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Roger Fingas / Android Authority

Tech companies are pushing ever further into health and fitness tracking for a few reasons, not the least to sell you subscription services. Above all, though, is the obvious commercial appeal of improving your body. Whereas buying a new Android phone might only make TikTok or Google Maps faster, a good fitness tracker (combined with a science-based plan) could help prevent a heart attack or push your bench press to 200 pounds.

An affordable and increasingly common form of fitness tracker is the smart scale. I recently had the opportunity to test two models the high-end Withings Advanced Body Composition (Body Comp) Wi-Fi Scale, and the more affordable Wyze Scale to see how useful one can be in boosting your health.

For background, I dont have any medical education, but weightlifting is my primary hobby, and Ive tested a number of fitness devices over the years from companies like Apple, Fitbit, Garmin, and Polar.

What is a smart scale?

Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority

At its simplest, a smart scale uploads weight measurements to a matching phone app using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. This lets you see long-term trends, and sync data with platforms like Google Fit, MyFitnessPal, and Apple Health. An example of this basic design is my old Polar Balance, which is no longer sold but still supported through the Polar Flow app.

The industry push has been to deliver more metrics by measuring blood flow and electrical currents in your feet. Even the affordable Wyze Scale purports to track things like water, heart rate, body fat, and muscle and bone mass. The Withings Body Comp takes things a step further, adding metrics like artery health (vascular age) and sweat gland activity (via an electrodermal activity score).

Its common for apps to encourage goal-setting, at least for weight loss and gain, sometimes more. They may also offer various degrees of coaching, ranging from general encouragement to more specific actions you can take to see progress, like increasing your step count.

Smart scales offer phone app connections, and often measure factors beyond weight such as heart rate and body fat.

Some scale makers offer paid subscriptions that deliver extra coaching. Withings for example bundles the Body Comp with a 12-month subscription to Health Plus, which promises daily feedback and extra coaching in areas like sleep and nutrition. You can also pursue missions, i.e. achievements like active minute goals or completing a recommended workout routine. The scale does work without Health Plus, but you lose access to that services coaching, missions, and workout database. Note also that as of this writing, you have to opt out by the end of the 12 months if you dont want to be charged $9.95 per month.

How does a smart scale work?

Roger Fingas / Android Authority

Weve touched a bit on how they collect data, which gets complex if you dig into the science. From a daily use perspective, though, smart scales are designed to be dead simple. You step on, then wait a few seconds while measurements are taken and uploaded. With scales like the Withings Body Comp you may have to wait a little longer, just because there are more things to measure, and it even displays data like local weather and air quality.

There are further complications here and there. First, when a scale measures more than weight, you need to step on with your bare feet a scale cant track heart rate or electrodermal activity if it doesnt have direct skin contact. And whereas Wi-Fi models like the Body Comp can sync data to the cloud, the Wyze Scale is Bluetooth-based, so youll need your phone within a few dozen feet, if not closer.

Even setup can sometimes be complicated if youre not used to health and fitness tech and you want to make the most out of your hardware. After pairing, you may have to dive into app settings to link with platforms like Google Fit, not to mention choose metric or SI measurements, and create multiple user profiles if needed (both Wyze and Withings support up to 8). You may also want to set initial goals, and youll probably be asked to supply additional personal data such as age and height. Withings Health Plus chat bot practically grills you in this regard, asking about things like your current mood and whether youre vegan or vegetarian.

How accurate are smart scales?

For weight tracking, theyre certainly better than conventional scales, since trends reveal the true picture, not individual measurements.

Speaking from personal experience, even with a consistent diet and exercise regime, weight can fluctuate by a few pounds within the course of a week or even a single day you tend to weigh more in the evening than you do in the morning, for example, because youve picked up food and water weight. You can reduce these effects by weighing yourself every morning without any clothes on, but to judge whether youre gaining or losing youll want to chart progress week-to-week, not day-to-day. Both Wyze and Withings apps make this pretty easy.

In testing, I found heart rate (beats per minute) measurements roughly consistent with data from my Apple Watch Series 6. Measuring that once or twice a day isnt going to tell you much however, since theres a range of normal resting rates, and your heart can spike or crash based on factors like stress, caffeine, exercise, and atrial fibrillation (a medical condition). If you care about heart rate, you need a full-day tracking device for a complete view.

Smart scales can normally be trusted for weight, but anything more should be taken with a large grain of salt.

On top of this, even the best wrist-based trackers are going to be less accurate for heart rate than a chest strap like the Polar H10, and you shouldnt clinically diagnose yourself with any consumer tech. Companies warn against it for fear of legal liability. Consumer trackers are mainly useful for improving exercise performance, getting a rough sense of calorie burn, or as a warning you should talk to a doctor when something seems strange.

As for factors like body fat and muscle mass, I wouldnt put much trust in a consumer scale. Switching from Wyze to Withings, my body fat somehow dropped from about 24% to 20% and while the latter figure is probably closer to accurate, a doctor with the Cedars-Sinai Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute argues that no consumer fat scale is accurate. In clinical settings doctors use machines like MRI scanners and air displacement chambers, something electricity in your feet cant possibly match in terms of precision.

What are the best smart scales?

Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority

Limiting things to consumer models, there are still plenty of options on the market. Some are aimed at people who only care about weight and body fat. Other brands take the idea of body composition very seriously, striving to deliver as many metrics as possible and maximize accuracy even if theres only so close their technology can get.

As is standard for Wyze, the focus of the Wyze Scale is on providing a lot of features at a budget price. It manages this by sacrificing some frills as well as a few other things. All in all, though, its a good choice for people who mostly want to track their weight over time.

Whats good?

Roger Fingas / Android Authority

For one, setup is straightforward and easy. Once batteries are loaded and ready to go, all you have to do is add the Scale to the Wyze app, enter basic personal information (age, height, etc.), then pair via Bluetooth. Youll also have the option of enabling Athlete Mode, which adjusts measurements for people who exercise over 10 hours per week and have unusually low numbers for body fat and resting heart rate. I didnt toggle this on, since as hard as I work at the gym, Im only there about 6 hours per week.

Though you do you have to have the app open on your phone to sync data, the scale is relatively quick to measure, and the app provides a well-organized view of all the metrics/trends it tracks. Those include body fat, muscle mass, water, protein, lean body mass, bone mass, visceral fat, heart rate, basal metabolic rate (BMR), and metabolic age, the last of which suggests whether youre doing better or worse than average for your real age.

Thats a lot of data, and impressive considering how much less you get from the more expensive Fitbit Aria Air. In fact the Wyze app syncs straight to Fitbit, Apple Health, and Google Fit, so this is probably a superior option given the money youre saving.

Whats not so good?

While weight measurements are consistent with other scales, accuracy for anything beyond weight and heart rate is suspect. Body composition metrics can fluctuate a little more than youd expect, and may potentially be far off base. Indeed as I mentioned, switching from the Wyze Scale to the Withings Body Comp saw my body fat drop from about 24% to 20% in the span of a day since thats physically impossible, theres clearly a technological difference. Im more inclined to believe the Body Comp, not the least because I have (slightly) visible abs. Even 20% is probably an overestimate, given that you usually need less fat than that for abs to show.

A lesser complaint is the scales dependence on Bluetooth. The need to refresh a nearby phone to sync data might seem trivial, but that does mean you end up using your phone during a weigh-in whether you like it or not, and might be a deterrent over time for people who arent seriously committed to tracking their weight.

Lastly, dont expect anything in the way of coaching. While the Wyze app does let you set weight goals, it doesnt suggest how to meet them. The best you get apart from trends is tapping on a metric, which shows a textbook definition plus a slider showing whether or not youre doing well.

Wyze Scale

Low-cost Syncs with Apple Health, Google Fit, etc. Attractive design

Wyze aims to deliver smart scale essentials on a budget.

Wyze's Bluetooth-based smart scale tracks weight and several other body metrics, such as water, body fat, and heart rate. It supports up to 8 users, and data can be synced with third-party platforms like Apple Health and Google Fit.

If you want a scale that comes reasonably close to providing a total health picture and is convenient to boot, Withings Body Comp fits the bill. You will, however, want to drop the bundled Health Plus subscription before renewal time comes around.

Whats good?

