Rapper CupcakKe, who is known for her YouTube hit” Deep Throat ,” claims nothing but water has gone down her throat for a month.
After a month-long hiatus from all social media platforms, CupcakKe-whose real name is Elizabeth Harris-resurfaced with a noticeably different look that she stated is the result of a water fast.
Many fans were shocked by what they dub is an ” extreme” and “unhealthy” diet method.
” I insure a lot of kudo in the replies but is no one gonna question’ water fast’…..like please tell me she had more than water for a MONTH ,” Twitter user @httpmollz wrote. “I’m concerned.”
Instagram is pushing back against posts that promote toxic diet culture and plastic surgery with tighter restrictions.
As a part of its new policy, the social media platform announced that users under 18 restricts itself from seeing posts that advertise weight loss products or cosmetic surgery. The platform will also outright forbid any post that makes” a miraculous claim about certain diet or weight loss products .” The new regulation will also apply to Facebook.
Influencer culture has driven an increasing number of the promotion of diet products, including detox teas, diet pills and shakes, and “appetite-suppressing” lollipops, among others.
Those concerned with the impact toxic diet culture is having on young people are hailing Instagram’s new policy as a step in the right direction.
” A HUGE DAY! A MAJOR STEP IN THE FIGHT WITH THE DIRTY SIDE OF THE DIET/ DETOX INDUSTRY !!! Influencers best watch yourselves ,” actress and the founding fathers of I Weigh-a body positive platform-Jameela Jamil wrote on Twitter.
A HUGE DAY! A MAJOR STEP IN THE FIGHT WITH THE DIRTY SIDE OF THE DIET/ DETOX INDUSTRY !!! Influencers best watch yourselves … https :// t.co/ F4iPTyVGU4
Losing weight is tough. It takes a lot of dedication, hard work and discipline to stay on track, especially with temptations all around. However it doesn’t have to be nothing but rice cakes and misery. By tweaking your meals with some smart selections and a little advance preparation, you are unable to avoid hundreds of hidden calories and finally lose that stubborn excess weight that seems to hang on in there, even though you are doing everything else right.
Nutrition guru and blogger Amanda Meixner has built a huge social media following on these smart-alecky selections. Using a simple, easy to understand formula based on attractive infographics and interesting comparisons, her advice and clever diet tips have proved to be a huge hit on Instagram, where she has over 700 k followers.
“Small tweaks add up! ” She writes. “These swaps will not only save your waistline but also your health.” Because we construct several food choices each day, Amanda fosters a thoughtful and organised approach. Instead of chips, go for popcorn for a salty snack. Drink black coffee instead of sugar-laden lattes. Dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. Prepare snacks in advance, so you don’t end up snacking on the go because you have nothing else. All fairly basic stuff really.
So if you find yourself pounding the treadmill and cutting out the treats but still unable to shed those last few inches of fat, try these simple food swaps and healthy alternatives instead. Scroll down to check them out for yourself below, and let us know what you think in the comments!
Here are some more healthy replaces to add to your routine. Breakdown below:. The milk chocolate bar has a whooping 44 g carbs, 41 g sugar merely 2g fiber and 370 calories! The darknes chocolate bar shown on the other hand had 13 g carbs, 6g sugar, 5g fiber& 250 calories. With dark chocolate, you’ll feel fuller faster with the add fiber& won’t go through such a big insulin spike &…
Here are some more healthy substitutes to add to your routine. Breakdown below:. The milk chocolate bar has a whooping 44 g carbs, 41 g sugar only 2g fiber and 370 calories! The darknes chocolate bar shown on the other hand had 13 g carbs, 6g sugar, 5g fiber& 250 calories. With dark chocolate, you’ll feel fuller faster with the add fiber& won’t go through such a big insulin spike& accident . . Vegetable petroleum and canola petroleums are highly processed, heated, bleached, refined and deodorized. The hight hot these petroleums go through have negative impact on the healthy compounds in the oils& are stripped of much of their omega-3 fatty acids in the processing. Extra Virgin Olive oil is produced by cold pressing and doesn’t use chemicals for refinement& also avoids high hot therapy, leaving it full of heart healthy fats . . Sour cream adds about 40 calories& 6g of fat per one-quarter cup but doesn’t add much nutritionally. Guacamole on the other hand adds antioxidants, about 4g of fiber, potassium+ more per one-quarter cup. Plus, you get all the heart healthy fats from the avocado.
Which would you instead have? While it’s entirely great to treat yourself, being aware of your selections and what that means for the rest of your day is important! [?] Below is a breakdown of each:. 590 calories of: A medium strawberry shake from a fast food chain. 590 calories of: A giant salad that includes: 4 beakers spinach 2 cups cauliflower 1/2 beaker cherry tomatoes 1/2 orange bell pepper 2 eggs 3oz kimchi 2 Beets 1/2 avocado+ 2 tbsp …
Which would you instead have? While it’s wholly great to treat yourself, being aware of your selections and what that means for the rest of your day is important! [?] Below is a breakdown of each:. 590 calories of: A medium strawberry shake from a fast food chain. 590 calories of: A giant salad that includes: 4 beakers spinach 2 beakers cauliflower 1/2 beaker cherry tomatoes 1/2 orange bell pepper 2 eggs 3oz kimchi 2 Beets 1/2 avocado+ 2 tbsp balsamic+ 1 cup whole strawberries
I may be silly but I love to build smart-alecky food selections. While sometimes candy is fun, 9 periods out of 10 nature’s candy( fruits) is my favorite way to satisfy my sweet tooth
Starting a new diet like: breakfast is air, lunch is a carrot and dinner I get to lick an apple and dessert is screaming at a picture of myself naked. . Ok jk In all seriousness, choosing a clean and healthy lifestyle is about loving yourself!. That doesn’t mean you have to stimulate drastic alters overnight. Small, lasting tweaks will really add up . . The right was my lunch other day – no it’s …
Starting a new diet like: breakfast is air, lunch is a carrot and dinner I get to lick an apple and dessert is hollering at a picture of myself naked. . Ok jk In all seriousness, choosing a clean and healthy lifestyle is about caring yourself!. That doesn’t mean you have to attain drastic alters overnight. Small, lasting tweaks will really add up . . The right was my lunch other day – no it’s not chocolate syrup, it’s balsamic glaze combo below: 2 cups mixed greens 1 beaker cherry tomatoes 1/4 an orange buzzer pepper 1/2 cup cucumbers 6 oz salmon with garlic seasoning, pepper& ocean salt Trader Joe’s balsamic glaze
“What are you hungry for? ” is an important question! Choosing the “less healthy” option a) can be more satisfying and b) can save you a lot of calories! I know which one I’d choose ALSO many times, we try to satisfy our cravings with “healthy” food – only to end up eating the chocolate in the end anyway! Of course calories are not important for everyone to keep track of ,…
“What are you hungry for? ” is an important question! Choosing the “less healthy” option a) can be more satisfying and b) can save you a lot of calories! I know which one I’d choose ALSO many times, we try to satisfy our cravings with “healthy” food – merely to end up eating the chocolate in the end anyway! Of course calories are not important for everyone to keep track of, but if it’s important to you, this may be good to keep in mind!
