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Know-How: Be Bossy With The Boss Hen – American Hunter
Have you ever noticed the more you raise your voice, the more your antagonist raises theirs? Before you know it youre in a face-to-face, chest-bumping standoff. That shouldnt be your goal at the local brewpub, but you can make it your goal during spring turkey season. You want to attract a tom blinded by testosterone, but to do that, it oftentimes hinges on ticking off the boss in an ever-increasing lead-up to a fight.
In most flocks, one hen leads the group with the boss-hen designation. She leads the flock after fly down. She starts a new course after feeding, and she steers everyone back to an evening roost. Shes the one in charge and the one you need to target in addition to the tom. Catch her attention and increase your odds of catching him.
Despite going up against the best in bossiness, you shouldnt begin this overbearingness at daybreak under the roost. This is a time of day when a little goes a long way. Soft yelps to direct a tom to the landing strip in front of you could seal the deal. Nevertheless, as limb chatter increases you can slowly match the tone of the lead hen. This gives the tom something to think about. Should I glide over to a sure thing or wait up here with a loudmouth? Your antagonistic approach could lead to notching a tag before sunrise.
Of course, your bullish attempt may cause the lead hen to fly another direction. No worries. Shut up, reconnoiter the possible next pit stop and circle ahead. Once you feel youre in the general area of where the flock is heading, consider switching calls to sound like a different hen. Then start again with a subliminal hello. If the hen responds you now have the green light to converse with a freelance approach. If she maintains a friendly demeanor theres no reason to ratchet up the rhetoric. You can, however, tempt her with the sounds of a more jovial crowd.
Employ multiple calls and mimic the chatter of a loitering flock. Soft yelps, clucks and purrs, plus the sound of scratching, could sway the hen your way. Tone your response accordingly and continue the watercooler chat. She may show up out of curiosity with the boys in tow. Of course, your happy home could also amplify her anger as the conversation continues. Stay ready to match her mood.
Lightweight and compact decoys are easy to haul into the field, and hens can be just as effective as a jake or tom.
Louder yelps and lengthy cadences from the matriarch signify your unappreciated presence from the boss. If you sense irritation, its time to once again turn up the volume and add a touch of arrogance to your answers. In addition to intensifying volume, consider interrupting her yelps and add in the excitement of cuts to the dialog.
Staking decoys ahead of your conversation starters provides a visual provocation. A lone hen decoy has plenty of power at the crack of dawn if your yearning yelps muster enough lust in a roosted tom. On subsequent setups, two hens in the presence of a tom or jake could charm a lustful longbeard watching from the sideline. It also could infuriate the boss hen into a fuming frenzy.
This spring, keep your attention on the tom prize, but keep a focus on the boss hen. If honey doesnt drag her your way, browbeat her into a chest-bumping brawl.
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Know-How: Be Bossy With The Boss Hen - American Hunter
What you can do when you need to lose weight swiftly – The Upcoming
What you can do when you need to lose weight swiftly
You probably hear about peoples stories or weight loss programmes on the daily; how someoneused one secret trick or a special food. These stories can start to affect how you feel if you are on a weight loss journey. Unfortunately, you cannot remove all of these stories from your news feed to declutter your mind, but you can find quite a bit of relevant information on the internet that can help you.
In particular, this information can help you lose weight efficiently, healthily and quickly, using methods that have proven results. So if you need some tips for losing weight swiftly, read on.
Drink more water
This is one of the simplest ways to lose weight. Hidden calories are found in a lot of sources of our diet, and often in the liquids we consume. Some coffees, teas, milk and alcohol are calorie-dense, so replacing many of these with water can reduce weight gain. Similarly, the more water you drink, the better your body can digest and remove waste, which is a factor in losing weight. This is a good example of how really simple changes in your life can have a dramatic, and positive, change onyour health goals.
Liposuction
You might think that this is an unrealistic way to lose weight, but actually it isnt. Liposuction is a type of plastic surgery procedure whereby fat is sucked out of the body. There is no faster way to lose weight, and the benefits are numerous for anyone who wants to lose fat fast. The experts at https://www.reflectionscenter.com/new-jersey-medical-spa/liposuction/ discuss how and why liposuction is so beneficial to those from all backgrounds, and why it is especially important for those with particular needs. For example, emergency weight loss can save a life, such as obese people who cannot simply start a diet or exercise plan. In these cases, weight needs to be lost safely and efficiently, which is why liposuction could be a solution, as well as for those who want to lose non-life-threatening weight too.
Caloric deficit
Speaking of dietary needs, you need to know what a caloric deficit is too. Eating healthy does not always guarantee weight loss. There is still a lot of food that is good for you that can result in no changes or see you gain weight. How? Well, overeating for one. There is simply nothing that can top how eating more calories than you are burning is going to influence how much you weigh. Restricting your caloric intake is the most proven way to properly lose weight. Within reason of course, but you need to cut your eating down to fewer calories than you are burning. If the average person needs 2000-2500 calories to maintain their healthy weight, then even reducing this by as little as 300-400 calories can help you see changes that will positively affect your weight loss journey.
Regular exercise
Lastly, regular exercise is still one of the best ways to lose weight quickly. When coupled with a caloric deficit, you can start to see significant results fast. Not only is it effective, but it is healthy too. Losing weight is only one part of the solution, you want to know that you are making long term improvements to your health. That is always the purpose of the exercise. Get stronger, run faster, breathe better and feel more comfortable in your skin. Not only should you commit to regular exercise, but you should try to implement more forms of exercise too. Weight lifting and cardio through running or walking are two of the most accessible forms of exercise, but you should try to incorporate things like rowing or swimming as well. The more diversity you have in your exercise, the more calories you burn, the more weight you lose, and the better your body will feel from doing different kinds of movements.
