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When MMA fighters meet in the cage, they attempt to knock their opponent out with an array of punches, kicks, knees and elbows, or force them to tap out with painful submission holds from chokes to armbars. However, theres a mandatory part of the sport that is arguably more dangerous than the fight itself: weight-cutting.

Fighters must make a certain weight one day before they compete in order to meet their respective weight class requirements. To do so, they cut weight, which entails artificial rapid weight loss through dehydrating themselves and sucking water out of their bodies in the days leading up to a fight. Fighters who fail to make weight are deemed to be unprofessional by fans and fellow fighters and are fined roughly 20 percent of their fight purse.

Its not an easy process. Between dieting from about a couple months before the fight to sweating out their water just days before, fighters routinely lose around 2535 lbs. Mixed martial artists have different reasons for cutting weight, but nutritionists, physicians, doctors and coaches regard extreme weight-cutting as an unsafe practice that constantly occurs in the sport of MMA. The process, if botched, has led to unconsciousness, kidney failure, hospitalization or even death for some of these athletes.

Between weigh-ins and fight time, fighters strategically rehydrate and regain most of the weight they lost in order to tip the scales at their weight class limit. For example, a welterweight who weighed 170 on Friday evening will be 190 on Saturday night. This has become the norm in all levels of MMA, different from when former fighter Ren Dreifuss competed on the New York regional circuit from 2004 to 2007 at 155 lbs.

Weight-cutting has become an essential part of the strategy to win, said Dreifuss. At 49, he is the head coach of Radical MMA in Manhattan and instructs a few amateur mixed martial artists. At this point in MMA, it is something that you cannot avoid. Its a dirty aspect of the sport.

Dreifuss said he walked around at 165 lbs., as most of his fights had either same-day weigh-ins or no weigh-ins.

Its an integral part of fight strategy right now, but it is also something that Im really conflicted about, Dreifuss said. I want my fighters to be safe. Obviously, we have to cut weight, but I really almost dont want them to do it. Were in this weird place where we have to.

In todays MMA landscape, fighters who dont fight at a certain weight class face a size disadvantage. With skill-level being equal, size can be the determining factor in a fight to the point where the consensus is that fighters reach their natural weight classaftercutting weight.

Ashley Cummins, a 32-year-old fighter for Invicta Fighting Championships, used to compete at strawweight (115 lbs.) in hopes that shed manage to break into the UFC. The lowest womens weight class the UFC has is strawweight, which meant Cummins had to compete against women naturally bigger than her to try and reach her goal.

She came close but lost via technical knockout to Lanchana Green on UFC reality show The Ultimate Fighter back in January 2016. Green was visibly the bigger fighter during the bout. After Cummins used her grappling to dominate the first round, Green was able to use her size and strength advantages to keep the fight standing in the second frame. Green delivered crushing knees that broke Cummins ribs, and Cummins lost her shot to reach the UFC.

That wasnt Cummins first time suffering an injury in a fight against a woman bigger than her. In her first career loss in October 2012, Cummins vision went out on the first punch landed by her opponent, Joanne Calderwood. She fought on but was TKOd a few minutes after. Cummins successfully underwent surgery to repair three broken orbital bones under her right eye.

She continued fighting at strawweight, but suffered three more losses in a row, including the eventual exhibition bout against Green. Then holding a 33 record after starting her career at 30, Cummins realized she needed to drop down a weight class to 105 lbs. atomweight.

I was just too small for the 115 lbs. division, Cummins, who is 52, said. Every girl I fought was a lot taller, wider and stronger than me. I had the technique to hang with these girls, but I was getting out-powered size-wise. I knew if I wanted to continue in the pro level of the sport, Id have to go to atomweight.

Smashley has since gone 32 as an atomweight, not including a win at a 110-lb. fight during her transition between the two weight classes. She holds out hope the UFC will add atomweight to its ranks so that she can finally accomplish her lifelong dream of fighting for the promotion but is chasing the Invicta atomweight championship in the meantime.

The fact I know Im fighting someone my size, I feel more powerful and that I can control the fight better, Cummins said. I can dominate more positions I couldnt at a heavier weight class.

While Cummins moved down to atomweight, Calderwood has since moved up to compete in the UFCs 125-lb. division. Cummins said she surprisingly has an easier cut to 105 than she did to 115 thanks to an improved diet and working with her nutritionist, Teri Howell. Cummins is naturally around 120123 lbs.

Jordan Dowdy, a professional MMA fighter competing on the Midwest regional scene, finds himself between two weight classes: 170 and 185. Dowdy, 33, is 61 and about 200 lbs. Top-tier middleweights are generally in the 62 range and weigh around 215. Dowdy said hes considered big for welterweight but small for middleweight. As a result, he can compete at middleweight on the regional scene against less-skilled competition but said he would have to drop down to welterweight if he wanted to compete for larger promotions. Hes not thrilled by the concept.

I think its archaic and outdated, Dowdy said of weight-cutting. I think originally, it was a way to make sure people were on the same page. People are getting so good at weight-cutting, the weight-cut is turning into the fight.

While fighters like Cummins and Dowdy cut weight to avoid being at a size disadvantage, some fighters discovered they were cutting more weight than necessary, which was not conducive to good fight performances. James Krause, a 62 UFC fighter who naturally weighs in the low-190s, used to compete at lightweight (155 lbs.), a weight class he was big in. However, in many of his recent fights, Krause has since moved up to welterweight, where he intends to compete going forward.

Krause, 33, pointed out past performances at lightweight and welterweight as case studies for weight classes in which he feels better competing. In January 2018, Krause fought Alex White in a lightweight bout and won a very close unanimous decision.

I think that fight speaks for itself, Krause said. I fought like shit. I fought terrible. I think I was just stuck. I just felt slow, lethargic. I felt terrible to be honest with you.

He then fought in August as a welterweight against Warlley Alves, a tough Brazilian prospect with a handful of good wins Colby Covington, Alan Jouban and Nordine Taleb to name a few. Krause finished Alves with a second-round TKO with knees and punches. It marked Krauses first win via strikes since May 2014 against Jamie Varner. He followed the Alves win up with a knockout of Sergio Moraes also at 170.

After un-objectively looking back, I legitimately perform better at 170 than I do at 155, Krause said. My cardio was great, my movement was good, my mind was good, I was having fun.

Krause said he had more trouble making 155 against White than earlier in his career and attributed it to being older, having a family and the fact that hes been a professional fighter since 2007. He added that hes not as strong at welterweight compared to lightweight, but he makes up for that by being even faster in his new weight class.

Krause isnt the only UFC fighter whos felt better in the Octagon since moving up a weight class. Louis Smolka, 28, moved up from flyweight (125 lbs.) to bantamweight (135 lbs.) and won his debut fight against Su Mudaerji via armbar. While the reasons for that were the UFCs looming shutdown of its mens flyweight division and Smolka taking the fight on short notice, he said he felt faster and more explosive since he wasnt depleting himself to make 125.

If the weight class was 124, I couldnt make it, Smolka said.

Alex Minor, a 27-year-old martial artist, said he cut roughly 20 lbs. down to 156 for a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu match earlier in 2018. He said after his cut, he felt woozy, weak and lacked energy.

You definitely dont feel like your body is operating optimally, Minor said.

Fighters are some of the most physically and mentally tough athletes on the planet; its almost a prerequisite in their line of work. Extreme weight-cutting, however, causes them a great deal of both physical and mental anguish. Cris Cyborg Justino, whos 34 and the former UFC womens featherweight champion, is shown in her 2016 biographical documentary film CYBORG to be crying and suffering while attempting to make 140 lbs for a UFC catchweight bout before the UFC created a womens featherweight division. She now competes in Bellator and is fighting for the featherweight crown against Julia Budd.

