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AP photographers reflect on major 2021 stories

Associated Press photographers describe their experiences during a year marked by the pandemic, the impact of climate change, immigration, the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

AP

Resolving to get moreactive and engage in healthy exercise in the new year isn't exclusive to adults.

As January rolls around and adults begin their annual gym memberships and diets, children also have an opportunity to take action about their health. In Louisiana, the child obesity rate is one of the highest in the country, according tothe 2016-17 National Survey of Childrens Health. In the state,19.1%of Louisiana children ages 10 to 17 are clinicallyobese. The national childhood obesity average is 15.8%.

More: Ouachita Parish School Board votes on redistricting, extended COVID leave

For kids and families looking for opportunities to get active in Northeast Louisiana in 2022, here are a few ideas worth looking into that don't involve just going to the park:

The Boys and Girls Club of North Louisiana offers an afterschool program starting up again Jan. 10. Participants in the program get a hot meal Monday through Friday and are able to partake in various activities, including physical recreation, arts and crafts and homework help, according toChief Programming Officer Sabrina Love.

The program takes place from 2:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 500 Evergreen St. in West Monroe. Folks interested in the program can visitbgcofnl.orgto learn more.

Love said spots will still be limited to 100 kids due to the pandemic.

More: More families are enrolling their kids in local sports programs in Monroe, around the U.S.

The Northeast Louisiana Soccer Association begins its spring season around the second week of February, giving families enough time in January to sign up.

The youth recreational league ranges from under age 4 to under age 14. Costs for the league vary between age groups. For Under-4, the cost is $50. All other age groups cost $99 to join.

The season lasts about eight weeks, and teams play six games. Practices last roughly an hour and occur about twice each week. Learn more atbit.ly/3yDlatH.

In West Monroe, The Rec sports center offers several activities fit for the entire family.

The Rec, which costs $2 for each person to enter, has open courts for people to play on and classes to try out. Twice a weekthere's a Zumba class that costs $5.

There are also recreational team sports offered for kids and adults. There is an adult softball league that opens registration in early May, andvolleyball tournamentsbegin in the summer. Later in the year when November rolls around, kids can tryout for basketball. Learn more about monthly deals and other programming atbit.ly/30AzAhA.

Follow Sabrina LeBoeufon Twitter @_sabrinakayeand on Facebook athttps://bit.ly/3B8sgHo.

Support local journalism by subscribing athttps://cm.thenewsstar.com/specialoffer.

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Here's how Northeast Louisiana kids can get active, healthy in 2022 - The News Star

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THE 1970s

The U.S. Navy emerged from the Vietnam War into a different world than that preceding the 1964 Tonkin Gulf incident. In some ways it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Elmo Bud Zumwalt was one of the most energetic and thoughtful officers to occupy that position, to be followed by two equally astute leadersAdmirals James Holloway and Thomas Hayward. Navy Secretary Graham Claytor (197779), a decorated World War II destroyer escort commander, was a powerful naval influence on Defense Secretary Harold Brown.

They and their staff officers developed and published their visions and concepts in a succession of cogent documentsProject Sixty, Missions of the U.S. Navy, Sea Plan 2000, Strategic Concepts of the U.S. Navy (NWP-1), the Sea Strike Strategy, and The Future of U.S. Seapowerthat stimulated intense debate within the naval service (often in the pages of Proceedings) and would serve as springboards for the Maritime Strategy efforts of the 1980s. Vice Admiral Stansfield Turners transformation of the strategy curriculum at the Naval War College was sustained by subsequent CNOs and War College presidents, all of whom strove to boost Navy student officer attendance as well.

But successive Congressestransfixed by wrongheaded notions of dtente, peace dividends, and a narrow focus on only a few areas of the globeoften pushed back against the Navys views and refused to allocate sufficient funding to implement them.

Having for decades accepted overwhelming Soviet superiority on the ground in central Europe, U.S. defense planners worried that the capability gap there between the Warsaw Pact and NATO had only grown during the Vietnam War, destabilizing the overall East-West military balance. Likewise, U.S. nuclear superiority over the Soviets had given way to parity. In such a situation, reestablishing U.S. maritime superiority was critical to maintain overall stability. Yet Pentagon planners themselves helped the Soviets chip away at that superiority, as they sought to trade resources needed by U.S. maritime forces for an obsessive focus on central Europe and land-based forces.

The Navys ship designers, naval architects, aviation engineers, and associated contractors fashioned a new generation of fast, lethal, and sophisticated warships, aircraft, and weapons, including Nimitz-class carriers, Los Angelesclass submarines, Spruance-class destroyers, and Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates. Force levels plummeted, however, as worn out and obsolete hulls and airframes from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam were retired.

The Navy was populated by operators who were seasoned in forward operations under the sea, in the air, and in combat close to shore. But its mess decks were roiled by racial tensions, and drug abuse was rampant. The service honed scores of smart officers skilled in operations analysis, politico-military affairs, and strategic planning, whodue to demanding repeat staff tours and appropriate high-level educationunderstood the nature and benefits of the Navy in keeping the country safe. But the CNOs staff (OpNav) was riven by community stovepipes and intraservice budget battles as defense spending tumbled and shipbuilding costs soared.

Admiral Zumwalt dealt brilliantly with the services racial issues. He also refocused the Navy on the Soviet threat, expressing particular concern over the Soviet Navys capability to interdict sea lines of communications between the United States and its allies across the Atlantic and Pacific. Analysts at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA), the Navys federally funded research and development center, shared the CNOs concern but believed that the main wartime Soviet naval effort would be to deploy ballistic-missile submarines as a strategic reserve in far-northern ocean bastions, protected by most of their remaining warships (which would deploy at ever-greater distances from the bastions as their capabilities improved, effectively severing the western sea lines of communication as a secondary effect). Late in the decade, the Intelligence Community, including the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), using some stillhighly classified data and analyses, sided with CNA and began to educate the Navys operators.

Through it all, in response to national tasking, the Navy continued to deploy forward as much of the fleet as it could to enhance deterrence against the Soviets, reassure global allies, help resolve crises, and maintain its combat edge. Meanwhile, the Soviets continued their massive naval building program; developed worrisome naval employment concepts of their own; increased their combat reach from their home bases; and developed advanced naval bases in Cuba, east and west Africa, the Middle East, andmost galling of allCam Ranh Bay, in what was now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Soviet design bureaus developed imaginative new submarine and surface warship designs, and Soviet shipyards built them in quantity, along with a new generation of offensive, long-range, land-based naval aircraft.

