Kristy lost 50 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Kristy lost 50 pounds. Before starting her weight release journey in January, she was pre-diabetic, taking three blood pressure medications and feeling miserable. She took steps to change her eating habits and exercise regularly, but learning to love herself was the most important part of her journey. What was your motivation? My health was a […]

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1. Tiffany lost 105 pounds
2. Dorothy lost 109 pounds
3. Francheska lost 84 pounds

Weight Loss

Lower Body Lift Update! (5 years post-op)

I've been meaning to do this post for, oh, about three years now. Haha! Can you believe it's been five and a half years since my lower body lift?

A little loopy just before surgery in 2011

So, I've been wanting to write a quick update and post some updated photos for anyone that's curious how my scars are looking after over five years. I don't think there is a huge difference in the one-year post-op photos and these new photos, but I guess that's a good thing? I am still absolutely thrilled with the results of my surgery, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!

Read more »

Weight Loss

How Lydia Dziubanek Lost 80 Pounds

Weight Loss Win is a weekly series I do for Yahoo Beauty. Here is an excerpt from this week’s inspiring story:

Lydia Dziubanek Lost 80 Pounds: ‘I Felt Excited That I Had Accomplished Something That I Never Thought Was Possible.’

Lydia is 37, 5’2” tall, and currently weighs 170 pounds. In 2014, after an abusive relationship pushed her to the brink of suicide, she decided to take control of her life and health for the sake of her children. Click here to read the story of her weight-loss journey.

Weight Loss

Latoya lost 63 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Latoya lost 63 pounds. Despite many challenges, including the passing of her beloved mother and the end of a marriage, she found the strength to create a healthier lifestyle for herself and her children. Check out her story. What is you motivation? Being healthy motivates me. I have a family history of heart […]

Related posts:

1. Shamika lost 83 pounds
2. Maxine lost over 100 pounds
3. Shaun lost 115 pounds

Weight Loss

Q&A Wednesday: Am I Going To Be Calorie Counting Forever?

Q: Hey Erika!

I have a question, I hope you don’t mind me asking. I remember reading an article you wrote in this subject but I can’t find it.

So have lost 20lbs calorie counting. Thing is…I have a LONG way to go…(like 100lb if not more to go)

Thing is, I’ve been thinking about the reality of counting every single calorie forever. I never want to be this big again, but how realistic is this? Is it something I’ll just HAVE to do? I am already absolutely fine with having smaller portions but I am scared that if I stop calorie counting and just try to eye ball it, even if I weigh portions, my weight might creep back on.

The issue I have is calorie counting recipes. It’s just so time consuming to count it all and divide it into exact portions.

I just cannot see my weighing lettuce leaves, grapes and cereal for the rest of my life.
What are you thoughts on this?

I’ll link to the posts you’re referring to at the end of this post, but no, the goal isn’t to spend the rest of your life counting calories.

Honestly, several years after having written that series on calorie counting, the one thing that’s most clear to me is that it’s less about the actual math of calories and more about the lessons the counting should be teaching you.

Look at it like this. So much of processed food is manufactured in a way that removes the texture, forcing the food to form a nice, neat wad in your mouth, leaving no traces behind in your teeth to pick out with a pick or floss, and when it goes down your throat into your stomach, it forms this tightly-wound mass in your tummy that is extremely unfulfilling.

And then, you look back on how many calories that unfulfilling nonsense cost you, and realize it was way too many calories for you to still be starving so quickly after eating.

And then, you look at the serving size and realize you didn’t just eat one serving, you accidentally ate four because the brand reduced the portion sizes as low as they did in order to make the calories-per-serving amount on the label seem less scary… so you have to actually multiply those calories you added to your counter by four.

And then, you look at the nutrition facts below the calories per serving listing, and find that your chosen food had little to not protein in it at all for as many calories as it had, next to no fiber, and shockingly, even though you couldn’t taste it, more sugar than you anticipated. You soon notice that virtually all of the calories in the food came from carbs.

And then you look at the ingredients label, and spot that the overwhelming majority of the ingredients are just variants of flour and sugar, two of a handful of ingredients in this country that are insanely profitable for food manufacturers.

And then…. then… you say to yourself, “Wow, I can’t eat this like this any more.”

That is the real lesson to be learned in calorie counting. It’s not about an obsessive adherence to managing the calorie deficit necessary for weight loss—it’s about learning lessons about the food you eat, why it makes you feel the way it does, and whether or not it helps you achieve and maintain the goals you’ve set for yourself.

There’s a reason why vegetables are so important for weight loss—they are, for a very small calorie amount, hands down the most filling thing you can eat, on top of being incredibly nutritious. Inputting the 3 cups of kale with garlic and red pepper flakes that you sauteed in a little vinaigrette and realizing that you couldn’t even finish it all even though it was a good 600 calories less than your usual favorite fast food restaurant’s value meal is invaluable information.

It helps to give you a reason to say no to that food you love in favor of something that helps you get closer to your goal–how many times in life do we feel the need to say, “I know I love you, but you aren’t good for me, no matter how good you make me feel in the short term?”

I know that calorie counting, in the thick of it, is stressful and frustrating and eye opening and mortifying and, frankly for some people, can cause so much anxiety that it leads them down a path towards disordered eating behavior. However, I believe we look at it wrong.

Calorie counting, though it helps you stay in line, should be an exercise in exploration. For me, it was about realizing that the reason I felt like I could eat the entire pan of Betty Crocker scalloped potatoes—I talk about those stupid potatoes a lot, I know—because none of the ingredients were real. The fat, the real source of fullness, was all but eliminated. The protein, from the cheese and milk, almost entirely gone. For all the calories I was eating, for a dish that’s supposed to be potatoes and cheese and milk and spices (something I now know‚ I still felt like I could eat the whole pan. The first time I made scalloped potatoes from scratch, I could barely eat a quarter of the pan; the thought of eating the whole thing makes me sick as I type this.

As you’re inputting your details, ask yourself—was I full after eating this? Was it worth all these calories, when I could’ve had something more satisfying and, possibly, far more flavorful? Was this the right choice?

When you as yourself these questions, you are giving your brain new ways to value the food you put in your body. Did it fill you up? Did it hold you over until your next meal? Or did you go on a sugar high, crash, and then recover from the crash by eating something else sweet?

Calorie counting helps you maintain the deficit, but you also need to be using the information you get from reading those labels to help you understand the choices you’ll need to make to maintain your goal and to give you reason why you’re saying goodbye to the old—the old foods, the old portion sizes, the old everything.

Before long, these will be the choices you’ll make on your own, without reading labels or opening your phone. You’ll know you can’t order the pasta off the menu because you’ll know that white sauce is a smooth 500 calories on its own. You’ll know the bread is a bad idea because, combined with the fact that it’s made with dough conditioners that make it appear to have more heft than it does, it’s super-high in calories and very unfulfilling. (There’s a reason why it’s endless and unlimited at most places.) You’ll know that anything fried or sauced or breaded is a bad move—unless you really want it, in which case, dive in—and it’ll shape the choices you make. Why do you know? Because you’ve looked it up and learned your lesson.

So will you need to count forever? No. But you will sometimes find yourself needing to recalibrate, and that’s okay. Or sometimes, you’ll find yourself randomly gaining weight, and going back to plugging in your calories for a bit can help you figure out what’s slipped and where.

Use calorie counting as a tool to help you figure out your own personal path for maintaining your goal, and before too long you’ll find yourself naturally on cruise control, with your auto-pilot totally recalibrated to reflect your new understanding of how to eat. And, like I always say, your MyFitnessPal will thank you for it!

(Okay, that’s not what I always say, but it’s damned close. LOL!)

For more on Calorie Counting:

Weight Loss

Catch-up and Wednesday Weigh-in

Yeesh! I meant to write more frequently last week, but I swear the days go by so fast. With the kids playing baseball every day, we've been busy. And we're going on vacation Friday, so we've been getting ready for that.

