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2020 has been remarkably stressful from the fear of nuclear war to a presidential impeachment to a pandemic that has killed more than 186,000 Americans as of September 3. And lets not forget the record unemployment, the school closures, the police killing of George Floyd and other people of color, the months of protests against police brutality and systemic racism, and accelerating climate change.

Many Americans are understandably feeling anxious about this cascade of events on top of any stressors they may have already been dealing with. The technical term is, Its a lot, says Linda Goler Blount, president and CEO of the Black Womens Health Imperative.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey of 5,412 people in late June found that 31 percent were experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression, about three times the number of respondents who said the same in the first two quarters of 2019. Another 26 percent reported symptoms of a trauma- or stressor-related disorder. Eleven percent of people said they had seriously considered suicide in the previous 30 days.

Now some researchers are asking if stress especially chronic stress might be another preexisting condition that makes Covid-19 infections worse.

Our bodies have evolved to respond in the moment to stressful situations, both physical and emotional. This is often called the fight-or-flight response, and it helps us react quickly to danger. But when this becomes a long-term response, these involuntary reactions can be harmful.

There isnt a single agreed-upon definition of what chronic means, though some researchers think stress that persists for weeks or months likely qualifies. Generally, People thinking about something consistently over time qualifies as a chronic stressor, says Paula Braveman, director of the Center on Social Disparities in Health at the University of California San Francisco.

Other researchers say an important feature of chronic stress is its instability, of not knowing whether or when the stressor will end. (The pandemic seems to fit the bill.) Still others define it as the bodys inability to return to base level amounts of important hormones, often developing a new, elevated normal for stress hormones such as cortisol.

Cortisol is an important part of the stress response, and new research suggests cortisol levels appear to impact the severity of Covid-19. Theres still a lot we dont understand about the relationship between the two, but clinical trials of a Covid-19 treatment using dexamethasone a drug that reduces the bodys natural cortisol production, as well as inflammation has been found to help critically ill patients.

High levels of cortisol are associated with poor [Covid-19] outcomes, and drugs that block the hormone seem to improve outcomes, says Kavita Vedhara, a University of Nottingham professor of health psychology who is conducting an ongoing study on Covid-19 and stress. Vedhara says that while further research is needed, she wouldnt be surprised if chronic stress was found to be a risk factor for a severe case of Covid-19. It fits with what we know about psychological stress generally, and in particular the evidence on stress and other viral infections, she added.

Understanding how stress impacts Covid-19 could hold clues for preventing or reducing the severity of infections, as well as responding to the inequities that put some racial and minorities groups at greater risk.

Fifty years of research on stress suggests it has a profound effect on the body, influencing everything from memory to the way the body stores fat. Its even been found to cause structural changes in the brain.

In general, Chronic stress wears the body down, says Kathryn Freeman Anderson, a sociology professor at the University of Houston. Over time, stress keeps the body locked into a heightened response, resulting in damage somewhat similar to an engine idling for too long.

Prolonged stress also weakens the immune system. In 1991, scientists studying the relationship between psychological stress and immune response intentionally exposed 394 healthy participants to one of five respiratory viruses, including a coronavirus. The subjects were then quarantined and monitored. Even after controlling for factors like age, sex, education, weight, and prior antibody status, the researchers found that a persons underlying stress levels were associated with an increased risk of getting sick. Since then, dozens of studies have shown that chronic stress increases the risk of not only catching the common cold but also developing conditions such as asthma and Alzheimers disease, among others.

Chronic stress can also make vaccines less effective. One study compared the vaccine responses of 32 caregivers of a spouse with dementia a role associated with chronic stress against 32 subjects in a control group. After vaccinating both groups against influenza, the researchers found that the caregivers stress was associated with a lowered antibody response, meaning less protection against the flu.

Conversely, in 2018, Vedhara designed an experiment for 138 older adults to see whether a positive mood could have a protective effect. For two weeks before and four weeks after their annual flu shot, participants self-reported how they felt using a diary. Vedhara found that psychological influences, including stress and mood, influenced participants antibody response. (Stress responses are often measured by observing specific emotional states.)

Vedhara found that if participants felt unstressed and upbeat, particularly on the day they were vaccinated, the vaccine worked better. The effect on antibody production was about as large as the effect of statins on cardiovascular events. These are very tangible, very profound effects, Vedhara says.

Similar results have also been seen in young people: A 2018 study of 83 undergraduates found that people with a positive affect feelings of happiness and positivity had better antibody responses to a vaccination. Affects, or observable emotions, are impacted by stress, both for better and worse.

One study found that people who had a negative affect in response to daily stressors over the course of a week meaning they dont recover well from daily stress had poorer physical health in the long term. Another study of 8,542 participants found that a positive affect not only helped reduce the damaging effects of stress but was also associated with lower mortality rates. Further research is needed into what actually causes these differences. It may be for both behavioral and neurobiological reasons; when stressed, people might behave in ways that hurt the immune system, such as by drinking alcohol or not getting enough sleep.

But stress also influences the concentration of many hormones, including cortisol, that impact the production of antibodies. During the fight-or-flight response, the brain activates a network that includes the pituitary and adrenal glands. These glands release cortisol and other hormones that keep the body on high alert. But cortisol also turns out to have a surprising place in the immune system: Most immune cells also have a receptor for it. This means theres a direct mechanism by which cortisol can regulate immune cells and our immune system, Vedhara says.

When people have chronically high levels of cortisol from being stressed, they end up with lots of inflammatory cytokines. High levels of cytokines have also been noted in severe cases of Covid-19, as have lower levels of lymphocytes, the white blood cells that help fight infections.

