Preview above: How do we lose weight and keep it off? Keeping Weight Off, Tuesday March 17 at 8:30pm on SBS and On Demand.

When Craig Booby was crowned The Biggest Loser in 2014 he couldnt recognise himself; with just one follow-up phone call he was sent away only to eclipse his starting weight of 180 kilograms last year.

It all happened so quickly, that 80 kilos in six months, I didn't stop and take a breath and see myself changing,Craig says.

Craig lost almost half of his body weight on The Biggest Loser, but the weight crept back on a problem that impacts nearly 80 per cent of people who lose weight.

I kept thinking Ill get on top of this, Ill get on top of this, Craig says, but after four years of intense career focus and bad habits, he began to struggle with his mental health as the scales showed he was slowly undoing his hard work.

I was probably the lowest I'd ever been in my entire life, and yeah, I just honestly didn't see a point in what I had to live for.

Craig before he went on The Biggest Loser

Supplied

Personal trainer and former The Biggest Loser trainer Michelle Bridges remembers Craig being quite a formidable force.

I remember him being very driven, very focused and really taking every opportunity that was presented to him, Michelle says.

The Biggest Loser competition provided Craig a distraction-free environment without phones, family contact or television, allowing him to focus entirely on developing healthy habits but the real world was a much more challenging place for him, something that Michelle acknowledges.

I would always have wanted to be able to go home with someone like Craig and say okay, everything that we did on the show we're now going to embed that into habits, routines and rituals in your life, Michelle says.

In your kitchen, in your lounge room, the way in which you eat in your dining room, let's go even further afield into the way in which you shop, the supermarket you go to."

But that didnt happen for Craig and in the one phone call he received after filming he said he was feeling lost and didnt know who he was anymore.

When I look at myself in the mirror I just don't feel myself and I was pretty much told Oh, you'll get used to it, make the most of the opportunity, and that was pretty much it and that was the last I heard.

Last year, Craig decided to take control of his weight gain and invest more time into his health than his career. Since then, he has lost 30 kilograms and hopes to reach a comfortable weight and learn good habits to keep the weight off.

More:
How winning The Biggest Loser was not the weight loss fix Craig thought it would be - SBS News

This sabzi is light and healthy and perfect for weight loss diet.

Highlights

There's nothing like simple home-cooked Indian meals for a healthy diet. Nutritionists and dietitians are profoundly advocating sticking to locally-grown foods and regular Indian meals that we have grown up eating. But, some of the dishes in Indian cuisine comprises high-fat foods that you must consume sparingly. If you are vying for weight loss and want to steer clear of meals loaded with oil and ghee, try to make simple, light sabzi to go with your roti. Pick vegetables that are low in calories and high in nutrition. This green beans and peas sabzi is something you must try.

Both green beans and peas (matar) are splendidly rich in proteins and fibre. They are low in calories, making them perfect for weight loss diet. The addition of urad dal amps up its protein value.This healthy sabzi made with green beans and peas is light, nutritious and also delicious. It can make for a great side dish to pair with curries like kadhi, rajma or dals. Cook the veggies and dal with common Indian spices; remember to use little oil for cooking. The dish is rounded up with a dash of lemon juice adding a zingy and fresh taste to the sabzi.

The recipe video for this protein-rich dish was shared by food vlogger Manjula Jain on her YouTube channel 'Manjula's Kitchen'. The sabzi can be made easily at home in few simple steps.

Watch the recipe video of green beans and peas sabzi here:

(Also Read:Turn Simple Patta Gobhi (Cabbage) Ki Sabzi Into Keto-Friendly Dish With This Recipe)

About Neha GroverLove for reading roused her writing instincts. Neha is guilty of having a deep-set fixation with anything caffeinated. When she is not pouring out her nest of thoughts onto the screen, you can see her reading while sipping on coffee.

Original post:
This High-Protein, Low-Cal Beans And Peas Sabzi Is Perfect For Your Weight Loss Diet - NDTV Food

Greekgodx went from 370 pounds to around 200, and its left him with a lot of excess skin that hes proud to show off on Twitch.

