Weight Down Living

Most of us would like to have healthy, glowing, youthful, and clear skin. But with so many products out there, and experts telling us how to take care of our skin, how do we know what to do? It can be overwhelming and expensive to do everything you hear—eat this way not that way, get expensive skin treatments monthly, avoid the sun at all costs, and lather dozen of skin products on yourself each morning and night. Sheesh! I'm wiped out just writing about it.

As a health coach and nutrition expert, I always advise my clients to keep it simple. Plus, I'm a new mom, and I just don't have time to do all the things. And luckily, the truth is that you don't have to. You can keep things simple and easy and also take care of your skin—and save the expensive treatments and intense daily regimen for the movie stars. If you're like me, and you want to feel and look healthy and vibrant on a budget, stick with these basics for healthy skin:

Every once in a while I like to put up a story from someone who inspires me and who has done the hard work of getting healthy.

Mary e-mailed me last year about her journey and I am so proud of her! She read a post of mine - Got High Cholesterol? So Do I from last year and something clicked.

She wrote:

It was like I had been in this darkened tunnel and all of a sudden someone flipped on the light switch.

I started getting these lovely e-mails about her journey - where she started and how she was doing and I have to say that she sounds like so many of us.

Why did she need to lose 40 pounds? She writes:

Here is a photo of her before her big shift:

She tuned out of healthy eating, even though she that she needed to get it together to feel good and become healthier.

After reading my post she wrote to me about her new choices:

Here she is after her weight loss:

It took her 7 months to lose the weight and she has kept it off. But, maybe even better, her cholesterol level is normal as is the rest of her blood work.

After months of trying to cut out added sugar - this is what worked for her. She wrote:

I try as much as possible to avoid anything with added sugar; I switched from beer to an occasional red wine; I also acknowledged the fact that extra carb loading - even if it's good healthy carbs still ends up as extra - extra that I don't need.

I do eat foods with "sugar" - like milk, just try to avoid anything with added sugar - as in breads, tomato sauce, etc etc etc.  My treat is a 90% chocolate square with no-sugar organic peanut butter (think peanut butter cup - only IMO better - none of that greasy after feeling in the mouth - just a nice bite of dark chocolate and peanut butter - mmm.

Now granted before I was eating a lot - a lot - of crap - OMG - unfiltered diet of ice cream, pies, cookies - Oh Lord......on and on it went.  And I'm not quite sure what happened........if really eliminating most added sugar from my diet eliminated my desire for it?

I guess I am going to go with that theory and run with it.  The other day my husband brought home one of my past favorites  - a Costco pumpkin pie.  I would probably eat 1/2-3/4 of the pie myself......I have no desire for it.  Don't even want to go down that road.  No thank you.

She does do special occasion food such as wedding cake, and a microbrew beer but overall she has stopped eating all the extra carbs as a lifestyle.

Everyone who reads this has different struggles but I like Mary’s story. She stopped eating crap, started taking care of herself and got results. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Mary!!!

Sometimes there is an AHA moment and sometimes there is a slow changing of the bad habits over time. Whatever is going on - don’t give up!! You will be ready for change - it may take 15 years or more - but you will be ready.

Source: https://snack-girl.com/snack/how-mary-lost-40-pounds/

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Can’t tell Times Square from Timbuktu? Your poor sense of direction could be a bigger issue than you originally thought. In fact, struggling to create a mental map in your mind might be an early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, according to research from Washington University in St. Louis. Keep an eye out for more of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s.

The story had three groups of participants: healthy people, adults with early-stage Alzheimer’s, and people with preclinical disease. Although those with preclinical disease don’t show any symptoms yet, they have lower levels of a certain biomarker, which can be a sign of the disease before diagnosis. Here are more signs that “forgetfulness” is actually Alzheimer’s.

A virtual computer maze tested the spatial navigational skills of all three groups. As the researchers anticipated, the participants with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease received a lower score than the healthy group did. However, those with preclinical Alzheimer’s performed poorly, too. That could mean that difficulty using a map (or other lack of navigational skills) might be a symptom of the disease that shows up decades or more before a patient is diagnosed.

“Spatial navigation abilities, particularly the ability to form a mental map of the environment, are associated with a brain structure called the hippocampus,” said study author Denise Head, PhD. “Changes to this structure seem to occur before individuals are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.”

If you can’t live without your GPS, though, you can rest easy. Further research is needed before researchers can confidently say whether everyone with navigational challenges will go on to develop Alzheimer’s. In the meantime, you can take up these 36 daily habits to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

But you should still discuss these symptoms with your doctor, especially if they’re new and you’re under the age of 50, says study co-author John Morris, MD, director of the Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Washington University School of Medicine. Your doctor may recommend a few neuro-imaging tests to evaluate your brain’s structure and functioning. Thankfully, the future in this field looks bright; new technology could soon reverse memory loss in Alzheimer’s patients.

