If you knew youd need to run 12 miles to burn the number of calories in a 10-inch pepperoni pizza, would you decide to eat only half the pie or order a salad instead? A review published in December 2019 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health suggested that labeling food and drinks with the amount and kind of physical activity needed to burn off the calories in different foods could encourage people to make healthier choices or consume smaller portions.

The label, called a physical activity calorie equivalent label (PACE), informs consumers how much walking or running they would need to do to equal the calories contained in the food. For example, a soda containing 138 calories would take 13 minutes of running or 26 minutes of walking to burn off.

Many people dont understand the concept of calories or how they relate to the energy we use throughout the day, the study authors wrote. PACE labeling has the added benefit over other types of labeling by having the potential to both nudge us to think about what we eat and also encourage us to be more physically active, says lead author Amanda Daley, a professor at the University of Loughborough in England.

The U.K. Royal Society for Public Health has already recommendedthat PACE labeling replace the current food labeling system in that country, but to date theres been little strong evidence that this would make a meaningful difference in the obesity epidemic, the authors wrote.

RELATED: 21 Tips for Weight Loss That Actually Work

To determine if labeling could make a difference in how much food people order, purchase, or consume, researchers analyzed data from 14 randomized controlled trials that compared peoples behavior when the PACE labels were used versus no labels or a standard calorie label.

Eight trials queried participants on what foods they'd hypothetically order from a menu. Another trial assessed which foods participants would purchase. In these nine trials, researchers determined that when PACE labeling was present, participants selected or purchased foods that were 65 calories less, on average, compared with when PACE labeling was not present. Yet in these trials study authors did not follow participants to see how much they went on to consume.

Five additional trials did assess how many calories participants consumed when PACE labeling was used, when only calorie labeling was used, and when no labels were used. Researchers observed that PACE labeling resulted in participants consuming 80 to 100 fewer calories compared with when no labeling was used. Nonetheless, the PACE labeling didn't result in lower calorie consumption compared to the calorie-only labeling.

Given that the average person consumes three meals and two snacks per day, the authors believe that PACE labeling could potentially shrink peoples intake by as much as 200 calories a day.

This reduction could have health benefits, even if a person doesnt have obesity. A study published in July 2019 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology found that people who consumed 200 to 300 fewer calories per day lost weight and had significant drops in LDL bad cholesterol and improved their blood pressure.

Even for people who dont exercise, the PACE food labeling is an easy way to see and understand the energy costs of different foods, says Daley. This is one of the good things about PACE labeling it may prompt the public to do more physical activity, she adds.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), less than 5 percent of adults in the United States participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day, and only 1 in 3 people get the recommended amount of physical activity. Current guidelines suggest that adults do 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity every week.

RELATED: Cutting Calories May Offer Health Benefits, Even if You Dont Need to Lose Weight

There could be potential benefits to PACE labeling, says Colleen Clarkin Schreyer, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, who specializes in eating disorders. Obesity is a significant problem in our society, and it is associated with morbidity and mortality, says Dr. Schreyer. Ideally, it might help people make informed choices about what theyre about to eat, she says. Theres good evidence that the average person may underestimate calories in the food and beverages that theyre consuming, adds Schreyer.

There can also be a disconnect regarding how much activity might be required to use up all the calories that are found in some foods, says Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and an obesity expert. But I think that labeling the foods in this way presumes that all persons burn the same amount regardless of their gender, race or ethnicity, age, [and] genetics, which is not the case.

This labeling proposal would be one way to educate the general public that quite a bit of activity is sometimes necessary to burn calories acquired with food, says Dr. Stanford. However, this thought process presumes that the calories incalories out mantra is correct when it is indeed inaccurate. There are several factors that take place to regulate weight, she says. It might be beneficial to give a range and put a disclaimer about variability in persons due to other factors, adds Stanford.

According to a Calorie Burn Rate Calculator from the University of Rochester Medical Center, a 130-pound person burns about 600 calories an hour running at a 10-minute-per-mile pace, whereas a 200-pound person would burn 960 calories running at the same pace for one hour.

RELATED: 9 Weird Things Running Does to Your Body

Although proposals like PACE labeling that are meant to curb obesity are well-intentioned, there can be a downside to these efforts, says Schreyer. When an individual who has disordered eating sees these types of pictures or information, theyre often not able to view it in a healthy way, she says. Eating a variety of foods with various calorie densities can promote recovery, she adds. Yet if that person sees pictures like this on food that may be nutritious but has higher calorie content, the initial reaction can be avoid, avoid, avoid, because theyre frightened of the potential effect, she says.

Excessive exercise or compulsive exercise is another problem that people who have eating disorders may have, which could be triggered by this type of labeling, says Schreyer.

RELATED: The Best Resources for Finding Help With an Eating Disorder

This proposal fails to address the complexity of weight regulation, says Stanford. I can imagine a person going to burn off the calories that the labeling indicates and feeling as if they failed when the numbers don't add up, she says.

