As a high school athlete, I let myself believe that eating junk food was OK. I would eat anything and everything from whole boxes of pizza to platters of Chinese food. And as the pounds crept up on me, starting in my sophomore year, I just kept saying to myself, I need to be this big to play football. I knew I was gaining weight, and everyone around me noticed too, but I would lie and say I only put on a couple pounds.

I would try to lose weight by cutting out certain foods and it worked... sometimes. I would lose 20 pounds, then gain it right back with a couple additional pounds. I continued this cycle throughout high school and into college. It wasnt until I finally decided to step on a scale, after not weighing myself for a year, that I realized I gained the sophomore 60 instead of the freshman 15: I went from 225 to 285.

In January, 2019, the second semester of my sophomore year, I reached my heaviest weight: 291. But it wasnt just the weight, I couldnt run for more than a minute without gasping for air. I was miserable. I stopped looking in mirrors because all I would see is the weight. I felt judged by everyone.

Even after feeling all those terrible things, I continued to eat an unhealthy diet. It was like I was addicted to junk food. But I didnt want to feel the way I felt anymore. I wanted to look in the mirror again and be happy. So, I knew I had to make a change, but I didn't know how.

So I turned to my older brother who was already a gym-goer. He asked if I would try this no-sugar diet with him to see if we both could drop a couple pounds. (I needed it more though!). I agreed to cut out high-calorie drinks and processed food for one month.

I started to see results and was motivated to do more. I researched how to cut body fat, and it turned out this is done in the kitchen. When I learned this, my whole diet changed drastically. I ate only chicken or beef, rice, and veggies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and drank over a gallon of water a day.

In order to keep up with my new diet, I had to start buying foods in bulk. I prepped meals for the following week, which sounds like a lot at first, but you get used to it. I stopped eating out as much because its hard to find the right foods in most restaurants. Luckily, there are so many ways to prepare chicken with rice and veggies. If youre on a budget like me, know that a rotisserie chicken can go a long way.

I never had a problem going to the gym, but when I got there, I wouldnt do any real exercises. My friends and I would just compete on who could bench press the most.

I joined my brothers gym and we started going six days a week, working two muscle groups a day. (For example, chest and triceps, back and biceps, and legs and shoulders.) Sundays were for recovery (light stretching and cardio). I picked a reasonable time during the day that worked around my schedule. This way I could gradually add going to the gym to my daily routine, and when it becomes a routine it tends to stick. The process was grueling but after the first month I began to see significant results, which motivated me to do more.

Within three months, I dropped 30 pounds. Then, I had to slow down for a bit because I was dropping weight too fast, and in order to play on the defensive line at my college I had to be over a certain weight. I lost a total amount of 53 pounds over the course of a year, bringing me to 238. I am more than satisfied with not only how I look, but how I feel. Ive never felt this good and I dont plan on stopping anytime soon.

I learned through football that consistency and hard work will always guarantee a chance of you succeeding in whatever you want to do in life. Youre promised nothing in this world but in order to achieve your goals you must work hard. My advice to anyone getting started is dont be afraid to fail and dont ever quit. Dont listen to outside noises, either. Stay dedicated and stay focused and I guarantee you will see great results.

Go here to read the rest:
Learning to Meal Prep Helped Me Drop 53 Pounds and Get Ripped - Men's Health

Dr Priyanka Rohatgi, Chief Clinical Dietician, Apollo hospital, Bangalore, says, "One of the best ways to keep yourself safe from coronavirus is by boosting your immunity. Starving for longer periods along with dehydration is an invitation to infection, as it lowers the immunity, which makes you vulnerable to the infection.

She adds, "If you are planning to fast, make sure not to stay hungry for long. Eat fruits, nuts, drink buttermilk, tender coconut water and infused water to keep yourself hydrated, which is of paramount importance".

Dr Priyanka also suggests an amazing HEAD START advise for lockdown Navratri fasting:

H - Hydrate well.

