August 2, 2017

Models, athletes and celebrities swear by the ketogenic keto diet to help shed those unwanted pounds. The keto diet encourages eating more cheese, butter and bacon; its a low-carb, high-fat diet akin to the Atkins Diet created in 1972 by cardiologist Robert C. Atkins. The latest fad diet has amassed a following of devoted supporters, including Tim Tebow, LeBron James and Kim Kardashian, but does it really work?

Carol Johnston, professor and associate director of the nutrition program in the School of Nutrition and Health PromotionThe School of Nutrition and Health Promotion is part of the College of Health Solutions. at Arizona State University, explains why the low-carb, high-fat diet is so popular, how it works, and what dieters should be eating to lose weight.

Question: Does the science behind the keto diet make sense? Would nearly eliminating carbs while increasing fat consumption help a person to lose weight?

Answer: The short answer is yes. There is mounting evidence that suggests calorie restricted, low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets are effective for weight loss, and the keto diet is an extreme version of this. Low-carb diets can be more satiating, allowing dieters to feel full longer, eat less, and thus experience greater weight loss success. However, calorie restricted, high-carb diets are also effective for weight loss.

Overwhelmingly, the most important factor in weight loss success is diet adherence. In research trials, most individuals who lose weight regain most of it within a year, regardless of which diet they were on. The downside of many of the fad diets you see today is the lack of emphasis on long-term lifestyle changes, which is necessary for long-term weight loss success.

Q: In your opinion, why is this diet so popular?

A: The keto diet is popular because it is easy to follow and on the surface seems effective. In the first few days after starting the keto diet, a person can experience a significant loss of water weight. When carb intake is restricted for a few days, glycogen stores in the muscle are reduced. Glycogen is responsible for water retention, so when its levels fall, so do our water levels. To the average person, the diet appears to be working. The number on the scale is going down. But, since most of this weight lost is water weight, it will return when the person consumes carbs again. While most people rely on scales to monitor weight loss and think any weight loss is good, the goal is actually to lose fat, which isnt always reflected on the scale. Additionally, the elevated levels of satiety feeling full may help people stick to the diet longer and experience greater weight loss success.

The keto diet encourages eating more cheese, butter and bacon.

Q: Is the keto diet healthy?

A: Keto diets have safely been used as an effective therapy for epilepsy for years. There are some risks associated with an extremely low-carb, high-fat diet, including elevated blood triglycerides (linked to elevated cardiovascular risk), increased urinary uric acid (which may lead to the formation of kidney stones), and lethargy. Adults on a low-carb diet are also at risk for adverse impacts to their bone health.

Q: Were always hearing about the evils of carbohydrates when it comes to losing weight. How important are carbs to our health and what role do they play in weight loss?

A: Carbs play a critical role in our health. We get energy either by burning glucose from carbs, or by burning fat. The keto diet focuses on the latter. Though carb-restricting diets are popular, carbs are actually less likely to convert into body fat than dietary fat.

Carbs are important for our brain and muscle health. Our brains rely entirely on glucose for energy productionthey cant get it from fatmaking the consumption of some carbs necessary. Our muscles can use either glucose or fat for energy, but during high-intensity exercise, they prefer glucose.

When we eat more carbs than we need, they convert to body fat, which contributes to obesity. In general, average Americansthose with a relatively sedentary lifestyleconsume more carbs and calories than they actually need. Athletes, on the other hand, need to keep their carb intake elevated to support their energy output. Balance between energy intake and output is key to maintaining a healthy weight.

Q: For people who are trying to lose weight what foods should they avoid? What foods should they include in their diet?

A: Energy dense-foods should be avoided (gravies, dressings, sauces, sweets, pastries, cakes, cookies, sugary drinks, etc.) and low energy, nutrient-rich foods should be prominent in the diet (unprocessed plant foods, low fat dairy and lean, unprocessed meats).

Q: What should people know about the effectiveness or safety of fad diets like Atkins, keto, liquid diets, paleo, calorie restriction, etc.?