Scientists are looking for other direct relationships between chronic stress and Covid-19. Besides cortisol, other important hormones, including one called Ang-II, are impacted by stress; Elevated levels of Ang-II have already been associated with severe Covid-19 cases.

Although most of us have experienced more stress this year, chronic stress, like so much else, tends to affect some individuals, like people of color, more than others.

In April, during the early stages of Covid-19, Vedhara found that Black, Asian, and other ethnic minorities in the UK reported feeling more stressed than white people, even after accounting for age, gender, and working situation. These same communities also reported disproportionate deaths from Covid-19.

According to CDC data, Blacks, Native Americans, and Latinos all have age-adjusted hospitalization rates around 4.7 times higher than the rate of white people. A Black person with Covid-19 is almost four times more likely than a white person to die from it.

Goler Blount says its frustrating that the data is often reported without context. Its not because theyre Black, its because of the experience of being Black, Goler Blount says.

Discrimination doesnt stay in the realm of mental health, says Anderson. We can actually measure the physical impact on the body. In the 1990s, public health researcher Arline Geronimus studied what the experience of racism does to the body and found that racial inequalities not explained by poverty existed across a range of biological systems. She called the health consequences of the large and small stresses caused by racism weathering and this kind of erosion is more than a metaphor.

Multiple studies show that an experience of discrimination increases cortisol levels, and the effects accumulate over a lifetime.

Chronic stress can start damaging health and affecting gene expression even before birth. A number of studies have linked stress with shorter telomeres, a protective casing at the end of DNA strands that is diminished each time a cell divides. Shortened telomeres have been linked to increased disease and shorter lifespan.

Though telomeres can be repaired by an enzyme called telomerase, stress and cortisol exposure reduces the bodys supply of the enzyme. One study found that the higher a mothers prenatal anxiety, the shorter her babys telomeres were, raising questions about whether stress risks can be inherited. If true, this might amplify the disproportionate effect chronic stress has on people of color.

Another line of research has shown that if young people experience systemic discrimination, it can trigger higher levels of cytokines, magnifying the impact of future stress on their health. A study by the Yale School of Public Health found that by middle age, women who had frequent experiences with discrimination had significantly higher levels of visceral fat, putting them at higher risk for serious conditions such as heart disease and diabetes (two risk factors for severe Covid-19). In older adults, stress changes the levels of hormones involved with blood pressure and contribute to hypertension, another risk factor for Covid-19.

Its not just the experience of discrimination, but also the fear and anticipation of racism that cause harm. The vigilance, the concern itself is a strain on the body, says Brenda Major, a professor and social psychologist at the University of California Santa Barbara. She says the recent videos and other coverage of police killings and protests against police brutality are themselves a source of stress. Reading about people like you being shot and killed can itself heighten concern, fear, and vigilance, says Major.

UCSFs Braveman says chronic stress is also structural, tied to how we track people into unhealthy places and expose them to unhealthy conditions over their lifetimes. She says the US culture perpetuates racism and its stress even when there is not a particular individual intending to discriminate.

We dont have to look far for examples of how communities of color are disproportionately exposed to environmental pollutants like cancer-causing chemicals and fine particulate matter that can cause respiratory illnesses, as well as a higher risk of natural disasters environments that are often sources of stress themselves, as well as an indirect stress when friends and family become ill. This is literally the environmental impact on us, and its how our bodies are responding, says Goler Blount.

To better understand how stress both recent and long-term might be impacting individuals risk for Covid-19, many researchers are conducting experiments.

Following up on her April survey of almost 4,000 people in the UK and New Zealand, Vedhara is now asking participants to send in a small hair sample. Shell use this to measure cortisol, investigating how self-reported mental health over the course of the pandemic results in measurable physical changes. Shell also look to see whether cortisol levels are associated with being infected with Covid-19 and the severity of illness.

Already, other research suggests that cortisol is tied to worse Covid-19 outcomes. In a recent study of 535 people published in The Lancet those with confirmed cases of Covid-19 had much higher levels of cortisol than those who did not. After taking measurements within 48 hours of being admitted to the hospital, the scientists found that a doubling of cortisol concentration was associated with a 42 percent increase in mortality.

More research is needed, but in the meantime, Vedhara notes that while the known risk factors for severe Covid-19 cases age, ethnicity, and preexisting conditions are largely out of our control, there are ways to improve mental health. We dont know yet how much reducing stress might help protect against severe Covid-19, but there may be measures that can be used now to reduce anxiety overall.

Understanding the source of stress can be helpful in figuring out how to manage it. The first step is to understand what is giving rise to those negative feelings, Vedhara says. Some stress is emotion-focused like the ongoing uncertainty of when the pandemic will end and can be reduced through skills like mindfulness. For instance, when patients with colorectal cancer meditated at the beginning of chemotherapy treatments, it improved their cortisol response.

But changing personal behavior cannot combat structural sources of stress. (Meditation is certainly not a cure for the stress of systemic discrimination.)

One of the most striking features of [self-reported stress in April], Vedhara says, is that it was strongly related to how much people were worried about contracting Covid-19.

A recent study suggests the high numbers of Black, Latinx, and Asian people dying from Covid-19 might actually be an underestimate. Goler Blount says a Black Womens Health Imperative analysis found that in the next three years, every Black person in the US will lose someone they know to Covid-19 or its long-term consequences. Vedhara suggests this demonstrates a need for more effective public health interventions, rather than psychological ones.

As the pandemic continues to take thousands of American lives each day and as other economic, safety, and logistical stresses mount Goler Blount says stress is only accumulating. All these things are connected. We are here, all in the middle of this, grieving.

