Start (Jan. 1): 457 lbs.

End (Dec. 31): 447 lbs.

Lost in 2019: 10 pounds

Theres one major problem with the Lake Placid Diet; there are too many voices in my head.

The vast majority of people whove contacted me about the column since I began writing it six years ago have been extremely supportive. A lot of friends have offered to go walking with me. Many readers including strangers have offered dieting advice without me asking for it. And others including people I consider friends have been hurtful with their words, even though I believe they mean well.

Thats the danger of opening up your feelings to the public about something as deeply personal as a weight-loss journey. After a while, I get nervous about what Im sharing. Is it too personal? Is there too much negativity? Why share my story if Im struggling all the time and have little to show for my efforts or non-efforts?

Im wrapped in a straight jacket of self-doubt. My confidence has disappeared. And I do what Ive always done when I dont want to face others: I either run or hide.

I began 2019 with another years worth of goals, mainly to lose weight and get stronger. Along the way, I added other goals, such as rediscover what made the Lake Placid Diet so successful in the first 18 months, from December 2013 to June 2015. Thats when I lost more than 80 pounds and completed two half marathons in Lake Placid. Another 2019 goal was to stop using a cane to help me walk around; it was useful when my weight weakened my legs and during episodes of gout.

In all, I lost 10 pounds in 2019. I started at 457 on Jan. 1, went down as low as 435 but eventually settled on 447 on Tuesday, Dec. 31.

On March 24, I put aside the cane and didnt use it again until the middle of August when I had some back problems. I continued to use the cane until Dec. 17, when I put it away again. So I can safely say I ended 2019 without using the cane.

Getting back to the gym was another goal, but I fell short. I spent some time working out at Fitness Revolution in Lake Placid, but I havent been there in months, for a variety of reasons. Ive been having car trouble since September (its finally fixed now after almost $900 worth of work). Ive also been working several jobs to make ends meet, using up even more of my time. Hardly a day goes by without working on something.

Its not much, but thats my year in review.

Looking forward, let me tell you about something strange that happened to me last week in a good way. For some reason just before Christmas, I didnt eat meat one day, and the next day I had more energy than Ive had in many months. When I get extra sleep, I also feel energized, but this was something completely different. It got me thinking about adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet. Its something Im pondering as I head into 2020 a new year and a new decade I turned 50 in September.

Ive also been thinking about learning meditation; I need to slow down more and reduce my stress. Thats one of my biggest problems, other than all those voices in my head.

Im going to start giving weekly updates of the Lake Placid Diet again this year. No more of this write it whenever I feel like it. Weekly progress reports actually worked in 2014 when I lost all that weight. It held me accountable, no matter how embarrassed I felt about my shortcomings.

I think I just need to keep my head down and plug away, keep pushing, and see where this journey takes me in 2020. Maybe stop listening to the negativity and start believing in myself again.

More:
2019 year in review: I didn't gain weight, I actually lost - Lake Placid Diet by Andy Flynn - LakePlacidNews.com | News and information on the Lake...

The rise in hospital admissions for people with eating disorders reported on Thursday is very concerning. It shows that much more must be done to intervene early and provide intensive support in the community.

One of the main problems patients face is that for many, their eating disorders are simply not taken seriously enough. Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses with the potential to be incredibly damaging. They are not a diet gone wrong in fact, anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. They often cause major physical health problems and without the right support people with eating disorders often become isolated: cut off from education, work or a social life.

NHS data shows that hospital admissions for those with eating disorders increased from about 14,000 in 2016-17 to just over 19,000 in 2018-19. This in itself is very worrying hospital admission is typically reserved for the most severely ill patients, which suggests that too often, people with eating disorders are not being identified and supported to access help until they have reached crisis point. Guidelines from Nice recommend that, where possible, outpatient treatment should be offered in the first instance. Getting rapid access to high-quality treatment and support in the community can prevent people with eating disorders from deteriorating to a point where hospital admission is required and provides the best chance of recovery.

Some are quick to blame social media or celebrities, but this is too simplistic. There is a lot to learn about what causes eating disorders, mainly because research in this area has been woefully underfunded. But recent advances in the study of genetics suggest that some people are likely to be at a much greater risk of developing an eating disorder when exposed to various life experiences such as stress, bullying or traumatic events. More research will be key if we are to achieve the ultimate aim of preventing eating disorders from developing in the first place.

But what needs to be done to ensure that everyone with an eating disorder gets the help they need? Since 2016 there has been a big step forward in access to specialist NHS treatment for under-18s in England. This progress was driven by the introduction of an ambitious national standard that evidence-based treatment should start within four weeks and additional investment, staff recruitment and training. However, we know that this progress has not been even, with some areas being left behind. The government and the NHS in England must ensure that the additional funding that they have pledged for these services in the NHS Long Term Plan reaches the front line, and that national standards are met in every area.

Adult eating disorder services are severely underresourced, having been overlooked in the preceding NHS mental health strategy. In 2017 the parliamentary and health service ombudsman published a damning report that highlighted the need for greater investment in these services to prevent further lives being lost. Beats recent research illustrated how adults with eating disorders in England face a postcode lottery to access specialist treatment. We now need to see the government and the NHS apply the same level of ambition for adult eating disorder services as they have for under-18s. This would mean introducing a fully funded access and waiting time standard for adult eating disorder services.