[Source: Prevention]

Related video: This is What a Brain Taken Over By Alzheimer’s Looks Like (Provided by Amaze Lab)

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Can’t tell Times Square from Timbuktu? Your poor sense of direction could be a bigger issue than you originally thought. In fact, struggling to create a mental map in your mind might be an early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, according to research from Washington University in St. Louis. Keep an eye out for more of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s.

The story had three groups of participants: healthy people, adults with early-stage Alzheimer’s, and people with preclinical disease. Although those with preclinical disease don’t show any symptoms yet, they have lower levels of a certain biomarker, which can be a sign of the disease before diagnosis. Here are more signs that “forgetfulness” is actually Alzheimer’s.

A virtual computer maze tested the spatial navigational skills of all three groups. As the researchers anticipated, the participants with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease received a lower score than the healthy group did. However, those with preclinical Alzheimer’s performed poorly, too. That could mean that difficulty using a map (or other lack of navigational skills) might be a symptom of the disease that shows up decades or more before a patient is diagnosed.

“Spatial navigation abilities, particularly the ability to form a mental map of the environment, are associated with a brain structure called the hippocampus,” said study author Denise Head, PhD. “Changes to this structure seem to occur before individuals are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.”

If you can’t live without your GPS, though, you can rest easy. Further research is needed before researchers can confidently say whether everyone with navigational challenges will go on to develop Alzheimer’s. In the meantime, you can take up these 36 daily habits to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

But you should still discuss these symptoms with your doctor, especially if they’re new and you’re under the age of 50, says study co-author John Morris, MD, director of the Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Washington University School of Medicine. Your doctor may recommend a few neuro-imaging tests to evaluate your brain’s structure and functioning. Thankfully, the future in this field looks bright; new technology could soon reverse memory loss in Alzheimer’s patients.

[Source: Prevention]

Related video: This is What a Brain Taken Over By Alzheimer’s Looks Like (Provided by Amaze Lab)

Click to expand

UP NEXT

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Can’t tell Times Square from Timbuktu? Your poor sense of direction could be a bigger issue than you originally thought. In fact, struggling to create a mental map in your mind might be an early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, according to research from Washington University in St. Louis. Keep an eye out for more of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s.

The story had three groups of participants: healthy people, adults with early-stage Alzheimer’s, and people with preclinical disease. Although those with preclinical disease don’t show any symptoms yet, they have lower levels of a certain biomarker, which can be a sign of the disease before diagnosis. Here are more signs that “forgetfulness” is actually Alzheimer’s.

A virtual computer maze tested the spatial navigational skills of all three groups. As the researchers anticipated, the participants with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease received a lower score than the healthy group did. However, those with preclinical Alzheimer’s performed poorly, too. That could mean that difficulty using a map (or other lack of navigational skills) might be a symptom of the disease that shows up decades or more before a patient is diagnosed.

“Spatial navigation abilities, particularly the ability to form a mental map of the environment, are associated with a brain structure called the hippocampus,” said study author Denise Head, PhD. “Changes to this structure seem to occur before individuals are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.”

If you can’t live without your GPS, though, you can rest easy. Further research is needed before researchers can confidently say whether everyone with navigational challenges will go on to develop Alzheimer’s. In the meantime, you can take up these 36 daily habits to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

But you should still discuss these symptoms with your doctor, especially if they’re new and you’re under the age of 50, says study co-author John Morris, MD, director of the Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Washington University School of Medicine. Your doctor may recommend a few neuro-imaging tests to evaluate your brain’s structure and functioning. Thankfully, the future in this field looks bright; new technology could soon reverse memory loss in Alzheimer’s patients.

[Source: Prevention]

Related video: This is What a Brain Taken Over By Alzheimer’s Looks Like (Provided by Amaze Lab)

Click to expand

UP NEXT

© Provided by Trusted Media Brands, Inc. hands

Can’t tell Times Square from Timbuktu? Your poor sense of direction could be a bigger issue than you originally thought. In fact, struggling to create a mental map in your mind might be an early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, according to research from Washington University in St. Louis. Keep an eye out for more of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s.

The story had three groups of participants: healthy people, adults with early-stage Alzheimer’s, and people with preclinical disease. Although those with preclinical disease don’t show any symptoms yet, they have lower levels of a certain biomarker, which can be a sign of the disease before diagnosis. Here are more signs that “forgetfulness” is actually Alzheimer’s.

