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Incorporating healthy fats is beneficial for weight loss, as well as for your overall health.

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If you're old enough to recall the '80s and '90s, you probably remember it as a time of low-fat everything. Dietary fats, regardless of type unsaturated, saturated, omega-3s or trans fats were, for the most part, lumped together and seen as problematic when it came to weight loss and heart health.

It took us some time (read: a few decades) to understand that this line of thinking wasn't entirely accurate and that avoiding all fats was hurting our hearts and waistlines.

Fast forward to today where the keto diet is king, and it appears we're now living on the opposite end of the spectrum. We've gone from limiting fats as much as possible, to a trendy diet that is about 75 percent fat, 20 percent protein, and 5 percent carbohydrates.

So, where do fats belong when it comes to managing our weight and overall health?

The truth is, somewhere in the middle, and the science on this will continue to evolve annoying, I know. The current Institute of Medicine guidelines, based on available science, recommend a diet that is 20 to 35 percent fat, 45 to 65 percent carbs and 10 to 35 percent protein.

Did you know that keeping a food diary is one of the most effective ways to manage your weight? Download the MyPlate app to easily track calories, stay focused and achieve your goals!

Dietary Fat and Weight Loss

Fats are a crucial part of our diet. They are a source of energy and they help our bodies produce hormones and better absorb fat-soluble nutrients like vitamins A, D, E and K, as outlined by the American Heart Association.

A gram of fat (regardless of type) has 9 calories. They're more calorically dense than protein (4 calories per gram) and carbs (also 4 calories per gram). This is one of the reasons why we pursued low-fat diets long ago.

But it's important to keep in mind that eating an excess of calories, regardless of the macronutrient source, will lead to weight gain, and be aware that fats are actually beneficial for weight loss. Here's why:

Dietary Fats Slow Down Digestion

Dietary fats naturally slow "gastric emptying," i.e., the time it takes for food to leave your stomach and continue its course through your GI tract, according to the July 2014 issue of Today's Dietitian.

We know that foods that take a while to digest leave us feeling fuller longer. So, adding a little bit of fat to your meal, like olive oil on a salad, or avocado in your smoothie, will help to slow down how quickly you digest your meal.

Furthermore, research shows adding fiber slows down the digestion of fat even further.

Dietary Fats Favorably Affect Hunger Hormones

There's a growing body of research looking at the effect different types of fat have on various hunger hormones and satiety levels.

A March 2019 study published in Appetite found that eating meals higher in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) led to a greater decrease in ghrelin (a hormone that triggers hunger) and higher CCK levels (a hormone that suppresses hunger) compared to monounsaturated fat. The diet high in PUFAs also resulted in lower hunger ratings, although there was no difference between the amount of calories consumed and the reported feelings of fullness.

4 Fats to Add When Youre Trying to Lose Weight

Adding some avocados to your tacos will help you digest the meal slower.

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What makes avocados so special when it comes to weight loss? It's the healthy fat and fiber combo. A serving of avocado (one-third of the fruit) has 4.5 grams of fiber and 9 grams of fat, according to the USDA.

If you pair the avocado with a salad, chips or tacos, the added fat will help to slow down the digestion of the meal and the grams of fiber slow it down even further. The only caveat is portion control. Avocado is good, yes, but polishing off a bowl of guac isn't going to help your cause.

Yes, eating fish is great for your health and waistline but salmon (and a few other fish like tuna and sardines) may have the upper hand. These specific types of fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and it turns out, these fats may help improve leptin resistance, according to a July 2015 article published in Today's Dietitian.

If you are carrying some extra weight, chances are you also have chronic inflammation and it's the inflammatory chemicals that cause our body to be less sensitive to leptin, a hormone that decreases our food intake and regulates our metabolism. Omega-3s however, can help make your body less resistant to leptin, allowing it to do its job.

Nuts are a good source of healthy fats they can be up to 80 percent fat, per the Mayo Clinic. And, all tree nuts are good for us. Eating nuts is great for our heart because they help to lower LDL cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation linked to cardiovascular disease.

But walnuts are a standout because they're unique in that they contain a solid dose of omega-3s, according to California Walnuts. This also means they're rich in PUFAs, which we know has been shown to favorably alter our hunger hormone levels as well.

A drizzle of olive oil on your salad may help with your weight-loss efforts.

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It may seem counterintuitive to add oil to your salad if you're trying to lose weight, but olive oil may actually help you better manage your body weight. It is a staple of the Mediterranean diet after all, which has been touted as one of the healthiest and most researched diets that we can follow.

Researchers looked at 11 different randomized clinical trials addressing olive oil and weight management and concluded that a diet enriched with olive oil led to a greater reduction in weight than a control diet without, according to a November 2018 meta-analysis published in Revista Espaola de Salud Pblica.

