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This is part of Six Months In, a Slate series reflecting on half a year of coronavirus lockdown in America.

With coronavirus cases still climbing in many states, normal isnt returning anytime soon. The prospect of a vaccine arriving within a matter of months is incredibly optimistic, and even then, it will probably not fix everything. It can easily take longer than a week to get COVID-19 test results back, making tests tricky to use as a tool to safely see grandparents or travel to states with a lower case count. Many of us will be working from home well into the next year; other workers must factor the risk of illness into their lives for the foreseeable future. Millions more have lost jobs, with federal help nowhere in sight. Thanks to the governments botched handling of the pandemic, staying socially distanced and restricting our activities to at least some degree is all we can do, for now.

The situation is miserablebut six months in, were more settled into the reality of life during COVID. The daily shock of our collective circumstances has mostly worn off. So in search of small reasons for optimism, we asked Slate staffers about the things they dont hate about this new and constrained world. In a pandemic thats taken so much, heres what weve been glad to give up. Shannon Palus

Everyones talking about how the pandemic heralds the end of handshakes, but hugs are the far more deserving casualty. It seems unimaginable now to expose yourself to the virus by wrapping someone outside of your quarantine bubble in an embrace, potentially thrusting your face into a cloud of the other persons infected respiratory droplets. The truth is, hugs have always been a fraught endeavor. They require an unreasonable level of emotional intelligence, coordination, and spatial reasoning. To hug, one must first grapple with a rapid succession of difficult questions upon saying hello or goodbye to someone; answer any of them incorrectly and you might commit a hugging faux pas. Do I know this person well enough to hug? Should I start with a handshake and transition into a hug? Am I going to seem cold and distant if I dont go in for a hug? How close do I need to get to this person? Where do I put my hands? How long should this last? Do I smell? Should I maybe just play it safe and stick with a side hug? And things become even more complicated when you add in variables like height differences. (Have you ever tried hugging a child? Its awful.) Hugs should only be tolerated for your parents, grandparents, and significant others. Im glad that, over the past few months, Ive only had to wave. Staff writer Aaron Mak

Back in the days when I put on shoes and went to an office, my lunch-making efforts were sporadic. Sometimes Id pack leftovers or remember to throw together a sandwich. Most of the time, Id fail to plan ahead and Id end up paying $8 to $13 for a mishmash of food in a brown paper bowl. There were salads, grain bowls, and hummus-based mlanges of varying qualityoccasionally delightful but usually somewhere between pretty good and meh. In the six months Ive been working 5 feet from my refrigerator, I havent had a sad brown-bowl lunch once. Making my own lunch takes me less than 20 minutes, about the same amount of time it used to take me to walk to and from my former brown-bowl haunts. The results of my lunchtime labors are occasionally delightful but usually somewhere between pretty good and meh. In other words, I am enjoying lunch just as much (or as little) as I was before, and Im not spending upward of $35 a week for the privilege of being too lazy to wash and chop my own kalea financial decision that seems indefensible now that Im no longer making it. Ive also discovered that better-than-store-bought hummus is extremely easy to make at home. With all the money I save on my new no-brown-bowl plan, I can more than afford the good tahini. Staff writer Christina Cauterucci

Theres a serious deficit of fun activities during the pandemic. Concert venues, museums, and public pools are closed in many places, and large social gatherings like weddings and house parties remain risky. But it turns out theres an upside: With nothing cool to miss out on, the fear of missing out has largely evaporated. While a toned-down summer hasnt exactly been fun, there hasnt been much FOMO driving us to do stuff we dont really want to do. In normal times, FOMO is always persuading me to go to loud, crowded bars with friends even when Im tired and worn-out from the week. Back when vacations were a thing, FOMO made me feel obligated to see the local sights, even if I felt more like relaxing on a beach or watching Shark Tank reruns in a cheap motel room. FOMO has been a brutal force for much of my life, really. In eighth grade, I participated in a jalapeo-eating contest, despite my low tolerance for spicy food and distaste (at the time) for jalapeos specifically. It did not go well. Without FOMO, we can follow our own taste and focus on whatever fun is immediately available to us. For me, that means watching a lot of low-quality cooking videos on YouTube, playing trivia games with my girlfriend, and learning how to play the theme song from Cheers on piano. None of these activities is anything to brag about, but at least Im not anxiety-spiraling about everything I could be doing instead. Audio producer Cameron Drews

Im a chronic overpacker, and back when I regularly left the house and went places, my bag was stuffed with things: water bottles and too many snacks; toys for my child; a changing pack with diapers and wipes; single-serve packets of Advil; a charging block and cord for my phone; a printed-out map, in case my phone lost service at a crucial moment; and magazines, in case my phone lost service and I then had to wait in a line. Not that I just threw things in without consideration. The exact content changed with each individual excursion. What will I need in my tote bag to go to a restaurant with friends? A trip to the Pawpaw Festival? The hour-and-a-half drive to the nearest Whole Foods? The uncertainty! I always erred on the side of more. Now, I go to four places outside my house, and one of them is on my property. I go to the creek with my kid; to the parking lot of the grocery store to do curbside pickup; to an out-of-town friends empty house to do work; and to the front porch to garden while my kid runs through the sprinkler. I still overpack, but I can standardize my carry list for each of these outings, and I have, making a list for each location and posting it on the side of the fridge. If something goes in my creek pack (kids book to read, sunscreen, bug spray), its meant to be there. Goodbye, random crap in my bag. My shoulder muscles sure dont miss you. Staff writer Rebecca Onion