Roger Fingas / Android Authority

In tandem with Withings Health Mate app, the Body Comp is very comprehensive. Most of the metrics it monitors are relatively standard weight, body fat, heart rate, water, muscle mass, bone mass, and visceral fat but the addition of vascular age could help forestall heart problems, and there are trend charts for every data point, not just a handful of them. It even pulls in stats like walking, workouts, and floor climbing from other app sources, so if you have a wrist-based tracker, you can check out some of that info without having to leave Health Mate. The app syncs with platforms like Strava, Apple Health, Google Fit, MyFitnessPal, and Runkeeper. Theres an Athlete Mode here as well.

Weeks into ownership, stepping on the scale is still a mildly impressive experience. When youre standing on it, the scales monochrome LCD cycles through various readouts and graphs, giving you a sense of how youre doing without even touching your phone. In fact you might be able to hold off on picking up your phone in the morning, thanks not just to health data, but daily weather and air quality info, plus Wi-Fi sync which means you only need to open Health Mate when you feel like it.

If youre new to serious fitness activity, the inclusion of a year of Health Plus membership could be genuinely useful. It centralizes sleep, nutrition, and overall health info you might otherwise have to hunt for, and then coaches you to take action, including goals and premade workouts if youre not already following a plan.

Whats not so good?

Youre paying a lot for the Body Comps feature set. Yes, it seems to be more accurate than budget options, and its nice to have features like Wi-Fi sync, in-depth data, and handy LCD briefings, but Im not sure that its $174 better than the Wyze Scale, for example. Moreover, its ethically sketchy to sign every buyer up for an auto-renewing subscription. Im sure some people are going to forget to cancel before their free year is up, then wonder why they have $10 extra on their credit card bill.

The value of Health Plus is limited, too. A lot of the information from Plus can be found elsewhere online for free, and if youve got a few years of fitness under your belt, its goals and workouts may be below your level. The same is true of other major subscription services such as Fitbit Premium and Apple Fitness Plus, but that doesnt let Withings off the hook.

On a technical level, my only real complaint is that setup can take a little while and be a little confusing. The Health Plus chat bot interviews you for a few minutes before you can get started with the service, and Withings doesnt prepare you for the fact that some things require on-scale, foot-based control I couldnt get the Body Comp to sync any data until I figured out that I needed to tap my foot to choose my user profile, which was odd since Im the only user. In homes where there are multiple users, thats going to require some education.

Withings Body Comp

Monitors heart health Measures body composition Provides an Electrodermal Activity Score

A powerful, advanced smart scale and companion app

Bundled with the company's Health Plus companion service, the Withings Body Comp Scale closely assesses users' critical biomarkers. With precise body composition metrics, cardiovascular health assessments, and more, the scale and coresponding health app empower you to make informed health choices.

Is a smart scale worth it?

Roger Fingas / Android Authority

If youre at all curious about your weight, yes, absolutely. Even a low-cost smart scale like the Wyze Scale is going to do a great job tracking weight trends. If you sync with platforms like Google Fit and add a sufficiently advanced tracker from the likes of Polar, Fitbit or Garmin, you can develop a pretty comprehensive view of health and activity, including heart rate, blood oxygen, and sleep. You should always be skeptical about accuracy, but youll have decent enough data to act on.

Any scale features beyond weight are a luxury. Body composition data is far from bulletproof, which makes high-end models like the Withings Body Comp a tough sell, never mind paying for an online subscription service to go with it.

A smart scale can be genuinely useful for monitoring weight trends. Other features are just a bonus.

Still, many newcomers might benefit from direct coaching and goal-setting, and amateur athletes like myself can make use of semi-accurate composition data as long as we know its limitations and treat it as a relative measure. 20% body fat might not be right, but if that percentage shifts over a few weeks and persists, theres probably authentic change happening.

FAQs

No. At the moment, Apples only health and fitness hardware is the Apple Watch. Many scales and apps can sync with Apple Health, however.

Theres a wide range of prices for smart scales. Some can be had for less than $50, while others cost three or four times that amount. Spending more does tend to get you better features and accuracy.

Not by users, apart from entering height data and deciding whether to enable precision options like an Athlete Mode. Smart scales can zero themselves as long you keep them on a stable surface.

Its increasingly common for smart scales to support multiple profiles. The Garmin Index S2 is a champion here, since it supports up to 16 people enough for an entire sports team.

How scales handle multiple profiles can vary. Though products like the S2 and the Wyze Scale require separate email accounts, models like the Withings Body Comp can handle several people under the same account, as long as you know their approximate weights this is used to detect them when they step on. Withings allows separate accounts as an alternative.

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Do smart scales work? Everything you need to know about smart ... - Android Authority

Its a question people ask often: does menopause cause weight gain?

Women commonly put on weight as they enter menopause. Research shows women aged 46-57 gain an average of 2.1kg over five years.

But like many things related to weight, all is not what it seems, and the relationship between menopause and weight gain is not straightforward.

Heres everything you need to know about menopausal weight gain and what you can do about it.

Menopause marks the natural end of the reproductive stage of a womans life. It officially starts when a woman has not menstruated for 12 months, and most women reach menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, but it can happen much earlier or later.

The transition to menopause, however, typically starts four years prior, with perimenopause marking the time when a womans ovaries start slowing down, producing less oestrogen and progesterone. Eventually, these hormone levels fall to a point at which the ovaries stop releasing eggs and menstruation stops.

The symptoms associated with the menopausal transition are many and varied, and can include irregular periods, breast pain, vaginal dryness, hot flashes, night sweats, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, and changes in mood and libido.

The short answer is no. But its complicated.

When it comes to menopause and weight, its weight redistribution not weight gain that is actually a symptom. Research has confirmed menopause is linked to an increase in belly fat but not an increase in overall weight.

This is because the hormonal changes experienced during menopause only prompt a change in where the body stores fat, making womens stomachs and waists more prone to weight gain. Research shows visceral fat (deep belly fat) increases by nearly 50% in postmenopausal women, compared with premenopausal women.

Its also important to recognise some menopause symptoms may indirectly contribute to weight gain:

sleep issues can lead to sleep deprivation, disturbing the bodys appetite hormones, increasing feelings of hunger and triggering food cravings

some mood changes can activate the bodys stress responses, increasing the production of the hormone cortisol, promoting fat storage and triggering unhealthy food cravings. Mood can also impact the motivation to exercise

fatigue, breast pain and hot flushes can make physical activity challenging or uncomfortable, also impacting the ability to exercise.

You read that right the weight gain often associated with menopause is a byproduct of ageing.

As the body ages, it stops working as efficiently. It experiences an involuntary loss of muscle mass referred to as sarcopenia and fat levels begin to increase.

Because muscle mass helps determine the bodys metabolic rate (how much energy the body burns at rest), when we lose muscle, the body starts to burn fewer calories at rest.

Ageing also means dealing with other health issues that can make weight management more complex. For example, medications can impact how the body functions, and arthritis and general aches and pains can impact mobility and the ability to exercise.

In short the bodys ageing process and changing physicality is the real reason women experience menopause weight gain.

While menopause doesnt make you put on weight, it can increase a womans risk of other serious health conditions.

The redistributed weight that leads to more fat being carried in the belly can have long-term effects. Belly fat that lies deep within the abdominal cavity (visceral fat) is an especially unhealthy fat because its stored close to the organs. People with a high amount of visceral fat have a higher risk of stroke, type 2 diabetes and heart disease than people who hold body fat around their hips.

The reduction in the amount of oestrogen produced by the ovaries during menopause also increases a womans risk of heart disease and stroke. This is because oestrogen helps keep blood vessels dilated relaxed and open to help keep cholesterol down. Without it, bad cholesterol can start to build up in the arteries.

Lower oestrogen can also result in a loss of bone mass, putting women at greater risk of osteoporosis and more prone to bone fractures and breaks.

Menopause itself does not cause weight gain; it unfortunately just occurs during a stage of life when other factors are likely to. The good news is weight gain associated with ageing is not inevitable, and there are many things women can do to avoid weight gain and health risks as they age and experience menopause.