These swaps will not only save your waistline but also your health. The top side is full of processed foods, bad oils& sugar bombs while the bottom side is less processed& lower-calorie to boot. More info below:. Chips [?] Popcorn – Popcorn is an easy grab-n-go food and much less processed than chips! That sad handful of 9 chips has 150 cals, 9g fat, 16 g carbs& contains sunflower/ vegetable …
These swaps will not only save your waistline but also your health. The top side is full of processed foods, bad oils& sugar bombs while the bottom side is less processed& lower-calorie to boot. More info below:. Chips [?] Popcorn – Popcorn is an easy grab-n-go food and much less processed than chips! That sad handful of 9 chips has 150 cals, 9g fat, 16 g carbs& contains sunflower/ vegetable oil& fillers, yikes! 3 cups air popped popcorn is merely 93 calories& merely contains 1 ingredient: popcorn. You are also welcome to cook it in a pan with olive oil if you prefer it that way!. Frappuccino [?] Iced Coffee w/ Coconut Milk – Frappuccinos are sugar bombs! A grande mocha with 2% milk has 61 g sugar& 400 calories while an unsweetened iced coffee with coconut milk containers 25 calories& 2g sugar. Now, that’s an easy swap that will save you a ton of calories& sugar!. Burger with bun [?] burger lettuce wrap – Save yourself the extra processed carbs when you swap a bun for a lettuce warp. While it’s perfectly ok to treat yourself to a full bun, swapping it out for a lettuce wrap on a regular basis with save you 18 g+ carbs!
Because feeling good also entails treating yourself to the food that you want. I know I’ve been sharing a lot of calorie comparison posts lately so I wanted to remind you you don’t have to always beat yourself over caloric aims& quantities . . While the left is fueling your body, the right side might be fueling your spirit [?] That doesn’t mean you should have a clean eating lifestyle where …
Because feeling good also entails treating yourself to the food that you want. I know I’ve been sharing a lot of calorie comparison posts lately so I wanted to remind you you don’t have to always beat yourself over caloric goals& amounts . . While the left is fueling your body, the right side might be fueling your soul [?] That doesn’t mean you should have a clean eating lifestyle where you feel the need to binge on foods often . . Instead, you should have a healthy lifestyle you enjoy where you can have treats in places you want them( NOT when someone is forcing you or on some random occasion you don’t genuinely care about). I often get asked “What happens when I do binge eat? How do I fix? ”. Quite simply forgive yourself& get back to your healthy eating routine not need for some crazy “cleanse”. Left side is 6oz seared ahi tuna, steamed cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers& mixed greens with balsamic vinegar& olive oil dressing( not shown ). Right side is 2 chocolate chip cookies with 8oz milk.
Here are some healthy swaps to add to your nutrition routine( P.S. that paleo ranch is bomb ): Regular Ranch Paleo Ranch: The regular ranch dressing is full of inflammatory and artificial ingredients including canola petroleum, added sugar, MSG,& artificial flavors, ranch is full of real, organic food ingredients& cage-free eggs. Orange Juice Oranges: Orange juice is a sugar bomb without the fiber. Save yourself sugar and calories when …
Here are some healthy swaps to add to your nutrition routine( P.S. that paleo ranch is bomb ): Regular Ranch Paleo Ranch: The regular ranch garmenting is full of inflammatory and artificial ingredients including canola petroleum, added sugar, MSG,& artificial flavors, ranch is full of real, organic food ingredients& cage-free eggs. Orange Juice Oranges: Orange juice is a sugar bomb without the fiber. Save yourself sugar and calories when you switch over to whole oranges. A large orange has 87 calories& 4.4 g fiber VS. this 12 oz juice has 170 calories& 0g fiber . . Iceberg lettuce Spinach: While iceberg lettuce still might be better for you than feeing a snickers bar, it fails in comparison nutritionally to other leafy greens. Spinach has 223%( DV) Vitamin K, 28% Vitamin A. 14% Vitamin C, 18% Folate+ more minerals compared to a measly 7% vitamin A& 3% vitamin C in iceberg lettuce.
Which one would you choose? The calories and macros merely paint a part of the picture. Really the hidden ingredients and chemicals are the true bad guys in this situation Think about how you FEEL after feeing fast-food compared to a home cooked snack Below is a breakdown of some of the bad guys: High Fructose Corn Syrup: The chemical process used to construct high fructose corn syrup ,…
Which one would you choose? The calories and macros only paint a part of the picture. Really the hidden ingredients and chemicals are the true bad guys in this situation Think about how you FEEL after feeing fast-food compared to a home cooked snack Below is a breakdown of some of the bad guys: High Fructose Corn Syrup: The chemical process used to stimulate high fructose corn syrup, the glucose and fructose become separated. This allows fructose to mainline immediately into your liver leading to fatty liver which can eventually lead to diabetes. — Vegetable Petroleum: The creation of vegetable oil involves pressing, heating, various industrial chemicals and highly toxic solvents. This unnatural kind of oil has been shown to increase inflammation, your risk of cardiovascular disease and the Omega-6 compound in it has been linked to cancer.
White Rice vs. Brown Rice Did you know white rice is actually brown rice with the germ and bran removed? Both have their pros& cons. I know I love my brown rice cakes White rice is brown rice with the germ and bran removed. Despite a common fallacy, the macronutrient& calorie contents of the two are relatively the same( computations in photo are based off 45 g measurings ). Brown …
White Rice vs. Brown rice Did you know white rice is actually brown rice with the germ and bran removed? Both have their pros& cons. I know I love my brown rice cakes White rice is brown rice with the germ and bran removed. Despite a common delusion, the macronutrient& calorie contents of the two are relatively the same( computations in photo are based off 45 g measurements ). Brown rice is a great source of manganese, selenium, and magnesium. Regrettably for white rice fans, some fiber and most nutrients are stripped away during the refining process, which leaves it with very few essential nutrients. Brown rice does, however, contain phytic acid, which offers some health benefits, but it reduces your body’s ability to absorb iron and zinc from the diet.* Maintain in mind to avoid inadequacies of these crucial nutrients . . White rice also has a much higher glycemic index( GI ), which measures how quickly a particular food increases blood sugar. White rice has a GI of 89 while brown rice has a GI of 50. This can be significant to diabetics and those with insulin resistance. Brown rice has other health benefits you may not know about. It contains lignans – plant compounds that have been shown to reduce the amount of fat in the blood and lower blood pressure, and studies suggest it can help reduce several risk factors for heart disease. Brown rice also contains many powerful antioxidants that are not present in white rice. Don’t be so quick to dispose the white rice, because it has it’s benefits too. It is easier to digest and is great for refueling muscles with glycogen post-workout, which is one of the reasons why a lot of athletes choose it over brown rice.
