WHAT IS BURNOUT?

When we hear the mention of the term burnout we get a sensory experience of exactly what it means. But what is the larger picture?

Is burnout related to anxiety, depression, or is it something else entirely?

Burnout is not something that occurs overnight. We tend to go back and forth with it for a while before making the leap. Knowing this is helpful since you can get ahead of it before it takes you into deeper waters.

In our success-driven culture, we can often end up on the fast lane to burnout. We forget to get our regularly scheduled oil check and we attempt to reach our goals with one foot on the brake and one on the gas.

The oil change that I speak of here is self-care. You can literally burn out just like an engine. And like the little plastic sticker on our windshields that serve as a reminder to change our oil; receiving some guidance to help manage our stress can be helpful as well.

Without the proper tools and support, there can be serious consequences from living under constant stress and great mental burden. But feeling burned out is not something that is new to our modern culture.

Great thinkers have been proselytizing about this since ancient times. Maybe the one historical figure who spoke to this human condition most specifically was Siddhartha Gautama also known as The Buddha.

Buddhism reflects on a timeless inner conflict that is inherent to all living beings: the nature of suffering and impermanence. The Buddha understood the constant stress and dissatisfaction in life, regardless of place and time. He saw how the energy that we tirelessly spend on seeking relief is only a form of suffering. And too much suffering leads us to exhaustion. This then causes us to burnout.

The Buddha has mapped this situation so thoroughly, he has also offered a solution: The Four Noble Truths, aka the route from burned out to blissed-out

If you are feeling burned out or have ever experienced work-related exhaustion, you may recognize some of the symptoms:

At this point the only hope is just to make it through the day.

Some situations that contribute to burnout include:

But prolonged excessive workloads will eventually lead you towards burnout. We tip the scales too far in one direction and lose sight of ourselves.

This can rear its head in many different ways, all leading to burnout.

Those without a community, a partner, close friends, a counselor, or life coach to talk to are at greater risk of burnout than those with support.

Differing from compassion fatigue; this type of burnout is caused by being overworked and underpaid (or appreciated). It happens to people who spend a lot of their energy only to see little in return. Also, not having enough time off, lacking resources, and support all play a role in compassion burnout.

Monotony isnt particularly stressful on its own, but it does cause people to check out and to become detached. You lose your creative spark and your work no longer brings you satisfaction. The continuation of this day after day ultimately leads to stress and burnout.

But its not all gloomy skies and stormy weather. You can always choose to remember that you do have control over your life. You can reach out for help from your support system. We can also choose to view burnout as serving to teach us something.

Burnout could be a call to re-evaluate what you are doing and the direction that you are headed.

Or it could be that you are headed in the right direction, but need to relax a little, loosen up your grip, and let life unfold with some faith and trust.

It could be a call to look after your health or well-being.

And it could be many numbers of things.

Through the Buddhist teachings of The Four Noble Truths we can examine this further

THE FIRST NOBLE TRUTH

Life is suffering

This may be quite a big bite to chew on. You can rest assured in knowing that the translation of life is suffering, or life involves suffering may actually be incorrect. According to Buddhist scholars, a more accurate translation would be life is stressful or there is dissatisfaction, discontent, pain, sorrow, sadness, disappointment, etc. in life.

Burnout is one of the major ways that this is dealt with.

A factor that greatly contributes to burnout, aka suffering, is our tendency to want to control the uncontrollable (or impermanent). How often do you try to hold onto things in fear that they will slip awayjobs, relationships, money, status positions, your identity?

This is amplified in people who own their own business or work for themselves. In this position, it can seem that you are responsible for everything. There is a lot of work to do and so much is always riding on your success. We ruminate believing that we can somehow control the outcomes.

This can make your business fertile ground for suffering. For many, its their primary source of stress. Without tools and support, this is a sure way to burnout.

The first of the Four Noble Truths is an open invitation for you to be still and take a moment to reflect on your life and motivations. It calls you to examine what about your beliefs and actions that are causing you to do the things that make you feel burned out.

Here are some questions that you can ask yourself:

Finding shelter from the storm through meditation or quiet time, you can rest and relax. From this vantage point you can view your situation with clarity and wisdom. It gives you the energy to take action where needed.

THE SECOND NOBLE TRUTH:

The cause of suffering is greed or desire

An alternate version of the Second Noble Truth is clinging, craving, attachment, and aversion. We rely on the external factors that we enjoy and avoid the ones that we dont.

Desire is both wonderful and natural. It is the attachment to it that causes suffering (and our burnouts). Think about it All that energy you are spending trying to attain your desire, all the anxiety, fear, shame, blame that arises on the journey. How helpful is it?

No amount of success (however you choose to define the term) can ever free you from this condition.

The Buddha taught The Middle-Way, which is the path to help you avoid any extremes. The Middle Way teaches balance. Its not to deny your needs and wants, but also not to become too wrapped up in them either.

Here you can ask yourself:

The Third Noble Truth

The Solution to Suffering is letting go of attachments

Complete enlightenment isnt expected of anybody, only that we may acknowledge what is causing suffering and work towards a shift.