Start with these six steps:

incorporate daily exercise into your routine, with a mixture of intensities and variety of exercises, including body-strengthening exercises twice a week

stop dieting. Dieting drives up the weight your body will strive to return to (your set point), so youll end up heavier than before you began. Youll also slow down your metabolism with each diet you follow

curb your sugar cravings naturally. Every time you feel an urge to eat something sugary or fatty, reach for nature first fruits, honey, nuts, seeds and avocado are a few suitable examples. These foods release the same feelgood chemicals in the brain as processed and fast food do, and leave us feeling full

create positive habits to minimise comfort-eating. Instead of unwinding in the afternoon or evening on the couch, go for a walk, work on a hobby or try something new

eat slowly and away from distractions to reduce the quantity of food consumed mindlessly. Use an oyster fork, a childs fork or chopsticks to slow down your eating

switch off your technology for a minimum of one hour before bed to improve sleep quality.

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Is menopause making me put on weight? No, but it's complicated - The Conversation

Hollywood actor Jake Gyllenhaal, 42, has been seen showing off hisphenomenally ripped figure on set of UFC movie Road House, leaving fans in awe of his transformation from boyish heartthrob to jacked fighter.

But the leading man - who previously bulked up for boxing film Southpaw - shows off his new physique, is just one of many dedicated actors who totally transformed their bodies for film roles.

Some of the most talented actors in the world are known to suffer for their art, and this is never more apt when they speak of following bizarre diets to lose huge amounts of weight at the drop of a hat, or alternatively, to pile on the pounds until they look unrecognisable.

And some, like Rene Zellweger, have been known to yo-yo between heavier and lighter weights for roles, as they juggle their on-set figures with their off-screen physiques.

For many, the phenomenal transformations equalled awards success, such as in the case of Anne Hathaway whose drastic weight loss and shaved head for her role as Fantine in Les Misrables earnt her an Oscar.

But, as many of these artists have addressed, the extreme regimes to lose or gain weight took their toll on their mental and physical health.

Here, FEMAIL takes a look at other actors who went the extra mile for their roles, transforming their bodies to the point where they looked unrecognisable...

CHRISTIAN BALE

LOST 60lbs FOR THE MACHINIST (2004)

Arguably the master of physical transformations, Bale has shed and gained hundreds of pounds over the years for the sake of his art.

But perhaps none was more dramatic than the skeletal frame he debuted in 2004 psychological thriller, The Machinist.

As well as The Machinist, Bale has undergone dramatic transformations for films including:

AMERICAN PSYCHO, 2000:Although Bale has not revealed how much he lost for the role ofPatrick Bateman, he revealed working out 'took over his life' as he shed fat and gained muscle.

BATMAN BEGINS, 2005: Just six months after The Machinist, Bale appeared in Batman Begins and had to get his weight back up to 180lbs.

THE FIGHTER, 2010: Bale lost 30lbs for his performance asDicky Eklund, a boxer-turned-trainer, for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

AMERICAN HUSTLE, 2013:For all-star American Hustle, Bale gained 43lbs. The role earned him his second Oscar nomination, this time for Best Actor.

VICE, 2018: After losing the weight from American Hustle, Bale once again gained 40lbs to play Dick Cheney in Vice. He was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar.

The 6ft actor stunned audiences when he appeared a gaunt 60lbs lighter - but the radical transformation wasn't originally in the script.

In a 2014 interview, co-star Michael Ironside, said the weight loss was the result of a simple typo.

'The writer is only about five-foot-six, and he put his own weights in,' Ironside said.

'And then Chris did the film and Chris said, 'No, don't change the weights. I want to see if I make them.' ...

'So those weights he writes on the bathroom wall in the film are his actual weights in the film.'

He reportedly exercised while surviving on just 260 calories today, consisting of a tin of tuna and an apple, washed down with black coffee and water.

After his weight plummeted to a shocking 121lbs, the actor swiftly bulked up again in just six weeks to play the Caped Crusader in Batman Begins by gorging on pizza and ice cream.

He said: 'I overdid it because I was enjoying gorging. I was ignoring advice about taking it slowly because my stomach had shrunk, and I should just go with soups.

'I was straight into pizza and ice-cream and eating five meals in a sitting. My stomach expanded really quickly. I got very sick during that time but I enjoyed getting sick. I didn't mind it at all.

'In that short amount of time I did actually go from 121 lbs right back up to 180lbs which is way too fast so that resulted in some doctor visits to get things sorted out.'

But his weight gain efforts didn't last long because in 2010, he lost nearly 30lbs to play real-life boxer Dicky Eklund, who struggled with drug addiction, in The Fighter.

Describing his regime, Bale said he was 'just running like crazy'.

'I could just run for hours on end and I felt really healthy,' he said.

His next role in American Hustle required fattening up again, and he told People: 'I ate lots of doughnuts, a whole lot of cheeseburgers and whatever I could get my hands on. I literally ate anything that came my way.'

After losing the weight from American Hustle, Bale once again gained 40lbs to play Dick Cheney in Vice, this time opting for 'a lot of pies' to help him bulk up.

RENE ZELLWEGER

GAINED 30lbs FOR BRIDGET JONES' DIARY (2001) AND BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON (2004)

Diminutive Rene Zellweger famously gained 30lbs in just a few months to play Bridget Jones in the original 2001 film - which earned her an Oscar nomination - going from a size 4 to size 14.

After filming ended, Zellweger cut her 4,000-calorie-a-day diet and returned to her naturally petite frame.

'For Bridget, I sat around and ate a lot of milky, high fat things,' she said. 'And after filming was over, I just stopped and went back to the gym.'

In 2002,Rene added dance training to her routine as she starred as Roxy Hart in movie musical Chicago, for which she also received a nomination.

Just months after filming wrapped, Zellweger once again put on weight to reprise her role in the sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.

While the character was not quite as curvaceous as the first time round, it still marked a dramatic change for Zellweger.

However, when it came to filming the third instalment in the films, Bridget Jones's Baby, Zellweger said she 'only put on a few pounds', plus the baby bump and breast pads.

Ahead of the film's release the actress explained writers wanted Bridget Jones's Baby to show her on-screen character had 'achieved her ideal weight'.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Renee revealed: 'Sharon was hoping we could show that Bridget had achieved her ideal weight, but at the same time it didn't mean her life was perfect.

'I wasn't sure about that one though because we all have something we think is wrong, that needs fixing, that in our own minds represents the ideal that we are meant to obtain.

'And I like the idea that that stays with us throughout our lives.'

In a separate interview with British Vogue, she added:'Bridget is a perfectly normal weight and I've never understood why it matters so much. No male actor would get such scrutiny if he did the same thing for a role.'

ANNE HATHAWAY

LOST 25lbs and shaved her head FOR LES MISERABLES

When she was cast as a starving prostitute, Anne Hathaway decided on a drastic way to lose weight a diet that can only be described as miserable.

The Hollywood star shed 25lb for her role as Fantine in the film musical Les Miserables 10lb in three weeks before filming and 15lb during production.

'I just had to stop eating for a total of 13 days shooting,' she said in an interview.

'I was on a starvation diet to look like I was near death in a film... but I went at it with a plan and I had a guide, a nutritionist kind of helped me with it.'

It was later reported she had survived largely on lettuce leaves and a diet of porridge paste.

Speaking to Vogue, she said:'Looking back on the whole experience - and I don't judge it in any way - it was definitely a little nuts.

'It was definitely a break with reality, but I think that's who Fantine is anyway.'

However, years later as she looked back on the drastic lengths she went to, Hathaway said she had become 'really sick' after losing the weight.

In 2019 she told People magazine she 'wasn't in a good place' while filming Les Miserables.

She said:'I'd lost an unhealthy amount of weight in two weeks. I didn't know anything about nutrition. I taxed my body, and my brain bore the brunt of it for a while. I just felt very anxious and very lost at that time.'

Hathaway added:'That weight loss was not a long-term good thing for my health, and it took a really long time to come back from it.'

CHARLIZE THERON

GAINED 30lbs FOR MONSTER (2003) AND 50lbs FOR TULLY (2018)

South African-born actress Charlize Theron is a pro when it comes to dramatic film transformations - and the stress she puts her body under has certainly paid off.

She won an Oscar for 2003 film Monster, directed by Patti Jenkins, in which she played real-life serial killer Aileen Wuronos. The role required Theron, then in her 20s, to gain some 30lbs.

Theron said at the time she relied on a diet of 'donuts and potato chips' to pile on the weight for the role, which was met with praise from critics and audiences alike.

