Peter Markwick, 58, from East Sussex changed his life when he embarked on Dr Michael Mosleys Fast 800 programme. Feeling exhausted, tired and lethargic, Peter was frequently poorly with colds and chest infections. After struggling at work, he was prescribed blood pressure tablets and cholesterol medication in January this year. Having tried to lose weight before, Peter would get bored with the diet and after a serious conversation with a health professional about the state of his liver, Peter decided to turn his life around. In just 12 weeks, Peter lost 3.7 stone taking his weight from 17.7 stone to 14 stone and hasnt looked back since.

Peter toldExpress.co.ukabout his weight loss journey: I had been drinking far too much beer for 40 years, and consequently the GP prescribed cholesterol and blood pressure medication. I was also taking medication for psoriasis and arthritis.

What really hit home was a phone call with a hospital nurse, who was very concerned about my high liver count levels after a blood test. She said if I carried on drinking to that level, I would end up in hospital with serious liver issues.

Realising he needed to take his health seriously, Peter chose The Fast 800 online programme.

When I lost a stone, I started to get lovely comments from friends and customers, he explained. Interestingly, many of them said Youre looking well rather than commenting on my weight loss.

The most fantastic improvement apart from the weight loss is that my doctor has been able to take me off all medications, he added.

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My psoriasis has significantly improved and my arthritis causes me minimal pain now.

Peter initially followed The Very Fast 800, a short-term, intensive approach designed for those who need to lose a lot of weight quickly.

Followers eat 800 calories per day for up to 12 weeks, using the healthy, Mediterranean-style recipes rich in protein, fibre and healthy fats provided within the online programmes meal plans.

The Fast 800 has really opened my eyes as to how delicious Mediterranean-style food is, Peter said. Although I ate 800 calories for the first 12 weeks, my energy levels were high.

Now, having completed The Very Fast 800 approach, I can see just how much better I am feeling mentally and physically.

He has now moved onto on of The Fast 800s longer-term sustainable approaches, The Way of Life, eating a moderately low-carb, Mediterranean-style diet.

Peter occasionally incorporates an 800-calorie day along with time-restricted eating where he fasts daily for up to 16 hours, usually overnight.

This approach is intended for those looking to maintain their weight while further improving their fitness and metabolic health.

For people with only a small amount of weight to lose or those who want to lose weight more gradually, The Fast 800 online programme also offers The New 5:2 approach, which factors in two 800-calorie fasting days per week and five non-fasting days.

Peter continued: The great thing about The Very Fast 800 approach, along with the constant support and information available on the online programme, is that when youve completed 12 weeks of it, you feel confident and educated enough to move to the longer-term approaches.

When you move on to The New 5:2 or Way of Life, youre just eating even more of the lovely foods youve enjoyed for the past 12 weeks, with the know-how to make good choices in the real world.

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Looking back at how far he has come, Peter said: I am amazed at the amount of energy I now have. My brain has become much sharper, and I have an excitement about life.

I realised after about seven weeks into The Fast 800 that I could get used to this lifestyle.

The diet works because all youre doing is eating great food. And once youve reached your goal you just increase the volume of the lovely food youve been eating for 12 weeks.

As for his social life: I dont struggle to go out with my friends for a drink. I still have the occasional beer, but Im in total control now, unlike before.

My weight loss has inspired my wife to change her lifestyle too. She was very supportive of me, and has recently started her journey now.

Peters final piece of advice is: Start by committing to weeks of your life, because it can completely change your life.

The Fast 800 online programme offers a sustainable plan for the growing number of people. who struggle with weight loss and want to continue eating satisfying, real-food meals.

The platform guides them to eat a Mediterranean-style diet, scientifically proven to be one of the best ways of eating for long-term health, so the results they achieve are sustained long-term, and their health is improved to support an active lifestyle well into the future.

But this is only one part of the programme.

The online programme hosts a member-only community of peers sharing their own journeys,

with professionally-qualified Health Coaches offering guidance and support.

Along with meal plans and recipes, users are provided with weekly exercise plans and mindfulness resources for a holistic solution.

A 12-week programme on http://www.thefast800.com costs 99 and includes:

- Meal plans for The Very Fast 800, The New 5:2 and Med-style diets, with vegetarian options

- Three calorie-counted meals per day based on healthy, gut-friendlyMediterranean-style food

- Over 400 tasty and easy-to-make recipes unique to the online programme

- Shopping lists just print and go, or use the list to help with your online grocery shop

- Guided exercise plans all suited to the home, no equipment necessary

- Lots of tips and support on how to adapt your routine

- Health Coaches on hand for advice, support and motivation

- A lively and inspirational cohort of members, united by a common goal to improve health

- Weekly motivational articles and videos, so you can make these changes for life!

