Dieting Living

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Some people assume that The F*ck It Diet is unnecessarily extreme.

They assume it’s a steady diet of donuts, McDonald’s, and fried ice cream for the rest of our short little lives. That we’re a group of lazy anarchists who are reveling in our newfound food-related health problems, and not taking any personal responsibility for our health, and who refuse to make any attempts at self-improvement.

Or they think: Why can’t we just be balanced? Why can’t we just enjoy cake every so often but mostly try to eat a healthy, moderate diet?

The answer is because: we’ve tried that.

Also, chronic dieting is somewhere on the eating disorder spectrum, so for people who’ve become obsessed with dieting, trying “to be balanced” doesn’t work. It doesn’t heal us. And ironically, it perpetuates feeling totally out of control with food.

There is nothing wrong with true balance, but for many people, “just trying to be balanced” becomes the new diet. Not to mention that after years of restriction and dieting, balance is eating a hell of a lot, for a good chunk of time.

The beautiful thing I found, once I truly allowed myself to eat with total abandon, is that my body actually spoke up. After years of bingeing and restricting and bingeing again, once I stopped judging myself for eating and stopped trying to micromanage my weight, my body actually finally felt fed, and my lifelong food obsession melted away.

Note: I never thought that could happen. I thought I was born a food addict, and would die a food addict.

The F*ck It Diet is the (seemingly) counter-intuitive way to stop feeling insane around food. Allowance paves way for easier, nourishing health choices, and getting in tune with what your body wants and needs. It’s a way to get to a place where you can easily feed yourself a varied diet, without too much overthinking, and get on with your life.

However, I know it feels more complicated for some people. I understand why people still fear certain foods, especially if they don’t feel well, or if certain foods make them feel sick. And some foods really do make people feel sick. I understand this first hand: wanting to heal your obsession with food and dieting, but wondering if you’re actually causing your own pain and misery, and fearing that you need to be avoiding certain foods.

And so here are a couple things I want to remind you about food, weight, dieting, and health that may calm you down.

The biggest issue with dieting is assuming that weight is the cause of our health problems. That’s like blaming coughing for causing your cold. Weight can be symptom of underlying health problems, (and it can also just be… your body). But either way, focusing on weight loss is not your best bet to improve health, not matter what.

Stress from weight stigma has also been shown to cause the health problems that are blamed on the weight itself – including increased mortality.

The other issue with dieting is assuming that you can’t trust your hunger and your appetite, and that the less you eat the better. No. That makes no sense. That is not good for you. That is not supportive of health or a good relationship with food. It’s not supportive of a strong metabolism, or good digestion, or good sleep, or anything really.

The Fuck It Diet is calorie positive. Calories aren’t a problem or the problem. Same with carbs, sugar, fat, and protein. Food is good for us.

So… once you can step out of both of those ways of thinking (demonizing weight and demonizing hunger/food) you can eat however makes you feel good. For people who have food sensitivities or who feel better eating a certain way, you can do whatever feels good and right, as long as you have healed your relationship to food and weight. Does that make sense?

And once you have healed your relationship to food, if a certain food makes you feel terrible, you can re-evaluate your relationship to it. Do you want to eat it if it makes you feel bad? Sometimes that may be yes, and often that may be no.

Health is so much more nuanced than we hope. Really it’s a complicated combination of genetics, immunity, environmental factors (chemicals, pollutants, heavy metals, etc), socio-economic factors, and stress. Motherf*cking stress.

Stress is a major determinant of health. Stress stress stress stress. Stress from your high powered job, but even more: Stress from being or feeling marginalized. Stress from not having enough money and constantly being in survival mode. Stress from being treated poorly. Stress from lingering effects of trauma.

Stress affects your gut, and your immunity, and your overall health.

Now… don’t stress over stress. And don’t blame yourself for stress. A lot of stress is not that easy to just breathe away (even though I do believe in breathing). But understand that it’s all complicated, it’s not your fault, and food is often the least offensive part of our lifestyles.

Under-eating actually causes health problems too: gut problems, hormonal problems, nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, anxiety, etc.

There is also something called a nocebo affect, where your fear over a certain food can actually give you negative symptoms when you eat it.

If health is your goal, healing your relationship to food is still an imperative step towards well-rounded health.