The fatty, sugary diet also affected the star's skin and her usually radiant complexion looked markedly more pallid and blotchy on screen.

The actress pulled off a similar feat for 2018's Tully, which saw her gain some 50lbs to play a mother on the brink of a mental breakdown.

But while it had been easy to gain and lose weight for Monster, Theron struggled with the Tully transformation and spoke of falling into a depression as a result of the bad diet.

'It was brutal in every sense,' she explained at the time. 'This time around, I really felt it in my health.The sugar put me in a massive depression.

'I was sick. I couldn't lose the weight. I called my doctor and I said, 'I think I'm dying!' And he's like, 'No, you're 41. Calm down'.'

JARED LETO

Jared is no stranger to losing weight for a role.

While filming for his Oscar-winning role in The Dallas Buyers Club - in which he played a transgender AIDS suffer - he all but stopped eating to lose 40lbs.

The 41-year-old 30 Seconds to Mars frontman told EOnline.com: 'I got down to 116 or something. I just basically didn't eat. I ate very little.

'I had done similar things with weight, but this was different, I think the role demanded that commitment...

'It was about how does that affect how I walk, how I talked, who I am, how I feel. You know, you feel very fragile and delicate and unsafe.'

The singer and actor admitted some of his family and friends were shocked by his dramatic weight-loss, as they were not aware he was doing the movie.

He explained: 'It's not a great thing to see. If you run into people or see family who don't know what you're doing, they think that you're sick.'

He also lost 25lbs in 2000 to play a drug addict in Requiem for a Dream and then gained 60lbs to play Mark David Chapman -the deranged fan who assassinated John Lennon - in Chapter 27 in 2007, making it his most dramatic transformation to date.

By the end of filming, the extra weight had taken such a toll that he could no longer walk to the set and it left him with gout.

'I'm not sure it was the wisest choice,' he admits. 'A friend of mine was recently going to gain weight for a film, and I did my best to talk him out of it. Just because you can lose the weight doesn't mean the impact it had on you isn't there anymore.'

He has since vowed never to pile on the pounds for a movie again, as he doesn't want to put his health in jeopardy.

HILARY SWANK

GAINED 19lbs FOR MILLION DOLLAR BABY (2004)

Yet another star who won an Oscar for their makeover role is Hilary Swank, who took home the Best Actress gong for 2004 film Million Dollar Baby.

To portray a boxer, Swank not only had to learn how to box but undertook a rigorous training programme to shape her body into that of a dedicated athlete who had years of training under her belt.

The actress was just given 90 days before filming started, meaning she had to pack in as much as she could.

'My training was two and a half hours of boxing and approximately an hour and a half to two hours lifting weights every day, six days a week,' Swank said at the time.

'The producers asked me to gain 10 pounds of muscle. I gained 19 pounds of muscle. I started at 110 and went to 129. And in order to do that, I had to eat 210 grams of protein a day.'

It wasn't the only time Swank had to gain weight for a role, as she was asked to put on 15lbs for her role in the 2012 movie Conviction.

She revealed she had struggled to meet the criteria as it involved a huge change to her diet and general lifestyle.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, she said: 'For my own needs, I like working out. But to gain weight I stopped that. Besides, this was an independent film. Small budget. We filmed long hours, long days. No time to work out.

'Normally I only eat until I'm full. On this shoot, I kept eating more. Even when I was full, I'd eat more. With nowhere to go, the weight stays on you.'

MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY

LOST 50lbs FOR DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (2013)

Another actor who found Oscar success with a dramatic weight loss role is Matthew McConaughey, who took home the Best Actor award after losing some 40lbs to play Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club.

The 6ft actor relied on a meal plan of Diet Coke, egg whites and a piece of chicken a day to slim down, eventually reaching just 143lbs.

'I met with a nutritionist. I gave myself four months to lose the weight. I had my programmed meals, lost 3.5lb a week - like clockwork - and got down to my desired weight,' he said at the time.

He insisted that losing weight was 'honestly not that difficult' but learning to re-progamme his life was the toughest challenge.

He said: 'You have to reprogramme all of your habits, and the days get so long. You think it must be lunchtime already, and its only 9.30 in the morning.

'I kept a diary of my nutrition the whole way through, and it is something I will probably share at some point because it was quite the adventure.'

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Actors who went to extreme lengths to transform their bodies for film roles - Daily Mail

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Sleep is essential for maintaining key bodily functions and mental health. Sleep deprivation has multiple health consequences, including heart disease, diabetes, and depression.

Research also shows that inadequate sleep is associated with obesity. Studies also show that those with irregular sleep cycles are at a greater risk of obesity and cardiometabolic risk.

Understanding more about how sleep affects obesity risk could aid the development of effective treatment and prevention strategies for the condition.

Recently, researchers investigated the effects of sleep quality on the compliance with a weight loss program. They found that better sleep was linked to greater adherence to a 12-month weight loss intervention.

The study was presented at the American Heart Foundations Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle, and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions 2023.

For the study, the researchers recruited 125 adults with overweight or obesity and an average age of 50 years old. Each took part in a 12-month behavioral weight loss intervention.

At the beginning of the study, after six months and after 12 months, the researchers used questionnaires and wearable devices to assess six dimensions of participants sleep:

The researchers also recorded participants attendance to group intervention sessions, daily adherence to caloric intake via a phone app, and changes in average daily moderate-vigorous physical activity.

In the end, they found that participants with better sleep health were more likely to attend group intervention sessions, and were more likely to adhere to caloric intake goals.

They also found a statistically insignificant link between sleep quality and physical activity.

We had hypothesized that sleep would be associated with lifestyle modification; however, we didnt expect to see an association between sleep health and all three of our measures of lifestyle modification, says Dr. Christopher E. Kline, an associate professor in the department of health and human development at the University of Pittsburgh and one of the studys authors, in a press release.

Although we did not intervene on sleep health in this study, these results suggest that optimizing sleep may lead to better lifestyle modification adherence. Dr. Christopher E. Kline, study author

When you sleep, your body goes through specific changes that enable the type of rest that is vital to your overall health, Dr. David Spiegel, professor and associate chair of psychiatry & behavioral sciences at Stanford University Medical Center, who was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today.

Good sleep allows for the brain to repair and revise synapses, enhancing the ability to modify behavior. It also provides more energy and focus the next day, making exercise more vigorous and effective. Over the long-term, that can help them adhere to a weight loss program, he added.

Lack of sleep is a stressor on the body, especially on cardiometabolic health, Dr. Sarah-Nicole Bostan, director of behavior change strategy for Signos, who was not involved in the study, told MNT:

[Lack of sleep] activates several physiological pathways that can result in excessive glucose in the bloodstream or increased insulin resistance over time which has been tied to increased body fat, especially around the abdominal region. Better sleep can moderate the relationship between weight loss interventions and weight loss outcomes. Dr. Sarah-Nicole Bostan

Joel Totoro, director of sports science at Thorne HealthTech, who was also not involved in the study, explained to MNT how sleep affects appetite:

The bodys sleep and wake cycles are controlled by a natural rhythm called circadian rhythmicity. Circadian rhythm affects two hormones called ghrelin and leptin, which help regulate appetite and how much we eat.

When we dont get enough sleep, the hormone that makes us hungry, ghrelin, increases, and the hormone that makes us feel full, leptin, decreases. These unwanted changes can cause us to eat more, especially when tired or stressed. Joel Totoro

Sapna Bhalsod, registered dietician at WellTheory, who was not involved in the study, also told MNT about how a lack of sleep can affect levels of cortisol, the stress hormone in our body.

During our sleep cycle, the body is building, healing, and processing so that when you wake up, your cortisol, or stress hormone, is at its highest to kickstart the day. When we get suboptimal sleep, we miss out on the REM sleep that helps to regulate our cortisol levels, she said.

Cortisol is a glucocorticosteroid directly linked to our blood sugar and metabolism. When cortisol is out of rhythm, so is our blood sugar. It can lead to fatigue and sugar cravings, making it much more challenging to adhere to weight loss interventions, she added.

MNT asked Dr. Dana Ellis Hunnes, assistant professor at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study, about the studys limitations.

They dont really dive into the reasons behind better adherence to weight loss interventions, just that there is this association between more/better sleep and adherence. It would be great to go into more of the causal reasons behind these findings, she said.