E - Eat smaller, lighter and fresh foods.

A - Adequate sleep is essential.

D - Dried fruits and nuts to keep you satiated well.

S - Some seinda namak in your butter milk.

T - Take breaks from screen time.

A - Add up proteins to fast meals by including some curd, milk, chenna.

R - Rehydrate with one glass of water every one hour with a dash of citrus fruit like oranges, lemons, sweet lime in it.

T - Try some turmeric in milk at bedtime.

Continued here:
Navratri during COVID-19: Five nutritionists tell us if this is the best time to fast - Times of India

HOLA! USA: First, we want to know how you lost the weight? Erica Lugo: I never knew anything about fitness or nutrition whatsoever growing up, so I just started with those basics of moving more and eating less, and then it's kind of a spiral from there. I mean it was five years in the making of me getting from that point to where I am now, and I still learn new tricks and tips all the time.

You mention you didnt know about nutrition or fitness growing up. What was your childhood like?My parents worked really hard, and we didn't always have gourmet meals on the table at dinner time. It was quick fixes or pizza or fast food with snacks in the cupboard because that's what was the easiest thing for my mom at the time. I grew up knowing zero boundaries or zero portion control of food, and I just carried that on through my life. When I got to college, it was more like the freshman 50 instead of the freshman 15. Then you get married and put on the happy pounds. Then I had my son and had postpartum depression. It seems like every stage of my life the weight just kept piling on.

Are you teaching your son about a well-balanced diet and fitness?Big time. Connor is nine now, but he's grown up with a mother who exercises weekly, who cooks healthy, who talks about nutrition openly. He thinks of working out like brushing your teeth; he just thinks it's a daily necessity that adults do. He doesn't think it's something that you have to carve out time for. And the same with food, he thinks cooking with vegetables and eating fruit and eating colorful things is normal and a part of life. I'm so thankful because he's not going to have to start in his twenties like I did or fight to struggle to get his weight off like I did. It's just going to be a natural thing for him to be able to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Has your family also changed how they approach food?One thing I've learned is people will change when they want to change, and it's not my job to force change on them. My family has looked at food and fitness a little bit different. They may take more time to think about their options versus just eat whatever. They used to get a little offended when I wouldn't eat the food that they cooked at holidays or special events and when I would bring my own. Now it's much different in that aspect where they are thinking, Okay, Erica, what could we get for you? What do you want to bring? Is there something special I need to get for you?

Do you allow yourself to indulge in your favorite foods?I always have my surplus meal once a week. I hate using the word cheat because it makes me feel bad. Sometimes it's donuts or sometimes it's hamburgers and pizza. It changes all the time, but I definitely don't deprive myself once a week. I look forward to that Friday or Saturday meal, for sure.

Many people may be discouraged to start to make a positive change in their life. How long did it take you to really get in a routine?It takes 20 days to build or to break a habit and to build a new one. It seems simple, but realistically I can say I've been doing this for five years, and it's still a habit that I have to work on every single day. Just because I lost the weight or just because I am a trainer on The Biggest Loser does not mean I wake up every day motivated to kick booty in the gym and to eat the healthiest I've ever eaten. We are human at the end of the day, but we have to rely on habits and building those habits take time. It's more about consistency versus being perfect all the time.

What advice do you have for someone who is ready to start?Start with goals that are achievable. It's called the smart goals. Are they sensible, what's the timeline? Are they attainable, are they measurable? And be realistic with it. When I started on the treadmill, it was let me jog for 30 seconds. And then it became let me jog for the whole length of this song. Eventually, it became for the whole length of my playlist. It was those baby steps that I took to get me where I am.

Read the original post:
The Biggest Loser trainer Erica Lugo reveals how she lost 160 lbs. and its something we all can do - HOLA! USA

Lennard Zinn went in search of the most aerodynamic combination of rim and tubeless tire. Here's what he found.

