THE BIGGEST LOSER -- "Season 5 Live Finale"NBC NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

For decades, weight loss advice could be summed up in a sentence: burn more calories than you consume. This equation, based on the 3500 rule, in which a calorie deficit of 3500 translates into weight loss of one pound, was intuitive and comforting in its simplicity.

It also made generations of dieters feel terrible about themselves, essentially conflating excess fat with a failure of willpower. If the 69% of Americans who are overweight or obese could simply eat less and move more, this line of thinking went, we wouldnt have a national epidemic on our hands. While researchers have been questioning the validity of the 3500 calorie rule for years, it still informs much of the popular understanding on weight and metabolism.

Thats beginning to change, though. Ironically, a major recent revelation came courtesy of the Biggest Loser , an NBC reality series that, perhaps more than anything else on TV, reduces weight loss to a matter of willpower (contestants on the show compete to lose the largest percentage of their body weight over the span of 30 weeks.)

But new research suggests the real narrative is likely far more complex. In the study, published last May, researchers tracked 14 of the shows contestants, measuring their weight, metabolism, fitness schedule and diet before they were officially selected for the series eighth season, at various points throughout filming, and then six years after the season ended.

Unsurprisingly, all 14 participants were significantly overweight before their stint on The Biggest Loser and all lost a significant amount of weight during filming. More surprising was that, but for a single participant, theyd all regained some of this weight by the studys end, with four participants actually weighing more than they did before going on the show.

The real jaw-dropper? The researchers found that during and after the initial weight loss, participants bodies fought to return to their original weights: across the board, after losing weight on the show, participants metabolism slowed dramatically, meaning their bodies burned fewer calories than is typical for someone their size. This wasnt a temporary change, either as the years passed, not only did their metabolisms not recover but, in many cases, they continued to slow down. At the studys close, season 8 winner Danny Cahill, who lost 239 pounds on the show and regained 100 of them over the subsequent six years, burned 800 fewer calories per day while at rest than is typical for someone his size.

The results are a strong indicator that weight loss shouldnt be reduced to a matter of willpower, says lead author Kevin Hall. Instead, when you cut your calories and increase your physical activity, your body resists that change, he says. Think of it like a string. If you arent trying to lose weight, the string remains slack. But as you cut calories and add exercise, it grows increasingly taut. The more intense your diet and workout gets, the tighter the spring pulls in an effort to return you body to its resting weight.

You will experience a proportional pullback, says Hall, which, if you want to successfully keep weight off, you must resist indefinitely . Its a Catch-22 of sorts. The more successful you are at losing weight, the harder your body will fight to regain it indeed, participants who lost the most weight on the show experienced the largest slowing in metabolic adaption.

If this sounds like a giant bummer, well in some ways, it is. Weight loss, the study suggests, is more difficult than simply moving more and eating less. But Hall feels that by focusing on the pounds participant regained, subsequent coverage pushed an overly negative message. Following high-profile write ups, including this one in The New York Times , he noticed a discouraging trend: Readers were interpreting the study as a reason to give up on weight loss efforts, full-stop. If they couldnt keep it up, the thinking went, that whats the point of even trying?

But this ignores an important detail: at the end of the study, participants, on average, were down 12% from their pre- Biggest Loser weights, a not insignificant amount. Studies have shown that for overweight and obese individuals, even small weight losses can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

In lieu of despair, Hall hopes the study will make people to rethink weight loss. More specifically, he wants to separate its cosmetic draw from its ability to improve health. The former, which typically requires a radical reduction of body weight, is nearly impossible to achieve long term (drop below a certain set weight, and the bodys internal spring begins its vicious tugging). But the latter, which requires individuals to lose a far manageable amount of weight, is attainable through gradual, sustainable lifestyle changes.

Shows like the Biggest Loser help perpetuate that idea that you really need to lose enormous quantities of weight to be healthy and be normal, says Hall. But you dont have to have this rapid or dramatic weight loss to have health benefits. As an increasing body of research suggests, a low BMI and health are not always correlated. Thin people can have heart attacks, and obese people who exercise, dont smoke, and maintain a healthy diet are no more likely to die prematurely than normal-weight individuals who fall into the same categories.

Despite the mounting evidence, however, this isnt a message we hear enough, says Hall. The diet industry, the magazine covers of people shedding half their body weight, an American obsession with rebirth and beauty all have worked together to turn diet and exercise into magical tools that, if we only work hard enough, will make us thin and worthy.

What if we rebranded exercise and diet not as means to a more attractive-looking end, but as tools for improving our overall fitness and health? Hall believes it's time we started.

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Why We're Thinking About Weight Loss All Wrong - Fortune

In aprofession where most athletes are encouraged to continue to make their physiques bigger, scarier and more outlandish, WWE superstar Big Shows dramatic weight loss has captured the imagination of many.