MNT also spoke with Dr. Debbie Fetter, assistant professor of teaching nutrition at the University of California, Davis, who was not involved in the study. She noted that the researchers did not use a control group, meaning they could not compare the results between groups.

She added that a longer-term follow-up would have been useful to see if the results were maintained after six months to a year after the end of the study.

She added that the study still doesnt answer the question: does better sleep lead to more adherence to a weight loss plan?

There may be something about the characteristics of the participants who had better adherence to the weight loss protocol (and thus, better sleep) that would be useful to capture through qualitative measurements to identifyperhaps these participants had better [self-monitoring skills, other forms of social support etc.], she added.

Dr. Jay Trambadia, licensed clinical psychologist, who was also not involved in the study, told MNT that the study may promote further research to help individuals focus on sleep, diet, and exercise when dealing with healthy lifestyle change.

In addition, appropriate professionals may be added to an integrative treatment team to assess and intervene on these concerns. These may include pharmacological treatments and/or non-pharmacological interventions, such as psychoeducation for sleep hygiene, identifying maladaptive behaviors, and behavioral modification, he said.

Overall, better sleep can help one stick with a healthy lifestyle plan by improving energy levels, mood, hunger cravings, ability to think, and reducing stress. By making sure one gets enough sleep and rest, they are set up for successfully achieving their goals. Dr. Jay Trambadia, clinical psychologist

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Weight loss: Good sleep may be key to greater adherence - Medical News Today

A new weight loss drug is getting a speedy review by the FDA, and some financial analysts predict that it could break records, with up to $48 billion in annual sales. According to a recent clinical study, patients who received a high dose of the drug tirzepatide lost up to 21% of their body weight (an average of 52 pounds, or 23.6 kg), more than any other weight loss medication. Strangely enough, tirzepatide wasnt designed to treat obesity; in fact, it mimics a hormone traditionally believed to cause weight gain.

Fat cells (adipocytes) secrete hormones that regulate metabolism, affect satiety, and trigger inflammation. Obesity develops when these cells accumulate more lipids than they can handle, which causes them to malfunction. The overloaded fat cells release molecules that can cause a cascade of metabolic and inflammatory problems that increase a persons risk of other serious conditions and diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer, asthma, and hypercholesterolemia.

To ease the stress of the lipid-ladened cells (and thus repair metabolic and inflammatory dysfunction), people with obesity often need to reduce their body weight by at least 5% to 10%. The traditional intervention to achieve this reduction is lifestyle changes (for instance, better diet and more exercise). However, these changes dont work for everyone. Even if they do work, they rarely work quickly, and when it comes to metabolic and inflammatory dysfunction, the sooner it is repaired, the better.

A handful of drugs can reduce body weight by 5% to 10%, but similar to lifestyle changes, they dont work for everyone. For example, orlistat, approved in 1999, only works in about half of patients. However, that trend has changed in recent years. Semaglutide, approved in 2021, helped 86% of patients drop at least 5% of their body weight, with an average weight loss of 15% (compared to 2.4% for placebo). Since its approval, semaglutide (sold under the brand name Wegovy) has been hailed as a transformative breakthrough in the battle against obesity. However, the new drug, tirzepatide, has left semaglutide in its shadow: 91% of patients saw a reduction of at least 5%, with an average weight loss of 21% for the highest dose (compared to 3.1% for placebo).

Surprisingly, tirzepatide wasnt originally designed to treat obesity. It is also the first drug to mimic a pair of hormones released by the gut that stimulate insulin production following a meal: glycogen-like protein-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP).Because the two molecules stimulate insulin (which encourages body cells to take up glucose, thus dropping blood glucose levels), the researchers suspected tirzepatide would make a good type 2 diabetes treatment, and those assumptions were correct.

Clinical trials revealed that the dual-targeting drug helped about 50% of the patients achieve long-term glucose control. However, those trials also revealed a big surprise: Tirzepatide provides weight loss that surpasses the leading weight loss drugs. In other words, it seemed that tirzepatide effectively treats two of the most common diseases in the world: obesity and diabetes. This was a bit surprising, considering GIP used to be considered the obesity hormone.

Of the two hormones that tirzepatide mimics, GLP-1 is by far the most well studied. Its a powerful tool for weight loss because it reduces appetite and food intake; its a powerful tool in diabetes management because it stimulates insulin production. Some popular weight loss medications (like semaglutide) and dietetic medications share structures with GLP-1 and stimulate the GLP-1 receptor.

GIP, on the other hand, is a bit of a mystery. Although it was discovered a decade before GLP-1, tirzepatide is the first drug that has harnessed its therapeutic potential. While GLP-1 inhibits appetite and food intake, GIP does not have such effects. On the contrary, many studies suggest that GIP promotes obesity, earning it the moniker the obesity hormone. For example, humans with genetic defects in the GIP receptor are more likely to have lean body mass. Therefore, scientists generally believed that blocking the GIP receptor would induce weight loss; however, tirzepatide stimulates the GIP receptor.

Unsurprisingly, scientists dont completely understand tirzepatides remarkable weight-losing results. One theory is that tirzepatide acts like a new synthetic hormone that triggers slightly different cellular processes than the natural hormones it was designed to mimic. Cells in the gut secrete GLP-1 and GIP as two separate molecules that can interact with their respective receptors independently of each other. Tirzepatide, on the other hand, is a single molecule that binds both receptors. Furthermore, the tirzepatide molecule has special regions that allow it to remain stable longer than naturally produced hormones. These structural alterations may cause the dual-active drug to act differently than the two natural hormones do independently.

But Eli Lilly, tirzepatides manufacturer, doesnt need to understand why exactly the drug works in order to bring it to market. The company plans to apply for drug approval in April 2023.

Link:
Tirzepatide: A novel obesity drug ushers in a new era of weight loss ... - Big Think

Joan Lewis tried every diet and weight loss program to lose weight, but nothing seemed to work. Then her doctor prescribed Ozempic after she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

In 2009 at 38 years old, Joan Lewis underwent chemotherapy to treat breast cancer. From that point on, she began to gain weight.

My weight always was about the same even after having children. I think going through chemo-induced menopause in overdrive at 40, weight just piled on and it was impossible to lose, Lewis told Healthline.

She said treatment changed her body chemistry and that the foods she used to eat her entire life became less tolerated and impacted her weight.

For the past 12 years, Lewis tried various diets and weight loss programs, including Weight Watchers, Noom, Keto, anti-inflammatory diet, Whole 30, low carb, and Ideal Protein.

Before I had children, Weight Watchers was my go-to. I had such success. After treatment, I tried them all and I would lose a few and gain a couple back. It always seemed that my body did not want to give in and keep the weight off, Lewis said.

Over the past few years, Lewiss blood sugar levels began to increase, and in September 2022, she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Both my cardiologist and primary care doctor knew how frustrated I have been with trying to lose weight, she said.

After her diagnosis, her doctor prescribed Metformin, a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes, that works by lowering blood sugar. Lewis also met with a dietician to develop a low-glycemic diet. However, after taking Metformin and sticking to the diet for 3 months, her A1C still went up.

We chose to start a low dose of Ozempic to try to get my A1C down and to help kick start some weight loss, said Lewis.

Ozempic is an injectable medication that stimulates GLP-1 receptors in the pancreas and other parts of the body, and, as a result, enhances insulin secretion in response to high blood sugar, explained Dr. Sethu Reddy, president of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology.

Ozempic would also tend to reduce the levels of glucagon, which is an anti-insulin hormone. In addition to improving sugar control in those with type 2 diabetes, these agents appear to reduce appetite and increase satiety, thus resulting in potential weight loss. The weight loss can also help further improve blood sugar control, Reddy told Healthline.

Ozempic includes the active chemical compound semaglutide.

Dr. Rekha B. Kumar, associate professor of medicine at Cornell and Chief Medical Officer at Found, said semaglutide helps with weight loss by increasing feelings of fullness, delaying stomach emptying, and lowering blood sugar.

Semaglutide, under the name Wegovy is an FDA-approved medication for obesity management. So, Ozempic can help with weight loss in patients with diabetes, Kumar told Healthline.

Ozempic is only FDA-approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, however, when patients who have diabetes also have obesity, Ozempic is a good choice medication, Kumar said.

