I met my best friend online. These days our most frequent hangouts involve hours of (re)watching Greys Anatomy and eating pizza, so the origin of our friendship still amuses me. We met not on an app designed to match would-be friends but in a Facebook group for women who wanted to get fit.

New to running and desperate for accountability and encouragement, I stumbled across the local healthy living Facebook group in 2013 while training for a half-marathon. I was pleased to find a group of like-minded women supporting each other toward various fitness and weight goals.

Looking back, though, Ive realized that the collective motivation seemed to be weight loss leads to happiness. Most members followed a restrictive eating plan and talked endlessly about which foods were good or bad. Keen to fit in, I tracked and photographed every morsel of food I ate.

When I posted about weight losses, I was congratulated so enthusiastically that youd think Id found the cure for cancer. I found the compliments intoxicating and hoped that the smaller my body got, the happier Id become. But instead of feeling joyful, all I felt was hungry and tired from overtraining on a restricted diet.

I checked in with the group several times a day for over a year and found myself gravitating toward a woman named Lynsey, who had a dry wit and self-deprecating humor. I loved chatting with her online, and we quickly exchanged numbers, making plans to meet IRL.

I felt like Id known her for years. We went for coffee, and I asked why she was in the group.

I need to lose weight. You?

Same.

Are you tired of constantly being on a diet?

Exhausted.

We talked for hours about the weight-related bullying wed both endured as kids and how much of our self-worth was dictated by our weight. We both used humor as a defense mechanism and would frequently make insults about our own bodies for a cheap laugh. This coping mechanism began to bother me a little bit until it was too much, and suddenly I felt the urge to completely unburden myself.

I feel bad about myself every time I log on to the group. The words poured out. Everyone goes on about good and bad food, and I hate that message. Were all trying to make ourselves smaller, but no one seems to be happy, no matter how much weight they lose, and Im sick of it.

As soon as Id said the words, I felt like Id broken an unwritten rule. But instead of looking shocked, Lynsey seemed relieved.

I feel bad every time I log on too, she said. Im actually thinking about leaving.

The relief that we felt the same way was palpable, and within a week we had both left the Facebook group.

But then we needed a new hobby to replace obsessing over weight.

A few months earlier, Id taken up cross-stitch partly to help relieve anxiety and partly to distract myself when I was hungry. Something about repeatedly stabbing fabric helped me unwind after a stressful day, and Id stocked up on some patterns from Subversive Cross Stitch, which appealed to my snarky sense of humor.

When Lynsey asked how I was passing the time without the Facebook group, I showed her a picture of the stitching project I was working on. I thought shed mock my fondness for granny crafting, but instead she screamed, Teach me how to do that!

Im far too impatient for teaching, so I sent her some YouTube tutorial links and a list of my favorite Etsy shops for patterns. Lynsey caught the stitching bug and began to fill her home with homemade slogans in cute frames.

The time and headspace wed devoted to losing weight were now occupied by our new skill. Instead of sharing photos of what wed eaten, wed share pictures of the stitching projects we were working on. We even joined a new Facebook group but this one is full of stitchers who make expletive-laden art!

Inside was a frame containing a stitched message. It read: RIOTS, NOT DIETS. The gesture and message were so spot-on, I immediately burst into tears.

Although wed met in a healthy living space, the healthiest decision we both made was leaving that group. Theres a wholesome joy in working parallel with your closest friend toward a goal that has nothing to do with weight.

Even though Lynsey is turning into a better stitcher than I am, I love watching her stitching projects take shape and adore making her little holiday gifts to show her how much I care. We dont spend nearly enough time together, but if I ever feel lonely, I just need to look at my collection of handmade gifts and know I am loved.

Catherine Renton is a freelance broadcast, online, and print journalist from the UK. When she is not writing about sobriety, mental health, and wellness, she is tweeting @rentswrites.