Lois Parshley is a freelance investigative journalist. Follow her Covid-19 reporting on Twitter @loisparshley.

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Covid-19 risk factors: How chronic stress and coronavirus might be linked - Vox.com

Debunking top weight loss myths 

Remedies for a quick weight loss are everywhere, from claiming to promise a whopping weight loss within a short period, to the fad diets that claim to work like wonder. The digital media is flooded with too much information on weight loss and not everything is 100 per centscientific or even sustainable. Here are some top myths associated with weight loss and the facts around each:

Myth 1: Starving yourself is the best way to lose weight

Fact:Cutting too many calories can have a stalling effect on your weight loss goals. If you drastically reduce your daily calorie intake, your body goes into an energy-saving mode to optimize survival. Starvation also leads to chronic changes in metabolism as it causes lean muscle mass to go down which further declines the resting metabolic rate. In short, you might lose weight rapidly for a short while but it comes at the cost of your muscle mass while your fat stores may remain the same. And, once you are on your regular diet, weight might bounce back quickly owing to a slower metabolism.

Myth 2: Carbohydrates should be slashed from diet to lose weight

Fact:The misguiding golden rule of many diet strategies work by cutting off carbs from the diet. Carbohydrates are not just found in grains or cereals, they are practically everywhere including fruits, vegetables, nuts, or seeds. The carbs you should slash from your diet are the refined ones made of all-purpose flour like white bread, white pasta, and packaged baked goods. Simple sugars found in packaged cereals or fruit juices are also an example of bad carbs that should be cut off from diet to achieve weight loss. But, the carbs found in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables not only provide sustainable energy but also have beneficial nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals to help you manage your weight better.

Myth 3: Exercising is superior to diet for weight loss

Fact:Always remember, you can never outrun a bad diet. Exercise and good nutrition go hand-in-hand to manage your weight. It may take only a few minutes to hog down excess calories while it might take hours to burn it off. A well-rounded health routine should include balanced eating and optimal physical activity. When it comes to weight loss, what you eat, and how much you move matters more than anything. Just exercising alone can increase your appetite and you might be lured to consume calorie-rich foods. Balancing diet and exercise is the key to weight loss.

Myth 4: There are short-cuts to weight loss

Fact:Weight gain does not happen overnight so losing it will be a gradual rather than a short process. The short cuts to lose weight like starvation, cutting off an important food group, improper fasting or liquid diets can only hamper your weight loss goals in the longer run. Losing weight is not rocket science but it needs proper guidance for you to kick-start it. There are, however, some key factors like- portion control, exercising, balancing micro and macronutrients, sleeping well, managing stress, and an overall positive perspective towards weight loss itself.

Nmami Agarwal is a guest contributor. Views expressed are personal.

Read the original:
Debunking top weight loss myths - Times Now

August 28 The coronavirus pandemic has dominated the headlines and our daily lives for most of this year. Medical News Today have covered this fast-moving, complex story with live updates on the latest news, interviews with experts, and an ongoing investigation into the deep racial disparities that COVID-19 has helped unmask.

However, this has not stopped us from publishing hundreds of fascinating stories on a myriad of other topics.

This week, we took another foray into the mysterious world of sleep by looking at some myths about how much of it we need, as well as a new treatment for the disturbing condition of sleep paralysis.

We also reported on research that has found another source of antibiotic resistance in polluted soil, how your smartphone can tell if you are drunk, and how to find free online therapy.

Finally, we looked at how a lack of female heart failure researchers may be putting lives at risk, why it may never be too late to enjoy the health benefits of losing weight, and what to put in the shopping cart when on a keto diet.

Here are 10 recent stories that people may have missed amid all the COVID-19 fervor.

Our most popular new article this week is the latest installment in our Medical Myths series. We investigate five myths associated with sleep. Among other questions, we ask whether sleep deprivation truly can be fatal and whether all animals sleep.

We also recently published another Medical Myths article on the mystery of sleep, as well as an extensive new special investigation into the science of sleep.

Learn more here.

Therapy can be expensive, and many people may find it difficult to attend face-to-face therapy sessions, especially at this time. Fortunately, online therapy can be as effective as in-person therapy.

This popular new article explains how to find free online therapy. For example, some mental health organizations, schools, colleges, and workplaces offer free online therapy sessions.

Learn more here.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that around 264 million people globally live with depression, but there are some modifiable factors a person can control to reduce their risk. A new study suggests that confiding in others is one of the best ways to prevent depression because it appears to reduce the risk of developing it by 24%.

The research also finds factors that raise the risk of depression. Daytime napping, for example, increases the risk by 34%. However, the researchers note that this may be a reflection of the broader impact on depression of a more sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity.

Learn more here.

New research suggests that smartphones could use their various sensors to collect information about a persons movement, specifically their gait, to measure their intoxication level.

The researchers recruited 22 adults who were given enough vodka, under laboratory conditions, to increase their breath alcohol level to 0.2%, more than twice the U.S. legal limit of 0.08%. The researchers then asked the participants to walk in a straight line for 10 steps once an hour for 7 hours.

Analysis of the resulting data allowed researchers to say when a participant was over the legal limit with 92.5% accuracy. Though only a proof of concept study, it could lead to future smartphones alerting the owner if it detects that they may be more susceptible to engaging in risky behavior after drinking.

Learn more here.

The WHO describe antibiotic resistance as one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today.

Alongside the indiscriminate and inappropriate use of antibiotics, evidence also suggests that certain pollutants can act as a selection pressure favoring antibacterial resistance. A new study identifies an association between antibacterial resistance among bacteria living in soil and heavy metal and radioactive pollution.

