Infographics
The science reporting process is a complicated one, mainly due to the fact that it can be difficult to condense the contents of a paper or a collection of papers within a single magazine/blogpost article. It requires honest researchers, informed writers, investigative journalists and critical bloggers to ensure that there is an accurate big-picture representation of scientific research for a more general audience.
Science misquoting is a real problem, especially within the fields of health and nutrition. Some people like to be informed, and they often look online for information on which to base real-life decisions and behaviours.
Avoid the hype, be vigilant of your sources, recognize the complexity of science, and understand the scientific process you are reading about. And do not forget that most scientific articles cannot be summed up in a single blog post title.
Activity trackers can be great tools, but they can also cause problems. One of these problems has become more pronounced over the last few years as fitness apps and devices have begun allowing cross-integration.
MyFitnessPal, the popular calorie-tracking app, describes the term "Net Calories" as, "a daily budget" of calories to spend.
You "spend" calories by eating, and you "earn" calories by exercising.
For example, if you need to consume 1500 kcal to lose weight, and you 'earn' 600 kcal by exercise (based on the number given to it by your activity tracker - Fitbit, Garmin, Samsung and so on), MyFitnessPal would tell you to "eat back" those 600 kcal.
One prominent problem is that your activity tracker is most likely overestimating the number of calories you have burned.
A 2016 study looked at the energy expenditure on several Fitbit products and found the devices overestimated energy expenditure by 16-40% during activities like walking, jogging, and climbing stairs. [1]
In 2017, researchers investigated the accuracy of several commercially available wrist-worn devices, including the Fitbit Surge and Apple Watch. [2]
While the devices were pretty accurate for heart rate, they were all off for energy expenditure by 27.5% to 93% ().
For example, if we "earn" 600 kcal, then a 30% error rate is the equivalent to an overestimation of ~180 calories and a 40% error rate could mean an overestimation of ~240 calories.
This is why if you are eating back the calories your activity tracker is reporting, you could very easily wipe out the calorie deficit. Best case, it slows down your progress and worst case - it completely stops progress.
[1] Murakami H, Kawakami R, Nakae S, et al. Accuracy of Wearable Devices for Estimating Total Energy Expenditure: Comparison With Metabolic Chamber and Doubly Labeled Water Method. JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(5):702–703. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.0152
[2] Shcherbina, A.; Mattsson, C.M.; Waggott, D.; Salisbury, H.; Christle, J.W.; Hastie, T.; Wheeler, M.T.; Ashley, E.A. Accuracy in Wrist-Worn, Sensor-Based Measurements of Heart Rate and Energy Expenditure in a Diverse Cohort. J. Pers. Med. 2017, 7, 3.
There is no need to be any guilt associated with food. Ever.
I am not saying that we should fill our diets with highly processed and calorie-dense foods that lack nutrients.
Yes, you absolutely should care about the quality of your diet! But doing so does not mean that you need to have a restrictive diet and obsess over every bite you take.
Ironically, “the pursuit of perfect physical health may lead to impairments in physical health” due to micronutrient deficiencies [1] . Not only that, but the negative messaging associated with trying to guilt people into not consuming certain foods is -actually- counterproductive.
[1] Oberle, C.D., Klare, D.L. & Patyk, K.C. Health beliefs, behaviors, and symptoms associated with orthorexia nervosa. Eat Weight Disord 24, 495–506 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-019-00657-0
Social media, celebrity culture, marketing, television shows, and other forms of media can set the stage for constantly comparing yourself to others - especially for women.
All of these outlets present seemingly "perfect" bodies, lives, relationships, careers, and so forth which pressures women into believing that is what their lives are "supposed" to look like.
Media and television are constantly telling women what they are seemingly lacking. Social media seems to be a very common contributor to a scarcity mindset for women (feeling like you are not enough in terms of appearance, strength, talent, intelligence, etc). Seeing other people's HIGHLIGHTS, accomplishments, and perfectly crafted posts can cause other women to feel inferior.
In reality, everyone's life is different, and therefore, constantly comparing yourself to others is nothing short of a self-destructive behaviour.
Macronutrients are groups of nutritional molecules needed in large amounts to survive. You will often see them referred to as "Macros".
Macronutrients include carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. If you have ever looked on the back of your food’s packaging, you probably have seen the macronutrient breakdown list. Most foods are a mix of macronutrients (e.g., beans contain both carbohydrates and protein) and macronutrient types (e.g., most fat sources contain more than one type of fatty acid molecule).