A virtual computer maze tested the spatial navigational skills of all three groups. As the researchers anticipated, the participants with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease received a lower score than the healthy group did. However, those with preclinical Alzheimer’s performed poorly, too. That could mean that difficulty using a map (or other lack of navigational skills) might be a symptom of the disease that shows up decades or more before a patient is diagnosed.

“Spatial navigation abilities, particularly the ability to form a mental map of the environment, are associated with a brain structure called the hippocampus,” said study author Denise Head, PhD. “Changes to this structure seem to occur before individuals are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.”

If you can’t live without your GPS, though, you can rest easy. Further research is needed before researchers can confidently say whether everyone with navigational challenges will go on to develop Alzheimer’s. In the meantime, you can take up these 36 daily habits to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

But you should still discuss these symptoms with your doctor, especially if they’re new and you’re under the age of 50, says study co-author John Morris, MD, director of the Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Washington University School of Medicine. Your doctor may recommend a few neuro-imaging tests to evaluate your brain’s structure and functioning. Thankfully, the future in this field looks bright; new technology could soon reverse memory loss in Alzheimer’s patients.

[Source: Prevention]

Related video: This is What a Brain Taken Over By Alzheimer’s Looks Like (Provided by Amaze Lab)

Click to expand

UP NEXT

Drug companies would be required to list prices in advertisements under a Trump administration proposal released Monday.

Under the new proposal, which was announced by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, drug manufacturers would need to state the list price of a 30-day supply of any drug that is covered through Medicare and Medicaid and costs at least $35 a month.

The plan is the boldest step the administration has taken to date as part of its efforts to bring down drug prices, and puts the administration squarely at odds with the powerful prescription drug lobby.

"Patients deserve to know what a given drug will cost when they're being told about the benefits and risks it may have," Azar said during a speech Monday in Washington, D.C.

"And they deserve to know when a drug company has pushed its prices to abusive levels, and they deserve to know this every time they see a drug advertised to them on TV." 

The proposal will be officially published Wednesday, and will be open for public comment for 60 days.

According to HHS, the 10 most commonly advertised drugs have list prices ranging from $535 to $11,000 per month for a usual course of therapy. Under the proposal, companies would be required to post that information in clear, legible text onscreen at the end of the ad.

HHS officials said the agency will publish a list of companies that don’t comply with the policy. Those companies would also be subject to potential litigation, officials said during a press call.  

The pharmaceutical industry opposes the proposal, arguing it would confuse consumers because a drug’s list price is often lower than what the patient will actually pay.

PhRMA, the deep-pocketed trade group representing pharmaceutical companies in the U.S., tried getting ahead of Azar’s announcement, telling reporters Monday morning that its members would begin directing patients to more information about drug costs in television ads.

Every ad mentioning a prescription drug by name will include a voiceover or text telling patients to go to a company-sponsored website where they can find information about the list price, as well as a range of potential out-of-pocket costs and potential patient assistance. 

“We want patients to have more cost information and support using direct-to-consumer advertising,” said PhRMA President Steven Ubl, but “just including list prices is not sufficient and would be misleading.”

Azar acknowledged PhRMA's plan in his speech Monday afternoon, but said it doesn't go far enough. 

"It is no coincidence that the industry announced a new initiative today that will help make price and cost information more accessible," Azar said. "We appreciate their effort. The placing information on a website is not the same as putting it in an ad."

The group is likely to sue if the proposed regulation becomes final, but HHS officials said they are confident the rule would hold up under legal scrutiny.

“Broadcast advertisements are an area where the Supreme Court historically has recognized that the government may take special steps to help ensure that viewers receive appropriate information,” an HHS official said during a press call.

The administration’s proposal follows a failed bipartisan effort to include an amendment with similar disclosure requirements in a government funding bill. In September, House Republicans defeated the effort by Senate Democrats and Republicans.

Critics have said that disclosing list prices will not help bring down drug costs. An HHS official on Monday said the agency did not have any estimates about the impact the proposal would have on drug prices, but argued the proposal needs to be viewed through the range of efforts the agency is taking.

The costs to industry for implementing the rule will be “vastly outweighed by the indirect impact this will have as part of a suite of changes we are making across the system,” the official said.

“I can’t tell you this proposal on its own will have a numerical impact, [but] you can see all the actions we are taking across the department as part of the President’s blueprint are making an impact,” the official said.

Do you eat exactly the same as you did in 1985? Do your friends, family and colleagues eat the same way they did?

If so, then the latest study suggesting eggs are harmful may be of interest to you.