Anyway, it's hard to even begin a post because it's been so long since I've written, so I'll just write some bullets and keep it simple.

• Someone abandoned this tiny kitten at my younger brother's house, and Nathan asked me if I wanted him/her. While I would LOVE a kitten, there is no way that I can have another pet. I tried so hard to find a home, though, and finally managed to find a rescue that would take him/her (still don't know the sex). Just before I was going to take the kitten to the rescue, however, one of Nathan's friends ended up taking the poor kitty in. 

Read more »

Weight Loss

Double chin: Causes and how to get rid of one

Seeing a double chin in the mirror may be a sign of weight gain or obesity, but that is not always the case.

There are many exercises that target the fat under the chin and neck. There are also other treatments that can be used to support these activities.

What causes a double chin?

A double chin can be caused by a number of factors, including age, diet, and genetics.

A few different factors combine in the body to create a double chin. Understanding these factors may help with understanding ways to get rid of the double chin itself.

Age

The skin can start to lose its elasticity as the body ages, which can lead to the appearance of extra or saggy skin that may contribute to a double chin.

Diet and weight

While weight gain is not always the cause of a double chin, it can contribute to it. A diet high in

calories

, processed foods, and unhealthful fats may influence weight gain and a double chin as well.

Genetics

Genes may play a role in people developing a double chin. Anyone with a family history of skin with little elasticity or double chins might be more likely to develop one themselves.

Posture

Poor posture can weaken the muscles of the neck and chin. This may contribute to a double chin over time, as the surrounding skin loses its elasticity when the muscles are not used.

Exercises that target a double chin

There are many simple exercises for a double chin.

While there is little scientific research on the effect of these exercises, they target the muscles of the neck and face. Working these muscles could help burn fat in these areas, and may be a crucial part of getting rid of a double chin.

Around the world (warm up)

As with any exercise routine, it is important to warm up the muscles to avoid injury. To warm up the neck, gently rotate the head forward and down and then back and up using a clockwise, circular motion. After a few rotations, reverse the direction.

The same circular motion is used to stretch the jaw. Gently extend the jaw left, then forward, then right, and then back, holding each position for a second or two. Now the muscles are warmed and ready for exercise.

Whistle at the ceiling

This exercise is great for strengthening the muscles and giving the neck a break during time spent at the desk. Sit with a straight back and relaxed shoulders.

Tilt the head back to look at the ceiling. From this position, close the lips into the position used while whistling. The lips should be relaxed but held tight enough to feel a contraction on both sides of the neck.

Hold this position for 10 to 20 seconds depending on the comfort level of the individual. Ten repetitions of this exercise are usually enough for one sitting.

Kiss the sky

In this exercise, try to get the lips as far from the face as possible.

This exercise is similar to the previous one, with a few differences.

Stand straight and tall with the arms and shoulders loose and relaxed. Tilt the head back to look at the ceiling. Pucker the lips and try to kiss the sky, extending them as far away from the face as possible.

When done correctly, the muscles throughout the neck and chin should feel flexed but comfortable. Hold this position for 5 to 20 seconds and then relax. Repeat 10 to 15 times per set.

The ball squeeze

Keeping an exercise tool on hand is an excellent way to help some people remember to do their exercises.

For neck exercises, it may help to keep a ball somewhere near the desk, bed, or in a place where a person will do the exercises. The size of the ball can range from 5 to 10 inches based on personal comfort and should be easy to squeeze.

The ball squeeze is done best from a seated position with a straight back and relaxed shoulders.

Place the ball under the chin. Use the chin to push down against the ball in a steady, firm motion. This can be repeated 10 to 30 times during each sitting.

The pouting stretch

Another effective way to target the muscles in the chin and neck is to do a pouting stretch.

Standing or seated, stick the bottom lip out as far as possible to form a pouting face. Hold the position for 3 seconds. With the lip still in full pout, use the muscles of the neck to tilt the chin towards the chest without moving the upper back.

Hold this position for 3 seconds. Relax the muscles and start again. Repeat 10 to 20 times or until the neck feels the workout.

Gum chewing

Chewing gum may not seem like much, but it may be useful for people looking to get rid of a double chin in multiple ways.

A study posted to the journal Appetite found that individuals who chew gum after a meal may feel more satisfied with what they have eaten. This makes them less likely to reach for additional snacks. Chewing gum can help people who are losing weight to reduce the number of calories in their diet.

This exercise should mirror a lion's yawn, with the tongue extending as far as possible.

Chewing gum is a minor workout for the muscles of the face, especially the jaw. Regular gum chewing may contribute to an overall loss of fat in the chin though it probably will not do much by itself.

The lion's yawn

The point of this exercise is to open the mouth wide while sticking the tongue out as far as possible, much like a yawning lion. It can be a great exercise to strengthen many muscles in the chin, neck, and face.

Sit or stand with a relaxed posture. Open the mouth as wide as possible while extending the tongue out as far as it will go. When done correctly, the muscles of the neck, chin, and jaw should tighten.

Push the tongue out for 10 seconds and relax. Repeat this process 10 times and move on to another exercise.

Other treatments for a double chin

In addition to exercises, people often turn to additional treatments for their double chin as well.

Face masks

Many face masks are available that can help tighten the skin and reduce the appearance of a double chin.

Glycerin masks and coffee or green tea masks may help support the efforts of exercises. A daily mask of egg whites, honey, and lemon juice also provides a reduction in fat around the chin for some people.

Diet

A natural diet may help reduce the appearance of a double chin, especially if it is caused by weight gain. Reducing the number of calories consumed each day helps some people.

Drinking plenty of water removes more fat from the body. A study posted to the journal Obesity found that people who drank water before meals lost more weight than those who did not.

Water and water-rich foods, such as melons and cucumbers may also help remove more toxins from the body.

Surgery

Some people opt for invasive procedures to fix a double chin. There are three main procedures for treating a double chin:

• Mesotherapy: Mesotherapy involves injecting compounds into the chin that dissolve fat. The process can take up to 6 months and may require over 100 injections in some people. If done incorrectly, it may cause nerve damage.
• Liposculpting: Liposculpture treats a double chin by removing the fat through suction or with a laser. Liposcultping will not create more elasticity in the skin; it will only remove fat.
• Kybella: This drug is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A single treatment involves up to 50 injections of the drug into the fat tissue. A person may have up to six individual treatments, which they must have monthly.

These options may cause side effects such as swelling, bruising, or pain. The double chin may still come back if the lifestyle does not change to maintain it.

Written by Jon Johnson

Weight Loss

Secondhand smoke exposure before birth may affect lungs into adulthood

A study of mice shows that exposing unborn offspring to secondhand smoke causes changes in lung function and structure that persevere into adulthood.

Smoking Cessation Feeds

21 Day Step and Squat Challenge

This month we will work our thighs, butt and core with squats while we keep on stepping! Break out that pedometer, app or fitness tracker. The fun starts on July 1st. Work at your own pace. If you go from 1 squat a day to 20 over the course of 21 days, that is PROGRESS! […]

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1. 30 Day Time Crunch Intervals Challenge
2. July 2015 – July Jumpstart Workout Challenge
3. April 2015 Challenge: Plant-Based and Moving It!

Weight Loss

B’Neika lost 130 pounds

Transformation of the Day: B’Neika lost 130 pounds. When her world was falling down, exercise became a source of strength and comfort. This former food addict has learned so much about herself during this journey. I love that she says, “My emotions were meant to be shared, not eaten.” Check out how she did it. What was […]

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1. Tasha lost 112 pounds
2. Angel lost 150 pounds
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Weight Loss

Pneumothorax: Causes, symptoms, and treatment

Pneumothorax occurs when air gets in between the lung and the chest wall, causing the lung to collapse. Learn more about its diagnosis and outlook.