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Weight loss: Man drops 4 stone in 12 weeks by cutting down on one thing 'Changed my life!' - Express

Healthy diet and exercise not working? There might be a simple solution (Picture: Getty)

Weight loss is meant to be a simple process: eat less and move more.

However, if youre regularly hitting the gym and eating healthily, but not seeing the desired results, youre probably wondering where youre going wrong.

So, weve called on womens health platform The Well to give us some tips.

Founded by three experts former Team GB rower Baz Moffat is The Coach, Dr Bella Smith is The GP and Dr Emma Ross is The Sports Scientist it aims to break the taboos in womens health and fitness and support women on their fitness journeys.

Heres what they had to say

Not all calories are equal when it comes to weight loss and the macro and micronutrient balance of food is as important as the energy balance, says Dr Emma.

Chicken nuggets and a Coke have about the same calories as some mixed nuts and dried fruit with a smoothie so, energy is the same, but the nut and fruit snack has an abundance of micronutrients, which help our overall health, whereas the calories from fast food are empty.

Calories should not be the only focus in a healthy eating regime. Also, if you remove the ritual of eating (sitting down at a table and having a meal), its really hard to know how much youve eaten and food brands make tracking a lot harder as they supersize everything.

We snack and eat on the go more and this doesnt give our brains the time to register what weve eaten, which can be why we overeat. Try using a tracking app like MyFitnessPal.

Women shouldnt train hungry and this includes after an overnight fast, says Dr Emma. Our hormones work in a way that relies on having a constant supply of blood sugar (carbohydrate).

If we exercise in a depleted state, it triggers our stress response and this leads us to store fat around our middle, as opposed to losing it. If youre trying to lose weight dont cut your intake of carbs around your workouts.

And dont be fooled by healthy/sports foods a protein bar can have the same amount of protein and sugar as a wholegrain slice of bread with jam and be ten times the price. Milk or chocolate milk is the perfect post-workout drink and doesnt cost the earth, like branded recovery shakes.

If you are working out hard your body will need more time to recover from that workout, says Dr Bella.

Research shows that if we dont get a good nights sleep we produce more ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and less leptin, the hormone that tells us we are full. This is a bad combo for our appetite and eating habits as well tend to feel hungrier and are more likely to eat more before we feel full.

Lack of sleep has also been shown to activate parts of the brain that are important in feeling good when weve eaten food. When were tired, we might increase our snacking, as our body craves high-energy foods, which stimulate these reward centres in our brain. If youve had a bad nights sleep, make sure you eat every two or three hours to keep blood sugar stable and combat the rise of your hunger hormone. High-protein snacks keep you feeling full.

We can often misinterpret thirst as hunger, particularly when tired, so stay hydrated, too.

Many women love the burn of an HIIT session, but too much is not recommended, says Baz. High-intensity sessions activate the stress hormone cortisol and excess cortisol gets stored as fat around your abdomen.

Every other day for a hard session is fine but you must fuel your workout. You cant not eat, which tends to happen when restricting calories. Your body needs time to repair and recover or the workout wont be effective. If you must train every day then have at least two active recovery days where you do something completely different to restore your mind, body and soul.

Monitoring your workout and aligning where you are in your menstrual cycle will give you information about how your hormones are affecting your mood, motivation, energy levels and appetite, says Baz. Were not machines there will be plenty of peaks and troughs so dont worry if youre not improving day to day.

You should, however, see some changes by weeks six to eight. If youve been going to the same class for months with no change, then its time to mix things up. It doesnt have to be anything too drastic, it just needs to be different. That creates resilience, reduces injury risk and gets results over time.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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Five common mistakes that might be stopping you from losing weight - Metro.co.uk

In a small, preliminary study, researchers have found that people with type 2 diabetes who also have a BMI that falls within a moderate range can reverse their diabetes by losing weight.

The researchers reported their findings at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for around 91.2% of diabetes cases in the United States.

The condition occurs when a persons body does not produce enough insulin or if the insulin no longer works effectively. Insulin normally helps glucose enter the cells of the body. In the absence of insulin, glucose stays in the blood, where it can damage organs and tissues.

This means that a person with type 2 diabetes has an increased risk of several health issues, including stroke, heart disease, issues with their feet, kidney disease, dental issues, and bladder problems.

According to researchers writing in the journal Nutrients, scientists for a long time believed that type 2 diabetes was incurable, so they primarily focused on how people should manage symptoms of the condition.

