The metabolic confusion diet is an eating style thats different from most other diets. Instead of aiming for a set number of calories each day, you alternate your daily calorie intake.

Though it is clearly a calorie restriction diet, it allows for more flexibility on a day-to-day basis. Proponents of the diet also believe it helps trick your metabolism into working harder and, as a result, makes you lose weight.

The popularity of the metabolic confusion diet is rising, and you may be wondering whether you should try it.

This article reviews the metabolic confusion diet and whether it actually helps with weight loss, as well as its benefits and downsides.

BOTTOM LINE: The metabolic confusion diet is an eating style that promotes cycling between high and low calorie days. While its more flexible than some traditional diets, its still a restrictive diet that may not be sustainable in the long term.

The metabolic confusion diet is also known as calorie cycling and calorie shifting.

Its a dieting style that allows you to alternate between high calorie and low calorie days or periods of time. It also recommends regular exercise, though it doesnt have strict exercise requirements.

One way to use the diet would be to alternate between high and low calorie intakes every other day. Alternatively, you might eat high calorie meals for a week and then eat significantly fewer calories the following week.

High and low calorie days will look different for each person. Though theres no formal guideline, most programs suggest around 2,000 calories or more on higher intake days and no more than 1,200 calories on low intake days.

The metabolic confusion diet is similar to modified alternate-day fasting, which involves eating 25% of your normal calorie intake one day, followed by a day of eating whatever you want (1).

Similarly, the metabolic confusion diet is designed to keep your metabolism on its toes due to varying food intake (1).

Interestingly, diets like these have been linked to better weight management and long-term compliance, since they allow you to take breaks from low calorie eating (2, 3, 4, 5).

However, a notable difference of the metabolic confusion diet is that it allows relatively more calories on low calorie days. Assuming most humans need 1,6003,000 calories per day, 1,200 calories would equate to around 4075% of your usual intake (6).

While this is still a restrictive diet, proponents believe it allows for more flexibility and more naturally matches a typical eating style. That is, some days you may eat more and others you may eat less due to factors such as your schedule and hunger levels.

Also known as calorie shifting, the metabolic confusion diet is an eating pattern in which you alternate between high calorie and low calorie intakes day-to-day or week-to-week.

The metabolic confusion diet, also commonly called calorie shifting, encourages daily exercise and eating below your daily calorie needs. Therefore, youll likely be in a calorie deficit that will lead to weight loss over time.

Proponents of the diet claim that alternating between high and low calorie days will confuse your metabolism and make it work harder since it will have to adapt to changes in calorie intake.

While you cant really trick your metabolism, you may help prevent your metabolism from slowing.

Long-term calorie restriction, which is common in many weight loss diets, has been shown to decrease your resting metabolic rate (RMR) through a process called adaptive thermogenesis. This makes your body less effective at burning calories (7, 8, 9, 10).

Proponents of the metabolic confusion diet believe it helps avoid this negative effect by allowing your body periodic breaks from calorie deprivation, thus preventing metabolic adaptations that hinder weight loss (7, 8, 9).

One study from 2014 supports this idea. The study compared traditional calorie restriction with calorie shifting over 42 days. One group of people consumed 1,200 calories per day, while the other restricted their calorie intake for 11 days and then had 3 days of unrestricted intake (11).

Participants in the calorie restriction group experienced a significant decrease in their RMR by the end of the study, while those on the calorie shifting diet maintained their prediet RMR (11).

Whats more, those on the calorie shifting diet lost significantly more weight, reported less hunger, and had greater adherence to the diet. The authors believe this style of eating allows for greater flexibility, which makes it easier to maintain in the long term (11).

On the other hand, a 1year high quality study in 100 participants found no significant differences in weight loss between people who followed a calorie shifting diet and those who did traditional calorie restriction (12).

This may suggest that the diets effectiveness decreases with time, but scientists need to do more research to investigate further.

Considering that calorie shifting allows for greater flexibility and breaks from strict dieting, people who adopt this style of eating may report greater satisfaction, making it a more sustainable option for weight loss. However, more long-term research is needed (13).

Most research suggests that the most sustainable, healthy weight loss programs are those based on a nutritious diet and regular exercise to create a small calorie deficit of no more than roughly 500 calories per day (14, 15).

Since youre in a calorie deficit most of the time while on the metabolic confusion diet, youll likely lose weight. However, the name is inaccurate because this diet will not confuse or trick your metabolism.

The metabolic confusion diet may provide other benefits.

Unlike traditional calorie restriction diets, the metabolic confusion diet allows you more flexibility in your food choices.

Since there are no formal guidelines, you can decide how many high calorie days you wish to have in a given time frame. This also makes it easier to enjoy food-related occasions such as birthdays, holiday meals, and parties.

The more flexible a diet is, the more likely you are to follow it in the long run (14, 15).

Depending on how you choose to follow the diet, you may experience less hunger.

Following a low calorie diet long term will leave you feeling hungry and tired because your body wont be getting enough energy for its daily functions. Youll likely experience body signals encouraging you to eat, such as stomach pangs and low energy (16, 17).

This may lead to unhealthy compensatory behaviors, such as binging and overeating, which are common among dieters (18, 19).

Unlike cheat days, which are designed to allow you to eat unlimited amounts of food, often to the point of feeling overfull, the metabolic confusion diet is designed to increase calories in a well-planned, intentional manner (18, 19).