The U.S. Navy had its own string of advanced bases around the world that it could use, and it was allied with most of the worlds other naval powers. Despite the defeat in Vietnam, most of those bases remained available, with a new base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean showing great promise. Allies, for the most part, stuck by the United States, although many of their fleetsespecially in Europegrew progressively smaller. With the increased sophistication of evolving C3 systems, however, interoperability among the navies of the western alliance required constant tending by the leading power, the U.S. Navy. Transfer of precious but essential technological secrets was a growing issue, andunbeknownst to the United States and its alliesspies were poking holes in the blankets of secrecy that cloaked many of their activities.

Throughout the 20th century, the U.S. Navy had become famous for the quantity and quality of its at-sea exercises. The Cold War reoriented the services exercise program to the Mediterranean, North Atlantic, and northeast Pacific, to improve combat readiness, experiment with new tactics and gear, reassure allies, and signal resolve to the Soviets. Throughout the Vietnam War, the Navy continued this rigorous exercise program, but by the late 1970sin the interests of dtente and false economiesit pulled in its horns. The U.S. Navy even began treating the Norwegian Sea as if it were a Soviet lake, much to Moscows delight.

Since the 19th century, the Navy had developedat the Naval War College and elsewherea considerable war-gaming competence, gaining insights in ways not possible on the high seas. By the 1970s, however, the gaming was focused on examining discrete tacticsa worthy focus but neglectful of global maritime strategy. Fortunately, Naval War College professor Francis J. Bing West and others at Newport realized this shortcoming, andonce they were done working on Seaplan 2000turned their attention to creating and implementing a new annual Global War Game, starting in 1979.

All of these developmentspositive and negativewere magnified as the Carter administration entered its final years. Defense Secretary Harold Brown continued to support Navy development of extraordinary new systems, including the Aegis combat system, the SLQ-32 electronic warfare system, and others, but he did not provide enough funding to procure them in numbers. The Navys ship count continued to drop, but demands for deployments increased. Crisis after crisis required emergency deployments and repositioning naval power worldwide. But the administration continued to focus mostly on building up military power in West Germany, until the Iranian revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan illustrated the limits of such a narrow perspective.

Meanwhile, the intellectual ferment in the U.S. Navy began to have positive second-order effects. Successive CNOs built on the ideas of their predecessors. Admiral Holloways Naval Warfare Publication 1, Strategic Concepts of the U.S. Navy (NWP-1), emphasized the importance of seeing the Navy as an integrated body of warfare areasstrike, antisubmarine, antisurface, antiair, and amphibiousinstead of a series of semiautonomous subsurface, surface, air, and special warfare stovepipes. This was reinforced by Admiral Haywards encouragement of the composite warfare commander (CWC) concept for carrier battle group command and control. CNO Hayward created a Directorate for Naval Warfare, organized by warfare areas, within OpNav, to help shape the Navys program objective memorandum (POM) and annual budget proposals and to foster better integration of platforms and weapons systems within the fleet. Admiral Hayward also reacted favorably to a recommendation by Robert Murray, the outgoing Under Secretary of the Navy, to set up a small cell of front-running officers, fresh from major command, to develop tactical and operational concepts that would be useful to OpNav and the fleet. As important, it would improve those officers own strategic and operational acumen, anticipating that many would later become influential flag officers. This group was established in Newport, Rhode Island, and called the Strategic Studies Group (SSG). Its first iteration was in 1981.

At the same time, the Navy continued to populate plans offices, especially in OpNav OP-06 and on fleet staffs, with appropriately educated and experienced experts in politico-military affairs and strategic planning. In 1978, Rear Admiral Robert Hilton, the Director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy (OP-60), reshuffled his team and put several leading strategists and NATO experts into a new Strategic Concepts Branch (OP-603), reporting directly to Hilton. His successor, Rear Admiral Arthur Moreau, continued this practice with enthusiasm.

Some OP-603 midgrade officers, along with denizens of other OpNav divisions, periodically came together on their own to argue about optimum approaches to address naval issues of the day. These meetings were professional but unofficial, informal, and not recorded. They were, however, yet another manifestation of the intellectual excitement within the naval officer corps of the time, in the face of a rising Soviet naval threat and U.S. administrations that did not appear to be responsive to the needs of the serviceor the countryin maintaining maritime superiority.

As the 1970s ended, the American people had had enough of the false promises of too-narrow objectives, dtente, and peace dividends, as well as falling force levels and rising defense costs. The election of President Ronald Reagan in November 1980 ushered in an era of peace through strength. I was fortunate to be named Secretary of the Navy in the new administration. The President, a strong bipartisan group in Congress led by Senators John Tower and Scoop Jackson, and I were determined to refocus the Navy on three major efforts:

Articulate an aggressive, forward-leaning, global maritime strategy, involving not just the U.S. Navy, but also the other services and our naval allies, as part of a new national security strategy to reestablish maritime supremacy. The goal was to demonstrate to the Soviets that they could not win a war against NATO and would bankrupt their economy if they tried to keep up.

Increase the U.S. Navy force goal to 600 battle force ships, including 15 carrier battle groups, 100 submarines, and amphibious lift for one Marine amphibious force and one Marine amphibious brigade. These requirements were derived directly from the operational needs of each theater surrounding the Soviet Union.

Reduce defense costs, especially for procurement, by fostering and enforcing competition among suppliers.

When the administration took office, we were able to use the institutions and processes already in placebut denied funding by the previous administrationto reestablish U.S. global naval superiority. Combined with simultaneous improvements in Army and Air Force resources and fighting concepts, these efforts stabilized overall global military deterrence in our favor. We also added a number of key new innovations.

The Naval War College and the Naval Instituteand their fora and mediaprovided the Reagan administration ready-made outlets to reach the Navy and Marine Corps officer corps and beyond with the concepts of a maritime strategy and maritime superiority. So too did routine hearings on the Hill convened by the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, mostly to explain and gain support for the 600-ship force goal. We were fortunate that President Carters Defense Secretary, Harold Brown, had continued critical Navy research, development, prototyping, and testing programs on new platforms and systems. Except in a few cases, all we had to do was fund and procure many more of these items in the fleet, and fast. We used other gatherings and media as well to spread the logic of the buildup, and many of these concepts and explanations were picked up and reported by the trade press and broader mainstream media.