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We Used to Bond Over Weight Loss Now We Bond Over Cross-Stitch - Greatist

The system includes scientifically formulated protein shakes, high protein bars, and weight management supplements, combined with online nutrition coaching and community

SECAUCUS, N.J., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --The Vitamin Shoppe, an omni-channel specialty retailer of nutritional products, announced today the launch of the fitfactor Weight Management System, the retailer's most personalized and flexible weight management products. Inspired by consumer research and backed by The Vitamin Shoppe's scientific and trusted formulations, the system is an easy-to-manage, integrated offering of nutritionist-recommended, top-quality products combined with free nutrition coaching and an online community for support and education.

The fitfactor Weight Management System includes protein shakes, bars, and weight management supplements, combined with online nutrition coaching and community.

The fitfactor Weight Management System, which includes fitfactor KETO, features a range of bundled and personalized product recommendations, based on individual wellness needs. Customers can shop products based on specific goals such as appetite control, increased protein consumption, or reduction in calories. The system can also be tailored to different diets like intermittent fasting, Keto, or plant-based.

A simple online quiz can help those starting out on a wellness plan with personalized recommendations, or customers can simply choose a pre-defined goal or diet, all available atwww.vitaminshoppe.com/fitfactor.

"At The Vitamin Shoppe, we understand that everyone's wellness goals are different, and what looks like success to one person, may not look the same for another," said Sharon Leite, Chief Executive Officer of The Vitamin Shoppe. "Whether you're following a particular nutritional regimen like Keto or the Mediterranean diet, or striving for a more balanced metabolism, our new fitfactor Weight Management System brand was carefully designed to address consumers' individual needs and adapt to a variety of lifestyles. At The Vitamin Shoppe, we are always here to help you live your best life, however you define it."

Scientifically formulated, personalized product assortmentsare the cornerstone of the fitfactor Weight Management System brand. The Vitamin Shoppe's proprietary brands are put through 320 rigorous quality assurance steps, and ingredient purity and potency are verified by independent, third-party labs. Products in the fitfactor Weight Management System brand include:

For more information on the complete lineup of products in the fitfactor Weight Management System brand, visit http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/fitfactor or The Vitamin Shoppe location near you.

Complementing these products, the system also offers consumers a welcoming online support and education community to help keep them on track, via theEating Healthy with The Vitamin Shoppegroup on Facebook. Additionally, free one-on-one nutrition coaching is available from The Vitamin Shoppe's Healthy Awards loyalty program vialive video chat or phone. The virtual sessions include individual nutrition and supplement recommendations, and customized health guides tailored to your lifestyle, in addition to other benefits.

About The Vitamin ShoppeThe Vitamin Shoppe, a subsidiary of Franchise Group Inc. (NASDAQ: FRG), is an omni-channel specialty retailer and wellness lifestyle Company with the mission of providing customers with the most trusted products, guidance, and services to help them become their best selves, however they define it. Based in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Company offers a comprehensive assortment of nutritional solutions, including vitamins, minerals, specialty supplements, herbs, sports nutrition, homeopathic remedies, green living products, and natural beauty aids. In addition to carrying products from approximately 700 national brands, The Vitamin Shoppe offers products from its proprietary brands within its owned and wholesale channels, including: The Vitamin Shoppe, Vthrive The Vitamin Shoppe, BodyTech, BodyTech Elite, fitfactor Weight Management System, fitfactor KETO, plnt, ProBioCare, and True Athlete. The Company conducts business through 750 company-operated retail stores under The Vitamin Shoppe and Super Supplements banners, and via its website, http://www.vitaminshoppe.com.

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If you know anything about the keto diet, you understand that the eating style is preeettyyy restrictive, and not the easiest to stick with long-term. Still, fans of the high-fat, low-carb diet tout benefits like weight loss breakthroughs, more energy, clearer skin, and less cravings for sugar.

Sounds wonderful, right? Well, a new version of keto aimed at upping all of these perks has keto fanatics buzzing, but some health and nutrition pros say it may be even more unsustainable than the keto diet you already know. The new version is called Speed Keto, and dietitians aren't exactly recommending it if you're looking to lose weight or start eating healthier.