Of all of the forces opposing your efforts at propelling your bike down the road, those working on the wheels and tires comprise a significant percentage. Tubeless tires and rims can be part of the equation to maximize speed, as they have improved to the point that there is now no faster road tire/wheel setup. Get the combination of the tubeless tire, wheel, and pressure right, and youll have free speed.

Optimizing speed from your tubeless wheels and tires also requires hitting the tire diameter, tread compound, tread pattern, and rim shape as well as spoke count and shape.

Aerodynamic drag increases exponentially with speed. It doesnt take twice as much power to go twice as fast relative to the air; it takes four or more times as much power. Since rider power is limited, going faster without producing more of it requires improving the aerodynamic shape of the object moving through it.

The 1960s solution was fewer spokes in the wheels. It took a dramatic turn in 1984, when Francesco Moser broke the world hour record riding disc wheels. Steve Hed then created the aerodynamic innovation that every pro bike racer now depends on: the deep-section rim.

Hed once again pioneered the next step, a wider rim that took the tire shape into account. This gets the rim and tire together to more closely approximate a National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) airfoil shape for aircraft wings. The tire is wider than first-generation deep-section wheels, but the nose of a NACA airfoil is significantly narrower than the thickness of the wing further back. To approximate this shape, a bicycle rim not only needs to be wider than the tire where they meet, but it also needs to continue to get wider before it tapers toward its spoke bed.

Friction within a rolling tire slows it down, and like aerodynamic drag, friction increases with speed. Unlike aerodynamic drag, however, rolling resistance only goes up in a linear relationship to speed, so the slower the rider is going, the more important rolling resistance is relative to aerodynamic drag, and vice versa. The graph below illustrates how below about 12 mph, rolling resistance exceeds aerodynamic drag.

On a smooth surface, the tire can be hard and lose little energy when rolling, like a steel ball bearing rolling on glass. Since it rolls on surfaces much rougher than glass and requires traction for propulsion, braking, and cornering, compressed air inside cushions impacts, and rubber tread provides traction.

Friction within the tire results from chafing of the inner tube against the inside of the tire casing and of the threads in the casing against each other as the tire flexes; on top of that, internal energy losses within the rubber itself result from hysteresis the lag between the application of a force on a material and its deflection in response. Overcoming this lag absorbs energy.

Until recently, road racers generally believed that smaller, harder tires were fastest and rode races other than Paris-Roubaix on 22 or 23mm tubulars, using yet narrower tires in time trials. Greg LeMond illustrated the cost of this in the final time trial of the 1986 Tour de France. Racing on 19mm tires pumped up high, he slid out and crashed on a sharp corner. Wider, softer tires would have not only given him more traction for that corner, but also would have rolled with less resistance. LeMond then had to change bikes and worry about losing his yellow jersey to teammate Bernard Hinault, who did win that time trial.

A shorter contact area deflects less deeply into the tire. A wider tire will have a shorter, wider contact patch on the road than will a narrower tire at the same pressure, because the surface area of the contact patch must be the same to support the same load. Less deflection will result in less internal friction/hysteresis loss in the wider tire.

With reduced pressure, the tire must support the same load with fewer pounds per square inch to do it, so the surface area of its contact patch will increase. Tire deflection will deepen with the longer contact patch, resulting in more internal friction and hysteresis loss. This makes the case that higher pressure reduces rolling resistance, but only on a smooth surface.

On a rough road, the internal friction/hysteresis losses due to the larger contact patch of the softer tire is counterbalanced by the fact that deflecting the entire bike and rider on each bump costs more energy than does absorbing the bump into the tire. Only the tiny mass of a small part of the tire moves up and down on each bump, rather than the entire bike and rider. This is the sprung weight vs. unsprung weight argument explaining why suspension vehicles are faster on rough roads than ones without suspension. Lower pressure is faster on rough roads, and bigger tire diameters then protect the rim.