2 Fats to Limit if Youre Trying to Lose Weight

The biggest thing that will lead to weight gain is overeating no matter the source of calories.

That said, we know some foods are beneficial for our health while others are not. Trans fats and saturated fats provide no benefit to our diet and can do more harm than good, although more research is coming out on the effects of different saturated fats stay tuned!

Here's the deal: Trans fats have no redeeming qualities, so much so that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has required that the artificial fat be removed from all processed foods. While the amount in our food supply has been cut back drastically, some still exists, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Margarine, refrigerated dough, baked goods and fried foods like French fries and doughnuts may all contain trans fats.

You won't find trans fats in healthy fat sources of food like chia seeds and almonds, but you may find them in ultra-processed junk food that is typically high in refined grains, too. These are the types of foods you'll want to limit if you're trying to lose weight.

If you're trying to lose weight, chances are you're watching what you eat and trying to eat less. When we do that, it's especially critical that we focus on nutrient-dense foods so that we get all of the nutrients that we need.

By limiting the saturated fat in our diet which we know provides no benefit we leave room for more beneficial sources of fat like mono- and poly-unsaturated fats.

You'll find saturated fat in fatty meats, fried food and butter.

Additionally, saturated fats may increase inflammation by kicking on a pathway that triggers what's called obesity-induced inflammatory response, according to an April 2018 study published in Nutrients. So, if you're overweight, eating foods high in saturated fat may trigger a greater inflammatory response in your body.

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Trying to Lose Weight? Here Are 4 Fats to Enjoy and 2 to Avoid - LIVESTRONG.COM

When trying to hit a weight loss goal, a diet plan and exercise can help achieve this. The keto, or ketogenic, plan has grown in popularity in recent years.Slimmers who follow it must eat low carb and high fat foods.

Dieters on the plan will usually try to eat less than 25 grams of net carbs a day.

Instead of carbs, they can fill up on foods high in healthy fats and with a moderate protein content.

Doing this is thought to help the body enter into a fat-burning state called ketosis, according to personal trainer and health and fitness tutor for The Training Room Daniel Reilly.

READ MORE:Best foods to eat before a workout

He said: "The theory behind the ketogenic diet is that if you deprive your body of its main source of energy and bring carbohydrates down to less than 10 percent of a person's daily caloric intake, it goes into a state of ketosis, where it burns fat stored in the body for fuel instead.

"During this process, by-products called ketones are produced, which are then used by the body's muscles, tissues, and brain.

"Unlike many fad diets that come and go, the keto diet has been practised since the 1920s and is based upon a solid understanding of physiology and nutrition science.

"This diet works well for so many people because it targets several key, underlying causes of weight gain including hormonal imbalances, elevated insulin, and high blood sugar levels."

DON'T MISS

Keto-friendly foods include meat, fish, nuts, eggs, dairy, vegetables and low-carb fruits.

Those hoping to lose weight should avoid foods high in sugar and carbs such as bread, pasta, rice, some fruits and sweet treats.

While the diet has worked in some cases, the expert explained it may not be any better than other plans out there.

He added: "A review study by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that after a year, the effects weren't significantly different to those achieved via conventional weight loss methods.

"Research published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition has also shown that drop-out rates are high among people following a keto diet because it's restrictive."

Although the keto diet can help some people lose weight but it may not be sustainable long-term, the expert said.

He warned dieters to consider the impacts before using the keto plan.

"While restrictive weight-loss diets might work in the short-term, the majority of people using them regain that weight and often more," Daniel explained.

"This is partly because restrictive behaviours and eating plans aren't sustainable.

"The carbohydrate restriction may cause nutritional deficiencies, fatigue, low mood, irritability, headaches, constipation, and brain fog."

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Weight loss: The low carb keto diet plan can help burn fat - here's what you can eat - Express

There is no short cut to weight loss, say nutritionists and fitness experts. Following a diet regimen that suits your conditions and sweating it out at the gym are the best ways to shed those extra kilos, they believe. Yes, its true that hard work at the gym and mindful eating are the cornerstones of a successful weight management programme. But simple home remedies can also work wonders while it comes to battling the bulge. Many of these remedies are hiding in your kitchen itself. Take cumin and coriander for example. These two popular Indian spices, the essential ingredients in most of our recipes, can be your best weight loss buddies. They improve your digestive capacity by boosting metabolism, a crucial factor for shedding those extra kilos. Apart from these two, there are quite a few other spices that can help you get the body of your dreams. Here is a low-down on them. Also Read - Decoded: Why some people have such a tough time losing weight