Learn more here.

Our readers spent nearly 10 minutes each with this article, which supports the view that it is never too late to lose weight. In it, we reported on a new study that finds that people with obesity in early adulthood whose weight fell within the overweight range by midlife reduced their risk of dying by half.

This suggests that it is possible to reverse the harmful effects of obesity and prevent early death. However, the researchers also found that weight loss was very rare among the 24,205 people in the U.S whose data the researchers analyzed for this study.

Learn more here.

A recent study concludes that a lack of female lead authors in heart failure studies could negatively impact the treatment of heart failure in women. Not a single female is head of a cardiology division or department among the top 40 cardiology programs in the U.S.

This is important because females may be more likely to enroll in a clinical trial that they know is being led by a female investigator, and female trial leads are more likely to refer female patients to clinical trials.

Learn more here.

This week, we covered a new studythat reports around 20% of people worldwide experiencesleep paralysis, finding themselves mentally awake as their bodys voluntary muscles remain asleep, sometimes accompanied byhypnagogic hallucinations.

A small-scale study of 10 people with narcolepsy suggests that meditation-relaxation therapy can benefit those who experience sleep paralysis, reducing the number of days on which participants experienced sleep paralysis by half.

Learn more here.

Our editorial team published this in-depth guide to gender dysphoria. It has quickly emerged as one of the articles our readers spent the most time with this week, at nearly 11 minutes each.

We look at the definition of gender dysphoria, how doctors diagnose it, the symptoms in both adults and children, and the support and medical options that are now available.

Learn more here.

Many people may find going keto difficult to stick with, but there is evidence that it can be good for you.

One of the difficulties is knowing what and what not to buy at the grocery store, so we have published this article to help guide your choices as you wander the aisles.

We explain the keto diet, the foods to include on a shopping list, and a selection of delicious, healthful, and keto-friendly recipes to add to your repertoire (the salmon patties are really good).

Learn more here.

We hope that this has provided a taste of the range of stories that we cover at MNT. We will be back with a new selection next week.

We publish hundreds of new articles every month. Here are some upcoming articles that may pique our readers interests:

Read this article:
The Recovery Room: News beyond the pandemic - Medical News Today

On a mission to tighten and tone your lower half? Boo, we got you. Add some lunges to your lunch break, and youll feel sculpted and strong in no time.

Lunges put extra pep in the step of exercise newbies and athletes alike. Theyre a fan fave of runners and bikers because the bodyweight resistance works their legs, hips, and backs while keeping everything limber and stable.

Wanna add some lunge time to your daily routine? Lets dive into the basics and the perks.

Remember your gym teachers words: Do your stretches first!

BONUS MOVE: Level up your lunges by adding dumbbells. Grab two dumbbells and hold them down at your sides, palms facing in, while you perform the move.

This bumps up the burn in your core as you maintain balance and control through the lunge.

#Lungelife offers more than toned thighs. Heres the lowdown:

Want to give your metabolism a boost? Building lean muscle mass helps.

Lunges work several of your bodys big muscle groups your legs and butt. Building up muscles and reducing body fat could help you lose excess weight more quickly.

To build up muscle more quickly, use heavier weights with your lunges. You could also incorporate lunges into your circuit training routine.

With lunges, you only work one side of your body at a time. This makes them unilateral rather than bilateral.

Research shows that unilateral exercise is most helpful for improving balance and regaining strength and coordination after injury.

Lunges force your spine and core to stay balanced, which is great for building stability.

If you struggle with bad posture, imbalance, or misalignment, lunges can help.

Focusing on one side of your body at a time allows you to build up strength and stability on both sides. This prevents common exercise probs like overusing your dominant side or overcompensating because of muscle soreness or old injuries.

OK, so exercise cant make you grow, but it can improve your posture so that you look taller.

Lunges make your back and core stronger. A stronger back = a longer back because youll sit and stand up straighter.

Since your front leg is used for strength and your back leg is used for balance, even lunging in place will burn your glutes, quads, and hammies.

But remember, form is everything. Proper alignment and smooth, steady moves will give you a great foundation for trying other fun lunge variations.

Side lunges, aka lateral lunges, are done side-to-side instead of front-to-back. In addition to your glutes and back, they work your hips and inner and outer thighs. Side lunges can also help smooth cellulite.

If you add side lunges to your workout routine, focus on squeezing your outer thighs as you lunge. Thatll give you the biggest oomph for your effort.

To do a walking lunge, youll transition smoothly from one leg to the other in forward motion (rather than resetting by standing tall each time). This will test your coordination, but the effort will tighten your core, hips, and butt.

Consistently doing walking lunges can also improve your everyday range of motion.

Wanna up the ante? Add torso twists or carry dumbbells during your walking lunges.

Reverse lunges are exactly what they sound like lunging backward instead of forward.

These provide the same muscle-building boosts while giving your knees and ankles a break. If you have joint issues, reverse lunges should be your go-to form.

Since walking in reverse takes more concentration, you might need to take these slow at first. Itll help you train your muscles to work differently, which is a major win for your exercise routines.

Want to take your lunge routine to the next level? Add a twist. Whether you twist during your stationary, walking, or reverse lunges, youll feel the burn in your abs and glutes.

Since twisting can throw you off-balance, youll need to focus on engaging the muscles in your feet too.

Curtsy lunges make your glutes feel like theyre on fire but it makes them look too. This lunge variety will sculpt your butt and thighs while helping you get stronger in general.

Bonus: Strong glutes support your back and knees, so curtsy lunges help soothe achy joints.