For a parent of twin fifth-grade boys, the ritual of sitting down with teachers for 10 minutes once a quarter is a hassle. I have to take off work, if the conference is during the day, or find child care, if its at night. Then I have to drive across town, trying to remember all the little issues Id wanted to discuss from previous weeks that I forgot to jot down. During the conference itself, I have to sit in a too-small chair, for a too-short conversation. And did I mention I have twins? I have to do this twice. Its not that I dont want to talk to their teachers. But distance learningwhich is, on balance, terriblehas revealed theres a better way. While trying to help teach the boys at home last spring, I felt more encouraged to reach out to teachers than I ever have in the past. I sent notes of thanks, notes with questions, and notes of total confusion. I received similar notes in response. Together, we hatched plans of attack on how to handle a delicate situation or just how to get all the things done. Many times during each week, I saw the faces of the teachers in my own home. Sure, they were inside the laptop on the counter, talking to their students, but it felt like they were sitting with me in my own kitchen. I didnt even notice that we did not have an official parent-teacher conference last spring. Now that the boys are back to school in person, I would love to keep up a routine of more frequent, spontaneous contact. That might be too much work for teachers. In which case, I would like the option to do parent-teacher conferences over Zoom. Designer Holly Allen

I got hooked on foundation when I was a tween, when deep, painful pimples started forming all over my face. In the decade since, foundation has given me comfort and confidence. No, it didnt look completely natural (cake-y, maybe), but it dulled the redness and gave my face a sheen and tone that I came to expect. Id been mulling quitting for a whileone of my best friends did in college, and she looked great. Also, I was tired of spending money on it. When I started working from home in mid-March, I decided to save my liquid foundation for when I might see people in person again. In those first few weeks, each time I looked in the mirrorwhich was a lot, with all the hand-washingI winced. When I got on video chats with friends or co-workers, I found myself resting my hand on my chin to cover my blemishes. But a month or so in, the expectations I had of my reflection shifted. Maybe Ive forgotten what that even-tone sheen looked like. Maybe I am finally less invested in others thinking I have zit-less skin. Im finding there are so many benefits to going bare-faced: Im no longer wiping my glasses every half-hour to remove oily, beige residue. Im not stressing about accidentally staining sweatshirts as I pull them over my head. Im no longer using headspace to calculate when Ill need to reapply. And now that Im not slathering the stuff into my pores, I think I might even be having fewer breakouts. Podcast production assistant Madeline Ducharme

If I never go to another before-times party, Ill be fine. Any sort of party that you can still have during the pandemic is a pretty good party, in my book. Celebrations Ive had during COVID have included sending people fancy cake and cookies in the mail and then texting about it, and sitting in my living room with my boyfriend and roommate watching Netflix, the same way I might any night, except that time I happened to be turning 30.

People in my life who typically throw big parties have been thwarted by the coronavirus, and I love it. For a former co-workers birthday, I walked two miles and sat on his stoop for a predetermined 15-minute time slot reserved just for me. Fifteen minutes might seem short, but its more concentrated attention than one might get from a highly social work acquaintance at their own party. In not-a-pandemic, I would have shown up at a crowded apartment and we would have done a seconds-long performance of mutual excitement to see each other and then I would have spent another hour being a little anxious and a little bored while I talked to strangers and then I would have apologized and spent a bunch of time on the subway. Instead, at this mini stoop party, we talked about how we were actually doing (badlyits a pandemic), I ate a piece of cake, and then the next person showed up, and I was obligated by public health guidelines to leave. Sure, I wish that celebrations werent confined to either my home or online or the outdoors, and so easily ruinable by rain or other bad weather (I wanted to toast to my new age on a roof!). I really, really wish distance did not confine who we get to see in person now that planes pose such a risk (sorry to miss your wedding, Florida cousin). But right now I can conjure maybe four times in my life that I have deeply enjoyed an honest-to-God party, and they have all been followed up by a hangover. Is that sad? No. Because life without parties is better. Staff writer Shannon Palus

When I started working out consistently, I just wanted to lose weight. But once a friend showed me how to use weight machines at the gym, I began working out to build muscle mass and get strongeror at least thats how I framed it to myself. I chased the satisfaction that came with holding a plank a little bit longer, running slightly faster, and building muscles that, yes, made my body leaner. And it was all measurable: Going to the gym six days a week to lift, sprint, or do plyometrics translated to a healthier lifestyle, one I could glimpse through my numbers. After the pandemic hit, not being able to safely go to the gym left me with a startling realization: I was still where I started, engaged in a vanity project. It wasnt about what the scale said anymore; I was genuinely in it to be healthy. But to an extent, chasing those better metrics was also about what I saw when I looked in the mirror. I was still putting my body through hell to be smaller, leaner, and more muscular. This year alone, before isolation began, I worsened a foot injury doing tuck jumps and pulled something in my shoulder trying to stick to an overzealous program.

Instead of pushing myself past the brink with elaborate workouts in my living room, Ive thought about what health really means to me, and why I was exercising the way I did. Since March, I have found peace in a simpler routine using limited space, a set of 15-pound dumbbells, a jump rope, and a mat. I was surprised how much joy I feel while performing basic bodyweight workouts and running outside. Not being sore all the time is another bonus. Im more attuned to my body and what it likes and needs, and no longer feeding a metric-gobbling ego. Ive tossed my measuring tape and my scale for good. Ive spent time reflecting on how I perceive my body in my therapy appointments. Its an ongoing, uncertain process, and I will return to the gym someday. But in the meantime, I feel healthier even though Im spending more time sitting still. Staff writer Julia Craven

