There is a lot of pressure in our society to fall within a certain weight range. The best way to reach a healthy size is by mindful eating and reasonable amounts of exercise. Unfortunately this pressure doesnt magically disappear with pregnancy- it often gets worse. Many moms to be struggle with weight concerns during pregnancy. And if you are anything like me, and you gained 40-50 lbs while pregnant,your doctor may be concerned. And you might want to know: can you lose weight while pregnant?

Most professionals agree dieting to lose weight is not advised while pregnant. A desire to do whats best for both your baby and yourself might level you with questions. What if your weight gain has lead to health concerns? One of the most common is likely How to safely lose weight when pregnant?

Reasons for weight concern during pregnancy

You might be considering losing weight during pregnancy if you were in an unhealthy weight range prior to pregnancy. Or experienced rapid weight gain, like I did.

Weight issues before giving birth often led to labor complications like higher instances of cesarean section, gestational diabetes, and hypertension. Severe weight issues during pregnancy are also linked to premature births and long term consequences.

Talk to a medical professional about how much weight you can safely gain during pregnancy. decisions involving diet or weight loss during pregnancy.This figure is on a sliding scale based upon how close you are to healthy weight range.

Instead of telling women to aim for weight loss, women who are obese are told to reduce weight gain. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that weight loss during pregnancy might be a consequence of holistically changes like eating and exercise but not the goal.

The National Institute of Diabetes and digestive and kidney diseases also provides healthy tips for pregnant women. Among those are suggestions of how to manage weight in a healthy way.

Speak to a nutritionist

A nutritionist is a wonderful source of information on diet and weight during pregnancy. After scheduling an appointment, you will discuss short, manageable lifestyle changes that wont hurt you or your baby.This is done by evaluating where you are vs. where you can get within a reasonable amount of time. Nutritionists and dietitians are also an excellent resource for developing eating plans.Your nutritionist will inform you of changes to make like reducing calories. You can reduce your daily calorie intake significantly by eating smaller portions more frequently and cutting out bad fats.

Eating healthy

During pregnancy, it is important that you have a wide variety of nutrient-filled foods. Increasing the amounts of fruits and vegetables whole grains vitamin D and protein that you have from day today is an important part of establishing a balanced diet during pregnancy.

Limiting salts solid fats and sugar sweetened foods and drinks will increase the amount of nutrients you are getting while decreasing the amount of fat filled calories you are getting from day to day.

Incorporating reasonable amounts of exercise

Adding 30 minutes of physical activity each day can make a significant difference in weight related issues. Exercise during pregnancy does not have to be Hardcore gym workouts. Light walks swimming and yard work are all examples of acceptable forms of physical activity.

Many weight-related pregnancy concerns can be resolved by avoiding pregnancy myths. An example of this is that once you become pregnant, you are eating for two- This is not accurate and the number of extra calories required per day increases gradually depending on what stage you are in your pregnancy. The first three months of pregnancy many women dont require extra calories at all, and for some, the same applies during the last few weeks.

Can you lose weight while pregnant? Yes, however, it is important that this is done with the intention of long-term health changes as opposed to short, intense diet plans with the goal of using large amounts of weight. If you wonder if you should lose weight while pregnant, always speak with your doctor first. Together, you can determine your best course of action.

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Is It Safe to Lose Weight While You're Pregnant? - Mommyish (blog)

Dear Dr. Roach I have read online and in our local newspaper that doctors are no longer recommending metformin as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Can you please explain why metformin is no longer being prescribed? P.K.

Answer I, too, have seen online ads saying that doctors no longer prescribe metformin, and if you click through enough times, you find that one weird food cures diabetes, and that a special diet totally eliminates the need for medication for all diabetics. This is referred to as clickbait, and I encourage you not to pay attention to it.

Metformin remains an important medication for many people with Type 2 diabetes, especially if they are overweight. For those people with diabetes who need medication despite an appropriate diet and regular exercise, metformin has been shown to be more beneficial, in terms of preventing diabetic complications and death, than most of the other medication options. It isnt right for everyone, and people with poor kidney function may not be able to safely take it. Only your doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant knows what is best for you.

Dear Dr. Roach I started researching information about early dementia and also Alzheimers disease. I have perused numerous articles about cholinesterase inhibitors increasing acetylcholine levels that benefit the brain. Some medications are anticholinergic and might increase your risk of developing Alzheimers disease. Many of these medications are everyday, over-the-counter drugs. Shouldnt the public be made aware of these drugs and their possible effect on our brain? P.C.