Dowdy, who cuts roughly 28 lbs. to hit the welterweight limit, detailed some of the physical and mental hurdles he encounters during his weight cuts. In order to lose weight before his water cut, Dowdy cuts his carbohydrate intake while controlling his portions, which he admitted makes him feel like crap. He says watching his emotions is then key, because being angry or stressed can negatively impact a weight cut.

However, the water-cutting part of the weight-cut is where Dowdy said it gets terrible. He starts to lose a bit of his vision and wants to slam every piece of food and liquid around him. He cuts roughly 15 lbs. of water after dieting down to about 185, which equates to nearly two gallons.

I should probably be hospitalized at that point, Dowdy said.

There have been suggestions from the MMA sphere that promotions abolish their 170-lb. weight classes and introduce 165 and 175, which Dowdy said he would love.

Those last five pounds are where all those voices in your head come in like, Fuck this. This is the last time Im ever doing this. I dont know why I do this. This is the dumbest thing we do. I cant wait til this parts over.

Adam Cella, 34, is a pro fighter who competed on the Midwest regional scene and is a former UFC member. He used to compete at welterweight but finished the last few years of his career at middleweight. When Cella, who is 62 and walks around at 205 lbs., used to cut to 170, he cut roughly 17 lbs. of water. Cella explained trying to lose 10 lbs. of that weight on Thursday night before Friday evenings weigh-ins, pointing out the final seven lbs. are more difficult to get off.

The weight isnt going to come off as easily because youve already put your body in a state of shock by sucking 10 lbs. of water out of it, Cella said. Youre extremely thirsty, youre weak, youre kind of delusional a little bit because youre starting to get spacey. Mentally, its defeating. Ill just say, Fuck it, Ill be heavy, I dont care. Ill have someone with me to motivate me.

If these fighters accounts of weight-cutting make it sound dangerous, thats because it is. Dr. Frederick Kaplan, an internist based on Long Island, said severe weight-cutting through dehydration can cause a myriad of problems for the body. Kidney failure, weakened muscles, and lowered blood pressure, which decreases blood flow to the bodys organs, are all potential risks of extreme dehydration. Sodium and potassium levels can be altered to dangerous levels, which can cause confusion, seizures or rhythm problems.

None of the functions of the brain will work as well, Kaplan said. Your speech may be a little off, your perception, your vision, your hearing. You can pass out or fall into a coma.

MMA fighters make weight dozens of times throughout their careers, and if not done safely, Kaplan said there could be potential long-term effects especially on ones kidneys.

It depends on whether theres damage to any of the organs, Kaplan said. You may not be able to measure it at the time, but it can add up. These people are having high protein diets which is a strain on the kidneys. And then theyre dehydrating which is a strain on the kidneys. So, every time they knock off a few more kidney cells, they can be closer to kidney failure.

According to apost by the Heart and Vascular Institute on UPMC, lower blood flow to the heart from dehydration can cause palpitations. Nicole Cutler, a certified specialist with the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association,wrote on LiverSupport.comthat not drinking enough water can increase the bloods thickness and make it harder for the liver to perform its detoxification abilities.

A lot of fights at the highest level of the sport have been cancelled as a result of a fighter struggling with a weight cut and being hospitalized.

Nicco Montano, 31, was supposed to defend her UFC flyweight title against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 228 on Sept. 8, 2018. Instead, the UFC medical team decided she had to cease cutting weight and that she required medical attention due to issues regarding her kidney function. Montano was hospitalized and stripped of her UFC title, which Shevchenko claimed against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231 on Dec. 8, 2018.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, 31, was slated to fight Tony Ferguson for the UFC interim lightweight championship at UFC 209 back on March 4, 2017. However, the bout was cancelled when Nurmagomedov was taken to a hospital hours before the Friday morning weigh-in after experiencing undisclosed issues during his weight cut. Nurmagomedov was released from the hospital that same day but was deemed medically uncleared to fight.

I feel I almost died, Nurmagomedovtold then-MMAFighting.com reporter Ariel Helwanion his old podcast, The MMA Hour.

Nurmagomedov has gone on to make 155 lbs without much issue four times since UFC 209, defeating Al Iaquinta for the lightweight title and defending it against Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier in the process.

Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao, 32, was set to fight T.J. Dillashaw in a rematch for the title at UFC 177 on August 30, 2014. Barao fainted during the weight cut to 135 lbs., and Dillashaw defended his title against promotional newcomer Joe Soto instead.

Barao weighed as much as 160 lbs. on UFC Fight Night 88 fight week in May 2016 when attempting to cut to 145 lbs for his UFC featherweight debut,according to ESPNs Brett Okamoto. Barao, after starting his MMA career at 322, has since gone 27 since fainting at UFC 177.

Aspen Ladd was visibly shaking on the scale after making the bantamweight limit for her bout against Germaine de Randamie in July 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 13. After showing up to weigh-ins at 135 lbs, Ladd weighed 159 lbs the next night at fight-time, Yahoo! reported. She gained more than 17 percent of her body weight in a day.

Conor McGregor, while never missing weight, used to cut to 145, where he served as UFC champion. He has since fought at 155 and 170. Anthony Rumble Johnson, a longtime light heavyweight contender, used to cut to the welterweight limit. He is now considering a return at heavyweight.

While those examples of fighters experiencing weight-cutting issues led to cancelled UFC title fights, there are many more examples of fighters missing weight and looking dreadful stepping on the scale while doing it. However, in some cases, fighters have died due to extreme weight cuts.

Jessica Lindsay died from extreme dehydration in November 2017 at the age of 18. She was cutting weight to reach the 142-lb. limit for her second amateur Muay Thai fight when she collapsed while running near her gym in Perth, Australia,according to Perth Now. It was 30 minutes before Lindsay was supposed to weigh in for the bout. Doctors placed Lindsay in a coma, which she never came out of. Four days later, her family took her off life support.

Chinese professional mixed martial artist Yang Jian Bing, 21, died of severe dehydration and a potential heatstroke after cutting weight to fight Geje Eustaquio at 125 lbs. at ONE Championship 35 in December 2015. The fight was cancelled by the promotion one day before Bings death due to dehydration from the weight cut. He collapsed on the morning of Dec. 10, 2015 and was hospitalized at the San Juan De Dios Hospital in Pasay, Philippines, according to astatement from ONE Championship. He died the next day due to cardiopulmonary failure. The fight was supposed to take place on Dec. 11, 2015 in Manila, Philippines.

Rondel Clark died three days after his second amateur MMA fight, which was held August 12, 2017. He was 26. Clark, who walked around as heavy as 230 lbs. before working out to lose weight according to his sister, Tanigh Clark, cut down to the welterweight limit of 170 for his Cage Titans 35 fight against Ryan Dunn in Plymouth, MA. The narrator of a video on Clarks death made by Books Media saidClark had nearly 10 lbs. to cut the night before the weigh-in. To cut weight, Tanigh said her brother worked out a lot and cut weight in a hot tub.

We want to make sure that nobody ever goes through what we went through and what Rondel went through

Clark lost the fight via third-round TKO but collapsed after the fight. He was carried out on a stretcher and rushed to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where he suffered from exertional Rhabdomyolysis, or the rapid breakdown of muscle tissue, for three days before dying. Tanigh Clark said it affected her brothers kidneys first, and that blood transfusions were futile because his muscles were breaking down. From there, one organ after another started failing until Clark died of cardiac arrest.

Clarks exertional Rhabdomyolysis was brought on by extreme exercise, but Dr. Kadhiresan Murugappan, who works at the hospital that attempted to treat Clark, believes it was the exercise compounded with the weight cut that led to Clarks condition.

Rondel is a finely-tuned athlete who was training every day, and on those days, he didnt suffer exertional Rhabdomyolysis, Murugappan said in the video. The day that he suffered this profound problem was after he underwent a significant weight cut for a fight.