Ultimately, this may help prevent your body from feeling deprived, fend off hunger, and prevent binging or overeating. However, you may need to eat more than 2,000 calories on higher intake days, depending on your age, sex, body size, and activity levels.

Though its still a restrictive diet, the metabolic confusion diet allows for breaks from low calorie days. Depending on your calorie needs, this may allow for greater flexibility, less hunger, and fewer feelings of deprivation.

Though there are some positive aspects of the metabolic confusion diet, it also has many downsides.

You can have a few high calorie days on the diet, but most of the time youre required to follow a strict low calorie diet of no more than 1,200 calories per day.

This arbitrary calorie recommendation is problematic because it doesnt consider individual differences such as age, sex, body size, and activity level. Without accounting for these, you could severely underfuel your body.

For example, a 64 (193 cm) man who weighs 230 pounds (104 kg) will need more calories than a 50 (152 cm) woman who weighs 120 pounds (54 kg). Therefore, its important to select a calorie goal based on your bodys unique calorie needs.

Otherwise, highly restrictive diets like this one will be hard to sustain long term due to feelings of deprivation, hunger, and lack of enjoyment. The best diets are those that are satisfying, enjoyable, and easy to follow.

Though the theory of the metabolic confusion diet makes sense, theres not much research on the topic. Most available research focuses on different versions of calorie shifting and alternate-day fasting, with little agreement among studies (20).

Furthermore, the human body is highly sophisticated and can easily adapt to changes in calorie intake. Your metabolism cant get confused as the name of this diet suggests. Instead it shifts depending on how many calories you consume and burn each day (21).

To assume your metabolism would get confused after the occasional high calorie day greatly overlooks its impressive ability to keep your body functioning with day-to-day differences in calorie intake.

Even though proponents of the diet say it provides greater flexibility, its still highly restrictive and may be hard to follow long term.

Though the diet allows for periodic breaks, you must follow a low calorie diet of around 1,200 calories per day most of the time. Even then, high calorie days will still be on the low end of calories for some people, with most versions of the diet recommending 2,000 daily calories.

For example, daily calorie needs for men typically range from 2,0003,000 calories, while women typically need 1,6002,400 calories per day. The lower ends of these ranges are suitable only for people who do little to no physical activity (6).

Unless youre including high calorie days often, such as every other day, its unlikely this will satisfy the hunger that results from many low calorie days in a row. Ultimately, this may be too depriving and hard to sustain.

Although its different from and more flexible than many other diets, the metabolic confusion diet is still a restrictive diet that promotes fast weight loss.

According to research, most restrictive diets fail to produce long-term weight loss. Therefore, you may benefit from following a more sustainable healthy lifestyle that encourages a modest calorie deficit through a nutritious diet and increased physical activity (14, 15, 22, 23).

Through this approach, you may lose weight without the need for a restrictive diet.

While you may lose weight on the metabolic confusion diet, it may not be sustainable long term due to its highly restrictive nature.

Although the metabolic confusion diet may be effective in the short term, theres not enough research to support its long-term benefits.

You may lose weight on the diet, but it may be hard to follow for a long time because its very low in calories. If you enjoy or want to try this eating style, its best to incorporate higher calorie days more often to avoid feeling deprived and hungry.

For example, you could try to add 2 or 3 higher calorie days between lower calorie days during the week. This would provide you with more flexibility in your diet, which could make you more likely to stick with it long term.

However, most research has found that the healthiest and most sustainable approach to weight loss is to reach a modest calorie deficit of around 500 calories or fewer per day through eating mostly unprocessed foods and exercising regularly (14, 15).

While you may be able to stick to the metabolic confusion diet more easily than to other restrictive diets, dont expect to see a drastic change in your metabolism.

Although you may lose weight with this diet, its not due to a confused metabolism. Rather, weight loss likely results from being in a calorie deficit most of the time, having better control of your hunger, and feeling less deprived, which makes it easier to stick to the diet long term.

If youre looking to lose weight but dont want to severely restrict food, youre better off following a healthy lifestyle that includes eating mostly minimally processed foods, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and managing your stress.

View post:
What Is Metabolic Confusion and Does It Work? - Healthline

Intermittent fasting refers to eating patterns that cycle between periods of eating and fasting.

Although several forms of intermittent fasting exist, most involve abstaining from food for periods of 1624 hours at a time.

When practicing fasting, your body moves through the fed-fast cycle, which is characterized by changes in your metabolism and hormone levels.

This cycle is not only responsible for the metabolic changes that occur during intermittent fasting but also credited with providing some of its health benefits.

This article takes an in-depth look at the different stages of fasting.

The fed state occurs within the first few hours after eating as your body digests and absorbs nutrients from food.

During this period, your blood sugar levels increase and higher amounts of insulin are secreted. Insulin is the hormone responsible for transporting sugar from your bloodstream into your cells (1).

The amount of insulin released depends on the composition of your meal, the amount of carbs consumed, and how sensitive your body is to insulin (2).

Extra glucose (sugar) is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. Glycogen is your bodys primary form of stored carbs, and it can be converted back into sugar as a source of energy as needed (3).

During this time, levels of other hormones, including leptin and ghrelin, also shift.

Ghrelin is a type of hormone that stimulates hunger, and its levels decrease after you eat. Meanwhile, leptin, which has an appetite-suppressing effect, increased after eating (4, 5, 6).

Note that the fed-fast cycle resets back to the fed state as soon as food is consumed during a fast.