A: Any diet that restricts calories will typically result in weight loss if a person sticks with it. What is important when following a calorie-restricted diet (about 500 less calories per day) is that it has healthful attributes a diet composed of plant-based, unprocessed foods with low fat content such as the Mediterranean diet. (Note, 500 calories equates to two 12 ounce sodas and a large chocolate chip cookie!)

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The Keto diet: Is eating more fat the key to weight loss? - Arizona State University

AN EVESHAM mum who battled her weight for a number of years and fought depression hopes to share her story with others.

Natalie Moxey will launch her own Slimming World group at the De Montfort School next Saturday from 9.30am.

The mum of two has fought back from weighing more than 18 stone and having to wear size 22 clothes.

Natalie had always battled with her weight, stretching back as far as her teen years but her weight gain spiralled out of control over the past five years.

After tying the knot with her childhood sweetheart Tom in August 2011, the happy couple dreamed of starting a family.

But after the joy of falling pregnant in March 2012, Natalie and Tom suffered the heartbreak of a miscarriage on Mothers Day.

Following the tragic loss, the couple struggled to conceive and Natalie was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormone-related condition caused by small cysts or follicles on the ovaries.

Despite the setback, Natalie fell pregnant in 2013 but endured an awful first 12 weeks where she suffered bleeding and cramping.

Little David arrived safely in December 2013 after a pregnancy beset by severe pelvic pain which made it difficult for Natalie to walk and ended with an emergency c-section after complications during his birth.

The couple discovered a second baby, Jack was on the way six months after Davids birth but again Natalie endured a difficult pregnancy with pelvic pain so bad she ended in up in a wheelchair.

Despite Jacks safe and healthy arrival, Natalie was haunted by the demons of the previous years which led to a crippling depression.

I was eating my feelings, with no care of concern for myself. Getting through the day was my only aim, she said.

To me, food was an instant high but really it was just compounding my depression. I had no control.

The 31-year-old saw her weight rocket and regularly dined on sugary cereals, crisps, chocolate and ready meals and would often eat takeaways, sometimes up to five times a week.

During the day, I wasnt that bad, but at night Id just sit and eat and eat, she said.

The caring mum tackled various weight loss methods but said her life began to change when she first attended a Slimming World group last January.

She discovered she could still eat tasty meals and chocolate and even the odd glass or two of wine.

Before I could barely walk but now I run regular 5ks and enjoy exercising at local fitness groups, she said.

I can chase around after my boys without having to worry about not keeping up, or getting stuck on a slide!

Call Natalie on 07791674678 on the group.

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Inspirational Natalie share's her brave story to help others lose weight - Evesham Observer

Dear Carolyn: When my husband and I first married, I had a wonderful relationship with his parents. However, over the last decade his mothers health has deteriorated such that she is now both severely disabled and depressed. My father-in-law is a wonderful man who has devoted his life to her care, but, despite his devotion, she directs her unhappiness at him. Spending time with them is difficult.

My husband agrees theyre not easy, but also mourns his moms disabilities. They are local so we probably see them monthly.

They recently announced their plan to join us on the annual beach vacation with my side of the family (who is not local). They plan to rent a house nearby during the same week.

Carolyn, this time with my husband and children is dear to me, and the prospect of an in-law invasion makes me miserable. When I shared these feelings with my husband and proposed alternatives (a weekend getaway with them or time together during a different week) he flipped out and was devastated. He said he cannot tell them no and I am unreasonable for not accommodating them.

Im not the type to put my foot down, but Ive done so and my husband is now sleeping on the couch and not speaking to me. Aside from this one issue, our relationship is great. I need a sanity check; am I in the wrong?

Anonymous

Anonymous: No. Even if your mother-in-law were in perfect health and pleasant company, youd have every right to veto, saying, We see your parents monthly; this is my familys time.

And, his flipping out on you is not okay regardless. Even when such an emotional outburst is understandable, a loving, mature adult will de-escalate and apologize for losing his composure. Sticking with it over days, against someone who is making clear efforts to both honor her priorities and make reasonable trade-offs to do so, is not acting in good marital faith.