Which side would you pick? dY $?–. a ~* i, While bullet proof coffee is a fine choice to have in your nutrition routine, you definitely canaEUR( tm) t count that concoction as calorie free. Many of the recipes online& in coffee shops call for 2 tbsp grass-fed butter& 1 tbsp coconut oil. Now, thataEUR( tm) s a lot of extra calories!. dYY= z Many bullet proof fans use this combo as a way to skip breakfast &…
Which side would you pick? dY $?–. a ~* i, While bullet proof coffee is a fine choice to have in your nutrition routine, you definitely canaEUR( tm) t counting that concoction as calorie free. Many of the recipes online& in coffee shops call for 2 tbsp grass-fed butter& 1 tbsp coconut petroleum. Now, thataEUR( tm) s a lot of extra calories!. dYY= z Many bullet proof fans use this combo as a style to skip breakfast& you can see why that works out since itaEUR( tm) s the same amount of calories. In fact if you were switching from a highly-processed, high-calorie breakfast to bulletproof coffee you would lose weight since you end up eating less calories . . dY3 However if you prefer eating real food for breakfast instead of a beverage that right side would be a much better option for you! You could also scale back on the avocado& add 1/2 tbsp MCT oil to your coffee to get some of the added benefits of this healthy fat without too many added calories!. Left side: Coffee blended with 1 tbsp MCT Oil 2 tbsp grass-fed butter. Right side: 1 piece Ezekiel toast 2 medium simmered eggs 1/2 yellow pepper 1/2 red pepper 1/4 avocado 2 1/2 cups spinach Black coffee with stevia
Healthy swaps add up! dY ‘<<if youaeur( tm) re trying to improve your health, small change definitely make a difference over period. here a few ideas to add to your nutrition routine:. dy agave az! i, maple syrup( or honey) – agave syrup is highly refined& the end product leaves you with a sweetener with the highest amount of fructose( injury sugar) of any commercial sweetener on the market. it has about …
Healthy swaps add up! dY ‘<<if youaeur( tm) re trying to improve your health, small changes definitely make a difference over time. here a few ideas to add to your nutrition routine:. dy agave az! i, maple syrup( or honey) – agave syrup is highly refined& the end product leaves you with a sweetener with the highest amount of fructose( injury sugar) of any commercial sweetener on the market. it has about a 2:1 fructose to glucose ratio which is higher than high fructose corn syrupaeur( tm) s 1:1 ratio – yikes! organic, pure maple syrup is much less processed, better choice& contains up to 24 antioxidants . . dy' flavored yogurt az! i, greek yogurt+ fruit – while the flavored yogurt has 28 g sugar& 6g protein, the greek yogurt+ 1/2 beaker raspberries has 9g sugar& 21 g protein. the worst component about this flavored yogurt is the use of food dyes and added fillers/ preservatives. you can definitely find a cleanser flavored yogurt but make sure to read the label!. dy" store-bought jam az! i, mashed berries – store-bought jam not only contains a lot of sugar but it also contains ingredients like high fructose corn syrup& other preservatives. mashed up raspberries or strawberries are a great alternative& merely contains one ingredient dy ~% 0
aEURoeI regret eating clean.aEUR – Said no one ever. Unless, itaEUR( tm) s a bar soap dY ~% 0 haha Ok just kidding about the soap swap because sometimes you just need a damn cookie. I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention a $? i, More info on the other swaps below:. Flavored oatmeal az! i, Oatmeal with fruit – Skip the conceal sugars& preservatives when you get plain oatmeal and add your own fruit …
aEURoeI regret eating clean.aEUR – Said no one ever. Unless, itaEUR( tm) s a bar soap dY ~% 0 haha Ok just kidding about the soap swap because sometimes you merely need a damn cookie. I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention a $? i, More info on the other swaps below:. Flavored oatmeal az! i, Oatmeal with fruit – Skip the concealed sugars& preservatives when you get plain oatmeal and add your own fruit( Plus, stevia if desired ). Not all flavored oatmeals are created equal so if you do want a flavored one try to find one that has less sugar& added preservatives . . Ketchup az! i, hot sauce or mustard – Not merely does ketchup have a lot of sugar per tbsp but many brands have High Fructose Corn Syrup added. Made largely from genetically modified corn, high fructose corn syrup is not natural and definitely not healthy. Hot sauces and mustards are a much safer bet and will save you the added sugar!( Or find a clean ketchup if itaEUR( tm) s a must-have for you). Sugar cookie az! i, soap – Ok donaEUR( tm) t do this swap dY ~% 0 Shower with the soap and enjoy a cookie in moderation when you want it!
IaEUR( tm) m not a fan granola bars or breakfast bars. If youaEUR( tm) re gonna go for a bar, make sure itaEUR( tm) s a high quality, clean protein bar. Otherwise, something like nuts& dark chocolate would be more nutritious with less ingredients& fillers than a granola bar!
HereaEUR( tm) s a perfect illustration of why I often steer clear of fast food dY” While itaEUR( tm) s great to treat yourself every now& then, processed food calories add up quick without filling you up. Not to mention the added preservatives and chemicals . . The right side is everything I eat in a day a $? i, Kind of crazy that it adds up to what could be one meal at a fast food restaurant . . Tips for …
HereaEUR( tm) s a perfect illustration of why I often steer clear of fast food dY” While itaEUR( tm) s great to treat yourself every now& then, processed food calories add up quick without filling you up. Not to mention the added preservatives and chemicals . . The right side is everything I eat in a day a $? i, Kind of crazy that it adds up to what could be one meal at a fast food restaurant . . Tips for making a day of filling snacks: Load up on veggies DonaEUR( tm) t forget healthy fats Pick filling proteins Choose the right amount of carbs for you If youaEUR( tm) re going to drink your calories, make sure itaEUR( tm) s low cal quality drinkings or a solid protein shake
The real question is how do you want to FEEL? aoe” All the choices you attain either work for you or work against you dY( tm) OE Make sure the food you’re picking is making a positive impact on your body! Missing snacks but here is a good idea how your day of food could look like a $? — The high sodium content in the fast food snacks is alarming because it comes …
The real question is how do you want to FEEL? aoe” All the choices you construct either work for you or work against you dY( tm) OE Make sure the food you’re picking is making a positive impact on your body! Missing snacks but here is a good idea how your day of food could look like a $? — The high sodium content in the fast food snacks is alarming because it comes from table salt which is heavily processed and bleached. Table salt has been linked to osteoporosis and stomach cancer. Vs utilizing Himalayan pink sea salt at home which is naturally rich in iron and over 80+ minerals and elements which can regular water content, balance PH and make electrolyte balance. — The sugar content of the fast food breakfast is alarming and not the route you want to start your day with a huge insulin spike.
