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You Diet and Exercise and The Fat Vanishes – But Where Does It Go? – TylerStarNews.com | News, information, Sistersville and Tyler County WV – Tyler…

Posted: January 22, 2020 at 2:46 am

Was there a deficiency in the diet of mountain women of old which made them crave fat? U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, an orphan boy who was reared in poverty in southern West Virginia, can remember how his foster mother would carefully fish out and eat the fat pork seasoning from a pot of beans. I've seen my mother do the same many time. Native Eskimos consumed blubber in order to insulate their bodies against arctic chill. Now we're advised to avoid eating fat meat, lest it clog blood vessels and add rotundity to the figure.

Those of my generation can recall when plumpness was regarded as an indicator of good health. The gaunt figure which so many strive for nowadays was seen as a harbinger of sickness. Skinny kids were pitied. "Look at that puny young'un," they'd say. "He's not long for this world."

Perhaps it was a carry over from this background which prompted She Who Could Give Dr. Spock Lessons on Rearing Children to insist that ours always "clean up your plate." This rule is one which now says she wishes never had been promulgated in our household, since all of us are constantly engaged in fighting the battle of the bulge.

We were weight conscious in our home long before it became fashionable across the land. She Whose Calories Have Always Been Counted has been watching her weight for better than four decades now. Nancy Regan she regarded with suspicion, finding it hard to believe that any human being could be so tiny. However, her admiration for Barbara Bush reached new heights when the First Lady told an audience of women that she was born weighing 135 pounds and had been dieting all her life. My experience with incipient corpulence is relatively recent. Until middle age, I was one of those obnoxious characters who ate like a horse and never gained an ounce, a physical phenomenon which I was not at all reluctant to call the attention of my portly acquaintances. These quietly rejoiced when my waistline began to balloon and my clothes constricted and I was forced to join the ranks of calorie counters. That all happened some years ago and I have since learned several truths about losing weight and keeping it off. One is that the only miraculous things about the magic pills that are advertised to make you shed 20 pounds per week while eating all you can hold is that there are people dumb enough to buy them. Another truth is that while walking supposedly is good for you, putting down one foot after the other will not by itself shed those pounds. If it did, I would be skinny as a rail since in recent years I have walked the equivalent of Sistersville, W.Va. to Atascadero, CA and back. It also is a given that food which is any good to eat has far more calories in it than you can afford to consume. And there really is no such thing as stylish stout in America, although there may be in Japan.

The Japanese make sports heroes out of sumo wrestlers, tall young men of great weight, generally upwards of 400 pounds. Clad only in loincloths, these obese caricatures of humanity compete by trying to bump other 400 pounders out of a ring or forcing their opponents to touch any part of their body (except their flat feet, of course) to the ground. The "matches" usually last only a few seconds. In view of the fact that sumo heretofore has been limited to hereditary participants, it is ironic that the new champion sumo wrestler of Japan is an American citizen from Hawaii. He now weighs 430 pounds and reportedly lost 40 pounds in training for the sumo competition.

A question comes to mind: On any given day in this country, what with diets, weight loss centers, exercise and the like, there must be tons of weight lost. The fat disappears. But where does it go? She Who Never Is Stumped had a ready answer for my query. "It goes," said she firmly, "into the nearest closet whence it will jump right back on you if you give it half a chance."

"Makes sense," said I. "You know what Walt Whitman had to say on the subject?"

"No."

"Whitman said, "I find no sweeter fat than sticks to my own bones.'"

"You know what Queen Victoria had to say on the subject?" asked she.

"No."

"Queen Victoria said, "I am not amused.'"

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You Diet and Exercise and The Fat Vanishes - But Where Does It Go? - TylerStarNews.com | News, information, Sistersville and Tyler County WV - Tyler...

Weeklong event aims to promote body positivity while taking on diet culture – Daily Bruin

Posted: January 22, 2020 at 2:46 am

Buddy Al-Aydi, a second-year English student, threw his backpack to the side of the Bruin Walk stage and ran up to grab a metal baseball bat. He brought the bat down on a bathroom scale on the stage and the piercing sound of metal colliding rang through Bruin Plaza.

By smashing that scale, it shows that it doesnt matter if the (scale) numbers go down or not, Al-Aydi said after climbing down. Its what youre doing, in terms of how you take care of your body (that matters).

A dozen scales were smashed by over 100 people during I Love My Body Week, which took place from Jan. 13 to Jan. 17. The week was hosted by the Undergraduate Students Association Council Student Wellness Commissions Body Image Task Force.

Other events included a walk-in exhibition on international beauty standards, a dance class taught in high heels, a panel on boosting sexual confidence and a lecture about misconceptions surrounding dieting.

Body Image Task Force co-directors fourth-year sociology and gender studies student Helen Zhong and third-year financial actuarial mathematics student Lorena Palattao planned the week to create an open space to help students feel safe talking about their vulnerabilities and achieve self-love.

I definitely think that a lot of people dismiss body image as a very niche topic, but the truth is we all live in such an intense diet culture, Zhong said. Its really hard to find someone, especially a woman, who doesnt exhibit some kind of disordered eating, and its really relevant to everyone.

To encourage body positivity, many events focused on dispelling the effects of diet culture and weight loss efforts.

Students may feel pressure to diet because of social media or advertising influences, said presenters at a workshop called Debunking Diet Myths, which took place Jan. 14.

