Search Weight Loss Topics:

Page 201«..1020..200201202203..210220..»

Home » Page 201

Tyrese Hunter takes a shot against Baylor. Hunter sored 13 points and registered his 35th double digit game of his 64 game career. (photo Texas Athletics)

Just when you thought Big 12 College Basketball could not get more exciting, Baylor beats Texas and Kansas beats West Virginia and now Kansas is No. 1 in the Big 12.

Texas coach Rodney Terrys words held true. In the Big 12 if you are on top it may be only until the next game.

WACO, Texas For most of the first half (13:15) Texas led Baylor by as much as 14 points. Dylan Disu scored Texas first basket and then went on to be the game-leading scorer with 24 points on the night. Baylors success in beating Texas 81-74 was because they stopped the top three regular scorers (Carr, Rice, Allen) from reaching their normal points.

This season, Marcus Carr averaged 17 points per game, but scored 11 while SirJabari Rice scored his average 12 points, Timmy Allen went over his average of 10.8 points, and Brock Cunningham only took two shots and missed both.

Had Carr and Cunningham hit their average the score would have favored Texas by two.

The loss does not rest on two players. Texas had 15 turnovers of which Baylor capitalized and scored 20 points. Baylor had more rebounds 37-25, more bench points 29-12. Texas bench points are usually in the high 20s on average.

The game was physical, but no more than usual.

Five Texas players did reach double digits. Timmy Allen scored 12 points and marks the 111th time in his career to score double figures. Marcus Carr with his 11 points marks his 111th time in double figures in his career, and had a game-hgh six assists.

Dylan Disu scored 24 points hitting 10-15, tied career high, from the field. In 103 games played, this is the third time Disu passed the 20-point mark.

Double figures are routine for both Tyrese Hunter and SirJabari Rice. Hunters 13 points was the 15th time this season in double digit. Rice scored 12 points that puts him in double digits for the 18th time this season and 76th in his career.

Texas overall are now 22-7 and marks the Longhorns best 29-game start since the 2010-2011 season when they went 24-5. Rodney Terry was also the assistant coach at the time.

In the Big 12 Conference, Texas 11-5 record is also UTs best 16-games since the 2010-11 season where they were 13-3, again when Rodney Terry was an assistant coach at Texas.

Two Big 12 regular season games remain. Texas travels to Fort Worth to play TCU on Mar. 1 (Wed) with a 8 p.m. tipoff.

In what may be a gigantic ending to the regular Big 12 season, Texas plays Kansas in Austin, Texas at the Moody Center Mar. 4 (Sat) with a 3 p.m. tipoff. If Texas wins at TCU and Kansas falls to Texas Tech, though they are playing at Kansas, then there was be a Big 12 tie for the last game to decide the winner.

Otherwise, Texas will have to beat Kansas to have a tie for the Big 12.

Read more here:
Texas Mens Basketball mauled by Baylor 81-72 in Big 12 race - Horns Illustrated

Read More..

The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals. Sign up today!

Atypical anorexia may not even be a term youve heard before. But Erin Harrop, an assistant professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work and one of the only atypical anorexia researchers in Colorado, believes it needs more attentionand a new label, to boot. In time for National Eating Disorders Awareness Week February 27 through March 5, heres what you need to know about the not-so-atypical disorder, how Colorado culture may play into it, and how you can support those affected.

According to Harrop, atypical anorexia (AAN) is essentially the same as anorexia nervosa (AN)the official medical term for the eating disorder characterized by restricted energy intake, fear of weight gain, and body image disturbance. But atypical patients dont have low body weight, barring them from a diagnosis of typical AN.

In almost all other senses, AAN is not atypical: AAN may affect up to 2.8% of American women by the age of 20, and multiple studies suggest that AAN is two to three times more common than AN. Moreover, the number of Coloradans diagnosed with AAN is rising, with the states exercise-oriented culture, the COVID-19 pandemic, and increasing medical awareness of the disorder all potentially playing a part.

