention, Health and Wellness at Mount Sinai Heart, Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association, and spokesperson for the American Heart Associations Go Red for Women campaign, is also in favor of the Mediterranean diet over the keto diet or keto cycling approach. She says the Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce the incidence of heart disease by as much as 30 percent and that weight loss and better blood sugar management can be achieved by boosting your vegetable intake and cutting way down on your consumption of overly processed carbs and sweets.

No matter which approach you go for, remember that the idea is to adopt healthier eating habits not just for the next few weeks or months, but for life, which is the real key to healthy and sustainable weight loss.

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The pros and cons of keto cycling, according to health and medical experts - NBC News

Corporate culture managers and business leaders typically value nothing more than productivity from their employees. In many U.S. office environments, nearly all of us are constantly competing to be better, work harder and increase our outputs. However, as we strive to get ahead we are often faced with major hurdles in our performance such as disengagement, too much multitasking, fatigue and procrastination that prevents us from being our best selves.

The term "biohacking" has become popular in the health and wellness space. Biohacking consists of making small, incremental diet or lifestyle changes to improve your health and well-being, often for better performance from both body and mind.

Biohackings basic principle is that optimal inputs into our body lead to maximum outputs. So, through the proper diet, supplements, daily routines and electronics, we can reach our personal peak of performance in all areas of life.

Biohacking is now making its way into company culture. As a company, you can implement simple health initiatives to help employees improve productivity. These small but simple hacks can boost mood, output and happiness.

Sleeping is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself to be in peak performance. However, 40% of Americans get less than the recommended minimum amount of sleep, which is seven hours. Many of those who lack sleep believe that theyll be able to catch up on lost hours during the weekends, but studies have shown that sleeping in only makes up for some of the deficits associated with past sleep deprivation.

The most successful entrepreneurs I have met think about sleeping as an investment. The more time you spend resting, the more efficient youll be while awake. The benefits of a good night's sleep include a healthy immune system, increased concentration, improved productivity and a better mood.

Make quality sleep a company priority for your employees. Implement a flexible schedule, power naps at work or training on the importance of sleep.

Experts typically recommend seven to nine hours of sleep for adults. However, to find one's optimal sleeping patterns, you can suggest employees try a sleep-cycle tracking app. By placing a smartphone on your mattress while you sleep, these apps measure how long you spend in each sleep cycle and also let you know the best time to wake up. With this information, your employees will learn to wake up naturally, refreshed and with enough energy to be their best all day.

Do you have employees who need an energy boost? Dont be afraid to make power napping part of your company's daily routine. In fact, many companies are now recommending employees take a short break in the early afternoon. At this time, a nap duration of 20 minutes will provide the lightest phase of sleep, or 90 minutes for one full sleep cycle. Napping for these set amounts of time will leave your employees feeling recharged rather than groggy when they get up.

These days, everybody claims to have some dietary solution that will magically solve all your problems. Although there is truly no one-size-fits-all diet, there are certain guidelines that can lead to great results for most people. So, educating employees that an optimal diet will help gain mental clarity and boost productivity at work will help you run a successful business. For example, you could have a nutritionist come to talk to employees about implementing better dietary habits into their daily routines.

All in all, adding simple health biohacks for employees can be great for boosting productivity to reach higher heights for all at work. With these simple daily practices, employees will be healthier and happier and will meet corporate goals and set new benchmarks in no time.

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Help Your Employees Optimize Their Work Performance Through Health Initiatives - Forbes

My name is Regan Patterson (@regan_patterson) and I'm a 27-year-old personal trainer living in Orlando, Florida. After years of being overweight, at 222 pounds, I decided to count calories and macros, and hit the gym. I ended up losing a total of 80 pounds.

I was active in high school and played multiple sports, so I was always in shape. But when I went to college, I stopped playing sports and my activity level went wayyy down. My food choices changed and I began eating out of convenience (hello, fast food).

In a few years, I noticed my body had completely changedand I decided I needed to do something different. So I started out by following a low-carb diet and lost 40 pounds. But I quickly gained it all back and more. Low-carb just wasn't sustainable for me. And I found myself back at square one with even more weight to lose. I felt so discouraged and didnt do anything about it for a couple years.

Eventually, I knew that I couldn't keep going on like that. At 222 pounds, I finally decided I was going to start my diet again and not stop until I got to where I wanted to be.

The first thing I did was turn towards healthier foods. But this time I made sure to really fuel myself with fruits, veggies, and lean protein sources. I also started eating out less and cut out liquid calories, which I know helped tremendously.

Eventually I began counting macros. Macro counting involves tracking your caloric intake. I made sure to get enough protein and also monitored my carb and fat intake too. It taught me a lot about food and having a balanced diet.

Even though I started counting calories and macros, I knew that I needed to have variety in my meals to stay on track. That's why every day looks different when it comes to what I eat. Here's a sample day:

I knew that I couldn't just jump back into my old college workouts. So I started out by taking daily walks and hitting the gym a couple days a week. Once I got comfortable in the gym again, I started strength training and fell in love with it.

Lifting weights has become a main form of exercise for me now, which is actually really important when it comes to fat loss. Eventually I worked my way up in the gym from a couple days a week to five to six days a week. I went from 222 pounds to 142 pounds. That's an 80-pound weight loss.