Doctors always tell obese people to lose weight in order to live healthier lives, but what they dont tell people is that losing that much weight can have some unintended side effects. One of those side effects is the loose, baggy skin.

Dimitri Greekgodx Antanonatos knows all about that problem, as he went from a peak weight of 369 pounds down to what is likely around 200 pounds after a two-year weight loss journey.

The name Greekgodx was initially a joke for the morbidly obese Twitch streamer. Greek is one of those shameless chubby guys that had no problem with showing some flubbery skin on camera, which is one of the reasons why he grew to such immense popularity on the streaming platform.

About two years ago, Greek peaked at 369 pounds and decided that enough was enough. He started working out and started eating better, losing about 70 pounds over the course of his first year. In his second year, he lost even more weight so that you basically wouldnt even recognize him from two years ago. Now the name isnt quite so much a joke anymore.

The only thing keeping Greek from actually having the body of a Greek god is all the loose skin hanging around his middle, which he showed off on Twitch yesterday.

RELATED:Greek Brings A Mariachi Band To Mizkif's House For His Birthday *Update*

I can show you my loose skin, I dont care, he said before getting up from his chair and lifting up his shirt. You can see that his skin sort of hangs around the front and sides; because it was stretched out for such a long time, it still retains its original shape even though the fat underneath is all gone. This leaves Greek with some unfortunate excess that is really hard to get rid of.

Greek can try and do some toning exercises to help, but the only real solution to getting rid of that much skin is surgery. However, surgery often leaves scars, so its a bit of a catch-22 situation.

Given how comfortable Greek seems to be in his body, it seems doubtful that hell go to the expense and risk of surgery. He really shouldnt have to anyway--his baggy skin is just a reminder of how far hes come in two years.

Source: Twitch

NEXT: The Wonderful 101 Will Get An Orchestral Score, Thanks To Twitch Revenue

Twitch Suspends Amouranth And ProjektMelody On The Same Day

Actually a collective of 6 hamsters piloting a human-shaped robot, Sean hails from Toronto, Canada. Passionate about gaming from a young age, those hamsters would probably have taken over the world by now if they didn't vastly prefer playing and writing about video games instead.The hamsters are so far into their long-con that they've managed to acquire a bachelor's degree from the University of Waterloo and used that to convince the fine editors at TheGamer that they can write "gud werds," when in reality they just have a very sophisticated spellchecker program installed in the robot's central processing unit.

Read more:
Greek Proudly Shows Off The Excessive Loose Skin From His Massive Weight Loss - TheGamer

HOLLY Hagan has showed off her 16lb weight-loss in skinny jeans and a black leather bra top for a night out in Manchester.

The former Geordie Star beauty headed to BLVD in the city on Saturday night and flashed her cleavage in the tiny top.

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She also showed onlookers her toned midriff, while her skinny jeans clung to her curves as she confidently stepped out.

The 27-year-old completed her look with a pair of clear strapped heels and a black designer handbag.

Holly recently revealed she had shed 16lb in just 12 weeks with some before and after pictures.

Holly wrote alongside them on her Instagram page: "Ive been so nervous to post these because this has been so much more than just looking thinner.

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"Im not saying 'go do this and youll get my body' Im simply showing my results from 12 weeks hard work at the gym.

"12 weeks, 16lb down and I can honestly say that @real_life_health_and_fitness has changed my life.

"I still have a long way to go and so many more fitness goals to hit but I feel confident that Ill get there."

Holly described her lifestyle at the beginning of the programme as "bad", admitting she had three takeaways a week and did no exercise.

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It affected her mental health and she was unable to sleep.

The transformation has been stark, with Holly now much stronger and healthier.

She said: "I cant believe I can now do full press-ups, lift heavy weights, and feel confident in any gym.

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"What shocked me the most is that Ive done all this eating CARBS! So many carbs!! Daily pancakes and Coco Pops, potatoes, rice EVERYTHING!

"Ive spent my entire life crash dieting, starving, binging, making myself ill when I didnt need to.

"I FINALLY feel in control."

Follow this link:
Holly Hagan shows off 16lb weight-loss in skinny jeans and black leather bra top for Manchester night out - The Irish Sun

Weight Loss: Want to get rid of that harmful belly fat? Read on to find out which cooking oil will help you in the same.