One challenge is that the public needs more nuanced information about nutrition, and thats harder to package succinctly, says Schreyer. Depending on the size of the person we need to consume somewhere between 1,800 and 2,200 calories per day, but thats just an average, and many other variables can impact that, she says. Ideally, the approach shouldnt be about a hard yes or no about certain foods, but rather trying to eat a healthy and balanced diet, says Schreyer. Its important to remember that you need to consume a sufficient number of calories every day thats what were meant to do, she says.

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A Food Label That Suggests Exercise Needed to Burn Calories May Aid Weight Loss - Everyday Health

Many weight loss diet plans require slimmers to drastically cut food groups from their diet.

However, they could actually see better results if they are less restrictive, Krissy Cela, founder of Tone & Sculpt app, told Express.co.uk.

She explained: Say no to restrictions! I can't stress to you enough how many people I have seen trying a quick fix restrictive diet plan that is not maintainable, they end up just putting on more weight than they wanted to lose in the first place.

If you want to lose weight and keep it off, your diet needs to work around the foods you actually enjoy and your lifestyle.

Instead of only focusing on what they eat, dieters should have a look at what they drink.

READ MORE: The top ten exercises to help you lose weight fast - which burns the most calories?

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Weight loss: This simple drink can help burn fat fast - when should you have it? - Express

Jillian Michaels

Jillian Michaels is a fitness expert and wellness coach with over 20 years experience, and is a New York Times bestselling author of numerous books including Master Your Metabolism, Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life, and her most recent The 6 Keys: Unlock Your Genetic Potential for Ageless Strength, Health, and Beauty. Jillian's passion for fitness training originates from 17 years of martial arts practice in Muay Thai and Akarui-Do, in which she holds a black belt. Her first comprehensive 90-day weight loss system, Jillian Michaels Body Revolution, is available in retail stores across North America, and JILLIAN MICHAELS BODYSHRED, an intense group fitness class based on Jillian's highly-effective 3-2-1 interval system, is taught worldwide.

JILLIAN MICHAELS: How do we really decipher the thousands of studies that are out there on all of these diets? And the problem is what people will do to try to sell you a false bill of goods is take one study and blow that study out as though it's the entire picture, when of course it isn't. Imagine you have a massive painting but I only showed you this tiny piece of the painting but you had no idea what the hell else was going on over here there, there's no way you could get an accurate read on if this is a sad picture, a happy picture, like there's no way you could know, correct?

So when we look at keto here's why we're saying, or not me, but here's where some of the advocates are espousing benefits. Well, what are we doing with keto? We're removing carbohydrates, anything that elevates you got about 20 grams of carbohydrates a day that you're ingesting, which is essentially nothing, it's about 80 calories worth of carbohydrates out of what could be anywhere from a 1600 to 2500 calories a day diet so that's nothing. And it throws your body into a state of emergency that's what ketosis is. And because we don't have any glucose or glycogen, any blood sugar or stored blood sugar, we turn to fat quickly. We produce ketones and the idea is we burn through fat and we lose fat fast. And that is true and you would think that would be a good thing. And in addition, people will say well I reversed my type two diabetes. Of course your insulin level was through the floor, you're consuming zero carbohydrates so you have no blood sugar so your pancreas is not releasing insulin. And this can also affect conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome and by virtue of that connection it can also affect fertility. Fair. Let's give it that.

But here's what we're not talking about, there's zero calorie restriction on a ketogenic diet so you have a massive amount of oxidative stress, there's no consideration of timing with regard to food so your autophagy process is totally out of whack

In addition to that it's very high in animal fats and animal proteins. So we're seeing that diets rich in saturated fats are poor for our telomeres oxidative stress, increased inflammation, your nutrient sensing pathways that are related to the health of your metabolism are overrun with constant food, heavy fats, lots of animal protein and we know it hurts your telomeres and on and on and on.

Now, what about the benefits? Is it worth it? Let me tell you, the number one way to sensitize somebody's body, again to insulin, is exercise. I've been doing this a heck of a long time, I reversed type two diabetes, I've helped people get off all medications for type two diabetes and POCOS and get pregnant after years of trying and failing through a commonsense diet where we don't eat too much, we eat real food and we have balanced macronutrients. So I can give you all those benefits with none of the negative side effects of keto. And last thought on keto, we're stripping our body of certain fruits, which have a ton of antioxidants and polyphenols in them. So again, when we look at oxidative stress and free radicals and how they're aging us we need to look at antioxidant foods that help to combat that. When you start cutting out digestive enzymes and papaya and pineapple and mango and all the beta-carotene, which is one of the top things to help keep your telomeres long, something like keto is detrimental on so many different levels. And the amount of benefit is so small when we can take a completely different path get all the benefit over here, none of the negatives over here and all the benefits over there.

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2019 most controversial: Dont believe the keto hype - Big Think

If youve been trying to lose weight for a while now, you probably already know that intermittent fasting works. But (theres always a but, isnt there?) intermittent fasting alone will not help you get as far as youd like to go on your fitness journey.