Smoking Cessation Feeds

Janet lost 155 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Janet lost 155 pounds. Weighing almost 500 pounds and faced with pre-diabetes and hypertension, she made the decision to have the gastric sleeve procedure. Although surgery proved to be a good tool, changing her eating habits is what really made the difference. Check out what she shared with us about her journey. I […]

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3. Cynthia lost 250 pounds

Weight Loss

Community-wide effort to fight childhood obesity shows promise

A large-scale effort to reduce childhood obesity in two low-income Massachusetts communities resulted in some modest improvements among schoolchildren over a relatively short period of time, suggesting that such a comprehensive approach holds promise for the future, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The study, along with two others evaluating Massachusetts' efforts to reduce childhood obesity, published in Obesity.

"While our results were modest, they were achieved over a relatively short period of time, which is important given the substantial challenges of implementing a large-scale community initiative to address obesity," said Rebecca Franckle, postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Chan School and lead author of the study.

Given obesity's persistence as a public health issue in the U.S., researchers have looked increasingly at multisectoral, multilevel approaches to address the problem. The new study evaluated the effectiveness of one such project - the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration Project (MA-CORD) - through which elementary and middle school students in two low-income Massachusetts communities received interventions from 2012-2014 aimed at reducing obesity and encouraging healthy behaviors, including eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking less sugar-sweetened beverages, increasing physical activity and sleep duration, and decreasing screen time. The project's interventions were implemented across different sectors - including schools, after-school programs, and health centers - and ranged from the individual level, such as individual or family counseling, to the community level, such as providing physical activity equipment to schools.

The researchers compared the two communities that received the interventions with nine similar communities that didn't receive it. They looked at changes in the prevalence of obesity among 1st, 4th, and 7th graders, starting from four years before the interventions began and at several points during their progression.

The results showed a modest but significant reduction of 2%-3% in obesity prevalence among 7th graders in one community compared to the control groups. In both intervention communities, 4th and 7th graders drank less sugar-sweetened beverages and more water. And students in one of the communities spent less time in front of screens.

Other Harvard Chan co-authors of the study included Steven Gortmaker, Jessica Barrett, Catherine Giles, and Elsie Taveras and senior author Kirsten Davison.

Funding for the study came from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (Award # U18DP003370), the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Article: Student Obesity Prevalence and Behavioral Outcomes for the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration Project, Rebecca L. Franckle, Jennifer Falbe, Steven Gortmaker, Jessica L. Barrett, Catherine Giles, Claudia Ganter, Rachel E. Blaine, James Buszkiewicz, Elsie M. Taveras, Jo-Ann Kwass, Thomas Land, and Kirsten K. Davison, Obesity, doi: 10.1002/oby.21867, published 27 June 2017.

Weight Loss

Coconut Oil is Unhealthy? Not So Fast

Last week, a flurry of news reports were released, discussing research from the American Heart Association that discusses whether or not we can consider coconut oil a “healthful” food.

From Huffington Post:

An AHA survey found that 72 percent of Americans considered coconut oil a health food. But coconut oil, it turns out, is shockingly high in saturated fats. And saturated fat ― even though some elements of its effects are up for debate ― isn’t good for you no matter how you slice it.

In fact, 82 percent of the fat found in coconut oil is saturated ― that’s significantly more than olive oil, which clocks in at 14 percent and canola oil, which contains a mere seven percent.

The AHA reviewed existing data on saturated fats and found that in seven out of eight studies, coconut oil actually increased LDL cholesterol ― the bad cholesterol ― which is a cause of cardiovascular disease. The findings were so clear that Frank Sacks, the report’s lead author, told USA Today, “You can put it on your body, but don’t put it in your body.” [source]

So, as I have witnessed a partial explosion of frustration and confusion and annoyance and, frankly, shade across social media with regard to this research, it’s clear to me that we need to have a quick check in with the facts about saturated fats and the human body:

1) Saturated fats, when consumed, can and do become triglycerides in the blood stream.

2) Triglycerides, when consumed in abundance, do ultimately become the kind of “stuff” (also known as plaque) that sticks to the insides of your arteries, thereby forcing your heart to work harder to pump blood throughout your body. This is what heart disease is—an inability, on the part of your heart, to make sure your body gets the appropriate levels of oxygen, by pumping hard to deliver blood from your brain to your toes and all points in between. A heart that fails to do this can become enlarged; a heart that fails to make sure it’s delivering ample supplies or oxygen everywhere is a condition known as “heart failure;” a heart that has to work this hard to do its job can eventually experience a stroke.

So, yes, it’s right to sound the alarm, here. It’s not quite, as we are so used to hearing nowadays, “fake news.”

3) However—and this is where I think it’s important for people to pay close attention—saturated fats aren’t the only source for this particular problem, for that matter.

As I blogged a few years ago, in What Causes Heart Disease? Part 2, I quoted the following passage from a National Geographic Magazine article discussing—yep, you guessed it—sugar:

[…] fat makes up a smaller portion of the American diet than it did 20 years ago. Yet the portion of America that is obese has only grown larger. The primary reason, says Johnson, along with other experts, is sugar, and in particular fructose. Sucrose, or table sugar, is composed of equal amounts of glucose and fructose, the latter being the kind of sugar you find naturally in fruit. It’s also what gives table sugar its yummy sweetness. (High-fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, is also a mix of fructose and glucose—about 55 percent and 45 percent in soft drinks. The impact on health of sucrose and HFCS appears to be similar.) Johnson explained to me that although glucose is metabolized by cells all through your body, fructose is processed primarily in the liver. If you eat too much in quickly digested forms like soft drinks and candy, your liver breaks down the fructose and produces fats called triglycerides.

Some of these fats stay in the liver, which over long exposure can turn fatty and dysfunctional. But a lot of the triglycerides are pushed out into the blood too. Over time, blood pressure goes up, and tissues become progressively more resistant to insulin. The pancreas responds by pouring out more insulin, trying to keep things in check. Eventually a condition known as metabolic syndrome kicks in, characterized by obesity, especially around the waist; high blood pressure; and other metabolic changes that, if not checked, can lead to type 2 diabetes, with a heightened danger of heart attack thrown in for good measure. [source]

Unfortunately, because of the way the American diet is currently set up, you are infinitely more likely to find yourself experiencing an increase in triglycerides in your blood due to…..your body processing the ton of carbs in your system. Think about it—the average American’s diet, because so much of our food system consists of carbs/protein stuffed with carbs as filler (think ground meat coated with ground up oatmeal to make it thicker and more filling)/wrapped in carbs, is easily 60-75% pure carbs. And, because it’s so unfulfilling, people are eating far more calories than they otherwise should, which is largely to blame for the vast amounts of triglycerides in the blood—so much so, that we do experience the swelling and hardening of the arteries that results in heart disease.

This matters, because there are endless cultures across the globe who have coconut flesh and oil as a part of their daily diet without the high instances of  heart disease that we experience here. Why? Because there’s more contributing to it than merely oil.

What am I getting at?

a) For starters, it’s hard to say for sure that the research from which the AHA drew its conclusions isolated coconut oil in a reliable way. Certain kinds of studies—for example the kinds where research subjects report their own caloric intake—are notoriously inaccurate.

Not only that, but it’s worth pointing out that none of the studies had anything to do with coconut oil. Can’t help but wonder if coconut oil was used to promote this research because the organization knew it’d garner attention.

As pointed out in Salon, “The publication is a meta-analysis of four different studies. The authors gathered the data of all four different studies and then analyzed them together. None of the four studies have jack squat to do with coconut oil.”

Of the countless studies done to understand the impact of saturated fats, the organization chose four that… all drew the same conclusion… and then reported their findings like they uncovered something new… somehow managing to avoid all the other studies that either refuted or added nuance to understanding coconut oil?