At UCLA, there is extra pressure (to diet) because when you walk on campus, there seems to be a lot of people that fit the LA mold that are very concentrated on that little plot of land, said Eve Lahijani, a nutrition therapist who spoke at the event. Even when you look at the ads on UCLA campus, they are all (of) athletes people who are in excellent shape, all have a certain body type, totally athletic.

However, diets perpetuate a cycle of self-hate, as failure to uphold dietary restrictions often leads dieters into guilt, shame and ultimately more binging, Lahijani said.

Instead of restricting certain foods from your diet, prioritizing the addition of healthy foods is more effective in maintaining mental and physical wellness, said Elena Eu, Body Image Task Force research director and fourth-year psychology student.

Eu researched common flaws in popular diets and presented them on poster boards for attendees to browse. For example, many diets teach dieters to ignore hunger, but by ignoring hunger, a dieter also teaches their body to ignore fullness, Lahijani said.

At the end of the day, youre going to eat thousands and thousands of meals in your life, and you dont need to give each one so much weight, Eu said. Its important to know that freedom from obsession with food is possible, and its definitely a journey, but self-educating like this is one way to start.

Dongni Zheng, a second-year public health student who attended the event, said she was surprised to learn that all diets can be bad for ones health.

Before I came, I expected to learn some good diets from this event, but the nutritionist actually talked about why they dont work, Zheng said.

The scale-smashing event, hosted Jan. 15 on Bruin Walk, was intended to help release frustrations associated with dissatisfaction with weight standards. The event was co-hosted by the Body Image Task Force and Southern Smash, a nonprofit that travels to college campuses hoping to redefine self-worth by inviting students to smash scales.

Other events aimed to help students feel more comfortable using their bodies in sexual ways.

At an event called Crafting Confidence in the Bedroom, co-hosted by Sexperts at UCLA and the task force, speakers offered suggestions to overcome doubts and apprehensions about sex.

Students were provided handouts that asked questions such as, What food would be your go-to sexy food? Answers included multiple-choice options such as whipped cream and lollipops, peaches, or other erotically shaped foods.

Third-year political science student Yoyo Wong said she thought that the event helped to destigmatize sex as a topic.

People might feel embarrassed to talk about (sex), but in this open forum it teaches you to be comfortable with talking about something that is really important to know about, Wong said. Its really okay to let go of your worries in the bedroom.

A heels dancing workshop held Jan. 15 also aimed to promote self-confidence. Students strapped on heels and joined instructor Shawna Pops on the dance floor to learn a short choreography that was recorded at the end of the class.

Heels dancing is owning your body and embracing the beauty of it, Palattao said. A lot of people think its provocative, but its not, so we just wanted to have a class where people could use a form of art to embrace who they are and see the beauty of their bodies.

The week finished off with a walk-in gallery in Kerckhoff Hall titled Unfollowing Beauty Standards. The artwork aimed to highlight and contrast the beauty standards of different cultures across the globe.

Awareness of worldwide beauty standards will foster a more accepting student body said Amirah Nathani, a fourth-year psychology student and Body Image Task Force membership co-director.

We tend to fall into what were comfortable with, (which is) often what weve grown up around or what we see most often, Nathani said. I really want people to see that the world is so much more different than what you as an individual know.

Despite the gravity of body image and its effect on mental health, Zhong said she hoped the week could be a joyous celebration of positivity and self-acceptance.

I would want people who come to leave with a newfound appreciation for their bodies and for all that their body does for them, Zhong said. Hopefully, they will learn to not compare themselves to others or social media, to be kind to themselves and to show their bodies compassion, whether thats eating when youre hungry or not going to the gym if youre tired.

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Weeklong event aims to promote body positivity while taking on diet culture - Daily Bruin

‘Intuitive eating’ is on the rise, and experts say it’s because people are fed up with diet culture – msnNOW

Posted: January 22, 2020 at 2:46 am

Regina Podolsky / EyeEm / Getty Images

Despite the constant noise of fad diets competing for our attention, the biggest trend in nutrition this year may in fact be an anti-diet called "intuitive eating."

Intuitive eating refers to a system of nutritional principles based on physical cues like hunger and satiety. It focuses on how you feel and what your body needs instead of adhering to external goals like calorie-counting or aesthetics.

It's on the rise among younger people, particularly on social media, according to registered dietitian Alyssa Pike, manager of nutrition communications at the International Food Information Council (IFIC).

A recent IFIC survey polled 1,012 Americans on food behaviors and perceptions to predict the biggest trends for 2020. Some 49% percent of people ages 18 to 34 had heard of the term, compared with 27% of people over 50.

A large number of people (more than half of the total surveyed) said they were interested in applying principles of intuitive eating to their own lives including paying close attention to their level of hunger and limiting distractions while they eat.

"People are getting so sick of dieting and now, diets disguised as wellness," said Christy Harrison, registered dietitian and author of "Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating."

"I think we're shifting toward ways to not have our relationship with food complicated by outside noise."

Video: Switching to Intuitive Eating Helped This Woman Lose 174 Lbs.: Its So Freeing (People)

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Intuitive eating relies on physical cues like hunger and satiety

In contrast to diets that focus on aesthetic goals, the number on the scale, or calorie-counting, intuitive eaters stick to 10 basic principles of allowing their individual bodies and experiences to determine their food choices.