There is a fair concern that you may become dull, boring, uncreative, and so forth in the process. This is an understandable fear. But its the complete opposite of what actually takes place when you begin to change.

A more helpful way to view this process is of letting go of the things that do not serve you. This includes thoughts, emotions, objects, goals, and people.

You can take a page from Marie Kondos book, Spark Joy, and literally let go of anything in your life that doesnt spark joy. This is an excellent gauge in determining what in your life is holding you down and keeping you from experiencing the happiness and productivity that you deserve.

You enter into a more empowered place when you let go of what isnt serving you. Youre left with a feeling of greater connection; which is more loving, more creative, more compassionate, more powerful, healthier, happier, and free.

An easy step is to ask yourself: Where am I holding on where I could be letting go?

The Fourth Noble Truth

The Eightfold Path; the road that frees us from suffering

The last of The Four Noble Truths is the path to end suffering by achieving nirvana (awakening, peace of mind, liberation).

This is called The Eight Fold Path. It is the action step of The Four Noble Truths and where the fruit of the practice is found.

Below we will take a look at The Eight Fold path through the scope of burning out.

The Eight Fold Path

This knowing can assist with taking lifeless serious and becoming less affected by its stress. You no longer put so much importance on outer things and spend more time on what really makes you really happy.

One of the best things that you can do in the workplace is to avoid taking part in gossip. That type of negativity will only drag you down and put your reputation on the line.

It is Right Action to set healthy boundaries.

Its important to look at, and really be honest about if your job is the right one for you.

It may not mean quitting your job exactly, but it could mean making some changes within it.

You are able to view yourself and the world from your true home of awareness; with greater love, strength, compassion, peace, and wisdom.

The Four Noble Truths gives us an excellent lens to examine our lives. It can bring new perspectives on burnout and exhaustion. It offers solutions to lessen lifes burdens and gives you the stress relief through its techniques allowing you to cope while reducing the effect that burnout and exhaustion can have.

If youre ready to include the four noble truths into your life to reduce burnout and exhaustion, along with navigating work and life struggles schedule your first $60-minute session for $1!

See more here:
Using The Four Noble Truths To Go from Burnout to Bliss - Thrive Global

My name is Danni Woessner (@ketowithdanni). I am 27, living in Massachusetts. For the past year I have been a stay-at-home mom but I recently went back to work as a behavior therapist. An embarrassing travel experience opened my eyes to the fact that I was nearly 400 pounds, so I experimented with various diets until I found (and fell in love with) keto.

I have been overweight since childhoodand I remember being made very aware of just how overweight I was at a very young age. I was active in high school as a swimmer but never really got my weight under control despite doing so much physical activity.

After high school, I lost a significant amount in a very unhealthy way but quickly regained it (and then some) after I had my first child several years ago. That's when my weight issues got really out of control.

I was a yo-yo dieter for years. I remember doing Atkins in 2015, after giving birth, and losing 60 pounds. But I slowly ate my way back up to almost 400 pounds. I suffered from binge eating and often hid how much food I was actually consuming throughout the day.

Three McDoubles for a quick snack? Sure. That was an average Tuesday for me. Vegetables were not a part of my diet and exercise felt impossible. I couldnt walk for more then a few minutes without being winded. I felt like food made me my worst self.

I was so excited for the trip. I knew I had been gaining weight but I was still going to enjoy my vacation. That was until I got on the plane and the seatbelt no longer fit. The belt had been snug for years for me, but I could still sit (albeit uncomfortably) without a seatbelt extender.

Asking for an extender crushed me. I had to find someone willing to change seats, because in the emergency aisle you cant wear a seatbelt extender. Having the whole plane stare at the overweight girl trying to make herself fit through the aisle was gut wrenching.

We enjoyed our honeymoon, but I was lazy on the trip. I didnt want to do much and moving was tough for me. And when I saw photos from our trip? It finally dawned on me on how big I was.

I tried Beachbody and lasted about 10 days. I looked into WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) but only lasted a few days.

So, I started following a lot of people on Instagram that had similar stories and experiences to mine who had successfully lost a lot of weight on this so-called keto diet thing. I was intrigued. That's not to say those other diets didn't have great success stories too, but I personally felt like I really connected to the keto stories I read.

How To Count Macros To Lose Weight

At the end of July 2018, I took the plunge and started eating keto. It was hard to navigate at first as I learned how to count and track my macros and how to measure how much fat, overall calories, and carbs to take in each day.

But eventually I got the hang of it and have been successful ever since. My biggest success tool has been tracking my food intake and macros, as it has made me aware of what Im putting in my body and prevents me from overeating. Ive also started adding in intermittent fasting.

In the beginning of my weight-loss journey, I didnt work out. I currently still do not have a solid workout routine. But when I was losing the bulk of my weight, I was kickboxing a few days a week.

Everyone's weight-loss journey will go differently. You have to trust the process. The scale is not always your friend, and thats ok. Those three numbers are just numbers. If youre putting in the work, it will work. It didnt take one day to gain the weight, and it will take longer than one to lose it.

