#2000 Calorie Approach

[wolveswithhats]

We've talked at length about Kaz Brekker: Hot or Not, now let's talk about how Dirtyhands Does Himself Dirty, aka Kaz is driving his absolute beater of a body into the ground because he has no sense of personal wellness.

Welcome! and thanks for sitting in on my powerpoint presentation, there's a bottle of water under your seat and this complimentary crap art of the creature himself to get us started.

Disclaimer that I have no experience with using a cane, or being a teenage boy, or being a teenage boy that uses a cane, so take this all with a grain of salt.

SO. Cane height:

too tall and you're over-elevating your arm and shoulder and not able to fully support your weight, which is kind of the point?

too short and you need to hunch forward, straining your back

either or has negative bearing on your balance, posture, and gait, and will lead to pain even outside of the original injury site

Important to note because Kaz is def not getting properly sized for a cane right??

that's way too much of an admission of vulnerability and weakness, absolutely unacceptable

it's 1880-whatever fantasy Netherlands and WebMD doesn't exist for him to research the nuances of proper cane use himself, when will the Grisha invent the internet

stealing textbooks from the university is the period-appropriate (and Kaz-endorsed) option, but he has to be mobile for that, and is unlikely to ask someone to do that for him (see above: vulnerability)

it's been three years and growth spurts are a thing but Kaz asking for help is not (see above: weakness), so it's probable he's too tall for it now at 17 anyway

While super cool and iconic, a crow's head handle is unlikely to be particularly ergonomic, potentially leading to issues in his hand/wrist:

nerve compression

tendinitis

carpal tunnel

(Something probably to be said about the negative effects of an extra heavy weighted cane as well since it's as much a weapon as it is a mobility aid, but I'm not going down yet another research hole, I've already spent way too much time on this. Just keep it as a consideration in this running tally of Kaz's myriad of cane-related issues)

Contrary to the reputation he's trying to build for himself, Kaz is a human with human needs. On the daily, as a growing lad he should be

sleeping 8-10 hours

eating 2000+ calories

getting 30-60 min of physical activity

In actuality, Kaz is

absolutely not doing that, he will sleep when he's dead

surviving almost entirely off of a diet of coffee and spite

further aggravating his leg by hobbling up and down three rickety flights of stairs several times a day

engaging in the major league sport of cracking skulls with his cane. (that's some form of exercise maybe I guess??)

really bad at being anything approaching a healthy teenage boy (they eat! so, so much. please, someone Feed Him)

Additionally, while poking around, I found some overlap between the symptoms of the Queen's Lady Plague and smallpox, notably that one of the early stages of smallpox are sores that start in the mouth and throat and become pustulous, ie: Kaz's raspy, damaged voice. I don't think it's smallpox proper (the pitted scarring is so disfiguring that it would be all over his face and body, and immediately identifiable if he had it), it's probably a less aggressive but still very fatal strain of something adjacent in the pox family. Regardless tho, I'm cribbing one of the potential smallpox complications to contribute to my "Kaz is the Saddest, Wettest Dog" thesis: 

arthritis 🙃

I did check as well to see if any of the poxes could permanently weaken the immune system, and it wouldn't seem so; if you live, you bounce back. But that's ok because Kaz is already doing the footwork of taking a wrecking ball to his immune system just fine on his own:

poor nutrition ✔

lack of sleep ✔

stress ✔

Mmm, you are just crushing it, brother.

So I'm not trying to pitch any of this as fact, or throw hands with Leigh Bardugo in the parking lot of a Denny's for having Inej ogle over his ghostly white abs. If you are writing about his broad shoulders and good, good arms, all the more power to you! Maybe he's lifting dumbbells in his office to work that upper bod, no one can tell you he's not. I'm just saying that if you are more for the idea that he is an absolute wet paperbag of a boy (scrawny! sickly! in constant pain! arthritic?? likely to burst into flames if put into direct sunlight!!), there is more than enough to run with to support that argument.

[ed-recovery-affirmations]

I just made myself a cup of a new tea, one from a set that a friend sent me. I was super curious to try it with and without milk in it, so after I take a sip without, I'm going to add milk to my tea.

That may seem like such an inane little story to post on a blog, unless you have an eating disorder. I'm sure many of you know what a big deal milk in tea can be, and what an important act of self-love it is.