Your digestive system needs to function efficiently for you to lose weight. Coriander, or dhania is known to improve your digestion. That is why it is used in many as a medicine to help you get rid of tummy troubles. Moreover, the antioxidants in this spice rev up your immunity too. Keeping your defence mechanism strong is the priority now, in the COVID-19 context. Also Read - From easing digestive issues to beating depression, cardamom can fix many health problems

This spice aids in weight loss by fast tracking the fat burning process, revving up your digestive mechanism and suppressing your hunger. Cumin or jeera secretes an enzyme that plays a crucial role in metabolising sugar, carbohydrates and fats. This helps you digest food easily and shed those extra kilos. Hunger control is another significant aspect weight loss. Jeera prevents you from overeating by acting as an appetite suppressant. Apart from this, cumin also a good option for helping you get rid of toxins from the body. Having a glass of jeera water can act as a great detox drink. Also Read - Know about these health benefits of air fryer

Like cumin, these seeds can also curb your food cravings, thanks to its high fibre content. You dont overeat when your hunger is in control. Apart from acting as a hunger suppressant, the fibre in fenugreek protects your digestive tract from free radical damage. These seeds boost metabolism too.

This popular spice not only adds flavour to our foods, it comes with a plethora of health benefits too. A compound found in black pepper, known as piperine, improves your metabolic function while ensuring that fat isnt accumulated in your body. It also helps in efficient nutrition absorption and immune function. Having black pepper with tea has been found to be effective against obesity.

Like many other Indian spices, cardamom also stimulates your digestive enzymes and promotes healthy metabolism, crucial factors for weight loss. Chewing a few pods of this spice or having them with your tea can yield the best results.

You tend to put on weight when your body is unable to use the hormone insulin and there is glucose accumulation in the blood as a consequence. Cinnamon metabolises sugar and increases your insulin efficiency. Moreover, it is a natural hunger suppressant.

Published : August 31, 2020 5:13 pm | Updated:August 31, 2020 5:29 pm

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Cumin, coriander and other Indian spices that can fuel your weight loss goals - TheHealthSite

Welcome to Guide to Life, a series of tips, tricks and insights designed to help you get the most from your gear.

From the Apple Watch to FitBit to Whoop, fitness trackers have come a long way since the days of simple step counters. And while all the data they can now track is awesome, its only useful if you know what to do with it. You need to understand which numbers matter and which direction they are moving, so that you can see your progress, draw inspiration from it and course-correct when needed.

To help you cut through the clutter, weve recruited some experts. Corey Lewis, ACE, is a New York City-based personal trainer and founder of the digital wellness platform 1AND1 LIFE. Nicole Lombardo, PT, DPT, CSCS, is a San Jose-based doctor of physical therapy and CrossFit trainer. Alex Davis is the co-founder of the couples-oriented fitness site Ryan and Alex Duo Life. Heed their input about the stats and features that really make a difference, and turn that shiny bauble strapped to your wrist into more than a fashion statement.

During a workout, the immediate feedback of heart rate is imperative to identifying the exercises that provide the biggest cardio punch, says Davis. Believe it or not, most people do their HIIT and sprints too slowly and jog too fast for maximum fat-burning effect.

Heart rate data can be equally important when youre not breaking a sweat. A great way to mark progress with cardiovascular endurance is to see a decrease in resting heart rate, or RHR, explains Lombardo. If you aren't recovering enough, sleeping adequately or have too much stress in your everyday life, you will have a higher RHR. Some fitness trackers, such as the Whoop strap, use this as a marker to tell you whether or not you are recovered enough to handle low, medium or high strain workouts. Proceed accordingly.

Step detection helps with determining activity levels and calories burned, says Lewis. I aim for 15,000 steps. That does a great job holding me accountable, so if I fall a little short one day, I will work hard to make it up the next day. While Lewiss count is on the high end, science supports serious stepping. Davis alerted us to a pertinent Obesity study: researchers found adult dieters who lost 30 pounds and maintained or continued to lose weight tracked 12,000 steps per day, while overweight adults tracked just 6,500 steps.

The calories burned metric gives us great insight into how active we are on a daily basis, and the intensity of our workouts, as well as reminding us if weve reached your daily goals, says Lewis. It includes not just your workout but the whole days activity, including walking, working and resting, notes Davis, adding that its tricky to find with the Apple Watch. Look for it in Activity app on your phone, below the Move section graph in tiny print.

While this data can be helpful and motivational, Lombardo offers words of warning. I believe there is value for counting calories if you are trying to lose weight, but when you are trading workouts for treats, it's counterproductive, she explains. Burning 500 calories in a long workout does not justify an unhealthy meal choice, especially if your goal is long-term weight loss and overall health.

