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How are the scales looking for you at the beginning of another year? Yes, me too. As ever, the pounds have piled back on. Despite many long walks, exercise just did not stand a chance against the volume of food consumed.

Luckily for me, and perhaps a little childishly, I have never really enjoyed the taste of alcohol, so other than a thimble of Amaretto into a Hot Chocolate, this has been, as usual, a pretty dry festive season for me. So, no weight gain from that. But the clue is in that word chocolate.

My love of the sweet stuff was always a challenge and some years ago I even wrote a book about it called Let Me Eat Cake in the hope that confession would be good for the soul.

By my late 40s I had realised that I simply ate too much of the stuff and thought that if I actively recalled all the sugary products I had ever consumed and looked at their history it might help me to break the habit or grow up, some might say. But rather than curing me of this lifelong near addiction to refined sugar products it ended up as a celebration of the incredibly creative ways mankind has found to invent new ways to consume them.

My problem was that while I could waffle pretentiously about the history of the Sacher Torte cake from Vienna, or how the Rum Baba was invented, I was just as entranced by the other end of the market, where lurked the diabolically brilliant invention of the Crme Egg. Fellow Crme Egg aficionados will already know that the season has begun, and that this supposedly Easter treat has been in the shops in volume since well before Christmas.

So, what to do when repeated weight gain is not good for the health? I have previously had good outcomes from things like the Cambridge diet where, for example, I once shed four stone in a few months. This really works for many, but with sugary sirens out there to tempt me after completing the diet it all piled back on again. My bad, others keep the weight off, and it can have amazing results for those entering Type 2 diabetes, for example, who need to shift weight fast.

However, in the last few months of biscuit-powered Zoom meetings I finally reached out for help to an old school friend who is a professional dietician, and he taught me two techniques that work to change your eating habits for life. He says that nobody but a saint can ever really give up for ever what they enjoy, and that we are programmed from the days of early man to consume all sweet foods in bulk when available which, back then, was not very often.

He works with two ideas. First, Green, Amber and Red food groups. The Green has lots of really welcome inclusions apart from vegetables. Full fat milk, for example, and cheese. Amber is for foods ok in moderation, but Red is for rare treats eg biscuits or chocolate. But the key is, those red treats are not banned for life. You just have to make them treats and not staples.

Second, intermittent fasting. There are a few ways to do this, but mine is to eat for only eight hours every twenty-four hours.

This is easily adapted to, and soon you find yourself having your first food at 11am and your last at 7pm. And extraordinarily, if you stick to this, and to green/amber/red scheme, you will lose weight sustainably. And if you crash off, as I have over Christmas, these simple approaches are there for you to pick up in the New Year.

Good luck to all fellow weight strugglers never too late to change habits. And at this time of year more than any, you are not alone.

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'What to do when repeated weight gain is not good for the health?' - Sidmouth Herald

A recent study that simulated a tailgate party found that eating foods high in carbohydrates while consuming relatively lower amounts of alcohol was associated with increased liver fat.

Tailgating refers to a social gathering where people serve and eat food from the back of a parked vehicle, often in the car park of a sports stadium.

Although this tradition has not been possible during the pandemic, some have continued the tradition virtually.

While tailgating can energize fans, it can also lead to excess eating and drinking, negatively affecting a persons health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend not drinking, or sticking to two alcoholic drinks or fewer a day for males.

To study the effects of overconsumption on the body, researchers from the University of Missouri studied bodily changes after a tailgate party. Their results appear in the journal Alcohol.

The researchers had several criteria for inclusion in the study. They focused on males aged 2152 years with a sedentary lifestyle, which involved fewer than 3 hours of aerobic exercise per week.

The participants all had overweight or obesity, with body mass indexes (BMIs) of between 25.1 and 51 kilograms per square meter, and a waist circumference of fewer than 55 inches.

Participants were nonsmokers, did not have diabetes, and had no preexisting thyroid or kidney conditions.

For safety reasons, participants needed to report greater than moderate alcohol consumption, which the study defined as consuming alcohol regularly in the past year.

However, people who drank heavily, such as more than 16 alcoholic beverages a week, were excluded from the study.

A total of 18 males completed the research study.

To prepare for the tailgate experiment, the researchers instructed the participants to swallow deuterium oxide, also known as heavy water, twice daily for 3 days before starting the study.