However, evidence now suggests that if individuals who are overweight or have obesity achieve and maintain weight loss, they can reverse type 2 diabetes.

In the present small, preliminary study, researchers have gone one step further and examined whether weight loss might reverse type 2 diabetes even in those whose weight falls within the moderate BMI range.

Medical News Today spoke with the studys first author, Dr. Ahmad Al-Mrabeh, a Transitional Research Fellow at the Centre for Cardiovascular Science at Queens Medical Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom.

He explained that they decided to explore whether weight loss could be effective at reversing type 2 diabetes for people with moderate BMI after looking at the results of their previous research.

We observed that the metabolic profile changed markedly after following a low calorie diet even when the change in body weight was [] minor. We, therefore, wanted to test whether inducing modest weight loss could achieve remission in those who are non-obese, said Dr. Al-Mrabeh.

According to the principal investigator of the study, Prof. Roy Taylor, Director of the Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre at Newcastle University, U.K., [o]ur previous research has shown that weight loss of 1015% can achieve remission in people with type 2 diabetes who are overweight or obese.

Doctors tend to assume, however, that type 2 diabetes has a different cause in those who arent overweight. This means that, unlike those who are overweight, those who are of [moderate] weight arent usually advised to lose weight before being given diabetes drugs and insulin.

Instead, theres a tendency to start them on insulin and other medication at a much earlier stage.

What weve shown is that if those of [moderate] weight lose 10-15% of their weight, they have a very good chance of getting rid of their diabetes.

This should be a wake-up call to doctors, and, with 1 in 10 of the 4.5 million people with type 2 diabetes in the U.K. of [moderate] weight at diagnosis, there is no time to be lost in getting the message across.

Prof. Taylor

The study involved just 23 people. Of these, 12 individuals had a type 2 diabetes diagnosis with an average age of 58.3 years and an average BMI of 24.5. The remaining 11 did not have diabetes and were of similar age and BMI. This group acted as the control.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classify BMI scores of 18.524.9 as healthy.

All participants followed a low calorie diet for 2 weeks, consuming no more than 800 calories each day. The researchers then supported them to maintain their new weight for 46 weeks.

They completed this cycle two or three times until all participants had reduced their body weight by 1015%.

The researchers measured each participants visceral fat and insulin sensitivity before, during, and after the study.

At the end of the study, the researchers matched the people with diabetes with control participants of the same age, sex, and BMI. The scientists found that the individuals with diabetes lost more than twice as much fat in their liver compared with the controls.

In the diabetes group, fat in the pancreas reduced from 5.1% to 4.5%. Also, their average triglyceride levels fell from 1.6 millimoles per liter to 1.0 millimoles per liter a significant reduction similar to the control group.

Most significantly, two-thirds of the participants found that their type 2 diabetes went into remission and could stop taking their medication.

Prof. Taylor says that [t]hese results, while preliminary, demonstrate very clearly that diabetes is not caused by obesity but by [carrying too much weight] for your own body. Its due to having too much fat in your liver and pancreas, whatever your BMI.

In the liver, this excess fat prevents insulin from working normally. In the pancreas, it causes the beta cells to stop producing insulin.

Dr. Al-Mrabeh said to MNT that the results may be reproducible in larger studies, however, it is important to understand the mechanisms of excess fat buildup within these vital metabolic organs (liver and pancreas) in non-obese people.

Speaking with MNT, Prof. Pl R. Njlstad, Leader of the Center for Diabetes Research at the University of Bergen, Norway, said that [t]he findings are interesting and indicate that weight loss is also important in non-obese individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Prof. Njlstad added that [m]ore studies are needed with an increased number of study participants and increased time of follow up, in addition to investigating the effect of other factors, such as age, sex, and ethnicity.

Dr. Al-Mrabeh said to MNT that he will continue developing the initial findings.

I have recently moved to the University of Edinburgh to establish an independent research program looking into the mechanisms of how excess fat causes damage to the pancreas in type 2 diabetes. My aim is to dissect these mechanisms using both human and animal studies.

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Diabetes: Losing visceral fat more important than overall weight - Medical News Today

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day or is it? While it may have been something your mom told you as she tried to give you a bag of cereal as you walked out the door to school, its become a trend to intentionally skip a morning meal for health promotion in some cases, such as with intermittent fasting.

But whats the real story? And how do registered dietitians advise their clients especially those who say they just arent hungry in the morning? Heres the scoop.

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The origin of the original claim that breakfast is the most important meal of the day is based on a marketing campaign by a cereal manufacturer in the 1940s, as The Atlantic reported in 2016. The goal? To sell you more Grape Nuts, not to improve public health.