For me, once I figured out the basics of keto, it was so much easier than I could have ever imagined. It helps that there are so many keto-friendly recipes that are just incredible. Though sometimes I do indulge in non-keto foods, I dont feel compelled to that often because it is so easy to make anything keto-friendly...and *just* as delicious as non-keto versions, I swear.

I want other women to know that you can change. You are not stuck at your current weight. If you are unhappy and just fed up, do it! Do your research, come up with a plan, and start. You can completely change your life whenever you're ready.

More:
'When I Started Counting Macros On Keto, My Weight Loss Finally Stuck' - Women's Health

A study suggests that those who start racking up more minutes of exercise are also likely to post lower blood pressure readings, get more sleep and eat more fruits and vegetables. Bill Keay / Postmedia files

Theres no doubt exercise is good for you. If anything, the benefits of regular physical activity arent stated enough, with improved longevity, vitality and quality of life all positive outcomes of being active. Another benefit to exercise that hasnt received the attention it deserves is its ability to spark individuals to adopt healthier habits.

Eating well, sleeping well, maintaining a healthy weight, refraining from smoking, drinking in moderation and reducing sedentary time are all habits worth embracing. When combined with regular exercise, the health benefits are even greater, including slowing down the physical and mental decline often associated with aging. Yet too few Canadians exercise regularly, and even fewer can lay claim to an impressive list of healthy lifestyle behaviours.

The idea that exercise is a gateway to positive lifestyle changes isnt new. Common sense suggests the fitter you are, the more likely you are to choose healthier foods, sleep better, move more and shed some of those unwanted pounds. This has been proved time and time again by novice exercisers who suddenly cant stop talking about the success of their new diet, the number of steps they take daily and the sleep stats logged on their new smartwatch.

But up until now, there has been very little hard data supporting the theory exercise is a catalyst for healthier behaviours, which is why an article posted in the BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine open-access journal is sparking interest. The articles authors reviewed the lifestyle stats accumulated by 34,061 individuals who participated in the Vitality program, an interactive online wellness platform that incentivizes healthy choices like exercise, medical checkups, sleep, healthy food choices and stress-reducing activities. The more healthy choices members make, the more points they accumulate, which they can trade for discount coupons to participating retail outlets (grocery stores, fitness clubs) or add to the point total of their corporate team vying to outperform colleagues on other teams.

The researchers wanted to use the copious data collected by Vitality to determine whether earning physical activity points was followed by improvements in engagement with other health-promoting behaviour and health markers. They also wanted to see if there were differences in healthy uptakes between those who accumulated the greatest number of exercise minutes (150 or more) per week and those who accumulated the fewest (less than 59 minutes) over the same time period.

Turns out all but the already active exercisers in the Vitality program increased the number of minutes per week they were active. And while they were racking up all those exercise minutes, they were also eating more fruits and vegetables, getting more sleep, spending less time being sedentary, cutting back on alcohol, experiencing less stress and posting better health markers (such as lower blood pressure readings).

The improvements were greatest in those with the most to gain, those with low baseline physical activity levels, said the researchers.

One of the unique aspects of the data collected by Vitality is activity monitors were worn by participants, resulting in a more accurate representation of exercise minutes than self-reported stats. Also worth noting is all lifestyle changes occurred in real-world conditions, not in a lab, which makes them more relatable to the average Joe and Jill.

Our study extends previous findings that health behaviours such as physical activity, healthy eating and abstaining from alcohol and smoking tend to co-occur in individuals and the presence of one healthy behaviour is followed by other healthy behaviours, reported the research team.

Why does establishing an exercise routine result in other lifestyle improvements? No one knows for sure, but successfully introducing an exercise habit builds confidence, especially among those who have struggled to maintain a regular workout schedule. Mastery in one domain often reinforces the ability to master another, so once someone has achieved a previously elusive fitness goal, theyre motivated to take on another challenge, like cutting down on high-calorie foods.

The message to remember in these results is change begets change. Its also notable were capable of pursuing and achieving more than one goal at a time. Taking this new information into account, monitor several lifestyle markers as you boost your activity levels. Take note of your diet, sleeping habits, blood pressure, heart rate and time spent with your feet up. Chances are if you make a commitment to boost your exercise minutes, youll be motivated to complement your efforts by making other healthy changes. Use an activity monitor to keep track of your stats and an old-fashioned notebook to chart your progress, with the end goal being an improvement in the most important health marker of all: feeling better every day.

Read more:
Fitness: How much does exercise inspire other healthy habits? - Montreal Gazette

SYLVANIA, Ohio (WTVG) - It can be hard to find the right diet for yourself, let alone stick to your New Year's resolution to work out past January. A study by UK researchers suggests that directly labeling foods with the amount of exercise needed to "burn off" calories will lead to healthier choices in the long term.

A number of things work against the study itself -- small sample size being one of them -- but there are also concerns that a focus on calories, rather than nutrients, could lead to different health issues.

Amy Good, a registered dietitian with the Toledo Center for Eating Disorders, cautions against looking at labels as a be-all-end-all guide to match calorie for calorie.

"There's this really obsessive thinking around the numbers part of it. It kind of takes away the enjoyment of food, and the enjoyment of physical activity," Good said.