This allowed the scientists to assess rates of lipogenesis, the metabolic process of forming fat.

The scientists also told the participants to follow their regular diet but avoid alcohol the night before the study.

On the morning of the simulated tailgate, scientists checked each participants vital signs. They then took blood samples before providing them with a light breakfast.

The researchers also used dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to measure body composition.

Around 11:00 a.m., researchers took another blood sample and then encouraged participants to eat and drink for the next 5 hours. The foods ranged from hamburgers to cupcakes. The team collected blood samples every hour and measured participants breath alcohol content every 30 minutes to ensure they reached the desired level of intoxication.

In addition, 14 of the 18 participants underwent magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of the liver. This allowed the researchers to glimpse the level of fat in the liver.

After the 5-hour experiment, the participants stayed overnight in the research center. The scientists took a final blood sample in the morning, and each participant was given breakfast and discharged once their breath alcohol content was zero.

Before the experiment, 8 of the 18 participants kept a food diary for 3 days, which showed an average intake of 2,748 kilocalories (kcal) each day. On game day, people ate well beyond this, consuming an average of 5,087 kcal.

When broken down into food groups, 32% of the total calories consumed came from carbohydrates, 35% from fat, 10% from protein, and 23% from alcohol.

Alcohol consumption resulted in an average breath alcohol content level of 0.08 meaning participants were legally intoxicated in the United States.

When looking at changes in the body, the group showed a higher level of plasma insulin after eating and drinking. Lipogenesis also increased, but overall, the group showed no changes to liver fat.

Interestingly, in the present group as a whole, only the amount of alcohol consumed during [the 5 hours of eating and drinking] was found to be significantly related to the increase in percent [lipogenesis], write the authors.

However, when looking at each participant who completed the MRS scan, they found different responses.

Surprisingly, we found that in overweight males, after an extended duration of eating and drinking, metabolic responses were not uniform and revealed significant individual variation in the ability to protect the liver from nutrient toxicity, the authors write.

Nine participants showed increased liver fat, five participants showed lower liver fat, and one participant experienced no changes.

The individual responses prompted the researchers to divide participants into two groups based on liver fat changes. Those with lower liver fat were less likely to have gained their calories from food and needed more alcohol to reach the specified breath alcohol range.

Lipogenesis was the only predictor of the differences in liver fat between the two groups.

A potential explanation of these findings is that high carbohydrate consumption may have a greater impact on liver fat than alcohol in some people, says corresponding author Dr. Elizabeth Parks.

Given the high prevalence of overconsumption of food and alcohol in the U.S., further studies are needed in a larger population. Our goal is to understand differences between people in how they respond to excess food and alcohol. It may be that limiting meal carbohydrates may protect the liver.

Dr. Elizabeth Parks

A major limitation of the study was that it only included males. Not including females excludes a good portion of people that go tailgating.

Including females in the data analysis may have affected the results, as alcohol is processed differently in females than males. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, females have proportionally less water in their bodies, leading to higher blood alcohol levels following drinking.

As a result, females may become more intoxicated than males who consumed the same amount of alcohol.

Also, due to safety concerns, the researchers regulated how much participants could drink during the tailgating simulation. The authors acknowledge this may not reflect drinking behavior at tailgate parties.

For instance, a survey by the American Addiction Centers found that people watching American football consumed between 6.2 and 8.4 alcoholic drinks on average, well above the level that would result in legal intoxication, with the highest number of drinks consumed in the stadium parking lot.

The researchers wanted to understand the effects of excessive food and drink consumption, using a protocol that mimicked real-life. However, there are no prior academic studies that show the average food and alcohol intake of spectators before and after sporting events.

Also, there is a possibility that the researchers interpretation of excess eating was no different from the average diet of an individual participant.

The researchers findings suggest that where participants received their calories from influenced liver fat production.

Eating many carbohydrates appeared to have a greater impact than other food groups and alcohol on increasing liver fat.

Given the high prevalence of overconsumption of food and alcohol in the U.S., further studies are warranted to understand better the interactions between personal consumption habits and individual metabolic variation in handling excess nutrients, conclude the authors.