Its safe to run a tubeless tire at lower pressure than a tubed tire since theres no tube to pinch when hitting sharp bumps. This in turn reduces rolling resistance on rough roads. Eliminating the inner tubes hysteresis and its friction against the inner tire casing further reduces a tubeless tires rolling resistance. First-generation tubeless road tires, which were completely airtight and designed to be used without sealant, had so much rubber coating their insides that their weight was the same as a comparable tire and tube, and the frictional rolling losses were similar. Modern, tubeless-ready tires with sealant are lighter and do have lower rolling resistance than tubed tires.

To improve aerodynamics, Hed went to the wind tunnel and caulked the edge of the rim where it meets the tires sidewall so the air flowing from tire to rim meets no edges to create turbulence. Caulking tires to rims is unrealistic as well as inadmissible by UCI rules, so the key is to smooth this transition without it.

Until the advent of tubeless tires, handmade tubular tires were the rolling resistance champions. The edges of their thick base tape and the glue sticking out along the rim edge is not aerodynamic, however. Specialized lead engineer Dr. Chris Yu says, From a speed and performance standpoint, weve known for a while that clinchers are superior to tubulars. They allow for better control of the shape interface between the rim and tire casing and when paired with the right inner tube, offer lower rolling resistance. This is the reason why all our pro athletes have raced TTs on clinchers for the last several years. With tubeless, if done properly, we can amplify those performance advantages. More importantly, by CT-scanning the inflated tire bead and rim interface in-house, were able to design a system that is secure, and we also gain the insight on how to optimize the shape transition from rim to tire.

Like automobile rims, hookless rims lack the crochet hooks at the inner edges of the rim walls to grasp the tire beads, so they can better optimize this shape transition from rim to tire. A standard hook-bead rim squeezes the clincher sidewall further inward than does a hookless rim, rendering the tire/rim combination less aerodynamic.

Aero carbon hookless rims have many advantages. A hook-bead rim mold requires a soft outer ring, or the hooks of the hardened rim lock to it. This single-use soft mold top is less accurate and less sustainable than the long-lasting solid-metal mold for hookless rims. The edges of hookless rims are thicker, stronger, and less easily damaged when hitting bumps than the fragile edges of hook-bead rims.

To work safely with tubeless tires, hookless rims require precise rim wall dimensions, a bead lock (a raised inner edge of the shelf the tire bead sits on), bead-shelf diameter, and central valley diameter, width and ramp slope. If youve ever watched installation of a car tire on a rim, you know that the compressed air blasted in through the valve must not escape from under the bead even before its seated; it must instead push the tire beads up the ramps of the rim valley, over the bead lock, onto the bead seat, and firmly up against the rim walls.

Specialized Tire Product Manager Wolf Vorm Walde made solid-steel rims that dont change dimensions as tire pressure increases, in order to test tire retention. He says, Straight-wall (hookless) rims show lower burst pressure compared to hooked rims. We do not recommend using any tires with a max pressure above 5.5bar (80psi) on straight-wall rims.

Tire dimension would depend on factors like road surface condition as well as how technical the course is, says Yu, regarding the fastest tire setup. We can quantify time lost or gained through turns based on G-loads and rider confidence, which is admittedly subjective but correlated to tire width. And rim profile would depend on course profile and wind profile.

According to Specializeds tire product manager Oliver Kiesel, Typically, if we measure rolling resistance, we have three factors that vary: tire load, air pressure, and rolling speed. The graphs show how rolling resistance changes by changing one of these factors.

Schwalbe product manager Felix Schfermeier says, Our general recommendation for individual competitions against the clock is a tire width of 25mm in the front and a 28mm tire on the back wheel.We recommend that the external rim width is at least 1mm wider than the (front) tire. Twenty-five millimeters in front is the best choice to reduce the aerodynamic drag on the majority of aero rims with an internal width between 19 and 22mm. Since the frame is covering the rear wheel, the wider 28mm tire doesnt have any negative impact on aerodynamics, and it saves a few wattsof rolling resistanceand provides more traction.