These two biological needs may seem obvious, but many of us struggle with them. Keeping track of sleep on a daily basis is very important, notes Lewis. We need to be striving for seven to nine hours, because falling short can have a detrimental effect on your metabolism, mood, energy levels, food cravings and more. Many fitness trackers can also send you reminders on improving your breathing and simply to breathe which can help reduce stress and, like a good nights rest, make your whole biological unit function better.

One pretty awesome feature that most people aren't aware of is the ability to share your health data and stats with your medical specialist or primary health care provider, says Lewis. This is an efficient and intelligent way to help them stay in tune with your overall health and be aware of any unusual patterns.

Lewis is also a big proponent of Under Armours MyFitnessPal app and Apples Health app. These apps will help you focus on learning about your health and reaching nutritional goals to go along with your fitness goals, he explains. By recording what you eat, these apps then have the ability to show the entire macronutrient breakdown calories, carbs, proteins, fats as well as other metrics, helping you determine if it is necessary for you to modify your food intake, and know if you are on the right track.

As helpful as the day-to-day features are, its also important to take a step back and compare your week-to-week, month-to-month and even longer-term stats. Doing so will help you see the general arc of efforts, and provide motivation, revealing improvements even when you may not feel them. Create realistic goals using the data and numbers that get provided, Lewis concludes. Use the feedback to better yourself and make progress in your fitness journey.

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How to Use Your Fitness Tracker to Actually Get Fitter - Gear Patrol

By SHIRLEY SYMISTER

Exercise is very important for overall health. It can help you to lose weight, stay at a healthy weight, lower the risk of some diseases and help with managing emotional health.

With gyms closed and social distancing in place, finding a time and place to exercise is more difficult than ever before. However, there are still ways to get the exercise you need this summer, regardless of where you are:

While building your COVID-era exercise practice, keep in mind these recommendations:

Get your cardio in by walking quickly, riding a bike slowly, jogging, running, or participating in workout classes.

Every bit of movement counts! For more information about physical activity basics, visit https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/index.htm.

Shirley Symister is a project manager for Montefiore Health Systems Office of Community & Population Health

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Health Check: Summertime Exercise in the Time of Social Distancing - Norwood News

Even before the pandemic hit, staying at home everyday always left me feeling restless. I am the type of person who needs to be out and about doing something productive, whether its finishing errands, meeting with friends or simply walking in the park. So, aware that I would be spending countless monotonous days at home in this new normal, I knew I had to redirect my energy somewhere else. Thats why I turned to working out and learning yoga.

Aside from some research, nonprofit and internship work, I have spent the majority of my time in quarantine exercising, usually seven times a week if my body can handle it. It isnt as if I havent exercised before. In fact, I would say that I exercised pretty consistently even before quarantine; however, I didn't have a regimen in place, and studies and extracurriculars would often get in the way of making substantial fitness progress.

Always known as the short girl with the fast metabolism, l was never really conscious about my appearance until I saw the effects of the dreaded Freshman 15 after my first semester at Hopkins. Realistically, I know it did not affect me as terribly as I envisioned it in my head, but it still made me more conscious about what I ate and how I was working out.

With extra time on my hands and still reeling from the effects of the Freshman 15, I began my fitness journey in quarantine strong. I was exercising everyday and even completed an isolated 10k with my cousins for coronavirus patients. However, with extra time at home in quarantine, my mind would unwittingly wander into the dreaded area of insecurities. Knowing the amount of effort I was putting into staying fit, and seeing photos of the body I aspired to have, soon became very damaging. On many occasions, I had to stop myself from obsessing over the most effective workouts and falling into the dangerous mindset that I needed to eat less or skip meals in order to tone my body.

Deep down, I knew that I had made my core and arms stronger, and I just needed to focus on what I had already accomplished instead of what I was still lacking. Maybe I would never be able to return to my pre-college weight, but did I really want to give up my current healthier lifestyle to backtrack into my malnourished self?

Alongside the physical effort of completing various workout programs, it took a lot of mental effort to start focusing on developing a healthy mindset alongside a healthy body. I attribute part of the process to the materials I learned in my Abnormal Psychology class. Because I was aware of some of the bad habits of a potential eating disorder, I was able to recognize them in my own life and during discussions with friends about shared health issues. From there, I used this knowledge to turn my negative thoughts into positive fuel to make me more conscious about reforming my life for the better. I began by reading countless blogs and watching YouTube videos by verified nutritionists to learn how to eat and work out right.

Of course, it was not a straightforward path. There were still times when my mind would unconsciously drift back to my negative thoughts even after I began making changes to my lifestyle. To counter this, I found foods and exercises that I genuinely enjoyed, so that I would look forward to the changes I was making to my diet and exercise rather than be left dreaming of the desserts I was missing. Transforming my attitude was definitely not an easy thing to do, and I especially do not want to minimize any of the challenges and distress that those diagnosed with an eating disorder go through. I acknowledge that I am lucky enough to have access to resources to educate myself on these topics.