Also, the size and composition of your meal affect how long your body remains in the fed state.

The fed state occurs within the first few hours after eating. During this state, your blood sugar and insulin levels increase, while levels of other hormones, including leptin and ghrelin, shift.

Around 34 hours after eating, your body transitions into the early fasting state, which lasts until around 18 hours after eating.

During this phase, your blood sugar and insulin levels start to decline, causing your body to start converting glycogen into glucose (sugar) to use as energy (1).

Toward the end of this phase, your body will slowly run out of liver glycogen stores and start searching for another energy source.

This intensifies lipolysis, a process in which triglycerides from fat cells are broken down into smaller molecules that can be used as an alternative source of fuel (7).

Your body also converts amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, into energy.

Many common forms of intermittent fasting, such as the 16/8 method, cycle between the fed state and early fasting state.

A few hours after eating, your body transitions into the early fasting state, which occurs when glycogen, amino acids, and fatty acids are converted into energy.

The fasting state lasts from about 18 hours to 2 days of fasting.

By this point, your glycogen stores in the liver have been depleted, and your body begins breaking down protein and fat stores for energy instead.

This results in the production of ketone bodies, a type of compound produced when your body converts fat into fuel (8).

This also causes your body to transition into ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body uses fat as its primary source of energy (9).

However, the transition into ketosis may not happen immediately as you enter the fasting state, but likely later on (10).

As with the fasting state in general, the size and composition of your usual diet and last meal, along with individual differences, affect how quickly you enter ketosis.

Some of the most common signs of ketosis include decreased appetite, weight loss, fatigue, bad or fruity-smelling breath, and increased levels of ketone bodies in the blood, breath, or urine (11).

Ketosis can also be achieved through other methods, including by following the ketogenic diet, which involves significantly decreasing your intake of carbs (12).

Keep in mind that ketosis is different from ketoacidosis, which is a dangerous condition that occurs when your blood becomes too acidic (13).

Ketoacidosis generally occurs as a result of illness, infection, or unmanaged diabetes, and unlike ketosis, it requires immediate medical attention (13).

Additionally, note that forms of intermittent fasting that have shorter windows of fasting ranging from 1218 hours per day may not reach this state, as ketosis may not be achieved with fasts lasting less than 24 hours, unless you also follow a very low carb diet.

The fasting state lasts from about 18 hours to 2 days of fasting. At some point during this state, your body enters ketosis, a metabolic state in which fats are broken down and used as an energy source.

During extended periods of fasting, your body enters the long-term fasting state, which typically occurs around 48 hours after food intake. Some people refer to this state as the starvation state.

In the long-term fasting state, insulin levels will continue to decrease and levels of beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), a type of ketone body, will steadily rise (1, 14).

Your kidneys also continue to generate sugar via a process called gluconeogenesis, which serves as the main source of fuel for the brain. Ketone bodies provide energy for the brain as well at this point (1, 15).

The breakdown of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), which are three of the essential amino acids, is also reduced to help conserve muscle tissue in the body (1).

Keep in mind that long-term fasts are not recommended for most people and should only be performed under medical supervision.

The long-term fasting state, or starvation state, occurs around 48 hours into fasting. During this period, insulin levels decrease, ketone levels increase, and protein breakdown is reduced to conserve muscle tissue.

While practicing intermittent fasting, your body moves through several phases of the fed-fast cycle, depending on the amount of time that you fast.

The four phases include the fed state, early fasting state, fasting state, and long-term fasting state (starvation state).

Each phase varies based on the primary source of energy used for the body, as well as how it affects your metabolism and levels of specific hormones.

If you have any underlying health conditions or are taking any medications, be sure to talk with your healthcare provider before trying intermittent fasting.

Additionally, keep in mind that prolonged fasting should only be conducted under medical supervision.

More:
What Are the Different Stages of Intermittent Fasting? - Healthline

Just about now, halfway through the month of January, you are likely one of the 60 percent of Americans who has already "broken" your resolutions to eat healthily, get daily exercise, and go dry for January. But there's a simple fix, to help you get back on track and stay on track according to Dr. Amy Lee, an expert in weight control, obesity, and nutrition who has treated over 15,000 patients and is the chief medical officer of Lindora Clinics of Souther California. She has given talks to HBO, Hulu, PBS, and UCLA's famed "Vital Signs" series, and worked on weight control methods published in the medical journal Nutrition and Metabolism.

Dr. Lee first started her career as a medical practitioner, in Southern California, treating patients for weight-related ailments, always treating the symptoms and never the root cause. She said her work as a doctor, seeing patients who were obese or overweight and giving them medicines to try toalleviate their symptoms,and then watching them get worse, andneed more medications, and still more, never getting better or losing weight, but just getting sicker and sicker, made her want to step off that endless treadmill and become a specialist in nutritional health and medicine. So she changed everything, including her approach, and made her practice centered around the ways people can lose weight and keep it off, be healthy and avoid the need for medications in the first place.

"I realized that endlessly medicating people who had disorders related to lifestyle diseases like hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease were never going to change anything. the only way to change that cycle is to start at the beginning and help teach people to eat healthier and lose weight, not withintervention, but by helping them learn to make better choices," she explains. She has 4 simple strategies for getting back on track and staying on track, for the rest of the month, year, and a lifetime ahead.

Dr. Lee: Thinking about things in absolutes is the problem. It's not "all or nothing," that leads to success. It's taking things in the right direction.There are levels of success and you don't have to be too hard on yourself if you're doing better than last month or last year.