Still, if you're curious about the eating plan and its origin, here's what you need to know.

Basically, Speed Keto is a combination of the traditional keto diet (made up of 60 to 70 percent fat, 15 to 30 percent protein, and 5 to 10 percent carbs) and intermittent fasting (IF), which involves alternating between various periods of fasting and eating. One of the most common styles of IF is the 16:8 method, in which you fast for 16 hours and can eat during the 8-hour period that follows.

When it comes to Speed Keto, the goal is to get the dieter down to one meal per day, which also has to fit into the keto guidelines of being high-fat and low-carb. The goal of eating less carbs is to get the body into a state of ketosis, which is when your body burns fat, instead of carbohydrate stores, for fuel, which can lead to weight loss.

Speed Keto, which you can buy as a digital program, was created by Harlan Kilstein, an expert coach and motivator with a doctor of education degree, according to his website. Per the site, Speed Keto is meant to simplify the dieting process and help people get past weight-loss plateaus that might occur after eating a traditional keto diet for a few weeks.

"I think keto and 'Speed Keto' diets will result in weight loss," says Hillary Cecere, registered dietitian at Eat Clean Bro. "Any time food is restricted and a calorie deficit occurs, so will weight loss, and when your eating window is smaller, you are more likely to consume less calories."

That being said, Cecere doesn't support the diet as a healthy way of eating. "This diet is unsustainable. Once it's no longer being utilized, weight gain will happen," Cecere says. "I also think it eliminates a lot of nutrient-dense foods. This diet is not for health or longevityit's only for quick weight loss."

In order to maintain weight loss, it's crucial that the diet you follow is something you can sustain long-term, notes Cecere. And if eating keto in general isn't your cup of tea, that's totally fine, too. "You don't need to be in ketosis to lose weight," she says. "Weight loss is determined by calorie deficitthere are plenty of other healthy, sustainable ways to lose weight if that's something you're interested in."

It's also worth noting that combining keto and intermittent fasting isn't exactly new. Many people have been following a diet that combines the two because eating mostly fats and proteins does fill you up and make it easier to fast between meals. The difference here is that Speed Keto recommends a specific IF schedule and one meal a day.

"Combining a super restrictive diet with long periods of non-eating is not good," Scott Keatley, RD, of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy, previously told WH. The body will cannibalize its own muscle for energy if intake from food is too low but the body does not differentiate between something like a calf muscle or a heart muscle. Keatley added that all your important organs are made of smooth muscle, "and going on a diet like this may harm something like your bladder or lungs just as much as provide fat loss."

It's also worth noting that following a regular keto diet can already have some not-so-pleasant side effects. At the end of the day, whether you want to follow a keto eating plan is up to you, but experts generally warn against pairing keto with an extreme intermittent fasting schedule in the way that the Speed Keto diet does, experts caution. Whatever you choose diet-wise, it's always wise to talk to a dietitian or trusted MD before you drastically overhaul your eating plan.

The bottom line: Speed Keto may not be a sustainable option when it comes to weight loss.

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What Is Speed Keto And Can It Help Me Lose Weight Sustainably? - Women's Health

Syleena Johnson sure knows how to shock people. The talented singer and songwriter was mainly known for her music and stellar vocal cords.

Her fame grew when she started hosting the TV One daytime talk show, Sister Circle. However, now the diva is breaking the Internet with her amazing body and her accomplishments as a fitness competitor.

Syleena, who is currently promoting her new album, WOMAN, sat down with Madame Noire and revealed how she lost 50 pounds and got ripped.

The R&B diva told the publication: Ive always wanted to bodybuid for two decades even, and I just never got around to it. Something was like; this is the moment. This is the time. So I documented it, and I created a documentary called From One Stage to the Next. It shows you, well, it shows me, going through all of the different things I had to go through to be able to get to the fitness stage in the midst of performing on the singing stage and also being a talk show host on that stage.