I loathe loud, crowded bars, but I love drinking with friends. One of the scant bright spots of these past few months has been ordering a fried chicken sandwich and a cocktail from my favorite neighborhood restaurant for a picnic with my quarantine bubble or a craft brew from a renowned local beer bar to sip while Zooming with family. Im thrilled to support my favorite bars and restaurants so they can survive the pandemic, while imbibing their delicious concoctions wherever I please. Alcohol laws in America are bizarre, from Massachusettss ban on happy hour specials to Utahs limit on cocktail strength. When I moved to D.C. a decade ago, liquor stores were shuttered on Sundays. Here as in many cities and states, the closing of bars and restaurants prompted officials to brush aside restrictions on to-go beer, wine, and cocktails. The ability to sell beer on Seamless, and serve margaritas at takeout windows, has been a lifeline, restaurant owners say. Im not the only one hopeful this will stick around once going out to dinner is no longer a risky activity and restaurants are allowed to seat people to their full capacity. Lawmakers in D.C. and elsewhere have signaled its a possibility. Sure, there are downsides. Its harder to prevent minors from ordering booze via delivery apps. Im not a fan of the waste from the extra packaging (in my experience, mostly nonrecyclable plastic). Plus, most takeout cocktail options come in servings of two or four, yet Im ordering for one. But hey, its a pandemic. Whos really counting? Managing Editor Meg Wiegand

The calendar hanging in our kitchen was a sacred text. Its the way I communicated my travel schedule to my husband and our nanny. As the head of Slate Live, I bounced between the magazines D.C. office (my home base), the NYC office, and venues across America and Canada, all in service of producing 30 or so events each year. Heres a sample four-week period from early 2020: I flew to Utah for the weekend for the Sundance Film Festival. A week later, I went on tour with the Slow Burn team to D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. At least this didnt involve flying from one coast to the other, then back again the next day, which I do not infrequently. Traveling for fun or to family is great. Traveling for work is rough. I have two small kids at home, so I kept my trips as short and efficient as possible. Even when I would travel to a new city, I spent my time in the airport, the hotel, and the live show venue with no time for sightseeing or adventure. I didnt get to visit the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. In Vancouver, there was no time to spare for a quick hike. During the pandemic, I get to eat meals with my family every day. I sleep in my own bed every night, with my favorite blanket and blackout curtains. No more 14-hour workdays, no more crappy airport food and spotty airplane Wi-Fi. My suitcase and travel chargers are now in the back of my closet. I can oversee live shows with thousands of audience members from my kitchen counter. The calendar with my schedule now sits abandoned on a shelf. Faith Smith, executive producer of Slate Live

Last July, after securing permission from my bosses to work remotely for two years, I packed up my New York City apartment and moved to Charlottesville, Virginia. I moved because my boyfriend is in law school here, and I wanted to be with him. I did not move because I particularly wanted to leave New York, though I tried to frame it to myself as a good opportunity to see what not living in New York might be like. But when I got here, I didnt really give the test run a shot. I figured out a system to mostly avoid working from home: take the train two-and-a-half hours to D.C. Tuesday morning, work from Slates D.C. office through Thursday and stay with my sister, then train home on Thursday night. I made sure to go back to New York at least once a quarter, plus I scheduled trips to visit my friends in other places, because, well, when you live in a town where you have no particular attachments, its the perfect time to do that. I didnt make too much of an effort to become a resident of Charlottesville. And then the pandemic hit, and we were all stuck in place.

I told myself that my life here was exactly the same as it would have been anywhere else, but better (yard!). I still didnt like working from home, but it was easier when everyone else was doing the same thing. I could hang out with my friends in New York the same amount that they were hanging out with one anothersuddenly everything was virtual so where I was didnt matter. I could even go to yoga at my Brooklyn studio, with the instructor I loved. I continued to focus on replicating the life I had had in New York, as I had already been doing during the time I lived in Charlottesville. The coronavirus made it easier for me to do this. But its not pleasant to live in one place while pretending in your heart that you still live in another. Its not healthy to think about time as a countdown to something else, and its not normal for most social events to happen through a screen. So Ive decided that its time to finally live where I live, even though its a bizarre moment to figure out how to make a new place home. For me, lately, this has meant biking around the absurd number of horse farms here, buying a National Parks pass, and becoming attached to a specific peach orchard. For the next few months, at least, Im going to try letting go of my longing in order to just be here. News director Susan Matthews

Excerpt from:
Good riddance to hugs, purse crap, and the other things we won't miss when all this is over. - Slate

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Pirelli Tires is expanding its all season tire range with 22 new sizes between 16 and 19 inches in the Cinturato All Season Plus and Scorpion Verde All Season SF Families.

These are available for the aftermarket with Seal Inside technology as well: a system from Pirelli that allows motorists to keep driving even with a puncture. With these new sizes, Pirelli will be able to cover around 90% of the potential All Season market.

The Cinturato All Season Plus, for cars with 15 to 20 inch wheels, is designed for people who primarily drive in cities without having to worry about weather or regulations that oblige winter tires. This evolution of the original Cinturato All Season range benefits from a special directional tread pattern design that optimises water expulsion through two wide longitudinal and lateral channels, reducing aquaplaning. The innovative design also means reduced noise, both on the inside and the outside, enhancing driving pleasure. Another distinctive trait of the new Cinturato All Season Plus is its 3D blades. The pattern is designed to optimise the movement of the tread blocks to guarantee better performance under braking and through corners. This also makes the wear profile of the tire more even, while extending tire life. In snowy weather, the blocks open out and capture snow, delivering excellent roadholding. Thats why the All Season Plus is marked with the M+S symbol as well as the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol: the hallmark of total safety in winter conditions.

Pirelli offers the Scorpion Verde All Season SF for drivers of SUVs or crossovers: a tire well-suited to both summer and winter thats also marked with the M+S as well as the three-peak mountain snowflake symbols, guaranteeing safety in cold weather. The specific design of the tread pattern and blocks delivers excellent handling both in snowy and wet conditions, with perfect traction and lateral stability, along with low road noise. Completing the attributes of this tire is a long life and low rolling resistance, helping to save money on fuel.