When the CNOs SSG convened its first annual cohort in Newport, called SSG I, six front-running officers were handpicked by CNO Hayward, each from a different warfare community. They were directed to examine a NATO sea campaign against the Soviet Unions vulnerable Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, and Mediterranean flanks, and they established links with the Naval War Colleges War Gaming Center and the Navys recently repurposed Washington-based Advanced Technology Panel (ATP). A robust travel schedule had the SSG visiting and exchanging ideas with unified and fleet commanders and their staffs. Once the groups work was underway, I met with them and their successors periodically to glean what they had learned and ensure they knew my views on the operational and tactical subjects they were studying. I also met on occasion with the informal naval discussion group of mid-level officers that was functioning as a precursor to the current Strategy Discussion Group. And in a widely reported speech at the National Press Club in August 1981, I laid out important policies to increase affordability and decrease costs, which we were already pursuing vigorously.

Most important, I ensured that three of the Navys most aggressive, offensive-minded, and tactically astute flag officersVice Admiral James A. Ace Lyons Jr. and Rear Admirals Hank Mustin and Jerry Tuttlestarted to prepare for a seminal at-sea exercise in the fall of 1981. In this exercise, called Ocean Venture, the U.S. Second Fleet, NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic, and other forces would surge into the northern Norwegian Sea to demonstrate and practice what a forward maritime campaign entailed, including imaginative cover and deception tactics, techniques, and procedures. Similar exercises would follow every year in the Mediterranean, northeast Pacific, and Arcticnot just talking the talk but walking the walk of a global, forward, offensive campaign against the Soviets.

In 1982, things really came together. Forward exercises were conducted in the northern Pacific and Mediterranean. For the first time in 20 years, two U.S. Navy attack submarines surfaced together at the North Pole. SSG I war-gamed their hypotheses and presented their findings to the Navy leadership, then went to fleet and staff assignments to use what they had learned about strategy and operational art. SSG II convened and began to examine ingenious new offensive Mediterranean and Pacific campaigns. The annual Global War Game reconvened at Newport, with a Mediterranean-focused scenario. And the Intelligence Community published a widely usable National Intelligence Estimate at the secret level that laid out its consensus view of Soviet naval strategy and policy, which U.S. naval planners could use to develop countermeasures.

Meanwhile, the Navys uniformed leaders tasked the strategy whizzes in OP-60 to create the first public version of a maritime strategy brief for widespread circulation within the defense establishment. It was then used to kick off the annual POM build in the fall. OP-60 put together a classified briefing that exceeded all expectations. I approved the brief and used it enthusiastically. Admiral Haywards Warfighting Directorate (OP-095) used it in its warfare appraisals, which informed the next stage of POM development, made easier by the briefings focus on CWC warfare areas and by the assignment to OP-095 of numerous SSG alumni.

That strategy briefing became the basis for hundreds of briefings, usually by OP-603 strategists, to appropriate audiences at war colleges, service academies, congressional committees and subcommittees, academic and U.S. Naval Institute fora, and Washington, fleet, and allied staffs. By 1984, having murder-boarded, honed, and presented the briefing, OP-603 reformatted it as a printed classified OpNav document, with text and graphics, which was signed out by CNO Admiral Watkins. It was updated and expanded in 1985 and joined that year by a classified Amphibious Warfare Strategy, drafted by a NavyMarine Corps team and signed by the CNO and the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) jointly. In 1986, the CNO, CMC, and I published an unclassified version of the strategy in a special edition of Proceedings. The message was the same as that of my early speeches, articles, and testimony: (1) We have an appropriate and effective maritime strategy that will ensure our nation maintains its vital maritime superiority; (2) The minimum force needed to execute the strategy is 600 ships, including 15 carrier battle groups; and (3) We have instituted new procurement policies that are bringing down the cost to the American taxpayer of naval systems needed to build and sustain a 600-ship Navy and carry out the strategy.

The Navy of the 1980s began to include numerous new systems, notably, reengined F-14s, Aegis cruisers, Tomahawk land-attack and antiship cruise missiles, improved Los Angelesclass submarines, four recommissioned battleships, vertical launch systems, close-in weapons systems, SLQ-32, and more. Force levels went from 521 battle force ships in 1981 to 594 in 1987. The Navy also instituted and refined new operational and tactical organizations, concepts, and procedures, including O-6-level carrier air wing commanders (also known as Super CAGs), the Naval Strike Warfare Center in Fallon, Nevada (a.k.a. Strike U), outer air battle tactics, and operational maneuver from the sea, to name a few.

I left office as Secretary of the Navy in 1987. The forward maritime strategy, the 600-ship force goal, annual global exercises, and constant tactical innovation were firmly in place. My successors Jim Webb and Will Ball subscribed to them. So, too, did CNO Admiral Watkins successor Admiral Carl Trost, who published three Proceedings articles on the continued validity of the strategy, even as the Soviets began to buckle and Congress began again to slash defense budgets.

In fact, the largest of the global, aggressive, forward at-sea exercises was the enormous Pacific Exercise 89 led by Admiral David Jeremiah. The Global War Games at Newport also continued, with an ever-expanding number of participants. Successive SSGs continued to respond to CNO tasking, including SSG VII, which evaluated the strategy in the Pacific for Admiral Trost in 198687, and SSG IX, which recommended that the CNO repurpose the group, since they saw the Soviets as finished as an enemy. OP-603 strategists continued to brief the strategy around the clock, and Admiral Trost signed the last updated version of the OpNav strategy document in 1989.

Throughout this entire period, President Reagan called on elements of the Navy to help him deal with a global array of wars, crises, incidents, and diplomatic issuesin Grenada, Lebanon, Syria, Libya, the Arabian Gulf, and elsewhere. As each of these operations wound down, the Navy hastened to capture, disseminate, and use lessons learnednot only to improve future performance in similar circumstances, but also to refine tactics, techniques, procedures, and systems intended for use against the Soviets in accordance with the strategy. Lessons from the Falklands War were studied in particularand used.

Finally, the Navy had once more become an elite calling Americans were proud to support and in which they were proud to serve. Popular culture reflected this attitude, from the success of books such as The Hunt for Red October to movies such as Top Gun, TV series including Winds of War, documentaries on finding the Titanic, the stage revival of South Pacific, and Chers unforgettable music video If I Could Turn Back Time.

As the decade ended, Navy morale andwarfighting competence were high, and the American people and their elected leaders again accepted maritime superiority as a strategic deterrent and war-winning necessity for the nation. Plus, of course, the Navy had helped win the Cold War itself.

