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Its been a year since I said goodbye to you. Your cheesy delights, your garlic-dusted edges. I gave you up for a full 365 days, and to be frank, it was a terrible year. I dont mean that in the hyperbolic way that lovers do when theyre finally reunited. I mean that it was a Bad Year, and after all this time, I guess Im just one pizza-hungry Andrew Lincoln, standing outside your door with several sheets of poster board that reveal my Dominos order. But like Andrew, I know now that I can walk away.

Over the year, I attended way more pizza parties than youd think youd ever come across as an adult. Seriously, people love you, you delicious muse. Hell, I went to an actual pizza wedding, where I saw you across the room, piping hot and waiting for me. But I turned my head away, mostly because the wedding was in England, and can you even imagine if the one time we reunited was when I was drunk and you were English? Banish the thought. But in all those parties and weddings and other moments of temptation, I resisted. Ive learned that I can live in this world without you. I just dont want to.

A year ago, I wanted to find a better me, so I put distance between us, blaming my shortcomings on a hand-tossed crust that had never asked for anything more than my presence. I'd turn to you in the face of any problem, and then I'd blame you for the consequences. When I had a bad day? Pizza. When I got into an argument with my boyfriend? Pizza. But when you weren't there, the problems didn't go away. In the wake of your absence, I gained 15 pounds and nursed bad days with chicken wings or French fries or wine. I realized the problem in our relationship had always been me. I could blame that seared cheese topping, the crisp of a pepperoni, all day long. But the operative word there is "blame." Thats a tough place to be inlooking at your considerably less-defined jawline in the mirror and knowing its that way because of, well, your own actions. To quote Billie Eilish, Im the bad guy. Duh.

A year ago, I looked to you as the cause of hardships I wasn't willing to face. I cast my best friendnay, my loveraside because it was easier to blame you than it was to recognize that I funnel other issues into the things I love. Pizza nor fries nor wine can fix any problem that isn't hunger or sobriety. They sure as hell can't fix a bad day. And for all of 2019, I imagined that if something happened to me...if I werent on this earth anymore...the last memory Id have of you was from so long ago. A break-up made in haste, after a life spent loving you so wholeheartedly.

A break-up made in haste, after a life spent loving you so wholeheartedly.

Maybe this year apart was worth it, because I learned that to love youtruly love youis to not take advantage of you. To have pizza in my life is to also be able to recognize the days when it shouldn't be there, days when I would have previously used pizza as a band-aid for a bigger problem. On those days, perhaps its worth looking inward and asking if Im inviting you in because of our mutual love, or just because I need your presence to distract from something else, like work anxiety or the release of a subpar Taylor Swift album. Maybe I can find other ways to re-channel that stress, like running or vegetables. Just kidding, vegetables are gross.

I hope youre not mad at me. If youll have me, Id love for us to meet up again. Because as tempting as it is to turn to you in times of stress, I also know that some of my favorite moments were spent with you. Remember all those nights watching The Bachelor? You loved The Bachelor! Monday evenings filled with crazy white people choosing each other for high-end dates and then explaining away how they were there for the right reasons. On those nights, we were the ones there for the right reasons. Just one man, one pizza, mutually respecting each others saltiness.

I would like for us to try that now. The long-lost 2004 country band Lonestar said it best: Lets be us again. Life is too short to give up the things you love, yet too long to abuse them. Ill see you whenever youre ready, with a bit of hot sauce on the side.

Go here to read the rest:
How I Lived a Year Without Pizza - No Pizza Diet Results - Esquire.com

As we begin a new year and, arguably, a new decade, there are a few things I think we can safely do without. Here are three nutrition myths that I believed, or maybe wanted to believe, at the start of the decadeand why Im leaving them behind.

Remember superfoods? Anything with a high antioxidant score was supposed to be especially good for you. The buzzwords have changed, but the concept has not: We keep hearing that the flavonoids in coffee or red wine, for example, make a food particularly healthful.

But these ideas tend to come from studies that look at one food component in isolationoften in lab studies that are miles away from any relevance to humans. Like, ok, if you extract one chemical from red wine and give it to mice, maybe the mice have slightly lower levels of inflammation-related biomarkers in their blood. So? That doesnt mean that a human being with a habit of drinking red wine is going to be healthier than a human who doesnt drink at all.

We dont eat nutrients, we eat foods; and we dont only eat foods, we live rich lives involving hundreds of things to eat and hundreds of considerations besides what might possibly reduce levels of a certain blood chemical.

Eat your vegetables, get a variety of foods, you know the drill. If youre debating whether to eat these berries versus those berries, youre wasting your time.

Keto and other low-carb diets have undulated in popularity. Remember Atkins? Its induction phase was basically a strict keto diet, and it dates back to the 1970s.

At the beginning of this decade, there was still a possibility that a ketogenic dietone that is low enough in carbs to produce a certain blood chemistrywas doing something special to our metabolism. But since then, weve seen some rigorous studies that test that hypothesis, and they find that theres no biochemical advantage to low-carb diets, nor to any diet in particular.

All diets seem to work equally well (or equally badly, to be honestmost everyone regains the weight they lose in the long run) as long as they restrict calories by about the same amount. So what really matters is choosing a way of eating that you can stick to, whether thats low fat or low carb or anything else.

Im convinced that meal timing only became a thing because people are looking for an easy thing to optimise. Maybe you have trouble eating the right amount and type of food, but at least you can get the timing down. Or perhaps you want to prove to yourself that youre serious about your workouts, so you take the time to plan out the perfect post-workout shake.

Just as low-fat and low-carb diets seem to work equally well, theres no solid evidence that intermittent fasting is better or worse than many small meals a day. If you like breakfast, you can eat it; if you dont, skipping it is fine.