The All Season range is rounded off by the Carrier All Season for vans and light commercial vehicles. This tire is very easy to drive, with a long life, low rolling resistance and excellent performance in all conditions. Furthermore, the Carrier All Season is a class leader in wet conditions and equipped with the M+S and three-peak mountain snowflake symbols to guarantee performance in moderate winter conditions.

The Cinturato All Season Plus and Scorpion Verde All Season are also available with ground-breaking Seal Inside technology, which allows drivers to keep going with no loss of tire pressure, in case of punctures up to four millimetres. It works thanks to a special mousse on the inside of the tire, which instantly wraps around any foreign object puncturing the tire and so prevents a loss of air pressure. Once the object is removed, the mousse expands to further plug the gap. This mousse is in turn covered in a special film that also protects it before the tire is fitted to the wheel. The Seal Inside option extends the mobility of the car with no worries, guaranteeing performance in all conditions and protecting against punctures.

Scorpion Verde All Season tires are also available with Pirellis Self-Supporting Run Flat option, guaranteeing safety without compromising driving pleasure. These tires are specifically designed to keep the car stable in the event of a puncture, allowing motorists to drive another 80 kilometres safely at a maximum speed of 80kph. It works thanks to reinforcements built in to the tires sidewall, which are capable of supporting the weight of the car as well as all the forces acting on it: even with no internal tire pressure.

Read more:
Pirelli expands its all season tire range with 22 new sizes - Traction News

As the Labor Day weekend approaches, infectious disease experts continue to stress the importance of wearing masks and practicing social distancing, or else Alabama could see another spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of UABs Division of Infectious Diseases, told reporters on Thursday that theres serious concern the state could see another surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the weeks after the Labor Day weekend, as happened after Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

This is not a time to let up, Marrazzo said.

While the number of new COVID-19 cases across the state have dropped in recent weeks, Alabama still recorded almost 10,000 new cases this week, Marrazzo said.

So I really want to impress upon people that while we have made some strides, with a lot of sacrifice, we are still in a place where we have a lot to do, not only to keep driving things down, but equally importantly, and almost more critically, to prevent that post holiday surge that we can almost predict will happen if people do do what they tend to do on a three day weekend, Marrazzo said.

Marrazzo discussed recent news that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent letters to states urging them to prepare to disburse a COVID-19 vaccine by Nov. 1, two days before Election Day. That letter has prompted concerns from many that a vaccine might be fast tracked well beyond safe measures and for political purposes.

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Marrazzo said that earlier in the pandemic infectious disease experts believe the earliest the world could see a safe, effective vaccine was around June 2021. It would take that long to track those enrolled in clinical trials to learn whether the vaccine works and is safe to administer, she said. That thinking changed as the drug company Modernas vaccine continued through clinical trials, and it became a possibility, if all went well, that a vaccine could be ready for market in February, she said.

Now, Marrazzo said medical experts are hearing a vaccines readiness could hinge on data coming from European studies of a couple of vaccines, that are showing evidence of the ability to produce antibodies. She cautioned, however, that theres been no evidence of whether any vaccine can actually reduce new cases, or whether theyre safe enough to inject the public with.

First of all, we dont know enough yet about what real immunity, long lasting, robust immunity to the coronavirus is, Marrazzo said, adding that reinfection has been shown to happen and we dont yet know all we need to about those reinfections.

The second is, we have never used a messenger RNA vaccine in a human population before, before these trials, Marrazzo said. This is totally new technology. we think its safe, but we dont know. its not a tried-and-true method, and so that for me really increases the bar for safety, a lot.

Researchers like to follow enrollees in phase three clinical trials for vaccines for at least year, to look for side effects and rare events, she said, noting the 1976 swine flu outbreak among soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey, which prompted President Gerald Ford to rush through a vaccine that had not been widely studied.

Cases of the Guillain-Barr syndrome in those vaccinated with the rushed vaccine began showing up in numerous states and several people died, according to news accounts. Ford agreed to suspend vaccinations using the drug.

Its a real cautionary tale, and who knows what the calculus was at that time, I mean it was a valid concern, but there were many people who thought that was ill advised and it was rushed, Marrazzo said.

Maybe they know something I dont know, its always possible, Marrazzo said of the CDC. But do we really have confidence that we can go out there and vaccinate everybody safely without knowing the longer term benefits are side effects of this vaccine? Thats my really big concern.

Asked by a reporter if she would take a vaccine herself, if it was offered before the effects and benefits were fully studied, Marrazzo said that at this very moment I would say that I would probably not get it.

Marrazzo said some might weight the benefits of such a vaccine against continue to practice social distancing and wearing masks and decide to take that risk, but she would like to see a full-throated endorsement of the vaccine by the American College of Immunization Practices and more data on the drug before considering it for herself.

Asked what she would tell Gov. Kay Ivey about disbursing a vaccine as early as the CDC has asked states to ready to do so, Marrazzo said we need ironclad proof that a vaccine is safe and effective.

We are not there right now. There is no way that I have seen myself, and I know that most experts have seen enough data, to feel like, not only today theres something to roll out, but in seven short weeks, Marrazzo said.

Marrazzo said thats not to say there isnt an urgency to get a vaccine to market, but we shouldnt rush to get a product before we know its safe.

And we deserve the best. We deserve better. I mean, people have been through hell with this thing, Marrazzo said.