Okay.

b) Secondly, it’s hard to say whether or not this kind of reporting—”fat is bad!”—is intended to be as similar to the decades of “fat is bad!” research we’ve gotten since the 80s, which resulted in us being on this crazy carb-heavy diet to begin with… but we’ve been here before. And it’s been debunked before:

One of the lead researchers in this field, Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, said, “The country’s big low-fat message backfired. The overemphasis on reducing fat caused the consumption of carbohydrates and sugar in our diets to soar. That shift may be linked to the biggest health problems in America today.”

[…]

In 2001, Dr. Hu, writing in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, noted, “It is now increasingly recognized that the low-fat campaign has been based on little scientific evidence and may have caused unintended health problems.” Or, as Michael Pollan pithily puts it in his In Defense of Food, “The amount of saturated fat in the diet may have little if any bearing on the risk of heart disease, and the evidence that increasing polyunsaturated fats in the diet will reduce risk is slim to nil.”

[source]

In other words, we’re kind of focused on the wrong thing. And, when you look at the countless other cultures who make coconut oil/milk/flesh a part of their regular diet and the lack of disease they experience (if you use my link to check out that book—the current book of the month—then I get a few pennies from the purchase!), you have to ask yourself: maybe it’s something else that’s causing the problems we have here?

In contrast to the sugars and other carb-heavy foods we consume, there are actual benefits to consuming coconut oil, regardless of the fears of it doing what you could basically expect any fat to do.

c) It is the responsibility of the AHA, from my estimation, to find ways to help the public where it stands. And where the public stands right now, too many people are eating diets high in carbs and fat, low on protein and fiber, and it’s resulting in the increase in cholesterol and heart disease. Cutting out saturated fats is a great way to help reduce those instances, considering how 1) the average American is getting their saturated fats from processed foods they should also cut out and 2) the average American is also getting a relatively large dose of sugar with their saturated fats, a dose they would also do well to get rid of.

Should you still eat coconut oil? That depends on what you and you doctor think. For some people, the risk might be too high. For others, it’s going to be a delicious addition to your meals.

I still intend to use mine like I always did: always in my hair, always on my skin, occasionally in my food.

Weight Loss

Are current exercise guidelines too demanding?

Completing the recommended amount of physical activity can be too demanding for a large portion of the population. However, participating in less is shown to still have health benefits.

It is well known that regular physical exercise has a plethora of associated health benefits and has been shown to prevent and improve symptoms across all types of diseases, but are the current guidelines too challenging for the average person? We investigate.

Exercise has been hailed as somewhat of a miracle cure. It is free, easy to do, works immediately, and has little to no side effects. Scientific evidence has shown that, whatever your age, being physically active makes you happier and healthier.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 2008 Physical Guidelines for Americans report that for adults, the most substantial health benefits occur with at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) per week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) each week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity.

Muscle strengthening (otherwise known as resistance training) physical activities that involve all the main muscle groups and that are moderate or high intensity should also be completed on 2 or more days every week.

The 2008 Physical Guidelines for Americans document that taking part in the equivalent of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week lowers the risk of:

Stepping up physical activity from 150 minutes each week toward 300 minutes (5 hours) not only further lowers the risk of heart disease and diabetes, but also reduces the risk of colon cancer and breast cancer, and prevents unhealthy weight gain.

Moreover, increasing physical activity to more than the equivalent of 300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity further increases the benefits. For example, people who complete 420 minutes (7 hours) each week have an even lower risk of premature death, compared with individuals completing 150 to 300 minutes every week.

There are multiple ways to meet the recommended 150 minutes of exercise. In fact, research conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh showed that participating in a variety of activities - from walking and dancing, to gardening - improves brain volume and may reduce a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by 50 percent.

Less than one quarter of adults meet physical activity guidelines

It sounds easy enough: by working out for 30 minutes on 5 days of the week, those recommendations can be met. You would expect that with all the potential health benefits, the whole population would be following the recommendations and taking to the streets to walk briskly.

In our busy lives, work and home commitments may prevent us from meeting the recommended exercise guidelines.

However, a huge proportion of the population is falling short. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 49 percent of adults meet the aerobic physical activity guidelines, and only 20.9 percent of adults meet the physical activity guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity.

So what is going wrong? With our busy lives, 30 minutes of moderate physical activity can be a challenging task to fulfill and may even be regarded, by some, as impractical or unobtainable.

Many of us claim that we do not have the time, energy, or inclination to fit in exercise. So not only are the guidelines and long-term health benefits failing to engage the population, but they are also being dismissed and ignored, and they even appear to be discouraging individuals to participate in any physical activity at all.

The HHS guidelines were released nearly 10 years ago, and in that time there has been considerable research into physical activity duration, frequency, and intensity. Do we really need to accumulate 150 minutes of physical activity every week? We take a look at some of the most recent findings.

Health benefits from less than the recommended amount of exercise

The good news is that some health benefits can be gained with as little as 60 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week, and some research has shown positive results with even less exercise.

Inflammation

One moderate exercise session of 20 minutes stimulates the immune system and sets off a cellular response that may help to suppress inflammation in the body, found a study published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.

Around 20 minutes of fast walking could help to suppress inflammation in the body.

These findings could help with treatment strategies for chronic diseases such as fibromyalgia and arthritis, as well as obesity.

"Our study shows a workout session doesn't actually have to be intense to have anti-inflammatory effects. Twenty minutes to half an hour of moderate exercise, including fast walking, appears to be sufficient," said Suzi Hong, Ph.D., in the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

"Feeling like a workout needs to be at a peak exertion level for a long duration can intimidate those who suffer from chronic inflammatory diseases and could greatly benefit from physical activity."

Metabolic syndrome

Research involving more than 7,000 participants found that doing under 1 hour of resistance training per week was linked with a 29 percent lower risk of developing metabolic syndrome. This condition is a cluster of risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

"Few studies have reported on the health effects of resistance exercise, and this is the first such study concerning metabolic syndrome," explained Esmée Bakker, from the Radboud University in Nijmegen, in the Netherlands.

"Our results indicate that a modest amount of resistance exercise, such as two 30-minute sessions per week, has the most beneficial effect. These findings should be included in the standard medical recommendations for preventing metabolic syndrome and future cardiovascular disease."

Another study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise suggests that for children with large waist measurements and elevated blood insulin levels, 10 minutes each day of high-intensity physical activity could cut their risk of developing heart problems and metabolic disease.

Brain

A review exploring the effects of acute exercise found that a single bout of physical activity improved executive brain function, enhanced mood, and decreased stress levels. What is more, neurophysiological and neurochemical changes were observed that indicated the widespread activation of brain areas and brain systems.

"The studies presented in this review clearly demonstrate that acute exercise has profound effects on brain chemistry and physiology, which has important implications for cognitive enhancements in healthy populations and symptom remediation in clinical populations," commented Julia C. Basso, Ph.D., postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Neural Science at New York University in New York City.

Body image

The University of British Columbia (UBC) in Okanagan, Canada, investigated whether physical activity improves body image.

Women who were assigned to complete one 30-minute session of moderate-to-vigorous exercise significantly improved their body image perception compared with women who engaged in quiet reading.

"We all have those days when we don't feel great about our bodies," said Kathleen Martin Ginis, a professor in UBC Okanagan's School of Health and Exercise Sciences. "This study and our previous research shows one way to feel better, is to get going and exercise. The effects can be immediate."

Arthritis

Investigators at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City, NY, found that low-impact exercise helped to decrease pain, improve mobility, and enhance the quality of life for older adults.

Low-impact exercise may help to decrease pain and improve activity levels in older adults.

"The study results are consistent with the experience of rheumatologists and with prior studies showing that exercise, even of mild degree, helps with pain," noted Dr. Theodore Fields, director of the Rheumatology Faculty Practice Plan at HSS. "Getting people up and moving does appear to help with mood, pain, and overall functioning."