While there is some evidence that meal timing around a workout matters, its effect is small compared to the basics of what youre eating and how much. If you cant get 30 grams of protein immediately after a workout, its not like your muscles will shrivel up and die. (I distinctly remember watching the clock after the gym to make sure I got my shake in the supposed 30-minute window.) It turns out that the window to get that protein is probably several hours long. So most of will be fine to just plan our workout to fall between mealslunch and dinner, say, or breakfast and second breakfastrather than sweating any specific timing.

See original here:
Leave These Nutrition Myths Behind In 2019 - Lifehacker Australia

And for many desperate to shed the pounds its hard to resist the quick fix promised by celebrity-endorsed dieting trends.

From Atkins to the raw food movement, crazes come and go, often promoted by seemingly flawless movie and music stars.

Although fad diets may seem like a modern invention, theyve been around in one form or another for centuries.

The first ever book on dieting is believed to be William Bantings Letter on Corpulence, which was published in London in 1864. The formerly overweight accountant wrote about his success after replacing an excessive intake of bread, sugar and potatoes with mostly meat, fish and vegetables.

It was 18th century poet Lord Byron who was the first celebrity dieter. He credited his thin, pale look to vinegar and water a practice that would re-emerge in the 1950s as the popular Apple Cider Vinegar Diet, which instructed people to drink a mixture of equal parts honey and vinegar to curb cravings and cut fat.

A variation on the theme came in 1941 when alternative health enthusiast Stanley Burroughs created the Lemonade Diet, in a bid to eliminate cravings for junk food, alcohol, tobacco and drugs.

All followers had to do was consume a mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, water and cayenne pepper six times a day for at least 10 days. It made a comeback in 2006, when singer Beyonc claimed it helped her to lose 20lbs in two weeks.

The Last Chance Diet, published in 1976, consisted of drinking a very low-calorie liquid a few times per day. The main ingredient was a blend of predigested animal by-products including hide, horns and tendons. But this meat smoothie was taken off the market after it had fatal consequences for some followers.

The Seven Day Colour Diet, from 2003, suggested eating foods of only one colour each day so red day would include tomatoes, apples and cranberries. It was praised for encouraging people to eat fruit and veg, but there were concerns that it did not provide a balanced diet.

One of the most bizarre from recent years was 2013s cotton ball diet, which involved swallowing up to five cotton balls at a time to suppress the appetite. It was soon condemned as dangerous because of the risk of internal obstruction.

And 2020 is likely to come with new fads, according to the The British Dietetic Associations (BDA), which represents dietitians across the country, identifying some the wildest celebrity diet fads they want people to avoid this year.

They include intravenous (IV) vitamin drips which celebrities such as Rihanna and Chrissy Teigen claim they can do almost anything from quickly fixing a hangover to burning fat or fighting jet lag.

But registered dietitian Marcela Fiuza says there is no evidence that the drip has any benefits for most people.

Any time you have an IV inserted, there is a risk of infection as well as risk that a vein could become inflamed or blocked with a clot. This risk is increased when unqualified people are doing it.

There is also a risk that you will get too much of the vitamins. This can have serious health implications, particularly for those having it regularly.

Hair Gummies have been promoted by the likes of Khlo Kardashian, Kris Jenner and Vanessa Hudgens on Instagram. These multivitamins, which cost 20 to 30 a month, will give us healthy, luscious locks or so the celebs say.

But BDA spokeswoman and dietitian Aisling Pigott says there is no evidence that they work.

Another celeb, another false nutrition claim, she says. Hair and skin health are influenced by many factors including lifestyle, hormones, genetics and diet. To imply that taking a vitamin tablet can give us better hair is based on zero evidence. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies which affect our hair are rare, but an overall poor diet can impact our hormones and stress levels.

This is irresponsible advertising from celebrities endorsing products which lack scientific evidence. If you want to get the best out of your hair, and save some cash, enjoy a balanced diet with the right amount of energy, fruit and vegetables.

Beyoncs 22-day diet is another one that has been growing in popularity and is based around the principle that 21 days is enough to make or break a habit.

The end goal is that come day 22 followers will be a convert and stick to eating a vegan, plant-based diet.

There are benefits to this diet although experts say it will take longer than 22 days to see any desired results and its one that could be followed without the $99 expense of signing up for the plan.

If you had the skills and knowledge on how to eat a plant-based diet, then you could do this on your own, says BDA dietitian Anna Daniels.

This could be a good way for someone to want to kick start a better way of eating and reduce their intake of high fat, high salt foods. However, it will certainly take longer than 22 days to eat optimally and for good health and longevity.

Read more:
As you start that New Year diet - the food fads that left a bitter taste in the mouth - expressandstar.com

Its no secret that Khlo Kardashian makes her workouts a major priority. Kardashian turned to fitness to help deal with the stress that came with her busy (and sometimes drama-filled) life as a reality star, television host, and member of one of Americas most famous families. She often lets fans in on her workouts, and she recently showed fans how she warms up before some intense exercise.

When Keeping Up With the Kardashians first started, Kardashian was seen as the odd one out among the three older sisters. Kim and Kourtney Kardashian both had dark hair and dark complexions, plus they were extremely petite. Khlo Kardashian, on the other hand, had lighter hair and a lighter complexion, and she was bigger boned than her sisters. People often criticized Kardashian for being bigger than her sisters and looking nothing like them.

Many critics also suggested that Kardashian must not be her fathers daughter. There were countless rumors that Kardashians real father was OJ Simpson, and she even once had a DNA test to prove that she was a Kardashian.

Kardashians life was turned upside down when her ex-husband, Lamar Odom, started getting involved with drugs. The addiction complicated their marriage and led Odom to make some bad decisions. Kardashian channeled her troubles into her workouts and came out of the drama feeling more confident than ever. The events that unfolded prompted her to become the host of her own reality show, Revenge Body, which helps people look and feel their best after dealing with a difficult situation. She also has her own denim brand, Good American.

