One move that can help sculpt sexy arms, firm up that butt, and WORK those legs... now that sounds good to this busy mom!

People, this blog is a diet blog, yes. But the message is Eat Right. Get HEALTHY. Not 'Get Anorexic'. Or 'Get As Thin As Possible'. This is not the site to promote those things.
If you are working out daily, eating healthily (or trying to, anyway, it's hard), and not a lazy slob, then IT'S ALL GOOD.

I weight 117-ish pounds and I'm really short. 5'1. I have friends my size who weigh like, 95 pounds. I have not been that weight since grade seven. But you know what? Our bodies are all different. I'm naturally thicker/bigger boned (thanks, dad)... And it sucked in highschool because I was always 15, 20 pounds bigger than I thought I was supposed to be because I thought if you were 5'1, you had to be 100 pounds, or less.

Now I exercise 4-5 times a week. I avoid "bad" foods but treat myself one day a week (to an extent)... And I'm happy because I'm healthy. I can run for miles, I can spin on the spin bike for an hour and that's all that matters. It's actually very liberating. Being this strong. And knowing what's best for my body.

I'm kind of frustrated at the girls who are clearly trying unhealthy alternatives to lose weight. I understand that it's not as simple as I'm putting it, sometimes there are emotional issues, but pleeease recognise it and get help! Or if you're friends with somebody or if somebody is posting something and you realise it's unhealthy, TELL THEM.

I don't know where I'm going with this, I just feel sad for girls who are insecure about their bodies and don't know what to do. Because I've been friends with some and I've told them the same thing I posted up here and whether or not they took it was up to them. But I'm just sayin'! There are many other things in life to be worried about.

However, a few years back I realized that everyone needs to acclimate their bodies to the change taking place in the new ways in which they’re challenging their body. This “lighter” first week is often called an “unloading week” or the start of a proper periodization model.

I also suggest using this 1 introductory week into a new workout program as a way to mentally recuperate as well. Just like dieting, it’s difficult to go hard all the time without a pause in between exercise program bouts. So whether you’re running, lifting, or completing some other weight loss activity keep your body healthy and your mind sane by easing up on the total volume that your workout consists of every time you begin a new program.

Donna Simpson, a 42-year old woman from New Jersey, weighs 600lbs (273kg). At 5'4", that gives her a BMI of 103 - she'd need to lose just over 450lbs to get down to a healthy weight.

But Donna Simpson wants to gain weight... hoping to become the fattest woman in the world and weigh 1,000lbs - that's half a ton.

Continue reading...

Although the study did not address this, researchers wonder whether a high fat diet eventually causes us to lose our "fat sensitivity," leading us to consume more fat and gain weight? It's not hard to imagine this.  People who eat a lot of salty foods develop a higher tolerance for salt; people who use artificial sweeteners (which are hyper-sweet) develop a higher tolerance for sweetness. 

The good news is that  when you start cutting back on salt and sugar in your diet, your sensitivity to these tastes also tends to return. After a period of adjustment, people often find that they need less salt to make foods taste well-seasoned, for example. And perhaps this means that cutting back on fatty foods would restore our sensitivity to them--and re-calibrate our appetite for them?

Here's another interesting tidbit:  Tasters detected linoleic acid (an omega-6 polyunsaturate) at lower levels than they detected oleic acid (a monounsaturate). The highest detection threshold was for lauric (a saturated fat).  Does that suggest that it's easier to overeat saturated fats? 

This research is too preliminary to draw any real conclusions but it's thought-provoking, isn't it? Hopefully, it provokes more research as well.

Summary of research

Study abstract

Get the headlines and highlights from the Nutrition Data blog delivered right to your email inbox. Our free newsletter goes out twice a month. Sign up here.

Yesterday we lost an hour of sleep (Daylight Saving Time) and today I'm exhausted! That's why this MOTD is a jump up and get moving cardio exercise. Not only will it burn 10 calories a minute (do it for 10 minutes and that's 100 calories torched) it will also firm up your butt and sculpt lean legs. What a great Monday morning comboJ