Using Ozempic for weight loss in the absence of type 2 diabetes is considered off-label use of the medication.

In 2022, the Food and Drug Administration reported shortages of Ozempic. This caused some controversy because in some cases, people were taking the medication off-label for weight loss.

Given the recent supply issues in general, one would prioritize diabetes management, said Reddy. However, weight loss in those without diabetes will be an increasing indication in the future. The use of GL-1 analogs for weight loss will also depend upon insurance policies and access to these agents.

Lewis started taking Ozempic in January 2023, and since then has lost about 4 pounds per week.

I am not hungry at all. I get full very quickly, she said. I used to snack when I would get home [from work] or be so hungry at lunch. Not anymore.

However, she does experience some side effects, including an upset stomach when she eats fatty or greasy foods like french fries.

For most people, side effects are mild and cause gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and reflux, said Reddy.

Since the injection is given every 7 days, the side effects may be earlier in the week, he noted. There have been reports of pancreatitis (inflammation in the pancreas) with use of agents like Ozempic, but no cause-effect has been demonstrated. Nevertheless, if an individual has had pancreatitis, one would be cautious about initiating a GLP-1 analog.

Another potentially serious adverse effect could be an increased risk of tumor growth in those with a relatively rare form of thyroid cancer (medullary), said Kumar.

Patients who have medullary thyroid cancer, genetic syndromes that include medullary thyroid cancer, pancreatitis, and severe acid reflux and gallstones would not be good candidates, she said.

Lewis said taking the medication has forced her to change her diet.

Sometimes foods taste very different and not in a good way. I love coffee, but sometimes the flavor is so intense that I get a little queasy, she said.

The medication puts her in touch with her food choices, too.

I have been very aware of what foods I am eating. I know if I do eat high fat foods, I will most likely not feel very well. Kind of a new mindset, she said.

Ozempic is only intended for long-term use to treat diabetes and when it is used off-label for weight loss, Kumar said it needs to be continued long-term to maintain the lost weight.

However, Reddy noted that people who take Ozempic should be monitored closely by their doctor [for] worsening sugar control over time and eventually, almost all patients with type 2 diabetes will require insulin therapy, he said.

Still, he anticipates that Ozempic and other medications like it will become more and more widely used.

These agents have also been proven to be cardioprotective and combined with glucose and weight lowering properties, they will be increasingly popular in the medical toolbox, Reddy said.

For now, Lewis plans to keep taking Ozempic for diabetes and weight management.

If this drug can help lower my A1C and help me shed a few pounds, I will be more motivated to keep it off and feel better about my health and self, she said. [But], I really do not know how long I will be on this drug.

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My Doctor Prescribed Ozempic to Help Me Lose Weight. How It's ... - Healthline

A 57-year-old man from Nashville, Tennessee, is eating nothing but McDonalds for 100 days in an unconventional attempt to shed some pounds.

Kevin Maginnis is documenting his journey on his TikTok account at @bigmaccoaching.

His plan is to order three meals a day from McDonalds, eat only half of each one and save the other half for his next meal.

BODY POSITIVITY MOVEMENT REJECTED BY HEALTH INFLUENCER ON WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY: MORBID OBESITY IS NOT HEALTHY

"I woke up this morning and weighed in at 238 pounds," Maginnis said in his first video on Feb. 21. "I decided that is absolutely unacceptable."

He added that although many people will think he's crazy, he's decided to eat only McDonalds fast food for the next 100 days while practicing portion control.

A man from Nashville, Tennessee (not pictured), is eating nothing but McDonalds for 100 days in an unconventional attempt to shed some pounds. "I'm 57 years old," he said on TikTok. "I've got kids and grandkids." (iStock)

In another TikTok video, Maginnis shared more about his motivation.

"Im 57 years old. Ive got kids and grandkids," he said.

"I know some overweight 60-year-olds, but I dont know anyone whos overweight at 80 years old. I want to be here as long as possible, and I think getting some of this excess weight off is going to help me do that."

WOMAN'S SECRET TO LOSING 80 POUNDS IS DELETING SOCIAL MEDIA: 'BEST DECISION I EVER MADE'

Ten days into his journey, Maginnis has already lost 12- pounds, down to 225.5 from 238, he said.

In his videos, Maginnis shares what he orders each day, complete with rhyming puns ("can eating a McGriddle make you little in the middle?").

Ten days into his journey, Maginnis has already lost 12- pounds.

His go-to meals include the sausage egg and cheese McMuffin with hash browns, the McGriddle with Canadian bacon, the bacon double Quarter Pounder with cheese, chicken McNuggets with fries, and a McChicken inside a McDouble (all cut in half, of course).

MCDONALD'S WORKERS REVEAL LEAST ORDERED MENU ITEM: NOT VERY WELL ADVERTISED

He even indulges in the apple pie and hot fudge sundae, but opts for water instead of soda.

His McDonalds experiment has garnered nationwide attention and a growing number of TikTok followers, at 20,600 and counting.

Fox News Digital reached out to Maginnis for comment.

Some of Maginnis' favorites items from McDonald's include the sausage, egg and cheese McMuffin, the bacon double Quarter Pounder with cheese, and chicken McNuggets with fries. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

As followers watch his journey, people have been offering up helpful tips, from creative menu suggestions to the best ways to reheat leftovers. (One tip Maginnis received: Use an air fryer instead of a microwave to avoid soggy french fries.)

Maginnis also shares videos of his daily weigh-ins, which have shown a consistent downward trend since he started his new diet plan.

BARIATRIC SURGERY PATIENTS LIVE LONGER BUT FACE A HIGHER SUICIDE RISK, SAYS STUDY

Ultimately, Maginnis said he aims to prove that people can lose weight by eating only McDonalds if they control their portions.

"Its not so much what were eating, but its the quantity that were eating that really jacks us up," he added.

Lindsay Allen, MS, RDN, a Florida-based dietitian specializing in metabolic health and weight loss, sees a couple of key problems with the fast food meal plan.

"Eventually, the person's metabolism can drop up to 30% when they restrict calories for too long," she told Fox News Digital via mail.

"Then, when the person starts eating normal portions again, they will regain the weight right away. This is exactly why fad diets and calorie-reduction diets fail."

A dietitian said that a Nashville man's fast-food diet plan will likely not result in long-term weight loss. (iStock)

The second problem, Allen said, is that Maginnis is missing out on key nutrients that the body needs for optimal health, which can lead to heightened food cravings.

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"When the brain senses that the body isnt getting enough key nutrients and minerals, it will ramp up hunger hormones in an attempt to take in more essential nutrients," she said.

"If you give your body nothing but cheap, processed food, its going to sense this and encourage you to take in more food."

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Ultimately, Allen said, Maginnis is simply practicing calorie restriction to prove that weight loss is possible no matter what you eat. "Technically, he's correct, but this only works short term and will end up in failure down the road."

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Drive-thru diet: Nashville grandpa plans to eat McDonalds for 100 days in weight-loss attempt - Fox News

Photo: Jasmin Merdan/Getty Images

Two months ago, I was at a party when I overheard two friends talking about Ozempic face. I only caught the tail end of the conversation, but it was enough to pick up on the tone ofjudgment in their voices and looks of horror at the idea of women taking these new diet drugs.

My hair stood up on the back of my neck, and I felt a lump in my throat I tried to say that the drug doesnt reallyageyour face, its justthe changes that happen when you lose weight, but I trailed off. Im usually immune to well-meaning, offhanded comments about weight and wellness: from diet trends to new exercise regimens, and from talk about how fat people should be more health-conscious to the idea that fatness itself is an epidemic.

But this time was different. What my friends didnt know is that I was already on one of those drugs. I was too ashamed to say it out loud, but the drug was working, and I wasnt sure how I felt about it.

I want to say it all started six months ago, but thats not really true.

Ive lived most of my life as a curvy girl the you have such a pretty face girl but otherwise fit into standard sizes until the last few years. As my size changed, so did the way the world treated me the eye rolls when I found my seat on the plane, the invisibility when out with thinner friends, the mean comments from nosy family members, the suspicion that Id been overlooked for promotions.

I could write books, run a newsroom, provide for my family, be a good friend, and be on time for anything, but I couldnt be thin or get thin and, somehow, that felt like it negated everything else. What was the point of all this success if Im still fat?