To ensure great results (read: ripped results!) you need to start working out daily as well, like 22-year-old Delhi-based Harshit Tyagi did to lose 20 kgs and trim from 98 kgs to 78 kgs. He tells us, Ive been obese for most part of my life and therefore also lacked confidence. Id live in this constant fear that people around me will body shame me."

"What finally became the tipping point for me to whip myself in shape was the fact that a couple of years ago, I gathered the courage to approach my then crush to wish her a happy birthday and she walked past me like I didnt even exist. In that very moment I decided that the solution to this problem is in my hands and I need to do something about feeling invisible right now!" he says

"I was determined to not ever feel this way again, and commenced my weight loss journey by embarking on the below weight loss plan, he adds.

Much like every other teenager, I too didn't have much knowledge about nutrition and fitness and decided to enrol myself in a gym to shed some weight. I joined a gym close to my house and followed my gym trainer's advice to the T. During the initial few weeks, I focused all my efforts towards cardio.

And, shortly after noticed that most gym trainers recommend the same training regime to everyone be it a skinny person or someone who wants to lose fat! So, I tried to expand my knowledge in this domain and formed a training and diet regime for myself after experimenting with different diets and exercise regime.

I learnt two important things on this quest of information:

1. You have to be mindful of what you eat. I tried many different experiments with my diet such as eating no food items with processed sugar and drinking a litre of water as soon as I woke up. I also increased the amount of lean protein in my diet and started consuming more egg whites with green vegetables before I finally settled on an intermittent fasting pattern of eating, but more on that later.

2. I realised compound movements provide better results than isolated movements as they involve more muscle activity at the same time. Hence, I switched from exercises such as bicep curls, lat pull down to deadlift, lunges, squats and bench press. I also shifted my focus from movements that involve machines to exercise with regular dumbbells and barbells. This improves your balance and makes sure your weak side (my left side) is also pushed to its limits.

QUICK READ: How to do deadlifts the right way, according to personal trainers

These learnings led him to create the below weight loss exercise regime.

After trying out a lot of workout routines, I (finally) settled on this 4-day workout routine:

Day 1: Deadlift + Bench Press + Military Press

Day 2: Squat + Farmer walks + Lunges

Day 3: HIIT Training + Abs

Day 4: Clean and Jerk + Snatch + Power Clean

For exercises on Day 1,2 and 4, I do 3 sets in 12, 10, 8 reps with increasing load in every set. I try to keep my form correct and movement slow. This keeps muscles in tension for a longer period of time. On Day 3 I do HIIT training of 8 sets with 30 seconds exercise and 10 second rest.

30 seconds: Jump Rope

10 seconds: Rest

30 seconds: Push-ups

10 seconds: Rest

30 seconds: Jump Rope

10 seconds: Rest

30 Seconds: Jump Squats

10 seconds: Rest

30 seconds: Jump Rope

10 seconds: Rest

30 seconds: Push-ups

10 seconds: Rest

30 seconds: Jump Rope

10 seconds: Rest

30 Seconds: Jump Squats

There is no one-size-fits-all formula, but you can also try this workout and see if it fits you. This workout aims at strength and agility.

Now, lets come to how intermittent fasting changed my life, Among the diet experiments, intermittent fasting turned into a habit.

Intermittent Fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. It doesnt specify which foods you can or cannot eat. It only focuses on when you should eat them.

There are many IF plans and patterns that you can follow, but the most effective one, according to studies is the 16:8 IF diet. The 16:8 IF diet entails one to observe a 16-hour fasting period, followed by an 8-hour eating window.

You can commence a 16-hour fast at 10:00 pm in the night, after you eat your last meal of the day and go to sleepthats 7-8 hours gone right there. You can break the 16-hour fast at 2:00 pm with your lunch and eat small meals till 10:00 pmthis makes up the 8-hour eating window. Alternatively, you can also begin your fast at 8 pm and break it at 12 pm, the next day.

I observed the 16:8 diet split and ate in between 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Meal 1 at 1:00 pm: 10 Almonds and a seasonal Fruit

Meal 2 at 2:00 pm: Dal and Sabzi with Roti

Meal 3 at 5:30 pm: Poha/Upma/Omelette/Milk with Oats

Meal 4 at 8:30 pm: Dal, Sabzi and Eggs

I do not measure the quantity of food. ie. at until I feel full. The key here is to repeat meals every day and stay consistent.

Its easy to lose the initial weight and feel good about it, but as you keep going you realise that you have to push even harder to achieve more results. Your body reaches a plateau state. When I felt I had achieved what I desired and was confident about my body image, I started looking at workouts as fun activities instead of challenges

I have resorted to jogging, skipping rope and HIIT workouts now as a medium to maintain my weight. I do not have a fixed schedule for the gym anymore but whenever I go to the gym I aim for heavy weight workouts.

ALSO READ: Chris Hemsworth has dropped a bulldozer of a workout to kick off your week

Try including compound exercises in your routine instead of isolated workouts. Make your own workouts and keep playing and experimenting with them. But on the same note, find a mentor/trainer who understands your end goals and doesnt suggest the same exercises to everyone.