Its important to recognize, though, that being right can still be wrong if you dont recognize the emotional stakes. Even a loving, mature adult can buckle under the strain of helplessness in a crisis like his mothers, and when that happens, its not unusual for someone to unload some of the excess weight onto the nearest safe person. In this case, you.

Or in the case of his mother: his father. You say she unloads on him despite his devotion, but I would argue its because of it. Whom can we blame for infirmity, mortality and loss? The universe? So, we blame our best friends for burning the toast.

People generally dont do this consciously, they just drop their guard around the person they trust not to leave.

If your husbands flip-out is indeed uncharacteristic, then I think you can safely treat this as his attacking not you or your family time, but the Human Condition by the nearest way available means.

So approach him accordingly. Your moms ordeal is tearing you up. I see that. Wait a beat for a response. If none, then say you didnt mean to add more stress and youre there for him when hes ready. Then, patience. Hold firm on the beach or relent up to you but either way, he needs the best listener you can be.

Write to Carolyn Hax at tellme@washpost.com. Get her column delivered to your inbox each morning at wapo.st/haxpost.

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Carolyn Hax: Dysfunctional in-laws want to join her side of family's vacation - Washington Post

Last year it was 5:2, last week it was the Dukan, today the diet-du-jour is the newly-revived General Motors diet, which claims to help people shed seven kilos in just seven days.

Sound too good to be true?

As with most crash diets, it probably is, with experts unanimously crying out against the damaging effects fad diets like this one have on the body in the long term.

The concept of the General Motors diet, named after the employees who developed it in the 1980s, is that you consume different food groups on different days.

On day one you are advised to fruit-load eating only water-based fruits such as melon.

You mightbegin day two with a baked potato and a feeble scattering ofvegetables with the rest of your day following largely the same sort of format. Bananas are off-limits till day four.

The days to follow will be similarly exclusive variations on fruit/veg groupings with the gradual introduction of lean meats.

Naturally, given the minimal caloric content of the diet, only very low intensity exercise is recommended during the week, such as yoga.

Whilst reports of weight loss have been successful with most dieters losing significant amounts of weight in the first three days (though at just 1,000 calories each day, is that really surprising?), nutritionists are wary of the controversial quick-fix diet.

Trends may help you quickly lose weight but not fat, leading Harley Street nutritionist Rhiannon Lamberttold The Independent.

The weight comes back after veering from the given rules of any diet. And the GM Diet is no different. Some may be drawn to it because they may feel out of control around food and want to stick to a rigid plan. Yet after breaking one of the diet rules, people will feel guilty and ashamed, and may then start another diet which leads to a vicious cycle.

The shame that dieters often associate with breaking rules can in turn lead to further weight gain, as they binge on unhealthy foods theyve been craving and depriving themselves of, Lambert said.

Eating a limited number of types of foods every day is simply a type of calorie restriction and the reduced carbohydrate intake will explain the relatively quick weight loss and water weight is a lot of it. Embracing a wide variety of foods should be encouraged but not at the expense of eliminating whole food groups at any one time, the soon-to-be nutrition author continued.

Jo Travers, registered dieticianagrees, the apparent success of the GM diet is purely down to basic caloric deprivation rather than sustainable dieting.

"While the GM diet does have a mix of nutrients over the course of the week, your body needs most nutrients every day," she told The Independent. "By restricting protein for the first few days, you will force your body to break down muscle in order to release amino acids for making new cells, hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters. Although this does make you lose weight, this is muscle weight not fat weight, the Low-Fad Diet author explained.

It's quite an attractive idea that if you just do this one prescriptive thing for a week you will lose weight, but in practice it's much harder to follow then most people think and will often result in less weight loss than was promised followed by rapid weight regain once normal eating is resumed, she continued.

In order to maintain weight loss in the long term, Lambert suggests finding a routine of eating and exercising that is enjoyable for you.

Once youve found your happy place, you will find it sustainable. Remember, the best new healthy diet for you is the one you can stick to in the long run, she said.