Those principles include things like "honor your hunger" and "feel your fullness," meaning intuitive eaters pay attention to the signals their body is sending about what it needs.

People new to intuitive eating may want to test out the limits and indulge in desserts, carbs, or other stigmatized snacks as reassurance that they're permissible. Eventually, as you start tuning into and trusting your body, you might find you're craving a salad, a hearty bean burrito, or a crisp apple, Harrison said.

The anti-diet approach challenges other trends, including wellness culture

Harrison said intuitive eating is gaining popularity in part because people have begun to recognize problems with diet culture, including evidence that diets don't work, and the prevalence of dangerous eating disorders.

Intuitive eating also addresses a more insidious form of diet culture that has emerged in the form of "wellness," she said. This includes a fixation with eating "clean," for example, that can lead to its own form of eating disorder known as orthorexia.

Intuitive eating does take healthy eating into account, but only after unpacking the dietary dogma and pressure that often underlies the urge to eat healthily. The eventual goal of intuitive eating is to trust that your body knows what it needs to feel good, and that includes salads as well as sweets, healthy foods as well as indulgences.

"You can't really re-approach nutrition in a kind and gentle way without breaking down those ideas about diet culture. If you don't, that information just tends to get plugged into the existing framework and you still have a black-and-white weight-centric, weight stigmatizing way of thinking about things," she said.

Studies have shown intuitive eating has proven benefits for mental and physical health

Pike cited research that intuitive eating leads to better self-esteem, emotional well-being, and psychological resilience. It's also been linked to greater motivation to exercise, since it prioritizes enjoyment instead of guilt or shame. Although more research is needed to fully understand the effects of intuitive, some studies have show promising results that intuitive eating may lead to overall healthier habits overall.

Although it's tempting to ask whether intuitive eating can help with weight loss, experts say that's missing the point, since the practice encourages people to consider their relationship with food beyond aesthetics.

"The ultimate goal is to have food become one of many aspects of life that support your well-being, but it doesn't take on this outsized role where you're spending all your time worrying about food and nutrition," Harrison said. "It gives you time to think about other things that matter in your life."

Gallery: 14 foods you can eat as much as you want and not gain weight

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'Intuitive eating' is on the rise, and experts say it's because people are fed up with diet culture - msnNOW

One Of The Most Common Ingredients In The Western Diet Has Been Found To Alter Genes In The Brain – IFLScience

Posted: January 22, 2020 at 2:46 am

The use of soybean oil has increased dramatically over the last few decades, to the extent that is has become the most widely consumed edible oil in the US and other Western nations. However, its rise has coincided with an alarming escalation in metabolic conditions like diabetes, insulin resistance, and obesity, and a new study indicates that this may be down to the way that soybean oil causes genetic changes in the brain.

Previous research has shown that mice fed a diet that is high in soybean oil are much more likely to develop these conditions than rodents fed on other fats like coconut oil. Further studies hinted that the culprit may be linoleic acid, as mice that consumed soybean oil that had been modified to lack this key ingredient were spared many of these harmful effects.

To better understand how soybean oil produces these negative consequences, scientists decided to investigate its impact on the expression of genes in the hypothalamus, a brain region that regulates metabolism and a range of other essential processes.

Mice were split into groups, of which one received a diet that was high in normal soybean oil, another consumed a diet high in soybean oil that lacked linoleic acid, and another was fed on a diet rich in coconut oil.

Writing in the journal Endocrinology, the study authors explain that soybean oil was found to modify the expression of around 100 different genes in the hypothalamus, affecting processes such as metabolism, neurological disease, and inflammation.

Among the altered genes were some that are associated with schizophrenia, depression, and Alzheimers disease, although by far the most affected was a gene that codes for the production of a hormone called oxytocin.

Oxytocin is sometimes referred to as the love hormone as it promotes social bonding and feelings of euphoria, and disruptions to its functioning have been linked to depression and autism. However, it also plays a key role in regulating body weight and glucose metabolism, and mice fed on soybean oil were therefore found to suffer from glucose intolerance, while those fed on coconut oil had no such problems.

Furthermore, the oxytocin gene was affected equally in mice that consumed regular soybean oil and the version that lacked linoleic acid, suggesting that the removal of this ingredient does not protect against the harmful effects of soybean oil.

With linoleic acid ruled out as the main driver of these harms, the researchers turned their attention to another compound found in soybean oil called stigmasterol. A further group of mice were fed a diet rich in coconut oil that had been modified to contain high quantities of stigmasterol, to see if this caused similar genetic changes within the hypothalamus.

Yet no such genetic alterations were found in the hypothalamus of these mice, indicating that stigmasterol is not to blame for the dangers of soybean oil.

Future research will now need to focus on determining which ingredient is responsible for these genetic changes, although study author Poonamjot Deol of the University of California, Riverside says that while many questions remain unanswered, some very concrete statements can be made off the back of this study.

"If there's one message I want people to take away, it's this: reduce consumption of soybean oil," she said in a statement.

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One Of The Most Common Ingredients In The Western Diet Has Been Found To Alter Genes In The Brain - IFLScience

5 Alabama bakeries welcoming those with dietary restrictions – Bham Now

Posted: January 22, 2020 at 2:46 am

Like those Little Debbie snack cakes, but upgraded. Photo via Joyful Food Co.s Website.