After Clarks death, several of his friends and family members created the Rondel Clark Foundation; its mission is to end extreme weight-cutting through education and regulation, as well as helping other families who are negatively impacted by extreme weight-cutting.

Were all still so devastated about his passing, Tanigh Clark, the foundations secretary of the board, said. We want to make sure that nobody ever goes through what we went through and what Rondel went through.

She said the foundation tries to teach fighters families, trainers and the general public the effects extreme weight-cutting has on the body and how deadly it can be. On its website,RondelClarkFoundation.org, the foundation lists all the physical and mental effects weight-cutting could have on someone, shares the stories of Clark and his fellow victims, and has a list of dos and donts when it comes to weight management. The foundation has a donation button on its site and raises money with fundraisers such as flag football tournaments.

The Rondel Clark Foundation advocates for the universal adoption of the California State Athletic Commissions 10-Point Plan, which was passed in May 2017 and enacted one month later.

MMA promotions must adhere to guidelines adopted by the state athletic commission of wherever theyre holding an event. California adopted a 10-figure plan regarding athletes safety when it comes to weight-cutting. The steps are as follows:

1) Athletes select the lowest weight class they intend to compete in, and the Commission follows up with questions related to dehydration and weight-cutting. Fighters then take a physical examination, and the licensing physician must certify that the fighter can safely make the requested weight class.

2) Fighters who fail to make weight are fined 20 percent of their show money, with half going to their opponent and half going to the Commission. Theyre also fined 20 percent of their bonuses (including win money), which all goes to the fighter who made weight as a reward for fighters who take the fight against the larger opponent and lose.

3) The introduction of four new weight classes: 165 (super lightweight), 175 (super welterweight), 195 (super middleweight) and 225 (cruiserweight). They have since been approved by the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports and officially written into the Unified Rules of MMA.

4) Emphasizing the way matches are approved with a focus on appropriate weight classes.

5) Fighters who miss weight more than once are required to move up a weight class. They can only return to the weight class they missed weight at the discretion of a physician and approval of the Commission.

6) Early weigh-ins will continue (as opposed to evening) to give fighters the maximum time for rehydration.

7) A second weight-check is conducted the day of the event to ensure fighters havent gained more than 10 percent of their body weight back in the 30 hours between the official weigh-in and the fight. Fighters who gain over 10 percent back will be advised by the ringside physician that he or she should move up a weight class.

8) Ringside physicians test fighters for dehydration at both the official weigh-in and second day weight check.

9) For high-level title fights, combatants have their weight checked 30 days and 10 days out from the event.

10) Promoters, matchmakers, trainers and athletes are educated on weight-cutting and dehydration related to the offering, accepting and contracting of official fight bouts.

The full document can be readhere.

The fight should be the dangerous part of this activity, Andy Foster, the executive director of the California State Athletic Commission,told MMAJunkiein a January 2018 interview. The weigh-in should not be more dangerous than the fight. Thats just an absurd thing thats happening, but in many cases, that has become the reality.

In order to make weight-cutting safer, ONE Championship is leading the charge in its policies, which the promotion revamped less than two weeks after the death of Yang Jian Bing.

Its website says ONE Championship fighters must regularly submit their current walking weight and daily training weight via a web portal. From there, athletes are assigned to their weight class based on data and random weight checks. Theyre forbidden from dropping a weight class less than eight weeks out from the event. Fighters weights are checked daily during fight week, and urine specific gravity will be tested for dehydration on the day the fighters arrive as well as three hours prior to the event; if an athlete falls outside the weight or fails a test, theyre disqualified.

For example, Ben Askren told Joe Roganon his podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience, that he fought at 185 lbs. when he was with ONE Championship. Askren competed at 170 lbs. when he fought elsewhere. Askren, a former ONE Championship champion, was traded to the UFC in October 2018, where he went back to competing at welterweight. Askren told Rogan that ONE Championships policies essentially forced its athletes to move up a weight class to curb dehydration-based weight cutting. The promotion even considers its 185-lb. division welterweight as opposed to middleweight, which is the case for all its weight classes.

I think every MMA organization should do it, Askren told Rogan, calling the system fantastic.

Fighters have also called for additional weight classes; specifically, the ones that the California State Athletic Commission added, but most top promotions dont use them. Dowdy said he would like to see this scheme used for weight classes: 125, 135, 145, 155, 165, 175, 185, 195, 205, 225, 265. For women, 105 and 115 should be available as well at all top promotions.

Teri Howell, a certified weight-cut and rehydration specialist and founder of nutrition business Gut Uppercut, encourages fighters to hire a nutritionist who can assist them with weight-cutting to make the process healthier and safer.

When youre talking about your health, if you want to [compete] for a while and safely, its definitely worth the investment, Howell said. You dont pick the bum up off the street and ask them to be your striking coach.

Howell is based in St. Louis, MO, but works remotely with most of her clients. Some of the fighters she works with include UFC flyweight Gillian Robertson, UFC strawweight Mallory Martin, atomweight Ashley Cummins, bantamweight Tamikka Brents, PFL lightweight Bobbi-Jo Dalziel, Bellator featherweight Amanda Bell and plenty others.

She assists her clients with what meal preparation is and how to do it, making grocery lists, providing recipes and offering knowledge on how to cut weight and rehydrate safely. Cummins called Howell a mad scientist, which is fitting as Howell said she writes her fighters meal plans and beverages down to the gram or ounce.

Anytime you mess with electrolytes and hormones within the body and you create an unsafe balance, it can definitely be life-threatening, Howell said of the practice of weight-cutting. It can be very scary. Ive been in some pretty scary situations with fighters myself where they dont follow the plan to the T.

Some of the key safety issues Howell warned against is fighters completely cutting carbohydrates out of their diets and cutting their sodium intake 10 or more days out of the fight; that can be taxing on the body, as kidneys will stop urinating because theyre trying to hold on to as much sodium as possible.

The trick is to trick the system for as short of a time period as possible, Howell said. My fighters are drinking two-plus gallons of water the day before we even try to sweat out any kind of water weight. You want the body to believe that its completely hydrated, and you want to put the body in that state of a little bit of dehydration for as short a time period as possible, get the weigh-in done, and then rehydrate exactly how the body needs it.

When fighters starve themselves in order to make weight, its counterproductive, said Howell. When ones body goes into severe caloric deficit, it believes its starving and tries to hold onto as much body fat, water and sodium as possible.

[The bodys] going to hold onto all those key electrolytes that it needs to survive because it thinks its a life or death situation, Howell said.

After Howells fighters make weight, she provides them information on the foods and drinks they must consume in order to get their electrolytes back to proper levels.

Rehydration is crucial to the weight-cut process; its how fighters get their body weight back up to par as well as ensure a good performance on fight night. However, theres a reason why fighters tend to not reach their natural walk-around weight and peak performance level by fight time after rehydrating: it takes time.

If youve ever tried to over-water something while the ground is really dry, the water doesnt get absorbed properly, Jacob Sherer, a physician based in Illinois, said. Same thing with us.

Sherer pointed out the extreme importance of rehydrating after weight cuts, which are rough on the body by nature. He says that muscles are 79 percent water, and fighters lose a lot of muscle mass when they dehydrate themselves.

Think of a sponge that isnt hydrated and how easy it is to rip and tear, Sherer said.

This can also impact the brain. In a2005 studytitled The Effects of Dehydration on Brain Volume-Preliminary Results by Jon M. Dickson et al., it was suggested that dehydration may significantly increase the risk of brain damage after a head injury.

According to a2013 studypublished in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 39 percent of MMA fighters compete while significantly or seriously dehydrated.

Dr. Steven Sunderraj, a physical therapist at Recalibrate Physical Therapy in Manhattan, pointed out thats particularly dangerous for fighters with a striking base. When two strikers compete, theyre more likely to land blows to the head, including a potential knockout.