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General Motors: Is this the most controversial crash diet yet? - The Independent

52-year-old Elizabeth Hurley can still wow folks with her hot beach body, as evidenced by some incredible Instagram photos. "The Royals" star shared her surprising weight loss tips which seemed to work wonders to keep her young. But some are questioning how much of this paragon's sexiness is down to healthy living and how much stems from plastic surgery such as a tummy tuck, Botox or breast implant procedure.

In order to keep her trim, shapely figure after 50, the former girlfriend of Hugh Grant had some curious suggestions to lose weight: eat (but do it at specific times).

Liz Hurley admitted that she used to snack late at night and before bed. Now, the Estee Lauder model consumes the bulk of her caloric intake earlier in the day. This helps satisfy hunger and avoid mindless snacking. Her diet is mainly ketogenic with whole grains, fiber, vegetables, low sugar, fish, and lean meat. She credits this clean diet for keeping her slender.

Even more than diet, the ex-girlfriend of Shane West keeps active. Her concern is that with age, it's easy to become a couch potato. It's interesting to note that the exercises Hurley engages in are regular activities such as hiking and dog-walking. There was no mention of the dreaded r-word (running) or w-word (workouts). Some people espouse rigorous, hardcore exercise as the be-all-end-all while the very thought of it turns many would-be healthier folks, including bombshell Sophia Vergara, off from fitness altogether.

Whatever Elizabeth Hurley is doing, Yahoo commenters agreed that it's working. What they disagreed over is what she is or has done to get her amazing beach body. Some argue that the celebrity is just lucky to have been born with good genetics, and to have time to workout and money to afford expensive health food. Others jeered those comments as body-shaming and excuse-making. It was pointed out that obesity is largely a choice. One countered that walking and eating healthy don't cost any more than laying around watching TV and eating junk food. They may even cost less.

Its been suggested that part of "The Royals" star's beauty is based on cosmetic surgery. No one suggested that she'd had a tummy tuck and the Instagram photos show no evidence of scars. But liposuction or coolsculpting aren't out of the question. Its been rumored that Hurley underwent breast implant surgery. It was noted that although she isn't much bigger body-wise than she was in her thirties, her breast are significantly bigger. Boob job or not, the verdict is that Liz looks better at 52 than many women do at 25. #ElizabethHurley #Celebrities #Weightloss

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Elizabeth Hurley (52) rocks sexy body: 'The Royals' star shares weight loss tips - Blasting News

All eyes were on Hill in the beginning of the year when he showed up to the 2017 SAG Awards looking like a totally different person. But hes been known to rapidly gain and lose weight every now and then, which a study in the International Journal of Obesity suggests is bad for your heart.

Research also shows that extreme dieting, which may be something hes been doing given that he drops weight so quickly, can increase your appetite, tank your mood, and potentially increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Known for playing the funny fat guy in his earlier movies like Superbad and Get Him to the Greek, Hill slimmed down for Moneyball in 2011. He told ABC News that he started seeing a nutritionist who really helped him understand food. Instead of his usual pizza and chicken fingers, he began to enjoy vegetable stir-fry.

After packing on the pounds again for War Dogs, which came out in 2016, he called 21 Jump Street co-star Channing Tatum for some weight loss advice.

I was like, Hey, if I, you know, like, eat less and go to a trainer, will I get, like, in good shape? Hill told Jimmy Fallon.

He said Tatum replied, Yeah, you dumb motherf***er. Course you will. Like, that's the simplest thing in the entire world.

Were hoping Hill finds a plan that sticks, so he can stay healthy for good.

(And if you're looking for a weight loss plan of your own, try Men's Health Metashred Extreme to burn fat and gain muscle.)

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Jonah Hill Shows Off Slim Body in New York City - Men's Health

Nearly every Friday for the past few months, a woman has come up to me after the body sculpting class I teach and said something like this: Whatever youre doing, its working. Sometimes its, Good job; youve lost a lot of weight. Others, it's a form of praise I didnt even know was a thing: I can really tell that youve lost weight from your face. Your face is slimmer.