The first step I had to do was determine my own personal goals, which were to tone, get stronger and to plan the right course of action. Rather than obsessing over how much I was eating, I instead redirected my attention toward the kinds of food I was eating. Of course, if your goal is to lose weight, the amount of food you eat does matter. But, in my case, I incorporated more protein and vegetables in my diet to proportionate these food groups with the amount of carbs I ate.

I also had to stop the nasty habit of hating on myself whenever I ate a lot of sweets or carbs (my weakness!), especially during the weekly lunches with my extended family on Sundays, designated as my cheat day. I learned that prohibiting myself from satisfying my cravings only made me want them more. Learning about achieving food freedom not only made me happier but also taught me to listen to my body to control food rather than let food control me.

Most importantly, I learned to focus on myself. The path to fitness is different for everybody, and there are various factors that you need to take into account including genetics, current lifestyle and body type that will affect how quickly or slowly you are able to reach your goals. Chloe Ting and Pamela Reif have seemed to become household names over quarantine, but maybe their workout plans just arent for you.

Dancing, high-intensity interval training workouts, yoga, weight training there are so many options worth exploring! You may draw inspiration from all the fitness queens out there but constantly comparing yourself to others is a fruitless pursuit that may only lead to more self-doubt and negativity. In fact, you can take everything I have said here with a grain of salt if you think that it isnt applicable to your lifestyle. And that is completely okay, as long as you are able to decide on the path that will be most beneficial to you and your goals.

Eat right, listen to your body and focus on your OWN development. These are the three big lessons I have learned while working on my fitness in quarantine. I am still, by no means, the strongest or fittest person out there, but I know that I have definitely improved personally. I am now able to eat healthier and live happier, mindful of how much stronger mentally and physically I have become over the past few months. What used to be a chore has now become a stress reliever for me. I finish my daily workouts pumped with endorphins and filled with a much more positive outlook about a future beyond this pandemic.

More:
Exercising toward a healthy mind - Johns Hopkins News-Letter

You always hear about how to eat more plants. But when was the last time somebody talked to you about eating less meat? Granted, moving to a 100 percent whole-food plant-based diet is optimal for your health, and according to the work of Dr. Dean Ornish and other leading heart doctors, the only diet thats been shown to not only prevent but actually reverse heart disease is a whole-food plant-based diet.

Studies have linked the saturated fat in red meat to heart disease: The fat causes buildup of plaque in yourblood vessels which restricts oxygen and nutrients from getting from your heart to the rest of your bodyorgans, brain, lungswhich is the onset of heart disease.

Studies have also linked plant-based diets, which are higher in fiber,to lowering or controlling blood sugar, which leads to weight loss and the reversal of high blood sugar, as well as pre-diabetes and diabetes in patientswhoditch meat and add more fiber-filled vegetables, fruits, nuts and seedsto their diets.

One study foundthat people who cut out meat lost 4.5 pounds more than people who didnt, over an 18 week period.Dieters who go vegetarian not only lose weight more effectively than those on low-calorie diets but also improve their metabolism by reducing muscle fat, thestudy found.

However, if youve grown up thinking that eating animals isnt only normal but necessary, that kind of wholesale change to eating zero meat can be hard. Yet its possible, and with the strategies experts outline below, you can learn how to eat less meat.

Start by thinking of your favorite foods. Most of them will already have a meatless alternative, says Amy Longard, plant-based chef and registered holistic nutritionist in Ottawa, Ontario. For instance, if you like burritos, swap out the chicken for pinto or refried beans, and skip the sour cream or cheesebut add extra guacamole. Even if you like pizza and burgers, the same thing applies: All of these foods are now available in tasty vegetarian versions and are widely available at restaurants, fast food chains, and well-stocked grocery stores, she adds.

While not ideal for the long-term, these meat alternatives provide a great "bridge" as you transition to a more plant-centric diet. Although its best not to do this as a long-term strategy, theres nothing wrong with using these products as an initial step, says Leslie Elder, M.D., internal medicine physician in Portland, Ore. Fortunately, no matter where you shop or where you live, you can always find plant-based meat alternatives. Even grocery store chains like Kroger are rolling out their own versions.

Most Americans plate their meals with meat as the focus, which means theyre eating bigger portions of meat than even some organizations say is okay. As a result, you consume more saturated fat, cholesterol and other unhealthy things. Instead, to help make this transition easier, think of your meat as a side and not the entre. This can be as satisfying as having a larger amount of meat, Elder says. Plus, with less meat, youll have more room for other things like vegetables, fruit and legumes, and whole grains, or favorites like rice and beans.