Answer One type of treatment for Alzheimers disease is a class of drugs called cholinesterase inhibitors. These include donepezil (Aricept) and others. Pharmacologically, these oppose drugs with anticholinergic properties. It makes sense, then, that anticholinergic drugs might make Alzheimers worse. The three classes of drugs that are strong anticholinergics and which a recent study linked to Alzheimers are older antihistamines, like diphenhydramine (Benadryl); tricyclic antidepressants, like amitriptyline (Elavil); and drugs for overactive bladder, like oxybutynin (Ditropan). These drugs still may be appropriate for some individuals, but they should be periodically evaluated to be sure they are effective and are not causing side effects. I tend to avoid prescribing these, as there are usually other alternatives that do not have the possible link to dementia.

Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.

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Ignore the clickbait: Metformin still prescribed for diabetics - STLtoday.com

At a standing room only meeting last night, theNeighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa voted to approve a letter calling to immediately reversethe lane reductions in Playa del Rey.The letter was approved mostly as proposed, but opposition to the Pershing Drive road diet was removed.

Responding to traffic deaths andlawsuits,the city Transportation Department (LADOT) installed four road diet upgrades to PDR streets: Jefferson Boulevard, Culver Boulevard, Pershing Drive, and Vista Del Mar. After criticism, in July,lanes were added back on Culver. LADOT announced it will restore travel lanes on Vista Del Mar starting August 21st. Last week, a backlash group filed a lawsuit pressing to restore PDR streets to their original condition.

At last months meeting of the Westchester/Playa council, the board approved a motion to form a committee to study the recent road diets. This month, with two votes against and one abstaining, the board approved arambling four-page anti-road-diet letter addressed to City Councilmember Mike Bonin. The letter charges that the road diets cause increased commute times, are turning streets into parking lots, and generating cut-through traffic. The letter makes the following assertions:

Last nights meeting was recapped by Katie Clarke, an advocate for safer Playa Del Rey streets, as follows:

Around 90 people spoke on the record, and Im pleased to say that it was evenly divided. In fact, they had (by my rough count) about 6 speakers not from the direct area, so I would say our representation was even a little stronger. We also had about double the amount of letters submitted supporting our cause. At the end, the letter was approved for sending with the removal of Pershing.

That seems like a defeat, but please keep in mind that this was not a binding decision, but purely the neighborhood councils recommendation to our councilman. We put the talking point overwhelming opposition to bed by showing up in force. Im proud of the points we made and that we went about it in a classy way. We didnt resort to booing, jeering, or creating a spectacle. Yes, I, the pregnant lady, got booed. Yes, they had a guy dress up in cycling gear and then rip off his shirt to reveal his orange tee. He also danced. True story.

Im also excited that there were faces and names supporting our cause that I havent met and havent seen online.

Though Neighborhood Councils give the city important feedback on critical issues, the letter is essentially advisory, with no binding power to direct LADOT, Bonin, or the city to follow any of the councils asks. LADOT and Councilmember Bonin have committed to continue to listen to feedback and to review data to evaluate the projects success in achieving safety goals.

In other Playa Del Rey safety improvement commentary, the non-profit Los Angeles Walks published an article critical of the citys retreat in conceding to motorist pressure to add back deadly car lanes on Vista Del Mar. From L.A. Walks:

Since their implementation, the three safe streets projects in the 11th District have each been the recipient of a furious and frequently vicious backlash. Public meetings regarding the roadway reconfigurations have not been civil or constructive, and have at times devolved into the open mocking of concerns for the safety of people walking and riding bicycles. Some of the loudest opponents of the Playa del Rey projects, from South Bay cities like Manhattan Beach, have been impervious to the argument that they have prioritized safety near their own homes, but regard their commuting time as more important than safety in other peoples neighborhoods.

In response, Bonins office has attempted to meet critics halfway. The Los Angeles Times said the agreement between Bonins office and Supervisor Janice Hahn had been called a win-win that would satisfy commuters and beachgoers, but the fact remains that a safe road redesign is being abandoned to cater to the loudest and angriest voices in the room.