A couple of my friends have been on the Whole 30 diet this month, and its really shown me how restrictive certain diets can be. Whether its a preference or you have a food allergyhere are a few Alabama dietary friendly bakeries that make it easier!

In addition to being gluten-free, this online Birmingham bakery has mouthwatering keto-friendly options from fudgy brownies to blueberry almond muffins.

The best part? Us Birminghamians can pick it up locally! Also, you can find the Alabama dietary friendly bakery around the city at various pop-ups, such as the Market at Pepper Place. Just follow their Instagram to stay in the know.

The keto diet didnt look too hard for me until I realized you cant have sugar, like any sugarwho wants to live in that world?

Luckily, you can easily plan a mini road trip to Fathead Fanny in Decatur,ALits an actual certified keto bakery! Fathead Fanny is a brand from Clover Coffee, LLC that serves their goods in-store, but also ships worldwide.

And boydo they have options. The bakery serves keto-friendly cupcakes, doughnuts, scones, muffins and pretty much anything else you could think up.

Joyful Food Co. is Alabamas ONLY 100% gluten-free and paleo-friendly food co., and its right here in Birmingham. Trust me, no sacrifice is made when you get a sweet from here. Plus the options are endlessjust take a look at the menu.

While the bakery is online, local residents (thats us) can pick up orders in-store or even have them delivered. I love having the option of a cherry cobbler showing up at my door.

We know you hate to leave Birmingham, but if you do let it be for the treats at Mason Dixon Bakery in Huntsville. The Alabama dietary friendly bakery and restaurant is 100% gluten-free and 200% delicious.

If you looked at their menu and decided you cant wait until the next time youre in that area, they have online ordering!

Having an uncle with celiac disease, I know how frustrating it is for him when it comes to finding food out that he can enjoy. At Liberated Speciality Foods, they cater to a large variety of dietary restrictions.

Between cupcakes, biscottis, and cookiestheres definitely something for everyone regardless of food allergy or diet.

Didnt see your favorite bakery on this list? Not to worry, many of our Birmingham bakeries, such as Dreamcakes, offer options for your diet, just call and ask!

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5 Alabama bakeries welcoming those with dietary restrictions - Bham Now

Scandal-hit Japan lawmakers sorry but otherwise tight-lipped as Diet opens – The Japan Times

Posted: January 22, 2020 at 2:46 am

Former Cabinet ministers and lawmakers involved in gift and money scandals apologized again Monday as they returned to the Diet for its ordinary session, but offered no new details despite mounting calls for them to explain themselves.

I feel deeply sorry for harming public trust in politics, former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai told reporters as the regular Diet session started. I should refrain from comment as investigations are underway.

Kawai and his wife, Upper House lawmaker Anri Kawai, both from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, have faced allegations that they were involved in daily allowance payments by her office to campaign staffers for the July Upper House election that exceeded their legal limit.

Prosecutors have already searched their offices, alleging that the countrys public elections law may have been breached.

Anri Kawai told reporters, I will explain when investigations are done.

Katsuyuki Kawais resignation as justice minister in October came only days after Isshu Sugawara gave up his post as trade minister over separate money and gift-giving allegations.

Sugawara made his first public appearance in about three months Monday after suffering from what he described as sleeping disorders.

Surrounded by about 50 reporters, Sugawara declined to give details, noting that a criminal complaint against him had been filed with Tokyo prosecutors.

I apologize for my resignation causing a stir and trouble to many people, Sugawara said.

If requested by the authorities, I will cooperate sincerely. Id like to explain the whole story at an appropriate time, a sweating Sugawara said.

The former trade minister quit after a weekly magazine reported that his secretary had offered 20,000 ($182) in condolence money to the bereaved family of a supporter in his Tokyo constituency in mid-October.

The magazine also alleged that Sugawara had given expensive melons and crabs to local supporters.

The public offices election law bans politicians from making donations to voters in their home constituencies. Politicians are allowed to offer money personally at ceremonies such as weddings and funerals.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe acknowledged his responsibility for appointing Kawai and Sugawara in a Cabinet reshuffle in September.

As the 150-day Diet session began, opposition parties were preparing to grill Abe over a controversial state-funded cherry blossom-viewing party and a bribery scandal related to the introduction of casinos in Japan.

The administrations casino push suffered a setback after Tsukasa Akimoto, a former LDP lawmaker who led the effort, was arrested on suspicion of receiving money from a Chinese gambling company that had sought to launch a casino business in Japan.

LDP lawmaker Toshimitsu Funahashi, one of the five lawmakers to whom the Chinese firm reportedly paid money, bowed in apparent apology to the prime minister.

Funahashi, who has denied receiving money from the Chinese company, said to reporters on Monday, I dont have anything to say.

Another lawmaker Mikio Shimoji was expelled from Nippon Ishin no Kai after admitting to receiving 1 million from the Chinese company. He only said he is not going to talk.

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Scandal-hit Japan lawmakers sorry but otherwise tight-lipped as Diet opens - The Japan Times

How to keep Fido fit in 2020 – Dayton Daily News

Posted: January 22, 2020 at 2:46 am

It starts every year the day after Christmas. Ads for a new you are everywhere. New and improved weight-loss programs, exercise equipment and gym packages flood our senses.

So, it was no surprise in early January when I received one of my favorite dog magazines, Dogster, and the issue was devoted to getting and keeping your canine in tip-top shape. Titles included Weight loss tips that work and 5 best exercises for dogs.