It was poured into many of our ears, approaching teenhood in the mid-2000's, not to "drink our calories." For those of us whose restriction was weight-based, many of us practiced filling ourselves with water, with our coffee black and unsweetened whether that was how we liked it or not, and with tea that never contained milk.

Like many people who've struggled with binge eating and with restriction, I struggle with creating anxiety-inducing rules about when is okay to eat, especially if I'm between meals and worrying if I should allow myself a snack, or if it's okay to quench my thirst with anything other than water. This is especially true between meals. For some reason my brain has accepted the "extra" caloric intake as part of a meal, but still balks at the idea of introducing these things independently into non-meal parts of the day. I would like to note that my chronic illness and my body's reaction to food has also influenced this weird relationship between me and my favorite treats, such as a piece of candy, or a beverage that might happen to contain a greater-than-zero calorie count.

But tonight, before bed, I want to try this tea. And it sounds like one that'd be super tasty with milk, as it has cocoa powder and vanilla in the blend. So I let my tea cool in the room with me as I type this, telling myself that I can get up and go back for milk after I taste it.

Now I have gone to the kitchen.

Now I have poured in a splash of milk and tasted. It's soy milk, as regular milk sometimes hurts my stomach and I don't want my sleep to be disrupted. Due to my chronic illness, this is still something I have to think about, and I'll be honest, I hate it. Things like this make it so hard to tell myself I can let go of my food fears, because my brain knows that some of my food fears will turn out to have validity, and so what if they all do?

Now I have poured in another splash. Tasted.

Now I have poured in a third, much larger splash. Tasted.

Oh, this is it. This tea tastes like a warm dessert. But now it's too cool, so I need to microwave it back to its best heat. I used to not want to microwave my food. As a teen I heard a hippie say that microwaves destroy the nutrients in your food because the radiation breaks down their molecular structure. This is absolutely false. In fact, it's been disproven that microwaves break down nutrients any more than other methods of heating food, but for a long time I believed it. And even after I learned the truth, I still found it hard to convince myself it was okay to use microwaves for a very long time.

I have just finished my tea in my room. I took the time to identify that I wanted it. I took the time to truly taste it in several different ways, consider how I felt I wanted it and bring it to those specifications. It wasn't planned for any specific time or day, but I agreed to give myself this the way I wanted it anyway. I've been drinking my coffee with milk every morning, too. I actually like black coffee, but I like it better with milk. And I give myself things throughout the day that I enjoy, to enhance my experience of my existence. Life is hard, and it's okay to allow yourself, to the fullest extent you can, the small joys that bring you through the day.

I wanted to share this with you. I hope you don't feel the crushing weight of morality when staring at a bottle of regular soda and the sugar-free, when you wake up with your morning coffee, when your self-care regimen includes a cup of tea. I hope you practice actively giving yourself the love you need this week. And I hope you give it to yourself exactly the way you need it.

[divinegastronomer]

The Golden Ratio

Incorporating the concept of the golden ratio (approximately 1.618) into diet planning is an innovative approach, blending aesthetics and numerical proportions with nutrition.

The golden ratio, a mathematical ratio commonly found in nature, art, and architecture for its aesthetically pleasing properties, can also be creatively applied to diet planning.

Here's a conceptual framework for how one might do so:

*Visual Proportions on the Plate

Apply the golden ratio to the visual composition of your meals. For example, you can aim to fill approximately 61.8% of your plate with vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, while the remaining 38.2% could be allocated to proteins and healthy fats. This not only ensures a balanced diet but also makes your meal visually appealing.

*Macro-Nutrient Ratios

You could also apply the golden ratio to your macro-nutrient distribution—carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Although traditional dietary recommendations might not perfectly align with the exact golden ratio numbers, you can aim to get close. For instance, you might try to consume a larger proportion of your calories from carbohydrates and fats (combined in a way that mirrors the golden ratio) with a smaller proportion from proteins.

*Caloric Distribution Throughout the Day

Consider using the golden ratio to plan the distribution of calories across your meals throughout the day. For example, if your daily caloric intake is 2000 calories, you could plan to consume about 1236 calories (61.8% of your daily intake) by the end of lunch and the remaining 764 calories (38.2%) for the rest of the day.