Overall, fighters tend to see weight-cutting as a necessary evil to succeed at the highest levels of the sport. If they dont cut weight like their fellow athletes, they end up at a size disadvantage on fight night; a natural 170-lb. fighter could fight a 190-lb. fighter in a sanctioned welterweight match-up. In a sport where athletes aim to batter one another, extreme weight-cutting has become the gravest aspect of MMA.

Many fighters, fans and pundits are hoping for weight-cut reform so fighters can compete at their natural weight without facing a size disadvantage. Unfortunately, theres no immediate signs of most promotions overhauling the weight-cutting system. Krause and Dowdy agree with UFC lightweight Kevin Lee, who toldMMAFighting.coms Luke Thomas on The MMA Hourin July that everybody is kind of waiting for somebody to die, before any serious solutions are made.

A handful of fightershavedied from weight-cutting, but Krause and Dowdy both feel it would take the death of a high-profile fighter in a major organization to spark serious weight-cut reform.

More:
The Fight Before the Fight: Weight-Cutting in Mixed Martial Arts - MMA Sucka

Contrary to popular opinion, going to the gym and sweating out during gruelling workout sessions is not the only way to burn fat and lose weight. Weight loss begins at home, specifically in the kitchen, by eating right.

This sentiment is also echoed by Satyen Jagtap. He recently lost 32 kg and trimmed from 100 kg to 68 kg. He shares that he rapidly started gaining weight post 2014 due to stress-related problems and resultant binge-eating. However, a year ago, he decided to return to his fit self by following the below weight loss plan.

My weight loss plan can be broken down in four parts, he says. It started with eating right, followed by exercising daily, cutting out all forms of junk food and ensuring that Im consuming healthy, metabolism boosting drinks such as green tea.

Breakfast: 1 chapati and curry / 3-4 boiled eggs / 1 sweet potato / 1 apple

Lunch: 2 chapatis and curry / 1 sweet potato

Dinner: 1 chapati and curry + 1 bowl of rice

2. Exercise

I didnt enter the gym at all to burn any calories. Instead Id indulge in any one of these three activities daily.

Walking: 5 km

Cycling: 10 km

Running: 2 -3 km

I completely stopped my intake of:

Junk Food

Sugar

Ice cream

Sweet

Chocolates

Tea/Coffee/Biscuits

2 glasses of lemon honey water

2 cups of green tea

I have been able to maintain my current weight by being very regular with my exercise regime. I also play cricket on the weekends, follow the same diet and indulge in cheat meals only once a week.

1. Take one day at a timejust focus on todayand youll be able to succeed everyday.

2. Count your calories and try to walk at least 5000 steps a day.

Disclaimer: The fitness journey, diet and workout routines shared by the respondents are purely for inspirational purposes and in no way intend to propagate a specific body type. Please consult an authorised medical professional before following any specific diet or workout routine mentioned above.

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Weight loss tips: How to lose weight like this guy who lost 32 kg by sticking to this one diet - GQ India

Diet trends may come and go, but one fact remains: The most scientifically proven method of weight loss is to reduce calories. What you may not realize, though, is that cutting your calories too low can actually be bad for your health and even derail your weight-loss goals.

Dipping below the recommended minimum calories could put your health at risk.

Credit: Rawpixel Ltd/iStock/GettyImages

We investigate what the minimum calories really are and how to get the nutrients you need on a low-calorie diet.

According to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the average adult woman needs between 1,800 and 2,400 calories a day (depending on age and activity level), while the average adult male should get between 2,400 and 3,200 to maintain a healthy weight.

The USDA has an easy-to-use table that can help you work out your own basic daily calorie needs. For a more detailed calculation and to tally your calories for weight loss, check out LIVESTRONG.com's MyPlate app.

A healthy rate of weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds per week, according to Harvard Health Publishing. Since a pound of fat equals about 3,500 calories, that means you'll need to cut 500 to 1,000 calories from your daily intake and increase your activity level, per the USDA.

Keep in mind that the speed of weight loss will slow after a few months, though.

"By the end of a year, one would typically expect as much as 50 pounds of weight loss if someone actually reduces their calories by 500 a day," says Michael Dansinger, MD, director of lifestyle coaching for diabetes weight loss at Tufts Medical Center, as well as nutrition doctor for NBC's The Biggest Loser.

Women shouldn't cut their calories below 1,200 calories a day, while men should stay above 1,500, according to both the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Harvard Health Publishing. These numbers are based on formulas that calculate the Estimated Energy Requirement (EER) or the amount of energy that the average body needs to function.

Dr. Dansinger explains that by using these numbers as lower limits, most people will avoid harming their bodies. "It's the number of calories that would produce weight loss without causing medical complications for the general public," he says.

Stay above the recommended minimum calories for healthy weight loss.

Credit: ShotShare/iStock/GettyImages

The most common problems caused by extremely low-calorie diets are fatigue, muscle loss, slowing of the metabolism and nutrient deficiency, Dr. Dansinger says.

"You could lose weight on a 1,200-calorie plan for sure, but that weight could be coming from precious muscle (in addition to fat), which could further lower your metabolism," says Kristin Kirkpatrick, RDN, dietitian, president of KAK Consulting and nutrition consultant at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.

Extremely low calorie intake also leads to adaptive thermogenesis, when your metabolism slows down disproportionally to the amount of weight you have lost. A November 2014 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people still had slower resting metabolic rates a year after eating a very-low-calorie diet for eight weeks.

"The body is amazing at protecting you from death, but that mechanism can sometimes also come back to bite you when the goal is weight loss," Kirkpatrick says.

It's tempting to cut out whole food groups such as grains, fats or fruit as a shortcut to cutting calories. But all contain nutrients that are essential for your body to function, and cutting them can lead to nutrient deficiency. "Twelve hundred calories of candy is very different from 1,200 calories of fruits, vegetables and whole grains," Kirkpatrick says.

Long term, a very-low-calorie diet can also cause more serious problems like bone loss, gallstones, thyroid problems and amenorrhea (loss of periods) in women, Dr. Dansinger notes.

1. Choose Quality Over Quantity

On a low-calorie diet, you need to work harder to provide your body with the nutrients it needs. "What I tell my patients is that if they choose to engage in a 1,200-calorie restricted diet, then they can substitute quality for quantity," Kirkpatrick says. "Getting plenty of fruits, vegetables and healthy fats and protein is important."

2. Create a Balanced Plate

When planning meals and snacks, make sure each has a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, fats and fiber.

"I would suggest protein at breakfast, healthy fats in limited quantities (due to their high calories), such as a handful of nuts or some seeds on a salad, high-quality whole grains, good quality protein and plenty of vegetables, especially leafy greens and cruciferous veggies," Kirkpatrick says.

Intermittent fasting may help you stick with a minimum-calorie diet.

Credit: erdikocak/iStock/GettyImages

3. Protein, Protein, Protein

Don't make the mistake of cutting back on protein in order to save calories. This macronutrient helps you feel satisfied, can help keep your blood sugar stable and can also help boost your metabolism.

A December 2012 review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that across 24 trials, a high-protein, calorie-restricted diet resulted in greater reductions in weight and fat loss than a standard-protein diet.

4. Opt for Healthy Diet Products

Don't fall into the trap of assuming that all products labeled as "healthy" or "diet-friendly" are actually good for you. Look for products that are high in protein and fiber as well as low in sugar and artificial ingredients, Kirkpatrick says.

5. Try Intermittent Fasting

Kirkpatrick recommends time-restricted eating, when you eat only in an eight- or 10-hour window each day. You stick to the same nutrient-dense diet, but the limited timeframe has been found in studies to lead to what's called "unintentional calorie restriction."

"This will not only help with weight loss and reduce the risk of chronic disease, but it may make a 1,200 calorie diet easier to follow," she says.

A November 2018 pilot study, published in the Journal of Nutritional Science, found that a small group of people who only ate for eight to 10 hours a day ate less calories than those who were eating whenever they wanted.