Disclaimer: The diet and workout routines shared by the respondents may or may not be approved by diet and fitness experts. GQ India doesn't encourage or endorse the weight loss tips & tricks shared by the person in the article. Please consult an authorised medical professional before following any specific diet or workout routine mentioned above.

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How to lose weight like this Delhi guy who lost 20 kgs by following intermittent fasting & a 4-day gym routine - GQ India - What a man's got to do

Humans have a long history of making New Years resolutions. The Babylonians are believed to be among the first to have set them more than 4,000 years ago. When Julius Caesar was emperor circa 46 B.C., the Romans had their own practice of offering sacrifices to Janus, the god of beginnings and endings, as they looked forward to each new year.

You would think that after so many years, people would have mastered the art of following through on their resolutions. However, a formal study in 2007 found as many as 88% of people fail to fulfill their resolutions. So, its a new year but the same you.

Most people make resolutions to improve their health, either by losing weight, quitting smoking or exercising more. Others aim to save money. The challenge with fulfilling resolutions is that they require starting new habits, said Wendy Wood, the Provost Professor of Psychology and Business at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the USC Marshall School of Business.

We keep making these resolutions, despite realizing that most wont actually succeed, she said.

We keep making these resolutions, despite realizing that most wont actually succeed.

Wendy Wood

Habits have a lot to do with this failure. Physical and financial health require repeated behavior more than just eating salads for a week or sticking to a budget for a month, added Wood, whose new book, Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick, provides insight into the psychology of habits.

Many people misunderstand the challenge of forming a new habit, she said. They may think starting something new is just a matter of willpower, or that one decision can change everything.

Forming a new habit isnt rational like this. Neither is changing old habits. Old habits fade only slowly, she said. So, as your motivation wanes resolutions are hard, not fun your old habit is still there.

We dont understand how our habits work. In fact, we are not supposed to understand them. Habits are part of our unconscious mind, she added.

Woods point is that we must improve our chances of success by making it easier to adopt a new habit. We are more likely to make these new habits an unconscious part of our routines if we, for instance, prepare a gym bag the night before a morning workout or make several meals to last through the week to deter ourselves from reaching regularly for junk food.

Wood and other USC researchers have found additional steps you can take to increase your chances of accomplishing your resolutions.

Quitting smoking is one of the top resolutions people make to improve their health. If you are a smoker, the company you keep can affect your temptation for smoking, said Steven Sussman, professor of preventive medicine and psychology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Hanging out with non-users as much as possible, drinking lots of water every day for a couple of weeks, doing some exercise and actually trying to learn relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation may help, he said.

The bottom line is action, he added, like getting rid of all evidence of nicotine products from the house and keeping busy doing other things.

Fitness centers anticipate a spike in memberships this time of year as many Americans resolve to lose weight, but often the spike is temporary. It usually tapers by the end of February, as people return to their old habits and inactivity.

Lorraine Turcotte, a professor of biological sciences and expert on metabolism at USC Dornsife, said people can raise their likelihood of successful weight loss just by setting realistic expectations. The less specific you are about how much weight you aim to lose, the more likely you will reach your weight loss goal, she said.

It might be easier to maintain a positive attitude if your goal is to lose 5 to 10 pounds, as opposed to having a specific goal of 10 pounds, she said. Choose an activity that you like. Maintenance of an exercise program is linked to enjoyment of the activity. So, if you like dancing, take a dance class. Try to include friends and family in your activities, which will improve your chances of maintaining an exercise routine.

Many of us are masters of procrastination, which especially becomes a problem when saving money for retirement.

Daphna Oyserman, a Deans Professor of Psychology and Education at USC Dornsife and the USC Rossier School of Education, has found that people can motivate themselves by making their goals seem more immediate.

Instead of imagining yourself as a healthy, happy retiree in 30 or 40 years, ask yourself what actions you can take today to be healthier, this week to be happier and this month to save more, she advised.

More stories about: Diet, Exercise, Psychology, Research

Fewer than 1 in 10 people achieve success, but these pointers will give you a fighting chance.

USC Dornsifes John Monterosso has some ideas and makes a case for rethinking well-intentioned resolutions that sap pleasure from your life.

Policymakers changed public opinion on smoking. New USC Marshall research suggests the same techniques can get us to exercise, eat better and be more healthy.

Stress and exhaustion may turn us into zombies, but a novel study by USC researchers shows that mindless behavior doesnt just lead to overeating and shopping sprees it can also cause us to stick with behaviors that are good for us.

Read more:
These tips will help you stick to your New Year's resolutions - USC News

Not all fat is created equally and visceral fat, which lies deep below the surface, near vital organs such as the heart, liver and intestines, can be life-threatening. The fats proximity to vital organs means that carrying an excess amount of it hikes your risk of developing chronic complications, such as heart and liver disease.

To keep visceral fat bay, evidence backs limiting your intake of foods that lead to the harmful weight gain.

One of the primary culprits is high carb intake so cutting back on this food group can bring fat-burning benefits.