The win-win solution on Vista del Mar is reminiscent of what Los Angeles has tried for decades a solution in which the very presence of pedestrians is seen as a problem that needs solving. Instead of making walking safer, we try to address safety by removing the walkers. History has shown that not only is this approach disruptive to the community, it also will never be fully effective. People will still walk across Vista del Mar, whether they are going to Vista del Mar Park, or walking from their home to enjoy a day at the beach, or for whatever other possible reason. The lack of lighting, lack of crosswalks, and low-visibility conditions from fog will still make it dangerous to cross, or walk along, a de facto speedway, but reverting Vista del Mar to its previous configuration simply ignores the existence of these people so South Bay commuters can resume speeding through the neighborhood.

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In the long term, we will be pushing the City to create a permanent pedestrian facility on the west side of Vista del Mar, and to make sure that extra roadway space will not merely be left to encourage unsafe driving speeds. We are also hopeful that the task force Councilmember Bonin has announced to examine the community-supported Safe Streets for Playa del Rey Initiative will provide an opportunity for more productive conversations to take place. We believe that it is of paramount importance that design elements intended to protect pedestrians be protected throughout this process.

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Westchester Playa Neighborhood Council Votes Against PDR Safety Projects - Streetsblog Los Angeles (blog)

Programmable pressure cooker makes meals in minutes, now $120 off Digital Trends Making a home-cooked meal is never as easy as it seems, and the amount of time and effort put into such a culinary venture is a luxury not everyone can afford. There are all kinds of gadgets out there to help you save time and money in the kitchen, but ...

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Programmable pressure cooker makes meals in minutes, now $120 off - Digital Trends

Don't Look at the Sun! Solar Eclipse Safety Tips

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In the absence of cloud cover, a total solar eclipse will be visible on Monday, August 21 in a 70-mile wide band across the entire continental United States, from central Oregon through South Carolina. In a total solar eclipse, the moon moves in between the earth and the sun, completely blocking out the sun for a short period of time. Prior to the total eclipse, which will last about two minutes, and in other areas of the country, and other parts of North and Central America, a partial solar eclipse will be visible.

Ahead of this amazing event, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning that viewing a partial solar eclipse without proper eye protection even very briefly can cause permanent vision loss and blindness. Looking directly at the sun can damage the retinas, light-sensitive parts of the eye that transmit what we see to our brain. Retinal damage can occur without pain and, according to the CDC, it can take a few hours, or even days, for symptoms like an inability to see colors or loss of central vision to develop. Anyone who experiences vision changes after viewing the solar eclipse next week should contact an eye care professional immediately.

The only way to look directly at the sun safely when its not eclipsed or is partly eclipsed is with a special solar filter or a handheld solar viewer. Goggles, homemade filters, and dark sunglasses do not offer enough protection. Avoid looking at the sun through an unfiltered camera including a smartphone telescope, binoculars, or any other device. You can also make your own simple and inexpensive pinhole projector to safely view the eclipse, but be sure to follow instructions for making and using the projector carefully.

Sourced from: CDC

Published On: Aug 15th 2017

How a Low-Calorie Diet May Slow Aging

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Previous research suggests that a lifelong low-calorie diet can boost longevity, but a new mouse study demonstrates, for the first time, how restricting calories may affect circadian rhythm and, in turn, the aging process. The study was conducted by researchers at the Center for Epigenetics & Metabolism at the University of California, Irvine, and the results were published in Cell.

According to the researchers, our circadian rhythm, or biological clock, changes as a result of aging, and these changes are based in part on the metabolism of energy within our cells. In a study involving 6-monthold and 18-month-old mice, the researchers determined that older cells process energy less efficiently than younger cells. But when a group of older mice were fed a diet with 30 percent fewer calories for a period of six months, the energy process was rejuvenated promoting healthy aging.

A companion study from the Barcelona Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Spain tested body clock function in stem cells collected from older and younger mice. This study confirmed that a low-calorie diet helps protect circadian rhythm function.

Sourced from: ScienceDaily

Published On: Aug 15th 2017

Binge-Watching TV? You May Not Sleep Well

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Poor sleep quality, increased fatigue, and insomnia in young adults are associated with binge-watching television, according to researchers. Watching multiple episodes of the same television show in succession in one sitting, on a television, computer, or mobile device raises your level of cognitive alertness, which interferes with sleep.

The researchers, whose study was published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, looked at binge-watching and sleep habits in 423 young adults between 18 and 25. Study participants completed an online survey assessing their regular TV watching, binge-watching, sleep quality, fatigue, insomnia, and alertness before going to sleep. Average binge-watching lasted 3 hours and 8 minutes and three to four episodes.