The food and beverage options you attain( or donaEUR( tm) t attain) will have quite an impact on your fitness progress – like changes in bodyweight, how your clothes accommodate( or donaEUR( tm) t accommodate) and how you FEEL! a EURa EUR dY $? a And while it may seem like an obvious swap, saving 265 calories from a beverage at Starbucks can Actually add up! a EURa EUR dY $?” Think about itaEUR | if you make this swap once a mont for a yearaEUR | 12…
The food and drinking choices you induce( or donaEUR( tm) t induce) will have quite an impact on your fitness progress – like changes in bodyweight, how your clothes fit( or donaEUR( tm) t fit) and how you FEEL! a EURa EUR dY $? a And while it may seem like an obvious swap, saving 265 calories from a liquor at Starbucks can Really add up! a EURa EUR dY $?” Think about itaEUR | if you make this swap once a mont for a yearaEUR | 12 timesaEUR | youaEUR( tm) d save 3,180 calories and that would be almost equal to losing an extra POUND of fat! That is insane!
Want to lose weight without counting calories? dY( tm) OE Here are some easy swaps to help you head in that direction . . Take those rice cakes, add some almond butter on top, sliced banana& have the kombucha on the side& you have yourself a meowmeix approved snack dY ~<more info below:. banana chips az! i, banana – while banana chips are yummy, itaeur( tm) s much easier to overeat than a banana. a medium banana …
Want to lose weight without counting calories? dY( tm) OE Here are some easy swaps to assist you head in that direction . . Take those rice cakes, add some almond butter on top, sliced banana& have the kombucha on the side& you have yourself a meowmeix approved snack dY ~<more info below:. banana chips az! i, banana – while banana chips are yummy, itaeur( tm) s more straightforward to overeat than a banana. a medium banana is about 105 calories while 8.5 banana chips are 105 calories. you could easily eat a couple handfuls of banana chips in one sitting but itaeur( tm) s a lot harder to eat 3 bananas . . bagel az! i, rice cake – rice cakes are light, easy& go with almost any topping. plus, they only contain 2 ingredients: rice& salt. some bagels contain 14+ ingredients and often have added sugar. if youaeur( tm) re trying to lose weight, a rice cake is a much better, low calorie alternative . . naked juice az! i, kombucha – naked juices are often sugar bombs in disguise. i donaeur( tm) t love the green machine because it acts like itaeur( tm) s mostly greens when truly thereaeur( tm) s a ton of fruit juice packed in. 16 oz bottle of kombucha is merely 50 cals& 12 g sugar while naked juice is 270 cals& 53 g sugar.
Fact: did you know sugar has been shown to be more addictive than cocaine? And when you try to kick your processed sugar habit, youaEUR( tm) ll actually experience dopamine depletion and sugar withdrawals a $? ItaEUR( tm) s all fun and games until you get a sugar headache dY~ oe More not-so sweet info below: People getting 17 to 21 percentage of calories from added sugar face a 38 percentage higher danger of dying from cardiovascular …
Fact: did you know sugar has been shown to be more addictive than cocaine? And when you try to kick your processed sugar habit, youaEUR( tm) ll actually experience dopamine depletion and sugar withdrawals a $? ItaEUR( tm) s all fun and games until you get a sugar headache dY~ oe More not-so sweet info below: People get 17 to 21 percentage of calories from added sugar face a 38 percent higher danger of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who got just 8 percent of their calories from sugar. aEUR “aEUR” A recent study found that when rats were hooked on a cocaine IV and sugar was introduced, almost of all them switched to sugar. aEUR” 1 sugar-sweetened drink a day= higher hazard for fatty liver disease aEUR” Dietary sugar also presents a correlation to an increase risk of breast cancer tumors and metastasis to the lungs.
Here are some more tweaks you can make to your nutrition routine dY( tm) OE Because like I say, small changes add up to big, lasting outcomes a $? i, More info below:. dY” Fiber one bar az! i, 1 beaker blackberries – blackberries are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals+ water. 1 cup blackberries= 62 calories& 7.6 g fiber VS the sad fiber bar= 90 calories& 5g fiber. Not to mention the …
Here are some more tweaks you are unable to build to your nutrition routine dY( tm) OE Because like I say, small changes add up to big, lasting results a $? i, More info below:. dY” Fiber one bar az! i, 1 beaker blackberries – blackberries are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals+ water. 1 cup blackberries= 62 calories& 7.6 g fiber VS the sad fiber bar= 90 calories& 5g fiber. Not to mention the fiber one bar has a never aiming listing of ingredients . . dY <<candy bar az!i, dark chocolate – a 1.56 oz snickers bar has 20g sugar & less than 1g fiber while a theo 85% dark chocolate bar has 7g sugar and 5g fiber, now thataeur(tm)s a win! plus, there are 20 ingredients in a snickers bar vs. a mere 3 in the theo bar so you wonaeur(tm)t have to question what youaeur(tm)re eating. . dyy="oe" processed pb az!i, real peanut butter – conventional pb ingredient list includes: peanuts, cane sugar, cornstarch, palm oil & salt. some have even worse ingredients like soybean oil. real peanut butter has aeuroepeanutsaeur or aeuroepeanuts & saltaeur. make sure to double your ingredients!