Continued here:
The Minimum Calories for Weight Loss for Men and Women - LIVESTRONG.COM

Robert C. Atkins developed the Atkins diet in the 1960s. In short, its a low-carbohydrate diet with the idea that if you limit the number of carbohydrates you eat, youll lose weight. Basically, its an early version of the keto diet but with some key differences.

The height of the diets popularity was in the early 2000s when one out of 11 Americans said they were on some type of low-carb diet, of which Atkins was a popular choice.

Since then, the Atkins diet has fallen out of favour for other popular restrictive diets like intermittent fasting and the keto diet.

Heres what you need to know about the Atkins diet, if it works, and how to tell if its the right option for you.

Depending on your weight loss goals, the Atkins website recommends following one of their three eating plans:

Once youve chosen an eating plan, youll go through four phases of the Atkins diet that will gradually reintroduce carbohydrates into your diet over time. The last phase is designed to help you develop the Atkins diet as a lifetime way of eating.

The four phases are as follows:

Introduction: This is the most restrictive phase of the diet and is meant to kickstart weight loss. In this phase, you are limited to 20 grams of carbohydrates a day. This phase forces your body into ketogenic metabolism meaning that the extreme lack of carbs forces your body to burn fat for energy. In this phase, you will eat mainly proteins, fats, and low-carb vegetables like leafy greens.

On-going weight loss: In this phase, you can begin to gradually introduce more carbs back into your diet. Your daily carbohydrate intake can go up by 5 grams a week (maxing out at an additional 40 grams per week) and you can begin to diversify your food options. In phase two, you can eat nuts, seeds, and berries. If your goal is to lose 14 pounds or less, you can start here and skip the restrictive first phase.

Pre-maintenance: During this phase, you can increase your carb intake by 10 grams a week (maxing out at an additional 100 grams per week) so that you can find your carb balance. This is the fine-tuning stage of the diet and it is important to make sure you are keeping an eye on your goal weight. If weight loss stalls, you should dial back your carb intake again. This phase has more relaxed dietary restrictions and you can start to eat beans, starchy vegetables, and grains.

Lifetime maintenance: Phase four should ideally last a lifetime and is all about having relatively few restrictions, but maintaining the tools to make healthy choices. If you begin to gain any weight, the company recommends reducing your carbohydrate intake by 10 grams at a time.

Though some people are drawn to the discipline and guidance that the Atkins diet offers, there is little evidence that Atkins is the best way to lose weight.

Research shows that weight loss is typically achieved with calorie restriction, not specifically carbohydrate restriction, says Tony Castillo, RDN, and dietitian with Nutrition for Performance.

Based on a review, published in 2019 in the journal Nutrients, of studies exploring low-carb and low-fat diets related to weight loss, researchers report that theres not enough evidence to conclude that low-carb or low-fat diets are any better at helping people lose weight and keep it off than restricting calories.

And while low-carb diets like Atkins have been shown to help people lose weight faster, thats not the case long-term.

Some research shows an increase in weight loss when a low carbohydrate diet is followed, after six months, says Castillo. However, after one year on a low-carbohydrate diet, there is no difference in weight loss when compared to other calorie-restricted diets.

Castillo recommends proceeding with caution before trying to adopt a new diet like Atkins.

Prior to starting any diet it is important to always consult with both a registered dietitian and your physician, as there may be certain instances where a low-carbohydrate diet may not be the right fit for you, he says.

For example, the diet would not work for, highly active individuals since carbs are the main source of energy for the body, he says.

He adds that there are often unwelcome side effects. Typically, low carbohydrate diets can cause you to feel weak, fatigued, constipated, dizzy or even cause headaches, which is why it is important to consult an expert prior.

According to Castillo, the most important factor to consider is that going on the Atkins diet may lead to a deficit in fibre and essential vitamins and minerals, so a comprehensive plan would ensure these nutritional needs are met.

Castillos final opinion on Atkins is, I believe in the long term Atkins is too restrictive.

Instead, he recommends, a diet that wont cause nutritional deficiencies would include all types of foods, he says. Meaning, fresh, whole foods that can give you your daily value of essential nutrients including vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and protein that are important for good health.

Some diets that experts recommend for good health long-term include the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet.

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The Atkins diet is low-carb, but it's not the best way to lose weight - Business Insider Australia

"When I was little, probably seven or eight, the doctor told my mom, 'She's fat, take her to Weight Watchers.' I ate Melba toast and cottage cheese," said Harriet, now age 50.

School lunches, she remembers, turned her into an object of ridicule among her elementary classmates.

"Kids would laugh at me because I would have this nasty brown bread with unsweetened peanut butter, carrot sticks, celery sticks and black olives, while everyone else got baloney on Wonder Bread and potato chips," Harriet said.

"Then when I visited my grandmother I'd gorge on chips and candy," she added. "So I grew up with a very unhealthy relationship to food."

And all the makings of a childhood eating disorder that would follow her for life.

"No one wakes up one day and says, 'Hey, I'm going to have an eating disorder.' It's a slow descent into hell," says registered dietitian Evelyn Tribole, the co-author of "Intuitive Eating," an anti-diet plan that stresses re-learning the body's cues for healthy eating.

It would take Harriet years to shed her childhood trauma and turn to intuitive eating to heal her broken relationship with food. It's a struggle shared by hundreds of millions of adults around the world who also suffer from an eating disorder.

A global problem

Considering the planet holds approximately 8 billion people, that would be about 624 million of us with unhealthy relationships with food, a growing number of those in Asia and Middle Eastern countries.

You don't have to starve yourself into anorexia or binge and purge to have an eating disorder. Anyone who spends a good deal of their day "thinking about food, weight and body image" could be on the eating disorders spectrum, ANAD says.

Shame of being different

Born into a Southern family with a Greek mother that mixed "good Southern food with good Greek Mediterranean food," family dinners at Harriet's home always included salad, broccoli or Brussels sprouts, healthy greens like turnip greens, chard, kale or spinach, brown rice and chicken or fish.

Despite both healthy choices and dietary restrictions, Harriet's body continued to defy society's standards.

In high school Harriet was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, a hormonal disorder that triggers the female body to produce too many male androgens.

Women with PCOS gain weight like a man, centered around the abdomen. Losing weight with the condition is extremely challenging; today, doctors often turn to various medications to block the excess hormones.

It should have been a turning point in understanding her body. But doctors knew little about PCOS back then, Harriet says, and they were extremely unsympathetic to her weight loss struggles.

Her self-esteem continued to plummet.

"I was trying to hide myself in PE [physical education class] because I was fat and I was dumpy," she said. "I grew up with self-loathing, you know, and all the stuff that comes along with that baggage that you carry when you don't look like what society thinks you should look like."

Shame is a painful reality for many people who are born into a body that isn't meant to be thin, says registered dietitian Elyse Resch, who co-authored "Intuitive Eating" with Tribole.

"So many people with a higher weight are embarrassed to go out on the street and walk because stigma is really more toxic than the weight on them," said Resch, a nutritional therapist who specializes in eating disorders.

"Many of my clients haven't gone to a doctor in a really long time because they're humiliated when the medical profession gets them on the scale and tells them to lose weight -- as if they haven't already tried."

In adulthood Harriet became even more obsessed with her size. She began to jump from diet to diet while frantically exercising. At one point she went from a size 24 to a size 16, but her hair fell out in tufts and the weight always came back.

The tipping point came when Harriet visited a doctor for a routine work physical last year.

"She was this beautiful, very thin woman," Harriet recalled. "And she starts yelling at me, literally screaming at me, 'Don't you care about yourself? You're going to die you're so fat.'

"And I remember calling my husband and bursting into tears and just feeling like the biggest piece of crap."