Kardashian pays close attention to her diet and exercise regimen. She works out six days per week and eats plenty of fruits and vegetables throughout the day (everyone knows the Kardashians love their salads). On December 30, she posted a video to her Instagram story showing fans her workout warmup. Kardashian recorded herself in a mirror while using a stair climber; these machines work the legs and butt while also increasing the heart rate.

According to Well + Good, the stair climber is one of the best ways to warm up because it works the entire lower body. Kardashians sister Kim Kardashian West has also posted videos of herself working out on a stair climber maybe thats the secret to those Kardashian derrieres.

Though Kardashian works hard in the gym, she has received some criticism for her appearance recently. Fans have called her out on looking more plastic than ever, especially in a recent photo shoot with her daughter, True. Shes also been accused of heavily editing her photos, and people are convinced she had a nose job and didnt tell anyone. Though some criticize her appearance (Kardashian has not commented on the photo edits or potential plastic surgery), shes one of the hardest working women in the gym.

See more here:
The 1 Thing Khlo Kardashian Does to Warm Up For An Intense Workout - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Silicon Valley moguls, celebrities, and social media influencers alike prescribe to the 16:8 diet, a form of intermittent fasting also known as the 8-hour diet. Proponents claim that restricting mealtimes you eat during an 8-hour window each day and fast the rest of the time helps with everything from weight loss to lowering the risk of chronic disease.

The problem with this popular method is that youre not making decisions based on how full or hungry you feel, but rather on a restricted time window a setup that can backfire in the long run if you're not careful. Here's what you need to know about 16:8 fasting before you start missing meals.

The 16:8 diet is a type of time-restricted fasting done to achieve better health or lose weight. (The 5:2 diet followed by Jimmy Kimmel, where you eat whatever you want five days a week and only consume 500 calories or less on the other two days, is also a modified form of fasting.)

On the 16:8 diet, you spend 16 hours of each day consuming nothing but unsweetened beverages like water, coffee, and tea. The remaining eight-hour window is when you eat all of your meals and snacks. Most people do this by starting a fast at night, skipping breakfast, and eating their first meal in the middle of the day. No foods are inherently off limits during that time, but some people will follow the keto diet at mealtimes to supercharge their weight loss.

While the term intermittent fasting (or IF) may be new to many of us, the practice isnt all that different from the way our ancestors likely lived: Hunt, gather, and eat during daylight; sleep and fast during darkness.

Some studies have found that theres virtually no difference between people who regularly practiced intermittent fasting and those who simply cut back their calorie intake overall.

A growing body of research demonstrates that a better strategy is optimizing the nutritional quality of what you already eat (veggies, fruit, lean protein, whole grains, and healthy fats) versus fasting or counting calories. Also, science suggests any potential benefit from fasting is quickly undone during the eating part of the cycle, in which appetite-suppressing hormones switch gears to make you feel even hungrier than you felt at baseline.

But some dieters may benefit from daily fasting if they have trouble sticking to prescribed meal plans or restrictive diets; a 2018 pilot study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Healthy Eating suggests that a 16:8 fasting plan can help obese dieters lose weight without having to count every single calorie they eat. This approach to fasting could also aid those battling other weight-related issues namely, high blood pressure. A new scholarly review published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that a 16:8 fasting plan may help the body naturally improve blood sugar regulation, as well as decrease blood pressure overall in the long run.

Forms of intermittent fasting like the 16:8 diet rely on the concept that fasting reduces oxidative stress on the body, which can decrease inflammation and the risk of chronic diseases.

Its also theorized that fasting gives your vital organs, digestive and absorptive hormones, and metabolic functions a break, according to a recent study published in Cell Metabolism. Since our bodies secrete insulin to help our cells absorb sugar, fasting is linked to reducing our susceptibility to insulin resistance over time. (High insulin levels ultimately put us at risk for a whole host of diseases.)

However, research has also linked fasting to increases in LDL cholesterol (the "bad" kind). Intermittent fasting can make you feel dizzy and nauseated and cause periods of low-blood sugar and dehydration. Despite the fact that most 16:8 enthusiasts drink water during fasting periods, it may not be enough (reminder: food itself provides quite a bit of water).

I also have a much deeper concern about the disordered eating behaviors that may arise from intermittent fasting. Research shows that fasting for a period of time followed by a limited window for eating primes you to overeat. It's a cycle that can be difficult to get out of because it impairs our body's natural hunger cues and metabolism. Restricted eating may also lead to an increased risk of depression and anxiety.

This is especially concerning for women, who have historically been more likely to develop eating disorders. The allotted periods of restriction followed by eating lends itself to binge-purge tendencies that cannot (and should not) be ignored. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, periods of fasting and binging are considered risk factors for eating disorders.

JGI/Jamie GrillGetty Images

Ultimately, it's a personal choice. But there are a few beneficial behaviors you can try without committing to the riskier elements of 16-hour fasts. The first is to better understand mindfulness and how it relates to your food choices. To get started, consider these questions when you're deciding when and what to eat:

Many of us eat based on scenario, not hunger levels. Case in point: Raise your hand if youve ever gone to the movies after dinner and suddenly wanted popcorn? Yep, me too!

By considering the moments when you eat, you may become aware of patterns you didn't notice before. Say youre a person who loves to graze during The Bachelor. If youre fasting after 8 p.m., youve automatically cut hours and subsequently, calories from your post-dinner snacking.

If you've cut out late-night snacking, that alone could help you go to bed earlier a very crucial component to any weight loss plan. Getting seven hours of sleep per night has been linked to better weight management, reduced risk of chronic disease, and improved metabolism.