She went on to say: I was just kind of bouncing around from stage to stage to stage in my life. There is always the mom and wife stage. There are all these different stages in your life you have to perform on. So we created a documentary following all that. We started last May recording. It took me eight months to get in shape for the fitness competition. I had to drop over fiftysomething pounds. The motivation was just to be able to do something Ive always wanted to do. I just didnt want to be 80 years old like, Man, I wish I would have done it.

The mom added: Yes! Absolutely. It took two months for me to even talk about it. I trained for two months and had dropped the first 25 pounds before I even said anything about it. I knew that people wouldnt believe me. Even my closest friends, I knew they wouldnt believe me because people say theyre going to do stuff all of the time, but something that strenuous and tumultuous, thats something where people have to see you doing it. So, it was just me following my dreams, following through with it, and doing it.

She concluded by: I needed to tell everyone because the accountability for me was one thing, but then the accountability for all of us, all Black women who are watching Sister Circle every day, and me sitting up there talking about it but at the end of the day, Im not in my best shape, thats hypocritical. So I wanted to show them I could do it with them, and we can all do it too, together.

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Syleena Johnson Flaunts Her 50-Pound Weight Loss In Stunning Photos And Explains Why She Became A Bodybuilder - Celebrity Insider

Growing up, Jon Over struggled with his weight, but always managed to lose those extra pounds by playing sports. After college, Over began working in construction and eventually started his own company. And like most entrepreneurs, the now 36-year-old prioritized his business over everythingincluding his health.

Working left little time to hit the gym or make healthy meals, and Over gained weight, which impacted his mood.

"The issue was that outside of work, my enjoyment or participation in things had dwindled," he tells Men's Health. " This was due to my rapid weight gain over a few years. Social occasions filled me with anxiety."

Over consumed alcohol to manage his anxiety and gain confidence in social situations.

"The issue would be that I didnt know when to stop," he says. "Drugs also became part of my life as well for a short period of time."

In December 2017, Over hit a low. At the time he weighed 294 pounds and was severely depressed.

"I knew that this had consumed me to the point I wanted to give up. The issue is I dont give up on things that easily."

Around that time, he'd started following Ultimate Performance (UP)a UK-based gym that specializes in body transformations, on social media. Although he was unable to afford UP, Over, who lives in Brighton, England, started going to cycling classes and worked with local personal trainers for roughly a year.

"My goal throughout 2018 was to try and get into a position [financially] where I could go to UP."

In 2019, Over finally signed with UP after an initial consultation. He was assigned a personal trainer who explained the basics of counting macros and tracking calories to create a calorie deficit. Over says this was the most useful part of the program because it made him think twice about what he was eating.

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Additionally, Over focused on lifting heavy with the help of his trainer.

"Its amazing what a combination of three hours of weight training and a brilliant trainer can help you a produce in a very short space of time," he says.

Now, Over weighs 167 pounds and wears a small or medium. Before, he wore an XXL and sometimes struggled to find jeans that fit.

Even more satisfying is the way that Over feels mentally.

"My mental health benefits are also dramatic," he says. "I have suffered with mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. There is no cure for thesejust maintaining and managing them. Exercise is my way of managing them. To think with a clearer head has paid dividends for me and has not only turned my life around but also my business around."

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Counting Macros Helped This Guy Achieve 127-Pound Weight Loss Transformation - Men's Health

THE Americans love their pancakes, the French adore their croissants and well there's nothing us Brits love waking up more to than a greasy fry-up.

And now it turns out breakfast really may be the most important meal of the day - and not just because it stops the loud rumbling mid morning meeting.

1

A new study has revealed eating a bigbrekkie every day can help you lose weight quicker - and may prevent obesity and high blood sugar.

Scientists from the University of Lbeck in Germany say this all down to something called diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), which is a measure of how well our metabolism is working, and can differ depending on mealtime.

And at breakfast your metabolism works more efficiently than at dinner - meaning you burn more calories.

For example, a slice of bread consumed at breakfast would be healthier for you than an identical slice of bread consumed in the evening.