"Joints will often stiffen if not used, and muscles will weaken if not exercised. Our bodies are meant to move, and inactivity leads to weakness and stiffness, and joints with arthritis often worsen with inactivity."

Sperm count

Just 6 months of participating in moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) for 30 minutes on 3 to 4 days per week improves sperm quality significantly.

Research published in Reproduction revealed that compared with a control group that did no exercise, individuals in the MICT group had 8.3 percent more semen volume, 12.4 percent higher sperm motility, 17.1 percent improved sperm cell shape, 14.1 more concentrated sperm, and 21.8 more sperm cells on average.

"Our results show that doing exercise can be a simple, cheap, and effective strategy for improving sperm quality in sedentary men," explained Behzad Hajizadeh Maleki, lead author of the study. "However, it's important to acknowledge that the reason some men can't have children isn't just based on their sperm count. Male infertility problems can be complex, and changing lifestyles might not solve these cases easily."

Heart

A report released by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Sports and Exercise Cardiology Council suggested that moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity in amounts lower than the physical activity guidelines can still significantly lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

But Dr. Michael Scott Emery, co-chair of the ACC Sports and Exercise Cardiology Council, and colleagues point out that more exercise results in an even greater reduction of risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

"The available evidence should prompt clinicians to recommend strongly low and moderate exercise training for the majority of our patients," Dr. Emery said. "Equally important are initiatives to promote population health at large through physical activity across the lifespan, as it modulates behavior from childhood into adult life."

Mood

Researchers at the University of Connecticut (UConn) in Mansfield have discovered that there is no need to spend hours at the gym to feel good about yourself. The team compared people who took part in light-, moderate-, and vigorous-intensity exercise with those who were inactive.

They found that individuals who participated in light-intensity physical activity reported higher levels of psychological well-being and lower levels of depression, whereas people who engaged in moderate-intensity physical activity reported higher psychological well-being levels and lower levels of pain.

"We hope this research helps people realize the important public health message that simply going from doing no physical activity to performing some physical activity can improve their subjective well-being," clarified Gregory Panza, a graduate student in UConn's Department of Kinesiology and the study's lead author.

"What is even more promising for the physically inactive person is that they do not need to exercise vigorously to see these improvements. Instead, our results indicate you will get the best 'bang for your buck' with light- or moderate-intensity physical activity."

Obesity

The physical activity guidelines suggest that children participate in 60 minutes or more per day of moderate- or vigorous-intensity exercise.

Participating in 25 minutes of activity 3 times every week may help to combat obesity in children.

However, research by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD, found that if all children aged 8 to 11 years took part in just 25 minutes of exercise 3 times per week, then $62.3 billion in lost wages and medical costs could be avoided, not to mention the fact that 1.2 million fewer children would be overweight or obese.

"As the prevalence of childhood obesity grows, so will the value of increasing physical activity," said study leader Dr. Bruce Y. Lee, executive director of the Global Obesity Prevention Center at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. "We need to be adding physical education programs and not cutting them. We need to encourage kids to be active, to reduce screen time and get them running around again. It's important for their physical health - and the nation's financial health."

Death

Research presented at the EuroPrevent 2016 meeting by Dr. David Hupin - a physician in the Department of Clinical and Exercise Physiology at the University Hospital of Saint-Etienne in France - found that just 15 minutes of physical activity each day is associated with a 22 percent decreased risk of death.

"We found that the low level of activity, which is half the recommended amount, was associated with a 22 percent reduced risk of death in older adults compared with those who were inactive," said Dr. Hupin. "This level of activity equates to a 15-minute brisk walk each day."

"We think that older adults should progressively increase physical activity in their daily lives rather than dramatically changing their habits to meet recommendations. Fifteen minutes a day could be a reasonable target for older adults. Small increases in physical activity may enable some older adults to incorporate more moderate activity and get closer to the recommended 150 minutes per week," Dr. Hupin concluded.

While recent research of lower physical activity levels is promising for those of us with little spare time, research that explores exercise at the recommended levels or higher is even more illuminating. However, that will have to wait for another day.

The bottom line is that any activity is better than no activity. While the recommended physical activity levels may be difficult for some people to achieve, doing any amount of exercise provides health benefits and is significantly better for health than being inactive.

Exercise does not have to be a grueling uphill struggle; it can take place in short bursts and be fun. Make a difference to your health by getting off the couch and moving!

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Marriage, fatherhood may cause men to gain weight

Married men may have a higher BMI than unmarried men, research finds.

There is a common belief that once people get married, they begin to pile on the pounds. A new study suggests that this notion may hold some truth, after finding that married men have a higher body mass index than unmarried men.

Additionally, the research reveals that men - but not women - gain weight in the first few years after becoming a parent.

Study co-author Dr. Joanna Syrda, of the School of Management at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, and colleagues say that their findings help to shed light on the social factors that could lead to weight gain, which may help individuals to avoid becoming overweight or obese.

The study was recently published in the journal Social Science & Medicine.

The researchers came to their findings by analyzing the data of 8,729 heterosexual couples who were part of the 1999-2013 Panel Study of Income Dynamics, which was originally launched to study family income.

As part of the study, couples were required to provide information on their marital status, body mass index (BMI), and offspring. Data were collected every 2 years.

Married men 3 pounds heavier

The researchers found that, compared with unmarried men, men who were married had a higher BMI, weighing around 1.4 kilograms (3 pounds) more.

Parenthood also appears to affect BMI; the weight of married men increased in the first few years after becoming a father.

However, just prior to and after getting divorced, the researchers identified a reduction in men's BMI.

The BMI of married women was not influenced by marriage or parenthood, the researchers report.

The team notes that previous studies have suggested that individuals who are single but who are looking for a partner tend to focus more on their fitness than people who are married. They believe that their results support such findings.

Furthermore, the researchers believe that their study strengthens the hypothesis that married people eat richer, more unhealthful foods as a result of greater social engagement.

However, the results oppose studies suggesting that married people are in better health as a result of greater social support from their spouses.

Being mindful after marriage

While further studies are needed to gain a better understanding of how marriage affects weight, the team believes that the current study offers some insight.

"It's useful for individuals to understand which social factors may influence weight gain, especially common ones such as marriage and parenthood, so that they can make informed decisions about their health and well-being," says Dr. Syrda.

"For married men who want to avoid BMI increases that will mean being mindful of their own changing motivation, behavior, and eating habits," she adds.

"Given major public health concerns about obesity, understanding more about the social science factors that can cause weight fluctuation is important."

Learn why sex may be key to a happy marriage.

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A "Walk Your First Half-Marathon" Training Plan

Finally! I have been meaning to post this for a while. When I wrote the Six Month Half-Marathon Training Plan for Beginners (a running plan), I received several requests from people asking me to write a half-marathon plan for walkers.

I have trained for and walked a couple of half-marathons (I've also walked a couple without training--don't do that!), and it is actually much tougher than one might think. In fact, I found walking a half-marathon to be harder than most of the ones I've run. While walking, you will be on the course roughly twice as long, and that really takes a toll on your body. Even as an avid runner myself, a "simple" seven mile training walk felt very difficult and left me sore for days!
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Here I Am

Whew, has it already been a month and a half since I last posted? Time is just flying past, so it's time for a little update on our situation and, of course, my weight.

We have been spending so, so much of our time on medical stuff. It is easy to become completely consumed with it. My daughter had 5 medical appointments this week and has more next week. We've driven hours to specialists, stayed overnight in the hospital, started and stopped medications and gotten some additional information about her medical condition that is helping us have a more clear and direct path forward. I am finally feeling hopeful and the goal is to have her well enough for school by the end of summer, with accommodations. Physical therapy has been a great blessing; the therapist is amazing. We see her twice a week and my daughter also does the exercises at home daily. We are ordering "more aggressive" orthotics to support her as she works towards better mobility and less pain. She also is slowly starting to use my recumbent exercise bike for 5 minutes a day, and we joined a local summer-season pool where she is to swim at least 3 days a week. So we are keeping busy! Thank you so much to those of you who offer up prayers for my daughter. I believe they are helping! And I so appreciate that you keep her in your thoughts and prayers even not knowing specifics about the conditions she is dealing with. She is old enough to want her privacy, and while there are only a few of my real-life friends who read this blog, I just want to respect that. So thank you!