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How do binge eating and drinking impact the liver? - Medical News Today

When was the last time you heard: Eat more carbs to lose weight? Like, never, right? But it turns out you can enjoy your favorite potatoes, lentil pasta, whole wheat breadif you do it right. The trick to making itwork, and getting your body to incinerate fat, is in the timing. There's new diet method sweeping the nation called "carb cycling" and essentially it uses the timing of your food groups to lose weight. Essentially you'll eat two days "on" carbs and two days "off"ofcarbs, and 2 "medium carb" days, and this combination prompts your insulin response to kick in and burn fat like your body was a gas-guzzling semi-truck.

Until you get the hang of it, carb cycling is a little bit complicated since you have to hone in on exactly when to pile on the pasta and when to pull in the reigns. And since athletes are the ones who get this right most often, combining their carb intake with their most intense workout days, The BeetaskedKim Bowman, the nutritionist forhigh-intensity training communityF45, to be our guide to doing it right. Bowman gave us the full "how-to" of carb cycling for effective weight loss. Plus she sharedasample meal plan to guide you through thefirst week. The best news: Carb cycling works perfectly with a plant-based approach.

"If you're already vegan, you're halfway there," Bowman says since you will fill up on healthy carbs such as potatoes, squash, beans, and legumes and avoid unhealthy animal fat when you need more protein on low-carb days. Bowman notes that the carb cycling diet approach is "beneficial for vegans since it helps you stay on track with what you eat throughout the day." And, if you already try to intermittent fast, Carb Cyclingis a walk in the park since both methodsrequire you to be mindful of when to eat.

When you follow carb cycling, your carbohydrate intake will vary between a high-carb day, where 45 to 50 percent of your daily intake will be carbs, followed by moderate-carb days, where 30 to 35 percent of your daily intake is made up of carbs, and very low-carb days, where 20 to 25 percent of your daily intake is made up of carbs. These ratios will help your body burn fat for energy on the very low and moderate days. Think of the high carb days as maintenance, since the extra calories will help your body recover from tough workouts and the carbs will be used to rebuild muscles that get worn down byall that exertion in the gym.

When you start to do it, carb cyclingis easier than you think it will be, and because you get to eat carbs fully two days a week, many people who follow this weight loss strategy think that it makes it easier to stay on track, feel energized, and lose weightfast, in less than a month.

"Carbohydrate cycling is a protocol whereby carbohydrate consumption varies from high, moderate, or low on a daily or weekly basis" Bowman explains. "Depending on your body composition goals, the daily ratio of healthy carbs may be lower than usual before cycling back to a higher ratio. The aim of carbohydrate cycling is to fill the glycogen storage in the muscles and liver without storing excess glucose as fat. However, its important to note that not all carbs provide the same nutritional benefit."

KB: "It's the concept of being more mindful and regulating your cravings. iI you can time your carbs and be mindful you can really regulate how hungry you are, you're stabilizing your blood sugars. if you're not mindful you'regoing to be eating foods all over the place. Cravings are stimulated by changes in blood sugar. Carb cycling helps monitor that so you don'thave really highdays."

KB: "On high carb days, focuson consuming quality complex carbs like oatmeal, quinoa, and beans. On low carb days eat non-starchy vegetables and avoid simple carbs like white rice, baked goods, cookies, store-bought products that drive up blood sugars. Simple short-chain carbs make you feel hungry quicker than if you eat complex carbs, because they're full of dietary fiber and break down more slowly. More people should eat this way anyway."

How you use carbohydrate cycling depends on a variety of factors, including your current body composition, weight loss goals, training routine, andusual eating habits. For example, an athlete may be going through a leanphasefor fat lossby lowering his or her carb intake for a couple of weeks before reintroducing carbs back during a building phase. While there is variation between approaches, a typical weekly carbohydrate cycling protocol may look like this:2 High Days:Sunday and Monday, eat your highestintake of carbs,45 to 50 percent2Moderate Days:Tuesday and Wednesday, eat moderate carbs,30 to 35 percent3Low Days: Thursday to Saturday, eat your lowest percentage of carbs: 20 to 25 percent

The meal plan for a high-carb day will fall on Sunday and Monday. Forty-five to 50% of your daily intake is carbs this is approximately 175 to180 grams of carbs per day. Here is the exact meal plan with recipes.

Breakfast: Oatmeal and Fruit

Snack:

Dinner:

The sample menu is based on a total daily caloric intake of 1,500 calories. Note that macronutrient distribution will vary depending on body weight, age, and gender.