JAMA: Associations of dietary cholesterol or egg consumption with incident cardiovascular disease and mortality

But for the overwhelming majority of the population who do not maintain absolute dietary consistency for decades, the new study likely has little relevance.

Unfortunately, that isn’t going to stop media coverage from claiming this new study shows that eggs increase the risk for heart disease and death, a topic that has remained controversial for decades.

The New York Times: Are eggs bad for your heart health? Maybe

Newsweek: How many eggs should I eat? Huge study links dietary cholesterol to heart disease

Initially maligned as harmful, the ACC/AHA dietary and lifestyle guidelines did an about face in 2013, admitting that dietary cholesterol found in eggs and shellfish was “no longer a nutrient of concern.” This came on the heels of studies showing no associative risk with increased egg consumption. Yet, that hasn’t stopped the debate.

The new study in question, published in the journal JAMA, was a massive statistical undertaking. The authors retrospectively analyzed previously obtained data from six different studies including almost 30,000 subjects. They crunched all the data between 1985 and 2016, with an average follow up of 17 years, and concluded higher egg consumption was associated with an increased risk of heart disease and death.

On the surface, this appears to be an impressive study. A large sample cohort, lengthy follow up, and important outcome measures such as all-cause mortality as well as heart disease events.

Looking deeper, however, we see that the subjects provided only one food frequency questionnaire at the time of enrollment. That’s it. One data sample to estimate dietary habits in 17 years of follow-up.

The entire study is based on an unreliable food frequency questionnaire given one time only with absolutely no consideration of how patients’ diets may have changed over 17 years.

Does that sound like good science to you? Is it possible that people drastically altered their eating habits, other lifestyle activities, or other health parameters over 17 years? I would venture to say, “Yes, it is.”

The paper tries to statistically explain the increased risk of cardiovascular disease with each 300 mg of dietary cholesterol (odds ratio 1.17 which is a very weak association) or for each half-egg consumed (1.06, an even weaker association). The problem, however, is that any conclusions drawn from incomplete and inaccurate data has no relevance to a scientific discussion. Furthermore, we know that such weak associations in retrospective observational trials are more likely to be from statistical error than an actual causative association (see the Diet Doctor policy for grading scientific evidence).

In the end, the JAMA study represents all that is wrong with nutritional research. Incomplete data, weak associative findings, lack of control for “healthy user bias,” confounding variables, and an over-reactive media culture that promotes such data as medically important.

At DietDoctor.com, we will continue to point out the flaws in these studies, and how they are unlikely to meaningfully contribute to any health or scientific discussion. We just hope the scientists and media will start listening!

Thanks for reading,
Bret Scher, MD FACC

Earlier

Are eggs linked to higher or lower rates of type 2 diabetes?

Egg consumption is up as fear of cholesterol recedes

When it comes to exercise, there isn't one best way to lose fat. In general, to reduce body fat, most experts recommend a balance of cardio and strength training along with proper nutrition. To find out the benefits of cardio for fat loss and whether or not it actually burns body fat, POPSUGAR spoke with Rondel King, MS, CSCS, an exercise physiologist at NYU Langone's Sports Performance Center.

The Pros and Cons of Cardio For Fat Loss

A 2016 study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine reported that cardiovascular forms of exercise like walking, swimming, cycling, and stair climbing reduced type 2 diabetes, some cancers, falls, osteoporotic fractures, and depression. They also found that there was an improvement in physical function, weight management, cognitive function, and enhancement of the quality of life. Overall, cardio is good for your health; however, when it comes to fat loss, it may not be your best option.

"If you're continuously doing long, drawn-out cardio and you're trying to lose weight, than that could be counterproductive because that may be catabolic to your overall system," Rondel told POPSUGAR. Catabolic is the process of muscle tissue breaking down. He explained that too much of this type of cardio will cause an increase in stress hormones, such as cortisol, which are "very catabolic in nature" and do not promote tissue growth to an extent. "It can help you lose weight but also cause you to lose muscle mass," he said.

Better Ways to Burn Fat

Cardio can help you burn fat, but as Rondel stated, you'll more than likely lose muscle mass. To prevent that from occurring, Rondel recommended high-intensity interval training (HIIT) because, "It gives you a hormonal response that's conducive to muscle growth, and it's more anabolic — where you're developing tissue, muscles, collagen, cartilage, things of that nature," he said. HIIT also "produces precursors to things like testosterone and growth hormone and things that will potentially help you increase your lean muscle mass," he explained.