A change in thinking

"Harriet came to me with a totally negative relationship with food," said Atlanta registered dietitian Rahaf Al Bochi. "If she would eat something she would automatically feel very guilty about it. Food was a complete stressor in her life."

"People feel like they have no idea what to eat anymore," Al Bochi said. "They've been listening to all these different food rules -- don't eat carbs, don't eat after seven, eat this to increase your metabolism -- and intuitive eating helps you unlearn that unhealthy relationship with food and bring enjoyment back to the act of eating."

"Intuitive eating is not a diet or food plan. Period," Tribole stressed, adding that the plan is backed by over 120 studies that show success with overcoming disordered eating.

"If there's a focus on weight loss, it sabotages the intuitive eating process," Resch explained. "If they're constantly thinking, 'I need to lose weight. I shouldn't eat this piece of pizza,' then they're gonna get into that same cycle of feeling bad if they do eat it: 'I'm broken so I'll just keep eating it.' "

"Fight diet culture. Let go of this culturally thin ideal, this belief that you are only your body and you're being judged," Resch said. "We're far more than our bodies. Let it all go and just tune into yourself. Enjoy food."

Giving the body permission

In intuitive eating, no food is off limits. You can eat brownies or french fries or have a soda. In fact, you may be encouraged to consume as much as you want of that guilty pleasure until you no longer crave it. The idea is to "make peace with forbidden treats" by eating so much it becomes just another food.

"When your body feels it has full permission to eat it whenever it wants, you'll start to crave other types of foods, including more healthy foods. For many people this is like a light bulb moment," Al Bochi said.

For Harriet, the approach has been life-changing.

"I don't feel like I'm tied to food with a ball and chain anymore," she said. "Because I wasn't listening to when I was hungry, I was overeating because I couldn't tell when I was full."

Working with a trained dietitian helped Harriet relearn her body's cues, like not waiting too long to eat and then being ravenous.

"One of the things that I teach my clients is to view hunger and fullness on a scale of one to ten," Al Bochi said. "Ideally you want to be eating when you're at a four to a six, that's when you're hungry."

Now, Harriet says, she carries snacks to eat when hunger strikes. That way, when she goes to lunch, "I can eat a normal lunch because I'm not stupidly hungry."

"If I want a piece of cake, I have a piece of cake," she says. "I don't have a big piece. I have a small slice. Most of the time I only need half of it because I know I can have it."

Harriet also learned to listen to feelings of fullness, something she had never been able to do.

"I don't feel a compulsion to clean my plate any longer but I also set myself up for success," Harriet said. "I don't fill my plate. I put a little bit, I eat it, I wait a little bit and if I'm happy and satisfied, I leave. If I'm not, I have a little bit more."

It's been over a year and Harriet has yet to get on a scale. Her clothes are fitting a bit looser now, she notices, but that's no longer the point. Instead, she is pleased with the variety of foods her body craves, and feels satisfied -- both physically and emotionally.

"I know I'm heavy. I'm never going to look like Chrissy Teigen. I'm never gonna look like Nicole Kidman. I'm never going to be that thin woman, but it's okay because I'm going to be healthy," she said.

But Harriet is incensed about a culture that can make a child hate herself.

"I think about all the time I've wasted worrying about how I look because of my weight when I should've been worrying about other things that were more important," Harriet said. "And I'm angry. I'm angry that our society promotes this unrealistic ideal.

"I know now that food is not my enemy. Food is a tool. Dieting is not helpful. You have to embrace who you are and understand your body is your body, and there's never going to be an ideal than any of us can ever reach," she continued. "We are who we are, we are the way we were made, and that's life."

Link:
She learned to love eating -- and herself -- despite a lifetime of fat shaming - CNN

"What do you think, which one is better: chin up vs pull up?" You will hear this question very often if you ever mention to anyone that you did either and especially if you included both in your gym workout routine. The truth is, they are both excellent compound exercises, albeit not easy to perform correctly.

Although similar to some degree, chin ups and pull ups work different muscles, or at least work similar muscles differently. Choosing one over another very much comes down to what muscle groups you would like to focus on more in your workout routine.

There are many different ways to build muscle and lucky for you, we have many great workout options here at T3: have a look at the best full body workout routine, this two-day push-pull workout, we also have a two-day push-pull upper body workout as well as the best beginners calisthenics workout too, just to mention a few.

Make sure the pull up bar is drilled in properly at home

(Image credit: mirafit)

Especially is you are trying to perform chin ups or pull ups at home, make sure that the pull up bar you're using is safe to use before you apply your weight onto it. These exercises might not seem too dangerous at first but your bodyweight provides plenty of resistance and if you fall off the bars for any reason, you can hurt yourself, pretty badly.

Before you even attempt to do either chin ups or pull ups, improve your grip strength by just hanging from the bar, resting your legs on the floor or on an elevated surface like a chair or aerobic step. When hanging, try not to drop your shoulders and engage your core as well.

Doing multiple sets of chin ups/pull ups require a lot of strength so don't try to rush progress and hurt yourself in the process.

Important: if you are new to exercising or haven't done much exercising in the past, try easing your body and mind into working out rather than going too strong at the beginning. If you have some excess body fat, we have a few handy tips on how to lose weight fast (relatively) as well as many articles on different diet methods (link to these are in the article above). Just be sensible.

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Chin should go over the bar at the top

(Image credit: Future)

Best for: sculpting big arms, especially the biceps and strengthening the lats

Muscle worked: biceps, lats, forearm, shoulders, core

Chin ups are probably a tad bit easier to perform than pull ups, mainly because in the case of chin ups, your arm muscles especially your biceps can be utilised more during the movement. For the same reason, chin ups are better to build arm definition and to really make the biceps pop.

To perform a chin up, grab the bar with an underhand grip (palms facing you), hands being shoulder apart. Even in the lowermost position, you should drop your shoulders completely and engage your core too. This will help you stabilise your body, especially on your descent.

At halfway point, your chin should be over the bar. otherwise it's only a half-rep and you don't want to half-rep. It is not only less effective but also promotes bad form as well.

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Hands wide apart for a nice V-shape

(Image credit: Future)

Best for: achieving the coveted V-shape, building a strong upper back

Muscles worked: lats, teres major, rhomboids, biceps, core

Being able to perform pull ups correctly is the ultimate power move in a gym. Many people who can powerlift twice their bodyweight would struggle to do eight clean reps of pull ups.

Pull ups are challenging because you need to be agile as well as strong to be able to do the pull ups, not to mention shoulder mobility, something a lot of people ignore and just assume they have because "they use to rule the monkey bars in primary school".

To perform a pull up, hold the bar with an overhand grip (palms facing away from you) and hands being wide apart. A nice wide grip will help activate the lats even more and will help you shape that back-V sooner.

The same rules apply to pull ups as for chin ups: core engaged, not dropping shoulders, being mindful of the descent. As with any exercise, the slower you can perform it within reason the longer you activate the muscles and the quicker you are going to see results.

Munch on the right snacks

(Image credit: Grenade)

To avoid any injuries and to help recovery, keep an eye out on your protein intake and always stretch after your exercising sessions. And make sure you drink plenty of water as well. A decent gym water bottle doesn't cost all that much.

Supplement-wise, you only really need two: protein powder and creatine. The former will help in the muscle repair process and latter will boost performance. Both are safe to use and there is a wide variety of offerings so you can choose a flavour you prefer.

With creatine, we recommend you get the unflavoured variety because it mixes well with any liquid and you only need a small amount to keep your creatine levels saturated. This means you can mix your 3-5 grams of creatine with anything in the morning (water, juice, even coffee) without having to worry about an aftertaste.

If you feel like you need a nibble throughout the day, opt in for low-sugar protein bars and snacks as opposed to Mars bars.

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Chin up vs pull up: what's the difference, muscles worked and WHAT IS THE BEST ONE? - T3

Anna Dutko Semrick, a first-generation American, was my maternal grandmother. She was a child of Czechoslovakian immigrants living near Youngstown, Ohio.