Since then, however, there has been a lot of research on how eating breakfast affects health and weight, as well as learning and cognitive performance in adults and children, says Ginger Hultin, RDN, owner ofChampagneNutritionin Seattle and author ofAnti-Inflammatory Diet Meal PrepandHow to Eat to Beat Disease Cookbook.

So while the origin of this claim wasnt rooted in scientific evidence, there is now research to support the recommendation.

RELATED: 20 Popular Food and Nutrition Myths You Shouldnt Believe

While you can find studies supporting both sides of the debate, its important to focus on meta-analyses, which look at many studies on the same subject to find a conclusion, says Hultin. The evidence seems to be most conclusive that skipping breakfast creates worse health outcomes for many people, says Hultin.

For example, in a meta-analysis of 45 observational studies published in the JanuaryFebruary 2020 issue ofObesity Research & Clinical Practice, researchers concluded that skipping breakfast is associated with being overweight or having obesity. One reason? Skipping breakfast, or not eating for extended periods of time, may increase overeating at other times of the day, says Hultin. This is extremely common and actually a pattern thats tied to worse outcomes for weight management, not better, she explains.

The choice to eat breakfast doesnt only affect weight metabolic health is also involved. A systematic review and meta-analysis published in November 2015 in Public Health Nutrition concluded that skipping breakfast correlated to a 21 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes, and that eating breakfast could be protective against developing the disease.

And then theres mental health. Theres research that ties breakfast skipping to a higher odds of being depressed and stressed, says Samantha Cassetty, RD, nutrition and wellness expert based in New York City and coauthor ofSugar Shock. She points to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in Nutritional Neuroscience in December 2020 that involved nearly 400,000 people. The data linked skipping breakfast a 55 percent higher likelihood of having psychological distress compared with people who ate breakfast.

That said, studies are conflicting. Take a meta-analysis published in January 2019 in BMJ, which looked at 13 randomized controlled trials. Participants who were instructed to eat breakfast consumed about 260 more calories compared with those who were in a breakfast-skipping group. (That said, as the authors point out, the quality of these studies were low for one, they were conducted over an average of seven weeks so more studies are needed.) Another meta-analysis, published in Obesity in June 2020, also looked at randomized controlled trials, finding that breakfast skipping was associated with about a pound of weight loss over two months compared with eating the meal, but skipping is also associated with an increase in bad LDL cholesterol. Longer-term studies are certainly warranted.

You could say that skipping breakfast is really the modern-day intermittent fasting. A popular eating pattern is called 16:8, in which people fast for 16 hours and eat for 8 hours per day. Often, they will start eating at noon. This type of eating may offer health benefits, including improving metabolic health for those who have obesity or diabetes, decreasing risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, notes a review published in December 2019 in The New England Journal of Medicine. The authors hypothesize that this may be because fasting may switch the body into a ketogenic state, encouraging it to burn fat for fuel, and improving blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and decreasing visceral fat. But more studies are needed, and whats clear is intermittent fasting isnt for everyone. Whats more, health experts warn the eating plan may be unsustainable and may set some people up for overeating later in the day.

Nutritionally speaking, skipping breakfast may not be wise, Cassetty points out. One study, published in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society in April 2021, noted that breakfast skippers consume fewer nutrients, like calcium, vitamin D, folate, and iron. Even when snacking more, breakfast skippers dont make up the nutrients from the missed meal, she says. As it is, many people dont have balanced enough diets According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), when it comes to eating a wide variety of healthful foods, Americans received an average score of 59 out of 100 on the Healthy Eating Index, which assesses diet quality. If you choose to skip your morning meal, youll really need to make sure that lunch, dinner, and snacks are on point.

It's also important to put this question into context. There are many other factors that play a role in ones risk of developing certain chronic conditions, aside from whether or not a person eats or does not eat breakfast, so its difficult to find conclusive evidence of one specific habit without looking at the bigger picture, says Elizabeth Adrian, RD, founder of City to Sea Nutrition, an in-person and virtual nutrition counseling in New York City. Still, she recommends her clients eat breakfast to regulate hunger, prevent overeating, and get in a quality meal at the beginning of the day.

RELATED: 10 Satisfying High-Protein Breakfasts

All three registered dietitians we interviewed recommend breakfast to their clients. But what you eat matters more than the specific timing. Its okay to wait until youre hungry, even if that comes later in the morning. Focus on whole, plant-based, fiber-filled foods and limit added sugars, refined grains, and excess sodium, says Cassetty. Scrambled eggs with veggies and whole-grain toast or a smoothie made with fruit, veggies (like spinach), nut butter, almond milk, and protein powder or Greek yogurt are two examples of power breakfasts that fit the bill.