So, how did the Navy recover and rebuild from the Vietnam War and improve in both quantity and quality to be the dominant Navy in the world by the end of the 1980s? It:

Built well on the foundation of existing official and unofficial Navy institutions, including the geographic and numbered fleets, OpNav, Advanced Technology Panel, Naval War College, CWC concept, strategic planning subspecialty, the Naval Institute, and CNAand fostered interorganizational synergies among all those elements

Created new institutions, organizations, and purposeful activities as needed, including the SSG, Global War Games, Naval Strike Warfare Center, and Super CAGsand fostered synergies among them

Developed, promulgated, and refined a global, offensive, joint, and allied strategy

Identified the most aggressive experts in strategy, operations, tactics, force planning, and cost-cutting; fostered their development; and placed them in critical positions to take advantage of their energy and effectiveness

Focused intelligence efforts, including open-source analyses, on determining the Soviets strategy, operational concepts, vulnerabilities, and weaknesses, and disseminated them throughout the Navys operational leadership and the fleet, to counter the Warsaw Pact military decisively

Expanded and learned from robust programs of at-sea exercises, war games, real-world operations, conferences, murder boards, and historical naval analyses

Adopted justifiable and achievable force goals, consistently sticking to them and ensuring they were resourced

Cut procurement costs, especially through competitive, firm fixed-price contracts, while opposing gold plated design changes

Upgraded existing designs and systems and did not chase research & development rainbows

Accomplished and integrated all these efforts through strong presidential, secretarial, CNO, and CMC leadership

The Navy and Marine Corps today face challenges similar to those of the late 1970s. The force is tired from 20 years of nonstop operations in the Central Command area of responsibility. Procurement has been insufficient to build and maintain a force needed to meet the demands levied against it. And the American people do not have a strong, visceral connection to the Navyhaving been told by successive generations of political leaders from both parties that their country has the strongest, best military in the world, while they were at the same time cutting budgets and increasing demands year after year. All is not lost, however. We have been in such a situation before, and with strong political and military leadership, we can rebuild the Sea Services.

Maritime Strategy for the 21st Century by Thomas Mahnken

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Getting Back On Top: How to Rebuild the Navy - USNI News

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As the new year invites us to reset our intentions for 2022, many of us will seek out better health habits to support our longevity and wellbeing. We recognize that health and wellness look wholly different for everyone, and support women's bodily autonomy to make choices and set goals that align with their wants and needs. We look to the stories ahead as inspiration for achieving our own wellness goals, whether that means getting more sleep, feeling more energized, or adding meditation into your morning routine.

Real talk: Losing weight can feel like an uphill battle: fad diets, restrictive programs, plans that rely on Mensa-level math skills to figure out portions. The struggle has been real. Until now. Meet the new WW PersonalPoints program, WWs most advanced yet most personalized approach yet.

Unlike other weight-loss programs, with WW you can keep eating the foods you love with no calorie cap or off-limit foods, and still lose weight (wine oclock? Yes, please). Thanks to a combo of behavioral and nutritional science and a super handy app, youll have a unique Points Budgetyour own tailored guide that is customized uniquely to you to help you live the life you want, just in healthier ways. You can add Points, too, by making good-for-you moves (think: exercising, drinking water, eating non-starchy veggies) and giving you even more flexibility in what you can eat throughout the day. The best part is theres more than 100 ZeroPoint Foodsso youll never be hungry because you can still have all the foods you cant live without at any point. Its exactly why healthier eating feels easierand actually funon WW.

It's not a prescriptive, one-size-fits-all trend or program because, just like people, no two plans are the same. Read on to see how five different WW members maximized their plans and hit their happiest, healthiest weight without ever giving up their favorite foods or drastically changing the way they eat or move in their daily routine. Major motivation ahead.

(*People following the WW program can expect to lose 1-2lbs per week.)

Between WW and fitness, I have a new lease on life. Before I joined, I was pre-diabetic and had high blood pressure, so I decided to get serious and havent looked back since. What I love about the PersonalPoints Program is its about how you live. WW has allowed me to lose weight and still keep living because I can eat what I want to eat. All the food that I would normally enjoy are ZeroPoint foods, and I feel fuller longer with those items. Im a pizza lover, and am also able to enjoy wine and beer when I go out with my friends. I just track my Points.

The difference is that now, my blood pressure is absolutely amazing. I am the strongest Ive ever been. I can run again, farther and longer than I ever have before. With the PersonalPoints Program, I add Points for working out. I never enjoyed exercise before, and now, I love it. I have the most confidence Ive ever had, and I feel like the sky's the limit for me nowtheres nothing that can ever hold me back.

(*People following the WW program can expect to lose 1-2lbs per week.)

Instead of all or nothing, I still enjoy the things I really love like craft beer, wine, and cheese and then balance those with healthier options. Chicken, oatmeal, and eggs are my ZeroPoint foods. By starting with a low-point breakfast (usually oatmeal with a variety of different toppings, which keeps me fuller longer), I have more points to use throughout the day. Then, I use my weekly Points, or those I earn from eating vegetables, for splurges: going out with friends and having a glass of wine or some cake or a craft beer with my husband.

My favorite thing about the app is the recipe builder. It lets me take recipes I see online that I want to try, but are not necessarily healthy, and adapt them to be healthier. Since joining WW and losing weight, Im much more active. I ride bikes with my husband. We go on hikes. We do all kinds of activities together that we didnt do previously because I didnt feel comfortable. Im more outgoing and happier than I used to be! I feel so much better about myself and better in my skin.

(*People following the WW program can expect to lose 1-2lbs per week.)

I love having a very social and active lifestyle, and WW fits in perfectly. I feel total freedom being able to live out the program and live out my life. The program is so flexiblethere's nothing I can't eat or drink. I can go out to dinner with my friends and socialize and still be within the plan.

With so many ZeroPoint foods in my PersonalPoints Plan, including chicken, salmon, eggs, and corn, I can find something that includes them on any menu, so eating out is never an issue. My favorite food is probably eggs. I eat them every day in a ton of different ways, and its so great that it's zero Points now. I love that WW is more about the healthy habits you create, not individual meals or individual things that you do. At first, I thought the goal was a number, but it turned out to be so much more than that. Its about achieving a healthy, happy lifestyle.

(*People following the WW program can expect to lose 1-2lbs per week.)

I've been overweight my whole life and tried a lot of different things to lose. Every other program was about restricting food or pushing myself into a lifestyle that I didnt want to live. With WW, theres so much flexibility. Its like, We want you to be able to go out with your friends. We want you to be able to have a slice of pizza and a glass of wine when you're really wanting it and not have to say no to enjoying food.

I use my Points in a way that makes sense for me. WW matches what I already like to eat, versus me having to match what I'm eating to a program. For example, I love sushi and salmon, and with the PersonalPoints program, fish is zero points. The flexibility of the program allows me to vary my meals, try new things, and have a more diverse meal plan each day. I can still do happy hours, have date nights, and reach my goals. The program's allowed me to dig into my health and really own my confidence. It's more than just food; it's a mindset and it's a healthy lifestyle. I feel stronger and healthier and happier in my own skin.