Studies have shown that diets with under 50 grams of carbs per day cause belly fat loss in overweight people, those at risk of type 2 diabetes and women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Lower-carb weight-loss diets may be better for losing visceral fat than higher-carb weight-loss diets, according to a study published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice.

You dont have to cut out carbs completely to reap the benefits.

READ MORE:Angela Rippon health: The plant supplement star used to help get rid of visceral fat

Many sugar-sweetened beverages are made with high-fructose corn syrup instead of sugar, according to medical website LiveStrong.

Drinking beverages sweetened with fructose may increase visceral fat, reports an article published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The study involved overweight and obese people, so further research is necessary to determine whether fructose has the same effect in normal weight individuals.

To keep visceral fat at bay, try replacing these beverages with naturally calorie-free options such as water, tea or black coffee, advises LiveStrong.

Findings published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society also makes a case skipping diet fizzy drinks as this may be associated with increases in waist circumference, and thus potentially visceral fat as well.

In addition to dieting, exercising regularly also offers a robust defence against visceral fat gain.

Harvard Medical School recommends getting 30 to 60 minutes of cardio per day, such as brisk walking, swimming, running or aerobics, and notes that exercising with weights may also be helpful.

Evidence demonstrates the visceral fat-burning benefits of aerobic exercise.

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How to lose visceral fat: Cut back on this type of food to reduce harmful belly fat - Express

Bowel cancer is a general term for cancer that begins in the large bowel and depending on where the cancer starts, bowel cancer is sometimes called colon or rectal cancer.

It is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed in the UK and is most prevalent in people over the age of 60.

Treatment for bowel cancer will depend on which part of your bowel is affected and how far the cancer has spread, and, if detected early enough, treatment can cure bowel bowel completely so it is imperative to know the warning signs.

In the initial stages of the disease, however, many people with bowel cancer do not experience any symptoms, according to Mayo Clinic.

When symptoms appear, they'll likely vary, depending on the cancer's size and location in your large intestine, noted the health site.

The symptoms of bowel can be subtle and do not necessarily make you feel ill so it is easy to overlook them for a less serious condition.

One key warning sign is the feeling that your bowel doesnt empty properly after youve been to the toilet.

READ MORE:Bowel cancer: A medication almost everyone has been prescribed could be the cause

This often creates the feeling of needing to strain your back passage, even after opening your bowels, explains Cancer Research UK.

Other common symptoms include:

According to the NHS, you should see your GP if you have one or more of the symptoms of bowel cancer, and they persist for more than four weeks.

When you first see your GP, they'll ask about your symptoms and whether you have a family history of bowel cancer, explains the NHS.

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They'll usually carry out a simple examination of your bottom, known as a digital rectal examination (DRE), and examine your tummy (abdomen).

This is a useful way of checking whether there are any lumps in your tummy or bottom (rectum).

The tests can be uncomfortable, and many people find an examination of their bottom a bit embarrassing, but they take less than a minute, explained the health body.

Your GP may also check your blood to see if you have iron deficiency anaemia - although most people with bowel cancer do not have symptoms of anaemia, they may lack iron as a result of bleeding from the cancer, notes the health site.

Bowel cancer risk is determined by a range of factors, including age, genetics and lifestyle factors.

Obesity, for example, has been linked to bowel cancer in an estimated 11 out of 100 cases, reports Cancer Research.

Supporting the link, evidence suggests that maintaining a healthy weight by keeping active has been shown to reduce your risk.

One comprehensive study combined and analysed several decades worth of data from past studies on how exercise affects colon cancer risk.

The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, found that people who exercised the most were 24 percent less likely to develop the disease than those who exercised the least.

"What's really compelling is that we see the association between exercise and lower colon cancer risk regardless of how physical activity was measured in the studies," said lead study author Kathleen Y. Wolin, Sc.D., a cancer prevention and control expert with the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University.

She added: "That indicates that this is a robust association and gives all the more evidence that physical activity is truly protective against colon cancer."

It is also important to compliment a physically active lifestyle with a healthy, balanced diet to reduce your risk.

As the NHS reports, a large body of evidence suggests a diet high in red and processed meat can increase your risk of developing bowel cancer.

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Bowel cancer symptoms: This sign after you've been to the toilet could signal the disease - Express

The Bankruptcy of EP Energy

In October, EP Energy one of the largest oil producers in the Eagle Ford Shale region in Texas filed for bankruptcy because the firm couldn't pay back almost $5 billion in debt, making it the largest oil and gas bankruptcy since 2016.

EP Energy hasn't produced a profit since 2014 and Bloomberg reported that the company would need oil to be at "a price closer to $70 per barrel" for EP to be profitable. Oil has not come close to averaging over $70 a barrel since 2014.

Despite its financial struggles at current low oil prices, the company plans to continue operating after restructuring and eliminating up to $3 billion in debt. However, EP has not identified any funds that it would be setting aside for well cleanup, which is not unusual for an oil and gas company.