Seeing so many things about weight loss can feel overwhelming at times. You can be bombarded with information from so many sources that it can be difficult to know what to trust. Fortunately, the tips here are simple but effective. They are proven and they are reliable. When you need to lose weight quickly and want to do so without jeopardising your health, then this information is a good start.
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What you can do when you need to lose weight swiftly - The Upcoming
Mum and daughter show off their new figures after curbing their junk food addiction – Gloucestershire Live
A mum and daughter duo will be celebrating Mothers Day on Sunday by showing-off their fabulous new figures, after losing nearly nine stone between them and slimming down to sylph-like size eights.
Winning their very own battle of the bulge strengthened the bond between fine art student Elsie Spalding, 21, and her mother, childminder Tracey Spalding, 50, of Hertford, Hertfordshire, who were both a large size 16 at their heaviest.
Inspired by her mum, who was the first to fight her flab, Elsie recalled feeling beach fit for the first time ever this summer, saying: I was on holiday in Spain and wore a bikini for the first time in my life.
For Mum, losing weight has been a massive confidence boost, too, she added.
Gorging on pizzas, bacon sandwiches and biscuits had taken its toll on both womens waistlines when they finally realised they needed to take drastic action with 5ft 5in Tracey dropping from 12st 11lb to 9st 7lb and 5ft 3in Elsie going from 13st 13lb to 9st 2lb.
At her heaviest, Elsie had a body mass index (BMI) used to gauge a healthy weight of 34.5, compared to the NHS recommended range of 18.5 to 24.9, making her obese.
She said: I had an unhealthy relationship with food. If anything went wrong I would eat, or if I was happy I would eat.
I didnt think I could break this cycle and thought it would be like this for the rest of my life. But my mum made me feel differently and now we are closer than ever.
Hitting puberty at 14, Elsie said that from then onwards she just got fatter and fatter.
At 14, I was a size 12, so I wasnt really big, but compared to my friends who were a lot smaller, my size was noticeable. Still, I wasnt really bothered. I always felt quite confident and was never picked on.
When I got home from school Id just go in the cupboards and get biscuits or crisps and keep snacking.
At 16 and 17 I got worse. I was a size 16, sometimes wearing a size 18, and my friends were all a size eight.
Elsie continued: Then, when I went to university, I was doing my own food shopping, so it would be cheap pizzas and oven chips, packets of Supernoodles, or 99p burgers from McDonalds.
I was conscious of it, but I didnt really want to do anything about it. I did attempt diets, but it would die off and Id just carry on like before.
I used to be confident around my friends, but I started going into myself in front of other people, because Id worry about what I looked like. That was quite difficult.
A few months after she started at Bournemouth University in September 2018, Elsie was surprised when her mum visited and looked really slim, as she had joined WW.
She looked really good, Elsie recalled.
We did a bit of shopping, she tried this top on and looked incredible.
Elsie recalled: I was really impressed by what shed achieved, but I didnt think Id be able to do the same.
But a trip to a caf over the Christmas holidays was the turning point for Elsie, who joined WW a month later in January 2019.
She said: Mum and I were in a cafe together.
Elsie continued: I was having a cheese toastie and a teacake, which was just a snack for me, while Mum had a WW bar.
She told me what I was eating would have been the whole of her daily allowance in points, adding that if I wanted to join WW she would pay for it and help me.
Still, I did not think I would do it, because I thought Id get bored very quickly.
Heading back to university after joining the slimming club online, the pair agreed that Tracey would go to the classes and pass the advice she gleaned on to her daughter, who would then attend them when she finished university in May.
Elsie said: I had to change my whole lifestyle, so I gave everything up.
At the beginning, I would not have a cooked breakfast or a McDonalds because I worried that if I allowed myself to, Id fall back into bad habits.
Elsie said: I did struggle in the first couple of days, but after the first week and a half, Id lost seven pounds, which changed my mindset and made me really determined.
The change has been incredible.
I now eat lots of veg, chicken breasts, WW snacks and sugar free jelly. Ive got a really sweet tooth, so that helps to ease my cravings. I cook a lot of meals from scratch and prep meals for lunch.
A typical student, before her diet, Elsie normally got out of bed at 11am.
But, as the weight started to drop off, she began to get up early to go for a walk or a run.
When she went home, she would join her mum on a park run, a free weekly 5k running event held at parks up and down the country.
I used to get the lift everywhere and Id never exercised, but I started taking the stairs and walking everywhere, Elsie said.
My mum was doing the coach to 5k running app, so I did it too, then when I came home for Easter, we started running together, she added.
It took me about seven months to reach my goal weight of 9st 13lb in July.
I did it really quickly and was really strict. Since then, Ive lost more and now weigh 9st 2lb.
Elsie explained: I feel really great now. Sometimes I still feel a bit self-conscious, but when I go to the shop and buy a size eight instead of a size 16 it feels so good.
My whole fashion sense has changed. I buy things I never thought I would. I was wearing skirts all through the summer and little crop tops.
Shaping up together has made the mum and daughter team closer than ever.
We love finding recipes and cooking together, said Elsie. Well still eat something like fish and chips, but well make our own hand cut potato or sweet potato chips, and then well have chicken nuggets using chickpea breadcrumbs.
We also do the park run together on a Saturday morning.
We were always close, but were even closer now.
Tracey, whose husband, Dan, 52, is an alarm fitter and who also has a son, Alfie, 23 who works with his dad, said her motivation to lose weight was the approach of her 50th birthday.