Diet and exercise are important in tandem, of course, but people with eating disorders can sometimes overexert themselves to work off each meal, or limit themselves to familiar though less nutritious foods.

"Something we see here often is that people's variety of food choices becomes pretty narrow, eating just a small selection of foods," Good says. "This [re-labeling] could potentially exacerbate that."

Current labels carry some degree of information overload and can end up doing little to curb one's eating habits regardless if the exercise label idea were to be brought stateside.

"What we're seeing is that as we're putting more of this diet information out and readily available to see," Good suggests, "we're not seeing rates of obesity, diabetes or heart disease improving."

As with most things in life, balance and motivation are the keys to success here.

"We need that balance of both, being able to move your body because it feels good and you're enjoying it, rather than feeling like you're punishing yourself and have to move because you ate," Good said. "When we take care of our bodies that way, our weight will figure itself out."

For the record, the Loughborough University study suggests an average of 200 calories could be saved per day with the proposed re-labeling -- still less than your average chocolate bar. Time will tell if the idea ever makes the jump across the pond.

Originally posted here:
Exercise times on food labels? Benefits and drawbacks found in new study - 13abc Action News

If youve ever tried to lose weight, youve likely heard that a calorie deficit is required.

Yet, you may wonder what exactly it involves or why its necessary for weight loss.

This article explains everything you need to know about a calorie deficit, including what it is, how it affects weight loss, and how to achieve it in a healthy, sustainable way.

Calories are the units of energy you get from foods and beverages, and when you consume fewer calories than you burn, you achieve a calorie deficit.

The calories you burn or expend each day also known as calorie expenditure include the following three components (1):

If you provide your body fewer calories than it needs to support these three components of calorie expenditure, you put your body into a calorie deficit. Doing so consistently for long periods results in weight loss (1).

Conversely, you will gain weight if you regularly provide your body more calories than it needs to support these functions. This is called a calorie surplus.

A calorie deficit occurs when you consistently provide your body with fewer calories than it needs to support calorie expenditure.

For most people, a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day is sufficient for weight loss and unlikely to significantly affect your hunger or energy levels (2).

To create this calorie deficit, you need to know what your maintenance calories are. Maintenance calories are precisely the number of calories your body needs to support energy expenditure.

You can use calorie calculators like the Body Weight Planner from the National Institute of Health. Such calculators estimate your maintenance calories based on your weight, sex, age, height, and physical activity level (3).

Though calorie calculators provide a good idea of your maintenance calorie needs, you can get a more precise number by tracking your calorie intake and weight for 10 days (4).

While maintaining the same level of daily activity, use a calorie tracking app to track your calories and weigh yourself daily. For an accurate result, use the same scale, at the same time of day, and wearing the same clothes (or nothing at all).

Your weight may fluctuate day to day, but if your weight has otherwise remained stable over the 10 days, the average number of calories you consumed per day is a better representation of your maintenance calories.

Divide the total number of calories you consumed for 10 days by 10 to find your average daily calorie intake. Then, subtract 500 calories from this number to determine your new daily intake goal for weight loss.

For example, if you find your maintenance calories to be 2,000 per day, your new daily calorie goal would be 1,500.

As you lose weight, your maintenance calories will decrease over time, and you will need to adjust your calorie intake based on your weight loss goals (1).

Still, to ensure healthy weight loss and adequate nutrient intake, women should not consume fewer than 1,200 calories per day, and men no fewer than 1,500 calories (5).

You can estimate your maintenance calories by using an online calculator. Alternatively, for a more accurate number, monitor your calorie intake and weight for 10 days.

You can achieve a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories or increasing your physical activity levels or both.

That said, it may be easier and more sustainable to create a calorie deficit through diet rather than exercise alone, as you may not have the time, energy, or motivation to exercise daily. Plus, exercise doesnt burn as many calories as many people believe (6, 7, 8, 9, 10).

In other words, it may be easier to eat 500 fewer calories each day than to burn this number of calories through exercise. Nonetheless, its still recommended to engage in muscle-strengthening and aerobic exercises for their beneficial effects on overall health (11).

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans from the Department of Health and Human Services recommend that adults do 150300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, or 75150 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise, weekly (12).

Moderate-intensity exercise includes brisk walking and light bicycling, whereas examples of vigorous-intensity exercise are jogging and fast bicycling.

The guidelines also recommend that adults do muscle-strengthening activities involving their major muscle groups including the back, shoulders, chest, arms, and legs at least two days every week (12).

Engaging in muscle-strengthening activities will help your body prioritize the loss of body fat rather than muscle mass (13, 14, 15).

Its likely more sustainable to create a calorie deficit through diet rather than exercise alone. However, physical activity is important for many aspects of health.

Cutting calories from your diet to create a calorie deficit doesnt necessarily require drastic changes.

In fact, several strategies can help you reduce your calorie intake to lose weight and maintain it and they dont even require calorie counting.

You may be able to eliminate several hundred calories from your diet simply by reducing or eliminating your intake of sugary beverages like soda, fruit juices, and specialty coffee drinks.