Excerpt from:
The Last Word: Do You Really Need to Eat Breakfast? - Everyday Health

Darren Dibsy McClintock once weight 40st before an incredible 20st weight loss saw him hit the headlines - but lockdown has seen him fall into old ways

Image: mirror.co.uk)

The fast food addict who lost 20st after he was 'banned' from his town's takeaways has put on 11st during lockdown.

Darren Dibsy McClintock, once a 40st giant, hit the headlines thanks to his huge weight loss. His personal trainer Mike Hind famously delivered posters to takeaways in Middlesbrough in 2018, carrying the message "Save Dibsy - Obesity is killing him".

The ruse worked as Dibsy climbed Ben Nevis, did the Great North Run, and lost an impressive 20st.

Sadly, he fell into his old ways and returned to the takeaway diet during lockdown, putting more than 11st back on.

Have you got an inspiring weight loss story? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk

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Dibsy, 30, now weighs in at 31st and said: I sort of rebelled from it for a while thinking Id done the graft, now this is my enjoyment.

"But Ive ended up not quite back to square one but with more weight to lose again.

"Now, with Mikes help, Im ready to show people that you can backtrack massively like I have, but pull it back again.

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Mike's state-of-the-art 3D body scan of Dibsy suggested he could go back to 40st.

But Mike defended him, saying: "He hasnt had the tools at his disposal during lockdown and while working away and temptation has been put in his way.

"Hes made a few wrong choices its not right, but hes human. But his journey is going to continue to inspire and show people about having balance in your life.

Mike is helping with a fitness regime which takes account of Dibsy's irregular heart beat. The unlikely duo appeared on various TV shows including Good Morning Britain, where Piers Morgan dubbed him The hero personal trainer and asked Mike to train him.

They also featured as part of a Channel 5 documentary Eating Ourselves to Death. Dibsy's excess skin is visible on an image from Mikes body scanning machine, as is the weight he gained during lockdown.

But he has landed a job at Mike's diner, and has surrounded himself with the 'right people' to help him lose weight again.

He said: "Ive got a holiday next year and at my current weight, I would feel uncomfortable getting on a plane or ready for the beach.

I want to get a nice coat for Christmas I could have got one when I was 21 stone.

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"Everyone still tells me its unbelievable what youve done, but now I feel like a fraud because Im not 21 stone anymore far from it.

Dibsy hopes to help Mike's client Robert Busby, 30, of Redcar, N.Yorks, who aims to lose another 10st after dropping from 33st to 26.4st.

Link:
Famous fast food addict who lost 20st after town takeaway ban puts on 11st in lockdown - The Mirror

When a woman's body goes through the natural transition, the hormone oestrogen dips, and periods can become erratic. Other symptoms can include hot flushes, night sweats, irritability, and weight gain. If you have found that your waistline has gradually grown wider, there are steps you can take to reverse the process. It is probable that you can lose up to two stone (within a year) if you participate in "fast walking" for 30 minutes every day.

"Thirty minutes of fast walking a day could lead to around 7kg (15lb) weight loss in a year," the experts at BDA stated.

Other helpful habits to curb weight gain caused by the menopause include restricting portion sizes and being mindful of how many calories you consume.

Weight loss can also help to mitigate a woman's risk of heart disease, which otherwise increases due to older age.

Higher blood pressure, higher cholesterol, and a loss of calcium from the bones are all risks while going through the menopause.

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Calcium-rich foods can include:

Consuming calcium-rich foods can help reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis.

Furthermore, a healthy diet involves meals based on fish, nuts, beans or pulses at least once a week.

It is also helpful to reduce your intake of refined sugars, such as sweets, cakes, and soft drinks all of which will help you to lose weight.

Also known as phytoestrogens, if eaten regularly and in sufficient quantities, the foods can start to have oestrogen-like effects.

This is useful for menopausal women who will inevitably be experiencing a decline in the hormone oestrogen.

Consuming plant oestrogen could be sufficient to help relieve menopausal symptoms, particularly hot flushes.

Bear in mind it can take up to three months for the benefits of plant oestrogen to be noticeable.

Plant oestrogen foods:

Research has shown that consuming plant oestrogen foods several times a day, rather than in one large dose, is more effective at reducing menopausal symptoms.

Also bear in mind that the benefits of plant oestrogen foods can be reduced if you consume caffeine and alcohol.

Caffeine and alcohol can make hot flushes worse, so moderation or abstinence is helpful.

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Menopause weight gain: Lose more than two stone by doing one easy move - Daily Express