If you want to lose those extra pounds and especially dreaded belly fat that one should keep a check on the foodstuff and its intake.Foodstuff laden in saturated fats, refined carbs, and sugar is the major reason why you have a protruding belly. Diet is of the utmost importance when it comes to losing visceral (dangerous) belly fat. For the unversed, Visceral fat is a build-up of intra-abdominal adipose tissue. This type of fat sits around the major organs including the liver, pancreas and kidneys. If the fat levels go way higher than it can lead to many life-threatening diseases such as heart attacks and stroke.mSo, the first and foremost step should be reducing or stopping the intake of processed foods, alcohol, smoking among others.

Today we are talking about how one cooking oil can come to your rescue and it is none other than very healthy and versatile: coconut oil. For the uninitiated, coconut and its all forms including oil fall under the category of a superfood as they proffer several health benefits. The content of vital fatty acids in coconut oil may have positive effects on our body including fat loss, heart health, better functions of other organs. The oils can help you to even lose belly fat and overall excess weight too.

ALSO READ: Weight Loss: Ginger tea can help you to shed extra kilos; Find out how

MCT factor

Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) increases the number of calories your body burns. Another good part of MCT based oils is that they also significantly reduce the hunger pangs thus keeping us away from unwanted calories.MCT oil leads to weight loss as the same leads to increased energy expenditure and lipid oxidation.

Increases good cholesterol

Coconut oil has natural saturated fats that increase HDL (good) cholesterol levels in the body and it may reduce the LDL (bad) cholesterol levels as well. And the same indirectly leads to fat loss.

Bottom line

Aside from including coconut oil in the diet, one should have a healthy and well-balanced diet and complement the same with at least 30 minutes of physical activity in order to bid bye to belly fat. One should also note that coconut oil like all fats is also high in calories. So, use it in small amounts and keep track of your calorie intake.

Note: Consult with your physician before you start including coconut oil in your diet.

Go here to read the rest:
Weight Loss: THIS cooking oil will help you to get rid of harmful belly fat - PINKVILLA

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Is intermittent fasting for weight loss safe? What are the risks of short-term diets that are very low-calorie?

ANSWER: Recent research has found that using intermittent fasting for weight loss may have some benefits in the short term. But at this point, the long-term effects of this type of diet or other diets that severely restrict calories are not known. To lose weight and keep it off, the best strategy is to adopt healthy eating and exercise habits that you enjoy so you can stick with them over time.

Intermittent fasting currently is a popular trend in dieting. There are several fasting methods people employ for weight loss. Some dieters decrease the amount of time they eat each day to, for example, only six hours in a 24-hour period. Others fast every other day. Another approach is called the 5:2 diet, which involves gradually decreasing daily calories to the point that youre only consuming 500 calories a day for two days each week.

A recently published article assessed a variety of research on intermittent fasting. It found that there are some benefits, at least in the short term, to fasting as opposed to just decreasing calories overall. It appears that fasting for a short time can produce ketosis a process that occurs when the body doesnt have enough sugar for energy, so it breaks down stored fat instead, causing an increase in substances called ketones.

Fasting also affects metabolic processes in the body. These processes trigger a number of responses, including decreased inflammation, improved blood sugar regulation and better response to physical stress. The research shows intermittent fasting could have other health benefits, as well, but more study is needed.

It is crucial to note, however, that little long-term research has been done on intermittent fasting to examine how it affects people over time. So at this point, its unclear if there are any long-term health benefits or risks related to this diet technique. We do know that there are risks involved with certain types of intermittent fasting.

For example, a technique called dry fasting that includes restricting fluid intake as well as food intake is dangerous because it can cause severe dehydration and pose serious health concerns. And if you take caloric restriction too far, that can lead to malnutrition. As you consider weight loss and diets, keep in mind that no one approach works for everyone. But there are some basic principles that you should follow as you decide how to best achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

At its core, your diet should support your health overall. There are a variety of diets that can do that, including the Mediterranean diet; the vegetarian diet; the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH diet; and the Mayo Clinic diet. All of these diets have similarities that are greater than their differences. They are based on real food and focus mainly on plant products, such as fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, and healthy fats like olive oil.