Still, the DSM-5, the official diagnostic manual for mental disorders in the United States, defines anorexias first criterion as a restriction of energy intake relative to requirements, leading to a significant low body weight. While there is no strict definition for what counts as low body weight, the DSM does use body mass index (BMI) to indicate the severity of an individuals anorexia, from mild (BMI 17) to extreme (BMI < 15). The system means that people with higher BMIs are excluded from a diagnosis of AN, and Harrop, who has personally suffered from both AN and AAN, believes that this causes more harm than good.

AAN and AN are the only diagnoses in the DSM where we are actually using a biomarker [rather than exclusively behavioral and psychological symptoms] to tell the difference between what is happening with a [mental disorder], they say. The professor also notes that decades of research have shown that BMI is not always an accurate measure of fatness or healthy weight.

While providing pediatric mental health care as a medical social worker at Seattles Children Hospital, Harrop became motivated to pursue AAN research after routinely seeing heavier patients with severe eating disorders being denied care because of their weight. Basically we would send them home and be like, Come back when youre thinner, Harrop says. Obviously if you have an eating disorder, that is the exact opposite of the message that you need to be receiving.

The numbers back up the anecdote. Despite AAN having similar physical risks as AN (such as slow heart rate, bone loss, and absent menstruation), Harrop found in their 2020 dissertation work that AAN patients wait an average of 11.6 years after symptom onset to receive treatment versus two to three years for AN patients. And when they receive treatment, AAN patients often report medical providers making their eating disorder worsesometimes going as far as encouraging further caloric restriction or calling AAN patients lazy or noncompliant, Harrop says.

Harrop believes the term atypical itself is partially to blame for the differential treatment, both in the medical sense and in that it invalidates and otherizes those with the disorder. In addition, the DSM currently labels AAN as an other specified feeding or eating disorder, which in Harrops words is a garbage bucket diagnosis that encompasses a wide range of disordered eating experiences that dont fit into any clinical definitions. This not only makes receiving specialized care more difficult, but also limits insurance coverage.

With AAN diagnoses rising in Colorado, its all the more important for the general public to understand that the true difference between AAN and AN isnt in how severe the disorder is, but in how difficult it is to access the tools to get better.

Patrick Devenny, a former Colorado Buffaloes football player who has struggled with binge eating and bulimia and is now a mental health advocate, knows that weight stigma is not new for Colorado, and that it especially harms those suffering with eating disorders.

If I go out in Boulder, and Im super strict on my diet, and Im running 27 miles a day, and I have four percent body fat, people will look at me and say, Wow, I wish I had your discipline, Devenny says. Whats really happening [is that Im] getting applauded, but at the same time living in mental hell.

Colorado has a strong culture of performance and athleticism, and Devenny says that, as a hotbed for endurance sports and outdoor activities, this creates a slippery slope [into] disordered eating. Indeed, Harrop says that a Boulder-based participant in their ANN research spoke at length about how focused residents of the Denver and Boulder areas are on fitness, nutrition, and weight loss. When this focus becomes an unhealthy obsession, its called orthorexia, and it can drive disordered eating and poor body image.

Orthorexic tendencies were part of Devennys former football days. He says that athletes often maintain strict diet regimens in the name of better performancebut it might not be for the best. I genuinely think, in the locker room, more than half [of people] have disordered eating, he says.

While there is conflicting evidence on whether AAN is more prevalent than AN in males (most AAN studies test populations are over 90 percent female), one 2019 study found that, unlike in female patients, AAN disproportionately affects younger male patients. This could be influenced by male body image standards, which Devenny describes as an unrealistic reality that encourages not only disordered dieting, but also HGH (Human Growth Hormone) or steroid usage to increase muscle mass.

In the end, weight stigma in Americas slimmest state not only impacts eating disorders, but also how larger-bodied people participate in fitness. Harrops says that they often dont feel safe in traditional fitness spaces, leading to the development of local fat activity groups like Fat Aces and Fat Babes in the Wild to provide a comfortable community for members to exercise with. Its wonderful to have an emphasis on health and fitness. Thats great, they say. When it goes over to that orthorexia place or when it becomes exclusionary[it can send the message that] maybe youre less welcome in those spaces.