When it comes to protein,
a person needs enough protein to prevent malnutrition, for most people, this is around 10-15% of their daily intake;
if your goal is to gain muscle and to improve your athletic performance, the protein requirement is usually higher - around 25-30% of your daily energy intake;
protein is not usually used by the body for fuel, however it provides the ‘building blocks’ for new muscle mass and other structures (skin, hair, nails, etc.);
when you are trying to lose weight, protein can help you feel fuller (really useful!);
research has also shown that higher protein diets will automatically reduce your calorie intake, helping you lose weight and keep it off!
Next on the list is fats,
they have gotten a bad reputation over the years;
saturated fats have been blamed for heart disease and obesity;
the truth is, fats are essential!;
pretty much all of our body’s major hormones have fat as their backbone;
every single cell in your body needs fat for its structure and function.
however, it is important to be mindful of your fat intake because it is so high on calories.
And finally, carbohydrates (carbs),
endurance athletes may perform better if they are getting a higher proportion of their calories from carbs, compared to what strength-power athletes might need for their sport;
when you are doing any sort of physical activity, carbs play a vital role. The more intense the exercise, the more important carbs are;
carbs are a non-essential macronutrient - the body can function without a single gram of carbohydrate in the diet (unlike protein and fat);
although it is possible to survive even on a zero-carb diet, it is probably not an optimal choice because you are missing out on plant foods that research has shown to be full of vitamins and minerals.
Alcohol is considered the 4th macronutrient. It can be a major source of calories, especially since it’s metabolized differently than the other macronutrients - more about this in a future post!
The “why did I gain weight overnight” bingo
For those of you who weigh yourselves daily, a fun little something to keep close to your bathroom scale. 😄
The rules are very simple - you wait for your weight to go up compared to yesterday (you wouldn't have to wait long - that happens all the time!), you take out your printed bingo cards and cross everything that applies to you! When you cross out five things in a row or column you shout "Bingo!". The prize is the best thing that you can have - peace of mind, strong mind-body connection, a little more self-love.
Jokes aside, daily weight fluctuations are perfectly normal. Even when you are on a diet and doing 'everything right' - It is perfectly normal for the weight to vary by a few kilograms from day to day. It doesn't mean that you are gaining fat or that the "diet is not working".
It is important to know why does it happen in order to measure your progress correctly, without letting it affect your mood!
Do you want to TONE?
Lifting only weights that are 3-5 kg, performing tons of cardio, and eating as little as possible is not the right formula for the body that you want.
Hear me out - I am not saying that there is something wrong with doing cardio or having very-low-calorie days.
But many women are not aware that in order to achieve the "toned" look, they need to lose body fat and gain muscle, which gives the body curves and a tighter look!
You might want to try this approach:
Prioritize strength training with an emphasis on the compound movements - squats, deadlifts, hip thrusts, push-ups, pull-ups, and all of their variations.
When you are sure that your form is good, do not be afraid to add more weight to the barbell or to grab a heavier dumbbell!
Do not avoid carbs, but make sure that you consume a sufficient amount of protein.
And lastly, be patient - progress takes time!
You will not lose weight if you substitute these foods!
"I want to lose some weight so I will have my tea with honey instead of sugar. " is a sentence that I've heard countless times.
Unfortunately for all of us, if this is the only change that you make in your lifestyle, it will not lead you to the body of your dreams.
You need to know that there is nothing specific that you need to eat while losing weight, neither there are foods that you have to avoid. Dark chocolate, whole grain bread, sweet potatoes and honey are more rich in nutrients (and therefore a little healthier) then their counterparts on the left of the infographic. That said, none of the listed foods will help you lose weight on their own, you HAVE to be on a calorie deficit for that.
Things that your pregnant friend is tired of hearing and what to say instead
If you know someone who is currently pregnant, chances are, they are TIRED of all the "don't worry, it will get worse" comments. These comments are very common and I myself have been guilty of using them jokingly towards my pregnant friends.
They might be in pain. They might be getting up to pee every hour at night. They probably can't turn while sleeping or get up without assistance. They are heavy, clumsy and their belly feels extremely stretched. They probably already worry a lot about both labor and the child itself.
On the other hand, they might be perfectly happy and not going through any of this.
Either way, the best we can do is to be there for them if they need to talk about their struggles, as I am sure that the pregnancy is constantly on their mind. Those nine months can be a very lonely experience if you feel unheard or if the people around you make you feel like your current struggles and emotions are invalid.
Dear pregnant women, I will say it since many people won't - I feel for you, it will get better soon!