To deepen the burn, carry dumbbells or a kettlebell during your curtsy lunges.

Lunges and squats are the OG lower-body workouts. If youre just starting a workout routine or if you have back issues start with lunges. If youre feeling strong, add some squats.

Since lunges and squats target the same muscle groups, you can play around with your workouts to see what you prefer. Maybe you prefer a set of lunges for every two sets of squats (or vice versa). Either way, youll see and feel results.

Which muscles will you strengthen?

Lunges help you stand taller, gain flexibility, and boost your overall strength.

Lunges will strengthen and tone your:

Slow and steady wins the race. Whether you add lunges to an existing exercise routine or simply do a few each morning, stay consistent to see results.

Youll probably notice a difference before anyone else does. Thats because one of the first parts of building muscle is simply feeling stronger.

After a few weeks, you may see a difference in muscle tightness and tone. Regular lunges could also lower your body fat percentage after a few weeks.

It could take a few months for your muscle growth to be immediately noticeable to others.

For the best results, consistently do 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 lunges. That means 16 to 36 lunges per workout. You can boost your results by doing that many reps for each lunge variety.

If you feel like things are getting too easy or that youre no longer seeing results add more variations, start carrying weights, or simply increase your reps.

Read more:
11 Stationary Lunge Benefits, Tricks, Variations, and More - Greatist

Sucking in her tummy, it did not matter which way Jenna Watts turned there was no escaping her 30st reflection in the mirror.

The newlywed was booked in for gastric bypass surgery to help her realise her dream of starting a family.

But as the weight fell away after her successful op, so did Jennas love for her husband.

After meeting fellow slimmer Rob online, sparks flew and now the pair are madly in love.

Jenna, 32, said: Its like a fairytale. Robs the perfect guy, we have so much in common.

Losing the weight has been amazing but finding Rob and having him cheering me on has been even better.

Between us, weve lost 31st, countless dress sizes and two spouses but what weve found is worth so much more true love.

Ditching all that dead weight was the best decision we ever made. Losing everything led us to so much more.

Lead support worker Jenna had struggled with her weight all her life and at the start of 2019, was 30st and wore size 34 clothes.

That March she had a gastric bypass on the NHS at the Spire Manchester Hospital.

The August before, Jenna had wed her long-term boyfriend and was keen to start a family.

But she said: I knew that at my size, there was no way I could conceive so thats when I decided to have the bypass.

After the op, Jenna shed the pounds but her marriage hit the rocks. She said: I thought my weight loss would make us stronger but my husband became jealous of my shrinking body. We quickly fell out of love.

It was a shock. Id had the operation for our future family but instead, it just highlighted all the problems in our marriage.

Devastated Jenna turned to Rob, 30, who she had met a month earlier in an online support group for gastric surgery patients, The Friendliest Gastric Sleeve/Bypass Group UK.

And Rob, who also lived in Manchester, was in a failing marriage, too.

Jenna said: I wanted to know if the weight loss had affected anyone elses relationship in the same way.

Rob and I were always chatting and liking each others pictures so I felt like I could turn to him. But when I sent him the message on Instagram, I worried Id overstepped the mark.

When he replied to say his surgery had affected his marriage too, I was relieved. It felt good to know I wasnt alone.

We were both loyal to our partners but there was definitely a spark there.

Jenna realised her heart was no longer in her marriage and 11 months after her gastric bypass, in February 2020, she ended the relationship.

She said: Id never pursue someone while Im in a relationship. But my marriage had hit rock-bottom. I was slimmer than ever and I loved my new body, but I just didnt feel like I could be myself with my husband.

Leaving was a hard decision but we didnt love each other and I knew it was for the best.

Afterwards, Jenna told Rob her marriage was over. She said: It felt like fate. I messaged Rob as a friend but when he told me hed split from his wife and was newly-single, it felt like a sign.

The pair confessed they had feelings for each other and agreed to meet for the first time two weeks later on Valentines Day.

Jenna said: I was so nervous but as our eyes met, everything else disappeared. We had an instant connection.

Were perfect for each other, and from the moment we met, we hit it off.

Since finding Rob, Jenna has lost 16st and shrunk to a healthy size 16. She said: I couldnt be happier and I love my new figure. Doctors told me I wouldnt lose as much weight as I have but with Rob cheering me on, Ive lost more than they expected.

At 14st Im healthier than ever and I get to enjoy my new lease of life with the man I love.

Rob, a Royal Mail driver, had a gastric sleeve op and has shed 15st, slimming down from a 48 to a 34-inch waist.

He said: From the age of six, I put on a stone every year of my life. By 29, I was 30st.

The surgery changed his life. He said: Im one of those people who will give it 110 per cent, so I did. I now weigh 15st and feel amazing.

I really love wearing suits now and flaunting my slimmer frame. But thanks to the surgery, I found Jen.

Nothing happened between the pair before their marriages ended, but Rob felt a connection with Jenna online.

He said: We connected over losing weight but we never spoke out of turn to each other we were both still in relationships.

"Before the surgery I always said to my wife, Im never going to change, but I wasnt prepared for how much you do change.

One day, Jen messaged me and asked if I was having trouble in my marriage. Thats when we started talking and realised we had all these crazy weird connections. Rob now describes his weight loss as a rebirth.

He said: Unfortunately when Jenna and I were bigger, no disrespect to our exes, we sort of settled for people. I used to think I was in love with my ex, but I wasnt.

The amount of love and care from Jen is incredible.

Shes accepted me for who I am, and I do the same for her. Were so lucky to find each other.