With a BMI of 29.8 before she slimmed down making her overweight, according to the NHS, she said: I was coming up to a big birthday and I wanted to be fit at 50.
I realised I was unhappy and started thinking about my health and fitness. Id always been between nine and 10 stone, but after I had children the pounds started going on slowly.
Tracey continued: I work as a childminder, so am at home picking all day. I would then enjoy a few glasses of wine in the evening and liked a good night out in the pub.
Id eat a lot of unhealthy food like sweets, chocolate, crisps, bacon rolls and pasta and went up to 12st 11lb.
I could not fit in any of my clothes anymore and I wasnt doing any exercise. I just didnt feel good.
With Elsie leaving for university in September 2018, Tracey thought it would be a good time to join WW, and by March 2019, she had lost almost three stone, taking her down to 10 stone.
Reaching her goal weight of 9st 7lb in March 2019, she has stopped boozing in the week, watches what she eats and runs 5k three or four times a week to keep the weight off.
And she is delighted that her own successful diet inspired Elsie to address her weight, too.
I didnt want to tell Elsie that she should lose weight, I knew it had to be her decision and she had to do it when she was ready, Tracey explained.
But I think it sparked something in her when she saw how Id done it.
She did really well then we both started running, we did the Race for Life and were doing the park runs together.
Tracey said: Its so important, because as well as increasing our health, its something that we can do together. I go and visit her at university in Bournemouth, then we get up and do the park run.
Im so proud of her for doing it. Its not just for health but for our mindsets as well.
Weve always been close, but its brought us closer together.
And Tracey is really feeling the benefits.
I feel brilliant now, I sleep better at night. I feel good going out to buy clothes and summer is great as I dont feel like I have to cover everything up, and I can wear shorts.
Before I would hit the snooze button but now Ill jump out of bed and get a run in before the day starts.
Tracey added: I eat lots of homemade soups, fish and veg and have stopped drinking in the week. I dont miss any of it.
Looking forward to spending Mothers Day together, Tracey and Elsie will be spending it at home this year, with activities restricted due to the coronavirus.
I think it will be a quiet celebration this year. Well probably just cook something nice together, Elsie said. She really is the best mum. I couldnt have done this without her.
For more information about myWW, visit WW.com or download the WW app and to follow Elsies journey on Instagram visit @es_progess
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Mum and daughter show off their new figures after curbing their junk food addiction - Gloucestershire Live
Scarlett Moffatt: Ive Had To Ring The Samaritans Because Of Years Of Trolling – Grazia
Before I went on Gogglebox, I could never have imagined how hard it is for women in the public eye. I thought celebrities lived in a different world, I took everything the tabloids printed as gospel, and I barely even used social media. But in 2017, three years after Id been catapulted into the public eye, I was in the darkest place of my life, feeling completely alone and often ringing Samaritans when things got really bad.
I never planned to be on TV. I was 23 and working in Asda when my friend Tommy asked me about Gogglebox. He worked on the show and couldnt find anyone to audition in the north east so asked if Id do it, to help him out. I went down to the auditions and my mum came during her lunch hour, too. The next day they said they wanted us on the show and we had two days to decide. Its 50 and a free takeaway, whats the worst that can happen? I remember thinking.
When the show aired in 2014, we got Twitter so we could chat to people while it was on. Immediately, I started getting really horrible messages about how ugly, fat and stupid I was. All of a sudden, all of these people that didnt even know me were forming opinions about me from five minutes on a half-hour show. It hit me hard. I thought about quitting, but back then Gogglebox wasnt as big as it eventually became and I didnt want other peoples comments holding me back.
As I started to get more TV opportunities, I chose to look for the positives and go for it. I was being offered things that people from my little town of Bishop Auckland in County Durham could only dream of.
Two years after that, after I came out of the jungle after winning Im A Celebrity, everything was good. I felt very lucky. Looking back, at that point I realise I had been put on a pedestal. In the press it was just nice story after nice story, and then with Ant And Decs Saturday Night Takeaway I was a co-presenter for a time it was the same thing. But I quickly noticed, the more popular I was getting on TV and in the press, the more unpopular I was getting on social media. I was getting trolled way more with people attacking the way I look, speak, dress you name it.
Scarlett went through her social media and picked out comments that she receives daily by trolls Suki Dhanda
I remember after the second episode of Saturday Night Takeaway aired, there were thousands of comments about how bad my teeth were. That got to me most because I was so insecure about my teeth as a child. Id smashed them in an accident and had ill fitting caps put on as I was too young for veneers at the time and had to wait until I was 21 to have them properly fixed. Seeing people pick apart something youre already so aware of made me not want to go in for the next show.
Around the same time early 2017 I was under immense scrutiny for my fitness DVD. My DVD is my one biggest regret, not just because of the terrible reaction, but because I put my name to something I dont even believe in. My sister is 13 now, and when I think about her obsessively trying to lose weight or looking at before-and-after pictures, it really upsets me. But back then, I was so nave, I had no idea how damaging it would be for my mental health as well as other peoples.
I was approached to do the DVD in 2016. I had no representation, I didnt even know what an agent was back then, in fact the offer came through to my Hotmail account. It was sold to me as a dream with no warning of backlash or detriment to my health. At the time, I thought it was a win-win: Id lose weight, get healthier and with the money they were offering, I could put a deposit down on my own house.
The company wanted me to lose around four stone, but about halfway through following the exercise and nutrition plan my body just stopped losing weight. It was as if it was just like, No, this is what youre meant to look like. I remember trying to soldier on but thinking the whole time, I actually really dont want to do this at all. But Id signed a contract, and when I tried to get out of it they told me that I would owe them loads of money if I dropped out. I didnt have anything close to the figure they wanted, so I had to go through with it. In the end, I was never actually paid a penny.