*Ingredient Ratios in Recipes

Incorporate the golden ratio into recipe ingredient amounts. For instance, when making a smoothie, salad, or dish, consider the volume or weight of ingredients in relation to each other following the golden ratio. This could mean using 1.618 times as much of one ingredient as another, creating both a balanced and aesthetically pleasing dish.

*Planning Eating Intervals

If you’re into intermittent fasting or planning your meal times, use the golden ratio to plan the intervals between eating. For example, if you prefer a shorter eating window, you might fast for 16.8 hours and eat within a 7.2-hour window, mimicking the ratio in a more abstract manner.

Incorporating the golden ratio into your diet is more about the approach to balance and aesthetics rather than strict nutritional guidelines. It encourages a mindful and visually pleasing way of preparing and consuming food, which can enhance the eating experience and potentially lead to more balanced meal choices.

********

Nature showcases the golden ratio in various forms, exhibiting its intrinsic patterns and designs that adhere to this mathematical principle. Here are some notable examples where the golden ratio is observed in nature:

* Spiral Patterns in Plants and Flowers: The arrangement of leaves, seeds, and petals in many plants follows the Fibonacci sequence, which is closely associated with the golden ratio. For instance, the spiraling pattern of seeds in a sunflower or the way pine cones are arranged can exhibit the golden ratio.

* Animal Bodies: The proportions of animal bodies often reflect the golden ratio. For example, the bodies of many species of fish and the spiral shells of mollusks (like the nautilus) follow this pattern. Even the positioning of facial features in some animals adheres to these proportions.

* Hurricanes and Galaxies: Spiral galaxies and the pattern of hurricanes showcase the golden ratio in their formation. The arms of spiral galaxies and the eye of hurricanes can exhibit spirals that mirror the golden spiral, which is a logarithmic spiral whose growth factor is φ, the golden ratio.

* Human Bodies: The human body has several examples of the golden ratio, from the proportions of the face and head to the ratios of limb segments and the structure of the fingers. For instance, the ratio of the forearm to the hand often approaches the golden ratio.

* Fruit and Vegetables: The way some fruits and vegetables grow or are structured can showcase the golden ratio. This can be seen in the way seeds are arranged in a fruit or the spiral patterns of growth in vegetables like romanesco broccoli.

The golden ratio is not a strict universal law governing natural forms but rather a recurring pattern that shows how efficiently nature organizes structures and systems. Its prevalence suggests an aesthetic and functional efficiency in biological forms and processes, a testament to the interconnectedness of mathematics and the natural world.

*****

Incorporating the golden ratio into cooking and food preparation through an esoteric culinary philosophy involves integrating the harmony and balance found in nature into your diet. This approach can add a layer of mindfulness and intention to the act of cooking and eating, aiming to align with the natural patterns for health and well-being.

Understanding the Golden Ratio

The Golden Ratio (Φ = 1.618…) is about balance and proportion. In culinary terms, this can translate to balancing nutrients, flavors, colors, and even the way food is plated.

Ingredient Proportions

- Balanced Meal Composition: Use the golden ratio to guide the proportions of different components on your plate. For example, making the ratio of vegetables (1.618) to proteins (1.0) in your meals, aiming to balance the nutrient density in favor of whole, plant-based foods.

- Recipe Formulation: Apply the ratio to the quantity of ingredients. For instance, in a salad dressing, use 1.618 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, or apply it to the ratio of spices to achieve a balance of flavors.

Food Pairing and Plating

- Visual Harmony: When plating your food, use the golden spiral as a guide for arranging the components attractively. Placing the main item and accompaniments in a way that visually represents the golden spiral can make the meal more appealing.

- Harmonious Pairings: Choose ingredients that complement each other not just in flavor but in nutritional content, aiming to create dishes where the sum is greater than its parts, adhering to a holistic balance.

Mindful Cooking and Eating

- Intentional Preparation: As you cook, focus on the process as a form of meditation, contemplating the natural beauty and balance in the ingredients and dishes you are preparing.

- Conscious Eating: Eat slowly, savoring each bite, and consider the nutritional balance and harmony in your meal. This mindful approach can enhance digestion and satisfaction.

Personal and Seasonal Harmony

- Align with Nature: Incorporate seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, aligning your diet with the cycles of nature. This not only supports sustainability but also connects you to the natural world and its rhythms.