Tip 1. Stop thinking in terms of "all or nothing behavior." Whether you're talking about Dry January or other resolutions, we all bring in the New Year with ways that we think we can do better. And we set up these unnatural expectations. So let's say you usually have 8 drinks a week, instead of telling yourself you're going to have zero, tell yourself you're going to have 2 drinks a week, and then plan those occasions. Or if you're trying to lose weight, you can say: I am not going to eat cookies ever again,but then you have a cookie. It's how you react that makes the difference between success and failure. Don't tell yourself messed up. Tell yourself you planned to have 2 cookies a week and you're still on track.It's the "all or nothing" mentality that trips us up and makes us think we have failed. And then that leads to giving up. You can't be perfect all the time but if you are reaching realistic goals and doing better than before, or last year, then your resolutions are a success.

Understand what your goal is. If you think of Dry January, it's similar to diets in general. Realizing "Why I want to make a change this year" is part of it. If you're treating your stress with alcohol, break that cycle. Use something healthy like a walk or bike ride to get rid of stress. The habit that you're breaking is more important than being perfect all the time. So if you have a drink, tell yourself, that's one of my two, and then get right back on track.

Weget into that mindset of "all or nothing" or "black and white" thinking. When we get into that mindsetand we don't do it perfectly we have failed. But you are not going to gain weight with one cookie. So if you have a cookie, it is not going to make you fat. But when you give in and have cookies day after day, it will. So just step out of that mindset and tell yourself "I'm doing better."

Dr. Lee: Give up just one thing first.Tell yourself, no more sugar. Or if it were my choice, I would have all my patients decide: No more packaged food. Then if it's in the house you can either tell yourself -- "That's not my food" and keep your snacks in another cabinet, or if you live alone, you can just throw it all away or give it all away.

Tip 2: Give up all packaged foods and especially added sugar. The first and most important thing for us to do as healthy eaters is to get rid of junk food, added sugar, and processed food. Then eat a piece of fruit or a small number of nuts instead. If you know you have a snack attack at 3 p.m. then go eat an apple or some nuts at that time. Make the decision to give up added sugars and it will help you lose weight and feel better fast. It's the number one thing I tell my patients to change.

Tip 3. Don't compare yourselves to others. They may have a different physical makeup. Sadly, just because your husbandor your brothercan eat chips and snack all day long and not gain weight (though junk foods aren't good for him either) as women we have a harder time maintaining a healthy weight when we eat that junk. It's just metabolic. Some people can get away with it and not gain weight, or they can lose it quickly if they decide to give up beer or chips or high calories foods. As women, we are smaller and we don't handle junk food as readily as the male body does. Don't feel bad about it, just tell yourself it's a biological difference and stay away from that stuff.

Dr. Lee. You are always going to be able to have a treat or some people like to call it a cheat meal, as long as you recognize that it is the exception. If you think of it as a slippery slope then you won't be in a good mindset to get back on track. Instead think: Consistency is the key to being healthy.

Tip 4. Be Consistent. Don't make exceptions all the time, but if you are consistent, approximately 90 percent of the time you will end up with healthy results. Your body has the ability to be resilient so if you are eating a healthy breakfast and a big salad for lunch and you get nutrients 90 percent of the time, then the 10 percent of the time that you don't make a healthy choice won't make you fat or gain weight. Just tell yourself, I want to be consistently healthy, and get back to behaving that way.

Dr. Lee: I have a simple one. I ask myself, Is it worth it?

Tip 5.Ask yourself, Is it worth it? If I stop and think:Is this unhealthy choice or snack, or lapse, worth giving up my goals for, is it going to be worth it, most of the time it isn't the momentary satisfaction that will pass, but the long-term lifestyle of being healthy and maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding all the problems that come along with being overweight, either in terms of diseases or just how you feel day to day, then that reward is so much bigger than the momentary satisfaction of eating a cookie.

If you want to learn more from Dr. Lee, she is reachable at the Lindora Clinicwebsite.

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5 Ways to Get Back on Track With Healthy Habits, From a Doctor - The Beet

In my youth, fasting was considered a fantastically bad for you fad. The cod-scientific wisdom was that all youd do was lower your metabolism, so when you did start eating again, your weight would go roaring back up.

Since the success of the 5:2 diet, in which you eat normally for five days, then restrict calories to 500-800 daily for two days, the thinking on weight loss has shifted. Fasting intermittently is incredibly effective when it comes to losing weight, and in fact giving your digestive system a break may do wonders for your health.

Forget weight loss, or what you look like, says Adam Collins, principal teaching fellow in nutrition at the University of Surrey: many of us are simply too full, too much of the time. The reality is youve got a lot of clinically obese people who are metabolically healthy and a proportion of lean people who are metabolically unhealthy, he says. Metabolic ill-health is linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and all-round sluggishness, which deters physical activity, which intensifies the problem. You can almost always root down to the fact that were replete and always have a layer of food for our guts to deal with. So your appetite suppression signals stop working, Collins says. As the nutritionist Alice Mackintosh once told me, There is basic housekeeping your gut has to do, which it cant do when its full.

Probably the simplest change to make, Collins explains, is to lengthen your overnight fast, which is a fancy way of saying skip breakfast. Even intermittent breakfast-skipping could have an impact, he says. You dont need to restrict your calories after that; just avoid bingeing. If you want to get experimental with the rest of your diet, you could try carb cycling, alternating between high- and low-carb periods. Collins follows a 4:3 diet, restricting calories to 800 daily for three days a week. You have to jettison the idea that youre aiming to consume less food; it may be a side-effect, but its not the important thing.