KB: "Yes and it's actually easier. If you're macro heavy on carbs such as a plant-based diet, you're more than halfway there. Your body is cyclingthrough periods of high moderate to low carbohydrates intake so it's good for someone who's plant-based to have a steady flow of carbs. And, if you're macro heavy on carbsand you eat lots of beans and legumesyou're more than halfway there."

KB:"Carb Cycling is something that has been used by a lot of athletes and they normally follow a modified version:45%-50% carbs on moderation days and 20-25% carbs on low days."For example, an athlete engaging in carbohydrate cycling may be going through a cutting phase with the goal of fat loss. Therefore, this individual may lower his or her carbohydrate intake for a couple of weeks before reintroducing carbs back during a muscle building phase.

KB:"You will not gain weight if you follow the meal plan properly, and pay attention to the ratios. Bloating only depends on the types of carbs you're eating and if they are high in fiber."

KB: "No, because you will still have a good amount of protein and healthy fats that will make you feel full on low-carb days. Some foods I recommend eating are avocados, nuts, seeds, beans, nutrient-dense salads, and fatty fish if you're not vegan."

KB: "Weight loss will take about 3-4 weeks depending on your diet and body. But, in terms of feeling good and having more energy, you'll start to notice the difference after the first week."

KB: "Yes, but don't restrict your calorie intake at all. If you're not noticing weight loss results look at the carbs you're eating and aim to eat lower calorie carbs like starchy vegetables."

KB:Don't get discouraged, just try it. Focus on cutting out refined and process carbs and if you do that already you're already on the right track.

KB:"More cardio-based workouts, like a light jog, lower HIIT session, and pilates"

KB: "You should do a lot of weight trainingto utilize that fuel."

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Here's How to Eat More Carbs and Lose Weight: Yes, It's Possible! - The Beet

Every New Years Eve, people worldwide are hopeful and excited for a chance at a do-over in the new year. For many people, part of this do-over includes making New Year resolutions. According to a recent Finder survey, 73.76% of men and 74.26% of women in the United States plan on making New Years resolutions for 2021.

But on average, 80% of people end up ditching their resolutions. That means nearly four out of every five people will not reach their goals by the end of the year. Its normal to have trouble making New Years resolutions stick. It doesnt have to feel impossible, and burnout is avoidable.

Many people give up on their resolutions because they are too big to achieve. A staggering 45.59% of people make health-related resolutions, whether gaining or losing weight, starting a proper diet or exercise routine. Unrealistic expectations like losing 10 pounds in a week, long term fasting diets and detox diets are an easy way to get discouraged quickly.

Without consistent planning to make these dreams a reality, people may fall short of their goals within the first couple of months into the year. Junior Kyra Sheppard spoke about her previous health-related resolutions.

For years, my only goal was to lose weight. And honestly, Ive stayed within the same 10 to 15 pounds in the last few years, so it just seems silly, Sheppard said. Instead, Im saying specific goals, like I want to exercise at least 30 minutes a day.

To attain a weight-related goal for the new year, set realistic boundaries. According to the CDC, its healthy for the average person to lose between four and eight pounds a month.

A way to stick with a weight loss challenge is to start small instead of losing weight fast and getting discouraged when it rises again. With health-related goals, slow and steady wins the race. There is no way of losing a lot of weight in a short amount of time, and recognizing that is the first step towards progress.

Another reason why resolutions fail is a lack of accountability. When there is a goal that someone wants to achieve, it is important to share it with people close to them. Its easy to give up when there is a lack of encouragement and accountability.

Keeping resolutions quiet, particularly if someone hasnt achieved it in the past, is a recipe for disaster. Examples of accountability can include phone reminders, telling friends or family or joining a group of others trying to achieve the same goals.

For sophomore Ashton Miller, accountability in her relationships motivates her to be successful.

I get busy with school and work and dont make things like eating right or working out a priority, Miller said. I like having someone to keep me accountable because it motivates me when reminding them of what their goal is so that we can both be successful at the end of the year.

Understanding the reasoning behind a goal is essential to a goals success. Instead of only stating an intention, its imperative to choose a valuable purpose.

For example, choose to save $1000 because of vacation purposes, choose to spend more time with family or apply for more scholarships. Picture that goal and focus on the why every time frustration hits along the way. Sophomore Sierra Evans discusses how her why impacts her new year resolution this year.

My new year resolution is to put myself first more often. I think I have put my heart and soul in relationships that havent been what is best for me, Evans said. I have a drive to actually fulfill this new resolution because my mental health has suffered in the past.