Sugar vs. sugar dY” I know IaEUR( tm) m team right side most of the time but left is fine if you want to TREAT yourself dY( tm) OE. This is just a friendly reminder why going for the right side( strawberries) on a daily basis will do your body some good! Because nobody is eating 12 beakers of strawberries in one sitting but itaEUR( tm) s so easy to drink a whole strawberry milkshake. The left side …
Sugar vs. sugar dY” I know IaEUR( tm) m team right side most of the time but left is fine if you want to TREAT yourself dY( tm) OE. This is just a friendly reminder why going for the right side( strawberries) on a daily basis will do your body some good! Because nobody is eating 12 cups of strawberries in one sitting but itaEUR( tm) s very easy to drink a whole strawberry milkshake. The left side has literally 0g of fiber. While the right side has a whooping 34.8 g fiber dY $? a That part of the reason itaEUR( tm) s so hard to eat that many!. Displayed: 1 medium strawberry shake vs. 12 beakers whole strawberries
If you want to lose weight without counting calories, these hacks come in handy! dY( tm) OE Plus by swapping out some of these processed foods you not only save your waistline, but also your health . . And remember while itaEUR( tm) s perfectly ok to treat yourself, picking healthy choices regularly genuinely add up dY ‘<<more info below:. dy" fruit smoothie az! i, homemade protein shake – fruit smoothies are often sugar bombs in disguise. this jamba …
If you want to lose weight without counting calories, these hackers come in handy! dY( tm) OE Plus by swapping out some of these processed foods you not only save your waistline, but also your health . . And remember while itaEUR( tm) s perfectly ok to treat yourself, picking healthy options regularly really add up dY ‘<<more info below:. dy" fruit smoothie az! i, homemade protein shake – fruit smoothies are often sugar bombs in disguise. this jamba juice mango fruit smoothie has 340 calories, 85 g carbs, 78 g sugar& 4g protein while my homemade protein shake has 199 calories, 17 g carbs, 8g sugar, 31 g protein( built w/ @vega_team performance protein, 1 cup strawberries& water& ice). dys burrito az! i, burrito bowl – while you might not want to give up the beloved chipotle, a burrito bowl instead of a burrito is an easy swap. the tortilla alone saves you 320 calories& 50 g processed carbs!. dy <<candy bar az!i, dark chocolate – 1 small snickers bar has 220 calories and 24g sugar while 2 squares of 85% @theochocolate bar is 140 calories & 4g sugar. i donaeur(tm)t know about you but i find dark chocolate to be super satisfying & guilt-free.
Calorie dense vs. nutrient dense. Which one would you pick? dY( tm) OE. While itaEUR( tm) s great to treat yourself, being aware of how quickly calories can add up offers an opportunity to make sure youaEUR( tm) re not hindering your goals. More info below:. Coffee shop operate: Venti mocha frap Iced lemon cake loaf Monterey jack& egg sandwich. My day of eating( IaEUR( tm) ll probably eat a little more ): Breakfast – Paleo protein pancake+ 1/2 beaker blueberries Snack – half a grapefruit …
Calorie dense vs. nutrient dense. Which one would you pick? dY( tm) OE. While itaEUR( tm) s great to treat yourself, being aware of how quickly calories can add up offers an opportunity to make sure youaEUR( tm) re not hindering your goals. More info below:. Coffee shop running: Venti mocha frap Iced lemon cake loaf Monterey jack& egg sandwich. My day of eating( IaEUR( tm) ll probably eat a little more ): Breakfast – Paleo protein pancake+ 1/2 beaker blueberries Snack – half a grapefruit+ handful of almonds+ @foursigmatic lionaEUR( tm) s mane Lunch – Egg salad jar Supper – Lamb, tomatoes,+ purple cauliflower Dinner – Chicken soup Night snack – dark chocolate+ four stigmatic cocoa
Looong parties& events can be stressful when trying to stick to your health goals – but making this simple swap can help keep you on phase dY’OEdY1/ 4 Also, this swap will reduce refined carbs( hiding in the breading of the wings !) dY– aEURC/ aEURC/ One of my other go-to tricks is to BRING a tray of veggies with me dYY =– dYY =| dYY =’d YY =* Everyone appreciates it& thereaEUR( tm) s always something to munch on!
Now the right side of this post is a great representation of how filling your plate with mostly veggies& some high quality protein can really pay off! a $? i, IaEUR( tm) m not sure what omnivore eats like the left but you can see that the calories add up quick for smaller portions. More info below:. Omnivore Carb Bomb Meal: 2 eggs 2 tbsp butter 1 bread roll 4 pieces bacon Half a snickers bar. Omnivore Salad: 4…
Now the right side of this post is a great representation of how filling your plate with mostly veggies& some high quality protein can really pay off! a $? i, IaEUR( tm) m not sure what omnivore eats like the left side but you can see that the calories add up quick for smaller portions. More info below:. Omnivore Carb Bomb Meal: 2 eggs 2 tbsp butter 1 bread roll 4 pieces bacon Half a snickers bar. Omnivore Salad: 4 beakers spinach 1 cup cherry tomatoes 2 beets 1/2 yellow bell pepper 1/2 orange bell pepper 2 free-range eggs 3oz kimchi 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar( not shown)
Let’s taco’bout it dY~ oe Here’s an illustration of how you could go right with your taco Tuesday night vs. how you could go wrong. The macros only paint a small picture as all the added ingredients, preservatives etc is what really consequences this snack selection. Some things to think about: 1i, afPS Pick the right veggies – iceberg lettuce adds virtually no nutrition, vitamins or minerals whereas; a leafy green like …
Let’s taco’bout it dY~ oe Here’s an illustration of how you could go right with your taco Tuesday night vs. how you could go wrong. The macros only paint a small picture as all the added ingredients, preservatives etc is what really effects this meal selection. Some things to think about: 1i, afPS Pick the right veggies – iceberg lettuce adds virtually no nutrition, vitamins or minerals whereas; a leafy green like spinach is packed with fiber and added nutrients.
I’m a photographer from the Toronto area in Ontario, Canada. For the past few years, I’ve been shooting strange self-portraits for fun and to learn new techniques. They’ve all culminated in a self-portrait photo series I call DiscomfortFood.
DiscomfortFood is about my body, my self-image, and my mental health through the lens of junk food. Specifically, the junk food that I personally abuse. For me, that is pizza, pasta, potatoes, popcorn, Pepsi, tart. Carbs and sugar, ice cream, burgers, and salted fries!
Since beginning this project I have in fact developed a much happier and healthier relationship with food. I have lost approx 60 lbs in the past few years, all through dietary changes and leaving behind a lot of unhealthy food that are the subjects of some of the images below.
From DiscomfortFood. It was really hot in the studio the working day, and when I was done the sugar had melted into a glaze.
Glazed sour
When I conceived the DiscomfortFood series, this image was one of the most important ones in the whole series. Sour Cream Glazed doughnuts are my 2nd favorite type.
Two beef patties
Double-cheeseburgers are my kryptonite.
Honey crullers
Honey crullers are my absolute most favorite.
Double chocolate dip
From DiscomfortFood. So many doughnut flavors!
I am the nightmare that children think of
Shot before I conceived of the DiscomfortFood series, this image laid the groundwork for the ones that would follow.
Salt
So salty.
DiscomfortFood
This image is the thesis image in the entire series. The aim is to explore weight, food, self-image, mental health through this series.