It is not easy to stick to 500 calories, I found: eating even minuscule amounts of food makes you long for more. It was all fine until my daughter made me taste the boba (tapioca pearls) at the bottom of her bubble tea (this is an 11-year-old girl thing). They were disgusting, but I finished them, her dumplings and her sushi, then ordered it all again for me, like The Tiger Who Came To Tea.

What I can guarantee about intermittent fasting is that, when you do it right, youll feel it, immediately. On the days when I was fasting, I often had more energy and slept better. I wonder if theres something about appetite, that if you thwart it for a day, it comes back as something stronger, like lust for life.

This is not a recent discovery: there are studies going back decades, which found that energy-restricted mice live longer.

People should consult their doctor before embarking on such a diet, particularly those with medical conditions, such as diabetes.

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Fit in my 40s: will intermittent fasting boost my energy levels? - The Guardian

A great way to lose weight and get fit for 2021 is to workout at home. This boxing-inspired full body workout takes a little longer than 15 minutes and burns plenty of calories: perfect! As well as helping weight loss, frequent exercising can boost metabolism and improve mood too. This boxing-inspired total body home workout was put together by Joel Freeman, creator of the '10 Rounds' programme at Beachbody On Demand.

Basics of boxing with FightCamp co-founder Tommy Duquette

In a blog post about 10 Rounds, Joel explains the benefits of boxing workouts, "how every single punch actually begins at your feet, burns up through your hips, intensifies as you torque your core, and explodes all the way through your fists. With each punch, youre engaging your entire body, and gaining a deep muscle burn that will help scorch fat and calories and get your body in serious boxing shape. Its intense, but its also a lot of fun."

Like a bit of boxing?

(Image credit: Beachbody On Demand / Joel Freeman)

The total run time of this workout is only 16 minutes and 45 seconds perfect for a quick pick me up after work or and to boost metabolism at the beginning of the day. Why not round it up to 20 minutes and include a bit of warm up before the workout: a light jump rope session or some stationary jogging would the trick just fine.

After the workout, make sure you stretch those muscles with a foam roller or a massage gun. The latter can effectively batter workout pain away, ease muscle soreness and mitigate the effects of delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS for short, which will inevitably happen after doing such an intense exercise as this one.

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(Image credit: Beachbody On Demand / Joel Freeman)

Start in your fight stance with your guard up, elbows in and a slight bend in your knees. To roll forward, imagine holding a pencil in your mouth to draw the letter U. Bend your knees, keeping your chest and eyes forward, and shift your bodyweight to your front leg, in a U formation. Extend up to your starting position. To roll back, bend your knees, keeping your chest and eyes forward, and shift your bodyweight to your back leg, in a U formation. Extend up to your starting position.

Perform the roll forward and back for 45 seconds for three sets. Rest for 15 seconds in-between sets.

Rest for 30 seconds before beginning the next exercise.

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(Image credit: Beachbody On Demand / Joel Freeman)

Begin with your feet close, holding a dumbbell at chest height. Step your right foot forward and bend both knees to 90 degrees, keeping your chest up and shoulders stacked on top of your hips. Twist your torso to the right, then reset your chest to face forward. Step your right foot back to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

Alternate sides for 45 seconds for three sets. Rest for 30 seconds in-between sets.

Rest for 30 seconds before beginning the next exercise.

(Image credit: Beachbody On Demand / Joel Freeman)

Start in your fight stance with your guard up, elbows in and a slight bend in your knees. Drive your hips forward, pivot on your back foot and extend your back arm out and up, palm facing you, in the shape of a V. Keep your front hand up and elbow in to protect the front side of your body. Reverse the motion to get back to the starting position.

Continue to throw the rear uppercut for 45 seconds for three sets. Rest for 15 seconds in-between sets.

Rest for 30 seconds before beginning the next exercise.

(Image credit: Beachbody On Demand / Joel Freeman)

Place a loop safely around your wrists. Lay flat on your back with your legs extended long and your arms extended overhead. With resistance in the loop, bring your legs and arms up, simultaneously, so your legs are directly over your hips, feet flexed, and arms extended over your chest. Bring your shoulder blades off the ground as you reach your hands toward your toes. Slowly bring your shoulders back to the ground and release your arms and legs back to the starting position.

Perform this exercise for 45 seconds for three sets. Rest for 30 seconds in-between sets.

Rest for 30 seconds before beginning the next exercise.

(Image credit: Beachbody On Demand / Joel Freeman)

Start in your fight stance with your guard up, elbows in and a slight bend in your knees. Drive your hips forward, pivot on your back foot and extend your back arm straight, rotating your fist until your palm faces the ground. Keep your front hand up and elbow in to protect the front side of the body. Reverse the motion to get back to the starting position.

Continue to throw the cross for 45 seconds for three sets. Rest for 15 seconds in-between sets.

To train with Joel Freeman and find out more about his online home fitness programmes visit Beachbody on Demand for your 14 day free trial. 39.99 for three month membership thereafter.

This is part of T3's Fit for 2021 programme, which will be running throughout January. We aim to bring you tips on diet, lifestyle and exercise that will help you shape up for what is certain to be a difficult year. One thing we can guarantee: it WILL be better than last year. And hopefully we'll help you get the most out of it.