That being said, not all food is great for everyone. And not all food is great. (I don’t actually believe ‘all food is equal’. For instance, for instance… food with pesticides in it aren’t great for us, and worse for some depending on how efficient their body is at processing them out. But… at this point, you can’t avoid pesticides unless you live in an actual bubble. And even attempts at avoiding them requires lots of money to spend on organic food.) All food doesn’t need to be equal in order for you to be allowed to eat what you crave.

It is insane and crazy-making to always try to eat perfect food.

You can eat anything, even if it doesn’t fit into anyone’s definition of healthy. You can just eat and calm down about it. It’s more important to feed yourself than to constantly stress out over if your your food is healthy enough. The body wants to thrive. It wants to be resilient. As I’ve said above… stress over your eating actually perpetuates some of the health problems you may be experiencing, too.

Healing your dysfunctional  relationship with food and weight, will help you eat in a way that supports your health, whatever that looks like.

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I started out at 183 a year ago and have gotten down to 165, but have been stuck at this plateau for quite some time....like months. So I'm hoping that becoming part of a community again will help me push through and continue making progress!

Excited to meet you all

$200M state-of-the-art facility brings skilled jobs; expanded manufacturing capacity

RICHMOND, Ind., June 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Buffalo, the nation's largest natural pet food brand, announced yesterday the opening of its newest manufacturing plant, a $200 million facility in Richmond, Indiana. Part of the General Mills family of brands, Blue Buffalo products are made with natural ingredients and specifically formulated to provide dogs and cats with superior nutrition.

The new 400,000-square-foot plant will create 165 full-time jobs in food processing, quality assurance, maintenance and plant management. The 125-acre campus in Richmond increases the U.S. production capacity of BLUE Life Protection Formula, BLUE Wilderness, BLUE Basics and BLUE Freedom dry dog and cat foods.

"Blue Buffalo is focused on enhancing the health of pets by providing dog and cat food made with the highest quality wholesome, natural ingredients," said Billy Bishop, President of Blue Buffalo Pet Foods, a division of General Mills Inc. "Our new state-of-the-art plant in Richmond exceeds industry standards in food safety and product quality, and will allow Blue Buffalo to feed more pets and reach more pet parents wherever they shop." 

The new plant features best in class hygienic design, which fully leverages human food standards. The plant has the capacity to produce more than 1 million pounds of dry dog and cat food per day.

"With this expanded manufacturing capability, General Mills and Blue Buffalo can better meet the growing demand for pet food made with natural ingredients," said Jeff Harmening, General Mills Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "This new plant is another example of General Mills accelerating the growth of our natural and organic brands. As an Indiana native, I'm also proud that Blue Buffalo is creating jobs and fueling the local economy in Richmond and surrounding areas."   

Construction of the new plant in Richmond started in 2016. This is Blue Buffalo's second company-owned manufacturing plant, with the first facility located in Joplin, Missouri. Blue Buffalo products can be found at pet specialty stores and grocery, drug store, and mass merchandise retailers in North America as well as Amazon.com, Chewy.com and other online stores.

"Job creators around the world continue to choose to grow their operations in Indiana because of our low costs and highly-skilled Hoosier workforce," said Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb. "Companies like General Mills and Blue Buffalo are taking notice, and we're thrilled for them to make their premium pet food in the strongest manufacturing state in the country. Blue Buffalo's Indiana growth will provide quality career opportunities to Hoosiers, and we look forward to their many years of success in our state."

About Blue Buffalo

Based in Wilton, CT, Blue Buffalo is the nation's leading natural pet food brand, and provides natural foods and treats for dogs and cats under its BLUE Life Protection Formula, BLUE Wilderness, BLUE Basics, BLUE Freedom and BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet product lines. Paying tribute to its founding mission, the company has contributed more than $30 million for pet cancer awareness and critical studies of pet cancer, health, treatment and nutrition at top research organizations and veterinary colleges across the United States. For more information, visit www.BlueBuffalo.com. 

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5x5, the way I understand it, has no room for “the weights get too heavy”.

Start with a bare naked barbell. They’re like 35-45 pounds or something, depending on the type you use.

No really START with the barbell. SLOWLY add weights if the reps are too easy. If you can’t complete a whole “workout A/B” strength training routine, maybe try upping your calories.

Another thing that may be the issue - electrolytes. I’m in week 3 of 5x5. I love it. I wouldn’t be able to complete a whole routine if I didn’t salt the shit out of my water bottle, potassium too!

NoSalt for potassium and... salt for the NaCl. At LEAST one whole tablespoon. I like to refill my water bottle when it’s halfway done, and keep repeating that until I’m done.