In addition, as you incorporate a new diet into your life, it needs to be practical, so that you can sustain it over time. If it is drudgery, or if you feel like youre suffering, it wont work in the long run. Eventually, youre likely to slide back into old habits. If youre considering a new approach to your diet especially if its something that could be risky if you dont do it correctly, like intermittent fasting talk to your health care provider first for guidance on how you can manage it in a healthy way. Keep in mind, too, that choosing to adopt healthy lifestyle choices can and should be an enjoyable way to live.

Link:
Mayo Clinic Q and A: Long-term benefits and risks of intermittent fasting aren't yet known - Greater Milwaukee Today

This is absolutely true. A good fitness program can really help you lose weight. Exercise and fitness are among the best tools and steroids for mass someone can utilize not only to lose weight but also manage to keep the weight off. Of course in order to achieve weight loss with exercise and fitness you need to follow some simple weight loss tips that can help you use them efficiently. In this post we will outline the 3 most important weight loss exercise tips.

First you need to make sure that you find an exercise and fitness program that you like.

This is important because if you try to follow a program that you do not like very soon you will get bored and quit. This will not only destroy your weight loss efforts but it will also make you reluctant to take another shot and eventually this will decrease your confidence in trying to lose weight. On the contrary, if you follow a fitness and exercise program that you like and enjoy, this will give you courage and strength to work hard until you achieve your weight loss goals.

Second, you need to choose a fitness program that is realistic for your physical capabilities.

A lot of programs can bring good weight loss results but there are some programs suited for advanced users and require a lot of effort and stamina. If you are new to exercise and fitness you should choose a program that is suitable for beginners. This will be easier for you to follow and also you protect your self and health from unpredictable results. When starting with fitness for the first time you should not push your self too hard because this may be the cause of other more serious health problems. Start easy at the beginning and gradually get into more intense and hard training programs.

Third, it is necessary that you create your own personalized weight loss plan.

The plan will help you keep track of your weight loss progress and also it will be your reference point. For example if you need to lose 20 pounds the first thing you need to do is to create your weight loss plan. In the plan you will have 5 milestones spread over a period of 3 months each. Your weight loss goals will be to lose 4 pounds every 3 months. In other words you will have to adjust your diet and your exercise and fitness program so that you lose about 1.3 pounds per month. This is a very realistic amount of pounds to lose and having the plan will help you concentrate on each milestone separately. This is a much better and easier approach than having in your mind that you need to lose 20 pounds. You need to know in advance that weight loss takes a lot of time and needs a lot of effort and hard work.

Verdict

The only way to achieve fast weight loss results that will last for a long time is through exercise and fitness. Exercise will help increase your metabolism, which is responsible on how fast or slow your body can lose weight. The more your exercise the better will be the results. Last but not least exercise and fitness have a lot more to offer to your overall health than just weight loss.

Read the original post:
A Good Fitness Program Is Always Among The Best Weight Loss Tips - California Herald

Nowadays, there are many diets people use and try to get fit and stay healthy. There are diets to help lose weight, manage weight, control eating habits, and more. In addition to those diets, there is also a diet that is for the heart. We all know that staying healthy for your heart can be difficult with fast foods, sweets, and anything high in calories. New research through the National Institutes of Health the Dash Diet is a diet plan for the heart. The Dash Diet is a plan that helps with high blood pressure.

This diet was named one of thebest diets in the United States, but what makes it so different than other diets and has the stigma on diets changed in recent years? I spoke two dietitians Megan Kober (MK) and Deanna Dahlinger (DD), about the ins and outs of the Dash Diet and dieting.

Megan Kober: The Dash Diet stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. Its a diet thats been around for MANY years and it was developed to help people lower blood pressure without medication. Its primary guidelines include reducing sodium and fat and increasing foods rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium. This is not meant to be a weight loss diet.

Deanna Dahlinger: The DASH diet was not designed to be a weight loss solution, but I often see clients lose weight along the way. This could be because we are restructuring their diet and creating new healthy eating habits.