In response, as part of the bankruptcy proceedings, the U.S. Department of the Interior filed a document arguing that EP Energy is still responsible for its obligations to assure the "decommissioning, plugging, and abandonment" of any of the EP Energy wells that are located on leased federal and tribal lands.

Ideally, that would mean EP Energy sets aside funds for the proper cleanup and end-of-life processes for its oil and gas wells, which number more than 800 in the Eagle Ford region.

However, the federal government hasn't even named a number yet for how much that should be. The Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Affairs "are currently still assessing the status of reclamation and plugging and abandonment obligations across the Debtors' onshore federal and Indian leases," writes the Interior Department.

In EP Energy #bankruptcy, US Interior Department wants to make sure that enough money is set aside for cleanup. For financially struggling companies, cleanup is becoming the tail that's wagging the dog. https://t.co/LDrnMr01rn

— Clark Williams-Derry (@ClarkWDerry) November 16, 2019

The federal government is only getting around to assessing EP Energy's potential liabilities once the firm is already in the bankruptcy process, revealing one of the flaws in the current system. Federal and state governments have not been holding fracking companies fully liable for the environmental damage and cleanup costs of their drilling activity.

Joshua Caleb Macey, a visiting assistant professor at Cornell law school who specializes in bankruptcy and energy law, told DeSmog that the situation with EP Energy was "frustrating and completely normal."

According to the Interior Department filing, "Regardless of its bankruptcy, the Debtor is required to comply with all applicable federal laws."

As I've reported before, oil and gas companies are legally required to hold a certain amount of funds to pay for well cleanup costs, a process known as bonding that varies by state and for public lands.

Because companies are rarely required to have those funds available before they start drilling (and thanks to industry-friendly regulators and politicians), in reality oil and gas companies can walk away from cleanup obligations with relative ease, which has become the pattern for bankrupt coal companies.

Including Cleanup Costs Would Make Extraction 'Uneconomic'

Federal and state regulators have been failing to require companies to fully fund expected cleanup liabilities, which helps mask the true cost of oil and gas production. Passing environmental cleanup costs on to the taxpayer amounts to a backdoor subsidy for the oil and gas industry.

Requiring oil and gas companies to pay for shutting down and cleaning up wells would greatly increase the cost of drilling for many oil and gas wells. The fracking industry already can't make money pumping fossil fuels out of shale in the U.S., and that's without these firms coming even close to fully funding their cleanup costs.

However, more state governments are realizing the scale of this problem and starting to look at increasing and enforcing bonding requirements for oil and gas well cleanup. However, in oil-rich places like Alberta, Canada, and Alaska, regulators are realizing that the money just isn't there.

Hey @jkenney @Alberta_UCP after your sustained attacks on the Liberal government, why are you now begging for taxpayer money to clean up Alberta's abandoned oil wells? Oil companies must pay for that. Not us. Hands off our tax dollars. The oil shareholders should pay. #cdnpoli

— Trish Palmer (@TrishPalmerYVR) December 1, 2019

In 2018, the natural gas driller Amaroq Resources acquired the Nicolai Creek assets in southwest Alaska from the bankrupt Aurora Gas. This transaction was delayed when the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (AOGCC) announced $7 million in bonding required for the gas wells associated with the purchase. This is the point where the state government had the power to make Amaroq provide adequate bonding for well cleanup.

The AOGCC then agreed to reduce that amount to $200,000 and the deal went ahead.

Since that deal, the commission increased the minimum statewide bonding level to $400,000 per well for the first one to 10 wells. Amaroq would be required to abide by these new regulations and has appealed this decision. Company president Scott Pfoff explained that these new bonding requirements make the business "uneconomic."

And that is the reality. If oil and gas companies were required to pay for the full end-of-life cost of their wells, much of their inventory becomes uneconomic. This is where taxpayers come in.

Fracking Industry Wants to Dump Wastewater in Streams and Rivers to Save Money

Failure to require adequate bonding for oil and gas cleanup costs is just one of many backdoor government subsidies for the oil and gas industry. The failure to regulate flaring and venting of the potent greenhouse gas methane during oil drilling is another example.

Fracking firms, which spend a lot of borrowed money to pump out a lot of oil and gas for not much (or any) profit, are experiencing a collapse in financing. Thanks to the industry's failed business model, these companies are desperate for ways to cut costs.

One of the major costs associated with hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is acquiring, pumping and disposing of water, which, after a driller is finished with it, typically contains corrosive levels of salts and contaminants including naturally occurring radioactive materials, chemicals and oil residues. This area has become a major target for the industry to save money.

As The Washington Post pointed out in 2015 (and as I highlighted last year), when it comes to fracked shale oil and gas production, "currently there is no way to treat, store, and release the billions of gallons of wastewater at the surface." The industry's current range of (legal) approaches to disposing of its massive amounts of wastewater involves injecting it underground, which in some cases is tied to increased earthquake activity, using it to irrigate crops or de-ice roads, and sending it to municipal water treatment plants lacking equipment to properly treat it.