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Lose weight and get fit with this full body workout by Joel Freeman - T3

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19 Jan, 2021 07:31 PM4 minutes to read

Hamblin-Walker had been active and played sport throughout her childhood, however, gave up when she finished high school. Photo / Instagram

A Sydney teacher has revealed how she overhauled her figure by putting in just 28 minutes of work a day and it didn't involve a strict diet or setting foot in a gym.

Natalie Hamblin-Walker dropped two dress sizes and lost 12 kilos in six months by doing 28 minutes of exercise, five days a week, while also making small tweaks to her diet.

Prior to her transformation, the 33-year-old often felt lethargic and tired, frequently eating takeaway and snacking between meals.

Hamblin-Walker had been active and played sport throughout her childhood, however, gave up when she finished high school.

"Sports teams stopped for me and then I was always out with friends and then it's the late-night McDonald's on the way home, it's the vodka cranberries and it's all the sugary foods," she told news.com.au. "Over the years it just took a toll on me."

Hamblin-Walker decided it was time for a change in November 2019 after noticing that not only was she lacking in energy, but she was also starting to feel self-conscious about how she looked.

"I remember I was in a changing room in Big W and I thought oh, are these mirrors right?" she said.

"I was just really shocked. I thought, I've got a lot of cellulite, and I've got muffin top and this wasn't who I was."

Determined to make changes, Hamblin-Walker decided to give the 28 By Sam Wood program a go as "gyms scared me".

To her surprise she found doing the 28-minute exercise programs were not only "so easy" to commit to, but also had the added bonus that she could do them in her living room while watching TV.

Hamblin-Walker also started making small changes to her diet at the same time, eating smaller portions and adding more whole foods to her meals that also kept her fuller for longer.

"I'm not out here eating a lettuce leaf, I'm having food, like real food," she said with a laugh.

"Before I was having fast food and packets of chips in recess groups and starving when I got home and eating lots and lots.

"When I started with the Sam Wood programme it was just eating healthier foods and that was what was keeping me full for longer, while a packet of chips and a Le Snac was just making me hungrier."

Before long her "snacking had completely stopped" and she began to notice her body was changing too.

In six months she went from a size 12 to a size 10 and now weighs 61 kilos and she still manages to go out and have fun nights with her friends.

"When I go out at night I'll have a vodka soda, I'm not going to have vodka cranberries I'll just have vodka soda, or one glass of red wine," she said.

"If I'm getting a meal I'll make sure it has a salad with it, just something like that.

"But I'm not going to say no to a pizza slice or Korean barbecue, I just make sure I keep my workouts consistent and it's totally fine."

Hamblin-Walker's transformation has also helped her to accept herself and love the body she is in a message she wants other people who want to lose weight to hear.

"Everybody is beautiful, I'm very careful not to say you need to be thin to be healthy, because that's not true. You can be fit and healthy at any body type," she said.

"But if somebody feels like they want to make the change and they want to become fit and healthier then I would suggest to do something that is fun for them and that is comfortable."

Originally posted here:
Woman's secret behind 12kg weight loss without setting foot in the gym - New Zealand Herald

We can't quite talk about WandaVision without considering the Scarlet Witch's origins in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. And, of course, we can't dive into Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff without mentioning her twin brother Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), aka Quicksilver. While Wanda has been a mainstay character in a handful of Avenger movies, we haven't seen her brother as much. The short and simple reason why is that Wanda's twin dies soon after his first appearance, when the Avengers battle Ultron. Need a refresher on what happens to Pietro before diving into WandaVision? Here's a quick rundown of his role in the MCU thus far.

We first see the Maximoff twins in Captain America: The Winter Soldier during a mid-credits scene where Baron Wolfgang von Strucker experiments with the siblings. Avengers: Age of Ultron opens with the Avengers infiltrating the Sokovian HYDRA facility where Strucker conducts tests on his subjects with a scepter previously held by Loki. Here, we officially meet Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, aka Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Quicksilver possesses superhuman speed while his sister wields telekinetic powers and more. Tony Stark ultimately uses the scepter to activate his Ultron global defense program. However, there's a hitch in his plan: Ultron becomes a sentient being who destroys J.A.R.V.I.S. and attacks the Avengers. After escaping, Ultron retrieves a synthetic body and builds an army of robot drones.

At first, Pietro and Wanda are down to join Ultron because they blame Tony's weapons for their parents' deaths. However, Wanda is able to read Ultron's mind and discovers that he wants to save the Earth by literally destroying humanity. Long story short, Pietro and Wanda help the Avengers when they return to Sokovia, where Ultron builds a machine to lift a chunk of the capital and crash it downwards to eliminate humans. During a battle against Ultron's army, Pietro shields Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, from gunfire and swiftly dies after this final sacrifice. A heartbroken Scarlet Witch grows vengeful and destroys Ultron's body by ripping out his core processor, which, unfortunately, triggers the machine. Thankfully, Tony and Thor are able to break up the landmass and save the world. (Vision actually saves Wanda during this ordeal.) After her twin's tragic death, Wanda joins the Avengers.

Will we see Wanda's brother in these coming episodes of WandaVision? Perhaps. It's clear that something is awry with Wanda's world, and both she and Vision don't quite know their own history. Since Vision is dead and has managed to somehow come back, we may very well see Pietro, even if only in a hallucination or flashback.