All of this has made my life more active, too! I swim with her most of the time and am working up to longer stretches of being in the pool. I've had more and more symptoms of my autoimmune thyroid disease cropping up, mainly extreme fatigue and always feeling cold (so the pool feels icy to me!) I finally went to the endocrinologist this week and found out that yes, wow, my numbers are a wreck!! Even with Hashimoto's, aside from my TPO antibodies all of my thyroid bloodwork has always been pretty much in the normal range. Last year my TSH ranged between 1.36 and 2.52... but this time, it was 7.9!!! That is a huge increase and, along with very low T3 and T4, out of range enough that the doctor said I needed to go back on Synthroid. I started that this week and already feel much better.

I also am on my last day of antibiotics. I feel like I have been on antibiotics forever!! I have an ENT appointment for the sinus stuff to make sure that is cleared up. I am working on getting more sleep, too. After my last post, I laid off the sugar (not 100%... I still have something sweet on occasion) and increased the veggies. I've also been getting on the scale at least weekly to keep an eye on the number. Today I weigh 253, about the same as I have been all of this year. I did have an uptick early in the year to 260, but got that off pretty quickly. Looks like my weight is just staying stable and hanging out in the low 250's since about February. I wonder if the Synthroid will help get that number down a little bit. Surely the swimming and activity will help, too. My next focus is to cut the carbs in my eating. I have gotten back to eating things like a baked potato or mashed potatoes with dinner, or a simple sandwich for lunch. I eat pasta once or twice a week, too. It'll be no big deal to get back to lower carb substitutions like cauliflower or zucchini noodles... it's just a matter of habit and taking the time to prepare those extra foods for meals (because my family does NOT like squash or cauliflower... but they do eat other veggies!) It just takes a little more planning.

I hope to see my weight get back down into the 240's shortly. Maybe even by July! We'll see.

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Scientists shed new light on preventative measures for diabetes

Small amounts of physical activity can offer health benefits that protect against insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes and can result from a high-fat diet. That's what findings published in Experimental Physiology have shown. Their research also casts doubt on the previously held view that increasing the quantity of mitochondria - which are the tiny structures in cells that convert glucose and fats to energy - would help fix some symptoms of a high fat diet. The researchers found that the benefits from physical activity were not affected by the quantity of mitochondria when enhanced experimentally.

Insulin is a hormone used to control blood sugar levels. High-fat diets contribute to the development of insulin resistance, which is when their muscle, fat, and liver cells do not respond properly to insulin and leads to the development of type 2 diabetes.

Megan E. Rosa-Caldwell, a doctoral student with Dr. Nicholas P. Greene, and the team in the Integrative Muscle Metabolism Laboratory at The University of Arkansas found that mice genetically engineered to have higher quantity of mitochondria were not more protected against high-fat diet induced insulin resistance. The researchers fed all the mice in the study a diet that mimics Western diets high in fat. The genetically engineered and control mice were further divided into a group that was allowed to exercise, and a sedentary group.

Their results showed that physical activity, regardless of the amount of mitochondria, offered similar health benefits against insulin resistance. It appears that exercise's ability to help remove damaged cellular materials and enhance the quality of the mitochondria may be more effective for preventing insulin resistance. However, these aspects need to be further tested.

With rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes continuing to increase, understanding the cellular processes that help or hurt insulin resistance can help us better tailor effective preventative measures such as exercise.

Ms Rosa-Caldwell, lead author of this paper, said: 'For now, physical activity is the greatest protection, but further research may enable us to prevent and treat insulin resistance, and subsequent diabetes, more effectively.'

Article: Autophagy activation, not pgc-1α, may mediate exercise-induced improvements in glucose handling during diet-induced obesity, Megan E. Rosa-Caldwell et al., Experimental Physiology, doi: 10.1113/EP086406, published 22 June 2017.

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Garcinia cambogia: Does it work?

The garcinia cambogia fruit has been a focus for many people looking for natural ways to lose weight.

The small fruit, which resembles a cross between a pumpkin and a tomato, is native to India and Southeast Asia and is exported all over the world.

What is garcinia cambogia?

The garcinia cambogia fruit is native to India and Southeast Asia and is marketed as a natural weight loss food.

Finding out what garcinia cambogia is and how it works can help people understand whether the weight loss claims are true and whether the supplement will work.

It is also important to realize that there are some risks and interactions to be aware of when using garcinia cambogia.

Garcinia cambogia contains an ingredient called hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which has been used to aid weight loss. The extract of HCA is available in powdered form or pill form and can be purchased online or in health stores.

Claims of garcinia cambogia

The use of garcinia cambogia and its extracts has been the subject of many health claims over the years. These claims range from mild to incredible, so it is important to separate fact from marketing when considering using supplements, such as this.

Weight loss

Garcinia cambogia is primarily marketed as a way to lose weight naturally with little to no additional effort. Some companies claim the supplement can help people lose weight without additional exercise or dieting.

It is true that the HCA in garcinia has been found to boost the fat-burning potential of the body.

One review posted to Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine showed that garcinia did promote weight loss in many cases. But results vary widely.

Some studies using HCA have produced amazing weight loss results, while others showed the supplement had little to no effect.

Researchers note that the majority of the studies done on garcinia or HCA used animal models. The little research that has been done on humans has found that the effects of the fruit are too widespread to call beneficial. It may work, and it may not.

A review posted to the Journal of Obesity compiled the results of nine different studies using garcinia for weight loss in humans. The findings confirmed mixed results of the supplement, with some studies producing significant results and others showing little difference.

The average reduction in body weight was small, as the studies were only done for short periods of time. A study posted to Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition pointed out how short most of the studies into garcinia cambogia were.

Studies in humans have been done on a small number of people for a short amount of time. Longer tests need to be carried out on bigger groups of people to understand the safety and effectiveness of garcinia or HCA fully.

Does diet matter?

Garcinia cambogia extract may reduce weight gain alongside a high fat diet.

Researchers looked at how a person's diet affected the supplement, noting that it was not as effective in people whose diets were low in fat and high in carbohydrate.

Another study, posted to the Journal of Clinical Diagnostic Research found that taking garcinia cambogia extract along with a high-fat diet did reduce weight gain.

However, a high-fiber diet may also reduce how well HCA works in the body.

This research suggests that the garcinia and HCA depend upon a proper diet to be effective, which is the opposite of how it is marketed by manufacturers.

Curbs appetite and makes the body feel full

Another claim is that using garcinia or HCA can help the body feel full throughout the day. Reviews have found positive results in animal studies, but no human studies have found similar results.

The absence of studies on humans to prove these claims does not mean that garcinia does not work. Some people who have used the supplement maintain that it helps them feel full all day and supports their weight loss.

Athletic performance

Garcinia cambogia is also marketed as a supplement that enhances athletic ability. Researchers found that both animal and human models provided some evidence for this claim.

Using garcinia or HCA may increase endurance levels during exercise and stop people feeling exhausted too quickly. Long-term studies need to be carried out to support these claims, however.

Other benefits

Older studies have supported the claims that garcinia may be useful for lowering cholesterol. Again, these claims are not proven, and the results of studies are inconsistent. As such, it is not advised to use garcinia to lower cholesterol.

Similarly, garcinia may be able to lower blood sugar levels in some people. Doctors do not recommend that those who have diabetes take garcinia cambogia, as it may affect their medication, and cause their blood sugar to drop to dangerously low levels.