When was the last time you pulled over and took a bite out of roadkill? Wouldnt ever consider doing it? Yet chew on this: That meat youre eating is little more than the flesh of a dead animal but because its been heavily seasoned and/or sauced, your tastebuds are turned on. As Elder says, Most people consider the ketchup or barbecue sauce to be more important than the burger. Think of bacon, for instance. If it were served to you as a slab of plain meat and not smoked or salted, you probably wouldnt like it. The upshot? Add spices and sauces to the plant-based foods youre trying, and you may be surprised how much you like them.

This global movement, which got its start in the United States during World War II, and then picked up by Sir Paul McCartney and given a cultural boost as "Meat Free Monday" in honor of his late wife, Linda, encourages people to go meatless every Monday. Try it. Who knows? You might feel so great as a result that you start moving to other days of the week. Have fun with Meatless Taco Tuesdays, trying Impossible versus Beyond or try Gardein versus Dr. Praeger's options, and do a blind taste test with the family. They may be surprised and ask, which one is the meat? You can answer, None of them!

If youre following the standard American diet, youre probably eating animal products with every meal: Eggs and sausage for breakfast, a chicken sandwich or salad for lunch, and a burger at night. Yet by limiting animal foods to lunch alone, youre a step closer to going meatless, and you gain a digestive edge. Meats are heavy foods, and your digestion is naturally strongest in the middle of the day, Elder says. In other words, if you are eating meat, youll do a better job of processing and assimilating it at noon. Of course, this doesnt negate the health consequences of eating meat but try this tactic and youll at least be eating less. This could even inspire you to take the meat out of lunches down the road.

If youre cooking meat-based dishes at home, replace half of the meat in your dish with mushrooms or beans, which in a pasta sauce or burger will add taste, fiber, and nutrients. Studies show that youll be just as satisfied as if you used 100 percent meat, and its yet another way to push the meat out of your diet.

The more plant-based foods you eat, the better for your heart, your weight, and your overall health. For more ways to add plants to your diet, for heart health, weight loss, and the environment, check out The Beet's hundreds of recipes here.

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7 Ways to Eat Less Meat to Lose Weight, Lower Heart Disease Risk - The Beet

GREENSBORO, N.C. Back in 2013 Samantha went to buy a dress for Easter Sunday. When she tried some on she realized that she was now a size 16. That was too much to take. She made a commitment to lose weight.

"I just tried that dress on and almost cried. I said then and there that I will eat healthier and exercise," says Brooks, "It sounds too easy but I just avoided sweets and breads and started exercising. I lost weight very fast in the beginning and there was no fad diet or plan. Just eating smart and exercising."

Brooks says it wasn't easy but when you see results you want to keep going.

"Anytime I got discouraged or felt like running for the sweets I would think back to that dressing room and how I felt. I was diabetic and I was having foot issues. I don't ever want to go back there again," said Brooks.

It is truly inspiring for those who feel like they can't get to that perfect weight.

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Her story will inspire you to lose weight - WLTX.com

The jurys still deliberating on that question, but the more we study intermittent fasting, the more we learn it doesnt just impact weight

The word fact has been more than a little abused in recent history, but for those who respect the power of the fact, their consistency and dependability can be a balm, a warm hug of stiff impenetrability, a wall against those who would attack you.

Or, they can sit on your chest like a gorilla.

These weight loss facts are the latter. Terribly sorry to have to do this to you, gentle readers, but we better just rip the Band-Aid off. If it helps, these come directly from Jeffrey Gagnon, associate professor and chair of the Biology Department at Laurentian University, whose field of study is medical endocrinology (during an interview that was followed directly by the interviewer taking a very long, very brisk walk).

That is to say that successful weight-loss mechanisms, diets really, are measured not by the amount of weight a person loses, but by how long they lose it for. If you are able to maintain that weight loss, it is sustainable for you, then that is a successful diet. What Gagnons quote reveals is that if you are 200 pounds and you lose 20 per cent (or 40 pounds) you are now 160 pounds. If, in five years, you weigh 190 pounds (ten pounds from your old weight, but still five per cent below) you are considered a great weight loss success story.

And of course, many people have stories about neighbours and friends who have lost weight and kept it off because there are always outliers but that could be more about the stories we choose to tell, versus the ones we do not. A classic case of remembering the hits and forgetting the misses.

So now is talk of another diet, one known as intermittent fasting (IF). With all the above caveats in place, it is time to talk about scientific studies, weight loss, glucose metabolism, and how stressful eating can be.

Intermittent fasting is a form of calorie restriction, but instead of a daily reduction in calories as in, you move from eating 2,000 calories per day to 1,500 per day this is a restriction in the time of each day, or each week, that you consume calories. It is a calorie-restricted diet in that you are limiting the hours in which you consume calories.