ENVEs marketing manager Jake Pantone says, The athlete should be riding a low-rolling-resistance tubeless clincher tire on a rim that is roughly 5 percent wider than the tire. As tire and rim volume increases, the need for a rim to be wider than the tire diminishes, because the increased radius of the larger tire allows for the air to attach to the rim more easily at yaw. When paired with a 28mm tire (inflated will measure around 30-31mm), an SES AR rim and tire are essentially the same width.

Tread compound has no aerodynamic effect, but plays a big role in rolling resistance, traction, and durability. Tread compounds are generally proprietary to the manufacturers.

We redesigned the tread pattern of the new Pro One model range to reduce the aerodynamic drag in sidewind conditions, says Schwalbes Schfermeier. Under headwind conditions, differences between tread patterns are really minor. The impact of a road-racing tire tread design on rolling resistance is not really relevant.

Specializeds Kiesel says, Slick-center road tires are the lowest in rolling resistance that we normally measure in our drum tests. He adds that Continentals Grand Prix 4000 tread pattern (slick with interspersed areas of cross-hatching within shark fin shapes coming up from the edges of the tread) tests the fastest in aerodynamic wind tunnel tests. Since this was designed much earlier than comprehensive aero tunnel testing became a realistic method in the bicycle industry, this design performance was a fluke.

Tubeless tires now best tubulars in rolling resistance, and their clean transition with the rim, particularly with hookless rims, beats tubulars aerodynamically as well. The optimal width of the tire has grown by 2-5mm since the standards at the turn of this century, and the rim widths for optimal speed have grown by more than double that.

A 27-30mm (external width) rim mated to a 25-26mm-wide front tubeless tire creates an aerodynamically optimal setup, assuming the tire width is measured when installed on the wheel, since the tire label only gives a rough guide. On the rear, use a 25-28mm wide tubeless tire on the same rim. Its possible to gain a bit more aero advantage with a hookless rim.

Of course, the final answer depends on X-factors like mating the tire pressure to the weight of you and the bike for the particular road surface, course profile, and much more. Dialing it in optimally requires scientific study that only the most well-funded teams could undertake. As a general rule, however, you will be in the ballpark with the above setup and tire pressure for a 150-pound rider around 70psi for a 25mm tire and 60psi for 28mm (80psi and 65psi, respectively, for a 170-pound rider).

Get your VeloNews 2020 Gear Issue now.

Continued here:
What is the fastest bicycle tubeless wheel and tire setup? - VeloNews

07:06 27/03/2020 Graye Morkel

Has anyone ever watched Secret Eaters? It's about people who are genuinely baffled by their weight-gain, but when secretly filmed are exposed for eating greasy meals in their driveway, and hiding their eating habits from their families.

Hosted by Anna Richardson, the UK series first aired in 2012 and ran for three seasons until 2014. But Amazon Prime has resurrected the classic, and all 21 episodes are available to stream here.

Full episodes are also available to watch on YouTube.

In each episode, Anna meats her unsuspecting guests, usually friends, siblings or partners - who can't seem to explain their weight-gain. They are perplexed and frustrated because they genuinely believe that their food intake doesn't justify their size, and even keep a calorie log, often coming in well below their recommended daily allowance.

The guests agree to be filmed in their home for a week, with the cameras rolling, the pair go about their daily routine and viewers are privy to their mealtimes and often mindless munching.

But what guests aren't told is that they are being followed by two 'private investigators' Cameron Gowlett and Duncan Mee who monitor their every move and record everything they eat outside of the home. When they think no one is watching...

And this is where the show gets exciting when guests think they are off-camera and sneak in a Cinnabon at the mall, scoff down a burger in the work parking lot and indulge in a sneaky post-gym slice of pizza.