We also need more innovation in care. In much of the country if you do not meet the thresholds to access an inpatient bed, but you need more support than outpatient care, there is nothing available. Intensive day care or home-based treatments can minimise the need for inpatient admissions, reduce length of stay and provide a step down from inpatient care to living back in the community.

Investing in specialist services is crucial but will not be enough on its own. On average it takes three years before seeking help. We need a more comprehensive effort to reduce this gap. Too often an eating disorder is only suspected when the individual has already reached crisis point. GPs, hospital doctors, nurses, education staff, employers and others, if properly trained, are well-placed to spot the early signs of an eating disorder and to support referral to a specialist.

On average UK medical schools provide less than two hours teaching about eating disorders, with one in five providing no teaching at all. Opportunities for junior doctors to benefit from clinical experience are extremely limited. The General Medical Council (GMC), which sets standards for medical training, has committed to work with medical schools and others to ensure that tomorrows doctors are properly trained in how to identify, safely manage and refer patients with eating disorders. In 2019 the GMC acknowledged the need for medical training in this area to improve and took some encouraging steps. We hope that we can support this work further in 2020.

If you are worried about yourself or someone else you can call Beats helpline on 0808 801 0677 12pm 8pm on weekdays and 4pm-8pm on weekends.

Tom Quinn is director of external affairs at Beat, the UKs eating disorder charity

Here is the original post:
Anorexia is the deadliest mental illness. Why is the NHS still not taking it seriously? - The Guardian

As much as we would all love to be present for our children there's something we don't often admit aloud: Not only is playing with kids hard work, it can get boring. When we've been running around fulfilling all our grownup responsibilities, even a simple tea party or game of Candyland can feel so hard. One exhausted dad in Colorado recently came up with the perfect solution to this problem.

"I'll keep the kids so you can grocery shop in peace," Michael Weber, a father of four and OR nurse told his wife Monica, according to her viral Facebook post from November.

"I'm pretty sure he's the most brilliant man I've ever known," Monica, a doula in Fort Collins, wrote. "He has them doing 'realism art' while he 'poses' AKA naps. The winner gets a chocolate, but let's be honest, @michael.w.weberjr is the one winning lmao."

Indeed, the photo shows their four kids attentively drawing their dad, as he reclines, eyes closed, on the sofa.

Before you go thinking he devised this clever trick out of laziness or reluctance to play, Monica explained to Motherly that Michael had just finished an overnight shift at work. But since it was cold and snowy outside, and the kids were being rambunctious, he thought they'd be too much for his wife to handle at the grocery store.

"We recently moved from New Jersey, where all our friends and family were, so we have had to think of ingenious ways to balance it all," she told us. "When I arrived back and called my oldest to come help with groceries he informed me that I had to be really quiet because they were doing 'realism art' and if dad moved it would ruin their hard work."

The rules of the contest were that the most complete drawing would get the chocolate prize, thus keeping them glued to the spot for the 20 or so minutes of Monica's trip to the store. The four Weber kids were old enough to realize what their dad was doing (and old enough to rouse him from his light snooze if they needed to) but since they all enjoy art anyway, they played along.

"[Michael] spent the first eight years of our kiddos' lives in the military, and since he was always coming or going, I got stuck being the rule maker and him the fun one," Monica said. "He never really outgrew that role."

Michael's favorite parenting technique is to make contests of things, as he did this time.

"I wouldn't say we have any ingenious hacks, we're just regular parents with four fun and adventurous kids trying to do our best," Monica said when we asked if they had any other brilliant ideas to share. "There are plenty of days the house is a mess and everyone is out of sorts, which is why I thought it was important to celebrate these little parenting victories."

Monica's post has been shared 36,000 times and has 28,000 likes since she posted it a little over a month ago.

We wouldn't be surprised if a few more parents became live models for budding artists before winter break is over!

Original post:
Prioritizing your own health is the greatest gift you can give your kids this year - Motherly Inc.

As much as we would all love to be present for our children there's something we don't often admit aloud: Not only is playing with kids hard work, it can get boring. When we've been running around fulfilling all our grownup responsibilities, even a simple tea party or game of Candyland can feel so hard. One exhausted dad in Colorado recently came up with the perfect solution to this problem.

"I'll keep the kids so you can grocery shop in peace," Michael Weber, a father of four and OR nurse told his wife Monica, according to her viral Facebook post from November.

"I'm pretty sure he's the most brilliant man I've ever known," Monica, a doula in Fort Collins, wrote. "He has them doing 'realism art' while he 'poses' AKA naps. The winner gets a chocolate, but let's be honest, @michael.w.weberjr is the one winning lmao."

Indeed, the photo shows their four kids attentively drawing their dad, as he reclines, eyes closed, on the sofa.

Before you go thinking he devised this clever trick out of laziness or reluctance to play, Monica explained to Motherly that Michael had just finished an overnight shift at work. But since it was cold and snowy outside, and the kids were being rambunctious, he thought they'd be too much for his wife to handle at the grocery store.