The bottom line: Its simply not feasible for many of us to restrict food entirely for set periods of time in order to achieve better health. In addition to being difficult socially (who wants to skip happy hour or dinners with friends?), self-imposed rules are simply not as joyful as having the right information and making choices that empower you versus hold you back. It's best to find ways to make eating nutritious food work for you in the context of your day-to-day life. If you are considering intermittent fasting, Id encourage you to try it by starting small and keeping it as simple as possible: Close your kitchen after dinner, aim to get more sleep, and sit down for a full breakfast at your usual time tomorrow.

Read the rest here:
What Is the 16:8 Diet - Does the 16/8 Intermittent Fasting Method Work? - GoodHousekeeping.com

If theres a diet trend youve heard buzzing around the most this year, its probably this one. A typical keto diet consists of roughly 60 to 80 percent fat, 20 to 25 percent protein, and 5 to 10 percent carbs. By consuming such a high intake of fats, youre trying to induce ketosis, which is when your body has gone through its source of carbs and starts burning fat instead. Your body produces ketones and uses them as sources of energy for your brain and central nervous system.

A couple of pros to this diet are the high percentage of protein and, like paleo, the concentration on whole foods. The cons are the high percentage of fat and insufficient amount of carbs. Theres a reason why many endurance athletes lean on simple sugars, such as gummies or GUs, during long ridesthey provide energy in the form of carbs that break down quickly. Fats, on the other hand, take a lot longer to digest.

Its very inefficient, Rizzo says. It takes a lot more work for the body to break down fat and use it as fuel. Youre almost putting more work on your body than you need to because youre just not storing as much carbs in the muscle and the liver, which is known as glycogen.

The lack of carbs in the keto diet also forces you to cut back on fruits and vegetables, which are full of naturally-occurring carbs. This means youre depriving your body of nutrients it needs.

Generally speaking, youre not getting a lot of vitamins, minerals, fiber, or antioxidants, Rizzo says. That can lead to deficiencies in basic nutrients such as vitamin C or Athings that should be part of any persons diet.

These are nutrients you not only need for your everyday life, but also fuel you need in trainingespecially for the last leg of a ride or race when you need to finish strong. In those anaerobic exercises, your body cant actually burn fat because oxygen has to be present in order to do that. Therefore, fat cant give you proper fuel to help propel you across the finish line as fast as you want during a hard and fast effort.

For people who might be trying to get faster or PR in a race, its going to be a rough day for you, because your body was running on a fuel source that it wasnt really designed to, says Amy Goodson, M.S., R.D., C.S.S.D., a dietitian in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

If youre already fat-adapted and prefer to simply ride your bike at a mellow, steady state for yours, then a keto diet might work well for you. But if you plan on any HIIT workouts, charging up hills during rides, or sprinting for town lines or finish lines, then you want to avoid.

The Verdict: If youve got big goals for the bike in 2020, then keto is not for youyou just wont make it. The diet lacks carbs and fiber, thus depriving you of required nutrients, energy, and mental sharpness you need to ride your best.

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Fad Diets | Diets to Ditch in 2020 - Bicycling

Its that time of year again. Youve reveled your way through December and now youre feeling guilty about your excesses and upset that your jeans feel too snug. Its January 2020, a new day, a new year, a new you, and this timeno more junk food! Or so you promise yourself.

According to a digital poll conducted by the Insider at the end of 2018[1],nearly 50% of New Years resolutions are about dieting or healthier eating, yet the evidence shows that by the secondweek of February 80-90%[2], of these resolutions have failed. Why do we keep making well-intentioned resolutions about restricting our intake of fatty, sugary foods, and then consistently relapse? Are we stupid to continuously make such futile promises?

Sisyphean attempts to change our eating behaviors suggests that were not very good at learning. But that nod to our foolishness would be to gloss over the problems underlying why we push that rock up the dieting hill eating every January only to have it roll down on our thighs by Valentines Day. There are three main reasons for our repeated dieting failures: 1) habits, 2) the food environment, 3) our biology, and theyre all extremely hard to alter.

Firstour well-learned habits. Do you make a daily stop for a pastry or milk-shake latt on your way to work? Do you mindlessly snack at your desk? Do you automatically say yes to fries with that sandwich? In order to change our eating behavior we first have to figure out what our bad eating habits are, which is not so easy. Then we have to break the mold on all those automatic routines. This means crushing habits from breakfast to our midnight snack, at home, work and play. Put this in the face of the fact that a central reason why changing behaviors so often fails is that people try to change too much at once. For best success, we need to make a list and slowly tackle one bad habit at a time. This itself is a tedious task, which only adds to the burden of restricting our eating. Eating is among the greatest pleasures of existence and we have to do it fairly constantly. This means that if we make eating unpleasant we wont give up eating, well give up making it unpleasant.

Next, is our perilous food environment. Even if you dont have much money (in fact its worse if you dont have much money), unhealthy food is more accessible than fresh fruit, vegetables, and fish. Our Western eating environment offers a plethora of relatively inexpensive, high calorie, delicious options with very minimal effort involved in getting any of it. You dont even need to leave your couch except to answer the doorbell for that UberEats delivery. There is a large scholarly literature on everything from portion size, to fast food availability, to how we eat (constant snacking, eating on the run or in your car), and how much we eat (a lot), and you will find many studies demonstrating the ways in which the modern eating environment undermines our health and waistlines. But you already know that. The point is that the new normal food environment makes changing our eating patterns, portions, and passions very difficult to thwart.

Finally, there is our innate biology.We did not evolve in a landscape of Starbucks and MacDonalds. Rather, until relatively recently having enough food to eat was a rare luxury, and there are still societies where famine is a real and present danger. Because we may have to go for days or more without sufficient sustenance, when we encounter calorie-dense foodsthe best kinds are fatty, and carbohydrates-- the best form of easy energy, our biology dictates that we eat as much as we can so that we can survive to find the next meal. We are programmed to love fatty, high carbohydrate foods. To counteract these impulses is to work against millions of years of evolution.