(*People following the WW program can expect to lose 1-2lbs per week.)

Through the tools Ive learned through WW, Ive changed what goes in my body and the energy that I put out. I feel healthier not just physically but mentally. Emotionally, I shed more of a mental burden than the actual weight itself knowing that I didnt have to feel uncomfortable in my skin anymore.

The PersonalPoints Program works for me because on the days when I eat more vegetables and get in a little exercise, I get more Points, which cushions the rest of the week. So on the days that I cant get some exercise, or I go over my points, I know that Ill need to rein it in later. Its allowed me to live my life, enjoy foods that I love, but also continue a downward trend on my weight loss. If youre a working parent or a stay-at-home parent, or now a stay-at-home teacher, WW adapts to your life so that you can take a plan and make it yours. And I love that I get to involve my kids in the kitchen! I love knowing that every day I make better choices. Im improving my health and improving my life.

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How 5 Unique Women Navigated Their Body Goals With WW's New Program - Brit + Co

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FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md.

Here are some of U.S. Cyber Commands (CYBERCOM) most impactful moments of 2021:

Over the last year, the cyber security community has encountered new challenges and worked to adapt and respond in innovative ways. Ransomware is no longer considered just criminal activity, but a threat to national defense and infrastructure; deterrence is conducted across multiple domains simultaneously; and the value of cyber defense partnerships across nations is reasserted again and again.

This year started with the dissemination of vaccines to essential workers as well as vulnerable populations.Pictured here is U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William J. Hartman, commander of the Cyber National Mission Force, receiving his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine Jan. 11, 2021. Despite a global pandemic, CYBERCOM still conducted cyber operations vital to the Nations defense. Read more about the Commands early vaccination approach here.

This year also saw a rise in cyber challenges that CYBERCOM rose to meet and overcome through various means, including full-spectrum cyber operations.

CYBERCOM Commander U.S. Army Gen. Paul M. Nakasone recently highlighted the work both CYBERCOM and the National Security Agency (NSA) have performed against foreign ransomware actors, including conducting successful offensive cyber operations that disrupted their malicious activity. CYBERCOM focuses on the away game, executing operations in foreign spaces against foreign actors.

For example, when Russian intelligence actors compromised a supply chain of cybersecurity vendors to conduct espionage, CYBERCOM deployed an elite defensive cyber unit, called a hunt forward team, to hunt for additional Russian activity. They found and disclosed new malware that was being used to enable malicious cyber activity. That malware was shared with our partners to stop the actors and mitigate the ongoing compromise. These operations were conducted by the Cyber National Mission Force, the Commands national offensive and defensive cyber unit. Read more about this mission and the benefit of hunt forward operationshere.

ere.

AsGeneral Nakasone said this year, partnerships are the lifeblood that makes us so different than our adversaries. The Command has benefited from a historic partnership with the Five Eyes, but there are other partnerships with likeminded nations that we will continue to work.

Cyber is a team sport, and training and working along with our partners ensures we know how each of our cyber operations teams would respond in any situation. We accomplish this through CYBERCOMs bilateral exercise programs.

Cyber Fort III With our partners from Frances Cyber Defense Forces, cyber defenders from the two countries exercised with more than 70 participants, 400 simulated users, 450 simulated networks and subnets, and 1,000 different simulated systems.

Cyber Dome VI Brought our partners from the Israel Defense Forces Joint Cyber Defense Directorate (JCDD) for a hands-on-keyboard defensive cloud-based training exercise. The exercise brought together joint defensive cyber operators from the two countries and involved more than 75 participants.

Both bilateral exercises simulate the relevant tactics, techniques, and procedures of advanced persistent threats that we confront both today and in the future.

Read more about Cyber Fort IIIhere.

Integrated Deterrence is a key aspect of our Nations success in the era of strategic competition. Strategic competition is alive and well in cyberspace, and the Command does its part every single day via persistent engagement efforts. How does CYBERCOM stay persistently engaged in multi-domain and multi-capable operations? One example is by sending a U.S. Air Force Cyber Protection Team to defend vital networks on a B-1 Lancer during a U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. European Command strategic deterrence mission. Cyber defense is one part of integrated strategic deterrence, achieved by denying any malicious cyber actor access to critical platforms like the B-1 Lancer. Read morehere.

Pictured here are two Estonian defensive cyber operators, wearing the insignia of the Estonian Defence Forces Cyber and Information Operations Centre, testing their skills and ability to detect enemy presence, expel it, and identify solutions to harden simulated networks during CYBERCOMs CYBER FLAG 21-1 exercise. More than 200 cyber operators from 23 countries participated in the Department of Defenses largest multinational cyber exercise, designed to help us bolster our collective defense against cyber-attacks targeting critical infrastructure and key resources. Defensive cyber teams from Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and others participated in CYBER FLAG 21-1 using CYBERCOMs real-time virtual training environment. Read more about this exercisehere.

We wrapped up the year with our Commander, Gen. Nakasone, who provided ABC News and the public with an exclusive look into our Joint Integrated Cyber Center and insight into how we defend the nation in cyberspace. It was a great opportunity to showcase how CYBERCOM and NSA workwith our interagency, industry and international partners.You can view ABCs special reporthere.

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2021: A Year in Review > US Cyber Command > News - United States Cyber Command

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Volusia County Public Library free program offerings are back, for now.

Covid-19 forced the library to shut down the programs twice before. Once in March 2020 and a second time in July.

This time there is Omicron for county officials to be concerned with.

The return to programs has been in the planning stage for several months, Library Services Director Lucinda Colee said. We continue to monitor the situation with Omicron and will base our decisions on county protocols.

As retail adjusted for the labor shortage, the consumer became accustomed to changes in the hours a store is open. The supply chain issue has forced people to accept their favorite product or brand may not be on the shelf. A similar experience has been happening in restaurants as limited menus and altered hours are not unusual for an eatery as the pandemic continues.

Its been better at the library.

In fact, some branches have been offering free programs outdoors since June. All 14 branches of the Volusia County Library system never stopped serving the public. When they closed their doors in March 2020, they offered curbside, online and telephone service.

Pre-covid hours were reinstated in June and, now that programs are back, residents can once again enjoy activities, such as crafting, computer classes, exercise classes, gaming, gardening, movies, story times and, especially important to families, after-school programs and educational activities.

As is the case in all Volusia County buildings, mask wearing has been optional within the library. That same policy will hold for the reinstatement of programs.

A couple of hours spent in three library branches, Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach and Port Orange regional libraries, showed just short of two-thirds, 61%, of the patrons were unmasked. Of course, that is anecdotal, but does offer insight for anyone who plans to attend an indoor program.