Treating oil and gas drilling wastewater is possible, but expensive. As S&P Global Platts recently reported, according to a study by the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers and Independent Petroleum Association of America, for Permian drillers in Texas, "Economically, treatment costs must come down."

The study concludes that dealing with wastewater is already a limiting factor in this prolific region: "Some Permian sub-basins are currently constrained due to insufficient injection well capacity. Projected production growth will worsen the situation."

With this glut of wastewater combined with high costs, the industry is looking for a cheap alternative. The latest preferred approach seems to be lobbying governments to change the rules to allow dumping wastewater with limited treatment into rivers and streams.

In November, E&E News reported that there's movement to allow or expand such wastewater dumping in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Pennsylvania, all states with major fracking industries. "Within a year, Oklahoma could get approval from EPA to start issuing permits that will allow the oil industry to dispose of briny oil field waste in waterways," E&E wrote.

As space for injection wells becomes scarce, the industry hopes to dump its wastewater in streams and rivers, once again passing on potential environmental and financial liabilities to the public.

A 2017 working group looking for alternatives for Oklahoma oil field wastewater (also known as "produced water") found "the most cost-effective means of reducing disposal is for oil companies to treat and clean that produced water so it can be reused for things like fracking," reported NPR's StateImpact Oklahoma.

However, recycling produced water to again frack wells results in more toxic produced water, which can't be recycled indefinitely. With injection wells increasingly unable to handle the volume of water produced by the industry, shale firms have been seeking cheap alternative disposal methods, including dumping the water in rivers and streams.

However, the 2017 analysis concluded that treating produced frack water to the point it could be safely dumped into rivers or used to irrigate agriculture wasn't economically viable.

Owen Mills, the director of water planning for the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, explained to StateImpact Oklahoma why this wasn't an option for the industry: "It's incredibly expensive to do that and it takes a lot of energy."

To properly treat the fracking wastewater to the point it is no longer a threat to human health and the environment would be incredibly expensive, and that is why the industry is lobbying to change the rules about disposing its wastewater. If it succeeds, expect the eventual clean up costs also incredibly expensive to be billed to the American public.

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As lifespans lengthen around the world, men and women are: delaying when they marry and have children; returning to school as adults to gain skills and working beyond traditional retirement age. In countries as dissimilar as Japan and Morocco, theyre marrying five to 10 years later on average than their parents did. In the United Kingdom, more women are having babies in their 40s than before turning 20. And in the U.S., most employees 50 and older say they want to keep working after turning 65.

Now, governments and businesses need to catch up to individuals efforts adapting to longevity. The policymakers and employers have to revise their work, education, health care and other policies once designed for much shorter, different lives.

Singapores only resource is human capital, and our population is aging faster than in any other country. We realized we had to address this to survive.

That was the consensus of economists, physicians, executives, educators and others from almost every continent who met at the Rockefeller Bellagio Center in Italy this fall to begin charting a global longevity agenda. The conference, organized by the Stanford Center on Longevity and The Longevity Forum with support from the Rockefeller Foundation and Prudential Assurance Singapore, was the first major interdisciplinary global convening on longevity. (You can read more about it on the Stanford Center on Longevity site.)

If we live a hundred-year life using the same norms that worked for sixty or seventy years, its unlikely to be a good long life, said Andrew Scott, an economics professor at University of London, co-organizer of the conference and co-author of The 100-Year Life. And while theres much that individuals need to do to adjust, they wont be able to seize the advantages of longer lives without policy changes from governments, corporations and other institutions.

The conference participants discussed numerous, varied issues, such as:

While many countries have begun addressing longevity, the most comprehensive planning is occurring in Singapore. In that country, the average life expectancy is 85 among the highest in the world and about 24% of the labor force is 55 or older, up from 14% in 2008.

But Singapore isnt focusing on building nursing homes. Instead, the island city-nation is investing $3 billion to support lifelong learning and employability, health and wellness, financial literacy and multi-generational housing, among other initiatives.

Singapores only resource is human capital, and our population is aging faster than in any other country. We realized we had to address this to survive, John Eu-Li Wong, professor in medical sciences and senior vice president, National University of Singapore, told participants at the Bellagio conference.

The countrys longevity agenda was also discussed at a November conference in Singapore, also supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and Prudential Assurance Singapore.

To sustain economic growth, Singapore over the next decade is raising its retirement age from 62 to 65 and requiring employers to reemploy men and women who want to work until at least 70. The government there also gives businesses a 3 percent credit to offset wages of employees over 50 and makes grants to companies so they can modify jobs for older workers.

In addition, wellness programs in all communities include regular screenings for chronic diseases, and activities such as Tai Chi and dance lessons. National Silver Academy, a network of colleges and community-based organizations, offers post-secondary education to older people, who can take courses in technology, business, literature and other subjects, and who often share classrooms with youth. A SkillsFuture program teaches Singaporeans of all ages necessary skills for future jobs, and a MoneySense program teaches young and old alike how to manage money and invest.