Flowery self-portrait
The cowl is actually a kitchen curtain.
Glitter
This image is from 3 years ago and I am still finding glitter all over my house.
Since beginning this project I have in fact developed a much happier and healthier relationship with food. I have lost approx 60 lbs in the past few years, and I would like to thank some of my photography for helping me process things.
On Monday night Gary Taubes will board his second transatlantic flight in a week–from Zurich to Aspen–then eventually back to Oakland, where he calls home. The crusading science journalist best known for his beef with Big Sugar is beat after four days of nutrition conference glad-handing. But there’s no rest for the down and out. Taubes is on a desperate money-raising mission for the Nutrition Science Initiative–his nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of nutrition research.
NuSI( pronounced new-see ) launched in September 2012 with much fanfare, including in the pages of WIRED. It rapidly created more than $ 40 million from big-name donors to facilitate expensive, high-risk studies intended to illuminate the root causes of obesity. Taubes and his cofounder, physician-researcher Peter Attia, contended that nutritional science was so inconsistent because it was so expensive to do right. With a goal of raising an additional $ 190 million, they wanted to fund science that enables you to cut the prevalence of obesity in the US by more than half–and diabetes by 75 percent–by 2025.
Rehabilitating the entire field of nutrition research was always a long shot. But six years in, NuSI is nowhere near achieving its lofty ambitions. In fact, the once-flush organization is break, president-less, and all but gone. It’s been three years since it last tweeted, two years since it’s had a real office; today NuSI consists of two part-time employees and an unpaid volunteer hanging around while Taubes tries to conjure a second act.
Because while he’s nearly out of money, Taubes is not yet out of ideas. This time, though, that might not be enough.
When Taubes and Attia first hatched their “Manhattan Project for nutrition, ” they planned to work on it nights and weekends, crowdsourcing monies from the low-carb corners of the internet. They didn’t think it would be too difficult; between a 2002 New York Times cover story titled “What If It &# x27; s All Been a Big Fat Lie ?” and his best-selling book Good Calories, Bad Calories , Taubes had become the country’s anti-sugar agitator-in-chief. Then, in 2011, Taubes received an email from a former natural gas trader named John Arnold who wanted to help.
In May 2012, just weeks after announcing his and his wife’s new charity aimed at reforming iffy areas of science, the John and Laura Arnold Foundation devoted NuSI a $4.7 million seed to be given to do nutrition research right. In 2013 they followed that up with an additional $ 35.5 million commitment over five years, inducing them NuSI’s lead funder.
At the heart of their mission was the decades-old question of whether all calories are, in fact, created equal. The mainstream view is that it’s simply an excess of calories that makes people fat–no matter whether those calories comes here a bagel or a steak or a bowl of broccoli. Taubes and Attia subscribe to a growing minority posture, dubbed the carbohydrate/ insulin or C/ I hypothesis, that argues obesity is caused by an excess of insulin driving energy into fat stores. In other terms, sugar makes people fat.
Taubes and Attia thought those questions needed a more streamlined research approach to get real answers. So they formed NuSI to funnel fund into a rigorous new situate of studies, while leaving scientists with the experimental independence that would shield their results from bias.
With the Arnold money in hand, Taubes and Attia started recruiting top researchers in 2012 to conduct four initial studies. They purposefully brought on people who disagreed with them, like Kevin Hall, a senior examiner at the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, whose mathematical models predicted that a low-carb, low-insulin diet would have only a tiny impact on calorie-burning. He would head up one of NuSI’s first studies, dubbed the Energy Balance Consortium.
The EBC’s pilot project would lock 17 overweight men inside metabolic wards for two months, feeding them precisely devised snacks and pricking and prodding to see what happened to their bodies on a low-carb diet. If it stimulated them burn calories faster, a follow-up study would do the same exams on a bigger group of people. If the effect was minimal, researchers would then test the effect of low-carb diets on hunger.
Hall was skeptical they would find anything to support the carbohydrate/ insulin hypothesis. But he was assured by the terms of the contract; NuSI would have no control over the pilot study’s design, operation, or reporting. He could build the study he wanted.
At first, things went according to plan. The EBC researchers met with NuSI quarterly to finalize the study’s design and clinical procedures. NuSI signed a consulting agreement with Dr. Jeff Volek–author of the book The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living — to create the diets and menus.
By August 2014, the EBC researchers had preliminary results on their 17 volunteers: The data showed “no significant difference” in energy expenditure. That didn’t mean it was a failure; to the researchers, they had succeeded in verifying the methodology before using it in an even bigger, longer study. “We had to work out these rather complex logistics of get common food sources distributed among many institutions, ” says Rudolph Leibel, one of the consortium scientists working on the pilot at Columbia. “It looked like something the Allies would have organized for all the landings on D-Day.”
But when Hall presented the pilot’s outcomes in person to representatives from NuSI at a meeting in Bethesda in September, they were not so rosy-eyed. NuSI wanted to see the data, and it began providing extensive critiques once they had it.
Taubes in particular had issues with many of the study’s designs, which fed participants a “standard American diet” for four weeks before switching them to an extremely low-carb, or ketogenic, regimen with the same amount of calories. It was supposed to get them to a stable weight, or energy balance, to establish a baseline before running keto. But the subjects all lost weight even before they started cutting out carbs. Taubes contended that was because the standard diet didn’t have enough refined sugary liquors to depict median American consumption.
“From my perspective, the pilot was a failure for several reasons, ” Taubes says. “First, it failed to get people in energy balance in the run-in period, and that was a necessary condition to interpret the findings.” In addition, he points out, the design didn’t include a group of non-dieters, and non-randomized trials do not allow for firm conclusions about causality, conditions that everyone in the group knew going in. In his eyes, all the pilot told them was that their method was flawed. “If this was an animal study, they’d have hurled them out, ” he says. “Euthanized them and started over.”
But NuSI had already spend$ 5 million of the Arnold’s money, and everyone was eager to get to the second phase of the study. As they worked out the details through 2015, the relationship between EBC and NuSI continued to fray. “There was not a real team, ” says Eric Ravussin, EBC’s co-principal investigator and director of Pennington’s Nutrition Obesity Research Center. “As scientists we were in agreement over the pilot results and the new protocols, but NuSI had some concerns. It eventually simply became us versus them.”
According to Hall and Ravussin, NuSI began to push back, in a way that they felt jeopardized their ability to do good science. In April, the EBC researchers sent NuSI an email requesting to re-establish their academic freedom.
Emily Waite
As 2015 turned into 2016, the relationship between the EBC researchers, NuSI, and the Arnold Foundation deteriorated even further. At the end of December, Attia quietly resigned from the organization. Sources close to him say he was unhappy being a full-time fund-raiser; he wanted to get back to research.