Alcoholic beverages can also pack a significant number of calories.

The calories from these beverages dont provide fullness, and in excess, they can lead to weight gain, heart disease, and diabetes (16, 17, 18, 19).

The sugar, fat, and salt in highly processed foods, including sugary beverages, fast foods, desserts, and breakfast cereals, make these high calorie foods highly palatable and encourage excess consumption (20, 21).

In fact, one study showed that people who were allowed to eat as much or as little as they wanted ate 500 more calories per day on a diet containing highly processed foods, compared with a diet containing minimally proceeded ones (22).

Minimally proceeded foods are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber and include foods like lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes. A diet rich in minimally processed foods will help prevent you from overeating and ensure you get the nutrients your body needs.

If your current diet consists of many highly processed foods, slowly begin to replace those items with minimally processed ones. For example, swap sugary cereals with oatmeal topped with fruit, or swap chips with lightly salted almonds.

Preparing and eating your meals at home allows you to control the ingredients and your portion sizes and therefore, your calorie intake.

One study showed that people who cooked dinner at home 67 times per week consumed 137 fewer calories per day, on average, than people who cooked dinner at home 01 time per week (23).

Eating home-cooked meals is also associated with better diet quality, an increased intake of fruits and vegetables, lower body fat levels, and reduced risks of heart disease and diabetes (24).

Whats more, frequently cooking at home can save you money (25).

Reducing your consumption of sugary beverages, consuming a diet containing mostly minimally processed food, and eating at home can help you reduce your calorie intake.

A calorie deficit occurs when you consume fewer calories than your body expends.

A calorie deficit of 500 calories per day is effective for healthy and sustainable weight loss.

Eliminating sugary beverages, consuming mostly minimally processed foods like fruits and vegetables, and eating home-cooked meals can help you reach a calorie deficit without calorie counting.

Here is the original post:
What Is a Calorie Deficit, and How Much of One Is Healthy? - Healthline

Lets get into it.

When you google weight loss, the challenge to sort fact from fiction begins. These five supplements claim to speed up weight loss, but lets see what the evidence says.

Raspberry ketones, sold as weight loss tablets, are chemicals found in red raspberries responsible for that distinct raspberry flavor and smell. You can also make raspberry ketones in a lab.

A study in obese rats found raspberry ketones reduced their total body fat content. In one study, 70 adults with obesity were put on a weight loss diet and exercise program, and randomized to take a supplement containing either raspberry ketones or other supplements such as caffeine or garlic, or a placebo.

Only 45 participants completed the study. The 27 who took a supplement lost about 1.9 kilos (4.18 pounds), compared to 400 grams (0.88 pounds) in the 18 in the placebo group. The drop-out rate was so high that these results need to be interpreted with a lot of caution.

A small pilot study of five adults found no effect on weight when the participants were told to maintain their current eating and exercise patterns and just took supplements of 200mg/day of raspberry ketones.

Concerns have been raised about potential toxic effects of raspberry ketones on the heart and for reproduction.

Verdict: Fiction! Leave the raspberry ketone supplements on the shelf. Spend your money on foods that contain them, including fresh berries, kiwi, peaches, grapes, apples, and rhubarb.

Matcha is a green tea made from leaves of the Camellia sinensis, or tea plant, but its processed into a green powder and can be mixed into liquids or food. Before the leaves are harvested, the tea plant is put in the shade for a few weeks, which increases the content of theanine and caffeine.

No studies have tested the effect of matcha on weight loss. A review of six studies using green tea preparations for weight loss over 12 weeks found a difference based on the country. In studies conducted outside of Japan, people consuming green tea did not lose more weight than controls. In the eight studies conducted within Japan, the mean weight loss ranged from 200 grams (.44 pounds) to 3.5 kilos (7.7 pounds) in favor of green tea preparations.

Verdict: Fiction! There are currently no studies testing whether matcha tea accelerates weight loss.

Garcinia cambogia is a tropical fruit that contains a large amount of Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA), claimed to aid weight loss.

In animal studies, HCA interferes with the usual production of fatty acids. If this was transferred to humans, it could theoretically make it harder to metabolize fat and speed up weight loss. Research studies in humans show this is not the case.

While one 12-week trial in overweight women randomized them to a low kilojoule diet, with or without HCA, and found the HCA group lost significantly more weight (3.7 kilos (8.1 pounds) compared to 2.4 kilos (5.29 pounds) for placebo), two other trials found no difference in weight loss.

A 12-week trial in 135 men and women found no difference in weight loss between the HCA group (3.2 kilos, or 7 pounds) and the placebo group (4.1 kilos, or 9 pounds). A 10-week trial in 86 men and women who were overweight and randomized to take either Garcinia cambogia extract or placebo, but were not also put on a weight-loss diet, found minimal weight loss of 650 grams (1.4 pounds) versus 680 grams (1.5 pounds), with no difference between groups.

Verdict: Fiction! Garcinia cambogia does not accelerate weight loss.

Caffeine is claimed to increase your metabolic rate and therefore speed up weight loss. Research studies in volunteers of a healthy weight found an increase in metabolic rate, but it depended on the dose. The more caffeine supplements consumed, the more the metabolic rate went up.