Our two previous dogs, Mocha and Lucy, at certain times in their lives were a pound or two overweight. Increased activity, especially in the warmer months, usually took care of that.

Teddy, my familys 5-year-old Lab, weighs 60 pounds. He is on the small side for male Labs. The breeds males typically weigh between 60 and 80 pounds.

For his size, Teddy is perfect. But colder weather means more indoor time with less physical activity for him. I was interested to see what types of solutions the magazine offered to keep Teddy fit and trim.

The article on exercise was a list of five activities to keep your dog moving regardless of age. Swimming, biking, mini-hikes, sniffaris and playing with a flirt pole are all great energy- and calorie-burners but not always practical for winter, so I quickly moved on.

Arden Moores article, 10 real weight-loss tips that work, listed tips that could apply to any dog regardless of size.

Moore writes there are actually fat farms, weight-loss centers and diet pills for dogs needing to shed a few pounds. I wondered for a few minutes about what I had just read, then I laughed. Back to the tips.

The second tip, Swap out treats for calorie-free praise, should have been written, Karin, give Teddy more verbal praise and less treats.

The Lab knows if Im in the kitchen and he gives me his famous large, round cow-eyes look Ill head for his cookie jar. Im more than happy to give Teddy praise and a cookie for the simplest tasks. Sitting, standing, waiting, not destroying the house when Im gone all get praise and treats. Games successfully played earn treats. Letting me take his picture involves treats.

Teddy has my number.

The seventh tip, offering high-nutrient, low-calorie veggies, was something we already do. That tip soothed my bruised ego just a bit. Theres always a bag of baby carrots in the refrigerator just for the canine. Moore suggests substituting a baby carrot or a piece of zucchini for a pizza crust.

I dont like pizza crusts and occasionally I have given one to Teddy. Well, bud, I said to my writing companion basking in the winter sun, no more pizza crusts for you. I think the pooch gave me the stink eye.

The sixth tip, recognizing certain breeds are prone to obesity, was an eye-opener. The first breed on the list, you guessed it, was the Labrador Retriever. I again looked at my beloved writing companion and said, You are officially number one on your moms staying-in-shape list.

Teddy got up, stretched, then walked into the family room and laid down beside his dad.

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COUNTING CANINE CALORIES

1. Weigh your dog on a reliable scale

2. Divide you dogs weight by 2.2

3. Multiply this figure time 30

4. Add 70 and you will have the number of calories to feed a typical dog

SOURCE: Dogster, February/March 2020

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How to keep Fido fit in 2020 - Dayton Daily News

Help! I Watch Horror Movies With My 7-Month-Old. Is That Bad? – Slate

Posted: January 22, 2020 at 2:46 am

Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by Andrew Olney Creative/The Image Bank/Getty Images Plus.

Content Locked for Slate Plus members

Content Locked for Slate Plus members

Dear Prudence is online weekly to chat live with readers. Heres an edited transcript of this weeks chat.

Danny Lavery: Good afternoon, everyone. Lets chat!

Q. Am I raising a May queen?I am a horror fan. I also have a 7-month-old daughter, who often sits in my lap while I watch horror movies. At what age can she comprehend what she is seeing, and when should I stop watching horror films and gory content in her presence? I dont want her to grow up thinking its normal to capture men in bear suits or do I?

A: Parents of young children, please feel free to chime in! My totally nonprofessional guess would be sometime between the first and second years, or whatever age toddlers startwantingto watch TV and movies. But doctors and child care professionals have a pretty good sense of the stages of childhood development, so I think theres probably a pretty straightforward answer here. (And you want her to be able to choose when she wants to watch scary stuff when shes a lot older, if only because you dont want to have to deal with nightmares that wake you both up at midnight.)

Send questions for publication to prudence@slate.com. (Questions may be edited.)

Join the live chat Mondays at noon. Submit your questions and comments here before or during the discussion.

Call the voicemail of the Dear Prudence podcast at 401-371-DEAR (3327) to hear your question answered on a future episode of the show.

Q. Does Jillian Michaels win if I lose weight?I am fat. Despite this, Im in mostly good health (just a little joint and muscle pain), and for the first time since I was young, I love my body! Ive always been a big womannow Im just a little bigger. Ive been joining some fat-positive and fat-liberation movements, because, you know, we deserve to have rights and be a part of life! But lately, my foot has been hurting, and even though I am on good terms with my body, Im noticing certain physical pains that I dont remember having when I weighed even just 100 pounds less. I think I would like to start trying to lose weight again (just without the fad diets, while exercising reasonably), just until I get comfortable.

Only Jillian Michaels recently said some fatphobic thing about the singer Lizzo, and it puts into perspective again how vile people can be to fat people and still get away with it. (After all,The Biggest Loseris back AGAIN.) Am I betraying a worthy cause by losing weight? I love my fat self, but I want to be comfortable again. I know my body is my own, and I can be fat-positive as a fat person or as a thin person. Im not even talking about getting thin, just losing some weight, but I feel like a fraud for even thinking about it. Should I stop following my fat-positive peers and take a step back while Im losing weight? Am I a fraud?