- Adaptation for Health: Use the principles of the golden ratio flexible to suit your health needs and goals, ensuring that the concept of balance is also about what is harmoniously beneficial for your body.

Culinary Creativity

- Innovative Dishes: Let the golden ratio inspire you to create new recipes or tweak traditional ones, finding a balance between innovation and tradition, between simplicity and complexity.

Using the golden ratio as a guide in your culinary philosophy is more about adopting a mindset of balance, harmony, and connectivity with nature than about following strict numerical rules. It encourages a thoughtful, creative, and holistic approach to diet, aiming to nourish both the body and spirit.

*********

Adopting an esoteric culinary philosophy that incorporates the golden ratio into cooking and food preparation could offer several health benefits, primarily through fostering a deeper connection with food and promoting a balanced, mindful approach to eating. Here are some potential benefits of this approach:

1. Improved Nutritional Balance: By focusing on the proportions and combinations of foods that mirror the harmony found in nature, you might naturally lean towards a more varied and balanced diet. This can enhance your intake of essential nutrients, supporting overall health.

2. Mindful Eating Practices: This approach encourages mindfulness in the selection, preparation, and consumption of food. Mindful eating has been linked to better digestion, a healthier relationship with food, and possibly aiding in weight management.

3. Enhanced Appreciation for Food Quality: An emphasis on the natural aesthetics and ratios in food preparation can lead to a greater appreciation for high-quality, unprocessed ingredients. This could reduce the consumption of processed foods, potentially lowering the risk of chronic diseases.

4. Encouragement of Creativity and Experimentation: Engaging with food on a deeper, more esoteric level can stimulate creativity in cooking, which could make healthy eating more enjoyable and sustainable over the long term.

5. Stress Reduction: The act of preparing food with intention and a focus on balance may have meditative qualities, potentially reducing stress levels. Lower stress is linked to various positive health outcomes, including lower blood pressure and improved mental health.

6. Social and Cultural Connection: This approach can also foster a deeper connection to the food traditions of various cultures that have historically embraced the golden ratio and other natural harmonics in their culinary practices, possibly enriching your eating experience and cultural understanding.

7. Detoxification and Digestio: A diet that emphasizes fresh, natural foods and harmonious combinations may support the body's detoxification processes and improve digestion, contributing to overall vitality and well-being.

[mariacallous]

The bride had to do just one last thing before she walked down the aisle. “I currently am in the bathroom in my wedding dress I asked everyone for just a few mins alone so that I could message you this.” Was she writing to an estranged friend? An old lover—the one that got away?

At the beginning of her “journey,” the bride weighed 134 pounds. “My goal was to just lose 5lbs,” she wrote, but she had somehow dropped down to 110. “I’m crying writing this because I have never felt so healthy and confident. THANK YOU!!!” The message was accompanied by two photos—a before and an after. The first shows a thin woman who looks to be a size 2 or 4. In the second, the woman’s bones are visible beneath her skin, and her leggings sag. She owed all of this to Liv Schmidt, a 23-year-old influencer known for her harsh, no-bullshit approach to staying thin. “You feel like a best friend and sister to me,” the bride wrote to Schmidt, who shared the message on Instagram.

Schmidt is the queen of SkinnyTok—a corner of the internet where thin, mostly white women try to make America skinny again. Her “what I eat in a day to stay skinny” videos thrust her into virality about a year ago. There she is with her mint tea—which she always drinks before eating anything, to check if she’s really hungry or just bored—or a mile-high ice-cream sundae that she’ll take three bites of before tossing. She’s very clear: She stays skinny by not eating much. Many find this refreshingly honest. Others think she’s promoting eating disorders.

Influencers have condemned her; magazines have published scathing critiques. Last month, Meta removed her ability to sell subscriptions ($20 a month for access to private content and a group chat called the “Skinni Société”)on Instagram, and this month, TikTok banned the SkinnyTok hashtag worldwide, saying it was “linked to unhealthy weight loss content.” And in response, the right has championed Schmidt. She has been canceled, and she may be more powerful than ever.