The lowest caffeine dose of 100mg, the amount in one instant coffee, increased the average metabolic rate by nine calories per hour, while the 400mg dose, which is roughly equivalent to the caffeine found in two to three cups of barista-made coffee, increased metabolic rate by about 34 calories per hour over three hours.

When adults with obesity were given caffeine supplements at a dose of 8mg per kilo of body weight, there was an increase in metabolic rate of about 16 percent for up to three hours.

In a study in which adults with obesity were asked to follow a weight-loss diet, then randomized to receive either 200mg caffeine supplements three times a day for 24 weeks or a placebo supplement, there was no difference in weight change between groups. For the first eight weeks, the group taking caffeine supplements experienced side effects of insomnia, tremors, and dizziness.

Verdict: Fiction! While caffeine does speed up the bodys metabolic rate in the short-term, it does not speed up weight loss.

Alkalizing products are promoted widely. These include alkaline water, alkalizing powders, and alkaline diets. Youre supposed to measure the acidity of your urine and/or saliva to assess body acidity level. Urine usually has a slightly acidic pH (average is about pH6) vegetables and fruit make it more alkaline, while eating meat makes it less so.

Saliva has a neutral pH of 7. Alkaline diets recommend you modify what you eat based on your urine or saliva pH, claiming a more alkaline pH helps digestion, weight loss, and well-being.

But your stomach is highly acidic at a pH less than 3.5, with this acid helping break down food. It then moves into the small bowel for digestion and absorption where the pH increases to 4.5-5.0, which is still acidic.

Your body has finely controlled pH balancing mechanisms to make sure your blood pH stays between 7.35-7.45. If it did not, you would die.

On the positive side, alkaline diets encourage healthier eating by promoting plant-based foods such as fruit and vegetables. There is some evidence lower intakes of foods of animal origin that contribute to acid load are associated with better long-term health.

Verdict: Fiction! There is no scientific evidence to support alkaline water or powders speeding up weight loss.

This article was originally published on The Conversation by Clare Collins, Lee Ashton, and Rebecca Williams. Read the original article here.

See the rest here:
5 supplements that claim to speed up weight loss, and what the science says - Inverse

Weight loss at Christmas is extremely difficult especially when considering how many calories there are in all of Britains favourite treats. Slimmers know that the key to successful weight loss is being in a calorie deficit, so diet expert, Terri-Ann Nunns, has shared the top five treats that Britons can indulge in during this festive period that can be burnt off in 20 minutes or less of exercise - what are they?

Slimmers all know that the key to achieving successful weight loss is getting into a calorie deficit and a new study conducted recently by the Royal Society for Public Health suggested that labelling junk food with the amount of time it would take to burn off could help people nationwide to eat 200 calories less every day.

Many slimmers might be horrified to learn that a tub of Ben & Jerrys ice-cream could take up to four hours and 40 minutes of walking to burn off the calories, but luckily, slimmers can still eat some of Britains favourite treats which can be burnt off in under 20 minutes of exercise - what are they?

Terri-Ann Nunns, diet expert and founder of theTerri-Ann 123 Diet Plan, has shared the top five tasty snacks that can be burnt off in under 20 minutes of exercise.

READ MORE:Man loses175lbsusing 'life-changingdiet plan

1. Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Buttons (30g)

Its definitely a myth to think that you cant enjoy chocolate as part of a healthy balanced diet, said Terri-Ann Nunns.

If you are craving a chocolate fix, opt for something small but satisfying such as a packet of Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Buttons (30g).

It wont damage your calorie intake too much and can easily be burned off.

DON'T MISS

Number of calories: 160

According to Nunns, there are three different exercises that a slimmer can do to burn off the calories from the Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Buttons.

How to burn it off in under 20 minutes:

- Go jogging for 19 minutes

- Swim for 13 minutes

- Circuit training for 17 minutes

2. Digestive Biscuits (x2)

Opting for a biscuit with a cup of tea is a classic mid-afternoon snack and if you can stick to just two Plan Digestive Biscuits, youll be in a position where you can easily burn them off and still feel like youve had a treat, explained Nunns.

Number of calories: 100

Nunns recommends walking, zumba, or most surprisingly, gardening to burn off the calories from eating two Digestive Biscuits.

How to burn it off in under 20 minutes:

- Walking for 13 minutes

- Zumba for 9 minutes

- Gardening for 19 minutes

3. Walkers Cheese and Onion Crisps

Like chocolate, theres no reason that crisps cant be part of a healthy diet as long as they fall within your daily calorie allowance and arent consumed too frequently, explained Nuunns.

A packet of Walkers Cheese and Onion Crisps isnt as damaging as you might think and can be burned off in under 20 minutes.

Similarly as with the other two treats, calories from Walkers Cheese and Onion Crisps can be burned off in under 20 minutes by participating in light exercise.

Number of calories: 130

How to burn it off in under 20 minutes:

- Walk up the stairs for 15 minutes

- Run for 14 minutes

- Go on a bike ride for 17 minutes

4. Butterkist Toffee Popcorn (20g)

If youre heading to the cinema or have a sweet craving you might grab a bag of popcorn as a snack, said Nunns.