Singapores small size (population: just 5.8 million) and a lack of U.S.-style partisan politics battles make it easier to implement a nationwide longevity plan. But its effort to harness the advantages of being an aging society is a model for other countries, said Laura Carstensen, executive director of the Stanford Center on Longevity and co-leader of the Bellagio conference.

Instead of focusing on frail old age, Singapore is trying to support people all the way through their long lives, Carstensen noted. Its changing the narrative from aging is a burden to longevity is an opportunity.

Developing nations are beginning to launch age-friendly programs while continuing to grapple with problems like providing clean water and building adequate roads.

In Bangladesh, where average life expectancy has risen to about 73 from 48 in 1960, a strong network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is taking the lead in addressing aging and longevity.

For example, Dhaka-based BRAC (formerly called the Bangladesh Rehabilitation Assistance Committee), the worlds largest NGO, is funding research and treatment of hypertension, diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases. BRAC also offers microloans to adults seeking to start small businesses. Such efforts are enabling Bangladeshi to live longer and more prosperous lives.

Wealthier, developed countries looking at longevity often have an array of uncoordinated programs to help residents stay productive and healthy longer. Some have been launched by governments; others by nonprofits or private companies.

In the United Kingdom, The Pension Advisory Service (TPAS) and insurer Aviva are experimenting with programs to help middle-aged people evaluate their jobs, finances and health, as well as their plans for later in life. In 2018, TPAS targeted a small group of self-employed workers, aged 35 to 50, with one-to-one phone conversations. There are now plans to make this midlife checkup an online program.

Just like when you take your car to the garage, UK Pensions Minister Guy Opperman said when launching the program, this service will highlight where improvements might be made to ensure everything is running smoothly. Aviva initially enrolled about 100 employees in workshops; it will offer the programs to all UK employees 45 and older.

Many European countries, including Denmark and Finland, now offer digital literacy training to adults. The goal: ensuring that older as well as younger people arent excluded from an increasingly digitized world.

In Ireland, where just 17% of those aged 65 to 74 have at least basic digital literacy skills, according to a 2017 Eurostat survey, the government has funded several nonprofits to provide 10 hours of free computer instruction to anyone who has never used the Internet. Its targeted for people over 45 and those who live in rural areas, are disabled or unemployed.

In the U.S., the federal government and most employers are not yet doing much to address longevity. Yet, as Kerry Hannon wrote on MarketWatch, Americans 65 to 74 and age 75 and older are expected to have faster annual rates of labor force growth than others. And just 77% of workers surveyed by the Transamerica Retirement Study said their employer is supportive of working past 65.

But U.S.-based nonprofits like Encore.org are tapping the potential of longer lives and intergenerational connections to help solve social problems. And ones such as iRelaunch and PathForward help midlifers re-enter the workplace after absences or layoffs.

Most people, whether they live in San Francisco or Singapore, when asked about their aspirations for living until 100, say I hope I dont outlive my money, or I hope I dont get dementia, said Carstensen. Its time to overcome those anxieties by envisioning, and sharing, all the ways we can use our extra time to improve the quality of our lives.

Carol Hymowitz is a writer, editor and recognized expert on longevity and the retirement savings crisis, management trends and diversity in the workplace. She is co-author of A History of Women in America (Bantam Books) and a contributor to Getting Older; How We're Coping with the Gray Areas of Aging (Wiley e book). She is currently a visiting scholar at the Stanford Longevity Center.

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Governments and Employers Need to Get Real About Longevity - Next Avenue

The dip in temperature accompanied by cold winds, not only forces us to put on more clothes but also makes us eat more. You might have noticed yourself that with the change in season, you binge eat and succumb to unhealthy cravings. Even though you may not feel hungry physically, your mind continuously asks for food. We often find ourselves munching on snacks mindlessly and in the end worry about unwanted weight gain.

As per researches, your genetics might be responsible for this but there are some other reasons as well. Here are 3 reasons why people overeat in winters.

With the drop in temperature, our body has to fight harder to keep itself warm. And so it requires more calories to produce energy. When this happens, our mind sends a signal to the brain to put on more clothes and eat more calorie-loaded food. At this point, we even forget that we are overeating.

People generally tend to drink less water in winters, which leads to dehydration. This problem is quite common during this season. The drying heat of room heaters and layers of clothes also makes our body dehydrated. Our body actually needs water, but we confuse our thirst with hunger and eat more food.

Winter blues is really a thing! The cold weather is a perfect recipe for sadness. Studies suggest that a significant number of people suffer from this Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and this makes them eat more. People turn to food for some comfort during winters.

If you are worried about gaining weight because of all the extra eating, then here are some tips for you:

-Eat healthy soups and low-calorie dishes. Try to include winter vegetables and fruits in your diet.

-Even if you are snacking between your meals, try to include healthy and low-calorie foods in your diet.

-Portion control is a very important thing. Do not fill your plate with multiple food items at a time.

-If you think you are suffering from winter blues then take necessary steps or seek professional help.

-Exercise regularly for at least 30 minutes every day.

Excerpt from:
3 valid reasons why we tend to overeat in winters - Times of India