I didn’t mean to join the legions of young women on SkinnyTok. It happened fast. I liked an Instagram reel about an “Easy High Protein, Low Calorie Breakfast.” What I got next, I didn’t ask for. Within hours, my Instagram “explore” page was flooded with videos of conventionally pretty, thin women preaching one message: Stop eating. Phrases such as “You’re not a dog, don’t treat yourself with food” and the Kate Moss classic, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels,” began to flood my feed—and my subconscious.

At lunch with a friend one Saturday, I didn’t finish my salad. “Do you know Liv Schmidt?” I asked.

“The three-bite rule? Of course I do. She’s kind of a genius.”

I realized I wasn’t down this rabbit hole alone.

“I know the advice I’m getting from these women is not healthy,” another friend said, but “everything I want is on the other side of being skinny, and these women are going to help me get there.”

“I like SkinnyTok. It helps me to not eat ‘the extra thing’ I don’t need. Don’t like it? Don’t follow it.”

“It’s internalized misogynistic brainwash!”

“I love that skinny bitch.”

Where had Schmidt come from, and what had happened to the “body positivity” movement that had been so loudly touted through the past decade?

You can form a community around anything online. When I was a kid in the 2000s, teenage girls with eating disorders were gathering on “thinspiration” websites, where they could exchange tips. Tabloids sold copies off body shaming—one day Britney Spears was too fat; the next, Lindsay Lohan was too skinny—and my friends and I were going around with 100-calorie Chips Ahoy! packs in our lunchboxes. By the time I was a teenager, the body-positivity movement had arrived, promising to change the culture. Plus-size models started appearing in ad campaigns. The problem wasn’t women’s bodies, activists argued, but women feeling bad about their bodies.

Yet when people tried to force society to embrace new body norms, society lashed out, bringing to the surface a lot of underlying hatred. “Body positivity didn’t resonate with a lot of people, because it felt like lying,” Maalvika Bhat, a 25-year-old TikTok influencer who is getting a doctorate in computer science and communication at Northwestern University, told me. Many felt that the movement was in denial about both the practical health risks of being overweight and America’s willingness to put its ingrained fat phobia aside.

Ozempic has accelerated that backlash against body positivity. Many of the plus-size leaders of the body-positivity movement shut up and shrunk down. Their followers noticed that they were using a weight-loss drug. Apparently you didn’t have to love yourself as you were—and you didn’t have to suffer to change, either. You just had to have a prescription and enough money to pay for it.

But what about those pesky last 10 pounds, the difference between being a size 6 and a size 2? Although some healthy-weight women with no medical reason to take GLP-1 drugs have nonetheless found work-arounds to get their hands on the medication, most aren’t going to those lengths. How would they keep up now that skinny was back? For some, the answer was SkinnyTok.

You don’t need a prescription to be ultrathin. You just need a bad relationship with food, fueled by a skinny stranger yelling mean-girl mantras at you. In the end, the body-positivity movement’s lasting effect may have been to prove the validity of the very message it was trying to combat—that thinner people are treated better. At least, many women feel, SkinnyTok is telling them the truth. As one SkinnyTok influencer put it, “Don’t sugarcoat that or you’ll eat that too.”

I started listening more closely to the SkinnyTok videos. They weren’t just about self-deprivation. They were about being classy. They were about being a lady—the right kind of woman, one that men drool over. They were, most importantly, about being small.

In one of Schmidt’s videos, she’s approached by a man in a black car during a photo shoot. The caption reads: “This is the treatment Skinni gets you. Was just taking pics … Then a Rolls-Royce rolled up begging for my number like I’m on the menu mid photo. He saw clavicle he swerved. He saw cheekbones lost composure.”

SkinnyTok influencers basically never talk in their videos about politics. They aren’t preaching about Donald Trump—let alone about issues such as abortion or immigration. And yet everything they talk about—the emphasis on girls and how girls need to behave and how small they need to be—is, of course, political.

A few days after my Instagram feed surrendered to the SkinnyTok takeover, the tradwife content began to sneak in. Beautiful women baking bread in linen dresses spoke to me about embracing my divine femininity. I should consider “softer living” and “embracing my natural role.” All of a sudden, I wondered whether I, a single woman in her late 20s living in Manhattan, should trade it all in to become a mother of 10 on a farm in Montana.