Harrop believes theres a number of tenets that people should implement to support AAN patients. First, acknowledge that anorexia happens in all body sizes. Dont assume that weight loss or dietary restriction is necessarily a good thing for higher-weight people, and keep an eye on the health of your loved ones, no matter their size.

Second, dont congratulate others on weight loss, since it could be caused by an eating disorder (or other mental and/or physical condition). Harrop personally asserts that when they were in the throes of their eating disorder, receiving compliments on their weight loss did not help in their recovery. Focus your compliments on others emotional or interpersonal strengths, rather than their appearance.

Third, take the blame of eating disorders off of the individual. Numerous social factorsfitness and diet culture, beauty standards, racial and ethnic stigmainfluence eating disorders, so dont be hard on those suffering and double down by assuming its their fault.

Lastly, both Harrop and Devenny say that its important for eating disorder patients and those around them to understand that recovery takes time, and that symptoms often do not improve linearly. Its a marathon, not a sprint, Devenny says.

Read more:
Atypical Anorexia is a Problem in Colorado. Here's What to Know. - 5280 | The Denver Magazine

Read More..

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission Heres our process.

Medical News Today only shows you brands and products that we stand behind.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read More..

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read More..

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ozempic includes the active chemical compound semaglutide.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See the original post:
My Doctor Prescribed Ozempic to Help Me Lose Weight. How It's ... - Healthline

Read More..

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fox News Digital reached out to Maginnis for comment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

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

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

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

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

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

Read More..

Photo: Jasmin Merdan/Getty Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My doctor suggested I try weight-loss medication.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get the Cut newsletter delivered daily

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us.

Here is the original post:
Mounjaro and Me - The Cut

Read More..

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

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

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

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

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

Related: How body fat is calculated

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is the original post:
Childhood obesity should be treated early and aggressively, new ... - Livescience.com

Read More..

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

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

How It Works

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

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

Lets look at it from a technical standpoint.

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

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

Best Practices For A Successful Fast

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

Healthy Diet

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

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

Dont Drink Calories

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

Dont Go Extreme

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

Eat Earlier

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

Watch Your Workouts

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

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

Giving It a Try

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

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

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

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

Read More..

I was six years old the first time I used fat as an insult. Though I now know itisnt a bad word, I didnt at the time. It didnt take me long growing up in France to internalize the countrys rampantly fatphobic culture and weaponize it against a peer. By the time I was a teen, I had embarked on my first diet, kicking off a decade of disordered relationships with both my own body and the food on my plate.

Experiences like minearent unique to Francefar from itbut the very French insistence on thinness is so insidious that it has somehow gotten exporteden masse to other Western countriesincluding to the US and the UK, the two places Ive lived in since I left France at 17. In these places, womens lifestyle magazines have long purported to teach their readers how to be more like this fabled French woman, the one whoas writer Mireille Guiliano so unhelpfully put it in the title of her 2004 best-selling book,French Women Dont Get Fatis allegedly forever thin.

During my university and postgraduation years in Los Angeles and London, American and British women were increasingly being told they should be more like this impossibly, effortlessly thin person (yet another sneaky iteration of garden-varietydiet culture). As I absorbed these messages, the very same lessons Id learned about my own body growing up were reinforcednamely, that it wasnt good enough as it was.

Though I still have days when my own anti-fat bias rears its ugly head, I consider myselfrecovered from disordered eating now, close to 11 years after I first left my home country. Heres what Ive learned along the way about thewarped messages I was sold about womens bodies, including the ridiculous and deeply harmful idea that we should all try to look like this mythical French girl.

The idea that French women dont get fat is, if not entirely made up, at least woefully distorted. The truth is, lots of French women arent thin. Plenty of themas was the case for mealso develop problems with disordered eating as they try to live up to a harmful ideal. Cline Casse, the founder ofStopTCA, a French therapy platform that connects people dealing with disordered eating habits to nutritionists and therapists, is painfully aware of this reality, citing the example of a 10-year-old girl she worked with who asked her if it was normal to make herself vomit. Casse tells SELF that, due in part to a culture that promotes thinness ahead of health, shes seeing eating disorders begin increasingly early among middle and high school kids. This observation aligns with research showing a significant spike in eating disorder treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: A 2022 study in theJournal of Clinical Medicine found that from March 2020 to November 2021, anorexia-related hospitalizations in France increased by 46% for girls aged 10 to 19 and by 7% for women aged 20 to 29.