Study results suggest that more than 80 percent of young adults identify as binge-watchers, and 20.2 percent binge-watch television at least a few times per week. Binge-watchers reported more fatigue and insomnia and higher levels of alertness before going to sleep than those who dont binge-watch television. The bingers were also 98 percent more likely to have poor sleep quality.

Sourced from: Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine

Published On: Aug 15th 2017

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Don't Look at the Sun! Solar Eclipse Safety Tips - HealthCentral.com

Scientists have studied many foods and dietary components for possible associations with increasing or reducing cancer risk.

Credit: National Cancer Institute

Many studies have looked at the possibility that specific dietary components or nutrients are associated with increases or decreases in cancer risk. Studies of cancer cells in the laboratory and of animal models have sometimes provided evidence that isolated compounds may be carcinogenic (or have anticancer activity).

But with few exceptions, studies of human populations have not yet shown definitively that any dietary component causes or protects against cancer. Sometimes the results of epidemiologic studies that compare the diets of people with and without cancer have indicated that people with and without cancer differ in their intake of a particular dietary component.

However, these results show only that the dietary component is associated with a change in cancer risk, not that the dietary component is responsible for, or causes, the change in risk. For example, study participants with and without cancer could differ in other ways besides their diet, and it is possible that some other difference accounts for the difference in cancer.

When evidence emerges from an epidemiologic study that a dietary component is associated with a reduced risk of cancer, a randomized trial may be done to test this possibility. Random assignment to dietary groups ensures that any differences between people who have high and low intakes of a nutrient are due to the nutrient itself rather than to other undetected differences. (For ethical reasons, randomized studies are not generally done when evidence emerges that a dietary component may be associated with an increased risk of cancer.)

Scientists have studied many additives, nutrients, and other dietary components for possible associations with cancer risk. These include:

Excerpt from:
Risk Factors: Diet - National Cancer Institute

Diet, Medieval Latin Dieta, German Reichstag, legislature of the German empire, or Holy Roman Empire, from the 12th century to 1806.

In the Carolingian empire, meetings of the nobility and higher clergy were held during the royal progresses, or court journeys, as occasion arose, to make decisions affecting the good of the state. After 1100, definitively, the emperor called the Diet to meet in an imperial or episcopal city within the imperial frontiers. The members of the Diet were originally the princes, including bishops of princely status, but counts and barons were included later. After 1250 the representatives of imperial and episcopal cities were recognized as members of the Diet, and at this time the electoral princes, whose duty it was to elect the emperor, began to meet separately, a division formally confirmed in the Golden Bull of Charles IV (1356), which established the number of the electoral princes as seven. (See elector.)

Beginning in the 12th century the power of the emperor gradually declined; by 1489 the Diet was divided into three colleges that met separately: (1) the electoral college of seven lay and ecclesiastical princes presided over by the imperial chancellor, the archbishop of Mainz; (2) the college of the princes with 33 ecclesiastical princes and 61 lay princes, presided over by the archbishop of Salzburg or the archduke of Austria; (3) the college of the cities presided over by the representative of the city in which the Diet met. The college of cities was separated eventually into the Rhine and Swabian divisions, the former having 14 towns and the latter 37.

The decisions taken separately by the three colleges were combined in an agreed statement the text of which was sent to the emperor as the resolution of the empire (conclusum imperii). All the decisions of the Diet forming the resolution were called the recess of the empire (Reichsabschied). The emperor could ratify part of the recess or the whole of it, but he could not modify the words of the recess. Until the 17th century the Diet possessed effective legal power, including the decision of war or peace, but the Peace of Westphalia (1648) spelled the final breakdown in the conception of a single German empire united by its members common aims. The three-college Diet was replaced by an assembly of sovereign princes, usually represented by envoys, indifferent to the emperors wishes and divided in religious and political aims. The Diet of Regensburg of 1663 prolonged itself indefinitely into permanent session and thereafter was called the Regensburg Diet, or the Everlasting Diet (Immerwhrender Reichstag). The emperor was now represented by a prince of the empire as his commissioner; a jurist was appointed as subcommissioner; and the elector of Mainz, archchancellor of the empire, had charge of the business of the meetings of the Diet. This assembly of representatives without legislative power disappeared when the Holy Roman Empire collapsed under Napoleons attack in 1806.

The name Reichstag was revived in 1871 for the legislature of the German Empire and retained by the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich; the name was abandoned in the two Germanies after World War II.

Excerpt from:
Diet | German government | Britannica.com