NuSI scrambled to fill Attia’s position as chairwoman, first with Christopher Ochner, a psychiatrist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and a few months later with Julie Eckstrand, NuSI’s then-director of clinical operations, who has since left. At the beginning of 2016, NuSI’s yearly contract with the Arnold Foundation was replaced by a series of three-month bridge contracts, with marching orders to downsize. The squad of 15 full-time employees and major contractors shrunk to a skeleton crew that could manage the three remaining studies. NuSI shuttered its San Diego headquarters and became a virtual organization.
Things came to a head at a session in January 2016. In front of John Arnold, NuSI directors Taubes and Mark Friedman openly quarreled with Hall and his colleagues about what was really necessary to run a good study. Hall had had enough. At the end of the session he stepped down from his role with the EBC, citing changing expectations about the structure and practise of the NuSI collaboration.
As the remaining researchers continued to clash with NuSI over the summer about the second phase, the pilot outcomes were finally published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in July. They received a lot of media attention, in no small part because Hall said the pilot, along with another study he’d conducted previously, “basically falsify” the theory that sugar makes people fat. By the end of the summer, the Arnold Foundation had decided not to fund the second phase of the study.
After that, NuSI stopped getting checks from the Arnolds. But the foundation didn’t stop funding research into the carbohydrate/ insulin question. That fall they opened their search to the wider world, putting out a call for proposals for “rigorous research projects that will assess the role that sugar and/ or macronutrients are participating in metabolic the replies and fat accumulation.”
The Arnold Foundation declined to respond to specific questions about how it came to end its relationship with NuSI about $14 million short part of its commitment. A spokesperson emailed the following statement: “This research was designed to answer scientific questions in the fields of nutrition and obesity. While the foundation no longer immediately supports NuSI initiatives, we continue to fund work in the field of nutrition science and remain open to further investments in this area. The NuSI project was a worthwhile effort and remains an important health-related issue for Americans today.”
It’s still too soon to assess what NuSI has added to the nutrition science canon. Outcomes from the two outstanding NuSI-backed studies are due later this year. The fourth and largest one, conducted at Stanford, randomized 600 overweight-to-obese topics into low-fat versus low-carb diets for a year and looked at whether or not their weight loss could be explained by their metabolism or their DNA. Published this February in JAMA , the study detected no differences between the two diets and no meaningful relationship between weight loss and insulin secretion. The most significant finding was that it’s hard to stick to a diet for a whole year.
Obesity docs like Yoni Freedhoff, a prof of family medicine at the University of Ottawa, aren’t astounded that NuSI hasn’t sparked an epistemological revolution. “From the outset, their approach was simply that knowledge will be enough to drive behavior, ” says Freedhoff, who has argued that efforts to prove one diet is better than another do a disservice to patients by implying there’s only one right route to lose weight. He’d love to see research dollars be spent instead on studying how to improve adherence to different eating strategies.
Taubes says the fund-raising trip to Zurich went well, though he won’t share specifics. It could just be the plane lag, or it could be the mental burden of having to sing for his supper, but Taubes audios tired. “I say this to my wife all the time:’ Maybe I’m a quack.’ All quacks are sure they’re right. Isn’t that the defining characteristic of a quack? But the fact is that we money four studies, and the three randomized trials were highly successful operationally. One of these has been published in a top journal with interesting results, and I remain hopeful that we will soon see if the last two studies will move some needles. Our sentences have gotten us this far, and despite some frustrations, these questions still seem vitally important to test.”
Taubes is optimistic that NuSI is just evolving into something a bit more humble. Between its current coffers and the agreements he’s working on, he supposes NuSI can stay afloat for several years, eventually supporting more outside research, though on a much more modest scale. He’s get ideas about instituting a scientific oversight committee to make sure everyone agrees on methods and statistical analysis from the outset.
But he’s also starting to think about how to go back to the life he had before NuSI, living conditions of a journalist. He’s get more articles and volumes he still wants to write , not exclusively about sugar. But it’s tricky. “I know I clearly have conflicts that other journalists only don’t have, and that’s a tightrope I haven’t figured out how to walk yet, ” Taubes says. “This nutrition science crusade–right or wrong–expands easily to fill all the time in my life that can be allotted to work. So I’m going to figure out how to partition time better in the future.”
In between flights and conference dinners, he’s been checking his email for notes on an upcoming article about a new kind of observational study that uses genetic variation to mimic a randomized control trial. While the story isn’t strictly are attributable to nutritional science, Taubes now has the kind of conflicts of interest that make publications wary. He’s working with a new editor and a new outlet after his old editor at Science wouldn’t touch it. Taubes founded NuSI to support objective science; now, it &# x27; s his own objectivity he has to defend.
At 22 years old, Laura Micetich AKA’ The Iron Giantess’ weighed over 300 lbs and was facing a raft of health issues including hyperthyroidism, high blood pressure and prediabetes. She realised that without a radical change in diet and lifestyle, her precious youth would be lost already and she was facing a short and difficult life.
“I decided to take charge of my life and make a change, ” she said. “After trying and is inadequate to get a handle on my health numerous hours, my weight had become a serious enough concern that I was considering weight loss surgery.”
However, she instead began to go down to her local gym, where she speedily saw an affinity with lifting weights. So much so, that it became clear that surgery wasn’t going to be necessary at all. “What initially began because of consideration for weight loss surgery speedily grew into an intense love of health, fitness and nutrition, ” she writes on her website. “I started by going to the gym, lifting weights and feeing a clean diet tailored to my body’s needs. It only took a few weeks for me to realize that I didn’t need to go under the knife. I needed to get under the bar.”
“In the first year, I shed more than 100 pounds without surgery and significantly changed my unhealthy habits. I am now health issue free and my life has changed for the better with the simple realization that what we want and what we do are altogether in our own control.”
It all sounds so simple doesn’t it? While there are a billion techniques, fad diet, pills, nutrition schemes and other methods out there, Laura’s story demonstrates that a little discipline, hard work and common sense can create amazing outcomes. “I simply adjusted my diet. I feed lots of clean foods and removed all starches and processed sugars. I stopped eating out. I stopped getting takeout. I stopped buying junk at the grocery store. I stopped having alcoholic drinks with friends. I stopped binging on crap. That was it.”
Combined with the new received routine and discipline that lifting weights at the gym offered her, Laura saw the pounds begin to shed rapidly with none of excess skin that many other rapid weight loss diets tend to leave behind. What began as a weight loss journey has become a life long passion for Laura, and she shares her results and tips on Instagram where she has over 330,000 followers.
Scroll down below to check out how she did it for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments!