Risks of using garcinia cambogia

Garcinia cambogia is considered safe to eat, though there are some risks and considerations to keep in mind before using the fruit or its extract as a dietary supplement.

Potency

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) do not regulate supplements, such as garcinia cambogia, in the same way as pharmaceutical drugs, which must meet stringent safety standards. As a result, manufacturers of herbal supplements only need to make their products safe to eat and provide clear labels.

It is hard to determine how effective garcinia cambogia or HCA is because the supplement can vary in potency from brand to brand. Some manufacturers may also include other synergistic or filler ingredients into a blend, making it even harder to determine the proper dose.

Side effects

Side effects of garcinia cambogia may include nausea and headaches.

Anyone choosing to take garcinia cambogia should be aware of the potential side effects.

Side effects of garcinia cambogia may include:

• headache
• nausea
• skin rash
• common cold symptoms
• digestive upset
• lower blood sugar

Certain products containing garcinia cambogia and HCA have also been linked to liver damage. However, there is conflicting evidence on whether or not garcinia cambogia caused the liver damage that was observed.

As a rule, before taking any supplements, always talk to a doctor first.

Interactions

Garcinia or HCA may interact with certain drugs.

Some research shows that the supplement lowers blood sugar, so it may affect people with diabetes. It is always best to consult a doctor before starting any new drug or supplement.

Anyone with prior liver or kidney damage may want to avoid garcinia.

Also, there have not been enough studies done to determine if garcinia is safe for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. As such, these women should avoid it.

How much garcinia cambogia should you take?

There is no standard dose when it comes to supplements.

A recent review posted to Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine compiled the research on the toxicity of the garcinia cambogia supplement at various levels.

They concluded that no research had shown direct adverse effects in levels up to 2,800 milligrams each day.

The best dose to take will vary significantly from person to person, and people should always discuss their options with a doctor beforehand.

Overview

Garcinia cambogia has been used for centuries. The fruit is safe to eat, and the supplements have helped many people lose weight. However, clinical evidence of its efficacy is mixed at this point.

If a person is considering taking garcinia cambogia as a supplement, they should research it well and discuss it with a doctor before starting.

Weight loss miracle pills often sell a future that does not exist. Maintaining a healthful diet and taking regular exercise are still two of the best ways to improve body weight.

Supplements may help these efforts, but nothing will replace these important staples in a healthy lifestyle.

Written by Jon Johnson

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Organizing (and Wednesday Weigh-in)

What an exhausting day!

I'm only starting to write this at 10:00 pm. When I woke up this morning, I remembered it was Wednesday Weigh-in, but that feels like a million years ago. This has been such a long day.

I know I've said this before, but ever since my bipolar diagnosis and new medication, I've felt like a different person. In a great way! I have had SO much more energy, but not in a crazy/manic way like before. I just don't have the desire to sit and do nothing--right after breakfast, I want to work on a project or just get stuff done.

And somehow, my new "hobby" has been cleaning and organizing.
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The Scale Doesn’t Tell You How Much You Get to Enjoy Your Life

The past few months, since Daniel and I moved to Massachusetts, have been a whirlwind. We bought a house (zoo?), I’m working on the beginnings of a new book, trying to keep up my blogging, and also planning a wedding. It’s an exciting year, but it’s also incredibly stressful. And most of you know my favorite way to deal with stress. Daniel and I didn’t have our cookware and plates when we moved in and we fell into the take-out trap.

It was just easier to eat pizza with our paint-stained hands while waiting for the last coat to dry. Days went by and we just got into the routine of eating fast casual food or take-out. Before we realized it, it had been a month and we had each gained a little weight. Normally this wouldn’t be that big of a deal but now I had the additional stress of an approaching work event and shortly after that my bridal shower was scheduled. You would think that this pressure would have helped to force me to get back on the healthy track, but the further off the track I went, the less I was able to turn it around.

As much as I understand triggers and have the ability to write endlessly about coping strategies and mindfulness, the truth is, when things really start to become difficult, I eat. I eat less than I used to and make slightly better choices, but I still sometimes can’t stop myself from the one thing that has always soothed me. It’s something hardwired into me and something I will always be actively trying to manage. This isn’t going to be another post about advice or tips or strategies to avoid binge eating. It’s about how to think about the rest of your life when you…can’t.

If you are someone who struggles with moderation, there will be times when you are a little heavier and times when you are a little lighter. It can be easy to let the number on the scale dictate how much we can enjoy our life. We think that our reunion will be so much better if we could just squeeze into that size 6. Or we will be able to make lasting memories on our vacation as long as we can wear a bikini. But the weight doesn’t have to stop you from having meaningful experiences. You can still have fun and get the most out of life when you aren’t at your ideal weight. We have to stop putting our lives on hold.

I could have white knuckled it when I was feeling the urge to loosen the reigns. I would have been able to fit into a smaller dress for my shower this weekend. But then, I would have missed out on the memory of eating Chinese food right out of the carton on the floor with Daniel on the first night in our new house. I wouldn’t have discovered a new local dessert shop that makes cookie whoopie pies that are among the best things I have ever tasted. And having those experiences doesn’t mean I have ruined all the possible enjoyment from my life for the next few months. As self conscious as I am and as anxious as I am that I’m not going to be as thin as I had always imagined for my wedding, I’m going to put on a dress that fits and have a blast at my bridal shower next weekend.

How have you been doing?

Weight Loss

Dairy: Is it good or bad for you?

Research has highlighted many potential benefits and risks associated with dairy consumption.

Dairy is a controversial and confusing food group. Health organizations promote dairy as vital for improved bone health, yet other experts disagree and hail dairy as detrimental to health. Who is correct? Is dairy good or bad for your health? We examine the facts.

What do government health guidelines say? According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food MyPlate guidelines, to get all the nutrients you need from your diet, healthy food and beverage choices should be made from all five food groups, including fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy.

The dairy food group consists of all fluid milk products and many foods that are made from milk. The USDA recommend that food choices from the dairy group should retain their calcium content and be low-fat or fat-free. Fat in milk, yogurt, and cheese that is not low-fat or fat-free will count toward your limit of calories from saturated fats.

While calcium-fortified soymilk is included as part of the dairy group, food products such as butter, cream, sour cream, and cream cheese are not included due to their low calcium content.

Daily dairy recommendations depend on your age. Children 2-3 years old require two cups of dairy per day, 4-8 year-olds need 2.5 cups per day, and three cups per day are recommended for age 9 and upward.

For people who do not consume dairy products, the USDA mention the following foods to contribute toward calcium intake: kale leaves, calcium-fortified juices, breads, cereals, rice or almond milk, canned fish, soybeans, other soy foods, such as tofu, soy yogurt, and tempeh, and some leafy greens including collard and turnip greens, kale, and bok choy.

They point out that the amount of calcium that is absorbed from these foods varies.

MyPlate vs. Healthy Eating Plate

The USDA developed the MyPlate nutrition guide in 2011 as a replacement for their MyPyramid that was used for 19 years.

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health state that while the USDA MyPlate has been revised to reflect some key findings in nutritional scientific research, it does not offer a complete picture of basic nutrition advice.

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health created the Healthy Eating Plate to address the deficiencies they identified in the USDA's MyPlate.

One major alteration to the Healthy Eating Plate compared with MyPlate is the replacement of the dairy glass with a glass of water. The Healthy Eating Plate recommends drinking water, tea, or coffee and limiting dairy to one to two servings per day, since they say that high intakes are associated with a greater risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer.

MyPlate recommends dairy with every meal to protect against osteoporosis. However, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health report that there is little to no evidence to support this statement and considerable evidence that too high an intake of dairy can be harmful.

Nutrients in milk

Milk is a good source of calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and protein.

Milk is an important source of calcium and may help maintain and improve bone health.

The USDA report that dairy products are the primary source of calcium in the American diet. They also say that calcium helps to build bones and teeth, maintain bone mass, improve bone health, decrease the risk of osteoporosis and, what is more, diets that have an intake of three cups of dairy products per day can improve bone mass.