A great way to grow passion about completing a goal is to leave notes around the house all year in places frequented the most. Take an expo marker and write on the bathroom mirror, or put a sticky note on the TV stand.

For example, if someone burns out from working hard to get extra money, coming home and reading a motivating note while opening the fridge can help them feel like it is all worth it. The key is to add multiple notes to reinforce the passion behind the goal.

Habits take from 18 to 254 days to break, and even beyond that, there are still temptations to fall back into previous patterns. Embrace small setbacks, and dont give in to discouragement. To expect that completing a resolution is going to be done perfectly can lead to disappointment.

Discovering and continually remembering the passion behind a resolution is the way to succeed by the end of the year.

Another way to make the completion of resolution goals easier is to be aware of and expect temptations. For example, if the resolution goal is to have better time management, it could be tempting to sleep through the day. If thats a habit that is hard to break, it would be a great idea to expect that challenge and face it head-on.

A good way to change that pattern would be to go to bed earlier, so the urge to sleep through alarms is smaller. Setting a schedule of everything that needs to be done throughout each day, cutting out caffeine and lowering screen time are some examples of how to face and overcome temptations.

Sometimes one bites off more than they can chew, which can be another roadblock preventing someone from achieving their resolutions. It is better to finish one or a small number of resolutions properly than to try several different ones and do them all badly or not complete them. Focusing on what is most important leads to higher chances of success.

Setting specific goals is good for self-esteem. Checking off smaller successes throughout the year can make the bigger goals feel even more possible. Dont forget to celebrate the successes no matter how little they are because that is a great motivation to keep going.

For the people that want to have a simple resolution to be proud of this year, try creating a happiness jar. When anything great happens, such as a special day or an individual accomplishment, write it down with the date and put it in the jar.

Materials needed to make a happiness jar are a mason jar, scraps of paper and decorations to make it look unique. Then, watch the jar fill up throughout the year and read through all of the notes before the next New Year party. Not only is it a little time capsule of memories, but it can also help someone feel grateful for what the previous year brought while looking forward to the future.

Sticking to resolutions is tough, but anyone can achieve it with the proper tools and goal-setting skills. Changing life patterns is worth it in the long run, and if discouragement comes knocking at the door, remember some of these tips and power through the upcoming year.

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Make your resolutions stick - The Signal - The Signal

Weight Loss: We all try losing weight at some point in life. But let's admit it, weight loss journey is no bed of roses. It needs time, patience, dedication and a strict and healthy lifestyle to achieve the goal. But what if we say, now you can lose weight while sleeping! Yes, you read that right. According to a new study by the University of Tsukaba, oolong tea might help you do just that.

Oolong tea is known to combine the benefits characteristics of both black and green tea. Hence, it is often touted to have positive effects on our metabolism. Through this study, the researchers wanted to find out the results of drinking oolong tea on energy and fat metabolism in human body. The findings were published in the journal, Nutrients.

It was a 2-week study, conducted on 12 adults aged between 20 and 56. They were divided into 3 groups and were given 3 types of experimental beverages - oolong tea, caffeine and placebo. The effects were closely monitored for 14 days.

The results showed that both oolong tea and pure caffeine increased fat breakdown by about 20 percent, as compared to placebo. However, the oolong tea continued its effects even when the participants were fast asleep.

It was also deduced that the caffeine-content in oolong tea does not disrupt your sleep at night.

According to senior author of the study Professor Kumpei Tokuyama, "The stimulatory effects of oolong tea on fat breakdown during sleep could have real clinical relevance for controlling body weight. However, we need to determine whether the effects we observed in the 2-week study translate into actual body fat loss over a prolonged period."

Manages Diabetes

A study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, suggested that drinking certain portion of oolong tea daily may help reduce diabetes risk by 16 percent.

Improves Heart Health

It may also have a positive effect on heart health. A study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, found that drinking oolong tea may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and deaths due to it.

Prevents Breast Cancer:

A study by researchers at St. Louis University in Missouri further suggested that much like green tea, oolong tea also plays a role in inhibiting breast cancer cell growth.

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About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.

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This Tea May Help You Lose Weight While Sleeping - Researchers Reveal - NDTV Food

Did any of you set a New Years resolution around the idea of weight loss, or improving your nutrition? Its a common goal -- to tone up or kick some of those holiday pounds, come January.