The investigators go as far as to follow the guests through the fast-food drive-through or sit at the restaurant table right next to their unsuspecting targets, before submitting their findings to evidence.

Who knew? Cheaters,diet edition!

At the end of the week, they are confronted with the true extent of their secret eating, which includes hiding their poor food choices from their friends, family and even themselves.

They are then also given dietary advice by expert Lynne Garton about what they should be eating, and given a plan forward.

The team then meet up with their guests after several weeks, and the pair then step on the scale once more, only to reveal an impressive weight-loss.

One of my favourite episodes featured sisters Precious and Florence, from Sidcup (season 2, episode 8). Florence insisted that she is a healthy home cook and enjoys low-carb meals. But it's later revealed that the sisters were under the impression that pap was a vegetable, when in fact it's a carbohydrate, and would pile 3/4 of their plate with maze meal.

Precious is a dedicated gym bunny and goes to the gym every day, doing cardio and strength training. According to Precious she too follows a low-calorie diet, but Precious has a theory: After she works out, she believes she can eat whatever she wants for an hour because her "metabolism is still running" and that's when she goes for the takeout and sweet treats. After speaking to the experts, Precious learns that this is not true, and makes better choices for her post-gym snack.

The girls also hid their chocolate and croissant eating habits from each other, because they didn't like sharing, and were mortified to learn that private investigators followed them into the burger joint, and even filmed then eating chicken wings in the parking lot!

After Precious and Florence learnt that they were eating more than double their daily calorie allowance, the pair made some healthy changes, and the weight started melting off.

See original here:
This TV classic helps people live healthier by secretly filming them - Channel 24

With the onset of spring, we have Chaitra Navratri, an auspicious 9-day long festival celebrated by Hindus all around the world. Paying homage to Goddess Durga, many worshippers fast and keep away from certain food items in their diet. This year the Chaitra Navratri will start from 25 March and end on 2 April. While fasting is a very traditional and customary ritual, there is no denying that if you do it correctly, fasting can be therapeutic for the body. It can act as a form of detox and keep you healthy as well.So, if you are going to observe a fast this year, here are some dietary precautions you must follow.

Hydration is importantWhether you are fasting or not, you mustn't ignore your water intake. Hydration is vital for proper body functioning. When you fast, there are a lot of restrictions on what you can eat and drink. So, stocking up on refreshing and hydrating drinks like coconut water, milk or fruit juices can help you stay replenished through the day. Plus, with the risk of catching infections as it is, staying hydrated is a must. Avoid drinking too much tea or coffee.

Avoid overeatingFasting also means feasting on delicacies. Plus, you may go overboard to ensure that we stay full but this will only lead to digestion and other stomach ailments. As with any kind of diet, here also, moderation matters. Remember, if you don't watch what you eat, you contradict the very purpose of fasting.

Avoid sugarStay away from refined sugar and avoid it as much as you can. Sugar is quite unhealthy and processed. Opt for natural sugar products like sugarcane, jaggery which are quite healthy for you.

Choose healthy snacksBecause you are fasting, you tend to get hungry at odd times. When you crave for something fried, go for healthy snacking options like makhana (foxnuts), sweet potato fries, nuts and fruits! They are also very nutritious and low on calories.

Eat fibre-rich foodBecause you tend to eat lesser food than usual, or at unusual intervals, eating fibre rich food can help you keep fuller for longer as they take longer to digest and break down.

Good fibre content can be found in veggies like pumpkin, colocasia root (arbi), bananas and even potatoes, which are all fast-friendly food.

Stay away from processed foodWith the variety available in the market, we tend to binge on market bought sweets, namkeens which are not healthy and made out of sub-standard, refined oil. Similarly, greasy food which can make you feel bloated should be avoided. This is not how you should be fasting in Navratras!

We wish you a happy and pious Navratri!

Read more from the original source:
Navratri fast 2020: Things to do and avoid during Navratri fast - Times of India