Now, I'm a personal trainer, and I try to be super transparent about my weight-loss journey. When people ask me how I managed to stay motivated and how they can do the same, I tell my clients, "I don't." The truth is, you will not always be motivatedand that's okay.

Feeling unmotivated is a feeling that comes and goes. But being dedicated means you do it anyway, especially when it's hard. Thats why its so important to create habits; you'll do them even when you dont feel like it because they become second nature.

It took me two years to lose those 80 pounds, and I think it's so important people understand that weight loss takes time. You have to be patient. Giving up wont get you any closer to your goals, so you just have to flex your patience muscle and keep going.

I also tell my clients to find a form of exercise that they really lovesomething they can always go to when they're not sure what to do. If you like lifting weights, do it. If you like running, do it. If you dont enjoy it, you wont stick to it. Sustainability is key. You want to keep the weight off forever, not just a temporary fix.

My last tip for others trying to lose weight: Consistency will always beat perfection. So don't be so hard on yourself if the workouts are hard or you can't run as long as you used to. Dust yourself off and keep going.

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'Eating A Low-Carb Diet And Tracking My Calories And Macros Helped Me Shed 80 Pounds' - Women's Health

After jumping nearly 10-fold from its IPO price, Beyond Meat (NASDAQ:BYND) cratered 68%. Going forward, its going to be tough sledding for BYND stock.

Source: Shutterstock

It is easy to focus too much on the merits of fake meat in a culture that yo-yos between plant based Vegan diets and low-carb diets like Paleo and Keto. The science is far from settled on the perfect diet for health and longevity. But the question isnt whether meat alternatives are the cure-all for heart disease and other preventable diseases. Its whether Beyond Meat has a clear path to success.

Taking a look at the competitive environment, I wouldnt bet on it. Beyond Meat may secure some status as a niche purveyor of plant-based meat products, but if this trend reaches critical mass, behemoths in the food products business will go big, impacting BYNDs competitive advantage.

Does that make BYND stock a hard sell? At the current valuation, investors may be getting ahead of themselves with this plant-based story stock.

When it comes to plant-based diets, obviously health is top-of-mind. The work of health experts like Ancel Keys gave credence to the theory that high-saturated fat consumption (red meat, eggs) causes heart disease.

By the 1980s, the science was settled. It even made for a Time Magazine cover that todays keto crowd would find laughable. In the decades that followed, chicken sales skyrocketed.

The animal fat-friendly Paleo and Keto diets are not the first to tout the benefits of red meat and eggs. But unlike the eat-a-packet-of-hot-dogs Atkins diet of yesteryear, these diets focused more on consuming unprocessed foods. Paleo and Keto also emphasize the importance of lower-glycemic vegetables like spinach and kale.

By 2014, even Time magazine was telling you to eat butter again. But what does this have to do with BYND stock? Experts on the other side make valid points, calling the whole plant-based is better, case closed thesis into question. Yet, with the meme of red meat clogs your arteries still in the public consciousness, Beyond Meat stock may still benefit.

Even in a highly processed form, the general public may regard fake meat versions of burgers and steak as healthier. With regards to BYND stock, whether this is scientific fact or fake news is not important. Public perception, not settled science, has the last word.

All bets are off whether plant-based diets will reign supreme in the 21st century, but Beyond Meat doesnt hold the franchise on alternative protein products. As InvestorPlaces Will Healy discussed, Kellogg (NYSE:K) and Hormel (NYSE:HRL) are throwing their hats into the ring. Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) is also heavily invested in plant-based alternatives.

Beyond Meats total share of the plant-based meat market is only 2.1%. Even if bullish sales projections pan out, the companys 2025 market share will only be 13%. But speculation, not fundamentals, drive Beyond Meat stock. Given that competitors like Impossible Foods remain privately-held, BYND is your vehicle to make a bet on the future of fake meat.

Hence, despite recent declines, BYND stock trades at a high valuation. Shares trade at 223 times their projected 2020 earnings. Even if the companys explosive growth projections become reality, this valuation remains far from rational.

It also sets the bar very high for Beyond Meat stock. In order to justify its valuation, the company does not only have to win over a large segment of the meat-free population. Beyond Meat must win over meat-eaters, with a compelling alternative.

If purported health benefits do not do the trick, price may be the key to win the hearts and stomachs of the general public. But unless Beyond Meat scales up significantly, legacy food producers like Tyson could have the upper hand once plant-based meat is cheaper to produce.

Despite my own admitted bias, plant-based protein may prevail. But that doesnt mean BYND stock will be a winner in the meat wars. Once we embark on a brave new world of plant-based protein, big food companies like Tyson and Hormel have a clear edge.

Beyond Meat stock tumbled 22.2% this Octiober when 80% of outstanding shares became free to trade. But shares could fall further, as the smart money cashes in their chips. Now that theres more available float, theres less risk of a short-squeeze.

But tread carefully before making a bearish bet. While BYND stock remains frothy, that doesnt mean the party is over just yet.

As of this writing, Thomas Niel did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned companies.

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BYND Stock Could Fall Further as Competition Heats Up - Investorplace.com