Heres why we ask: On Monday, Live in the D kicked off the New Year, New You contest.

To help start the year off right, five Live in the D viewers will have the chance to win $500 in cash.

Theres also a nutritional program from Dr. Keith Guthrie -- who wants to help people lose weight fast and easily in 2021 -- that helps to change the boys chemistry to keep you healthy, he said.

The program focuses on the 3 Ps: Physical, physiology and psychological. Its sustainable because its a lifestyle change, and it helps you take away the emotional connection to food.

To learn more, click or tap here.

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Anyone else trying to get in better shape this year? This is the program you need in your life - WDIV ClickOnDetroit

But as the unsustainability of these diets shows, they can rarely be a healthy lifestyle for anyone. According to Dr Andrew Jenkinson, a bariatric surgery consultant, everyone has a weight set-point that their metabolism will work to bring them back to. If you over- or under-eat, he says that your body will adjust how many calories it burns to keep you at your set weight. And if you crash diet and manage to lose weight, its unlikely to provide results that last. The moment you can no longer sustain the eating habits the diet asks of you, your body will begin to move back to your set-point. And the more extreme the shift from your set-point, the more sharply your body will snap you back. This is why, as reported by Hobbes, "Since 1959, research has shown that 95 to 98 percent of attempts to lose weight fail and that two-thirds of dieters gain back more than they lost."

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If Youre Planning On Losing Weight In 2021, Think Before You Tell Me About It - Refinery29

Erie Times-News

As always, the new Year brings resolutions to lose weight, and one of the fads that has been aroundis the ketogenic diet.

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carbohydrate eating pattern that severely restricts carbohydrates from all sources.

The program aims at keeping carbs below 50 grams per day, which means no breads, grains or cereals. Even nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables are limited because they, too, contain carbs.

Carbs are the main source of energy for our bodies and without enough carbs for energy, the body breaks down fat into ketones. The ketones then become the primary source of fuel for the body.

Ketones provide energy for the heart, kidneys and other muscles. The body also uses ketones as an alternative energy source for the brain.

A ketogenic diet is actually a partial fast. During a total fast or starvation state, the body has no source of energy. Thus, it breaks down lean muscle mass for fuel.

With the keto diet, the ketones provide an alternative source of energy, burning calories. Unlike a full fast, the keto diet helps to maintain lean muscle mass.

The keto diet is definitely not recommended for those with:

Pancreatic disease

Liver conditions

Thyroid problems

Eating disorders or a history of eating disorders

Gallbladder disease or those who have had their gallbladders removed

It is also important to recognize that the keto diet can cause both short-term and long-term health risks for all people, including upset stomach, headache, fatigue and dizzy spells. This is called the keto flu.

The diet can also lead to difficulty sleeping, constipation from lack of fruits or veggies, kidney stones, liver disease, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Studies are currently underway into whether or not the high-fat nature of the keto diet may also increase the risk for heart disease and other chronic health problems.

Because the keto diet is another variation of a fad diet, which is severely restrictive, it is difficult to follow and long-term compliance is poor. You will have more long-term success by decreasing empty carb calories such as sugary soft drinks, candy, cakes, pies and chips.

Instead, choose the nutritionally powerful complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, beans and fresh fruit.

Discuss any serious changes in your diet with your family doctor. For a personalized weight management plan that meets your individual needs, consult a registered dietitian.

Renee Slabic is a registered dietitian at Saint Vincent Hospital.

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Renee Slabic: With New Years resolutions to lose weight come fads like the ketogenic diet - GoErie.com

Ayianna Hopkins @ayi._.chan

People love to set New Years resolutions, or they love to hate them. Either way, the start of a new year brings an opportunity for a fresh outlook, even if not too much has actually changed.

According to the decision assistant website Finder, almost 75% of Americans have set resolutions for this year, and it comes as no surprise that the top resolution for many is improving their health. With the dawn of the new year comes flashy weight loss ads, with influencers kicking it into high gear to promote celery juice. It is important to remember that all of these diets and get-results-fast promises, from Keto to Whole30, are part of an industry worth $71 billion, according to CNBC. Its one that profits off of ensuring that people look in the mirror and hate what they see. A 2007 UCLA analysis of over 30 studies found that after dieting, 83% of people gain back more weight than they lost. What gives?