Grandma had short curly gray hair and was only 5 feet tall, rather plump and always smiling. The family often teased her by saying that she looked like Mrs. Palooka, the mother of comic strip pugilist Joe Palooka. This only made her smile more.

Dr. Magee, her physician, was constantly encouraging her to go on a diet and to exercise more to improve her health.

In the late 1930s and 1940s, there were no advertised weight control aids, clubs or systems to help the dieter. The word light was not attached to foods or drinks. Diet foods were on lists that came from your physician, and dieting to lose weight was strictly up to the individual.

In the past, exercises were different for men and women. Meant only for men, gyms had equipment for weightlifting, boxing and rope climbing and often a track for running. Today both men and women enjoy using the many machines and other equipment in exercise gyms. Pilates, zumba and yoga were still far in the future. The 1950s brought one of the first exercise machines meant especially for women, described as passive exercise using a motorized couch. Needless to say these machines did not have much success and disappeared within a few years.

Walking was and still is an excellent exercise for everyone, male or female, young or old.

Grandma and I would go on long walks in our tree-shaded neighborhood of Edgewood, a section of Gentilly in New Orleans.

One day we decided to take a very long trek out of our area and into an older, more crowded part of the city since Grandma wanted to visit a pretty old church in the St. Roch area. The walk took us a long time, but puffing and red faced we finally reached our destination.

In the same area as the church was an inviting ice cream parlor, painted white with a black-and-white tile floor. Customers were seated at sturdy tables with white marble tops. We were happy to sit at one of them to rest and enjoy the cool breeze from the ceiling fans.

As a reward for such an extended trek, we each enjoyed a delicious ice cream soda strawberry flavor for me, chocolate for Grandma each topped with whipped cream.

Perhaps the ice cream parlor was the true destination selected by Grandma. Oh well, we followed half of the doctors orders by walking. And, I'm sure, Grandma thought about dieting another day.

Bergeron lives in Baton Rouge

Advocate readers may submit stories of about 500 words to The Human Condition at features@theadvocate.com or The Advocate, Living, 10705 Rieger Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. There is no payment, and stories will be edited. Authors should include their city of residence, and, if writing about yourself, a photo.

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Human Condition: When that long walk for exercise takes you to the ice cream parlor - The Advocate

Sounds wonderful, right? Well, a new version of keto aimed at upping all of these perks has keto fanatics buzzing, but some health and nutrition pros say it may be even more unsustainable than the keto diet you already know. The new version is called Speed Keto, and dietitians aren't exactly recommending it if you're looking to lose weight or start eating healthier.

Still, if you're curious about the eating plan and its origin, here's what you need to know.

Basically, Speed Keto is a combination of the traditional keto diet (made up of 60 to 70 percent fat, 15 to 30 percent protein, and 5 to 10 percent carbs) and intermittent fasting (IF), which involves alternating between various periods of fasting and eating. One of the most common styles of IF is the 16:8 method , in which you fast for 16 hours and can eat during the 8-hour period that follows.

When it comes to Speed Keto, the goal is to get the dieter down to one meal per day, which also has to fit into the keto guidelines of being high-fat and low-carb. The goal of eating less carbs is to get the body into a state of ketosis, which is when your body burns fat, instead of carbohydrate stores, for fuel, which can lead to weight loss.

Speed Keto, which you can buy as a digital program , was created by Harlan Kilstein, an expert coach and motivator with a doctor of education degree, according to his website. Per the site, Speed Keto is meant to simplify the dieting process and help people get past weight-loss plateaus that might occur after eating a traditional keto diet for a few weeks.

"I think keto and 'Speed Keto' diets will result in weight loss," says Hillary Cecere, registered dietitian at Eat Clean Bro . "Any time food is restricted and a calorie deficit occurs, so will weight loss, and when your eating window is smaller, you are more likely to consume less calories."

That being said, Cecere doesn't support the diet as a healthy way of eating. "This diet is unsustainable. Once it's no longer being utilized, weight gain will happen," Cecere says. "I also think it eliminates a lot of nutrient-dense foods . This diet is not for health or longevityit's only for quick weight loss."

In order to maintain weight loss, it's crucial that the diet you follow is something you can sustain long-term, notes Cecere. And if eating keto in general isn't your cup of tea, that's totally fine, too. "You don't need to be in ketosis to lose weight," she says. "Weight loss is determined by calorie deficitthere are plenty of other healthy, sustainable ways to lose weight if that's something you're interested in."

It's also worth noting that combining keto and intermittent fasting isn't exactly new. Many people have been following a diet that combines the two because eating mostly fats and proteins does fill you up and make it easier to fast between meals. The difference here is that Speed Keto recommends a specific IF schedule and one meal a day.

"Combining a super restrictive diet with long periods of non-eating is not good," Scott Keatley, RD, of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy , previously told WH . The body will cannibalize its own muscle for energy if intake from food is too low but the body does not differentiate between something like a calf muscle or a heart muscle. Keatley added that all your important organs are made of smooth muscle, "and going on a diet like this may harm something like your bladder or lungs just as much as provide fat loss."

It's also worth noting that following a regular keto diet can already have some not-so-pleasant side effects . At the end of the day, whether you want to follow a keto eating plan is up to you, but experts generally warn against pairing keto with an extreme intermittent fasting schedule in the way that the Speed Keto diet does, experts caution. Whatever you choose diet-wise, it's always wise to talk to a dietitian or trusted MD before you drastically overhaul your eating plan.

The bottom line: Speed Keto may not be a sustainable option when it comes to weight loss.

See original here:
What Is Speed Keto? Everything To Know About The Buzzy Keto-Plus-Intermittent Fasting Plan - Pulse Live Kenya

FROM that cheeky Saturday night takeaway to your huge Sunday roast - the weekends are often synonymous with weight gain.

We're all prone to treating ourselves when we're not slaving away in the office, which is why the figure on the scales may have gone up by Monday morning.

1

However, top dietitian Susie Burrell says that there are some simple ways you can avoid falling into this weekend trap and seeing your waistline expand.

And she says if you follow the right steps you could even lose nearly half a stone by Monday - and keep it off.

Here, Susie reveals her quick and easy lifestyle changes you can make as soon as you leave work on Friday to trim down...

There's nothing more we all love than celebrating the end of the working week by gorging on some high calorie food in front of the TV on a Friday night.

However, Susie says many people don't take into account all the extra calories they'll also be consuming and overeating on Saturday.

All you need to do is skip an early breakfast

She recommends fasting until Saturday lunchtime to help you buffer your Friday nights.

Susie told Body+Soul: "You can give yourself at least 14-16 hours overnight without any calories to help buffer the effects of the high calorie intake the night before.

"All you need to do is skip an early breakfast in favour of some herbal tea or black coffee until its brunch or even lunchtime."

You only need to give up half an hour of your weekend to doing some cardio to burn some serious calories.

Exercises that really get your heart-rate up like running or a spin class will really help you blitz your body fat.

And it will make you feel less guilty about that extra slice of pizza you had on Friday night or those beers you're planning on having with your friends on Saturday evening.

Susie added: "Think a cycle class, a run with a friend, interval training or a CrossFit session to really get your heart rate up, so you can work through all the extras from the night before and get really hungry before your first meal."

Whether it's cakes, smoothies or a cheeky biscuit - we're all guilty of reaching for high calorie treats to give us a pick-me-up on the weekend.

Despite this, Susie claims by doing this you can add an extra 500-600 calories to your day.

She recommends: "One of the easiest ways to keep your calorie intake controlled over the weekend is to focus on well balanced meals so that you are not tempted with extras in between."

Good news to those who love their shut-eye - getting a good night's sleep is a great way to speed up weight loss.

It's all down to two 'hunger hormones'- ghrelin and leptin.

