As a Registered Dietitian who has successfully lost 30 pounds and maintained it for five years, I can tell you firsthand that the dieting part of weight loss isnt the hard part. Its what happens after the diet is over that is the true struggle. The maintenance phase that comes post-diet requires a delicate balance of maintaining your healthy habits while also incorporating more decadent foods in moderation. Praised by fitness moguls such as Kim Kardashians trainer Melissa Alcantara, reverse dieting is touted as the diet after the diet solution.

Reverse dieting is popular in the fitness competition world, as many bikini body pros start reverse dieting after a competition. These physique athletes often excessively restrict food prior to competition, and post-competition end up facing rapid weight gain since they have difficulty easing back into a normal diet. Reverse dieting provides a solution for these individuals and involves a very gradual yet controlled increase in daily caloric intake after a prolonged period of restriction. Typically, reverse dieters will increase their calories by 50-100 calories per week for about 1-3 month, or until they reach their target or pre-diet intake.

Although there is very limited research on reverse dieting, proponents of this diet trend suggest that the small caloric surplus can help recover your metabolic rate without rapid fat gain. Many claim that reverse dieting can also reduce the risk of binge eating after prolonged caloric restriction, so theoretically it may help ease individuals back into a normal diet. However, there is no current research to support that reverse dieting will help you lose weight.

The bottom line: Making gradual changes is key with anything, and it does take your body time to adapt to change. The problem with reverse dieting is the prior restriction period that gets you to try reverse dieting in the first place. Approach weight loss in a sustainable manner and utilize small caloric deficits daily. The goal with any diet or change in your eating pattern should be for it to turn into a lifestyle and not something that warrants a diet after the diet. Eat intuitively, listen to your body, and stay active to keep your metabolic rate high.

Read the original post:
What Is Reverse Dieting and Can It Help You Lose Weight? - GoodHousekeeping.com

Chloe Hilliards F*ck Your Diet and Other Things My Thighs Tell Me is not about a diet.

Certainly, eating and dress size play a significant role throughout Hilliards memoir, but, more centrally, F*ck Your Diet is about race, love, societal standards (read: societal misdemeanors), and growing up. Food is simply the thread that unites skin color with sex and prepubescence with passive-aggressive office culture.

Hilliard is a comedian, writer, and media personality. In the past, she has written for publications including The Village Voice, The Best American Essays: 2009, and The Source, and she has performed standup comedy on NBCs Last Comic Standing, Comedy Centrals The Nightly Show, and MTVs Acting Out, among others.

F*ck Your Diet is Hilliards debut book, and as such, it is a tour-de-force. It progresses chronologically, beginning with Hilliards childhood in a Hasidic neighborhood of Brooklyn and ending with an acceptance of what she is not and will never be: Im no food guru, life coach, or empowerment princess. It covers her childhood as the bullied overweight kid on the playground, her basketball-dominated adolescence, her stint in corporate journalism, and her transition at once into her self-created career and her own skin.

What makes F*ck Your Diet so pleasant to read is Hilliards omnipresent, tongue-in-cheek humor. That Hilliard moonlights as a comedian (or perhaps moonlights as a writer) is self-evident. Seldom does Hilliard address topics in her novel that are not serious institutionalized racism, sexism, and the prevalence of body-shaming culture in the United States are not necessarily fodder for jokes, unless done with adroit skill. But Hilliard picks this exact skill neatly out of her sleeve time and time again. During high school, when Hilliard developed anorexia, she describes the time she fainted on the subway: The only time I knew black women to faint was at funerals and when the Holy Ghost hit them. Otherwise, fainting was reserved for petite white women in movies when they got bad news. Shortly after losing her virginity to an emotionally stunted boy who, in the midst of the encounter, promptly told her, Look, its gonna hurt, she describes a discussion they had about green card marriage. Bruh, slow you roll, Hilliard writes. Being a child bride was not in my cards.

Hilliards sense of humor is, in fact, what makes so many somber subjects palatable in a single, 300-page book. Memoirs, even when done successfully and a successful memoir is a rare find indeed are often the result of sorrow and pain. The seminal classics, important and moving as they are Jeannette Wallss The Glass Castle, Maya Angelous I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and Joan Didions The Year of Magical Thinking, among others frequently deal with tears, not laughter, and if they do involve the latter, they do so sparingly.