That percentage also matches what was learned through conversation with folks in the three libraries. Those same conversations revealed people were happy to know the programs have returned.

However, not all program schedules have return to pre-covid levels. Ms. Colee explained in an email exchange that staff is working towards that end.

For more information and program calendars, visit volusialibrary.org/.

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Volusia libraries returning to live action | News | hometownnewsvolusia.com - Hometown News

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The University of Pittsburgh announced Thursday that it will begin the spring term remotely for the first two and a half weeks amid the spread of the COVID-19 omicron variant. The university said classes will begin remotely on Jan. 10. The university said that an exception to the rule may be made by the approval of the dean for programs and classes that need to meet in person. Classes will take place fully in-person beginning on Jan. 27. Pitt also announced it will be implementing a university-wide shelter-in-place beginning Saturday, Jan. 8. Pitt said the shelter-in-place period will be in place at least five days after the last cohort of students arrives. "Based on the above timelines, the Pittsburgh campus will shelter in place through at least Wednesday, Jan 26. The regional campuses will shelter-in-place through at least Jan. 13," the university said in a letter. During the shelter-in-place period, the university said students should only leave their rooms or apartments to attend classes, labs or clinicals in person (if in-person classes were approved by the dean of your school); pick up food; exercise safely; study in the library; work when necessary and shop for essentials and medical needs. "As we continue to monitor the spread of the new variant and its severity in our community, we will remain vigilant and adjust plans when necessary for the safety and health of our campuses," the university said in a message to faculty and students. Click here to read more information from Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh announced Thursday that it will begin the spring term remotely for the first two and a half weeks amid the spread of the COVID-19 omicron variant.

The university said classes will begin remotely on Jan. 10.

The university said that an exception to the rule may be made by the approval of the dean for programs and classes that need to meet in person.

Classes will take place fully in-person beginning on Jan. 27.

Pitt also announced it will be implementing a university-wide shelter-in-place beginning Saturday, Jan. 8.

Pitt said the shelter-in-place period will be in place at least five days after the last cohort of students arrives.

"Based on the above timelines, the Pittsburgh campus will shelter in place through at least Wednesday, Jan 26. The regional campuses will shelter-in-place through at least Jan. 13," the university said in a letter.

During the shelter-in-place period, the university said students should only leave their rooms or apartments to attend classes, labs or clinicals in person (if in-person classes were approved by the dean of your school); pick up food; exercise safely; study in the library; work when necessary and shop for essentials and medical needs.

"As we continue to monitor the spread of the new variant and its severity in our community, we will remain vigilant and adjust plans when necessary for the safety and health of our campuses," the university said in a message to faculty and students.

Click here to read more information from Pitt.

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Pitt to begin spring term remotely, implement shelter-in-place starting Jan. 8 due to COVID-19 concerns - WTAE Pittsburgh

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From preventing cyber attacks to training military members in virtual missions, the new Maritime and Defense Technology Hub in St. Petersburg houses the firms that are aiding the defense intelligence sector.

The waterfront facility at 450 8th Ave. Southeast, formerly used as the SRI International building, is the first-ever hub of its kind in Tampa Bay. The facility, adjacent to the Coast Guard station, opened this month and was created to have spaces for companies seeking a waterfront location to deploy vessels and have a hyper-secured site for highly-classified operations.

The opening follows the city approving a five-year agreement with the Innovation District for the building. Already, over a dozen companies have committed to occupy spaceinside the 32,386-square-foot facility, creating a 90% occupancy rate.

Roughly 40% of the building is dedicated to co-working space and the remaining square footage includes office suites, labs and a SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility).

Heres an introduction to the companies leasing space inside:

Pole Star: Pole Star is a London-based marine company that collects real-time data on everything from active vessels on the water and issues such as piracy, collisions and predicting weather patterns. The information enables time-critical decisions and mitigates risks of maritime activity. The Hub is now Pole Stars Florida HQ. Pole Star has the largest amount of space inside the facility.

Gates Defense Systems: Gates Defense Group, which is a graduate of the Tampa Bay Innovation Center, specializes in open-source intelligence training, research and software development for defense intelligence and law enforcement agencies. The company can track the digital exhaust from a target on the dark web and threats on intellectual property theft.

SOFWolf: SOFWolf is a national nonprofit based in St. Pete, and since 2012 has provided STEM education to and career development to children of fallen veterans and from underserved communities. SOFWolf applies research and builds its annual scenario-driven events on a collaborative training and exercise gaming environment developed by and for U.S. Special Operations Forces. SOFWolf is also working with academia, startups and Fortune 100 companies, according to its bio.

DarkStar: DarkStar is a consultant firm that scouts out talented engineers at very competitive rates. The St. Pete firm provides technical support on requests for proposals and TTO responses, as well as key personnel for inclusion in bids. The DarkStar Group was formed to support the missions of the Department of Defense and other federal agencies.

PowerBridge Holdings: PowerBridge is a new startup in Pinellas County thats working on new battery technology for the maritime and defense sectors.

Virtru: Virtru, formerly Aveshka, is based in Virginia and is a software engineering firm employed by the Department of Defense, Homeland Security and the North Atlantic Alliance.

EKS Group LLC: EKS is a certified service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB). EKS, based in Brandon, provides intelligence training support includes scenario development, classroom and field instruction, and administrative support.

VATC: Tampa-based Visual Awareness Technologies and Consulting (VATC) is a government contractor providing mission readiness and military exercise programs. The firm designs and customizes live, virtual and constructive training for the Special Operations Forces, while developing realistic joint and interagency training environments for U.S. and partner nations.

MOSAIC Technologies Group: MOSAIC Technologies Group LLC (MOSAIC) was founded in 2005 in Maryland. In 2008, MOSAIC secured its first prime contract and has gone on to win 20 more prime contracts mostly within the Department of Defense and the intelligence community. MOSAIC identifies, resolves, and prevents cyber attacks on information systems. MOSAIC also provides linguistic support to global intelligence missions.

Triton Risk Group: Triton Risk Group is a technology firm that collects data including mobile device data, radio frequency data, records, social media accounts and the dark web. The group has operations out of D.C.

PVM Inc.: PVM is a veteran-owned consulting firm out of California founded by Pat V. Mack. He is a solutions provider who specializes in information technology consulting and software system support. Mack previously lived in St. Pete.

Blue Ring Imaging: Blue Ring Imaging provides virtual reality and mixed reality applications for unmanned underwater systems. The underwater technology has been used for filming live underwater video recordings for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and entertainment broadcasts including the National Geographic Channel. Blue Ring Imaging is a spinoff from California-based company VRTUL.