I get it who am I to tell you that what you want to do with your body is wrong? If you want to start a diet this new year, by all means go ahead. But as someone who started dieting when I was 13 (and failed miserably at it for years), I just hope that you know that you dont need to lose weight or change anything about yourself for anyone except you.

Imagine if we took all the energy that we invested in despising ourselves and put it toward something slightly better; we would all be much happier. If you only set resolutions because you hate yourself, maybe the best initial approach is to ask where all of that hatred comes from, instead of hopping from diet to diet with the hope that this time you will finally feel good about yourself.

My own experience with dieting taught me a valuable lesson: prioritize feeling good and nourishing yourself with food but also with whatever truly fulfills you. The new year is a great time to work on self-improvement, as countless self-help books will tell you, but it is also an opportunity to generally just do more of what makes you happy.

Haley Staudmyer, a third-year atmospheric sciences major, used the structure of a New Years resolution to slowly make her diet more vegetarian over the years because she wanted to make more sustainable choices. While going cold turkey works for some, she knew shed be more likely to stick to it if she set small goals that felt exciting yet sustainable.

Ive had two years in a row where I started with a low bar and it evolved into me taking it further by the end of the year, Staudmyer said

If lifestyle changes are what youre after, slow and steady really does win the race, even if it isnt the sexiest suggestion. Following the SMART goal structure (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely) is helpful to actually visualize what you want to accomplish and how to make it happen, even if this sounds like something a finance professor would say.

It is alarmingly easy to set a goal and have it, with your motivation disappearing into the void a few weeks later. Break up your resolutions into manageable pieces to make a steady dent of progress instead of feeling like a failure when you dont reach your goals in two weeks. Of course, it helps to also actually be interested in the goals that you set, and not just make them to meet someone elses standards.

It has to be something you actually care about and not something you feel pressured to do, Staudmyer said. If you dont care about it, youre obviously not going to succeed.

If the new year motivates you to change your habits, there is nothing wrong with that, but the danger comes from feeling like you need to change how you look to fit into a certain societal mold. Make resolutions that excite you or skip out altogether; the beauty is that there is no right answer.

Reach writer Michelle Austreich at wellness@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @djmeezus

Like what youre reading? Support high-quality student journalism by donating here.

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Why you don't need to change your life this new year - Dailyuw

Republican lawmakers lost thousands of Twitter followers when the company cracked down on accounts linked to QAnonfollowing the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol stoked by President Trump.

USA TODAY analyzed the Twitter followings of the congressional accounts for507 members of the House and Senate in data provided by ProPublica. About 42% of the accounts 213 had fewer followers on Jan. 13 than they did on Jan. 6. The vast majority of those accounts 200 belonged to Republicans.

The numbers reflect followers as of Wednesday, not long beforethehistoric House vote to impeach Trump on allegations of inciting the riot one week earlier.

Leading conservatives have accused Twitter of political bias in its moderation policies.But Ethan Zuckerman, associate professor of public policy, information and communication at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, said it's more likely that GOP lawmakers lost followers because their followers included QAnon adherents.

It's not a very flattering explanation, but it's more plausible, in my opinion, than a broad crackdown against conservatives on these networks, said Zuckerman.

Trump ally and powerful House conservative Jim Jordan of Ohio lost the most followers: 176,672, or about 9% of the 2 million followers he had on Jan. 6. Kentucky Republican Sen.Rand Paul shed 142,156, and House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy 103,815.

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A total of 37 lawmakers, all Republicans, lost at least 10% of their followers. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., lost 18%, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., lost 15% and Kelly Loeffler, an incumbent Georgia Senator who was defeated in Georgias runoff elections, lost 14%.

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois was one of few who bucked the trend. Kinzinger, who voted to impeach President Trump, picked up 54,671 followers, a 42% increase.

The data analyzed by USA TODAY did not specifyhow much of alawmaker's decline in followers was the result of followers' accounts being banned by Twitteror users simply choosing to stop following the lawmaker.

"Twitter makes it nearly impossible to study follower change," said Libby Hemphill, associate professor of information at University of Michigan.

Some prominent conservatives including Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida cried foul, accusing Twitter of wiping out right-wing accounts because of their political beliefs. The representative lostabout 6%of his total followers during the past week.

I wish I could lose weight as fast as Im losing followers during this Twitter purge, he wrote, while live-tweeting his plunging follower count over the weekend.