When it was really bad, I would ring the Samaritans, give a fake name and rant for 15 minutes. Talking to someone who didnt know me or judge me, helped.
Things only got worse when it came out. I got trolled really badly for being too thin, people telling me Id gone too far and was a bad role model. I understand now why people wouldnt want me to promote weight loss, but at the time it just felt like a wave of cruelty from every angle. Looking at the before and after pictures, I wasnt any happier in either and I quickly realised how awful this whole thing had been for me mentally. I ended up rebelling, putting all the weight back on in the hope that the comments would stop.
Thats when everything spiralled out of control. All of the trolling overwhelmed me. I stopped leaving the house, spending hours on Instagram reading nasty messages, searching hashtags of my name and reading the comments under online articles. I believed everything said about me. I felt I wasnt good enough for anyone. If I went on a date and posted date night on Instagram, Id get messages about how they were only with me for fame. So then Id sit on the date thinking, Well yeah, Im this big fat mess so why would anyone be with me for me?
One of the worst times was when I went on Aftersun on Love Island. I wore a low-cut dress and felt amazing at the time, but when the show aired I mustve had over 3,000 messages telling me I was fat and to put my boobs away. I remember Iain Stirling ringing me to see if I was OK, telling him I was fine then going home and crying for a week.
My family and friends never knew any of this. I wouldnt leave the house for days on end, but as soon as my mum texted me to say she was stopping by, Id clean up and act like everything was fine. I never wanted to see her upset or burden anyone with my problems. After all, my job was amazing, I just wanted them to see the positives.
I was at the point where I wanted to stop everything, quit TV, delete social media and move to a country where no one could have an opinion on me. But I couldnt do that. So I just wanted to disappear, I didnt know where I wanted to disappear to, but I needed it to stop everything felt out of my control.
When it was really bad, I would ring the Samaritans, give a fake name and rant for 15 minutes. Talking to someone who didnt know me or judge me, helped. Eventually, I broke down in front of my mum and told her how I was feeling. I ended up seeing a therapist for a year. Now, I have coping mechanisms to take me out of that dark place.
Ive grown a lot as a person since then, too. Not just with handling trolling, but how I feel about my body as well. A few weeks ago, I posted a picture of myself in a swimming costume something I wouldnt have done without a photographer even when I was thin and it felt amazing. I want my platform to stand for something different, to show people youre not just the sum of your parts or what you look like. Whenever anyone is on Love Island, I message them and say, If ever you need to talk to anyone, you can message me thats what I needed at the start.
And despite everything thats happened since Caroline Flacks passing, its clear that sadly nothing is going to change anytime soon. But that just tells me that we need to keep shouting. Sometimes, you feel like youre screaming at the top of your lungs and no one hears you. Thats why I wanted to speak to Grazia, because the more we open up, the more we can hopefully put an end to trolling once and for all. I feel lucky it didnt have tragic consequences for me because it truly could have.
NEED HELP?
Anyone can contact Samaritans free at any time from any phone on 116 123, even a mobile without credit. This number wont show up on your phone bill. Or you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit Samaritans.org to find the nearest branch, where you can talk to a trained volunteer face to face.
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Scarlett Moffatt: Ive Had To Ring The Samaritans Because Of Years Of Trolling - Grazia
Stress-eating for comfort in a time of anxiety? Heres how experts say you should deal. – The Durango Herald
Youre mostly stuck inside, your children are home from school, and the coronavirus pandemic is making the future seem less certain by the day. If youre like 27% of Americans, you might seek comfort in a familiar place: the refrigerator.
Food can be one of the easiest and most immediate ways to make ourselves feel better in stressful times. While enjoying our sustenance is a good thing, experts say emotionally eating lots of food with little nutrition can weaken our immune systems and worsen our moods at a time when protecting our bodies and staying positive is particularly important.
If we want to be able to feel better, given the situation that were in, we have to think about how we want to fuel our body in ways that we can stay more at ease, said Eva Selhub, a physician with expertise in stress, resilience and mind-body medicine.
Why do my eating habits matter right now?In addition to often causing unhelpful feelings of guilt and shame, Selhub said eating highly processed foods and snacks with a lot of sugar can cause bodily inflammation that increases fatigue, anxiety and depression. Various pathways connect our stomachs to our brains, she said, so putting nutritious foods into our system helps to control our moods.
How can I tell if Im eating because of emotion and not because of hunger?Eating as a result of stress tends to be an automatic instinct, like putting your hand into a bag of potato chips without thinking about it, said Deanna Minich, a nutritionist with the American Nutrition Association. Physical hunger lasts longer and is more receptive to a variety of foods, rather than just foods with little nutrition.
How can I prevent or limit emotional eating in this uncertain time?Although food makes us feel better by releasing dopamine and serotonin in our brains, Selhub said the effect wears off quickly. To stop emotional eating, she suggested doing a gut-check before you reach for a snack: Am I about to eat because Im physically hungry, or because I feel stressed or sad?
If the answer is the latter, Selhub said you should consider turning to other sources of comfort: breathing exercises, movement, spirituality, social interactions, hobbies or time in nature, among others. Stick to your normal eating schedule of two or three meals a day, even if your daily routine has changed, she said.
Whether youre alone or with other people, make it a ritual of nurturing - that youre nurturing yourself, that youre fueling yourself, Selhub said.
For extra help if you want to stay on track with trying to get in shape or lose weight, she suggested finding or creating an online support group.