Woolpert:Woolpert is a large engineering and architecture consulting firm with over 1,300 employees and over 40 locations. It will focus on its maritime division in The Hub, as it has a relationship with the University of South Floridas College of Marine Science. The Hub will be a small footprint for the company.

Cybersecurity attorney Alvin Brown: Alvin K. Brown is a St. Petersburg attorney and data protection and privacy consultant with over 20 years of experience with the Department of Defense and intelligence community. He has an office in the co-working space.

The Hub will also house the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institutes red tide team, where it can deploy its oceanographic tools. It also serves as the temporary site for the Florida Flood Hub.

Innovation District Director Alison Barlow said there will be another large maritime tenant in addition to Pole Star at The Hub, but she cannot disclose the companys name at this time.

The facility is nearly full but does have limited co-working space available.

Barlow said the prices for the co-working space are based on a membership model, while the suites are priced at a standard lease based on square footage, which Barlow said is lower than the current market value.

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Here are all the tenants inside the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub - St Pete Catalyst

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Reduction of the total body mass

Medical condition

Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to a reduction of the total body mass, by a mean loss of fluid, body fat (adipose tissue), or lean mass (namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other connective tissue). Weight loss can either occur unintentionally because of malnourishment or an underlying disease, or from a conscious effort to improve an actual or perceived overweight or obese state. "Unexplained" weight loss that is not caused by reduction in calorific intake or exercise is called cachexia and may be a symptom of a serious medical condition. Intentional weight loss is commonly referred to as slimming.

Intentional weight loss is the loss of total body mass as a result of efforts to improve fitness and health, or to change appearance through slimming. Weight loss is the main treatment for obesity,[1][2][3] and there is substantial evidence this can prevent progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes with a 7-10% weight loss and manage cardiometabolic health for diabetic people with a 5-15% weight loss.[4]

Weight loss in individuals who are overweight or obese can reduce health risks,[5] increase fitness,[6] and may delay the onset of diabetes.[5] It could reduce pain and increase movement in people with osteoarthritis of the knee.[6] Weight loss can lead to a reduction in hypertension (high blood pressure), however whether this reduces hypertension-related harm is unclear.[5][failed verification] Weight loss is achieved by adopting a lifestyle in which fewer calories are consumed than are expended.[7] Depression, stress or boredom may contribute to weight increase,[8] and in these cases, individuals are advised to seek medical help. A 2010 study found that dieters who got a full night's sleep lost more than twice as much fat as sleep-deprived dieters.[9][10] Though hypothesized that supplementation of vitamin D may help, studies do not support this.[11] The majority of dieters regain weight over the long term.[12] According to the UK National Health Service and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, those who achieve and manage a healthy weight do so most successfully by being careful to consume just enough calories to meet their needs, and being physically active.[13][7]

In order for weight loss to be permanent, changes in diet and lifestyle must be permanent as well.[14][15][16] There is evidence that counseling or exercise alone do not result in weight loss, whereas dieting alone results in meaningful long-term weight loss, and a combination of dieting and exercise provides the best results.[17] Meal replacements, orlistat and very-low-calorie diet interventions also produce meaningful weight loss.[18]

The least intrusive weight loss methods, and those most often recommended, are adjustments to eating patterns and increased physical activity, generally in the form of exercise. The World Health Organization recommends that people combine a reduction of processed foods high in saturated fats, sugar and salt[19] and caloric content of the diet with an increase in physical activity.[20] Self-monitoring of diet, exercise, and weight are beneficial strategies for weight loss,[21][22] particularly early in weight loss programs.[23] Research indicates that those who log their foods about three times per day and about 20 times per month are more likely to achieve clinically significant weight loss.[24]

An increase in fiber intake is recommended for regulating bowel movements. Other methods of weight loss include use of drugs and supplements that decrease appetite, block fat absorption, or reduce stomach volume. Bariatric surgery may be indicated in cases of severe obesity. Two common bariatric surgical procedures are gastric bypass and gastric banding.[25] Both can be effective at limiting the intake of food energy by reducing the size of the stomach, but as with any surgical procedure both come with their own risks[26] that should be considered in consultation with a physician. Dietary supplements, though widely used, are not considered a healthy option for weight loss.[27] Many are available, but very few are effective in the long term.[28]

Virtual gastric band uses hypnosis to make the brain think the stomach is smaller than it really is and hence lower the amount of food ingested. This brings as a consequence weight reduction. This method is complemented with psychological treatment for anxiety management and with hypnopedia. Research has been conducted into the use of hypnosis as a weight management alternative.[29][30][31][32] In 1996, a study found that cognitive-behavioral therapy was more effective for weight reduction if reinforced with hypnosis.[30] Acceptance and commitment therapy, a mindfulness approach to weight loss, has been demonstrated as useful.[33] Herbal medications have also been suggested; however, there is no strong evidence that herbal medicines are effective.[34]

There is a substantial market for products which claim to make weight loss easier, quicker, cheaper, more reliable, or less painful. These include books, DVDs, CDs, cremes, lotions, pills, rings and earrings, body wraps, body belts and other materials, fitness centers, clinics, personal coaches, weight loss groups, and food products and supplements.[35]

In 2008, between US$33 billion and $55 billion was spent annually in the US on weight-loss products and services, including medical procedures and pharmaceuticals, with weight-loss centers taking between 6 and 12 percent of total annual expenditure. Over $1.6 billion per year was spent on weight-loss supplements. About 70 percent of Americans' dieting attempts are of a self-help nature.[36][37]

In Western Europe, sales of weight-loss products, excluding prescription medications, topped 1,25 billion (900 million/$1.4 billion) in 2009.[37]

The scientific soundness of commercial diets by commercial weight management organizations varies widely, being previously non-evidence-based, so there is only limited evidence supporting their use, because of high attrition rates.[38][39][40][41][42][43] Commercial diets result in modest weight loss in the long term, with similar results regardless of the brand,[40][42][44][45] and similarly to non-commercial diets and standard care.[38][3] Comprehensive diet programs, providing counseling and targets for calorie intake, are more efficient than dieting without guidance ("self-help"),[38][46][45] although the evidence is very limited.[43] The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence devised a set of essential criteria to be met by commercial weight management organizations to be approved.[41]

Unintentional weight loss may result from loss of body fats, loss of body fluids, muscle atrophy, or a combination of these.[47][48] It is generally regarded as a medical problem when at least 10% of a person's body weight has been lost in six months[47][49] or 5% in the last month.[50] Another criterion used for assessing weight that is too low is the body mass index (BMI).[51] However, even lesser amounts of weight loss can be a cause for serious concern in a frail elderly person.[52]