Strength training is also imperative in order to lose body fat and build muscle. According to Rondel, your strength sessions should incorporate compound exercises because they require more energy to perform and burn more calories and fat. Your workouts should also focus on muscle hypertrophy (maximal muscle growth) where you perform three to five sets of 12 to 15 reps per exercise. On average, Rondel said you should strength train a minimum of two to three times a week. If you aren't sure where to begin when it comes to strength training, start with this four-week program.

Some people may notice a change in their physique from steady-state cardio and some will not. At the end of the day, Rondel said, "There's a lot of variability, we're all different, and our bodies will respond differently to these hormonal responses."

© Unsplash / Joanna Kosinska This Trainer Explains Why Women Should Eat Carbs For Weight Loss and Overall Health

The low-carb diet craze has been a popular way to lose weight and stay lean for decades now. It started with Atkins, then South Beach, to eventually Paleo, Whole30, and now keto. Many people assume that eating too many carbs will impact their blood sugar and make them gain weight, so they eschew carbs entirely in favor of more protein and fat.

In reality, carbs have many health benefits. And while it's true that limiting carbs can help you lose weight in the short-term (carbs hold on to water more than any other macronutrient, so when you cut them out, you lose water weight), it may not be sustainable for most people. After all, could you go a lifetime without sweet potatoes or brown rice or whole-grain bread?

NASM-certified personal trainer and fitness coach Marci Nevin (@MarciNevin) explained in an Instagram post why carbs are so important for overall health, especially for women. "Sure low carb diets can be work in some circumstances," she wrote in her caption. "But for the sake of this post, I'm speaking more specifically to women who are in generally good health, doing frequent intense exercise, likely a little stressed, and have a goal of better body composition. For that woman, eating an adequate amount of carbs can be very beneficial."

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I’ve lost count of the number of women I’ve talked to who have jumped on the keto or low carb bandwagon and ended up with nothing but negative side effects to show for it. Feeling lethargic, hair falling out, period gone missing. # Sure low carb diets can be work in some circumstances, and they may very well be beneficial for a sedentary person who has lots of weight to lose. But for the sake of this post, I’m speaking more specifically to women who are in generally good health, doing frequent intense exercise, likely a little stressed, and have a goal of better body composition. For that woman, eating an adequate amount of carbs can be very beneficial. Here’s why: # Carbs, like rice, potatoes, etc. are the fuel source for high intensity training. So if you’re hittin up Orange Theory, Soul Cycle, Crossfit, or bootcamp classes on the regular you’ll want to include some carbs in your diet to perform optimally. They are also what help your body recover from that intense exercise so you can hit it hard again in the next workout. Sorry to say, but if the only carbs you’re eating is vegetables, your body will eventually burn out. # Fibrous veggies, fruit, and healthy starches are full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber which are essential for hormone production, providing us with energy, and keeping us healthy. # Fiber helps populate our guts with healthy bacteria which helps our digestion. By having proper digestion, we are able to eliminate hormones, like estrogen, from our body. If we aren’t eliminating properly, those hormones are reabsorbed, resulting in hormonal imbalances that can lead to weight gain, skin issues, mood disturbance, etc. # Going too low carb can mess with a woman’s hormones. The thyroid needs glucose (from carbs) to convert thyroid hormone into its active form. Women’s bodies are especially sensitive to stress, and a low carb diet can increase the stress hormone cortisol, which will have a downstream effect on sex hormones leading to a host of negative issues. A woman’s body needs to feel like it’s being fed, and it gets that signal by eating enough calories and carbs.

A post shared by Marci Nevin Fitness (@marcinevin) on Oct 25, 2018 at 6:40pm PDT

She explained carbs are so beneficial for overall health because they:

Provide fuel for intense training.

Allow for recovery from intense training.

Help thyroid function.

Improve mood and brain function.

Help you get better sleep.

Provide macronutrients for good health.

Have fiber, which supports gut health.

May help with weight loss.

Keep sex and stress hormones in check.

"Carbs, like rice, potatoes, etc. are the fuel source for high intensity training," she explained. "They are also what help your body recover from that intense exercise so you can hit it hard again in the next workout." She went on to say that if you're only getting your carbs from vegetables, you will eventually burn out.

Obviously, everyone's nutritional needs are different. Registered dietitian Jim White, ACSM, recommends that carbs should be your biggest macronutrient group throughout the day. For weight loss, he suggests a macro breakdown of 40 percent carbs, 30 percent fat, and 30 percent protein. Start with this ratio and adjust from there, depending on your desired results.

So don't be afraid of carbs anymore - if you are feeling lethargic and burned out on a low-carb diet, feel free to incorporate them back into your life. Just make sure you are sticking to whole complex carbs like brown rice, quinoa, and oatmeal.

Video: An unexpected reason why you might be struggling to lose weight (Buzz60) 

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