See the original post here:
What Happened to Wanda Maximoff's Twin? Here's a Refresher on MCU History - POPSUGAR

Everyone wants to get fit for 2021 and while some people will go down the route of exercising more to boost metabolism, others might try dieting to lose some weight. Deciding on which diet to try next in the never ending battle to lose belly fat is not easy, especially because there are too many of them, all claiming to be the best solution for weight loss. In this article, we'll focus on one of the newer approaches, the flexitarian diet, which is touted to be great for the body and the planet, too.

And to make sure we tell readers the naked truth, we asked an expert, Charlotte Bierens, Head of Nutrition at nutritionally-complete meal brand Jimmy Joy, to clarify some of the most often asked questions about the flexitarian diet. Is it actually good for long weight loss? What are the pro and cons of the flexitarian diet? What foods to avoid?

Interested in dieting?

IMPORTANT: Please be extra careful when trying a special diet, especially if you have a history of eating disorders and/or struggled with obesity before. Should there be any doubt, please always consult a medical professional before starting a diet. Especially calorie-restricted diets can be detrimental to health and slow down metabolism, which might cause long-term health issues. Please be careful and sensible.

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As Charlotte explains, "the flexitarian diet promotes a vegetarian diet while allowing animal products occasionally." It's good for the planet as people on flexitarian diet consume less meat (especially red meat) and more plant-based products, meaning the carbon-footprint is smaller.

The flexitarian diet is the best of both worlds as it offers a solution to one of the biggest concerns in veganism (e.g. vitamin deficiency), all the while not overdoing meat consumption for the sake of it. By eating meat occasionally, people on a flexitarian diet can ensure they supply their bodies with all the nutrients it needs to function properly, without supplementation.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Charlotte likes to emphasise the social benefits and the err flexibility of the flexitarian diet: "With the flexitarian diet, people can reap the benefits of a plant-based diet but also enjoy animal products occasionally or in social events. There are no rigid rules."

A 2016 meta-analysis examined the correlation between vegetarian diets and weight loss and concluded by saying that "vegetarian diets appeared to have significant benefits on weight reduction compared to non-vegetarian diets", with most significant results achieved by people on the vegan diet. The research paper notes that long term trials would be needed to asses the longevity of the weight loss progress but it's a promising result nevertheless.

Another benefit of the flexitarian diet is its flexibility, compared to other diets such as keto. By not forcing the body (and mind) to adhere to a restricted diet, people on flexitarian diet might not over-consume food and therefore manage their weight more easily.

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"Because there are no rigid rules, there might be a lack of awareness about the replacements required to obtain all nutrients", Charlotte explains, "If it is not well-planned, there might be deficiencies of B12, zinc, iron, calcium, and omega-3."

As in most cases when it comes to dieting, the best results are observed when the right balance of macros and micronutrients are achieved: not having meat with every meal is already a big step towards sustainability, there is no need to completely remove meat and dairy products from diet for the sake of it.

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

A flexitarian diet might support a weight loss process. This happens because there is a decrease in processed, high-calorie foods and an increase in vegetables, fruits and whole foods. "With a well-planned flexitarian diet, it is possible to get all the nutritional requirements while keeping the cholesterol and saturated fats low", Charlotte concludes.

This is part of T3's Fit for 2021 programme, which will be running throughout January. We aim to bring you tips on diet, lifestyle and exercise that will help you shape up for what is certain to be a difficult year. One thing we can guarantee: it WILL be better than last year. And hopefully we'll help you get the most out of it.

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Flexitarian diet: Nutritionist explains the pros and cons plus everything else you need to know - T3

Was it fame? The money? Was it an insatiable pull to the rugby pitch that brought All Black prop Karl Tu'inukuafe back to the game? No, he says it was his family.

Tu'inukuafe takes us for a drive in his 25-year-old Toyota Corona when we meet him at the Blues headquarters in Auckland. In the car park outside their office and gym, you can see that these guys arent doing badly.

Theyre professional rugby players in a country thats mad about the sport and the All Blacks in there, such as Tu'inukuafe, are deemed the best of their generation. But Tu'inukuafes rise to, and grasp of, the black jersey has at times been messy and uncertain.

That he chooses to drive his old Toyota Corona says something about what he values. Hes not much interested in money.

In our interview, for Stuffs podcast about modern masculinity, Hell Be Right, he says hes worried about the materialistic world his young sons are entering.

That materialistic stuff is ruining kids these days... People keep asking about my Toyota Corona, they all think I should be driving a brand-new car. I dont think thats necessary, he says.

You might get a new phone, but youll want a new something else. You end up just wanting things all the time and youre never happy with what youve got. Before rugby I was happy with my security job. And thats what I would want to go back to as well.

Hannah Peters/Getty Images

Karl Tu'inukuafe is an All Black prop, husband and father.

Tu'inukuafe worked as a security guard after finishing high school.

Hed been a promising rugby player at Wesley College, in a first XV that proved to be the starting point for a further three professional players.

After school, however, he needed to find a job. He needed a stable income because he wanted to provide for his kids. At the end of the day, family is all that matters.

Tu'inukuafe recalls, My old man, since I got married at 19, he basically told me like, you got to be a man Take care of your wife and if we have kids, which we do, I gotta take care of them too.

He liked the job. He worked for Auckland Live, got to see some gigs and learnt a bit of music along the way too. But he spent a lot of time behind the desk, and Big Karl as hes affectionately known in rugby circles got bigger.