Billed for much of his career as the worlds largest athlete, Big Shows weight has been listed as high as 500 pounds at various stages of his career.

And despite working 200 days a year for two decades in a physically rigorous environment, Big Show wasnt exactly a picture of health. A pretty poor diet contributed to his massive size which originally stemmed from a tumor that formed on his pituitary gland during childhood and the 45-year-old, whose real name is Paul Wight, decided enough was enough.

Big Show has charted his new commitment to slimming down and toning up on social media, and hes been an inspiration to many. But it hasnt been easy.

It was definitely a conscious decision. You dont make the transformation Ive made without a serious commitment to changing 40 years of improper diet and improper training, he recently told WWE.com.

Big Show teamed up with Miami-based celebrity trainer Dodd Romero who has worked with the likes of actor Denzel Washington and baseball star Alex Rodriguez and devised a plan that included swimming, cycling and weight training.

Right now my schedules pretty light, but if Im home three days, I train every day. If Im home 10 days, I train every day, he said.

Right now, mostly, everything I count on is high-rep. Im not trying to build muscle right now, Im trying to keep my metabolism up, keep my tendons strong, keep my joints good, and cut a lot of fat.

Well get to the muscle-building end of it once I get my body fat down to where I want it to be. Those who weight-train know what Im talking about.Lower reps with heavier weight will be more for building muscle. Right now were just trying to burn it up and keep it high-energy so the fat doesnt have a chance to stick and grow.

Big Show has dropped more than 60 pounds and credits 90 percent of his weight loss to improving his diet including the removal of his favorite meals like pizza, ice cream and meatball subs.

Will I end up ever looking like John Cena or The Rock or Triple H? No, he said. But I can take the assets that I have and try to accentuate them.

This article originally appeared on News.com.au.

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Inside WWE legend Big Show's incredible weight loss | New York Post - New York Post

PEOPLE.com

Mom Says Pressure to Breastfeed Led to Accidentally Starving Her Infant Son: 'We Were So Brainwashed' PEOPLE.com Fed is Best advocates for safe breastfeeding including supplementing with formula when medically necessary or strictly formula feeding for those who want or need to in response to the tragic stories of mothers accidentally starving their babies ... and more »

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Mom Says Pressure to Breastfeed Led to Accidentally Starving Her Infant Son: 'We Were So Brainwashed' - PEOPLE.com

For those who resolved to make 2017 the year of winning at weight loss, Dr. Mehmet Oz is dishing up the details of two popular #diet trends for taking off the pounds. Dr. Oz has featured a variety of weight loss options on his popular "Dr. Oz Show" through the years, and now the trendy diets using tea and apple cider vinegar are getting new buzz from the physician on recent episodes of his talk show.

Apple cider vinegar has benefits ranging from weight loss to helping with type 2 diabetes, according to Time magazine. A professor told the publication about the perks that adding this ingredient to the diet has for weight loss.

"My hunch is that it can, but that its impact would be subtle," said Carol Johnston, a professor in the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion at Arizona State University, who has studied the effects of vinegar on health for more than 10 years. In addition to Johnston's view, researchers in Japan discovered that sipping two tablespoons of diluted apple cider vinegar twice daily with meals resulted in a loss of about four pounds after 12 weeks.

"Theres some evidence that the acetic acid in vinegar may turn on fat metabolism, clarified the professor. She noted that it also can help to block the body's absorption of starchy foods.

Featuring apple cider vinegar for weight loss on his talk show, Dr. Oz shared that it helps to burn fat. He provided viewers with a metabolism-boosting salad dressing recipe featuring apple cider vinegar that can easily be added to the diet.

To try out Dr. Oz's weight loss recipe, combine 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with two tablespoons of olive oil. Stir thoroughly, and sprinkle it a mixture of herbs, such as garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Mix again and use for a salad dressing rather than store bought brands.

On another episode of his TV show, Dr. Oz featured tea detox diets, sometimes referred to as teatoxes. But rather than spend a lot of money on what he called "dangerous and expensive prepackaged teatoxes," Dr. Oz suggested teatoxing at home "safely once a season to cut down your water weight, reduce bloat, and shrink your waistline in as little as five days."

For weight loss and detoxing, Dr. Oz recommended cutting out processed foods, sugar, alcohol, and gluten. Eliminating these foods will boost the metabolism, according to the physician. Then, rather than sipping coffee in the morning, Dr. Oz suggested dandelion tea during the detox. Have a balanced breakfast such as oatmeal with blueberries and walnuts. Enjoy soup or stew for lunch. After lunch, try herbal tea, such as ginger tea.

"A cup of fennel seed ginger tea helps reduce indigestion and minimize abdominal bloat," according to Dr. Oz. "To make the tea, infuse a half teaspoon of crushed fennel seeds, a teaspoon of chopped or minced fresh ginger, and a teaspoon of honey in boiling water."