My face? Thanks?

As a woman in America there are two things Ive learned through the years: 1. Always try to improve your body. 2. Always say thank you when someone gives you a "compliment." If my body is inherently in need of improvement, then when someone tells me Ive lost weight, its supposed to be a compliment. And instinctively, when I hear anything complimentary, I say thank you.

I enjoy leading this Friday morning class. Teaching provides a sense of accomplishment and gives me an incredible amount of confidence. The people who attend the class are pleasant, and I am happy to take any and all compliments pertaining to the design of the workout or how much it kicked someones ass. Thats all me. I did that. I stood at the front of the room and challenged everyone. What I didnt do was set out to lose weight.

She would just shake it off, perhaps assuming I was being modest. And yet I kept saying thank you every time she insisted that my math was wrong.

Thank youfor telling me I apparently look less awful than I used to? Im glad you now approve of me and my body?

I wont lie: I started taking working out seriously three years ago when my clothes weren't fitting. But when I started down this path, I realized I was more concerned with being in shape than losing weight. Id swim laps with coworkers and get winded after just a few turns in the pool, so every day it became my goal to swim more than I had during my last workout. Then I discovered other types of fitness activities that made me feel powerful and capable of improving. The second I stopped thinking about pounds and started thinking about personal challenges, working out stopped being a chore. I didnt lose more than a couple of pounds, and that was fine because it wasn't the point.

Now as a group fitness instructor, I make sure never to use motivational tactics centering on weight loss, calories, or earning food and treats. I want people to come to my class because they like it; because they want to use a heavier set of dumbbells than they used last month; because its their chance to see a friend who also takes the class during an otherwise busy week. Those are the things that ultimately helped me commit to a healthier lifestyle and what later inspired me to pursue a teaching certification three years ago.

I dont care about these comparisons. Ive learned enough about exercise science and social science to be fully on board with the Health at Every Size movement. I use fat not as a pejorative, but as a simple adjective, understanding that body size says nothing about ones overall health and personal values. I see that in myself: While I would never, in my new understanding of the term, call myself fat, I havent been skinny for years. I know I eat nutritious foods and I know that I am fit. Usually, that's enough for me.

And yet, every time someone tells me Ive lost weight, Im pulled into the mindset Ive been socialized to have as a woman: that this is an accomplishment, but it's also not enough. I begin to pay more attention to whether I look acceptable in an outfit before I step out of the house, and I even start crowing to people about how Ive lost a few pounds.

After a few months of those weekly compliments after class, I hopped on the scale and saw that, to my surprise, I had actually lost a few pounds. That familiar sense of socially enforced pride crept up on me, until I started to think about why those pounds left my body.

The weight vanished during a stressful semester of graduate school, during which I was working five jobs and volunteering, so busy running around most days that I rarely had the chance to eat three proper meals. It happened after a personal trainer told me I had fat aerobics instructor syndrome, insisting that I was using being busy as an excuse for not losing weight, and making me feel like a moral failure because I enjoy dessert. It happened when I was teaching the same workout so many times a week that I was overtraining, compounding my fibromyalgia and putting me in a state of perpetual dull pain.

I know this is true, but it can be hard to remember. Now every day I have to fight myself, trying to find a balance between planning healthful, properly sized meals and calculating calorie budgets for the day. I do my best to ignore the first number that comes up on my scale and focus instead on the body fat percentage and muscle mass numbers that come up next, which are more reliable indicators of overall health (if still limited in applicability). I have to remind myself over and over that exercise science says that active fat people can indeed be healthy, and cultural messages that make women feel their bodies should look a certain way have no validity.

Thats why I want to be done thanking people for telling me Ive lost weight. But I dont know how to stop. Its as reflexive a response as saying bless you when someone sneezes. Its polite. But it tears down my self-esteem to say it, and it makes it harder for all women to resist the patriarchal standards that shape our values system. I dont know if I can stop saying thanks until we all agree to. Are you with me?

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I Want to Be Done Thanking People for 'Complimenting' My Weight Loss - SELF