Hope this didn’t come off as mean. You can do the 5x5! I believe in you. It’s okay to get tired and push HARD during a workout. It’s not supposed to easy.

I leave the gym completely exhausted after a workout with 5x5. Really breaks a sweat

© Shutterstock/Tyler Olson

• Most adults don't get enough exercise, but getting in shape is worth it, as it can extend life, prevent disease, and make you happier.
• In some ways, walking is the perfect exercise, as it's accessible, easy, and free.
• By walking just 22 minutes a day, you can significantly transform your health.

There's little that can transform your overall health, physical and mental, as much as exercise.

Working out regularly can extend your life, ward off heart disease and various cancers, rebuild the muscle and bone strength lost with age, and reduce levels of anxiety and depression.

Perhaps best of all, you can start to get all those benefits just by deciding to regularly go for a walk.

For many, getting started with fitness can be intimidating - weight training, interval sprints, and even certain bodyweight exercises might all seem a little too much if you aren't familiar with where to begin. But people unsure about how they want to get started with fitness should take heart in a simple fact. Most research shows that doing just a little exercise is still vastly better than doing nothing.

Stepping outside and walking down the street - or through a park or along a trail - is enough to start transforming your health.

Even just a few minutes is better than none at all, and exceeding minimum health guidelines does provide additional benefits. But if you want a basic target to hit, aim for 22 minutes per day, or 30 minutes a day five days a week - a total of 150 minutes per week.

© Shutterstock

Evidence for walking's health benefits

Recommended physical activity guidelines call for healthy adults to do a minimum of two and half hours of moderate intensity activity - or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity - plus at least two muscle-strengthening days a week.

Walking doesn't get you all the way there, as it doesn't include strength training. But even meeting the moderate activity guidelines with a regular walking habit can do a lot.

According to one large study of older adults published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine that looked at 62,178 men and 77,077 women, people who walk at least 150 minutes per week were about 20% less likely to die than inactive adults during the 13-year study period.

"Walking has been described as the 'perfect exercise' because it is a simple action that is free, convenient, does not require any special equipment or training, and can be done at any age," the authors wrote in their conclusion.

It is worth trying to keep up a decent pace, however. Another study of more than 50,000 adults in the UK found that people who walked regularly at an average or quick pace were about 20% less likely to die - and 24% less likely to die from heart disease - when compared to slow walkers.

While life extension and disease reduction are important, those aren't the only reasons to go for a walk. Smaller studies have shown that even a 30-minute walk on a treadmill is enough to lift the mood of someone suffering from major depressive disorder.

None of this is to say you shouldn't eventually start incorporating strength training and other forms of exercise into your routine - there are reasons why those exercises are included in fitness guidelines. But if you just wanted to get started in a simple way, know that going for a walk can be more powerful than it seems.

Video: Sit back and relax: Sauna use may be as good as cardio (Buzz60) 

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Dietary supplements are a $40 billion industry in the United States with three quarters of adults and one-third of children taking supplements based on promises that they can maximize health.  

In response to the widespread use of supplements and the rapid growth of the industry, the U.S. Food And Drug Administration recently announced new plans to regulate the safety of supplements on the market.

It is certainly within the purview of the FDA to protect consumers from false claims of health benefits and from potentially dangerous compounds in these supplements. In the announcement, an FDA physician comments on his/her use of supplements and the benefits of supplements.

Regulatory bodies concerned with drug and supplement safety are not traditionally tasked with making recommendations for use, but the recent announcement with that personal vignette subtly blurs that line.

Dietary supplements are manufactured substances typically taken by mouth in pill, liquid or powdered form that include extracted or synthetic nutrients that are intended to enhance dietary intake from whole foods.

Supplements promise a range of health benefits from weight loss, enhanced mood and better sleep to prevention from the major causes of death — cardiovascular diseases, cancer and chronic lung diseases.

Despite the widespread use of dietary supplements, evidence of their effectiveness is slim.

When 18 studies testing the effectiveness of multivitamin supplementation on risk of cardiovascular disease were pooled together, the overall finding was that multivitamin supplementation did not prevent death from cardiovascular diseases.

One hint about why these results are not consistent with popular opinion is that when the analysis was separated between those studies — that simply asked participants about their use of supplements and observed what happened (observational studies) vs. studies that assigned some participants to take supplements and others not to (randomized controlled trials) and tracked outcomes — the results were very different.