MK: The DASH diet is used by medical professionals everywhere to help patients drop their blood pressure, but in my opinion, the guidelines are outdated. One of the most significant contributors to high blood pressure is high blood sugar and insulin resistance which is often caused by the overconsumption of carbs. However, it IS vitally important to increase potassium, calcium, and magnesium in your diet. I would also agree with the DASH diet than dairy is important for calcium and K2.

DD: As a dietitian, I believe the DASH diet is a great starting point for clients not only to contest hypertension but to structure an overall healthy diet. Since every person is unique, from their genetic makeup, lifestyle habits, and environmental exposure, this diet only scratches the surface with how much of an impact our nutrition can have on the prevention and treatment of chronic disease and reaching optimal weight goals.

Of course, finding and transitioning to another diet that is right for you can be difficult but do you wonder if another diet will work? Has the stigma on dieting altered?

MK: Most diets work, at least in the short term. The key phrase here is SHORT TERM. The most popular way to try to lose weight is to remain in a calorie deficit this means eating less calories and/or exercising to burn more calories. I like my clients to focus on increasing their metabolism, not decreasing their calories. So, eating in a way that turns off hunger hormones and keeps your body in fat-burning mode. The easiest way to do this is to simply make sure youre eating protein, healthy fat, and fiber at every meal. Not only have I seen initial weight loss success with this, but Ive seen long term success.

DD: First, eat REAL food. Focus on whole foods made from real ingredients. Second, dont look at what you need to take away from your diet, instead focus on what you can ADD IN. When youre ready to take things a step further, work with a Registered Dietitian who can work with you to create an individualized, maintainable approach to help you reach your nutrition goals.

MK: As far as influencers on social media who are promoting weight loss check their credentials. Is it a registered dietitian with 5+ years of nutrition education? Or is it a personal trainer with 0 seconds of nutrition education? Or is it an Instagram model that is getting paid to promote a certain product or diet? Final note fat burners dont work, ever, no matter what IG tells you!

DD: Many diet trends and fads seem so glamorous from the outside, promising instant weight loss or whatever outrageous claim its attempting to make. But, lets remember:

Read the original here:
The Ins and Outs of the Dash Diet and Dieting - Grit Daily

A pipe fitter lost almost 11 stone in under a year after receiving a bizarre wake up call - when he became wedged between floorboards while on the job.

Daniel Mann, 32, from Halifax, tipped the scales at more than 24 stone when he got stuck going from one floor to another while fitting pipes in a Victorian property.

A comical picture shows the dad-of-two completely unable to move and howling with laughter at the extraordinary predicament he landed himself in.

His co-workers were doubled over in hysterics for 20 minutes before they finally helped him out - but only because it was the end of the day and they wanted to go home.

One colleague pulled Daniel's arms from the ground floor while another, who had gone down ahead of him, pushed from the bottom before he finally popped out.

Daniel said: "I saw my mate go down and I thought, 'oh I'll be alright', but then I just got wedged - I couldn't get out.

"I called for help and when they saw me they just burst out laughing, they couldn't believe what I had done.

"Even though I could see the funny side and started laughing I was actually really embarrassed.

"It made me think about what kind of size I had got to and that something really needed to be done."

Just weeks later, in April 2019, Daniel and his wife Deborah, a 31-year-old office administrator, joined Slimming World and embarked on an epic weight loss journey.

Daniel said: "I was a bit apprehensive at the start because I'd always associated it with the kind of thing women do.

"But after getting there and meeting everyone I immediately felt included and knew that I had made the right decision."

Before turning his life around Daniel would regularly eat fast food like pizza and fish and chips, adding that he'd often have two dinners in the evening.

He said: "I used to get the biggest butty you could think of at lunch times - bacon, sausage, cheese, black pudding, you name it. They would be massive."

However, with the support of Deborah, along with that of their children, Harry, six, and three-year-old Rosie, Daniel adopted an entirely new, healthy and balanced diet.

His daily food intake includes overnight oats for breakfast, salad for lunch and Slimming World recipes for spaghetti bolognaise, and stew for dinner.

At his first Slimming World meeting, the 32-year-old weighed in at 24st 8lbs and a size 44 waist. Now, barely nine months later, he is down to 15st 5lbs and a slimline 34 waist.