Our food habits rewire our neural circuits for pleasure and reward, our food environment reinforces our food habits, and our innate biological motivations shape our enabling food environments. So, yes, we are stupid to think that intoning a promise to eat less rich, alluring food when faced with such huge obstacles will be successful. But we are not stupid to keep on trying, because each attempt teaches us about ourselves and potentially one step closer to a better relationship with food. The key is to realize that atthe heart of both our good and bad eating behaviors is the motivation to survive and experience pleasure, which is smart indeed.

Originally posted here:
Are We Stupid to Make Dieting a New Years Resolution? - Psychology Today

My number one tip would be to make sure that youre including some plant-based protein in your diet each week. So, instead of having meat or chicken at every meal, replace it with some plant-based alternatives like legumes or tofu two or three times a week, she says.

Several studies have shown people who eat a diet high in plant-based foods and low in animal-based foods have a lower body mass index (BMI) and lower rates of obesity than those who eat meat. In fact, one recent study found even moderate adherence to a vegetarian diet could prevent obesity in middle age.

Meanwhile, a small 2018 study found a plant-based diet was highly effective in treating obesity. In the study, researchers put 75 people who were overweight or obese on either a vegan diet or a controlled diet, which contained meat. After 16 weeks, only the vegan group showed significant weight loss (6.5 kilograms). The plant-based group also lost more fat mass.

While Ms McGrice is not suggesting we should all become vegans, replacing some of your meat-based meals with plant-based ones is an achievable weight loss strategy.

Many have dubbed this approach the flexitarian diet, or a semi-vegetarian diet, with a focus on eating healthy plant-based foods while still enjoying meat products in moderation.

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While there are many benefits to substituting meat-based protein with plant-based proteins, from a weight loss perspective, plant-based proteins contain far less calories. So, for example, a serving of a 100 gram fillet steak is 745 kilojoules, compared to say the same quantity of lentils, which is only 323 kilojoules," Ms McGrice explains.

"So, by making a pretty simple change, people can start seeing some good results."

Sydney personal trainer Ricardo Riskalla says medium intensity workouts with a variety of cardio and body weight exercises are key to losing weight.

The days of boot camps with people vomiting on the side has gone, he says. Rather, the most effective exercise routine, is one that includes variety, rest days and doesnt make you push your yourself to the maximum limit to avoid creating more stress in the body.

While recent studies have highlighted the benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for weight loss, these studies look at the short-term benefits, not the long-term results.

Mr Riskalla argues a gentler approach to exercise means you are more likely to stick to it.

At the end of day we must think about the longevity of the fitness routine and when pleasure is involved I guarantee you will stick to it for a long time, he says.

The best routine for weight loss is medium intensity, long duration which involves body weight exercises (strength training exercises that use the individual's own weight to provide resistance against gravity) performed in a high number of repetitions.

In my experience hardcore routines are dropped after a few weeks. Also, the variety of body weight exercises are endless, giving people great variation, which doesnt happen when exercising on machines. In terms of aesthetics, I also see more harmonious bodies with body weight exercises, and they are my go-to when working with actors and models.

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When it comes to how often people should exercise, Mr Riskalla recommends following a progressive routine.

For example, if you never exercised and want to lose weight, start with walking once a week for one hour, then in the second week go twice a week and so on.

Exercises should also follow what we call periodisation, he says: some weeks must be harder than others in order to allow muscles to recover and to not create a burn-out situation.

"Above all, my recommendation is to never push yourself to a ridiculous number of hours daily. The old belief of 'the more, the better' is not applicable."

Associate Professor Kieron Rooney, a metabolic biochemistry researcher from the University of Sydney, says removing the junk sources of carbohydrates from your diet can be life-changing for those wanting to lose weight in 2020.

"[Carbohydrates] are the most potent stimulator of insulin which stimulates the synthesis of fat and the storage of fat," he says.

However, not everyone should jump on the ultra-low-carb keto (ketogenic) diet that restricts carbohydrate intake to no more than 20 or 50 grams per day (compared with the average daily intake of about 300 to 400 grams).

You dont have to go that far, he says. I was part of a research group that had people down to 140 grams (of carbohydrates a day), which was a diet that still included bread and potatoes and a bit of pasta and people still lost weight.

A more moderate approach to cutting carbohydrates, particularly from ultra-processed sources is more achievable and maintainable in the long term.

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What you want to do is look for the junk sources of carbohydrates. So you can have a little bit of toast. Im ok with that. And you can have a little bit of pasta even, and rice, most certainly. But to get away with that, youve got to make sure that youre not also having the cake at morning tea or the muffin on the way home from work or the biscuits that are floating around your workspace because when you put that stuff in on top, thats when you start overloading your system."

Associate Professor Rooney adds that reducing your carbohydrate intake will also help you burn more fat when you exercise.

We can put people on a bike in the lab and if youre eating over 200 grams of carbs a day you are burning far less fat up to half the amount than an individual who is eating less than 200 grams of carbs a day for the same amount of exercise.

Associate Professor Rooney advises people to look at the NOVA food classification system, which categorises foods according to how processed they are, to help remove unnecessary carbohydrates from their diet.

You should be aiming to remove as much of the processed and ultra-processed foods as possible as well as liquid sugars, such as juice and cordial and soft drinks which are particularly bad, he says.

He says a moderate approach to reducing your carbohydrate intake by eliminating processed and ultra-processed foods and drinks is more likely to ensure that you not only lose the weight but keep it off in the long term.

Rachel covers general and breaking news for The Age.

Excerpt from:
If you really must lose weight in 2020 these experts' strategies may help - Sydney Morning Herald

From the GOLO diet to JLos healthy eating plan (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Fad diets pop up on a regular basis, many of which are unhelpful and downright ridiculous.