Ghrelin is released after the brain signals the stomach is empty, while leptin is released from fat cells to suppress hunger - and tell the brain it's full.

Tips to get a full night's sleep

1. Ditch your phone - phones or tablets that emit blue light have been shown to disrupt melatonin levels the hormone that regulates our sleep/wake cycle.

2. Stay cool - Dr Neil Stanley, ex-chairman of the British Sleep Society, says the optimum temperature for a good night is 18C or lower.

3. Regulate your coffee - Dr Sarah Brewer, a registered doctor and nutritional therapist, recommends that you have your final cup of coffee no later than 5pm.

4. Don't eat before bed - experts say you should avoid eating within three hours of bedtime to "avoid indigestion, acid reflux and even nightmares".

5. Avoid booze - alcohol blocks tryptophan - an amino acid that helps you sleep - from getting to the brain.

6. Shut pets away - pets can rob us of those vital zzzzs - not just because they fidget about, but also because of fur shedding.

7. Shower 90mins before bed- a new study has found that taking a warm shower 90 minutes before bed can help people nod off 50 per cent faster - and increase their total sleep time by 15 minutes.

8. Get some comfy pillows - a recent study found that participants who used supportive pillows had better sleep.

But, when you don't get enoughzzzs, the body makes more ghrelin and less leptin - leaving you hungry and increasing your appetite.

Susie says: "A long sleep will help you to get back in touch with your hunger cues and reduce your overall calorie intake as tired people have been shown to eat more overall, as well as more calories from sugars throughout the day."

Us Brits love a good old Sunday roast to finish the weekend - full with Yorkshire puds, plenty of spuds and all the scratchings.

However, the average Sunday roast can total up to a staggering 850 calories.

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Susie urges slimmers instead to get their diet on track on a Sunday and go for a lighter, vegetable rich meal such as vegetable soup, white fish or prawns with salad.

She says this will mean you start your Monday morning lighter and ready for a protein rich breakfast.

Susie says: "Going light on Sunday night is a great habit to adopt, allowing you to enjoy your heavier weekend food with a built in buffer so you start a new week with your diet on track and even a few kilos down on the scales."

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How to lose half a stone this weekend and keep the weight off - The Sun

An herbal plant of the Asteraceae family, stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) has been used for over 1,500 years by indigenous communities in South America as a sugar substitute, a tea, a medicine, and a sweet tea. Now, stevia can be found in any supermarket as an alternative sweetener.

But is it actually healthier?

Most of the stevia products that can be found on shelves at the grocery stores dont actually contain the whole stevia leaf. Instead, they are made from a highly refined stevia leaf extract, known as Reb-A, which is about 200 times sweeter than the table sugar.

Ground leaf stevia is the least processed and probably the healthier choice. The leaves are dried and then grounded into powder, creating a product only 10 to 15 times sweeter than sugar. Nevertheless, it hasnt been approved by the FDA yet as more research is needed to ensure its safety.

For someone trying to lose weight, stevia could be appealing as its a non-nutritive sweetener, which means it has no calories. The reason why it has no calories is that our body doesnt try to digest it stevia simply passes through our digestive system without being broken down for energy.

Also, for those who have diabetes, stevia could help to maintain the blood sugar levels in check. A 2010 study showed that stevia lowered insulin and glucose levels because it has no sugars in it (or rather, none that our body digests).

Stevia leaf powder can also help to manage cholesterol levels, according to a 2009 study, which found that stevia lowered total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (the bad one) and triglycerides with no negative effect also increasing HDL cholesterol (the good one).

According to the FDA, stevia sweeteners, such as the ones containing Reb-A, are generally safe. However, the FDA hasnt given the green light for whole-leaf stevia or crude stevia extract to use in processed food or beverages yet, claiming theres a lack of safety information.

Back in 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) said stevia was safe to consume 4 mg per kilogram corresponding with the persons body weight every day. This equals to 3.5 to 9 teaspoons of the pure extract more than enough for a couple of cups of coffee or tea.

Consuming sugar in excess is usually associated with several negative side effects such as heart problems, diabetes and weight gain. This is the main appeal of stevia: it can serve as a replacement for sugar, without the calories. But its not the only sugar replacement.

Aspartame is also a popular sweetener that can be found in most of the diet sodas and so-called sugar-free foods. Despite not having calories (just as stevia), aspartame has been linked to a number health problems and it can contribute to depression and headaches. While the full extent of these problems is still under investigation (and both aspartame and stevia have come under fire for potentially playing a part in the obesity crisis despite having no calories), stevia seems somewhat safer than aspartame at this point.

Sucralose is also a popular sweeten er, which has been marketed as a healthy alternative to aspartame since it was approved in the 1990s. Nevertheless, studies showed problems with it, as the body metabolizes it differently. A 2013 study showed sucralose can generate toxins when exposed to high temperatures, and the potential health issues associated with sucralose are very controversial.

In order to avoid artificial sweeteners, many choose products sweetened with sugar alcohols such as xylitol and sorbitol. They dont cause spikes in blood sugar but can be associated with digestive side effects such as diarrhea. They are mostly extracted from genetically modified corn.

Finally, besides stevia, there are plenty of other substitutes out there, such as honey, dates, coconut sugar, banana puree, brown rice syrup, and real fruit jam all of which can be replacements for sugar. However, they contain different types of sugars themselves (such as fructose), and as a result, they increase the blood sugar in a fairly similar way to sugar itself, and should therefore be consumed in moderation.

Stevia can be used instead of table sugar in most foods and beverages. Just a pinch of stevia powder is the same as one teaspoon of table sugar. Some ways to use it include in coffee or tea, in lemonade, in hot or cold cereal, in yogurt, and in a smoothie.

Stevia can also be used for baked goods, but it usually gives cakes and cookies an aftertaste similar to liquor. The amount to use depends on the brand. Generally speaking, for most stevia products, you can simply replace sugar with an equal amount of stevia for same results.

Nevertheless, not all brands are made specifically for baking, so it might be better to use fewer, as some stevia products are very potent. As in most cases, it might need trial and error to get the level of sweetness and textured wanted.

All humans have taste buds on the tongue, which contain receptors to identify bitter and sweet components. In the case of stevia, its chemical components interact with the sweet and the bitter receptors and this causes stevias bitter after state.

Of course, everyones taste is different, and this can affect different people din different ways. Researchers are working to identify the sweetest chemical compounds in stevia and also to breed the sweetest possible version of the plant itself. Aside from Reb-A, there are many compounds that are produced in the leaves of the plant that have more sweer properties such as the stevioside and Reb-B.

Stevia that is manufactured with Reb-A can be used during pregnancy but in moderation. Those who are sensitive to sugar alcohol should use a brand that doesnt contain erythritol.

On the other hand, it is not safe to use whole-leaf stevia or crude stevia extract during pregnancy. Reb-A was assessed for its safety during pregnancy, while theres not enough evidence to know if other types of stevia are safe to use.

There is some evidence available that suggests stevia can help to fight or prevent some types of cancer. A study in 2012 found that stevia plants can help boost cancer cell death in a human breast can cancer line and help decrease mitochondrial pathways that help cancer expand. Also, in 2013, another study backed those same findings.

All stevia products that are manufactured with Reb-A are considered safe, even for people who have diabetes or are pregnant, rarely causing side effects. Nevertheless, more research is needed to judge its effects on weight and other health issues. Its also important to remember that stevia is much sweeter than table sugar or other sweeteners, so its not necessary to use as much.

Meanwhile, whole-leaf stevia is seen by many as an alternative and safe choice to table sugar or to refined stevia. But more research is needed to establish its safety for all groups of people. In the meantime, its best to check with your doctor before using it.

The best thing to do is to reduce the consumption of sugar or replacements as much as possible, and when you do need to consume sugar or replacements such as stevia, do so in moderation.

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Is stevia a healthy alternative? Everything you should know - ZME Science

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