The smitten couple have swapped promise rings and will wed when their divorces are finalised. Jenna said: I know Rob and I will be together forever, so I dont mind the wait.

See original here:
Couple lost a combined 31st and their marriages - but found love with each other - Mirror Online

Few world leaders have had such an active six months as Boris Johnson, who recently marked his first anniversary of becoming prime minister of Britain. In late March, as the country was in the grips of the first wave of the pandemic, Johnson fell sick to the novel coronavirus. At first, he and his officials strenuously claimed that his symptoms were mild and would swiftly disappear. Ten days later, in early April, he became the first world leader to be admitted to the intensive care unit of Saint Thomas Hospital in London where he was in need of liters and liters of oxygen.

While the government denied rumors, some emanating from Russia, that the prime minister was on a ventilator, plans were made to announce his death, marking how serious his illness was. But Johnson and his partner, Carrie Symonds, would announce the birth of their son, his sixth child and his first with her. Four months later, the press have been consumed with images of Johnson working out with his new fitness trainer as he attempts to lose weight while launching a strategy to tackle obesity in Britain, where 28 percent of the population suffers from obesity.

Despite the personal ups and downs of the relatively new prime minister, his political fortunes have taken a nosedive as the rest of 2020 presents challenges for his leadership and his government. The pandemic shows no signs of abating and, while several vaccines are moving along, the coming winter is likely to pose massive problems for the National Health Service as the government tries to reopen schools.

Britain has recorded more than 330,000 coronavirus cases and over 41,000 people have died from the pandemic. Britain has the dubious honor of ranking first with the highest death rate ahead of the United States and the Group of Seven countries. Many have blamed the initial hands off approach by Johnson for tackling the pandemic and the delay in lockdowns when the coronavirus first reached Europe in late winter.

While many countries in Europe, like Italy and Norway, went into lockdowns before the middle of March, Britain waited almost two more weeks before it introduced mandated restrictions. In late July, Johnson admitted that the response could have been handled differently. An official inquiry has been promised into the management of the pandemic, which is bound to cause a certain degree of embarrassment for both Johnson and his government, with many questions left unanswered.

While t coronavirus has dominated the daily state of affairs and has convulsed much of the news coverage in Britain and elsewhere, the Brexit question has not disappeared. Britain officially left the European Union in January, and its transition period expires at the end of December. The United Kingdom still enjoys all the trade benefits it had with the European Union before exiting. But starting next year, if no trade deal is concluded, Britain will be locked out of the European Union economy of over 440 million people.

While negotiations have continued irregularly, no measurable degree of progress has been made. Many in Brussels remain deeply suspicious of the real motives of Johnson, with some senior European Union officials believing that the prime minister would prefer to let the clock run out and, with that, cut off all ties with the European Union without a trade deal, parts of which might not sit well with some of the staunch Brexit supporters in his Conservative Party.

His government enjoys a majority in Parliament that will give him some political cover as the House of Commons returns from its summer recess and as questions will inevitably mount over his response to the coronavirus and attitude toward future trade relations with the European Union. Yet as Britain edges closer to the December deadline, the many members of the Conservative Party still expect Johnson to deliver on his promise to negotiate a trade deal with Brussels. The downward spiral of the economy might also show that closer ties with the European Union might not be a bad thing.

Any prevarication by Johnson could result in a challenge to his leadership and bring to an end his short tenure as prime minister. The coronavirus and the decisions that his government has been forced to take on public health has exposed the myth of Johnson as some kind of a political genius. The Brexit trade talks will also test the false narrative that, despite the blond bombshell bluster, he has a master plan for the future of Britain outside the largest free trade area in the world. Johnson has been exposed as a man without a detailed plan as he navigates Britain into a winter of discontent dominated by a raging pandemic and the toxic issue of Brexit.

Michael Geary is a global fellow with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. He is also an associate professor of European history for Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

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Boris Johnson faces winter of discontent for national crises - The Hill

Having read about it, researched it, and reported on it, dietitian Melissa Meier decided there was only so much she could say without having tried the 5:2 diet for herself. For a whole month, she calorie-restricted two out of seven days and let us know how she fared.

FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE

With so much noise around intermittent fasting (and me contributing a lot of it see here and here and here), I felt like a bit of a cop-out having never actually tried it. I saw absolutely no issue in reporting on the science, but theres only so much you can say when you havent experienced it first-hand. So, I set myself the challenge of trying intermittent fasting for a whole month, and this is what I found.

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INTERMITTENT FASTING 101

Before we dive in, Ill set the scene just in case youve missed the memo. Essentially, intermittent fasting is a way of eating that is more concerned with when you eat rather than what. There are a few different variations, the main ones being 16:8 (where you have a daily eight-hour eating window) and 5:2 (where you have two 500 calorie days per week and eat normally the rest of the time).

While its no more effective than a calorie-controlled diet, intermittent fasting is a proven weight-loss method plus, its been linked to metabolic health perks, protection from disease, and improved gut health, too. All in all, its a pretty exciting space in the world of nutrition. But, its not for everyone

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INTERMITTENT FASTING IS H.A.R.D.

I liked the idea of trying the 5:2 method. It only affects two days a week, so I didnt find it as intrusive or disruptive to the rest of my life as Id imagine other weight-loss diets would be and I think this is one of its main perks.

I was still able to go out carefree on the weekends and cook up a storm at home throughout the week as I habitually would (and even enjoy the occasional glass of vino), and I can report I did lose a couple of kilos in the process.