Luckily popcorn is a surprisingly low-calorie snack and its made from whole grains a really important part of any diet, explained the diet expert.

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Weight loss: Five tasty treats you can burn off in under 20 minutes of exercise - Express

When it comes to achieving a healthy weight, people are quick to try fad diets and weight loss supplements but underestimate the importance of eating right. It is important to understand that the journey to better health begins from a healthy diet and there is no quick fix for the same. If no amount of sweating it out is helping you lose weight, we suggest going back to basics.

If you have been looking for an all-natural way to lose those stubborn kilos, it is time to include this bitter-sweet spice in your weight loss regime. Flavourful cinnamon is not only loaded with health benefits but can also help you achieve your weight loss goal as well. This aromatic spice has a number of medicinal properties and fighting stubborn fat tops the list.

If you are worried about your bulging stomach, we suggest adding a piping hot cuppa of cinnamon tea to your daily diet. This bitter-sweet spice is known to aid metabolism, regulate blood sugar levels and improve insulin function--all this collectively can help you lose weight.

According to a Japanese study published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology in 2012, cinnamon may help in fighting visceral fat in mice.

However, it is important to understand that cinnamon will only help in complementing your regular exercise and a balanced diet. Ultimately, it is essential to start working out and clean eating if you are on a quest to lose weight.

Here is the simplest way to add cinnamon tea to your weight loss routine.

You will need:

A cup of water

A teaspoon of honey

A dash of lemon to taste

1 cinnamon stick

Boil a cinnamon stick in water till its gets fragrant. Squeeze a dash of lemon in it and add one teaspoon of raw honey to it. Your weight loss drink is ready. You can also include some other spices like ginger, pepper, cardamom and mint to make the concoction even healthier and tastier. The combination of lemon, honey and cinnamon is great for weight loss.

Originally posted here:
Cinnamon for weight loss: How to make cinnamon tea to lose weight - Times of India

SAN ANTONIO Food and activity trackers are becoming increasingly popular. But just because many of the apps associated with them are free it doesn't mean they are always helpful. They can lead to major health problems few people expect.

There are many kinds of activity and food trackers on the market such as MyFitnessPal, Fitbit, and even Garmin. They can all be helpful but only if used the correct way. Landry Weatherston-Yarborough, the Clinical Director of the Eating Recovery Center of San Antonio, and licensed professional counselor -- as well as a certified eating disorder specialist - told us they are best used, "When the data that is being collected or gathered by these apps is being evaluated by someone who has the training and the education to support the person."

A growing number of wearable devices are flooding the market claiming to track and help improve your diet, exercise, sleep, and even stress. A 2013 Pew report said 60 percent of U.S. adults track their diet, exercise, and weight. A 2017 study found over 40 percent have used a wearable health tracker, with sales of devices expected to more than double over the next five years.

Weatherston-Yarborough says dieting is the most common cause of eating disorder development. She added, "That doesn't mean everyone who diet is going to have an eating disorder, but dieting starts for many people with monitoring their exercise monitoring their calorie intake and potentially trying to lose weight or get healthy."

Some of the signs of an eating disorder or overuse of a health tracker include over-exercising, severe restriction of caloric intake, fear of food or excuses for not eating, binging combined with purging, and anger, fear, anxiety, shame, or depression.

One of our senior producers, April Young, took part in our KENS 5 Fitbit Challenge last year. She only wore it for that month but can see how these trackers can take over someone's life. Young told us, "I can definitely see how people can just take too much time being obsessed about their Fitbit."

If you do realize you may be taking it too far Weatherston-Yarbourough said, "Get connected with a mental health professional to seek out an assessment for an eating disorder or disordered eating and to get treatment as quickly as possible."

To get in touch with Eating Recovery Centers, call (877) 711-1690.

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The pitfalls of calorie and activity trackers that lead to eating disorders - KENS5.com

The Blood Type Diet which focuses on eating right according to each individuals blood type has been found popular for quite some time now. Upholders of this diet suggest that the blood type determines which foods are best for an individuals health.

There are many people who swear by this diet including Dr K J Yesudas, the eminent singer par excellence, and claim that it has saved their lives. But naturally several questions are bound to rise for most people about the details of the blood type diet, and if it is based on any solid evidence. Lets have a brief analysis here.

What is the Blood Type Diet?

The blood type diet, also known as the blood group diet, was popularized by a naturopathic physician, Dr. Peter D'Adamo in the year 1996; through his book titled Eat Right For Your Blood Type. He described in the book, how people could be healthier, live longer, and achieve their ideal weight by eating according to their blood type. Ones choice of condiments, spices, and even exercise should depend on ones blood type according to him.

The book which went on to become a best seller claimed that the optimal diet for any individual depends on the person's ABO blood type. It also states that each blood type represents genetic traits of our ancestors, including which diet they evolved to thrive on.

Recommended diet plans for each blood group

Type A: Called the agrarian, or cultivator. People who are type A have sensitive immune system; should eat a diet rich in plants, and completely free of red meat. This closely resembles a vegetarian diet.