In observational studies, supplementation was modestly effective in preventing the development of heart disease. However, in randomized controlled trials those associations disappeared. As it stands, the strongest level of evidence on which medical guidelines are developed the “gold standard” of randomized controlled trials.

On the basis of these and other findings, the American Heart Association recommends that foods should take priority over supplements.

As a participant in the development of diet and lifestyle guidelines in 2006, the strongest evidence for disease prevention was found for a well-rounded diet comprised of fresh vegetables and fruits, lean sources of protein and complex carbohydrates. Recent updates from the AHA also highlight the intake of whole foods to complement a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and adequate sleep.

Supplements are recommended in certain medically-indicated situations — as every pregnant woman prescribed a prenatal vitamin is aware. Additionally, infants who are exclusively breastfed require iron supplementation. Another common indication for supplementation is for patients who have undergone bariatric surgery. However, these and other medical situations do not apply to the majority of the 170 million adults and even more children who are currently using supplements.

In full disclosure, I do use supplements. Following an injury to my hip, I told my doctor that I would try glucosamine and chondroitin supplements to prevent joint pain. His response was “there is no evidence that it works, but if it makes you feel better go ahead.”

With that endorsement, I paid $40 for one month supply — and I think my hip feels better. That placebo effect is the reason that there are contradictory results between observational studies and clinical trials and likely the reason why the supplement industry makes billions of dollars each year.

The FDA’s announcement to regulate the claims and safety of dietary supplements is certainly needed and will likely protect many innocent consumers. However, the FDA could do well to also emphasize that dietary supplements may make us feel better, but they are certainly not required for most Americans.

Mercedes Carnethon, Ph.D. is the Mary Harris Thompson professor of preventive medicine and chief of the division of epidemiology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Public Voices Fellow through The OpEd Project.

© millann/Getty Images A clinical study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine has discovered how sleeping in total darkness affects your insulin levels and metabolism, proving you can actually gain weight simply but not sleeping well.

Everyone knows that getting a good night’s sleep can help you lose weight, but exactly how your sleep affects your metabolism is only now coming to light. One recent study found that people who experienced the recommended amount of sleep saw a 17.2 percent decrease in body fat, versus only 7.1 percent in those who didn’t. The metabolic threshold of those who slept well also improved by 29.8 percent, providing clear evidence that sleep helps you get a much better workout and, consequently, lose weight.

We also know that flipping through your phone or watching Netflix before bed disrupts your sleep cycle (not to mention, your sex life), and if there’s one daily habit you should implement right now, it’s putting all electronics away at least an hour before bed. Now, a new study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine has linked the impact of light exposure at night on your metabolism, and there’s at least one clear takeaway: If you’re looking to lose weight, you want your sleep quarters as dark as humanly possible.

Researchers placed 20 healthy adults aged 18 to 40 into two different groups for two nights at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Both groups had the opportunity to get the recommended eight hours of sleep, but the difference was that one room was completely dark, whereas the other had a light exposure of 100 lux, the amount you usually find in office staircases. One group slept in the dark room on the first night and in the room with a little overhead light on the second, whereas the other group slept in the room that was totally dark on both nights.

The researchers drew hourly blood samples for melatonin and measured brain waves, the blood oxygen levels, and heart rate and breathing. They also conducted oral glucose tolerance tests on them the following morning.

What they found was that not only did participants sleep much better in the room with overall darkness, they had much lower levels of insulin. This is a major finding, because insulin is the hormonal signal to the body to increase weight. The higher your insulin levels are, the more weight you gain, regardless of how much you eat or exercise.

“Our preliminary findings show that a single night of light exposure during sleep acutely impacts measures of insulin resistance,” lead author Ivy Cheung Masonsaid in a statement. “Light exposure overnight during sleep has been shown to disrupt sleep, but these data indicate that it may also have the potential to influence metabolism.”

So what does this mean for you? Firstly, it shows that you really can gain weight just by not getting enough sleep. But, perhaps more importantly, this highly clinical study also indicates the importance of sleeping in total darkness and limiting your exposure to artificial light before bed. You should also make sure the room temperature is kept at 60 to 64 degrees, as that, along with darkness, signals to the body that it’s nighttime and it needs to release sleep hormones.

If you live in a city, where artificial light floods into your window from the street lights outside, you might also want to consider investing in some curtains or a sleep mask. And if you really want to take your sleep up a notch, why not give Gwyneth Paltrow’s clean sleep routine a try?

Gallery: 15 ways to bounce back from a poor night’s sleep

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