What if anxiety has the opposite effect on me and I struggle to eat enough?Although many people eat extra when they feel anxious, you may have trouble eating at all. Stress can trigger in your body an elevated physiological state as if you were facing an immediate danger, like early humans may have felt when being chased by a lion, Selhub said.
To digest food properly, we need a relaxed digestive system, Minich said. Warm teas can help your body loosen up, while protein shakes and electrolyte packets provide energy.
At the very least, Minich said you should drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. To return to regular eating patterns, though, she said its important to address the underlying stress, like by physically moving or doing a simple meditation.
What should I be trying to eat during this public-health crisis?Making good food choices starts when youre scanning the - hopefully still stocked - grocery-store shelves and deciding what to take home, Minich said. To the extent that you can buy fresh, colorful foods, you should, she said.
Absent the option of purchasing fresh produce and meat, Minich said frozen almost always beats canned when it comes to nutrition. Frozen food is preserved in close to its original state and usually has little interaction with the plastic its stored in, she said, whereas canned food touches its metal container and the plasticizer used to seal it. Canned food is also usually stored in a high-salt or high-sugar solution.
Minich also suggested using spices to reduce stress-inflicted inflammation and eating foods with vitamin C to strengthen your immune system. Now is a good time to share recipes with friends and family, she said, and to make sure youre also paying attention to other aspects of your health, such as moving your body and getting enough sleep.
Ultimately, Minich said eating well heightens our sense of well-being, increases our curiosity and makes us happier.
And I think this is the time that we need more well-being and happiness, she said.
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Stress-eating for comfort in a time of anxiety? Heres how experts say you should deal. - The Durango Herald
‘By Combining Keto And A Low-Carb Diet, I Was Able To Lower My Blood PressureAnd Lose 155 Lbs.’ – Women’s Health
My name is Nance Mendoza (@prettydarnketo). I am 49 years old. I live in Glenpool, Oklahoma, and Im a stay-at-home mom. When my near 400-pound weight started giving me serious health problems, I committed to my weight-loss journey, went low-carb and keto, and lost over 150 pounds.
I struggled with food for as long as I can remember. I remember sneaking food to soothe myself during stressful situations when I was young, although I was an average-size kid.
Weight didn't become an issue for me until my first pregnancy. I was 135 pounds at my first prenatal appointment and I gained 100 pounds over the course of the pregnancy. In the following years, I continued to gain weight, and I got pregnant again.
My marriage failed soon after that, and I coped with becoming a single parent by bingeing and eating secretively to cope. Food was the balm that soothed like no other, no matter how desperately I wanted to lose weight.
I eventually remarried, and my husband was also overweight. We both liked to eat, so it seemed to be a match made in heaven.
I had high blood pressure and was on two medications. In 2004, I was also diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. You would think that diagnosis alone would be enough for me to make a change to lessen the load on my joints, but I had such a hard time fighting the mental battle of weight loss. I desperately wanted to lose the weight, but knowing I needed to lose over 100 pounds seemed like such an impossible task. At my heaviest, I weighed 378 pounds.
On February 17, 2017, I got a text from my husband that said, "I have diabetes." He had his yearly work physical and the results had come that day. Hearing that from him was the catalyst to my weight-loss journey.
As I started doing more research, I started to learn more and more about the keto diet and eventually shifted to more of a keto approach. Now I've basically combined the two. I keep net carbs under 25 grams per day, and I focus on protein and use fat to satiate.
I also started tracking my food. Having the visual data and seeing what I'm actually consuming helps me make the right choices. I don't love doing it, but it helps me so much. I do full menu planning, too. Menu planning helps keep me on track so I know exactly what I'm going to be eating and gives me something to be excited about. Plus, it gives me an opportunity to look for new recipes and try new things so meals don't become mundane.
I drink lots of water. I didn't realize before how important it was to get adequate water to both stay hydrated and help control my appetite. Sometimes I confuse thirst for hunger, and now when I'm feeling snacky, I try drinking water first. A lot of the time, I'm just thirsty.
Breakfast: I normally fast and just have coffee with cream, collagen, and zero-calorie sweetener. But on the days I do want breakfast, I have low-carb waffles with peanut butter and sugar-free syrup.
Lunch: Bunless burger with mayo and veggies, tuna salad, or deli meat and cheese in a lettuce wrap or low-carb tortilla.
Snacks: Cheese, nuts, iced coffee, or a protein bar.
Dinner: I try to recreate meals the we would have eaten pre-keto. It's important to make meals my daughter will eat so we can eat as a family. I make things like meatloaf, chicken parmesan (no breading), chili (no beans), spaghetti (with shirataki noodles), buffalo wings, and crustless pizza. I like to make sure we have a meat and a veggie if possible.
Dessert: My favorite dessert currently is Greek yogurt sweetened with lemon sugar-free syrup. I like to add pecans or strawberries. Low-carb ice cream is also a favorite.
Walking is the easiest thing for me to do, and I really enjoy it. I also have dogs, so we get out and walk almost two miles several times a week. I went from being hardly able to because of the fact that I weighed almost 400 pounds to being able to walk all over England and Scotland a few months ago on a trip overseas. It was such an amazing feeling!
I'm still not at my "goal" weight, but I'd say I'm pretty close. It might sound clich, but if I can do this, anyone can. At 378 pounds, I was happily married with beautiful children, but I was so miserable with my physical appearance. I started this journey because of my husband's health (he's lost 140 pounds right along with me and improved his health situation, including his diabetes)but of course I knew I desperately needed it for myself.
Slowly, it became more about me. I started to see I could actually do this. I could take this one day, one week, one month at a time and be successful. Each victory was proof to myself that I was worth taking control of my health.