If youre considering dieting, remember the golden rule: its not about starving yourself, and as with any lifestyle change, take care before making drastic changes to your food intake.

In the last year, weve explored the CICO diet (calories in, calories out), the milk diet (where you just drink milk every day, for four weeks please dont ) and carb cycling (which staggers the amount of carbohydrates that you consume).

We also investigated why ultra-processed foods are bad for us, how to make an easy Keto dinner and how the low FODmap diet can help those who suffer from IBS.

As its the end of the year, Google has just released searches for the most popular diets of 2019 and the results might surprise you.

Here are the diets that made the cut, and what theyre all about.

Intermittent fasting is technically not a diet, but an eating plan. It revolves around time restriction its not about what you eat, but when you eat it.

While there are many versions to choose from, the most popular tend to be 16:8 or 5:2.

With 16:8 you can eat during an eight-hour period, but outside of this time you are only allowed to consume non-calorie drinks. It has likely seen a boost after 50-year-old actress Jennifer Aniston, known for her toned frame, revealed that she follows this diet to keep her body in shape.

Meanwhile, 5:2 is focused on days; five days per week you have a normal diet, while only consuming 500 calories on the two other days. However, the time restriction is not set in stone; you can adjust the hours and days to suit your body type and needs.

The eating plan is meant to be help you get lean without having to restrict your food intake to specific foods, and some studies have shown that it can boost the bodys metabolism.

As the name suggests, this diet was named after a man called Dr Sebi, also known as Alfredo Darrington Bowman.

The herbalist developed an alkaline diet, which he believed would rid the body of mucus build-up and cleanse it.

This diet involves only consuming live and raw foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices. Essentially, everything that youd find in a Whole Foods isle.

Canned goods are a no-no, as are any animal products, soy, alcohol and fortified items (like cereals). You could also consider it a (very restricted) vegan diet.

Many high-profile celebrities who support the alkaline diet, including Victoria Beckham and Kate Hudson.

There has been some controversy around this diet. Dr Sebi claimed it could cure Aids, as well as various forms of cancer and other illnesses, but there has been no evidence to support this.

Similarly, a man named Robert Young, who claims to have invented the alkaline diet, has been convicted of two charges of practising medicine without a license.

Make of that what you will, but if youre going to restrict your diet to such an extent, its best to chat to a qualified nutritionist or medical professional first.

Noom is also not technically a diet, but actually a weight loss app that offers two programmes; healthy weight loss and one that is tailored for diabetes prevention.

It utilises a traffic light system to tell you which foods are healthy, and which to avoid or eat less of. Once you sign up, you will also be paired with your very own health coach.

So, does it work? Medical News Today reviewed Noom earlier this year, and highlighted several studies which demonstrated mixed results, most quite successful.

For instance, a study from 2016 revealed that out of 38,921 Noom users, 77.9% lost weight with the help of the app. The app also contains features to help you monitor your weight loss, in order to keep you on track, and it was found that those who kept on top of this saw more consistent weight loss.

Now for the downside: Noom focuses on calories, rather than nutrients. As users cant check this in the app, it might be more difficult for them to ensure their body gets everything it needs, including vitamins, minerals and fats.

Whats more, according to MNT, not all Noom coaches are certified with the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching.

Youll also have to pay to use the app.

Heres the thing with calories: there are many factors that determine how many you are meant to consume each day so there is no one setting that works for all people.

This is dependent on your weight, height and how active you are on a day-to-day basis. By eating less calories, the stored fat in your body can burn off, but once again, counting calories often means that you forget about nutrients which are essential.

You need to get a certain amount of calcium and protein, vitamins and magnesium, and tailor the diet to your needs (i.e. the amount of calories yourbody needs). As an example, a lack of magnesium can lead to nausea, vomiting and fatigue, among other ailments.

According to a report by Public Health England in 2017, Brits should consume 1,800 calories per day. Prior to this announcement, this was recommended at 2,000 calories per day for women, and 2,500 for men.

This is only a guideline so speak to a personal trainer with nutritionist training or other professional to look over your personal diet, and how many calories you should stick to.

The GOLO diet has lost popularity; in 2016, it was the most searched weight loss method of the year.

It essentially revolves around insulin, and was put together by a team of experts including Jennifer Brooks, a chef who is board-certified in holistic nutrition and psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow, among others.

Those who wish to embark on the GOLO lifestyle needs to sign up on the website, and take part in the rescue programme which is said to repair your metabolism, balance hormone levels and achieve sustainable weight loss over the course of 30, 60 or 90 days.

This is done in three steps: calorie-reduction (around 1,300 to 1,800 per day), exercise and taking the GOLO Release supplement.

The latter is meant to be the defining element of the diet, which is perhaps unsurprising, given its trademarked and means customers need to come back or stick to GOLO to get access to it again.

GOLOs website boasts that many doctors are supportive of the diet, as well as glowing recommendations from users, but take this with a pinch of salt: self-promotion is easy. There is also not much in the way of studies to support the method i.e. that the supplement is of added benefit to people who are already managing a healthy diet and exercising.

Then again, the dietary plan in itself is quite inclusive, with a good level of nutrients included. Allowed foods include: fresh meats, fruits, vegetables, andhealthy fatsand of course fresh breads, pasta, and butter, according to the website.

It was created by reality TV star Heather Dubrow from The Real Housewives of Orange Country and her partner, plastic surgeon to the rich and famous, Dr Terry Dubrow.

There are three phases, each with a ,er, interesting names : red carpet ready, summer is coming and look hot while living like a human.

In short, this diet consists of intermittent fasting, but where it differs from the version weve explained above, this one includes dietary restrictions. Approved foods include vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats. You also need to consider how much you consume, and avoid processed foods.

On the plus side, alcohol is allowed.