There are many fasting schedules you can try, but here are the four main ones: 1. Alternate day fasting (consuming no calories whatsoever, every other day, then eating as usual on the non-fasting days); 2. A modification of this wherein participants consume calories on the usual fasting days, but less than 25 per cent of what they normally would; 3. Time-restricted fasting (restricting calories intake to specific times during the day), and; 4. Periodic fasting, a fasting that takes place for one or two days at the participants discretion, often an occasional fast, or a weekly personalised version like five days of eating, two days of fasting.

Time-restricted fasting appears to be the most achievable, and most popular, type of fasting schedule. That said, according to a small and short-term study, there is not really a statistically superior fasting schedule.

And now, to the nitty gritty. While IF is still somewhat new in research circles, it has come to a point that a meta-analysis, published by the open access journal, the Journal of Clinical Medicine, has been created. A study or studies, if you will.

The meta-analysis examined the studies available on intermittent fasting on individuals who had no chronic diseases affecting glucose metabolism (like diabetes) and applied rigorous analysis to the quality of the studies performed so much so that out of the 2,814 studies they found in their search, only 12 studies made the cut.

As well, they add the additional issues that crop up with such studies: dietary studies are notoriously difficult to conduct, with the reliance on self-reporting and adherence to study from participants and often small groups of people over short periods. In fact, the current crop of studies only extended as far as four to 24 weeks.

But even with these challenges, there were remarkable findings. Not so much for weight loss, although there was that, but in the other effects that IF can have on the body.

Yes, studies are showing weight loss while fasting intermittently. Not that much, compared to other diets, and its most likely because participants are consuming fewer calories.

Per the meta-analysis: No significant weight loss was observed in studies that adjusted the fasting time while maintaining total calorie intake. Thus, the main pathophysiologic mechanism of weight loss through an Intermittent Fasting Diet is likely to be a reduction in calories.

As well, this should be considered in addition to the gorilla-sized facts from the beginning of this article.

But the interesting aspects of fasting come from our understanding of the endocrine system (a collection of glands producing hormones that regulate metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sexual function, reproduction, sleep and mood), and the stress of consuming calories.

The meta-analysis found that there was an improvement in fasting blood glucose and insulin resistance through IF as compared with a non-fasting control group. To understand why that may be with heavy emphasis on the may we need to understand our stomach, the largest endocrine organ in the body.

The stomach produces our hunger hormone, called ghrelin, and our colon produces most of a hunger-supressing hormone called Glucagon-like Perptide-1 (GLP-1).

Ghrelin is a recent discovery (2000) and is the hormone responsible for your hunger pains, nausea and other you must eat indicators, like hangry.

But unlike sleep, which runs with circadian rhythms, ghrelin begins because that is the time you usually eat. We essentially train our system to tell us when to eat, based on when we ate before. And so, if you dont eat, your body insists upon it, very strongly, with rising levels of ghrelin that can actually be measured in the blood.

When someone restricts their eating periods refusing to listen to the insistent ghrelin, in effect then they can actually begin to blunt its effects, making it slightly easier to fast.

When you do eat, the ghrelin production crashes, and is immediately replaced by GLP-1, an appetite suppressant that shuts off the bodys processes to insist you eat.

Ghrelin was highly researched at first due to its potential for fighting obesity to shut off the hunger hormone. But it didnt work so well (somewhat like those older commercials that mentioned leakage (from a certain area). It is now being pursued as an appetite stimulant for treatment of wasting diseases and cancer.

GLP-1, however, is now a treatment for Type 2 diabetes, and for morbid obesity. And this is perhaps where the influence of intermittent fasting on glucose and insulin could be found. But again, the research is still unclear.

But the stress and no, not just choosing what is for dinner is another avenue of IF worthy of further study as it relates to the oxidization of the body. Free radicals, anyone?

When you ingest calories, particularly fats and energy-dense things like refined sugars and saturated fats, its like throwing a lot of fuel into the furnace, Gagnon said. The wood stove in this metaphor is going to be the mitochondria of your cell from a cell biology background thats like the main furnace in your cells ... thats the thing thats taking all of these fats and carbs and different things and making energy for your body.

To continue the furnace analogy: And so if you jam in a ton of gas-soaked wood, its going to get really, really hot.

This overly-intense mitochondrial stress creates cellular stress, and that cellular stress causes the cells to oxidize. This is the cause of Reactive Oxygen Species: unstable molecules that easily react with other molecules in a cell. Too many of these in cells may cause damage to DNA, RNA, and proteins, and may cause cell death. Reactive oxygen species are perhaps more commonly known as free radicals.