Type B: Called the nomad. These people can eat plants and most meats except chicken and pork, and can also eat some dairy. However, they should avoid foods like wheat, corn, lentils, tomatoes.

Type AB: Called the enigma. Described as a mix between types A and B. Foods to eat include seafood, tofu, dairy, beans and grains. They should avoid kidney beans, corn, beef and chicken.

Type O: Called the hunter. This is a high-protein diet based largely on meat, fish, poultry, certain fruits and vegetables, but limited in grains, legumes and dairy. It closely resembles the paleo diet.

Proposed Link of Lectins between diet and blood type

One of the central theories of the blood type diet involves lectins, which are a diverse family of proteins that can bind sugar molecules. These substances are considered to be antinutrients, and may have negative effects on the lining of the gut.

According to the blood type diet theory, there are many lectins in the diet that specifically target different ABO blood types. It is claimed that eating the wrong types of lectins could lead to agglutination of red blood cells.

There may be evidence that a small percentage of lectins in raw, uncooked legumes, can have agglutinating activity specific to a certain blood type, like raw lima beans may interact only with the red blood cells in people with blood type A. However, it appears that the majority of agglutinating lectins react with all ABO blood types.

In other words, according to studies, lectins in the diet are not blood-type specific, with the exception of a few varieties of raw legumes. This may not even have any real-world relevance, because most legumes are soaked and/or cooked before consumption, which eliminates the harmful effect.

Is there a scientific evidence behind the Blood Type Diet?

Research on ABO blood types has advanced rapidly in the past few years. There is now strong evidence that people with certain blood types can have a higher or lower risk of some diseases. However, there are no studies showing this to have anything to do with diet.

In a large observational study of 1,455 young adults, eating a type A diet was associated with better health markers. But this effect was seen in everyone following the type A diet, not just individuals with type A blood.

In a major 2013 review study where researchers examined the data from over a thousand studies, they did not find a single well-designed study looking at the health effects of the blood type diet. They concluded: "No evidence currently exists to validate the purported health benefits of blood type diets."

Of the 4 studies identified as somewhat related to ABO blood type diets, they were all poorly designed. One of the studies that found a relationship between blood types and food allergies actually contradicted the blood type diet's recommendations.

Limitations

Restrictions: Depending on the blood type, one might need to severely restrict the foods he eats. Since the diet dictates that you eat very specific types of food based on your blood type, it doesn't allow much for personal tastes. Your blood type will determine your shopping list and your choices when eating out.

There are even recommendations about the types of spices and condiments you can use which might cause more inconvenience. Another interesting fact is that this diet doesn't ban gluten.

Exercise: The Blood Type Diet recommends specific exercises based on your blood type. For instance, it suggests yoga or tai chi for type A, and vigorous aerobic exercises like jogging or biking for up to an hour a day for type O.

Cost: D'Adamo recommends a lot of speciality and organic foods, which can be pricey. Vitamin and herbal supplements are also part of the diet which may be costly and difficult to find.

Is it good for certain health conditions?

The Blood Type Diet makes recommendations based solely on the blood type. So, if you have a chronic condition say, diabetes, you may be told to eat high protein, while another person with diabetes may have to avoid dairy or chicken. This may conflict with your diabetes treatment plan.

The American Diabetes Association recommends a more practical approach to a persons day-to-day eating. It also cautions against focusing on specific foods. In most cases it doesn't recommend cutting out any major food groups.

The Blood Type Diet also fails to address other conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure or cholesterol. Any needed weight loss achieved by following this diet is sure to have a positive impact on these conditions though. But no matter what your blood type is, it is highly recommended to strictly adhere to medical advice before starting a new diet plan.

Bottom Line

A reasonable conclusion from these is that not a single well designed study has been conducted to either confirm or refute the benefits of the blood type diet.

Different diets work for different people. Some people do well with a lot of plants and little meat like the type A diet, while others thrive on plenty of high-protein animal foods like the type O diet.

If one could find great results from the blood type diet, then chances are that he has simply found a diet that happens to be appropriate for his metabolism. It may not have anything to do with his blood type. Also, since this diet removes the majority of unhealthy processed foods from a persons diet, he shifts automatically to a healthy lifestyle. Perhaps that is the single biggest reason that it works, without any regard to the different blood types.

Advocates of blood type diets say that while the ideal study has not yet been performed, the absence of evidence doesnt prove the theory is ineffective. And theres also no proof that these diets are harmful unless there exists a medical condition.

Also, on The Blood Type Diet, when processed food and simple carbs are avoided, that may be enough to help you lose some weight. But any weight loss on this diet has not been linked to the blood type in any of the studies. Theres also no research proving that this diet can aid in digestion or provide more energy. Though welcoming the positive effects of the diet may not cause harm but actually benefit an individual, it is worth remembering that science is stacked behind traditional recommendations for healthy eating- not restrictions based on the type of blood.

(The author is the Director -TGL Foundation, Chairperson CSA, Editor- The Intl Journal, Sr Director FWO)

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Eat according to your blood type - Mathrubhumi English