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Unemployment in Alabama's Black Belt outpaces rest of state both before and after COVID - alreporter.com

People dont really like eating raisins because of their unusual taste. But what they dont know is the role of raisins for weight loss. Just ignore the wrinkly shrunken appearance of raisins and focus on the benefits associated with them. Not just weight loss, there are many amazing things that make raisins a healthier version of sugar.

There is a high amount of fiber in raisins which has hidden benefits for people on a weight-loss track. But it doesnt mean that you can consume it in abundance. No matter how much amount of raisins you are taking, exercise, or any other form of moderate physical activity is essential to metabolize it.

Also read- Can You Get Over a Painful Trauma through Food?

Raisins dont play a direct role in weight loss. but there are so many ways that it can affect the quality and efficiency of the weight loss process. It helps a person to overcome sugar cravings, stay energetic, and fit throughout this weight loss duration. Here are four ways that underline the significance of eating raisins for weight loss.

Raisins are natural sugar and eating them provides a substantial amount of energy to the body. Normally when a person is following a low-calorie diet, he feels lethargic and tired all the time. Unless he is on a healthy weight loss plan and taking nutrient-rich foods like raisins.

The glucose and fructose inside raisins burn and provide fuel to the body to proceed with all its functions. This way the boy doesnt compromise on the energy despite losing weight.

The most desirable type of weight loss is by boosting digestion and allowing the body to burn all calories that it has consumed in the form of food. Usually, people with low metabolic rates often experience difficulties in weight loss and they are searching for something which could speed up metabolism.

Surprisingly, they dont really need a supplement or medicine to boost metabolism when there are natural products like raisins to do the same. Adding a small number of raisins in any meal of the day or used as a snack in between meals helps the body to improve digestion and burn fats fast.

This improved digestion also means that there are least chances of gaining all the lost weight back because the body is constantly burning the calories.

The overweight and obese person often fall a victim to weak bones and bone-related diseases. The extra weight on the body is difficult to be carried by the bones. Gradually, the bones become weak and experience low bone density, curving of bones, or porous bones. It implies that no one should ignore bone health while following a weight loss diet plan.

Also read- Why the 2020 US Presidential Elections Are More Stressful than Before

The best is to consume foods that naturally improve bone health. For example, raisins have a high amount of nutrients all of which are required by a good bone density. Regularly taking raisins for weight loss also ensures that the bones are not suffering.

Typically, a person with ideal body weight is healthy. But the choice of foods determines the quality of his health and immune response in case of a threat for example the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Raisins have hidden benefits for heart, kidney, blood sugar, blood pressure, and whatnot. Adding raisins in routine improves the overall quality of life, maintains the bodys pH, and prevents diseases.

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4 Reasons to Try Raisins for Weight Loss - TheHealthMania

3 Metabolism Myths Ruining Your Weight Loss Goals

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You may eat with your eyes first, but both your stomach and your mind have a big say in how much you consume before you feel full. A July 2020 study in the journal Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology suggests that while your stomach volume can lead you to eat more calories at a meal, your brain can override your physical limits if you're not careful.

The researchers recruited 62 obese people who were otherwise healthy. (Fifty-seven were women.) The researchers determined obesity as having a body mass index (BMI is a combined measurement of your height and weight)of over 30; that's the same as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's BMI scale. The participants didn't have eating disorders, alcohol problems, or mood disorders like anxiety or depression.

First, participants drank a nutritional supplement called Ensure so researchers could measure the amount of food volume it took each person to feel full. They rated their fullness levels every five minutes, and when they hit "maximum or unbearable," they stopped drinking.

Now the researchers knew roughly the stomach volume for each participant. Four hours later, the volunteers were offered a buffet of vegetable lasagna, vanilla pudding, and skim milk, and they had 30 minutes to eat as much as they wanted. The scientists kept track of the amount each person ate.

People with larger stomachs could consume up to 30 percent more calories, explains Michael Camilleri, MD, study co-author and consultant in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He notes that on average, stomachs enlarged to about three times their fasting size after a meal. Unfortunately, the link between feeling full on the nutritional drink didn't line up with feeling full at the buffet; the results showed the volunteers could push past their stomach volume when eating real food.

Anyone who has sat down to a Thanksgiving spread knows this to be true: Eagerness to eat can lead you to overdo itand your stomach size won't necessarily slow you down. There's another factor at work, says Dr. Camilleri: A process called gastric emptying rate, which is how fast food leaves the stomach. "It's estimated that about one in every four people with obesity has fast gastric emptying," says Dr. Camilleri. In short, the stomach empties food rapidly and then sends a signal that you're hungry again.

For the study, Dr. Camilleri also tracked gastric emptying and, sure enough, a quick exit could also lead to higher consumption. The volume of your stomach as well as how fast it empties "both impact the amount people eat to feel comfortable or not to feel hungry," explains Dr. Camilleri.

There still exists the "perception that non-fat calories [like from carbohydrates] don't cause overall weight gain," says Dr. Camilleri. But in the study, eating more carbs typically went hand in hand with having a bigger meal. Eating more fat and protein didn't have that connection.

The biggest lesson is that the size of your stomach and your desires combine to trigger overeating. You can combat this by imposing limits on yourself. For example, when you're faced with a buffet, fill a plate with some prime choicesbut don't let yourself go back for seconds. Another option is to remove temptation altogether by not bringing dishes to the table: Instead, serve yourself up in the kitchen, eat at the dinner table, and only return to the kitchen to clean up and stash the leftovers.

In addition to gaining a better understanding of how the body processes fullness, says Dr. Camilleri, his research may also lead to the development of a weight-loss treatment that limits stomach volume or slows gastric emptying. There are already some medications that do this. One, like Liraglutide, slows the rate at which food leaves the stomach, he says. That can help people feel fuller, longer. Indeed a 2015 study in JAMA found that people who were overweight and obese with type 2 diabetes who took 3 milligrams of liraglutide daily lost weight over about a year period, compared to a placebo group. One-quarter of those patients lost more than 10 percent of their body weight, compared to less than 7 percent of patients in the placebo group. Next up, Dr. Camilleri plans to pursue the research looking at people in other weight categories.