“I grew up heavy. I also grew up a ball buster. So there was no chance I was going to admit I was insecure about my appearance”
“I played it cool and a lot of people bought it. After finally having time to think about who I wanted to be, I decided to make a change”
In 2014 Laura weighed over 300 pounds and that’s when she decided she wanted to change
It all started with the barbell. “I fell in love with weightlifting and that changed the game for me”
“It only took a few weeks for me to realize that I didn’t need to go under the knife. I needed to get under the bar”
“I started weight training almost daily, spending hours in the gym and studying research and scientific findings relating to health, fitness, and nutrition”
“In the first year, I shed more than 100 pounds without surgery and significantly changed my unhealthy habits”
“I simply adjusted my diet. I ate lots of clean foods and removed all starches and processed sugars”
“I stopped feeing out. I stopped getting takeout. I stopped buying junk at the grocery store”
“I stopped having alcoholic drinks with friends. I stopped binging on crap. That was it”
“This is my heaviest- over 300 lbs in 2014. My thinnest- at 180 in May 2017. My current at about 195 ”
“Every single day”
“There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now”
“I am now health issue free and my life has changed for the better with the simple realization that what we want and what we do are wholly in our own control”
More than 330 k people follow Laura on Instagram looking for inspiration and advice
She also likes to motivate her followers with beautiful inspirational messages:
“If you get tired, learn to rest , not to quit”
“With patience, age, and a little self-love, your smile won’t quite catch on your insecurities the same way it once did. Devote it time..”
“You’re not too old. It’s not too late”
“It’s hard. It’s worth it”
“You are who you choose to be”
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When you hear the word “fasting, ” you probably think of gimmicky diets–and, um, feeling “hangry.” But a growing body of research suggests that cycling super low-calorie days into your normal eating plan could potentially improve your health( more on that subsequently ). But before you skip lunch and let your gut start growling, read on for everything you need to know about intermittent fasting.
Five people who were use an obesity therapy that places balloons inside their stomaches have died since 2016, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.
Four of the deaths involved people using the Orbera Intragastric Balloon System and one involved ReShape Integrated Dual Balloon System, the agency said.
“At this time, we do not know the root cause or incidence rate of patient death , nor have we been able to definitively attribute the deaths to the devices or the insertion procedures for these devices, ” the FDA said in a safety alerting issued Thursday.
Whether it’s wine tasting in Italy or a backyard barbecue at your pal’s beach house, most summer getaways involve major food indulgences. Plus, many jetsetters adopt an all-bets-are-off mindset, permitting healthy feeing habits to go totally out the window during travel.
“A vacation eating attitude typically entails indulging in the moment and are concerned about the consequences afterwards, ” says Health’s contributing nutrition editor, Cynthia Sass, RD. And research agrees: A recent study out of the University of Georgia found that some people who take one- to three-week vacations put on nearly a pound during their trip, while others gain as many as seven pounds.( Yikes !)
More than a decade ago, researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge began recruiting young, healthy Louisianans to voluntarily go hungry for two years. In addition to cutting their daily calories by 25 percentage, the dozens who enrolled also agreed to a weekly battery of tests; blood draw, bone scans, swallowing a pill that measures internal body temperature.
All that sticking and scanning and starving was in the name of the Comprehensive Assessment of Long-Term Consequence of Reducing Intake of Energy, or Calerie–the largest human clinical trial ever to look at the effects of calorie restriction on aging. The National Institutes of Health-funded study also included sites at Washington University in St. Louis and Tufts in Boston. But only the Pennington participants had to also spend 24 sedentary hours inside a sealed room that recorded the contents of their every breath.
After a night of fasting, participants entered the calorimeter promptly at 8: 00 am, and until 8: 00 am the following day they weren’t allowed to leave or exert. Researchers delivered snacks through a small, air-locked cupboard. As fresh air circulated into the room, the air flowing out went through a series of analyzers to measure the ratio of carbon dioxide emissions to oxygen. Nitrogen measurings from urine samples help calculate a total picture of each participant’s resting metabolism.
The picture that emerged was that cutting calories, even modestly, lowered people’s metabolism by 10 percentage. Some of that could be attributed to weight loss( on average folks lost 20 pounds over two years ). But according to the study’s writers, the majority of the change had more to do with altered biological processes, which they find through other biomarkers like insulin and thyroid hormones. “Restricting calories can slow your basal metabolic rate–the energy you need to sustain all normal daily functions, ” says endocrinologist and lead writer Leanne Redman. When the body utilizes less oxygen to generate all its required energy, it produces fewer byproducts of metabolism, things like free radicals that can injury Dna and other cellular machinery. “After two years, the lower rate of metabolism and level of calorie regulation was linked to a reduction in oxidative damage to cells and tissues.”
Now, the study wasn’t long enough to show that calorie limited definitively increased lifespans; That trial would take decades. But Redman contends that this data rejuvenates support for two old but embattled theories of human aging: the slow metabolism’ rate of living’ hypothesi and the oxidative injury theory. The first says that the slower an organism’s metabolism, the longer it will live. The second states that organisms age because cells accumulate free radical damage over time.
Other Calerie researchers don’t buy it. “You can have a low resting metabolic rate because you’re dying of starvation, ” tells Luigi Fontana, an internist who led the Washington University trial. “Does that make it a biomarker of longevity? No. You can be calorie restricted by feeing half a hamburger and a few fries each day but will you live longer? No, you will die of malnutrition.”
Fontana’s own work with Calerie trial data suggests changes to specific insulin pathways matter more than overall metabolism lessening. He also points to studies where rats were made to swim in cold water for hours a day, dropping their metabolism. They didn’t live any longer than room temperature rats. In other studies, scientists overexpressed enzymes that protected mouse from free radicals. They didn’t live any longer either. Redman’s data is interesting, he says, but it’s not the whole picture. “Twenty years ago the dogma was the more calorie restriction the better, ” he says. “What we are finding now is that it’s not the number that are important. Genetics, the composition of the diet, when you feed, what’s in your microbiome, this all influences the impact of calorie restriction.”
Maybe no one knows that more than Jeffrey Peipert. The 58 -year-old ob-gyn participated in the Washington University trial nine years ago, hoping to bring down his weight, which he’d struggled with his whole life. When he went in, his blood pressure was 132 over 84; after a few months on a restricted calorie regimen it dropped to 115 over 65. A year in he lost 30 pounds. But six months later he ceases. It was just too much work. “It took away my energy, my strength, it definitely took away my sex drive, ” says Peipert. “And tracking calories every day was a total pain in the neck.”
Today he’s gained all the weight back and has to take a pill for hypertension. But at the least he feels like he’s living well, even if he maybe won’t live as long.