Be cautious, as the couple claims their plan will activate the anti-aging ability found in your cells and have apparently compared this process, known as autophagy, to plastic surgery.

Once again, add a pinch of salt to this diet.

The Sirtfood diet allows dark chocolate, caffeine and red wine. OK, thats not all you need to know, but its a pretty great benefit, as far as diets go.

Heres why its OK: these foods contain sirtuin activators which are said to improve metabolism, and in turn, help you lose weight, as well as reverse aging. Sirt foods, as they are known, include the aforementioned delights, as well as berries, kale, matcha green tea, walnuts, rocket, strawberries, soy, and more.

As for the diet itself, there are two steps to follow.

During the first step, which consists of seven days, you only consume 1,000 calories per day (see 1,200 calories above for why this can cause problems). You are only permitted to eat one meal, which must feature a lot of sirt foods, as well as three green juices. This lasts for three days.

For the remaining four days, you can have 1,500 calories, including two sirtfood dishes, and one more juice (yay?) per day. During phase two, you can have three meals and one green juice per day.

Authors of the book about the Sirtfood diet claim it can turn on your skinny gene. Were not thrilled about this term to begin with, but there is also very little research to support it.

This diet has been around for a while in one shape or another, but its been revived this year (it last made Googles list in 2015).

Back then, it was referred to as the zero carb diet, and it has proven popular with celebrities.

Its pretty much what it says on the tin: no carbs, no sugar. However, not all people who use this diet completely limit themselves; some will have a small carb intake, while others cut it out completely.

That means no pasta, refined grains, bread, starchy vegetables, milk or fruits (which have natural sugar). Instead, youll be munching on fish, eggs, cheese, water and tea.

Heres the problem: carbohydrates fuel our bodies. They are broken down into glucose, which is then used by our muscles and our brain.

If you cut out carbs and sugar completely, energy levels will drop and you may feel tired, and suffer from low blood sugar.

It sounds a bit alien-like, but endmorphs are not from another planet.

The phrase was introduced by William Sheldon, a psychologist in the 40s, who outlined it as one of three body types. The two others are called ectomorphic and mesomorphic.

According to him, endomorphs have a lower metabolism, due to having a bigger bone structure, less muscle and carrying more fat in the bodies.

The main aspect of the endomorph diet is to avoid refined carbs and eat healthy fats from proteins and nuts, as well as carbohydrates, vegetables and whole-grain foods. This is intertwined with a mix of cardio and strength training.

Exercise and healthy eating, basically.

Were not all that surprised that JLo has made the list, after showing off her toned physique in Hustlers earlier this year.

While her character might be out partying and doing tequila shots on the regular, youll have no such fun on Jennifers diet. Alcohol and caffeine are strictly forbidden, as are sweets, processed and starchy foods.

If you need a snack, reach for the fruit bowl or munch on some vegetables. Other foods that JLo likes include fish, sweet potatoes and brown rice. Nutrients are key, with the actress and singer focusing on stuffing as much vitamins and minerals into her diet as possible.

But its not just about food she also works out on a regular basis.

All in all, it appears to be a pretty healthy approach, though theres nothing wrong in indulging in a cheat day now and again.

JLo, sometimes we need cake and tequila shots, OK?

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The most popular diets of 2019 revealed - Metro.co.uk

For months, Juna Gjata, the co-host of WBUR's new podcast, "Food, We Need To Talk," asked every eating expert she interviewed the same question: "If you could tell people to change only one thing that would have the biggest impact on their health for the rest of their lives, what would it be?"

Their expertise ranged from nutrition to metabolism to how super-tasty foods affect the brain. She expected them to answer with pointers like "eat more vegetables," or "increase your protein," or "cut down on the cheesecake."

But, limited to just one recommendation for lifelong health, none of them focused on food. All had the same answer: just exercise.

And several focused on one particular type: resistance exercise also known as strength training as the best benefit for the least amount of time.

So, with 2020 just around the corner, here's an edited preview of an upcoming episode of "Food, We Need To Talk," with the hope it might help inform your New Year's resolution thinking. Juna is joined by her co-host, Dr. Eddie Phillips, founder of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine.

They begin by looking back at Juna's old misconception about exercise as simply a way to burn off calories on the treadmill. Eddie notes that actually, the most important thing about exercise is that it increases and maintains muscle mass.

Juna: I asked Dr. Wayne Westcott, director of the Exercise Science Program and Fitness Research Program at Quincy College, why is having high muscle mass so important?

Westcott: Great question. Muscle not only burns calories and uses energy when you're active; when you're at rest, muscle also burns lots of energy so much energy that it makes up about 30% of your resting metabolic rate. When you're sound asleep at night, your muscles burn 30% of your calories.

Juna: Your resting metabolic rate that's basically all the calories your body burns when you're doing nothing lying down, sleeping, breathing.

Eddie: Right, just keeping the lights on. And it becomes even more important as we get older, because the natural course of events is to actually lose muscle mass. Our metabolism just slows down. And the way that we raise our metabolism is not green tea supplements or apple cider vinegar shots there's no science backing them. There's lots of science, though, for good, old-fashioned exercise.

Juna: So we should hit the treadmill?

Eddie: Well, not so fast. Not all exercise is created equal. Cardiovascular exercise like on the treadmill is really great for your heart, your lungs, your brain and your stress levels. But if you actually want to build your muscles, you've got to do what we call resistance training. That's the scientific term for lifting weights, using bands, your body weight, anything that stresses your muscles. It's also called strength training.

Juna: Honestly, the reason that I never got into it was because it really doesn't look like it burns that many calories. Lifting weights just looked so chill. I didn't think it would do anything.

Eddie: If you're just counting calories, Juna, you're absolutely right. You're not burning a lot of calories to lift those weights. But your body actually has to remodel itself after you've stressed it, and that takes even more calories.