He has admitted he took some stick from his mates at work before they saw how much weight he was losing on his diet.

He said: "The lads did take the mick out of me at first, they knew my old eating habits and they didn't think I'd be able to stick at the diet.

"They'd keep asking me, 'what's that you're eating, rabbit food?' They'd keep asking if I wanted a butty, because they knew I liked them.

"But they've all seen the weight loss and that I stuck at it - they can't believe it. The jokes have stopped and they know I have done well, they respect me for it.

"One of the lads has even joined Slimming World because he was so inspired by my success. He asked me for advice and said he wasn't quite sure whether it was for him, but I told him to just go. Don't be scared, just go and do it.

"He's lost two stone since September."

Deborah, who has slimmed down from 14 stone 11lbs to 12 stone 4lbs on the diet with Daniel, described him as 'inspirational'.

She said: "I wanted to get down to the weight I was on our wedding day after gaining weight while pregnant with our daughter.

"I feel so much healthier and happier. I'm fitting back into my smaller clothes and my friends and family are always complimenting me on my weight loss.

"Losing weight together was so much easier than trying to lose it on my own.

"Daniel is so inspirational with his weight loss and he keeps me on track. I couldn't have done it without him."

The dad-of-two has also admitted he lost the weight, in part, for his own father, Stephen, who sadly died from cancer last year aged 68.

He said: "My dad was very straight-talking and he told me very directly that I needed to sort myself out and get rid of the weight."

Daniel received the motivational words after his dad had been told he would die from the disease, and says his dad's passing in June last year gave him extra impetus to succeed.

He said: "I just wanted to prove to my dad that I could do it and make him proud.

"Luckily he got to see I was on the right path before he passed away in June last year."

Daniel's Slimming World Consultant, Tamina Oates, has paid tribute to him, adding she's "incredibly proud" to have him in her group.

She said: "To watch and share the weight loss journey he is having is a privilege.

As part of our expansion across Yorkshire we have set up a dedicated Facebook group for Huddersfield news.

We will keep you updated with what is happening in the town.

If you want to join head to the page by clicking here

"He is so inspirational and often pops into one of my other groups when he can't make his own, which the members love as they are all following him on our Facebook page and awaiting his weekly updates.

"He and his lovely wife, Deborah are Slimming World members and the changes I have seen for both of them are just amazing.

"He has a motto of 'plan, prep and achieve' and he is the living proof of the life that can be enjoyed with a healthy eating lifestyle."

Despite his astounding success to this point, Daniel's end goal is to get down to 14 stone.

View post:
Pipe fitter weighing 24 stone became wedged between floorboards - and he knew it was time to act - ExaminerLive

THE ISSUE

The United States, including Pennsylvania, began to wrestle last week in earnest with the effects of COVID-19, the disease caused by a novel coronavirus. On Wednesday, the World Health Organization labeled the spread of COVID-19 a pandemic, because the outbreak had spread to every inhabited continent. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency Friday.

Its hard not to be crushed by the weight of events relating to COVID-19.

The rising case numbers in Pennsylvania and the United States.

The rising death toll.

Less seriously, but still significantly, were also dealing with the loss of the unifying events that distract us from sadness in difficult times: college and professional sports, spring training baseball, Broadway shows, new movies.

With coronavirus cases spreading across the United States and the number of patients in Penn

There will be no March Madness brackets shared in workplaces this spring, because there will be no March Madness. And some workplaces will empty of employees, sent home to work remotely.

What we have is the madness of uncertainty.

Were uncertain of the true number of U.S. cases because the Trump administration failed to adequately prepare for this crisis by ensuring there would be an adequate number of test kits.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, told PBS NewsHour that testing efforts in other countries far outpace those in the United States. We are not testing at a rate thats necessary to really understand the community spread of this virus, Adalja said.

Were washing our hands frequently. Were coughing into our elbows. Were greeting one another with waves instead of handshakes. Were watching carefully for the symptoms of COVID-19: fever, cough and shortness of breath.

Coronavirus continues to spread in Pennsylvania and the United States, and as state Departme

But some of us, as LNP | LancasterOnline reported last week, are panic-buying toilet paper, paper towels and disinfecting wipes, stripping store shelves bare.