It underlines the value of eating enough at breakfast.

The study author Juliane Richter said: "Our results show that a meal eaten for breakfast, regardless of the amount of calories it contains, creates twice as high diet-induced thermogenesis as the same meal consumed for dinner.

"This finding is significant for all people as it underlines the value of eating enough at breakfast."

The researchers conducted a three-day laboratory study of 16 men who consumed a low-calorie breakfast and high-calorie dinner, and vice versa in a second round.

They found identical calorie consumption led to two and a half times times higher DIT in the morning than in the evening after high-calorie and low-calorie meals.

Quick breakfast tips

Source:Diabetes UK

The food-induced increase of blood sugar and insulin concentrations was diminished after breakfast compared with dinner.

The results, which are published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, also show eating a low-calorie breakfast increased appetite, specifically for sweets.

The experts are now urging that overweight people eat a larger breakfast to blitz their body fat.

Professor Richter added: "We recommend that patients with obesity as well as healthy people eat a large breakfast rather than a large dinner to reduce body weight and prevent metabolic diseases."

It comes after a recent study also revealed a big breakfast can help prevent type 2 diabetes.

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People withtype 2 diabeteswho followed a diet plan of a high energy breakfast, followed by an average sized lunch and small dinner not only lost weight but their body was able to manage their blood sugar levels better.

The researchers claimed the hour of the day - when you eat and how frequently you eat - is more important than what you eat and how many calories you eat.

Similarly, previous research has found eating a substantial breakfast tricks you into eating less calories for the rest of the day.

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Eat a big breakfast to lose weight fast youll burn TWICE as many calories - The Sun

Algebra, Tinder matches, the New York subway system. These are things that can be confusing. But muscles? Can they get confused? That's the gist of the trendy workout term "muscle confusion."

Confused by muscle confusion? It's important to look beyond the buzzword.

Credit: FatCamera/E+/GettyImages

But it's not a term you'll find in an exercise science textbook. "Muscle confusion is a fitness buzzword for a workout routine that is supposedly better than all other workout routines... but no one really knows what it means," says Kristian Flores, CSCS.

That's why we put together this muscle confusion cheat sheet. Scroll down to learn where this term came from, how it applies to workouts and if it's actually legit.

Popularized by boutique fitness culture and P90X trainer Tony Horton, there's not one widely accepted definition of muscle confusion. But generally, it refers to the premise that constantly switching up your workouts and as a result, "confusing" your muscles is the fast way to gains.

Think: going to yoga on Monday, run club on Tuesday, Barry's Bootcamp on Thursday and CrossFit on Saturday, then switching up that order every week.

"The hypothesis says that by constantly varying the stimulus of your training, your muscles never get acclimated, and you continuously make progress," Flores says. Because doing the exact same workout over and over and over again can lead to halted progress, it makes sense that this type of training has gained traction.

While muscle confusion sounds like a pretty legit way to dodge plateau, you'd be hard pressed to find a certified trainer or fitness coach who'd sign off on this being the best approach to meeting any fitness goal (unless your goal is to try every workout class in your city).

For starters, "your muscles can't get confused, they don't have a brain," says Carol Ferkovic Mack, CSCS, owner of CLE Sports PT & Performance in Cleveland, Ohio, who says the phrase itself is confusing. "Because your muscles can't actually get confused, there's no objective way to measure exactly how confused they are."

Second, "muscle confusion" is in complete contrast with the long-established Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands (SAID) principle. Basically, "the body makes training gains based on what it does over and over again," Mack says. That means consistently working toward one fitness goal (for example, building strength, improving mobility or increasing cardiovascular fitness) is the faster way to reach it, she says.

Let's say, for instance, you want to run a marathon, you shouldn't train for it by going to spin class every other day. The best way to prepare yourself is by running. Or if you wanted to get better at push-ups, you would have to do a certain amount of them each week and not, say, squats.

"There may be some carryover between activities," says Flores, but you'd benefit from being a little less random in your approach.