This image of the thin French woman concerns a small portion of individuals, Casse says, who partially blames shows likeEmily in Parisfor perpetuating the myth of the monolithic French woman, when French women exist in all kinds of body types. She also points out that genetic and socioeconomic factors largely influence a persons body size, and that the archetypal French woman we picture is almost always wealthy and whitewhich, again, is hardly representative of all women in France.

When magazines and influencers (and books like Guilianos) attempt to teach us how to eat and live like a French girl, the message is typically that she doesnt have totryto be thin. She just is. The ideal of the effortlessly thin French girl presupposes that diet culture doesnt exist in France, while my and most of my French friends experiences completely invalidates that theory.

Casse confirms that diet culture is unfortunately still alive and well in France. When I listen [to conversations] in a public space, on the radio, or on French TV shows, I hear things like, Fasting helped me lose weight, you should try it, I mustnt gain weight, otherwise my partner wont be happy, or, I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and avoid starchy food as much as possible to stay slim, she says.

Although Casse says thatbody acceptance is slowly gaining traction in France, she caveats that the culture ofanti-fatness prevails. Fat people are still called names and seen (and portrayed in media) as lazy or lacking willpower, while thin people are still praised and glamorized. The effortlessness we associate with the French Girl archetype isnt based in reality, yet were still being sold her perceived diet and lifestyle habits as the pinnacle of womanhood.

The French woman Guiliano writes about represents a specific type of personone who is Parisian, wealthy, and usually white. Her thinness is to an extent a byproduct of these factors (as, again, socioeconomic circumstances such asincome and education levels can influence a persons weight), coupled with genetics. Shes also typically assumed to be healthy simply because shes thin, even though we know that health and body size areby no means the same thing. Its also worth noting thatone in three French people smoked tobacco products as of 2020, a habit that is often associated with the French Girl archetype and one that is unfortunately frequently used as a weight-loss methoddespite the fact that smoking is decidedly bad for your health.

Nearly 20 years after Guillano publishedFrench Women Dont Get Fat, people are still conflating French womens perceived thinness with fitness and health. A new generation ofinfluencers andblogs are teaching readers to eat like French women in order to stay healthyeven though the advice they peddle is often geared at readers looking to lose weight rather than to take care of their health holistically. And of course, mainstream magazines andonline publications arestill at it too, though mercifully much less so than they might have been a few years ago. But what these content creators are ignoring is that you cant tell how healthy someone is from their body size.

Weight-science research shows that about 75% of our body weight ispredetermined by genetics; by contrast, some studies suggest that height is around80% genetically determined, London-based registered nutritionistLaura Thomas, PhD, tells SELF. We also know that the vast majority of dieting attempts end inweight regain, and a large portion of peoplewill go on to regain more weight than what they lost on the diet, adds Dr. Thomas. In effect, the scientific reality is that no matter how much you try to eat like a French girl, you are unlikely to drastically alter your body type over the long termnor would restricting your food in this way determine whether you are any healthier overall.

The deeply entrenched fatphobia in France, coupled with the false ideal of the effortlessly thin (and therefore healthy) French woman, destroyed my relationship with food and my body as I know it has for thousands of others. This essay is my call to media outlets, content creators, and anyone else who will listen to consider the consequences of selling such an exclusionary ideal to vulnerable girls and women, and to lay it to rest once and for all. Its long past time.

If youre struggling with an eating disorder, you can find support and resources from theNational Eating Disorder Association(NEDA). If you are in a crisis, you can text NEDA to 741741 to be connected with a trained volunteer atCrisis Text Linefor immediate support.

Related:

Read the original:
The Myth That French Women Dont Get Fat Is Both Wrong and Harmful - Self

Read More..

Contact Us Today

Page 201«..1020..200201202203..210220..»

Home » Page 201