The post Heres What Buffets Do to Your Body and Brain appeared first on The Healthy.

Gallery: 10 Reasons You're Constantly Bloated, According to a Dietitian (Eat This, Not That!)

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Here's What Buffets Do to Your Body and Brain - MSN Money

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

J. David Prologo, Emory University

(THE CONVERSATION) Obesity has emerged as a significant risk factor for poor outcomes in patients infected with COVID-19. Based on how doctors and others in health care have previously treated patients with obesity or overweight conditions, my guess is that many will respond by declaring: Well, its their own fault for being overweight!

In the spirit of recognizing that people who struggle with weight loss include our family and friends, let me propose a different sentiment.

To those who we have shamed for having excess body weight and/or failing diets: You were right, and we are sorry. After giving you undoable tasks, we ridiculed you. When you tried to tell us, we labeled you as weak and crazy. Because we didnt understand what you were experiencing, we looked down on you. We had never felt it ourselves. We did not know. And for that, we apologize.

Fat shaming doesnt work

This is just one version of the apology we owe our fellow human beings whom we told to lose weight using diet and exercise. Then, when it didnt work, we blamed them for our treatment plan failures and smothered their feedback with prejudice and persecution.

As a physician and researcher, I have worked in this space for many years. I have witnessed firsthand the life-altering power of preexisting ideas, judgments and stereotypes. I have seen how unfounded, negative ideas are woven through virtually every interaction that those struggling with weight loss endure when seeking help.

And there are tens of millions of them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies more than 70% of U.S. adults as overweight, and more than 40% as obese. Those numbers continue to climb, and even when some manage to lose weight, they almost always gain it back over time.

Rash judgments

To illustrate, imagine that I am your doctor. You have a body rash (which represents the condition of being overweight or obese), and you make an appointment with me to discuss a treatment plan.

During your visit, my office staff uses stigmatizing language and nonverbal signals that make it clear we are annoyed at the idea of dealing with another rash person. We invoke a set of assumptions that dictate the tone of our relationship, including the notions that you are lazy or ignorant or both. You will sense my disgust, which will make you uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, health care providers commonly treat patients who struggle with weight loss by assigning stereotypes, snap judgments and ingrained negative attributes including laziness, noncompliance, weakness and dishonesty.

After this uncomfortable exchange, I will prescribe a treatment program for your rash and explain that its quite straightforward and easy to use. I will point you to several resources with pictures of smiling people with beautiful skin who never had a rash to emphasize how wonderful your outcome will be. Its just a matter of sticking to it, I will say.

Back at home, you are excited to start treatment. However, you quickly realize that putting on the cream is unbearable. It burns; your arms and legs feel like theyre on fire shortly after you apply the treatment. You shower and wash off the cream.

A dismal conversation

After a few days, you try again. Same result. Your body will not accept the cream without intolerable burning and itching. You return to my office, and we have the following conversation:

You: Doctor, I cannot stick to this plan. My body cannot tolerate the cream.

Me: This is exactly why doctors do not want to deal with rash people. Im giving you the treatment and you wont stick to it. I put the cream on myself every morning without an issue.

You: But you dont have a rash! Putting this cream on when you have a rash is different than putting it on clear skin. I do want to get rid of my rash, but I cannot tolerate this cream.

Me: If you dont want to follow the treatment, thats up to you. But its not the cream that needs changing. It is your attitude toward sticking with it.

This exchange illustrates prejudical behavior, bias and a disconnect between a providers perceptions and a patients experience.

Prejudice and bias

For someone who wants to lose weight, the experience of a diet and exercise prescription is not the same as for a lean person on the same program. Perceiving another persons experience as the same as ones own when circumstances are different fuels prejudice and bias.

That night, though, you cant help but wonder: Is something wrong with me? Maybe my genes or thyroid or something? The cream seems so fun and easy for everyone else.

At this point, the blame unconscionably lands on the patient. Despite an undeniable explosion of this rash, and abysmal treatment adherence rates while we have been touting the cream, we stubbornly maintain it works. If the rash is expanding, and hundreds of millions of people are failing treatment or relapsing every day, well its their own fault!

As time goes on, you feel increasingly discouraged and depressed because of this untenable situation. Frustration wears on your sense of optimism and chips away at your happy moments. You have this rash and you cant tolerate the treatment plan, but no one believes you. They judge you, and say you choose not to use the cream because you lack willpower and resolve. You overhear their conversations: Its her own fault, they say. If that were me, I would just use the d#$% cream.

This is the very definition of prejudice: an opinion, often negative, directed toward someone and related to something that the individual does not control. Although it has been extensively demonstrated that the causes for overweight and obesity are multifactorial, the myth that its the patients fault is still widely accepted. This perception of controllability leads to the assignment of derogatory stigma.

A setup for failure

That evening you sit alone. You think theres not a single person on the planet who believes your body wont tolerate this treatment. Society believes you brought this on yourself to begin with; there doesnt seem to be a way out.

We have driven those with overweight and obesity conditions to this place far too many times. We have set them up to take the fall for our failed treatment approaches. When they came to us with the truth about tolerability, we loudly discredited them and said they were mentally weak, noncompliant or lazy.

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So where do we go from here? If we agree to stop stigmatizing, stereotyping and blaming patients for our treatment failures, and we accept that our current nonsurgical paradigm is ineffective what takes its place?