For an afternoon pick-up during this weight loss diet, he recommends oolong tea. And for dinner during your tea detox diet, create a big salad with veggies including spinach, beets, asparagus, celery and other produce. Add on a protein like fish or chicken, and use a salad dressing of olive oil and nuts. Before bed, Dr. Oz recommends a cup of milk thistle tea. #DrOz #Weightloss

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Dr. Oz hypes apple cider vinegar and tea detox weight loss diet trends - Blasting News

In a new international clinical trial, it was shown that the drug liraglutide 3.0 mg may reduce diabetes risk by 80% in individuals with obesity and prediabetes.

Prediabetes, also commonly referred to as borderline diabetes, is a metabolic condition and growing global problem that is closely tied to obesity. If undiagnosed or untreated, prediabetes can develop into type 2 diabetes; which, whilst treatable, is currently not fully reversible.

At this point in time (March 1, 2017), the FDA has not approved any drugs to treat prediabetes, except to improve nutrition and increase physical activity, even though a number of drugs have been shown in studies to reduce the risk of prediabetes becoming diabetes.

The study ran between June 1, 2011, and March 2, 2015. They randomly assigned 2,254 patients to receive liraglutide (n=1505) or placebo (n=749). 1,128 (50%) participants completed the study up to week 160, after withdrawal of 714 (47%) participants in the liraglutide group and 412 (55%) participants in the placebo group. By week 160, 26 (2%) of the 1,472 individuals in the liraglutide group versus 46 (6%) of 738 in the placebo group were diagnosed with diabetes while on treatment. The mean time from randomization to diagnosis was 99 (SD 47) weeks for the 26 individuals in the liraglutide group versus 87 (47) weeks for the 46 individuals in the placebo group. Taking the different diagnosis frequencies between the treatment groups into account, the time to onset of diabetes over 160 weeks among all randomized individuals was 2.7 times longer with liraglutide than with placebo (95% CI 19 to 39, p<00001). Liraglutide induced greater weight loss than placebo at week 160 (61 [SD 73] vs 19% [63]; estimated treatment difference 43%, 95% CI 49 to 37, p<00001). Serious adverse events were reported by 227 (15%) of 1,501 randomized treated individuals in the liraglutide group versus 96 (13%) of 747 individuals in the placebo group.

An international new clinical trial conducted by the University of Liverpool showed that according to a study published in The Lancet journal. This three-year SCALE obesity and prediabetes trial followed 2,254 adults with prediabetes at 191 research sites in 27 countries worldwide. The aim was to evaluate whether liraglutide 3.0 mg can safely delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in participants with prediabetes.

Liraglutide promotes weight loss by interacting with the areas of the brain that control appetite and energy intake.

The participants in the study were randomly allocated to either liraglutide 3.0 mg or a placebo delivered by injection under the skin once daily for 160 weeks. They were also placed on a reduced-calorie diet and advised to increase their physical activity.

The study showed that three years of continuous treatment with once-daily liraglutide 3.0 mg, in combination with diet and increased physical activity, reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 80% and results in greater sustained weight loss compared to the placebo. Professor John Wilding, Professor of Medicine at the Universitys Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease and Honorary Consultant Physician, is an obesity specialist, was an investigator in the trial and is an author of this study.

Professor Wilding said: In this study, we wanted to see if this drug, in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and lifestyle intervention, could delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in a high-risk population with obesity and prediabetes.On the basis of our findings, liraglutide 3.0 mg can provide us with a new therapeutic approach for patients with obesity and prediabetes to substantially reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and its related complications.

As healthcare professionals, it is important that we can offer a treatment to our type 2 diabetes patients that we are confident will achieve results in the real world that are consistent with the results of the clinical trial program.

In conclusion, Liraglutide 3.0 mg was shown to reduce body weight and improve glucose metabolism after the 56-week period of this trial, one of four trials in the SCALE program.

The study is entitled 3 years of liraglutide versus placebo for type 2 diabetes risk reduction and weight management in individuals with prediabetes: A randomized, doubleblind trial.

Practice Pearls:

The full study, entitled 3 years of liraglutide versus placebo for type 2 diabetes risk reduction and weight management in individuals with prediabetes: a randomised, double-blind trial, can be found here http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30069-7.

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Preventing Prediabetes from Becoming Diabetes by 80% - Diabetes In Control

Women's Health

How To Lose Weight If You Hate Working Out Women's Health That's because your ability to lose weight quickly depends on several factors. First and foremost: your metabolism. While some of us are blessed with a genetically fast calorie-zapping engine, some of us need to resort to greater and longer-lasting ... Diet Doc Patients Maintain Weight Loss Without Harmful Weight Loss Programs Like Original hCG DietMarketwired (press release) 10 Hidden Reasons Your Diet Isn't WorkingReader's Digest all 11 news articles »

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How To Lose Weight If You Hate Working Out - Women's Health