The fasting days, however, were certainly not easy. Theyre hard. Very hard, to be frank. I distinctly remember feeling like I wanted to eat my arm off in bed one night, and as a dietitian, I just felt there was something so innately wrong with this. Im all about eating mindfully and listening to your body, so this was somewhat of a moral dilemma for me, but I pushed through, all in the name of research

IT DOES GET EASIER

Fast forward a week or two and I felt like I had found my groove. My initial idea was to try and spread my 500 calories over three small meals a day so that I didnt feel like I was missing out but this quickly backfired.

An egg white omelette, a tasteless smoothie, and bland green veg and prawn stir fry later, I knew this wasnt the best tactic for me. Instead, I tried spreading my calories over two slightly more substantial meals and a snack, and this worked far better.

Although Im usually a breakfast-first-thing-in-the-morning kinda gal, on fasting days, I found it easier to push my first meal of the day (which was a piece of toast with light ricotta cheese and tomato, plus a milk-based coffee) back as far as I could to around 11am, have a snack of veggie sticks sometime in the afternoon and then an early dinner (usually veggie soup).

This helped me to actually fill up after meals rather than being constantly hungry, so food wasnt always on my mind.

For the majority of my month of fasting, I fasted on two non-consecutive days each week, and never on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays (that would be torture at least for me, anyway).

I dreaded the idea of doing two fasting days in a row, but thought for my last hurrah, I should give it a go just to see what its like. And the good news is, it wasnt nearly as hard as I thought it would be, but I wouldnt want to do it if I wasnt busy.

All in all, my month of intermittent fasting went surprisingly well, and Im pleased to report I now have a far greater understanding of the intricacies and challenges involved in the process. Although the incessant hunger pangs sucked, I think it was a valuable lesson in recalibrating my hunger and satiety cues, and to my surprise, didnt result in overeating on non-fasting days.

If youre struggling with the 5:2 diet or simply want to give it a go like me, the three best tips I can give you to maximise your chances of success are:

Of course, this is just my experience and shouldnt be taken as your call to try intermittent fasting if youre looking to lose weight. If youre in that boat, its essential that you seek individualised advice from a qualified expert who can assess your current diet and guide you through the process if appropriate.

There are some groups of people for whom intermittent fasting is simply not safe (pregnant women, children, adolescents, and people with diabetes, for example), and others who it just wont suit and thats perfectly okay. Losing weight is not a cookie-cutter approach, and whats far more important than following a fad diet briefly is finding your unique healthy eating sticking point that you can maintain, for life. Capiche?

Melissa Meier is a Sydney-based accredited practicing dietitian. You can connect with her on Instagram @honest_nutrition

This article originally appeared on bodyandsoul.com.au and was reproduced with permission

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I did 5:2 intermittent fasting for a month, and even as a dietitian Im surprised - NEWS.com.au

Chaya Milchtein and Jodyann MorganPhoto: Malia Howel

Chaya Milchtein refers to herself and her fiance Jodyann Morgan as complete opposites. But despite that, the two are getting married this Saturday, and youre invited.

We are two people from two different worlds as far opposites as you could possibly imagine, Milchtein told LGBTQ Nation.

Related:An ICU nurse was separated from her girlfriend for months. The neighbors made their reunion magical.

Milchtein is white, Morgan is Black. Milchtein was raised in a strict Hasidic Jewish home with 14 brothers and sisters where she was forced to wear long dresses and forbidden from watching TV. Morgan was raised in a smaller Pentecostal family from Jamaica where she watched TV like a typical teenager and became a fan of live music.

Milchtein is outgoing, public, and big on Instagram, Morgan is introverted, quiet and doesnt often like being photographed.

Milchtein wanted their wedding to be a big queer party and Morgan wanted it to be a small intimate event. But now, because of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic and video conferencing, both Milchtein and Morgan are getting their wish.

The two are getting married on Facebook Live on Saturday, August 29 at 1 p.m. Eastern in what theyre calling the biggest, queerest wedding of the year. Milchtein is inviting literally everyone to virtually attend through web-video, but in-person only the couple, the officiant and the videographer will be attending there will be absolutely no guests so the couple can reduce the possibility of coronavirus infection.

I wanted a wedding, that was either a big queer party because that was important to me, Milchtein says, and to be able to do something that wasnt always possible: to be able to publicly demonstrate my love and publicly announce that this is what our life is.

The couple met four years ago while Milchtein was having her nails done in Brooklyn, the part of New York City where she and Morgan both lived at the time. Morgan worked security at the indoor Barclays Center arena and came into the salon offering a free ticket to watch the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Baily Circus. Milchtein had never been to the circus before, so she ended up accepting, and the two eventually started dating that was four and a half years ago.

Now, the couple has been engaged for just over a year. They live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with their cat Stripes Dalek and their tortoise Polka Dot Tardis. (Their pets names are half descriptions of the clothes Milchtein was wearing when they got them and half named from parts of Morgans favorite sci-fi program Dr. Who).

The two decided to marry in Indianapolis, Indianathe Vegas of the Midwest which has a well-established elopement and micro-wedding industry where folks can quickly get a same-day marriage license with no witnesses or big fuss. They planned their entire wedding in just four-and-a-half weeks.

Milchtein told LGBTQ Nation that they chose to get married now because COVID-19 has made the future of the world uncertain and put them in a position where they might need the legal right to make medical decisions in a hospital for one another even though theyre both young and healthy.

Nearby Indianapolis also provides a place where they can both travel without boarding a plane. The couple has planned an outdoor wedding: They got tested for coronavirus last Thursday and everyone else involved will be wearing face masks. But despite the epidemic precautions, theyre hoping the ceremony brings lots of people joy.