Despite what this fitness buzzword implies, muscles respond very predictably to exercise. "Your muscles get stronger when you continuously challenge them by varying things like the amount of weight lifted, the intensity of the workout or rest time between moves, or the duration," Mack says.

At first glance, this may sound like muscle confusion, but it's actually an approach to strength training called "progressive overload." Unlike muscle confusion, which usually entails mixing up your workouts at random, progressive overload entails intentionally altering specific factors within a workout weight, intensity, reps, sets, rest time in accordance with a specific exercise program.

The goal of progressive overload, according to Mack, is to challenge (not confuse) your muscles as efficiently as possible in order to avoid plateau.

"Even programs like CrossFit, which preach 'constantly varied movements' as its cornerstone, don't throw random workouts at its participants," Mack says. The movements may be different every workout, but they're thoughtfully chosen to and put into a program that will make an athlete fitter. "The progressive overload is the principal at play here, not muscle confusion."

You might be wondering why "muscle confusion" has maintained traction given that there's another, more effective training principles out there. The answer is that while progressive overload is boring, muscle confusion is comparatively less boring.

In fact, a January 2020 piece published in the New York Times reports on a small December 2019 study published in the journal PLoS One, using it to suggest that because "muscle confusion" is less boring, it may be more effective.

For the study, researchers split 19 men with strength-training backgrounds into two groups, half were put on a 8-week that entailed completing the same exercises in the same order every week. The other half completed the same exercisers as the other groups and lifted approximately the same amount of weight as the other group, but varied the order, completing the movements based on a randomized computer app.

At the end of the study, both groups showed similar strength gains, but the group with exercise variety reported more motivation to workout. Brad Schoenfeld, an associate professor of exercise science at Lehman College in New York and a co-author of the study, concluded, "The differences in motivation scores at the end were substantial [...] From a purely motivational standpoint, variety matters."

The New York Times article uses this to suggest that "muscle confusion" has its benefits especially for the unmotivated.

But here's where it get's tricky: the study is measuring the effects of varying the order of exercises from week to week. Which, according to the most pervasive definition of the made-up fitness term, is not "muscle confusion." But actually, progressive overload.

Generally, "muscle confusion" is about varying the type of workout (strength training, Pilates, yoga, running, etc.) day-to-day and week-to-week. Not about changing the order of different strength-based moves like leg press, squat and deadlift on leg day from week to week (which, again, is what the study participants are doing).

So, can "muscle confusion" lead to increased motivation? If you're somebody who gets easily bored at the gym, and are more likely to exercise if you get to do a completely different workout every time you do, then yes, "muscle confusion" (in this case, workout variety), may be motivating.

As Mack says, "If you a general fitness goal or get bored easily with your workouts, doing a completely different workout every day is perfectly fine to do. But, if you have specific goals for improving strength, fitness, mobility, or losing weight, muscle confusion just not going to be as effective."

What the NYT article is really arguing, and what science and sports and conditioning experts can get behind is that variation within your workouts is beneficial to both gains and motivation.

As Flores says, "Variation for instance variation in the movement order, reps, or weight is necessary to get you closer to the specific fitness goal you're working toward." That's not usually how "muscle confusion" is defined, he says. That's how progressive overload is defined. Whatever nomenclature you attach to it, (intentional) variation is essential to continuous gains.

Honing in on other non-fitness factors can play a role, too. "Sleep quality, nutrition habits, stress and your workout regime can all contribute to weight loss and strength plateaus," says Mack, who recommends anyone who's hit a plateau take a look at lifestyle factors that could be contributing to the stall. But, she says, "If your workout schedule has no consistency or structure, adding that in can help you break through it."

Both she and Flores recommend working with a trainer who will be able to write you a progressive overload program with intention variation based on your specific goal. "In my opinion, just as you shouldn't give yourself a root canal or build your own house, you shouldn't program your own exercise routine. Especially if you actually want to have success," says Flores.