For starters, we need a new approach, founded on respect and dignity for patients. A fresh lens of acceptance and suspended judgment will allow us to shift our focus toward treatments for the body, rather than mind over matter, which is a concept we use for no other medical condition. A perspective based in objectivity and equality will allow caregivers to escape the antiquated blaming approach and perceive those with overweight or obese conditions in the same light as those with other diseases. Only then will we finally shift the paradigm.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/a-doctors-open-apology-to-those-fighting-overweight-and-obesity-145017.

Read the original here:
A doctor's open apology to those fighting overweight and obesity - Thehour.com

We live in a society that is obsessed with diet culture. In many ways, this infatuation with fitness and weight loss has crossed the line into toxicity, with more and more American women and men flirting with disordered eating habits each year. The pursuit of thinness is one of the most harmful things we can put our bodies and minds through. While a healthy approach to weight management is definitely a good thing, the line gets blurry very quickly with all of the new diet fads on the market.

Postpartum women are at a heightened risk of feeling like they need to jump on the fad diet bandwagon. There seems to be a rush for postpartum women to get back to their 'pre-pregnancy weight', though many experts don't advise dieting or exercising for at least the first 6 weeks after giving birth. A woman's body has to heal from the extreme strain put on the body from pregnancy and childbirth. It is not a time to be depriving or pushing your body to perform exercises.

There are, however, several ways to manage your postpartum diet, which will assist in shedding some of the extra weight. Keep in mind, you should consult with your doctor before making any drastic changes to your diet. BabyGaga spoke to industry experts who helped clear up why cutting carbs is not a good idea in the postpartum phase (you need them!).Read on for more tips on how to approach your nutrition management after bringing home baby.

One thing that postpartum women must realize is that their postpartum bodies took nine months to evolve and change to the size and shape that they are currently in, and there is no quick way to erase those nine months of changes! Patience and love for your body are critical in this phase, as you will already be struggling with exhaustion and stress, and body related pressure won't help matters.

BabyGaga spoke to Gina Waggott, the founder of popular online site Pregnancy Food Checker. As a certified pregnancy diet expert, her and her team of registered dieticians offer nutrition advice and guidance to pregnant and postpartum women.

RELATED: Your Diet Postpartum Also Helps With Your Baby's Health

Gina explained, "Giving birth is often seen as the 'finish line' after a nine-month marathon, but it's actually only the first lap! Many women are surprised that the classic diet advice during pregnancy - whole foods, healthy eating, and avoiding high mercury fish or alcohol, for example, also extends to post-birth breastfeeding, too. Women who can't wait to lose the pregnancy 'pooch' mistakenly start dieting and cutting carbs, when they actually need to eat more (healthy) calories."

She continued, "I like to think of pregnancy diets as a gentle bump that should grow just like your baby. Start the healthy eating when trying to conceive, then it's 200-300 extra calories a day during the second and third trimesters, and ending with 400 - 500 extra calories a day when breastfeeding, and then it tapers off again as the baby moves to solid food."

One thing to consider in the postpartum rush to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight is whether or not you are breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a real sport, and burns a ton of calories! It also means you need to be consuming much more food than if you were not breastfeeding. It's really important that women be mindful of this, so that they aren't undereating, thus affecting their milk supply, or just not being energized enough to get through the days.

Andrea Tran is a lactation consultant and registered nurse, who runs the website Breastfeeding Confidential, where she offers breastfeeding guidance and support to women across the country.

Andrea reiterated that breastfeeding women need to consume more food, not less,

"If a woman is breastfeeding she is supposed to consume 500 calories above her pre-pregnant diet."

She explained to BabyGaga that a breastfeeding woman will need to eat similar amounts to what she ate in pregnancy, 'During pregnancy and breastfeeding women usually notice an increase in appetite and that will go away after birth if they are not breastfeeding. If they are breastfeeding they are encouraged to make the same type of food choices they did during pregnancy.'

While cutting carbs seems to be a theme in diet culture, it's not a great idea. Carbohydrates are an important food group, and completely cutting them out is not conducive to overall health. While cutting out potato chips, cookies, and donuts is probably a good idea, there are plenty of healthy carbs to keep in your diet. Wholegrain pasta, sweet potatoes, greens, and apples are all carbohydrate-based foods!

Dr. Kristin Sears is the creator of The Zone Diet, an eating plan that focuses of consuming 40% carbohydrates, 30% fats, and 30% proteins to prevent cellular inflammation, a risk factor in obesity and other illnesses. She explained to BabyGaga the importance of balancein the postpartum phase, "A balance is always the key. Losing excess fat will be accelerated by replacing grains and starches and non-starchy vegetables and limited amounts of fruit while maintaining adequate levels of protein."

While it's quite normal for postpartum women to feel very emotional about the way that their bodies have changed (and then changed again!) during and after pregnancy, the approach to weight loss needs to be gentle. The first 6 weeks after giving birth are when a woman's body will be repairing and healing, and eating plenty of nutritious foods and staying hydrated will help your body bounce back faster.

Keep in mind that if you feed your body well, you will get stronger, which will lead you to having more energy and enthusiasm when you do get the clear from your doctor to resume physical exercise. Take smalls steps towards complete wellbeing each day, and you will reach your goals in no time.

NEXT:Expect To Change Your Diet Before, During, & After Pregnancy

SOURCES: Pregnancy Food Checker, Breastfeeding Confidential, Zone Labs

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Ariane Signer has been writing her thoughts, fears and dreams in journals since the early 90's. A personal development and self-help junkie, she has been working as a creative freelance writer since 2016. A native Canadian, she has found her home in small town Switzerland, where she lives with her husband and two young sons. She published her first book, Things That Shine: Poems, in 2019.