However, Hilliard accesses the gravity of everyday life with levity. When writing about her stint at the short-lived Lifetime magazine, where she experienced incessant microaggressions and systemic racism, she cracks a joke about the problem of speaking with a deep voice on the phone. Sound happy and less black, got it, Hilliard says. Damsels in distress never have bass in their voice. If Britney Spears spoke with more bass, wed all expect her to have her life together. But, alas, she talks like shes still in the Mickey Mouse Club.

Most powerful, though, is how Hilliard speaks about self-acceptance and the love of her own body. The shaming of women is a popular topic of conversation in the 21st century, particularly in the post-#MeToo era, but its also a deeply necessary one. Hilliard fully rants about how a womans value is determined by a set of draconian standards better suited to accommodate the male ego than the womans emotion and physical needs The berating continues until its drilled into the subconscious.

The party line at the heart of F*ck Your Diet is, admittedly, a little trite and more than a little overdone. Love yourself is plastered over half of every HomeGoods and three-quarters of most Pinterest discover pages. F*ck Your Diet is not particularly inventive, or riveting, or groundbreaking.

But it is funny, and even if its message has been said time and time again, it is still critical to the growth of women in a society that rarely accepts them as such, choosing instead to label them as girls because girls are far easier to understand. One of the final lines of F*ck Your Diet, in a section in which Hilliard outlines what she hopes her readers learned, is also one of its best: Ive given you reason to reexamine the things you thought made you undesirable or unworthy.

Staff writer Emerson J. Monks can be reached at emerson.monks@thecrimson.com.

Go here to see the original:
'F*ck Your Diet' Uses Levity to Talk About the Difficult Things | Arts - Harvard Crimson

Researchers at Columbia University's Irving Medical Center analyzed the associations between measures of sleep quality and the dietary patterns of women who were part of a year-long study program called AHA Go Red for Women. The program studied sleep patterns and cardiovascular risk in women.

Previous research has suggested that getting a less than ideal amount of sleep is an independent and strong risk factor for obesity in all ages.

The study highlights the importance of a healthy diet, especially as obesity rates are at an all-time high and only expected to increase.

The participants included nearly 500 ethnically diverse women, aged 20-76. They self-reported their sleeping and eating habits using questionnaires. They were asked how frequently each item was consumed over the past year as well as their portion sizes.

Over one-third of the women studied had poor sleep quality or some level of insomnia. Nearly 30% slept less than seven hours per night and almost 25% slept less than seven hours per night but also struggled with insomnia. The average sleep time among all the women was less than seven hours.

Overall, women who didn't sleep well or didn't sleep enough consumed an additional 500 to 800 calories on average. They exceeded recommendations for total and saturated fat intakes, as well as added sugars and caffeine, but failed to meet recommendations for whole grains and fiber.

Women who took longer to fall asleep had higher calorie intake and ate more food by weight. The women with more severe insomnia symptoms consumed more food by weight and fewer unsaturated fats than those with milder insomnia.

These findings build upon the wellestablished link between sleep duration and diet by demonstrating that quality of sleep is also related to overall caloric intake and the amount and types of food consumed. Importantly, this is one of the earliest observations of associations of overall sleep quality, sleeponset latency, and insomnia with diet quality in women across a broad range of ages and race/ethnicities, thereby extending findings of a sleepdiet relation previously demonstrated in populations differing in characteristics such as age and sex. By showing that poor sleep quality can be linked to overeating and poor diet quality in women, this study provides insight into a potential mechanism underlying the relationship between sleep quality and cardiometabolic health in a population at increased risk for sleep disturbances and prone to CVD, the report noted.

The researchers also pointed out that consuming too much food can cause gastrointestinal discomfort, which can make it harder to fall or remain asleep, as a possible explanation.

Foods high in added sugars and unhealthy fats are linked to health conditions and diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

"Our study really highlights the importance of good, quality sleep for the management of body weight as well as potentially preventing heart disease among women, said Dr. Brooke Aggarwal, senior author of the study and assistant professor of medical sciences at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

"Our interpretation is that women with poor quality sleep could be overeating during subsequent meals and making more unhealthy food choices.