A: Its a difficult position to feel yourself to be in, I think, when you hold yourself responsible for the awful things so many people say about fat people, as if you can personally either stem that tide by remaining at some particular weight forever or betray the cause and let down fat people everywhere by pursuing a moderate diet-and-exercise routine. Id encourage you to talk to your doctor, if you havent already (while also realizing plenty of doctors de-prioritize their fat patients health concerns), to find out what other short- and medium-term options you have for treating your joint pain so youre not just grimacing and bearing the pain right now. Even if you do lose weight, if youre pursuing a safe and non-crash diet, youre unlikely to lose 100 pounds in less than a yearyou deserve to seek out effective pain management strategies in the meantime. That is, I think, the key aspect of fat positivity you should apply here: not that you owe it to anyone else to stay a particular size, but that regardless of your size, and regardless of the pace of any weight loss or gain you may experience over the course of a lifetime, you deserve an opportunity to treat your pain, seek medical attention, and be met with respect. (There may be other factors at play that dont have anything to do with your weight, and it will be important to investigate all the possibilities so you dont overlook an important cause of your pain.) That doesnt mean you have to abandon the goals of fat liberation or stop following the work of fat-positive people; if nothing else, I hope you can stop putting so much pressure on yourself to embody either perfect self-acceptance on the one hand or idealized quick-but-moderate weight loss on the other.

Q. Move in:My daughter is getting a divorce. She has been making noises about moving in with me. I have a small condo. I love my daughter and my grandson but I know that if they move in, they will never move out. I will be raising my grandson until he graduates. My daughter has always taken the easy road. She always had to be bribed to do her chores. She quit every sport or activity she tried as soon as it got hard. She quit college to marry a rich man (whom my husband and I never liked) and be a stay-at-home mom. She needed a nanny to accomplish this. I love her, but I know her. I still have the dog she got rid of in college because it was too much of a hassle. I lost my husband last year after a long illness. I am burned out on being a caretaker. How do I talk with my daughter and support her while keeping her from returning to the nest?

A: Dont let her move in with you. The good news is that she cannot move in with you against your will. If she makes noise about wanting to move in with you, tell her clearly that wont be possible and that shell need to make other arrangements. If youre worried about your own resolve, ask some of your friends for solidarity and support; if she tries to manipulate you or threaten you by claiming that youre hurting your grandson, have an exit strategy so you can end the conversation. If you have a history of giving in to your daughter against your own better judgment because shes good at wearing you down, practice walking away from conversations that have become endlessly repetitive or unproductive. Become more comfortable with your daughters discomfort.

It may also help to think through ways youarewilling to offer your support to her, whether through helping her update her rsum, offering child care while shes meeting with her divorce lawyer, finding support groups for single parents, etc. None of these involve saying, Come on homestay forever. You dont have to choose between either letting her walk all over you or consigning her to a lifetime apart. There are plenty of options in between.

Q. My friend gave me a painting:A few weeks ago, I went to hang out with a friend of mine and we had dinner and chatted for most of the evening. While at their house, I noticed that theyd been working on a painting of two cats dressed up in military regalia (akin to one of those joke Renaissance-style pet paintings that you can buy online). They were making this painting for another friend, and I politely complimented their work before moving the conversation elsewhere.

Yesterday, out of the blue, I received a photo from this friend of a brand-new canvas with a painting of my own cat wearing Kylo Rens costume fromStar Warswith a First Order symbol in the background. Prudie, I hate this painting. I hate that its my cat. I hate that its the First Order, the Star Wars analogue to Nazis. I hate that in the near future this painting will be in my possession. I hate everything about it. I wish I had never seen it.

I have absolutely no idea where this friend would have thought that this was a gift I wanted, since my compliment of their first painting was strictly along the lines of: It looks nice. I bet your other friend will like it. I am positive that I did not express a desire for a painting for myself, let alone one of my own cat. Since this friend has revealed themselves to be the kind of person to personally paint a custom Renaissance-style cat portrait and gift it to me at the mildest hint of polite interest, Im worried that they are also the type of person to comment if I dont hang the painting where they can see it the next time they visit.

What do I do? I would rather quit my job and move across the country and assume a new identity than hang this painting anywhere in my house, let alone in my living room or a common area. I equally dread the idea of having this friend confront me about not hanging up the painting.

A: I dont know why you would wait for your friendto confront you about not hanging up this painting when you could just say this: I appreciate that you thought of me, but Im really not comfortable having my cat drawn in a First Order uniform, even as a joke. Im not able to accept this. Nip this in the bud. You have every right to object to a painting you did not solicit, and your friend needs to be able to accept that with good grace.

Q. He wants our sex tape, but he just had a baby with another woman:Several years ago, my friend with benefits of three years ended our with benefits because he was starting to get serious with someone else. We kept in touch nominally over the past two years, always at his initiation over Instagram DM, but we have not physically seen each other. Around the holidays, his now-fianc sent me a note asking, essentially, if I was the other woman. I told her the truth of our past relationship but that I took any conversation since as his attempt to be casual friends only. Yesterday, he reached out again, asking me to send him the sex tape we made. Something felt off. I did some snooping on his fiancs Instagram, and it turns out they just had a baby (and are very much still together). I told him off, weve not spoken since, and I have no desire to speak to him again. But do I owe it to the fianc to let her know? Im inclined not to say anything, but what sort of social contract is there about this? For what its worth, neither of them is in my social circle and I live in a major city where well likely never run into each other.

A: Keep the video, block him on Instagram, and wash your hands of this almost-certainly-doomed relationship.