We live in an anti-fat culture where weight gain is, on its own, seen as a personal failure. (Weight loss, on the other hand, is viewed as a sign of sacrifice and commitment you have to earn it to be worthy of it, as writer Helen Rosner points out). Fat people like me have a harder time getting appropriate medical care; we face discrimination in finding work and housing; we are humiliated when flying; we are disbelieved when raped. We are ridiculed and shamed, whether when teased as children or heckled in public as adults.

In the last few years, I found respite in the body-positivity movement, which posits that none of us deserve to be humiliated or discriminated against because of our sizes. And Ive worked hard to love myself at my size: I refuse to try a fad diet, refuse to follow extreme exercise regimens, refuse to do anything that I perceive as giving in to the pressure to constantly obsess about my weight and hate my body.

Around the same time that I slid across the curvy divide and into fat-landia, my father, who had struggled with obesity-related diabetes and heart disease for most of his adult life, died of complications from his diabetes and the resulting dialysis. It was not an easy death and it was made worse by my own recognition that, on some level, I had believed he couldve stayed with us had he taken better care of his body in exactly the ways I lately wasnt taking care of my own.

Eight months ago I found myself tired all the time, tossing and turning at night, overheating. Id lose my breath exerting myself. I was eating compulsively and struggling to take care of myself. When you are fat, though, its hard to know what you actually need and harder to know how to get it.

The thought of going to a health-care provider who might be rude or shame me about my weight let alone put me through a cycle of self-punishment that would add to my mental health woes had made me avoid the reality of my health for two years. Finally, one day I woke up so exhausted that I couldnt focus, and I knew I had to take action. I needed to do something about my health without going back to hating my body.

Six months ago, after some research, I found a doctor, a woman of color who had investigated generational health issues in her own family, who appeared to have a holistic approach to weight and health, and finally booked an appointment. My bloodwork showed that I wasnt diabetic, but I was as close as you can get; my cholesterol was elevated, but not to the point that I needed to be on medication. I was at the stage at which patients are usually encouraged to try keeping a food diary, drinking more water, getting more exercise, and cutting calories, all in a mild lead-up to some sort of herculean weight-loss effort we all know wont really work forever anyway. I explained that I knew short-term dieting didnt and wouldnt work for me, but I was struggling to make any meaningful long-term lifestyle changes.

My doctor suggested I try weight-loss medication.

In particular, she suggested that we try a newer class of these drugs either semaglutides or tirzepatides that were developed to treat diabetes but have also shown great success in helping patients lose weight. Some, like Ozempic and Mounjaro, are currently only approved for people with diabetes, those who have a high risk of developing diabetes, or those who are prediabetic with high A1C (a number that tells you how much sugar is in your blood and if you are nearing diabetes), while others, like Wegovy, are approved for weight loss in overweight and obese people. All are injectables that mimic your own hormones (what doctors call GLP-1 or GIP) that are supposed to control our feelings of hunger and make us feel full sooner when eating. (They are also really expensive for people without insurance, which doesnt always even cover them, and their recent off-label overuse has resulted in these drugs becoming less available topatients with diabetes. )

She said taking one she recommended Mounjaro would help suppress my appetite and bring down my blood sugar while I slowly make some gradual-but-permanent lifestyle changes like moving a little each day and eating higher-quality foods.

I walked out of the doctors office white hot with shame about my health, despite my doctors optimism. How could I let it get this bad? Was I now my father? And, beyond that, the thought of taking a weight loss drug felt both like giving up on and a betrayal of the body positivity Id struggled so hard to achieve.

I did what I always do when faced with a major life decision: I started talking to people other doctors (This drug is revolutionary); friends who have faced similar questions (Would you judge someone that needs an inhaler for their asthma?); and, worst of all, I talked to straight-size people. Do you really need this medication yet? one friend asked me. Have you really tried everything else?

I realized something awful in this process: Not only do I struggle with the belief that the size of my body is my fault and a result of my neglectful actions, some other people feel that way, too.

But after many appointments and many questions, I decided to go on the drug. I knew I needed some kind of intervention to help stabilize my body and my health while I figured out why I was eating my feelings, why I was struggling to even go for a walk, and why I thought good health and self-care were only about sacrifice. I had to interrogate why I believed I deserved to be sick because I couldnt control myself, but I couldnt allow myself to keep getting sicker while I did so.

So now Ive been on Mounjaro for several months, and each time I want to refill my prescription, I have to go to visit the doctor to talk through how Im feeling, how the side effects constipation, nausea, some insomnia are going and how my relationship to food and my body are changing. (Because my doctor is a holistic practitioner, and because I made it very clear I dont want to be on this for longer than I need to be, this is slightly above and beyond as I understand it.) Its been an adjustment. Behavior change is not impossible; its just really, really hard, and a drug like this is meant to be one tool of many, which for me includes therapy, movement, and mindfulness.

And I have lost some weight, though not the enormous amounts you read about in some breathless reporting. Its given me some space to breathe between meals and its even helped me crave healthier foods. (It apparently makes it harder to digest greasy, fried, and sugary foods). My A1C has dropped 0.5 points, a strong indicator that my genetics dont mean I have to develop diabetes, which has given me a tremendous sense of relief. Thats what Im staying focused on my actual health and the indicators that determine it, even if everything and everyone wants me to just focus on losing weight.

But, perhaps most profoundly, having a medication that can regulate my hormones is teaching me that when I eat compulsively, it is not just about internal willpower or self-control. And that when such behavior began threatening my health, it was okay to get help. Getting treatment was not a personal failure; it was good medical care for me.

Undoubtedly, anything touted as a weight-loss miracle is troubling because, as writer Aubrey Gordon said on Slates The Waves podcast recently, when we get this spun up about a weight-loss drug this early, its usually a bad sign because it means that people will get more attached to the fantasy of weight loss. (Also, its worth noting, the long-term effects of these drugs are still being studied.)

What these drugs cant fix is what underlies the obesity epidemic a culture that continues to hate fat people, a health-care system that incentivizes our weight loss over our actual well-being, and a food system that denies us access to whole, healthy foods.

But my body alone cant remedy all that. Perhaps it was my commitment to body positivitys insights into the diet industry that made me hesitant to consider a drug that would result in weight loss. Until I realized that body positivity is also about doing what is right for you and your body as you see it. Allowing myself to step away from the externally imposed shame and the sense of impossibility that has come with living in this body and really trying to figure out what is best for myself ended up being the key to truly accepting myself.

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Mounjaro and Me - The Cut

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released new guidelines (opens in new tab) for treating children and teens with obesity.

The 73-page guidelines outline a proactive approach, where children and their families receive counseling about weight-loss treatments sooner, rather than later. Treatments include time-intensive programs that address children's nutrition and physical activity, as well as weight-loss drugs for children as young as age 12 and metabolic and bariatric surgeries for teens 13 and older.

The guidelines aim to curb the negative health outcomes linked to untreated childhood obesity. In both the short-term and long-term, kids and teens with obesity face an elevated risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Studies suggest that a child's weight is highly predictive of weight in adolescence and adulthood, and the links between obesity and increased health risks in adults are established, the report states. So by having doctors treat obesity early, the AAP is aiming to head off a lifetime of health problems, the authors wrote.

The new guidance received a mixed response, with some experts hailing it as an "overdue and crucial" (opens in new tab) shift in how American doctors approach childhood obesity. Others argued that it perpetuates anti-fat bias (opens in new tab) and may prompt physicians to reach for the aggressive (opens in new tab) interventions (opens in new tab) as first-line treatments, rather than last resorts.

Live Science asked experts what they think of the guidelines, and they generally agreed that the AAP presented an evidence-based review of childhood obesity and the best available treatments. However, for now, most children likely won't receive the gold standard of care recommended by the guidelines. Thus, there's a risk that harried pediatricians will recommend that children lose weight but lack the time to guide them safely through the process, potentially leaving kids vulnerable to disordered eating, one expert suggested. In addition, scientists are still learning about the long-term consequences of weight-loss drugs, they added.

Related: How body fat is calculated

"I think the challenge is that many patients do not have access, resources, or time to participate in structured and professionally run pediatric obesity treatment," Dr. Jason Nagata (opens in new tab), a pediatrician and adolescent eating disorder specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, told Live Science in an email. Outside of these programs, kids recommended weight loss treatment may not be adequately monitored, Nagata said.