If you reduce that stress with fewer energy-dense (but not necessarily nutrient dense) calories, what happens?

As you reduce oxidative stress in your body from eating, you start to get cell functionality back something like insulin resistance, Gagnon said. Thats a common thing that happens in Type 2 diabetes: you make insulin, but your cells are kind of like yeah, I know its here but I dont really care. Thats partly caused by oxidative stress. So if you take out the stress the reactive oxygen species out of the individual then you might start to get that insulin sensitivity back.

But for all the talk of potential health benefits, fasting isnt easy. It not only requires an overabundance of research, but also requires the faster to overcome a complex wave of redundant systems. Your body wants you to feed it and has multiple mechanism for getting that message across.

If one system in our body fails to stimulate hunger, theres redundancy, Gagnon said. There are many other hormones, there are other pathways that will take over and ensure that you are going to find food, and youre going to drive yourself to go and find food. Even if you block ghrelin, something else is going to pick up the slack.

Additionally, all of modern society, including family and celebratory events and even workplace

schedules, are built around prescribed eating at prescribed times.

But if you are able to overcome the ghrelin and other systems then there could be potential for health benefits in intermittent fasting that extend beyond any short-term weight loss. Do your research, follow the advice of trained professionals, and continue to track the research as it comes available.

But for right now, there isnt much.

There is research, however, into the importance of a holistic approach to the obesity crisis. New

guidelines released by Obesity Canada and the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons advises health care workers that any talk of weight loss needs to focus on root causes, not any pre-conceived notions of fat.

Working with people to understand their context and culture, integrating their root causes, which include biology, genetics, social determinants of health, trauma and mental health issues, are essential to developing personalized plans,said Dr. David Lau, co-lead author of the guidelines and professor at the University of Calgary.

From his point of view, and Gagnons, its about understanding yourself first, and learning to understand your body after.

Get yourself to a place where you feel good; youre healthy, and youre under control, Gagnon said. And if that means you still have a little bit of weight, thats awesome own it. You know that youre healthy, and eventually, the less we stigmatize, maybe society will come around.

And so, once again, the answer to a diet question is: simple, complex, and a good pinch of I dont know.

Jenny Lamothe is a freelance writerand voice actor in Greater Sudbury. Contact her through her website, JennyLamothe.com.

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Discover: Is intermittent fasting the weight-loss cure people think it is? - Sudbury.com

Intermittent fasting can help in restoring good health

Intermittent fasting has been considered to be an effective way to lose weight and get on the path towards fitness. The eating pattern is said to have detoxing effects on the body. It is divided into two phases: fasting phase and eating phase. During the fasting phase, you are not supposed to eat or drink anything except plain water. But during the eating phase, it is important to eathealthy and filling foods so that you don't end up overeating. What you eat during the eating phase of intermittent fasting needs to be paid attention. Overeating or eating junk food during the eating phase can negate the whole purpose of following this eating pattern.

Firstly, know that you must never starve yourself during the fasting phase. According to lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho, you can break the fast when your body is craving for food. When you start with this eating pattern, the fasting phase can be as long as it suits your body.

Also read:Weight Loss: What Is Water Fasting? Know Pros And Cons Of This Unique Diet Plan

The fasting phase can be for 8, 10 or 12 hours initially. Once you ease into the eating pattern, the fasting phase can be extended. Having said that, it is also important to take note of the foods you eat.

While intermittent fasting is a few of those "diets" which are not restrictive in nature, it is also not one of those in which you can have junk or processed food without facing the consequences (just because you are following the fasting phase dedicatedly.

It is important to eat only healthy foods during eating phase of intermittent fastingPhoto Credit: iStock

1. During the eating phase, your diet should ideally include mostly home-cooked food.

2. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, lentils and legumes, and other sources of healthy fats, proteins, carbs and fibre should be part of your diet.

Also read:Kareena Kapoor's Nutritionist Talks About 3 Fats That You Should Re-Introduce In Your Diet

3. Practice portion control and eat till your 80% full. Do not starve yourself. Feed yourself with nourishing food whenever you feel hungry, even if it requires breaking your fast.

4. Snack on healthy foods like ghee-roasted makhanas, roasted black chana, nuts and seeds trail milk, a seasonal fruit or a bowl of yogurt with some fruit and veggies.

What you eat and the pattern of your eating are going to determine how intermittent fasting will work for you.

Make sure that regular exercise is a part of your routine. Exercising will help you become stronger, more agile and fitter. It will keep the likes of back pain, knee pain and neck pain away and will also help you lose weight.

Also read:Weight Loss: This Upper-Body Chair Workout Is All The #MondayMotivation You Need

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

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Intermittent Fasting For Weight Loss: 4 Tips You Need To Follow During The Eating Phase - NDTV

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