"We recently moved from New Jersey, where all our friends and family were, so we have had to think of ingenious ways to balance it all," she told us. "When I arrived back and called my oldest to come help with groceries he informed me that I had to be really quiet because they were doing 'realism art' and if dad moved it would ruin their hard work."

The rules of the contest were that the most complete drawing would get the chocolate prize, thus keeping them glued to the spot for the 20 or so minutes of Monica's trip to the store. The four Weber kids were old enough to realize what their dad was doing (and old enough to rouse him from his light snooze if they needed to) but since they all enjoy art anyway, they played along.

"[Michael] spent the first eight years of our kiddos' lives in the military, and since he was always coming or going, I got stuck being the rule maker and him the fun one," Monica said. "He never really outgrew that role."

Michael's favorite parenting technique is to make contests of things, as he did this time.

"I wouldn't say we have any ingenious hacks, we're just regular parents with four fun and adventurous kids trying to do our best," Monica said when we asked if they had any other brilliant ideas to share. "There are plenty of days the house is a mess and everyone is out of sorts, which is why I thought it was important to celebrate these little parenting victories."

Monica's post has been shared 36,000 times and has 28,000 likes since she posted it a little over a month ago.

We wouldn't be surprised if a few more parents became live models for budding artists before winter break is over!

Read more:
All the celebrity babies born in 2020 (so far) - Motherly Inc.

You can't predict how dogs will react to a new dog. Shutterstock

Allowing dogs to greet nose-to-nose for their first introduction can prove to be dangerous for one of the pets or even their owners, Zacharias told Insider.

"It takes only a second for a bite to the face to occur if one of the dogs decides they are not a fan of the other, and even those of us with the best reflexes cannot stop this blink-of-an-eye injury from happening," she said.

You can prevent dangerous confrontations from happening by first asking the other pet owner from afar if their dog is good with other animals.

"If the owner gives their OK, guide your pet to the new dog's tail end to let them get to know each other before meeting face to face. This is a natural way for dogs to meet, rather than going nose to nose, which can be offensive to pets," said Zacharias.

If your pet is meeting someone new and you see their ears go back or their fur stand on end, you and your animal should calmly move away from the new dog.

Go here to read the rest:
Vets reveal the 10 common mistakes people make with their pets - INSIDER

The experts have spoken and eaten.

U.S. News and World Report this week released its annual ranking from 1 to 35 of the worlds best (and, yes, worst) diets for 2020. A team of 25 panelists of nationally recognized professionals in diet, nutrition, obesity, food psychology, diabetes and heart disease named the Mediterranean diet as the No. 1 diet for 2020 based on seven criteria: short-term weight loss, long-term weight loss, effectiveness for cardiovascular disease prevention, effectiveness for preventing diabetes, ease of compliance, nutritional completeness and health risks.

The Mediterranean diet focuses on olive oil rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids, fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein like fish and chicken, with the occasional piece of red meat.

Its generally accepted that the folks in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea live longer and suffer less than most Americans from cancer and cardiovascular ailments, U.S. News and World Report said. The not-so-surprising secret is an active lifestyle, weight control, and a diet low in red meat, sugar and saturated fat and high in produce, nuts and other healthful foods.

The Mediterranean diet may also help with heart and brain health and cancer prevention, the report added. By following the Mediterranean Diet, you could also keep that weight off while avoiding chronic disease. There isnt a Mediterranean diet. Greeks eat differently from Italians, who eat differently from the French and Spanish. But they share many of the same principles.

The diet also emphasizes beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil, and flavorful herbs and spices, as well as cheese and yogurt in moderation and a glass of red wine in moderation.

Dont miss: This is the most deadly time in your life to put on weight

It narrowly beat out the Dash diet, which recommends fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, poultry, fish and low-fat dairy products, while reducing salt, red meat, sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages. It is very similar to the Mediterranean diet, but recommends cutting out two more things: full cream (in favor of low-fat dairy products) and alcoholic beverages. Dietitians also advise against snacking and takeouts, and 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise per week such was walking, Jazzercise, gardening or Pilates.

Last on the ranking, according to U.S. News and World Report: the Dukan diet, which focuses on protein instead of calorie counting. Its a weight-loss powerhouse its filling, takes time and work to digest, and has very few calories for each gram of food compared to carb-heavy foods. Limiting carbohydrates forces the body to burn stored fat.

By following the Dukan Diet, its claimed you can lose up to 10 pounds within the first week and continue to lose 2 to 4 pounds a week after that until youve reached your goal, the report said. People on the Dukan diet lost, on average, more than 15 pounds after the diets two action-based phases attack (pure protein) and cruise (vegetables on selected days) according to a 2010 online survey.

But the experts also listed downsides: Prepare for lots of rules. All four phases of the Dukan Diet named after French physician Pierre Dukan are heavy on dos and donts, and even the slightest slip-up is considered destructive. The U.S. News & World Report also said this diet could fall short nutritionally.

Dukan was not immediately available for comment.

See the article here:
The No. 1 best diet for 2020, according to a panel of 25 health professionals - MarketWatch