Furthermore, they note that dairy intake is particularly important to bone health during childhood and adolescence - a time when bone mass is being built.

Potassium in milk may help with maintaining blood pressure. Vitamin D helps the body maintain the correct calcium and phosphorous levels, which, in turn, contributes to building and maintaining bones. Dairy intake is also associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and lower blood pressure.

The USDA highlight that it is important to choose low-fat or fat-free foods from the dairy group because foods high in saturated fats and cholesterol have adverse health implications. They say that diets high in saturated fats raise "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood. High LDL cholesterol increases the risk for coronary heart disease. Whole milk and many dairy products are high in saturated fat.

To help keep blood cholesterol levels healthy, the USDA recommend limiting the intake of foods high in saturated fat.

In summary, government guidelines say that milk is rich in nutrients. Calcium-rich low-fat or fat-free dairy products are essential for bone health, heart health, and type 2 diabetes, but full-fat dairy increases the risk for coronary heart disease. All sounds simple enough. So where does the controversy come in?

Is eating dairy 'natural'?

It is often argued that dairy products should not be consumed since it is not "natural" to do so.

Cow's milk is designed to provide all the protein, micronutrients, and fatty acids that calves need to grow in the same way that breast milk is designed to nurture human babies.

Not only are humans the only species that consumes milk as adults, but we are also the only species that drinks milk from other animals. Humans are not calves, and they have no need to grow, so why drink milk? Quite a convincing argument.

Dairy does not appear to be essential for humans from an evolutionary perspective and was not consumed until after the agricultural revolution. However, in some parts of the world, dairy has been consumed for thousands of years, and research has shown that genes have altered in humans to accommodate dairy consumption.

While consuming dairy may not have once been natural for humans, the evidence that shows that we have genetically adapted to eat dairy indicates that it may now be natural for us to eat and drink it.

Lactose intolerance

Another argument against dairy consumption is that around 75 percent of the world's population and about 25 percent of the people in the U.S. lose their ability to produce digestive lactase enzymes sometime after weaning.

Lactase enzymes are present in infants and young children to help them break down and digest lactose - a sugar present in milk. A lack of lactase enzymes means that lactose cannot be split into glucose and galactose for absorption into the bloodstream, which results in lactose intolerance.

After eating lactose-containing dairy products, people who are lactose intolerant experience abdominal bloating, pain, nausea, flatulence, and diarrhea. Some lactose intolerant individuals can eat fermented dairy, such as yogurt, or high-fat, dairy like butter.

Most people of Northern European ancestry can digest lactose with no problems whatsoever.

Full-fat dairy and cardiovascular disease

The USDA guidelines and conventional wisdom dictate that full-fat dairy increases the risk of heart disease due to its high saturated fat content.

Research investigating the link between dairy consumption and heart disease is conflicting.

The theory behind this idea is that saturated fat raises levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood, LDL cholesterol then lodges in the arteries, which causes atherosclerosis and eventually, heart disease. However, despite it being a dietary recommendation, this theory has never been proven and has been debunked in recent years.

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and a meta-analysis published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found no link between dietary saturated fat and an increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular disease.

A study that used data from the Nurses' Health Study - a long-term epidemiological study in the U.S. examining risk factors for major chronic disease in women - found that high intake of dairy fat is connected with a greater risk of coronary heart disease.

However, other studies have shown that full-fat dairy may protect against heart disease and stroke.

For example, research examining 10 studies that included full-fat dairy consumption showed that drinking milk might be associated with "a small but worthwhile reduction in heart disease and stroke risk."

In grass-fed cows, full-fat dairy has been linked with a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke, with one study indicating that people who consumed full-fat dairy had a 69 percent lower risk of developing heart disease.

Research examining the role of dairy in heart disease is conflicting. However, heart disease risk seems to be significantly lower when consuming full-fat dairy in countries with grass-fed cows.

Does dairy benefit bone health?

Most health organization guidelines recommend an intake of two to three servings of dairy every day to ensure adequate calcium for bone health.

Dairy intake may increase bone density and prevent age-related bone loss and osteoporosis.

Some experts disagree with these guidelines because countries with higher dairy consumption have higher rates of osteoporosis than countries with lower intakes of dairy. However, it has to be noted that dairy consumption is not the only difference between these countries and does not conclude that dairy causes osteoporosis.

Two observational studies are often cited in the argument against consuming milk for bone health. The first study suggests that consumption of dairy products - particularly at the age of 20 years - is associated with a greater risk of hip fracture in old age. The second study found no evidence that intake of milk or calcium protects against hip or forearm fractures.

However, numerous studies support the benefits of dairy consumption for bone health. Research indicates that consuming dairy increases bone density and may prevent age-related bone loss and osteoporosis.

Randomized controlled trials are considered to be more reliable than observational studies and have shown in every age group that dairy improves bone health.

Dairy and calcium consumption leads to increased bone growth in children, decreases bone loss in adults, and improves bone density and lowers fracture risk in seniors.

Other than calcium, dairy provides other nutrients that are beneficial to bone health, such as protein and phosphorous, and Vitamin K-2 in full-fat dairy from grass-fed cows. Vitamin K-2 is a fat-soluble vitamin and is not present in low-fat and fat-free varieties of dairy products. Vitamin K-2 helps to regulate calcium metabolism, is vital for bone health, and may prevent heart disease.

Other conditions associated with dairy

Dairy has been linked to the development and prevention of many conditions and appears to cause and cure various diseases simultaneously. We check out the evidence behind these claims.

Obesity

Evidence suggests that dairy consumption lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Dairy products, and full-fat dairy products in particular, might be avoided due to concerns that these foods are fattening and may lead to obesity.

However, a study published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition determined that children who drink whole milk are leaner and have higher levels of vitamin D than those who drink the low-fat or skimmed varieties.

Type 2 diabetes

While flavored milk should be avoided with diabetes, there is no reason that people with diabetes should not consume dairy products.

In fact, research by Dr. Ulrika Ericson, of the Lund University Diabetes Center in Malmö, Sweden, and colleagues found that people who consumed the highest amounts of high-fat dairy products had a 23 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than individuals who consumed the least amount of dairy per day.

Harvard University found that teenagers who drink milk are 43 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes as adults compared with non-milk drinkers.

Prostate cancer

Some studies have found that a high dairy intake is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. One study reported that having higher intake of dairy increased the risk of prostate cancer by 32 percent. This greater risk may be linked to calcium levels.

In contrast, a study published in the British Journal of Cancer does not support the theory that high calcium intake increases the risk of prostate cancer.

Parkinson's disease

Katherine C. Hughes, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and collaborators have found an association between consuming at least three servings of low-fat dairy a day and risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

"The results provide evidence of a modest increased risk of Parkinson's with greater consumption of low-fat dairy products. Such dairy products, which are widely consumed, could potentially be a modifiable risk factor for the disease," said Hughes.

The study authors stress that the findings do not mean that dairy products cause Parkinson's disease, they just show a link between the two.

Depression

Opting for low-fat dairy rather than full-fat dairy reduces the risk of depression, according to Prof. Ryoichi Nagatomi, of Tohoku University in Japan, and team.

Adults who consumed low-fat milk and yogurt between one and four times per week were less likely to experience depression symptoms than those who reported no dairy consumption.

Brain health

People with higher intakes of dairy products have been shown to score significantly higher on memory and brain function tests than individuals who drink little or no milk.

The A2 type of beta-casein protein contained in cow's milk is suggested to increase the body's defenses against neurodegenerative diseases, pancreatitis, and cancer by raising an essential antioxidant in the body.

The jury is out on whether dairy is good or bad for you; the arguments for and against are ongoing, and the health effects vary between individuals. However, for the most part, evidence shows that dairy consumption has many benefits.

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