Q. In the locker room: I am a trans man. I love to swim, but I quit for a few years because mens locker rooms dont have private areas and I couldnt figure out how to shower and dress comfortably. Recently, I joined a YMCA because they have family changing roomsprivate, with a shower, bench, and bathroom. Perfect! Problem: I get looks and attitude from families with little kids while we all wait for our turn to get into one of the six private roomsthey fill up when its busy. They are all wondering what this guy is doing, standing there waiting. Do I say something to management? Maybe they could designate these rooms family/gender neutral? I would have to come out as trans, which isnt a problem per seI am an activist in other contexts. Or should I just go to the mens room and let it all (not) hang out since its 2020? I need the exercise and dont want to stop swimming. Whats your advice?

A: Certainly I think asking managementto designate one of the changing rooms as family/gender neutral is a good option. Ive seen that exact phrase at a number of airports, so I know its not without precedent. In the meantime, if youwantto use the mens room, I think you absolutely can. Without making too broad a generalization, usually everyone in a mens changing room is trying to get in and out pretty quickly without making eye contact with anyone else. But youve mentioned that youve found it uncomfortable in the past, so dont feel like you have to just because youve gotten a few quizzical looks from busy parents. Its a shared space, with a lot of competing interests; youre entitled to change in private, and if a handful of strangers want to wonder why youre waiting, let them wonder.

Q. Can I ask guys to not text me boring, everyday stuff?I just recently got back on dating apps after nearly seven years. I havent been in a relationship for 10 years. Im at a bit of a crossroads in my life and might be moving in the next six months, so Im not looking for anything too serious. Ideally, Id like something casual but monogamous. The one thing Ive realized I absolutely hate in relationships is banal chitchat. With the advent of the phone, this makes banal texting very common. So far Ive met some people online who seem to like regular chitchat. I know some girls would kill for a guy who messages them every day to ask how they are and what they did, but I just hate it. Is it OK to ask guys not to text me unless its something really practical or really interesting? Is that the right way to phrase it? I dont want to come off high-maintenance (although Im starting to think that maybe I am). I just want a really easy relationship to transition back into the dating world.

A: I wish I could promise you a really easy relationshipwith regard to transitioning back into dating! But I think its the kind of thing where you caneitherchoose to communicate your (possibly) high-maintenance needs clearly and upfront to potential dates,orhave a really laid-back, low-processing early dating phasebut probably not both. You can most easily, I think, put something in your profile (or mention it really early into messaging if your apps dont include lengthy profiles) that you really dislike small talk and prefer to save text for arranging your next dates. But you will have to put up with at least alittlebit of I saw something that made me think of you or I had a crazy day at work today if your dates find the occasional bout of small talk meaningful or helpful when it comes to building trust and intimacy. So you can certainly cut down on a lot of it, I think, but you cant adopt a 100 percent no-small-talk across-the-board policy because there are more interests than just yours at play.

That said, maybe youdowant to take a really hard line and just hold out for the guys who are totally thrilled not to text about banal stuff in between dates. If youre cool with cutting a lot of chaff over this, you can absolutely hold the line here.

Q. Re: Am I raising a May queen?Studies are all over the map on this one. Ive opted to avoid it for my kids. Honestly, I dont think it matters until they start asking, around ages 2 to 3, at which point Id learn to start lovingPaw Patrol.

A: Thanks so much for this. The answers Ive received from readers are also all over the map! One reader wrote that kids can be affected by content when theyre 6 months old. Someone else said no screens for the first three years of the kids life is the best way to go. Another advised the letter writer to ask their pediatrician, which is probably the best route to take here.

Q. Re: Am I raising a May queen?I dont know the psychology of when a child can comprehend what theyre seeing, but from working with kids in libraries, I have observed that kids younger than about 7 to 8 retain and regurgitate information in a truly chaotic manner. Kids always pick up on more than you think they do, whether something is from a movie or from a grown-up discussion you thought they wouldnt understand. Even if your kid turns out to be a huge horror buff and can handle anything, if youre concerned about her spouting scary or inappropriate factoids about her favorite movies and scenes to other kiddos (or judgy adults), you might find that a child 6 and younger has a hard time grasping what is OK to share, when it is OK to do so, and with whom it is OK to share it.

A: I think thats a good point. Kids are sometimes naturally drawn to the bloodthirsty and macabre in ways adults really dont need to encourage. The other day a friend of mines 3-year-old staged a puppet show that included the line Drink the queens sweet blood, and that kid doesnt even watch TV, so

Discuss this column with Dear Prudence on his Facebook page!

Q. My husband retired young and does nothing but goof off all day: My husband achieved professional success and wealth early in life. His work involved long hours and lots of stress, and by his 30s he decided that he wanted out. His accumulated wealth could easily support our lifestyle indefinitely, so he retired about 18 months ago, shortly after the birth of our first child. He has not found anything to do in that time! We have an excellent nanny 40 hours a week, and outside those hours my husband is an extremely involved father. We split the domestic duties roughly 50-50, as before, but now I am the only one working and he says he shouldnt be penalized by having extra domestic responsibilities. So he spends the week dicking around (gym, squash, books, movies, etc.). Its making me crazy with resentment, especially when I come home from a hard day at work. He tells me I should just quit if I dont like it, and that I shouldnt worry about being dependent because hes set up a trust fund for me and our son. But I also think it sets a bad example for our son to see a father who doesnt have some productive purpose in life. My husband disagrees and says he will be an excellent corrective to the productionist propaganda schools inflict on kids to make them the unquestioning worker bees the economy demands. He says he doesnt care if our son grows up to work hard and that work is a lamentable necessity and it is only false consciousness to think otherwise. Im tired of this devolving into a sociological debate! How can we resolve this? Read what Prudie had to say.