The world is a really shitty place right now, Milchtein says, And if somehow sharing in our joy is going to give people a momentary reprieve from their struggles and from COVID and from everything else thats happening, that would be a blessing for us. If we start off our marriage building community, then hopefully thats how well continue to do it for years to come.

The couple also hopes that seeing two queer, interfaith, interracial, and plus-sized women will inspire others to realize that love and marriage can look a lot different than what people usually see in the media. Even their vows will leave out all the usual mentions of complete monogamy and physically belonging to one another because their relationship is based on mutual respect rather than bodily ownership.

Representation is important people deserve to see people that look like them in the media, I deserve to see people who look like me in the media, and who look like us in the media so that I can have some inspiration so I can have people to look up to, so I can see what else is possible, Milchtein told LGBTQ Nation.

You know, people tell people that they that nobody will love them, that they have to lose weight how you have to lose weight in order to fit into your wedding dress, or you have to lose weight or youll never find somebody wholoves you. Thats not true.

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You're invited to the biggest, queerest wedding of the year. No, seriously. You're invited. - LGBTQ Nation

As Hollywood and countless others mourn the death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, fans are celebrating a shining, hopeful moment from his career.

On August 28, Boseman's team shared the news that the prolific actor passed away from stage four colon cancer, a battle he'd been fighting since 2016. A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much, they wrote on Instagram, adding that it was the honor of his career to bring King TChalla to life in Black Panther.

For many, it was the honor of a lifetime to meet and speak with Boseman. To demonstrate just that, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon shared a clip from 2018 of Black Panther fans explaining what the film meant to them, only to be surprised by a visit from Boseman, himself.

"I can't express how much it means to me and the community and my family," one man, Darren, says to a poster of T'Challa. Thank you from the very bottom of my heart for all that you've done, for really being a hero that we really need in a time like this. Thank you so much.

The fan was in for a huge shock when Boseman called out his name. My King, my king, my king, Darren said, making the Wakanda salute before embracing the actor. It only got more emotional (and sometimes hilarious) from there. You can watch the full clip, above.

Now viewed over 17 million times, fans were quick to celebrate Boseman's impact and kindness by sharing the clip. You gave a people, the single greatest thing a human can give to another, HOPE, one fan tweeted. Some lights shine half as long, but twice as bright. Rest in Love.

This is the exact segment that popped to mind when I heard @chadwickboseman passed away, another fan tweeted. It shows how much he inspired people, but also how genuine a guy he was.

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Chadwick Boseman will be clearly be missed by so many.

Originally Appeared on Glamour

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Chadwick Boseman Fans Keep Sharing This Heartwarming Clip From The Tonight Show - Yahoo Lifestyle

In the past two months of a cetacean pregnancy, he says, you can start to see signs that mama's feeling a little blah : decrease in appetite, discomfortand possiblebacterial infections like bursella that cause late-term miscarriages in other cetacean species. But compared witheverything that can go wrong at or following conception or birth, the odds that something will go wrong with these two pregnant animals in the next few months is more limited, he says.

But if the mother does lose her calf, she and the entire orca community must overcome the emotional loss. Whales are highly family bonded, and the UW's Giles says their family members may know of a pregnancy through echolocation. Its like living with moving and breathing ultrasound [machines] all around you, called your mom and brother and sister, she says. It's physically taxing, It's medically taxing and dangerous, And then it's emotionally taxing for these individuals to continuously get pregnant, Giles says.

In some pregnancies, late-term calves can become ticking time bombs in their mothers bodies. If a grown calf dies, gets stuck and releases bacteria in the birth canal, the mother can die.

Calves that do make it through the birth canal need to swim to the surface and take their first breath immediately. The calves flukes and dorsal fins are floppy in utero, but calves come out tails first over one to two hours so their fins have time to harden in the cold water. Calves can be successful when they're born head first, but they don't have that functional paddle, Nollens says, noting calves usually get assistance from other females.

Throughout this process, theres another threat on the perimeter: male orcas, which can become aroused during childbirth and act aggressively toward the calf if females dont keep them away. Nollens says hes heard reports of newborns with rake marks, and thinks its likely theyre from males thattried to get access to a mom or calf during birth.

Of all the stress points in a whales pregnancy, lactation and weaning require the most work. Pregnancy is cheap it's lactation that is hard, NOAAs Noren says.

When orcas give birth, their caloric needs skyrocket, Nollens says, which means they must work harder to feed themselves and provide 40% fat whale milk to help their newborn grow quickly. If a killer whale has unlimited access to food, the food intake within days will go up 50%, Nollens says.

This responsibility can be overwhelming. Most of these females already have other offspring that they also need to support, so it is a huge demand to support themselves, nurse their young calf and help support other offspring and family members, Fearnbach says.

It can take two to three years, depending on whom you ask, to gradually wean a calf, which is entirely dependent upon its mother until it learns to forage. Dr. Astrid van Ginneken of the Center for Whale Research notes that where fish are scarce, weaning takes longer because calves have fewer fish to supplement their nutrition.

Dozens of researchers, policymakers and stakeholders have spent the past few years coordinating a $1.1 billion plan to save Puget Sounds orcas from low food availability, as well as ocean disturbance and pollution. While all southern residents suffer from the effects of these factors, its especially pronounced for mothers and their newborns.

All of those threats compound each other, and researchers are split on which ones are worse. I know some people are really about, 'It's only the prey, only the prey,' and other people are, you know, anti-boats, I think it's not that simple, Noren says.

In my opinion, to save these whales, we have to be laser focused on the food issue, and then secondarily the toxicants issue, Giles counters.

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Here's what pregnant orcas are up against in Puget Sound - Crosscut

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