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What Is Muscle Confusion and Can It Help You Lose Weight? - LIVESTRONG.COM

KEY POINTS

Obesity is a chronic health condition that affects more than one in three Americans. Some individuals struggling with weight issues might not get benefited from regular physical activity and a healthy eating plan alone and their doctors might prescribe medications as part of their weight-control program. The U.S. FDA had approved orlistat (Xenical, Alli), lorcaserin (Belviq), phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia), naltrexone-bupropion (Contrave), and liraglutide (Saxenda) for long-term use.

But, following the results of a recent safety trial, the FDA has issued a warning that lorcaserin (Belviq) might increase ones risk of cancer. Pharmaceutical company Eisai has voluntarily withdrawn the weight loss pill from the market.

Such a decision has been taken after the FDA issued a warning against Belviq that it hadnt passed a recent safety trial and that the drug could increase an individuals risk of cancer.

The potential cancer risk outweighs the benefits

Lorcaserin is a previously FDA-approved weight loss supplement designed to treat obesity and overweight-related health issues. The drug suppresses an individuals sense of hunger. But, a recently updated statement from the FDA conveyed that, when they initially approved the drug in 2012, they required the drug manufacturer to conduct a clinical trial to evaluate the risk of heart diseases. Post this clinical safety trial, the FDA reported that the drug was not only unsafe but could possibly make people using it more likely to develop certain forms of cancer.

A range of cancer types including pancreatic, colorectal, and lung cancers were associated with lorcaserin use. Healthcare professionals are advised to stop prescribing Belviq and to immediately contact everyone who might be using the pill and inform them about the potential risk of cancer.

How to dispose these unsafe drugs?

The FDA advises individuals who already are in possession of Belviq tablets to safely dispose them.Heres what they recommend:

A new prescription weight loss pill has some health officials hopeful. Photo: Pixabay

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FDA Recalls Weight Loss Pill Belviq Due To Increased Cancer Risk - International Business Times

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has advised that the World Health Organization (WHO) Thailand Situation Report on COVID-19 dated 17th February, 2020, highlights the preparedness and response on what Thailand is doingfor its event and tourism industry.

Event Industry

Tourism Industry

Thailand has strong capacities for case detection, risk assessment, case investigation, laboratory diagnosis, clinical management, infection prevention and control, and risk communication.

Thailand also recently updated its dedicated national pandemic influenza preparedness plan (currently pending approval by the Prime Minister's Cabinet).

With WHO support, the National Institute of Health of Thailand is supporting specimen testing for other countries as requested; this support is currently being provided to Myanmar. Support for Indonesia is also being arranged. Support for the Maldives is also under discussion with AFRIMS, Thailand (Armed Force Research Institute of Medical Sciences).

A special advisory group consisting of former high-level health officials has been formed to support the Ministry of Public Health in its response to the outbreak.

The Ministry of Public Health is conducting modelling exercises with the National Research Council of Thailand to forecast possible scenarios and outcomes as the outbreak evolves in Thailand.

Visitors to Thailand who have recently been in Wuhan, China, and other affected areas are being provided information upon arrival by the Ministry of Public Health, including how to report any possible illness to the Department of Disease Control using the 1422 hotline from anywhere in Thailand.

The Ministry of Public Health has also introduced a self-reporting online tool, available in Thai, English and Chinese, at http://sescimande.net/Self-Screening.

With regards to the COVID-19 situation in Thailand, as of yesterday (18th February, 2020), the Ministry of Public Health has confirmed a total of 35 confirmed cases, including 17 people who were treated and discharged from hospital. This reflects Thailand's effective implementation on disease surveillance to prevent further spread or importation of the COVID-19 in the country.

Before embarkation from original destinations

Onboard the aircraft or cruise

Upon arrival at the point of entry

Local and international tourists can keep up to date with tourism information and the COVID-19 situation in Thailand at http://www.tatnews.org.

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24th January 2020 - Coronavirus sees cancellation of major events and closure of attractions in China

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Tourism Authority of Thailand updates event and travel industry recommendations in wake of Coronavirus - Australasian Leisure Management