Twitter says it removed more than 70,000 accounts, many of which the social media company saidwereassociated with QAnon extremism, to root out commentary that could incite violence after banning President Trump last week. QAnon adherents believe that Trump is their savior in the fight against satanic Democrats and deep state officials, who will be overthrown in some great awakening.

"Given the violent events in Washington, D.C., and increased risk of harm, we began permanently suspending thousands of accounts that were primarily dedicated to sharing QAnon content on Friday afternoon," the company said.

(Photo: Getty Images)

The previous week Twitter permanently banned Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn, former attorney Sidney Powell, and 8chan founder Ron Watkins, all of whom amplified QAnon content.

Twitter also stepped up enforcement of accounts that persistently spread misleading and false information, warning that repeat violations could lead to permanent suspension.

A number of Trump supporters vowed to delete their accounts after the presidents permanent suspension. Im a small MAGA account and I have lost 400 followers in 3 days. Goodbye Twitter. You dont want me, I dont want you, one user tweeted last Saturday.

Those factors, combined with the routine removal of bot and spam accounts, likely caused dramatic fluctuations in some users follower counts, not anti-conservative bias, said Zuckerman, theUMassAmherst professor.

A simple explanation for conservatives losing large numbers of followers is that: a) they were being followed by folks who posted QAnon content; and b) they were being followed by lots of fake/sockpuppet accounts, Zuckerman said.

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, lost 45,000 followers, according toRob Bluey, vice president of communications.

Its just another example of conservative frustration with Big Tech, Bluey said. Conservatives feel they are being targeted unfairly and believe these companies tend to be controlled and run by liberals who have it out for them. At the same time, these companies always point back to their terms of service and their policies for the reason or excuse of why they took action.

And that, he says, is why we find ourselves in this big debate about what to do about it.

Broadly speaking, social media companies have wide latitude to decide what can stay on their platforms and what must come down thanks toSection 230 of theCommunications Decency Act, decades-old legal protections that shield themfrom liability for what users post on their platforms.

The conservative outcry overthe moderation ofposts, particularly those of the president,has led to multiple congressional hearingsand threats to narrowor repeal the law. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter's Jack Dorsey have for years tried to appease the political right.

Darren Linvill, lead researcher in the Clemson University Media Forensics Hub, said the scale of Twitter's recentremoval of accounts was unusual.

"I'm still relatively surprised they would take such sweeping action," Linvill said. "In the past, they have shown reticence to take action that might feed the perception of liberal bias, and this certainly has alienatedmany loyal users."

In the aftermath of the Capitol attacks, Twitter has become much more aggressive rooting out QAnon and other problematic content.

In July,Twitter banned 7,000 QAnon accountsand blocked topics related to the conspiracy theory from appearing in trending topics, but that action did little to undercut its influence on the platform.

"For that purge, they used a scalpel, only getting rid of about10,000of the worst offenders," Linvill said. "Clearly, this past week, Twitter switched from a scalpelto a chainsaw."

Despite the outcry from conservatives, who described the account removals as the largest-ever Twitter purge, the company has cracked down much harder in the past. In 2018, Twitter suspended more than 1.2 million bogus accounts. Celebrities lost followers in the six figures. CEO Dorsey himself lost 200,000 followers.

The USA TODAY analysis shows that the declines in follower counts of 13 Congressional Democrats were far more modest than for Republicans. California Senator Dianne Feinstein lost the most followers with3,425.

At the same time, prominent Democrats gained a significant number of followers.Vice President-elect Kamala Harris (232,020) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (163,841) were the top gainers. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who ran as a Democrat for president in 2016 and 2020 and is part of the Senate Democratic leadership, increased his following by134,251.

According to the Pew Research Center, nearly every member of Congress maintains one personal or campaign account and one official Twitter account. These accounts produce a flood of social media posts, far more than even a few years ago.

In the first five months of 2020, members of Congress collectively produced an average of 73,924 tweets each month.

Democrats in Congress are much more likely to use Twitter to communicate, likely because U.S. adults on Twitter are more likely to identify as Democrats, Pew found. And the number of followers for the typical Democrat has grown much more quickly than for the typical Republican. The median Democratic member of Congress has over 17,000 more Twitter followers than the median Republican.

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Trump allies and Republican lawmakers lost thousands of followers in Twitter purge after Capitol riots - USA TODAY

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