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Losing Weight After Pregnancy: More Than Just Cutting Carbs - BabyGaga

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Marly RiveraESPN Writer

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See you in October? The fallout of the New York Yankees beating at the hands, bats and gloves of the Baltimore Orioles is one that appears to have started shifting the momentum in one direction, one in which the Bronx Bombers might be at risk of missing the MLB playoffs altogether.

The Yankees won 16 of their first 22 games. Securing a spot in a 16-team expanded postseason was all but a given for a team that had hammered 40 home runs and slugged a robust .487 as a unit. New York was living up to its star billing, mowing down opponents by scoring an average of 5.7 runs per game and hitting .294 with runners in scoring position.

But the team that was once the star of The Show is now merely a stand-in. In their present 5-13 skid, the Yankees slumbering bats have hit just .203, with 18 home runs and an anemic .341 slugging percentage. Their average runs scored have dropped to 3.4 runs per game. Hitting with runners in scoring position now seems an insurmountable task, with their average dropping to a meager .186.

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Brett Gardner, the longest-tenured Yankee and therefore at times the de facto club spokesman acknowledged teamwide anger over their faltering fortunes.

Unfortunately, a similar kind of question as a week or so ago and Im going to give you the same exact response. Very frustrating, said Gardner, 37, who was drafted into the organization in 2005. Disappointed in the way that not only Ive played, but the way weve played as a team, and its something we just have to pull out of. I think weve got, what, three weeks to go til the last day of the season? So weve got some baseball left, were still in a position to obviously make the playoffs and hopefully attain our goal, which is to be the last team standing, but the way that weve played lately is not acceptable.

The Yankees collective free fall started with a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays back on Aug. 18, and that was with Masahiro Tanaka on the mound. Tanaka, who allowed all six runs, said he was trying to make adjustments throughout the game, but I really couldnt find it felt like I was off balance all night.

And thats exactly what the Yankees have been since the start of their ongoing slide: off balance.

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As a hitter, when youre going through a bit of a tough stretch individually, but even as a team, you gotta stay away from chasing the result. You gotta know what your plan is, be convicted with it, and go out there and have good at-bats, manager Aaron Boone said in addressing the Yankees disappearing offense, which has dropped New York to third place in the AL East behind the Rays and Toronto Blue Jays. And it starts with me. Ive got to do a better job of creating that environment to where guys are coming in and getting the right things done. But weve all got to also step it up here. Obviously, the seasons getting shorter and shorter, and weve got to find a way right now when its difficult.

Tanaka happened to also be on the mound on Sunday as the Yankees managed to score just one run in a 6-1 loss to Baltimore to add more length and depth to their slide. With their offense held to just one run in back-to-back games, Yankees hitters combined for just four hits. The Orioles refused to be the AL East doormat in a series the Yankees might have taken for granted last year, and they proved it by taking three out of four, winning their first series against New York since the beginning of the 2019 season.

As things stand, the Yankees would be the eighth and final seed in the AL playoff field, and theyre just two games clear of Baltimore. Falling out of the October picture, given New Yorks status as the clear AL favorite entering the season, would have been hard to fathom a couple of weeks ago.

Not having every man present and accounted for hasnt helped matters. The Yankees injury issues this season have been well-documented. At one point, the team had 10 players on the injured list, a group that included Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres.

But a glance at both leagues shows crowded injured lists to be pretty much the norm and, when it comes to players lost, the AL East-leading Rays have arguably been hit harder than anyone. The bottom line? Some teams have overcome their injuries, and some teams, for a variety of reasons, have not. The Yankees are among them.

Obviously weve got some guys out of our lineup and when youve got guys missing, other guys need to step up and pull their weight and try their best to fill in. Ive been one of those guys that feels like theyve relied upon a little more heavily than maybe we would have thought coming into the season, and Im just disappointed that I havent done better, Gardner said. Disappointed that I havent done more. It is a frustrating game, it definitely is, especially right now, but sometimes you just have to kind of take a step back, take a deep breath and hopefully find that reset button. Weve got three weeks of baseball left, a very important three weeks, trying to take things one day at a time and get this turned around.

While it cant be ignored that injuries have been a significant factor, the Yankees collapse has been induced by a veritable deluge of causes, rather than from a single reason or the absence of any single player.

With only 60 games on the schedule and 16 teams headed to the playoffs, the races are already heating up.MLB standings

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The onus may have fallen on Gary Sanchez, increasingly the poster child for the Yankees offensive struggles. Snchez was benched on Sunday amid a disastrous 5-for-40 slump. Snchez hit .130 and piled up an astonishing 48 strikeouts over 32 games, the third most through a players first 32 games of a season in Yankees franchise history, behind Giancarlo Stanton (51 in 2018) and Tyler Austin (52 in 2018).

But the Yankees offensive woes are not limited to Snchez. The entire team is struggling considering expectations for its high-flying offense, delivering a mediocre .321 weighted on-base average (wOBA) on the season, good for just 15th in the majors, a far cry from last years .346 that ranked third in MLB.

How do they move on from the negative momentum? Boone believes it all starts in Buffalo, as they face the young and fearless Blue Jays. And the next three weeks will continue to challenge the Yankees in every possible way.

Weve got to be in the mindset that tomorrows an important day. We have a tremendous opportunity in front of us. I do think thats crystal clear, not only with myself but our entire team, Boone said. The opportunity still that lies in front of us, thats very much attainable and very much in our grasp. But we gotta go play well. And if we play well, with our group, Im confident that well get to where we need to be.

But it starts with playing well (Monday), Boone said.

Read more here:
May New York Yankees miss the MLB playoffs? They should regroup quickly - The Shepherd of the Hills Gazette