One reason that a lack of quality sleep might lead to overeating is because it's believed to stimulate hunger, and/or suppress hormone signals that communicate fullness, the study said.

"It's previously been shown that when we are sleep deprived, or we don't get good quality sleep, our hormones can actually stimulate hunger," Aggarwal said."The ones that regulate suppression of hunger and fullness and satiety can be off balance."

The reports concluded, Poor sleep quality was associated with greater food intake and lowerquality diet, which can increase cardiovascular disease risk. Future studies should test whether promoting sleep quality could augment efforts to improve cardiometabolic health in women.

Source: Journal of the American Heart Association

2020;9:e014587 17 Feb 2020 https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA

Measures of Poor Sleep Quality Are Associated With Higher Energy Intake and Poor Diet Quality in a Diverse Sample of Women From the Go Red for Women Strategically Focused Research Network

Authors: F. Zuraikat et al.

Read the original post:
The connection between poor sleep and unhealthy diet: Study - NutraIngredients-usa.com

A fruit diet mostly consists of raw fruits. A person who follows this diet may call themselves a fruitarian.

In this article, we look at what people consider a fruit diet to be, the different types, and the potential benefits and risks.

A fruit diet is a vegan diet made up mostly of raw fruits. People who follow this diet may also eat some vegetables, seeds, and nuts, but they usually eat only raw foods and avoid grains.

While there is no strict definition of a fruit diet, people who follow it tend to consume 7080% of their daily calories from fruits.

A fruitarian diet may include plenty of fruits commonly considered to be vegetables, such as:

There is no limit to the amount of fruit that a fruitarian can eat most people tend to eat as much as satisfies their hunger.

A fruitarian diet is very restrictive, excluding a lot of food groups. It does not include the range of nutrients that the body needs for optimal health.

A fruit diet is also high in sugar, which may lead to a number of health problems.

The body cannot absorb the nutrients that it needs from fruit alone. Anyone following a fruit diet may be missing out on vital nutrients, including:

These nutrients play crucial roles in the functioning of the body. Consuming too few of these nutrients can lead to health problems, such as:

A lack of protein is one of the main risks of a fruitarian diet. Although a person following the diet may eat some nuts and seeds, these may not contribute sufficient amounts of protein to maintain health.

According to a 2016 article in the journal Food & Function, these are the recommended dietary allowances for protein in adults:

A lack of protein can cause a number of health problems, including:

Fruits naturally contain sugar, called fructose, and some have more sugar than others.

A type of fruit with more sugar ranks higher on the glycemic index (GI), a scale that measures how quickly specific foods cause blood sugar levels to rise.

Fruits with higher GI values include:

Fruits with lower GI values have slightly smaller effects on blood sugar. Some of these fruits include:

Regardless of their GI values, all fruits raise blood sugar because they contain carbohydrates.

Focusing on portion size and following a balanced diet are two important ways to keep blood sugar levels stable. This can be difficult for people on a fruit diet.

Controlling blood sugar levels is vital for overall health and especially important for people with diabetes. A fruit-based diet is likely not a good choice for people with unstable blood sugar levels.

To prevent spikes in blood sugar, it is also a good idea to avoiding drinking a lot of fruit juice.

Fruits contain acids, including fructic and citric acids. If a person does not have a good oral hygiene routine, some fruits and fruit products may dissolve tooth enamel, leading to tooth decay over time.

Certain fruits are particularly acidic, such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and limes. Juices from these and similar fruits are also especially acidic.

Drinking 100% fruit juice may increase the risk of developing cavities, according to some research.

Rinsing with water after eating acidic fruits can help prevent dental erosion. Overall, however, following a fruit-based diet likely exposes the teeth to more acid than a more inclusive diet would.

People can help reduce their risk of tooth decay by:

A person may follow a fruit diet for a variety of reasons. On social media sites and blogs, people seem to be motivated by the following goals:

Fruits are an excellent source of antioxidants and vitamins including vitamins that are lacking in a standard American diet.

Many fruits contain high levels of:

Fruits are naturally low in calories. If a person switches from a standard diet to a fruit diet, they may reduce their caloric intake and lose weight.

Fruits are also an excellent source of dietary fiber. According to the Department of Agriculture, many people in the United States do not eat enough fiber. It is an essential part of any diet and can help:

Fruit juices, however, contain little to no fiber.