In turn, this journey has made me a better wife, mother, and daughter. I'm happier, and my health and disease are in much better control. I've gone from two blood pressure medications to taking half of one. I'm wearing clothes I've never been able to wear, traveling to places I never thought I'd be able to go to. I've decided to make this a way of life, not just a diet. Living is so much more important to meand Im actually living and enjoying life in this new body I've worked so hard to have.
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'By Combining Keto And A Low-Carb Diet, I Was Able To Lower My Blood PressureAnd Lose 155 Lbs.' - Women's Health
Are fad diets or extreme workouts healthy for teenagers? All you need to know – Times Now
Are fad diets or extreme workouts healthy for teenagers? All you need to know  |  Photo Credit: Getty Images
New Delhi: Teenage years are the formative years of one's life. New experiences, in terms of our body and mind, are exciting and have an important impact on one's life, even later. However, certain bad experiences like bullying, body image issues, etc, can have an impact on their relationships, and mental health.
Eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, or mental health issues like depression, anxiety can all be triggered because of bad experiences during teenage years. According to a report in Science Daily, weight-based bullying has been also linked to increased consumption of alcohol, marijuana use. Overweight girls are more likely to be bullied, according to the report. And due to such issues, teenage boys and girls may want to lose weight quickly through fad diets and workouts.
The fact of the matter isthat fad diets like Ketogenic diet, or others, are seldom healthy, irrespective of age. However, for the teenagers, following such diets may be even more unhealthy. Such diets are restrictive, which leads to deficiencies. Since the teenage years are the formative years, both physically and mentally, it may not be a good idea to follow such diets, or encourage your children to do the same. Other diets like the intermittent fasting diet, which is known to be healthy, may also not be very efficient for teenagers, given their schedule.
When it comes to high-intensity workouts, teenagers below the age of 16 should avoid such workouts, according to reports. Regular physical activity, more outdoor playtime, and low-intensity cardio workouts like aerobic exercises, running, and walking are recommended for young children and teenagers.
For a healthy diet, one of the most common causes of weight gain among teenagers is the consumption of junk and processed food. A healthy diet of home-cooked food, and reduced consumption of fatty and oily food is recommended. Staying hydrated, eating fruits and vegetables, eggs is a great way to include variety in your diet while staying healthy. Protein-rich foods like legumes, lentils, and eggs are recommended for teenagers, since they help in building muscle and bones. High-fibre foods like vegetables, nuts and seeds can help you feel fuller for longer, and reduce hunger pangs, while providing complete nutrition.
Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purpose only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.
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Are fad diets or extreme workouts healthy for teenagers? All you need to know - Times Now
Mum and daughter show off their new figures after curbing their junk food addiction – Cambridgeshire Live – Cambridgeshire Live
A mum and daughter duo will be celebrating Mothers Day on Sunday by showing-off their fabulous new figures, after losing nearly nine stone between them and slimming down to sylph-like size eights.
Winning their very own battle of the bulge strengthened the bond between fine art student Elsie Spalding, 21, and her mother, childminder Tracey Spalding, 50, of Hertford, Hertfordshire, who were both a large size 16 at their heaviest.
Inspired by her mum, who was the first to fight her flab, Elsie recalled feeling beach fit for the first time ever this summer, saying: I was on holiday in Spain and wore a bikini for the first time in my life.
For Mum, losing weight has been a massive confidence boost, too, she added.
Gorging on pizzas, bacon sandwiches and biscuits had taken its toll on both womens waistlines when they finally realised they needed to take drastic action with 5ft 5in Tracey dropping from 12st 11lb to 9st 7lb and 5ft 3in Elsie going from 13st 13lb to 9st 2lb.
At her heaviest, Elsie had a body mass index (BMI) used to gauge a healthy weight of 34.5, compared to the NHS recommended range of 18.5 to 24.9, making her obese.
She said: I had an unhealthy relationship with food. If anything went wrong I would eat, or if I was happy I would eat.
I didnt think I could break this cycle and thought it would be like this for the rest of my life. But my mum made me feel differently and now we are closer than ever.
Hitting puberty at 14, Elsie said that from then onwards she just got fatter and fatter.
At 14, I was a size 12, so I wasnt really big, but compared to my friends who were a lot smaller, my size was noticeable. Still, I wasnt really bothered. I always felt quite confident and was never picked on.
When I got home from school Id just go in the cupboards and get biscuits or crisps and keep snacking.
At 16 and 17 I got worse. I was a size 16, sometimes wearing a size 18, and my friends were all a size eight.
Elsie continued: Then, when I went to university, I was doing my own food shopping, so it would be cheap pizzas and oven chips, packets of Supernoodles, or 99p burgers from McDonalds.
I was conscious of it, but I didnt really want to do anything about it. I did attempt diets, but it would die off and Id just carry on like before.
I used to be confident around my friends, but I started going into myself in front of other people, because Id worry about what I looked like. That was quite difficult.
A few months after she started at Bournemouth University in September 2018, Elsie was surprised when her mum visited and looked really slim, as she had joined WW.
She looked really good, Elsie recalled.
We did a bit of shopping, she tried this top on and looked incredible.
Elsie recalled: I was really impressed by what shed achieved, but I didnt think Id be able to do the same.
But a trip to a caf over the Christmas holidays was the turning point for Elsie, who joined WW a month later in January 2019.
She said: Mum and I were in a cafe together.
Elsie continued: I was having a cheese toastie and a teacake, which was just a snack for me, while Mum had a WW bar.
She told me what I was eating would have been the whole of her daily allowance in points, adding that if I wanted to join WW she would pay for it and help me.
Still, I did not think I would do it, because I thought Id get bored very quickly.