Unintentional weight loss can occur because of an inadequately nutritious diet relative to a person's energy needs (generally called malnutrition). Disease processes, changes in metabolism, hormonal changes, medications or other treatments, disease- or treatment-related dietary changes, or reduced appetite associated with a disease or treatment can also cause unintentional weight loss.[47][48][53][54][55] Poor nutrient utilization can lead to weight loss, and can be caused by fistulae in the gastrointestinal tract, diarrhea, drug-nutrient interaction, enzyme depletion and muscle atrophy.[49]

Continuing weight loss may deteriorate into wasting, a vaguely defined condition called cachexia.[52] Cachexia differs from starvation in part because it involves a systemic inflammatory response.[52] It is associated with poorer outcomes.[47][52][53] In the advanced stages of progressive disease, metabolism can change so that they lose weight even when they are getting what is normally regarded as adequate nutrition and the body cannot compensate. This leads to a condition called anorexia cachexia syndrome (ACS) and additional nutrition or supplementation is unlikely to help.[49] Symptoms of weight loss from ACS include severe weight loss from muscle rather than body fat, loss of appetite and feeling full after eating small amounts, nausea, anemia, weakness and fatigue.[49]

Serious weight loss may reduce quality of life, impair treatment effectiveness or recovery, worsen disease processes and be a risk factor for high mortality rates.[47][52] Malnutrition can affect every function of the human body, from the cells to the most complex body functions, including:[51]

Malnutrition can lead to vitamin and other deficiencies and to inactivity, which in turn may pre-dispose to other problems, such as pressure sores.[51] Unintentional weight loss can be the characteristic leading to diagnosis of diseases such as cancer[47] and type 1 diabetes.[56] In the UK, up to 5% of the general population is underweight, but more than 10% of those with lung or gastrointestinal diseases and who have recently had surgery.[51] According to data in the UK using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool ('MUST'), which incorporates unintentional weight loss, more than 10% of the population over the age of 65 is at risk of malnutrition.[51] A high proportion (1060%) of hospital patients are also at risk, along with a similar proportion in care homes.[51]

Disease-related malnutrition can be considered in four categories:[51]

Inability to eat can result from: diminished consciousness or confusion, or physical problems affecting the arm or hands, swallowing or chewing. Eating restrictions may also be imposed as part of treatment or investigations.Lack of food can result from: poverty, difficulty in shopping or cooking, and poor quality meals.

Other losses: Conditions such as burns can be associated with losses such as skin exudates.

Weight loss issues related to specific diseases include:

Medical treatment can directly or indirectly cause weight loss, impairing treatment effectiveness and recovery that can lead to further weight loss in a vicious cycle.[47] Many patients will be in pain and have a loss of appetite after surgery.[47] Part of the body's response to surgery is to direct energy to wound healing, which increases the body's overall energy requirements.[47] Surgery affects nutritional status indirectly, particularly during the recovery period, as it can interfere with wound healing and other aspects of recovery.[47][51] Surgery directly affects nutritional status if a procedure permanently alters the digestive system.[47] Enteral nutrition (tube feeding) is often needed.[47] However a policy of 'nil by mouth' for all gastrointestinal surgery has not been shown to benefit, with some weak evidence suggesting it might hinder recovery.[58] Early post-operative nutrition is a part of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols.[59] These protocols also include carbohydrate loading in the 24 hours before surgery, but earlier nutritional interventions have not been shown to have a significant impact.[59]

Social conditions such as poverty, social isolation and inability to get or prepare preferred foods can cause unintentional weight loss, and this may be particularly common in older people.[60] Nutrient intake can also be affected by culture, family and belief systems.[49] Ill-fitting dentures and other dental or oral health problems can also affect adequacy of nutrition.[49]

Loss of hope, status or social contact and spiritual distress can cause depression, which may be associated with reduced nutrition, as can fatigue.[49]

Some popular beliefs attached to weight loss have been shown to either have less effect on weight loss than commonly believed or are actively unhealthy. According to Harvard Health, the idea of metabolic rate being the "key to weight" is "part truth and part myth" as while metabolism does affect weight loss, external forces such as diet and exercise have an equal effect.[61] They also commented that the idea of changing one's rate of metabolism is under debate.[61] Diet plans in fitness magazines are also often believed to be effective but may actually be harmful by limiting the daily intake of important calories and nutrients which can be detrimental depending on the person and are even capable of driving individuals away from weight loss.[62]

Obesity increases health risks, including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, to name a few. Reduction of obesity lowers those risks. A 1-kg loss of body weight has been associated with an approximate 1-mm Hg drop in blood pressure.[63] Intentional weight loss is associated with cognitive performance improvements in overweight and obese individuals.[64]

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Weight loss - Wikipedia

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Medically reviewed by:

Internal Medicine Physician

Co-authors: 14

Updated: April 8, 2021

Views:302,495

Medical Disclaimer

The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing, or stopping any kind of health treatment.

Before trying to lose weight with the appetite suppressant Phentermine, talk to your doctor about the associated risks, including increased blood pressure and chest pain. If you and your doctor agree that Phentermine is right for you, begin taking it in the morning since it's a stimulant that can interfere with sleep. Plan to take Phentermine for no more than 6 weeks, since it can be habit-forming in some patients. During those weeks, be on the lookout for side-effects, like vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, tremors, or swollen legs. If you notice any of these symptoms, stop using Phentermine immediately and notify your doctor. For more tips from our Medical co-author, including how to supplement Phentermine with diet and exercise, keep reading!

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How to Lose Weight with Phentermine: 12 Steps (with Pictures)

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Speaking about his life when he was 25-and-a-half stone, James, who is a teacher and lives in East London said he was living an unhealthy lifestyle and drinking too much beer, which would result in him snoring throughout the night, and waking up with a hangover at the weekend.

James said: My weight ballooned at secondary school. I grew to 5ft 11ins, but went up and outwards at the same time.

In 2011, aged 26, I weighed 20 stone, so I decided to count calories. I have an obsessive all-or-nothing nature, so it suited me at the time.

I would log everything on an app, restricting myself to 2,000 calories in the beginning, then down to 1,500 over six months.

When my weight hit 15 stone, I was happy, so I started eating normally again for about a year to 18 months, and, of course, the weight piled on.

That was the first big attempt to lose weight. And every attempt since there have been four over the past 10 years, has involved calorie counting, losing a couple of stone, and then putting on all the weight Id lost and more.

READ MORE:The Queen's Cullinan III and IV brooch is 'most valuable in the world'

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Weight loss: Man shed 4st in 3 months by ditching calorie counting New version of myself' - Daily Express

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