It is important to note that despite its fiber and vitamin contents a fruit diet does not provide the range of nutrients that the body needs to function well.

A person can often acquire the benefits of a fruit diet by following a less restrictive diet that is still rich in produce, including fruit.

There are different types of fruit diet, and some are more restrictive than others.

Some people on a fruitarian diet only eat what drops from the tree or plant, to avoid picking or harvesting. The goal is to refrain from doing anything that would harm the plant.

Other people avoid grains, nuts, and seeds because of beliefs about what is natural for a human to eat.

Some fruitarians eat only raw fruit before a certain time, such as noon or a point in the evening, after which they will introduce other foods.

Others take a more flexible approach and may eat small amounts of the following throughout the day:

Overall, fruit-based diets are extremely restrictive and do not provide key nutrients.

Also, for some people, following very restrictive diets contributes to an unhealthy relationship with food.

A person can often benefit from following a less restrictive diet that still includes plenty of fruits and vegetables and few, if any, processed foods.

A fruit diet mostly consists of raw fruit. Some people also eat small amounts of nuts, seeds, vegetables, and grains.

Fruit is an excellent source of vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. Eating a diet made up mostly of fruit, however, can result in nutrient deficiencies and serious health problems.

A fruit diet is low in protein, for example, and it can lead to spikes in blood sugar. For this reason, a fruitarian diet is not suitable for a person with diabetes.

Anyone who is considering a fruit diet should consult a doctor first. Most healthcare professionals will not recommend a fruit diet for the long term because it does not contain the range of nutrients that the body needs.

Read more:
Fruit diet: Risks, benefits, and types - Medical News Today

From a bulky 108kg to 56kg, Jen Atkin went on to win the Miss Great Britain 2020. Picture via Instagram/ jenatkinuk

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 A 26-year-old changed her diet,changed her diet and said goodbye to a sedentary lifestyle after being dumped by her ex-fiance.

Jen Atkin, an aviation administrator from Ulceby, England dropped over 52kg in weight, went on to win Miss Scunthorpe then Miss England 2018 runner-up before coming back from a pageant hiatus to get married to be crowned Miss Great Britain 2020.

Eating better now, Atkin told Bored Panda that she didnt follow a set diet.

I eat so much better, I dont follow a diet but I think about what I eat so much more. I still enjoy meals out but dont binge like I used to!"

"I go to the gym five times a week now and I love it, its become a staple part of my life and has helped me in so many ways.

It took her two years to drop her weight from around 108kg to 56kg.

This years Miss Great Britain which supported the organisation Cancer Research UK and Alexs Wish which raises awareness about Duchenne muscular dystrophy), raised more than RM228,000 for the worthwhile causes.

If you want to follow Atkin's footsteps but find yourselves without energy or motivation, she said its all about consistency and small steps.

My biggest advice would be to take every day as it comes.

Imagine where you could be in three months time and just keep chipping away! Consistency is key and its a lifestyle change!

Read this article:
English woman drops 50kg after a change in diet, hitting the gym goes on to win Miss Great Britain - Malay Mail

There's always some new diet fighting for the spotlight, but with its Mediterranean-style roots and emphasis on plant-based foods, the pescatarian diet is likely here to stay. Still not sure what it is exactly? Pescatarians follow what's essentially a vegetarian diet focused on vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds but with the addition of fish and seafood for a bit of animal-based protein.

The pescatarian diet is high in fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and healthy fats. According to Brigitte Zeitlin, RD, MPH, owner of BZ Nutrition in New York City, including fish in an otherwise vegetarian diet also adds in vitamin B12, which is only found naturally in animal proteins. Strict vegetarians are frequently B12-deficient.

"B12 deficiency can lead to anemia and fatigue, osteoporosis, macular degeneration, irritability, and anxiety," Brigitte told POPSUGAR. "Including fish can help prevent all these things and still work to meet your health goals of lowering the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses. The pescatarian diet can also help you maintain a healthy weight, since it focuses on fresh produce and only includes the leanest sources of animal protein: fish and seafood." Keep reading to find out exactly how to fill your plate.

See the original post here:
Thinking of Going Pescatarian? These 5 Food Groups Are Essential, According to a Dietitian - POPSUGAR