Heading back to university after joining the slimming club online, the pair agreed that Tracey would go to the classes and pass the advice she gleaned on to her daughter, who would then attend them when she finished university in May.
Elsie said: I had to change my whole lifestyle, so I gave everything up.
At the beginning, I would not have a cooked breakfast or a McDonalds because I worried that if I allowed myself to, Id fall back into bad habits.
Elsie said: I did struggle in the first couple of days, but after the first week and a half, Id lost seven pounds, which changed my mindset and made me really determined.
The change has been incredible.
I now eat lots of veg, chicken breasts, WW snacks and sugar free jelly. Ive got a really sweet tooth, so that helps to ease my cravings. I cook a lot of meals from scratch and prep meals for lunch.
A typical student, before her diet, Elsie normally got out of bed at 11am.
But, as the weight started to drop off, she began to get up early to go for a walk or a run.
When she went home, she would join her mum on a park run, a free weekly 5k running event held at parks up and down the country.
I used to get the lift everywhere and Id never exercised, but I started taking the stairs and walking everywhere, Elsie said.
My mum was doing the coach to 5k running app, so I did it too, then when I came home for Easter, we started running together, she added.
It took me about seven months to reach my goal weight of 9st 13lb in July.
I did it really quickly and was really strict. Since then, Ive lost more and now weigh 9st 2lb.
Elsie explained: I feel really great now. Sometimes I still feel a bit self-conscious, but when I go to the shop and buy a size eight instead of a size 16 it feels so good.
My whole fashion sense has changed. I buy things I never thought I would. I was wearing skirts all through the summer and little crop tops.
Shaping up together has made the mum and daughter team closer than ever.
We love finding recipes and cooking together, said Elsie. Well still eat something like fish and chips, but well make our own hand cut potato or sweet potato chips, and then well have chicken nuggets using chickpea breadcrumbs.
We also do the park run together on a Saturday morning.
We were always close, but were even closer now.
Tracey, whose husband, Dan, 52, is an alarm fitter and who also has a son, Alfie, 23 who works with his dad, said her motivation to lose weight was the approach of her 50th birthday.
With a BMI of 29.8 before she slimmed down making her overweight, according to the NHS, she said: I was coming up to a big birthday and I wanted to be fit at 50.
I realised I was unhappy and started thinking about my health and fitness. Id always been between nine and 10 stone, but after I had children the pounds started going on slowly.
Tracey continued: I work as a childminder, so am at home picking all day. I would then enjoy a few glasses of wine in the evening and liked a good night out in the pub.
Id eat a lot of unhealthy food like sweets, chocolate, crisps, bacon rolls and pasta and went up to 12st 11lb.
I could not fit in any of my clothes anymore and I wasnt doing any exercise. I just didnt feel good.
With Elsie leaving for university in September 2018, Tracey thought it would be a good time to join WW, and by March 2019, she had lost almost three stone, taking her down to 10 stone.
Reaching her goal weight of 9st 7lb in March 2019, she has stopped boozing in the week, watches what she eats and runs 5k three or four times a week to keep the weight off.
And she is delighted that her own successful diet inspired Elsie to address her weight, too.
I didnt want to tell Elsie that she should lose weight, I knew it had to be her decision and she had to do it when she was ready, Tracey explained.
But I think it sparked something in her when she saw how Id done it.
She did really well then we both started running, we did the Race for Life and were doing the park runs together.
Tracey said: Its so important, because as well as increasing our health, its something that we can do together. I go and visit her at university in Bournemouth, then we get up and do the park run.
Im so proud of her for doing it. Its not just for health but for our mindsets as well.
Weve always been close, but its brought us closer together.
And Tracey is really feeling the benefits.
I feel brilliant now, I sleep better at night. I feel good going out to buy clothes and summer is great as I dont feel like I have to cover everything up, and I can wear shorts.
Before I would hit the snooze button but now Ill jump out of bed and get a run in before the day starts.
Tracey added: I eat lots of homemade soups, fish and veg and have stopped drinking in the week. I dont miss any of it.
Looking forward to spending Mothers Day together, Tracey and Elsie will be spending it at home this year, with activities restricted due to the coronavirus.
I think it will be a quiet celebration this year. Well probably just cook something nice together, Elsie said. She really is the best mum. I couldnt have done this without her.
For more information about myWW, visit WW.com or download the WW app and to follow Elsies journey on Instagram visit @es_progess
Read More..Kendrick Perkins Admits He’s Gained 75 Lbs. Since Leaving The NBA Two Years Ago – BET
Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins understandably relaxed his exercise and diet regime since leaving the league two years ago, and the result has been more than a few pounds of extra weight. The retired athlete took to Twitter to share that hes now focused on getting fit and hes getting plenty of support from his friends and former colleagues.
I retired 2 years ago and since then Ive put on 75 pounds!!! I went to the Doctor the other day and he told that I am walking a fine line of becoming a diabetic and that I need to lose weight and change my diet. Day 1 started today because my family needs me!!! Perkins said on Twitter on Saturday (March 21.)
RELATED: Drake Gets Into Heated On-Court Altercation With Kendrick Perkins
A video of Perkins in the gym hitting a punching bag accompanied the tweet. Immediately after, NBA colleagues like Lebron James and Doc Rivers encouraged him to stay in the gym.
Thats light my brother!! Lets GOOOOOOOOO!! Lebron James said.
get it perk. we all need you, Doc Rivers added.
Actor Michael Rapaport decided to add some humor, saying, That left hand is really questionable bro. You tapping.
Perkins played in the NBA for 15 years with Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans and Boston Celtics. He was a part of the latter team when they won the NBA Championships in 2008.
Photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
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Kendrick Perkins Admits He's Gained 75 Lbs. Since Leaving The NBA Two Years Ago - BET
The Ketogenic Diet and Recovery for CrossFit (Part 3) – BOXROX
Welcome to Part 3 of our series on Keto and CrossFit. In case you missed it, Part 1 covered the background on keto, whether it could work alongside CrossFit and some keto and CrossFit studies. In Part 2, we explored how keto affects strength, gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting and endurance in athletes, all key components in CrossFit.
So far we have explained how, compared to a traditional diet, keto can result in much better body composition, lean mass maintenance or gain, no loss in performance, a better hormonal profile, and the ability to create glucose from protein, fat and lactate very efficiently via a process called Gluconeogenesis.
In this article, we are going to look at the impact of indirect measures that keto has for an athlete. The things that happen outside the Box but can still have a huge impact on overall performance and well-being.
Overall, well detail why keto can improve metabolic efficiency and cover the magic effects of ketones (BHB and acetoacetate) on inflammation, oxidative damage, mental health and even sleep.
Many metabolic changes begin to occur when you become a fat burning machine via nutritional ketosis. These changes result in metabolic flexibility, in which an individual is able to burn both fat and carbs for energy efficiently to attain optimal health and athleticism.
Energy Metabolism Study #1: Insulin, ketone bodies, and mitochondrial energy transduction
This study was done in rats, so we cant and wont draw too many conclusions from it, but it does demonstrate that the addition of ketones to insulin and glucose results in a 36% increase in efficiency of the working rat heart.
This means the amount of energy created from the oxygen consumed increased, making the heart work more efficiently. The study finds that the ketones and insulin seem to make the mitochondria work more efficiently.
Getting more work out of the heart with less energy demand is a big win in my books.
Energy Metabolism Study #2: Metabolic Effects of the Very-Low-Carbohydrate Diets: Misunderstood Villains of Human Metabolism
This study results in many interesting claims and findings, but we will just focus on a couple. First, lets look at the energy produced from glucose versus the energy produced from ketones:
Thus, BHB is a more efficient energy source than glucose on a gram for gram basis.
Another interesting note is that:
Quoting the study, this is what the scientists found regarding the creation of energy (ATP):
It has also been claimed that carbohydrate provides the only macronutrient substrate whose stored energy generates ATP non-aerobically. This is not the case, however, since several studies have shown that amino acid catabolism also provides a source of anaerobic energy production.
This might be news to most people reading this article, but the traditional viewpoint is that only glucose produces ATP without the input of oxygen (non-aerobically). As exercise gets more intense, the body uses the non-aerobic metabolism more and more.
The fact that amino acids can contribute to this form of metabolism means we dont need to rely 100% on carbohydrates for ATP production (without the input of oxygen) for high intensity exercise. This is pretty revolutionary, and warrants further investigation.
Energy Metabolism Study #3: Novel ketone diet enhances physical and cognitive performance.
The start of the study reads:
Ketone bodies are the most energy-efficient fuel and yield more ATP per mole of substrate than pyruvate and increase the free energy released from ATP hydrolysisKetones may also be beneficial for muscle and brain in times of stress, such as endurance exercise.
This study compared rats fed a carbohydrate-based diet vs a high exogenous ketone (ketone supplement) based diet. They found that rats on the high ketone diet could run 32% further on the treadmill and solved a maze 38% faster than the control diet.
The scientists found that the novel ketone diet, therefore, improved physical performance and cognitive function in rats, and its energy-sparing properties suggest that it may help to treat a range of human conditions with metabolic abnormalities.
By using ketones as fuel, you are using the most energy-efficient fuel on the planet, improving neural health, and can benefit muscle and brain during times of high stress (for example a WOD).
Energy Metabolism Study #4: Nutritional Ketosis Alters Fuel Preference and Thereby Endurance Performance in Athletes
For this study, 39 high-performance athletes were given a supplemental ketone ester-based drink to determine the effects on physical performance and fuel selection preference.
We show how this unique metabolic state improves physical endurance by altering fuel competition for oxidative respiration. Ketosis decreased muscle glycolysis and plasma lactate concentrations, while providing an alternative substrate for oxidative phosphorylation. Ketosis increased intramuscular triacylglycerol oxidation during exercise, even in the presence of normal muscle glycogen, co-ingested carbohydrate and elevated insulin.
In English, ketones resulted in an improvement in physical endurance by reducing the need for glucose and reducing the build-up of lactate (commonly thought of as that muscle burn during intense exercise). It is possible the lactate was being shuttled to the liver for gluconeogenesis, as we spoke about in the last post.
The body relied more on fat, including fat within the muscle, to fuel exercise, and less on the limited stores of glycogen. The scientists concluded: These findings may hold clues to greater human potential and a better understanding of fuel metabolism in health and disease.
Its important to note, however, that these biochemical advantages of ketosis in humans were found using a ketone ester-based form of nutrition instead of placing the athletes on a caloric or carbohydrate restriction to produce ketones.
Performing at a high level, but still sparing muscle glycogen means that the athlete will have more fuel in the tank for the highest energy outputs. Decreased lactate may also mean less of that muscle burn, and the athlete may potentially be able to exercise a little longer.
The increase of fat usage within the muscle also contributes to glycogen sparing (the use of non-carbohydrates as a source of energy during exercise so that the depletion of muscle glycogen stores is delayed), and could be very beneficial. This would mean there is more glucose in the tank for those harder efforts.
Another important part of recovery is inflammation or oxidative damage. Find out how the ketogenic diet affects these parameters
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The Ketogenic Diet and Recovery for CrossFit (Part 3) - BOXROX