He was unhealthily big. He had worked to make sure his family could live a good life, but at the same time his lifestyle meant he wouldnt be around much longer.

It was 2014, and Tu'inukuafe says he could barely breathe when he bent down to tie his shoelaces.

I was basically struggling to, you know, go to sleep. Like I could barely tie my shoelaces without getting lightheaded, he recalls. Thats what motivated him to see a doctor, but the news wasnt good. He was told he was on a fast path towards a heart attack.

I just had my son the year before, in 2013, so I was just thinking I didn't want to, you know, die early or not have my wife and son set up if I was to die the next day. So all I was thinking was, I got to do something. And I thought rugby was the easiest thing to go back to.

Matt King/Getty Images

Karl Tu'inukuafe is the second heaviest All Black of all time.

Was it easy? Not really.

Tu'inukuafe pushed himself, hard. He went from barely being able to touch the ground, to grounding tries for the All Blacks.

He went from 175kg to 135kg all in just four years.

His weight loss story, and incredible return to rugby, is well known in rugby. Tu'inukuafe is the second heaviest All Black of all time.

But our interview, for Hell Be Right, is about more than numbers and weight loss. It's about more than the game.

Discussion turns to his own sons. Will his values cut through the rest of society trying to impart opposing views of success? And his dad, who taught him to fill what many may see as a fairly traditional role as a father.

His weight, its been both a curse and blessing.

His body requires serious work to stay in shape, keep healthy and thereby keep him alive for his family. Its also what gives him power on the field. And he says his power comes with expectations.

I kind of look intimidating, says Tu'inukuafe. But he doesnt want to be.

He speaks softly, hes a family man. He enjoys chats with his sons, he says he talks to other All Blacks and his teammates at the Blues about how theyre feeling just as much as they talk about training.

Hannah Peters/Getty Images

Karl Tu'inukuafe worked as a security guard, and then got back into rugby.

Things are changing.

The game these days, its important to be vulnerable around these guys that youre going to war with, Tu'inukuafe explains.

Theres a clear clash. Old expectations of staunch men dont fit the bill for Tu'inukuafe and he says rugby players, to be successful, also need to open up. But hes not throwing out the rulebook on masculinity, either. His role as a father is his most important, far exceeding his famed position as an All Black or anything else. And even though hes achieved some of the traditional markers of success, with fame and wealth, hes actively hostile to them.

Listen to the full interview with Karl Tu'inukuafe at stuff.co.nz/hellberight.

Hell Be Right is a podcast about modern masculinity in Aotearoa. Hosts Glenn McConnell, a Stuff reporter and student in Auckland, and former professional rugby player John Daniell in rural Wairarapa meet Kiwis across the country to find out what it means to be a modern man.

They meet rugby players, a Tinder expert, a professor of tikanga and many more incredible men and women along the way.

This series was made with the support of New Zealand On Air.

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All Black Karl Tu'inukuafe opens up about weight loss, and the fear his family would lose him - Stuff.co.nz

Usually, when a contestant self-eliminates on The Bachelor, it's a big dramatic deal near the end of the show. That definitely wasn't the case this season: we only got to week three before one of the contestants made the choice to leave on her own! Sarah Trott, the journalist who earned one of Matt's first one-on-one dates, left the show after a week of high drama with the other women, but that drama wasn't actually the main reason she left.

Earlier in the season, Sarah revealed a very personal detail to Matt: she recently moved back home to San Diego in order to care for her father, who has ALS. After the week's drama, during which she fainted at a rose ceremony and started crashing other dates, claiming insecurities about how Matt was dating all the women at the same time, Sarah ultimately opened up to, of all people, Katie, one of her harshest critics following her date-crashing stunts.

"I really have to put my well-being first, and I'm not in a good headspace here," Sarah told Katie during a private conversation. "And I haven't really opened up to you about the situation with my dad, but he has a terminal illness, and it's not like, years or months, it's like, weeks. So, it's really weighing on my heart too time away from him. And I thought I was ready for this, but I have to be true to myself . . . It's so hard being here, away from him, knowing we don't know how much time he has."

Katie became supportive after that revelation, admitting to Sarah that she actually lost her dad back in 2012, so she understood how difficult things are for Sarah. "I missed out on my goodbye with my dad, so I would never want that for you," Katie told her. When Sarah went to tell Matt about her decision to leave, Katie went back to the other women and asked them to be respectful about Sarah's departure, telling them, "She actually has a really big family thing as well . . . she went home today. I want to remind everyone to stay classy in this process."

Sarah explained her reasons to Matt, emphasizing that she just didn't feel like she could be at her best and that she really hadn't realized how difficult it would be to be away from her family. "I've prayed about this, and I've thought about it, and I just felt really called to go home and be with my family. I just don't think I'm ready for this. I wish you could see my heart," she told him. Although clearly surprised, Matt was supportive and respectful about her decision and wished her well.

"It doesn't mean I'm going to stop thinking about you and praying for your dad," Matt told her. "When you're ready, some guy is going to be extremely lucky, and I'm bummed it's not me, but I've learned so much from you already and what it means to sacrifice and do anything for your family and people you love. And I'm going to miss you." Although the preceding drama was a little much, it was nice to see a Bachelor contestant honestly realize that she couldn't handle being on the show and put herself and her family first.

Read more from the original source:
Just to Clarify, the Reason Sarah Trott Left The Bachelor Wasn't Because of Drama - POPSUGAR