Some of us are missing time with loved ones who reside in nursing homes that have closed their doors to visitors.

It can be painful, but social distancing is essential, and must be practiced by young, healthy people, too, to protect older folks and those with underlying medical issues that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19.

So we hope everyone heeds Gov. Tom Wolf, who last week urged the statewide suspension of large gatherings, events, conferences of 250 individuals or more, and cautioned against nonessential travel and visits to gyms, movie theaters and shopping malls.

Remember social distancing is a tremendous act of generosity and solidarity, Yale School of Medicine epidemiologist Gregg Gonsalves tweeted Wednesday. Many of us will not get sick, but social distancing breaks the chain of infection between us and those at high risk of severe complications and death.

Its imperative that we break the chain.

In Lancaster County, where there is no public health department to help organize the response to this coronavirus, the county commissioners held a news conference Thursday.

The doctors present offered some excellent information. But otherwise the news conference accomplished little.

Joshua Parsons, chair of the county commissioners, said Lancaster County is prepared to issue a disaster declaration for COVID-19 if we have to.

Said Parsons: We certainly hope we dont have to do things as serious as that.

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At the time, Lancaster County didnt have a COVID-19 case. But neither did Berks County when it declared an emergency last week.

In any kind of situation like this, time is of the essence, explained Ron Seaman, the Berks County chief administrative officer, according to the Reading Eagle. And acting sooner rather than later is always beneficial.

Such declarations enable county officials to mobilize resources in streamlined ways.

At the same hour the Lancaster County news conference was taking place, Gov. Wolf and state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine were offering updates about the worsening situation in Montgomery County, where most of the states COVID-19 cases are clustered.

Berks County adjoins Montgomery County. And Lancaster County adjoins Berks. Only one of these counties ours had not declared an emergency as of this sections press deadline Friday.

Wisely, the governor ordered all public schools to close for two weeks (and waived the 180-day requirement for schools). The closures may cause headaches for parents, but extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.

Please take note, commissioners.

There may not be any known remedies for COVID-19, but there are remedies for our anxiety about it, and they include reaching out to others even if by phone to see if they need help.

We have great faith in Lancaster County residents. We are certain they will check on older folks in their neighborhoods to see if they need help running errands. We look forward to reading, in future letters to the editor, about the many acts of kindness that lightened these strange, dark days.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has a guide to help households prepare

Consider, too, this prescription, tweeted Thursday by the British actor Stephen Fry: OK. Until this thing is over weve all got to be helpful, friendly and kind to each other, understood? Hatchets buried. Grievances forgotten. Disputes resolved. Feuds ended. Strangers smiled at. When the final whistle is blown we can go back to be being mean and beastly. Agreed?

Agreed. Except for the beastly part. Were hoping this weird, worrying time reminds us of whats really important. And that meanness wont make the cut.

There are two tangible things we can do to help limit personal contact.

One, and this is major, we can complete the census by phone, mail or online, so census workers wont later need to visit our homes to ensure our participation.

The census the constitutionally mandated official count of every person living in the United States got underway Thursday.

Its vital that every Lancaster County resident be counted in the census. That count will determine the number of seats our state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. And it will determine how much federal funding Lancaster County receives for education, public infrastructure improvements, health and human services, and nonprofits that benefit the community.

If you drive on roads, if you have ever crossed a bridge in this county, if youre in an area thats covered by fire service, if you have ever been to a library, the census will affect you and the services that you receive, the Lancaster County Planning Commissions Emma Hamme told the LNP | LancasterOnline Editorial Board last Monday.

So, if you have internet access, complete your census form, after receiving your form in the mail, at my2020census.gov. Or call: 844-330-2020.

Heres how else we can help on the social distancing effort: by applying to vote by mail in the April 28 primary.

We have until 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 21, to apply for a mail-in ballot. Apply online at votespa.com/applymailballot.

Completed mail-in ballots must be received by the Lancaster County Board of Elections by 8 p.m. Election Day.

We can get through this together as long as keep a protective distance from one another.

Originally posted here:
As COVID-19 upends US life, we may need to stay safely apart but we're still in this together - LancasterOnline