Slate Plus members get extra questions, Prudie Uncensored with Nicole Cliffe, and full-length podcast episodes every week.

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Help! I Watch Horror Movies With My 7-Month-Old. Is That Bad? - Slate

Effective Exercise Tips If You Want To Lose Weight Ahead Of Summer – Medical Daily

Posted: January 22, 2020 at 2:46 am

Summer may be months away but that is not an excuse for you to slack off and procrastinate, especially if you want to lose unwanted weight badly. You do not want to look out of place (physically speaking) if you are planning to hit the beach.

Aside from weight loss, exercises bring you a variety of health benefits. Not only do they prevent or reverse the effects of certain diseases, but also lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels, offsetting the likelihood of a heart attack, in addition to lowered risk of developing cancers such as colon and breast cancer. Exercise also reduce anxiety and depression, helping you gain confidence and well-being in the long run.

For a new and active you this summer, here are some exercise tips for effective weight loss:

Do non-exercise activities

In order to lose weight effectively, the calories burned must be more than what is consumed, and doing exercises and playing sports are not the only ways for you to shed a lot of pounds ahead of summer. Even everyday non-exercise activities and chores help you lose weight.

There is what experts call non-exercise active thermogenesis, or NEAT. It describes calories burned as a result of everyday activities or movements. Examples of NEAT activities include cooking, shopping and cleaning, in addition to small movements such as playing musical instruments and fidgeting. In fact, one study found that fidgeting reduces the risk of death as a result of excessive sedentary time. NEAT is a great lifestyle booster especially if you have to spend hours sitting down in front of your desk.

Choose workouts that suit you

Not all workouts deliver the same desired results for all body types. Find workouts that suit your current body type and make adjustments while doing so. Avoid doing a "monkey see, monkey do" approach to losing weight because what works on others might not work for you.

Start slow

Losing a lot of weight in one go is a pipe dream because getting the ideal body is a process; it does not happen overnight. Starting off with high-intensity exercises when you are doing workouts will make you feel tired quickly. That is why you should start slow with simple/basic exercises, increasing the intensity over time. After all, not everything great has to start big.

Keep metabolism in mind

Metabolism converts what you consume into energy. What you eat and drink, along with how you do your physical activities, determines your overall weight. Your body size, gender and age affect your body's metabolism.

Keep track of your calorie intake

Be aware of what you are eating, especially when on a diet. The higher the calorie content, the more intense your physical activities have to be in order for you to lose weight.

People who start exercising and eating healthier at the same time are more likely to lead a healthier lifestyle. Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.

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Effective Exercise Tips If You Want To Lose Weight Ahead Of Summer - Medical Daily

McGregor Makes Fast Work of Cerrone on UFC Return – The New York Times

Posted: January 22, 2020 at 2:46 am

LAS VEGAS, Nevada Former two-division champion Conor McGregor returned to the Octagon with a stunning knockout of Donald Cerrone in under a minute at UFC 246 on Saturday in his first fight since losing a lightweight title bout to Khabib Nurmagomedov 15 months ago.

The 31-year-old Irishman left 'Cowboy' Cerrone bloodied just seconds into the fight by ramming shoulders into his face from the clinch, and when they broke McGregor landed a head kick that wobbled the American and sent him scrambling back to the cage.

McGregor closed in and rained down strikes as Cerrone covered up, prompting referee Herb Dean to stop the fight after just 40 seconds.

McGregor served a six-month suspension and was fined $50,000 for his role in a brawl at the end of his loss to Nurmagomedov.

He was convicted of assault late last year for punching a man who had refused a shot of whiskey from him in a Dublin pub while in a separate case in 2018 he was charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief after police said he attacked a vehicle carrying UFC fighters.

He pleaded guilty to a reduced disorderly conduct charge in that case.

After his long absence, McGregor was glad to be back.

"I feel really good, but I came out of here unscathed. I'm in shape. We've got work to do to get back to where I was," McGregor said in his post-fight interview.

The victory was McGregor's first since November 2016 at Madison Square Garden where he beat Eddie Alvarez to win the lightweight title and become the organization's first simultaneous two-weight champion.

A crowd of over 19,000 packed out the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday and an uninspiring undercard was quickly forgotten as McGregor made his way to the Octagon.

Fans waving Irish Tricolours roared support for their man as the introductions took place and McGregor leaped into action as the fight began.

Cerrone had made his name by going toe-to-toe with some of the heaviest hitters in the UFC, giving fans the fights they want to see, but he was caught cold by McGregor's unorthodox shoulder strikes.

"I had never seen anything like that," Cerrone said. "It threw me way off guard. He busted my nose and it started bleeding and then he stepped back and head kicked me.

Despite a third straight defeat, Cerrone said he had no plans to retire.

Im going to keep fighting man. I love this sport.

McGregor has said he planned to have three UFC fights this year and also revealed he has a lucrative boxing match against Manny Pacquiao in the pipeline.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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McGregor Makes Fast Work of Cerrone on UFC Return - The New York Times


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