"As an eating disorder specialist, I have received many referrals for teens who were previously told they were obese and needed to lose weight, and they took the weight loss to the extreme," he said. Research led by Nagata (opens in new tab) suggests that, compared with their leaner peers, older teens and young adults with overweight or obesity are more likely to engage in disordered eating behaviors, like fasting, but less likely to be diagnosed with eating disorders than underweight peers. That's dangerous because teens with disorders like anorexia can still be dangerously ill, even if they are not underweight.

Doctors should discourage patients from using dangerous weight control strategies, explain the risks, and monitor the rate and degree of patients' weight loss, Nagata said, and AAP gives similar, if brief, guidance in its report. But many doctors have limited training in eating disorders and limited time to interact with their patients, Nagata said, so ensuring that kids receive this type of care could be tough.

The AAP also provides examples of neutral language to use in conversations about a child's weight, and broadly, the guidelines frame obesity as a complex, chronic disease influenced by myriad factors, from genetics to socioeconomics, rather than a "reversible consequence of personal choices," as it's been considered in the past, the guidelines authors wrote.

The guidelines emphasize "treating the whole child," rather than fixating on a number on a scale, Dr. Sheethal Reddy (opens in new tab), a clinical psychologist who specializes in obesity medicine at the Emory Bariatric Center, told Live Science. "The goal here is not to get kids skinny it's not to have them fit into a certain size pair of pants," said Reddy, who until recently worked with children and teens at a pediatric obesity clinic.

In practice, that means taking a child's and their family's medical history, vital signs and labs, nutrition and physical activity habits, mental health and social circumstances into account, rather than checking only their body mass index (BMI) an estimate of body fat calculated using weight and height.

That said, BMI still factors into a child's evaluation, although the measure has been widely (opens in new tab) criticized (opens in new tab) as an imprecise measure of fat and poor indicator of overall health. More-precise methods of measuring body fat (opens in new tab) are more cost- and time-intensive, and thus not regularly used in clinics or in research.

"Even though it's flawed, it's still a useful tool," Reddy said. "I sort of think of BMI as kind of the yellow traffic light" a signal to slow down and see what else is going on with a child's health.

"The higher the percentile, the more likely it is that a child is carrying excess adiposity," meaning fat, said Dr. Sarah Hampl (opens in new tab), chair of the AAP's Clinical Practice Guideline Subcommittee on Obesity and a lead author of the guidelines. "Overweight" is defined as a BMI at or above the 85th percentile and below the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex, and "obesity" is defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile. These categories are reflected in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new extended BMI growth charts (opens in new tab) for kids and teens.

"And yet it's still only one of several measures we look at in terms of determining the child's health," and whether or not their weight is negatively affecting them, Hampl said.

Related: High-sugar diet disrupts the gut microbiome, leading to obesity (in mice)

If a child is recommended for weight-loss treatment, what are their options?

One is a motivational interviewing, a type of counseling where doctors help kids and their families work towards adjusting their nutrition and physical activity. A similar but more extensive intervention, called intensive health behavior and lifestyle treatment (IHBLT), focuses on introducing similar lifestyle changes and making them sustainable in the long-term.

"IHBLT is most often effective when it occurs face-to-face, engages the whole family, and delivers at least 26 hours of nutrition, physical activity, and behavior change lessons over 3 to 12 months," the guidelines state. Although backed by research, these types of programs aren't readily accessible to many kids, as few institutes host them and they're rarely covered by insurance, Reddy said.

As an adjunct to IHBLT, doctors may offer children with obesity weight-loss drugs, provided they are age 12 and older. These treatments include Wegovy (opens in new tab) (generic name semaglutide), a once-weekly injection that affects how the brain and gut communicate and reduces the user's appetite.

Weight-loss drugs approved for children have been tested in roughly year-long trials, but we don't yet have data on what happens after five or 10 years of use, for example, Hampl said. And there aren't set recommendations as to how long children should use the medications.

Teens ages 13 and older with severe obesity meaning their BMI is equal to or greater than 120% of the 95th percentile for age and sex may also be referred to a specialist to be evaluated for metabolic and bariatric surgery.

Evidence suggests (opens in new tab) that these surgeries can reduce teens' weight and counter health conditions linked to obesity, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. However, eating disorder experts have raised concerns that the procedures alter how and what patients can eat, which can damage their relationship to food, NPR reported (opens in new tab); other experts worry that doctors will turn to surgery too quickly, without exhausting other options, according to STAT (opens in new tab).

Others argue that surgery is just another option for patients and should be considered, if needed.

"There is too much hype or over emphasis on the mention that [pharmacotherapy] and surgery 'MAY or CAN' be offered," said Dr. Stephen Cook (opens in new tab), an internist and associate professor who researches childhood and adolescent obesity at the University of Rochester Medical Center, told Live Science in an email. "There are a number of steps before those could be considered, and they are only to be considered for those with more severe levels of obesity," he said.

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Childhood obesity should be treated early and aggressively, new ... - Livescience.com

Intermittent fasting has been around since the 1800s but really came around again in the 200s. Studies have taken a closer look at the weight-loss approach and have come up with a number of benefits.

There are a lot of different approaches to intermittent fasting, including the times you can and cannot eat and what you put in your body. While there are a lot of modification options, its important for newcomers to understand the basics and set themselves up for success.

How It Works

Intermittent fasting is when you give yourself a window during the day where you can consume food. Outside of that window, you will fast. The most common approach for fasting techniques is the 16/8, which is commonly referred to as the Leangains fast. In this scenario, you fast for 16 hours and eat within an eight-hour window.

This naturally promotes reduced calorie intake and helps control your blood sugar levels. When you are fasting, your body goes into a fat-burning state because it technically believes you are starving. It uses that fat to keep the body running.

Lets look at it from a technical standpoint.

All of the above can be referred to as fasting for autophagy. By stimulating autophagy, you can take advantage of these benefits with the new cells and get rid of unwanted proteins that contribute to disease.

But you can only reap these benefits when you do a successful fast. This means following some general guidelines.

Best Practices For A Successful Fast

Here are the best practices in order to have a successful fast and lose weight. Keep in mind that its not just about the window of time in which you eat, but its about what you do during that window of time.

Healthy Diet

During the window that you can eat, its important that you dont go haywire. Remaining vigilant to a healthy balanced diet helps your metabolism. If you dont reduce your calorie intake, you likely wont see results.

This also includes staying well-hydrated. Dehydrated fasters find themselves with slower metabolisms. Drinking water also keeps us full.

Dont Drink Calories

Speaking of drinking, stick to water or other zero-calorie options. When you drink your calories, you are consuming a lot of sugar that adds up quickly. Stick to black coffee. But not too much of it because tea and coffee are dehydrating.

Dont Go Extreme

If you go on an extreme fast like a bone-broth diet, you may find yourself crash-dieting. This leads to serious weight gain after rapid weight loss. Pacing yourself and starting with a moderate intermittent fasting schedule is key for long-term success.

Eat Earlier

Our metabolism works better in the morning than it does late at night. Thats why keeping your eating window from morning to middle to late afternoon can make a big difference in your digestive system. Many fasters report using the 16/8 between 8 A.M. and 4 P.M. or starting at 10 A.M. and finishing around 6 P.M.

Watch Your Workouts

Working out is a great way to supplement your fast, but understanding your body, and its relationship to food is important. In order to exercise, your body needs proper fuel and energy. If you are working and restricting your calories to extreme levels, you run the risk of injury or a medical issue.

When you work out rigorously, you can add more calories to your daily intake within your window than you may normally have. As long as they are healthy sources of food, this will not hurt your fasting.

Giving It a Try

At first, fasting can be incredibly difficult for people who have never tried it. It takes discipline. Even with the most modest fast schedules it requires a level of preparation and consideration. But the benefits as studied are well worth it.

Even though the main idea is to eat during a window of time, its important to focus on what you are fueling your body with. This can be the make or break of your diet and determine whether you are losing weight.

By giving it a try (it may take some trial and error), you may find yourself having no issue with the lifestyle choice after a few days or weeks. And then you can put your own modifications or try something a little more challenging.

See more here:
Intermittent Fasting and Weight Loss: How it works and Tips for ... - Anti Aging News

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