Juna: That was the coolest thing that I ever learned about exercise: Basically, a human being is an adaptation machine. We're meant to adapt to the stresses we put our body through. So if you go out in the sun, your skin gets tan to prepare for the next time you're in the sun. Or if you're doing really laborious work with your hands, they grow calluses. That's how fitness podcaster Sal Di Stefano talks about exercise, and it's what finally got through to me.

Di Stefano: When you do lots of cardio, where you just get on a treadmill and jog, jog, jog, or you get on an elliptical and go forever, the body is getting a couple of different messages. It's getting the message, "We need stamina and endurance." And it burns a significant amount of calories, so we probably want to become more efficient. We don't need much strength. So, a great way to become more efficient at calories is to pare down muscle.

Eddie: So if you're picturing who's going to win the next marathon, you know what they look like. They're going to be slim. They're going to have near zero fat on them. Small and just fast. They're not carrying a lot of extra muscle mass around.

Juna: Exactly. On the other hand, resistance training sends a pretty different message.

Di Stefano: Resistance training doesn't burn a ton of calories when you do it, but it is sending the signal to your body that's saying, "We'd better build more muscle and more strength to be able to handle this stress." Because when you lift weights, that's what you're doing: stressing the body. It's why you get sore. So your body's OK with becoming less efficient with calories. It's OK with speeding up its metabolism because you're constantly telling your body, "We just need to be stronger."

Eddie: And when you're doing that resistance training, it's not just building up the muscles. It's actually that the muscles that you have become even more metabolically active. Here's how Wayne Westcott describes it.

Westcott: People who don't strength train, if they run or walk or swim or bike, their muscles burn about six calories per pound per day, which is great. That's a lot. People who do strength training, their muscles burn, at rest, nine calories per pound per day, 50 percent more. Resting metabolic rate increases when people strength train by between 5% and 9%, the average being seven in almost all the studies. That's huge in terms of maintaining a better body weight, and sustaining your body weight, which is the biggest issue in the United States.

Eddie: Seven percent doesn't sound like a lot. But it adds up to about 250 calories a day. That still doesn't sound like a lot, but over the course of a year, it's 20 pounds' worth of calories.

Juna: And Wayne Westcott found in his studies that when people diet down and they're not doing any exercise, they're just dieting they'll lose muscle and fat. So you're not just losing fat. You're losing muscle, too. Now, if you're anything like me, your natural inclination when you diet is to also run your little butt off on the treadmill.

Westcott: It increases the fat loss. But guess what? It also increases the muscle loss significantly. It exacerbates the aging process of losing muscle. When they do strength training plus diet, they lose the least muscle and they lose the most fat.

Eddie: So resistance training is perhaps the best exercise to use if you're trying to lose fat.

Westcott: In our studies, the average person loses about one pound of fat per month when they strength train, and they add about one pound of muscle per month. So the body weight tends to stay the same. And people say, kind of surprised, "Well, I haven't lost weight, but I'm wearing different pant sizes, or dress sizes. You know, and my waist is smaller, my hips are smaller." Well, that's because muscle is more compact, more dense than fat. If we didn't have scales, just had full length mirrors, people would do a much better job of deciding what kind of exercise they should do or not do.

Eddie: But we're not just talking about resistance training. We still want everyone to be doing their 150 minutes a week of exercise that raises your heart rate. It's going to take care of other problems your risk of diabetes, of osteoporosis, of cancer are all going to plummet the more active you are. You're going to live longer and live better. And in the meantime, psychologically, there's no medicine like exercise.

Juna: That is what I find to be the best part about going to the gym, for sure. The stronger I feel in the gym, the stronger I feel outside the gym, too.

Eddie: Also, the physiologic effects of starting to lift weights actually come much quicker than just going on the treadmill. For patients who have obesity, we start with resistance exercise. And the psychological benefit comes very quickly when you realize that you can and will get better from a little bit of hard work. And you really don't have to do that much exercise to get the most results. Which is good news for a lot of us, because the time intrusion of exercise is still what gets most people not to start and not to continue. And remember, what we're trying to do is get people to change in small ways, and to commit to changes that they're going to enjoy and do for the rest of their lives. It's not a 12-week beach body challenge. And the research shows that with the resistance training that we've talked about, two or maybe three times a week is all you need. And a half hour at a time, you're going to see those dramatic results. It's almost like an inoculation. It's just enough to get your muscles moving.

Juna: So what's best to do at the gym?

Eddie: If you want a simple answer? Shameless plug: Listen to The Magic Pill [the previous season of this podcast.] But if you only had one exercise to do, I would say squatting. Get the proper form. Up and down off of your chair, just to strengthen your legs, get into your core. You're also going to work your arms, by doing a little bit of pushups. If you can't do them on the floor, do them against the the edge of a table. And you're going to work your core. If you do that, your life has already changed. If you're overweight, the best thing you can do to carry that weight until hopefully you lose it is to make your muscles stronger. That then is going to take the stress off of your joints. Get some guidance. This is not something that everyone knows how to do. So if you can, find a trainer or use YouTube videos.

Juna: And if you feel self-conscious about the gym, here's what Sal Di Stefano says:

Di Stefano: I'll tell you something right now: One of the most empowering things you could do is overcome a fear like that. Nobody knows what they're doing at first. Nobody cares. People who work out couldn't care less that there's other people working out at the gym. Just go to the gym, put your headphones on and go take care yourself and don't let anything stop you, especially fear. Start small. Go easy. Once you start to get used to going to the gym, you start to find yourself getting stronger. You're going to be a more empowered individual.

You can subscribe to "Food, We Need To Talk" here. The American College of Sports Medicine has a new infographic on resistance training here.

Go here to read the rest:
A Funny Thing Happened When We Asked Nutrition Experts For One Piece Of Advice - WBUR

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