Watch a few more of these videos, and soon you’ll be directed to the anti-vax moms, or the Turning Point USA sweetheart Alex Clark’s wellness podcast, Cultural Apothecary, or the full-on conspiratorial alt-right universe. This is just how the internet works. Eviane Leidig, the author of The Women of the Far Right: Social Media Influencers and Online Radicalization, sees a connection between SkinnyTok and tradwives in their “very strong visual representation of femininity.” Whether they mean to be or not, they have become part of the same pipeline. Algorithms grab your attention with lighter, relatable content while exposing you to more extremist viewpoints. The alt-right, she said, is great at making aspirational and seemingly apolitical content that viewers relate to. “This is a deliberate strategy that the conservative space has been employing over the last several years to capitalize on cultural issues as a gateway to radicalize audiences into more extreme viewpoints.”

Two months ago, Evie Magazine, a right-wing publication that promotes traditional femininity, ran a profile of Schmidt: “Banned for Being Honest? Meet Liv Schmidt, the Girl Who Made ‘Skinny’ Go Viral.” The magazine had one of the biggest tradwife influencers, Hannah Neeleman of Ballerina Farm, on its cover back in November. The article about Schmidt focused on her being canceled and banned on a number of platforms for promoting thinness. “I don’t owe the internet a version of me that’s palatable,” Schmidt told the magazine. “If a girl bigger than me posted what I eat in a day, no one would care. But when I do, it becomes controversial. Why? Because I’m blonde, thin, young, and unapologetic.” Last year, Evie profiled Amanda Dobler, another SkinnyTok figurehead, whom it described as “TikTok’s skinny queen”—“both brutally honest and surprisingly sweet.”

The more the left has attacked Schmidt, the more the right has celebrated her. Bhat, who describes herself as progressive, said, “I think the left is deeply, deeply exclusive.” On the right, “you’re allowed to make dozens of mistakes and not be shunned. They say, ‘If the left doesn’t welcome you, we will.’ And they always do.”

You can’t deduce a political manifesto from someone’s Instagram followers, but it seems worth noting that Schmidt follows conservative figureheads including RFK Jr., Candace Owens, and Brett Cooper. When she posted about losing the paid-subscription feature on her Instagram, through which she had been making nearly $130,000 a month, according to AirMail, she tagged Joe Rogan. “She’s clearly trying to get her foot in the door with the alternatives,” Ali Ambrose, an influencer who critiques SkinnyTok, told me. (Ambrose struggled with an eating disorder for years, and says Schmidt’s content pushed her back into unhealthy habits.)

Schmidt’s appeal does cross party lines, though. When I polled a politically diverse group of my own friends, my most conservative friends loved SkinnyTok. A number of my progressive friends did too; they just felt like they shouldn’t say so out loud.

Schmidt has written that the Skinni Société is not “a starvation or extreme diet community.” She didn’t respond to multiple requests for an interview, but I spoke with Amanda Dobler, another SkinnyTok influencer. She remains on TikTok, though she has twice been temporarily barred from its Creator Rewards Program, through which she made some money for her videos, for not abiding by “community guidelines.” Dobler is almost 10 years older than Schmidt, so she attracts a slightly different demographic. I asked her if she considered herself a political person, or her content politically charged. She responded with a decisive no. “I’m up at 4 a.m. working my ass off, so I would say I’m the opposite of a tradwife,” she told me. “If people relate it to right wing, to left wing,” she said, “there’s only so much of the narrative that I can control.”

Dobler is known for her directness. If anything, she’s even harsher online than Schmidt is. Right before our call, I scrolled through her TikTok profile: “You are killing yourself with the shit you eat. It’s disgusting. And you should feel shameful.” I briefly wondered if she’d be able to detect my own insecurities through the phone. But the Dobler I spoke with was approachable and friendly. I instantly liked her. I even opened up to her about the things I wish I could change about my body. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look a little better,” she said.

Unlike a number of SkinnyTok influencers who only just entered the field, Dobler has been a fat-loss and mindset coach for six years. She talks about the importance of getting your nutrients instead of exclusively practicing restraint. She also pushes for a consistent workout routine, while others focus exclusively on their step count to burn calories and avoid bulking at the gym (SkinnyTok is a spectrum).

I brought up the criticism that SkinnyTok content encourages young people to adopt disordered-eating habits. Dobler said that she doesn’t coach children, and that the majority of her clients are in their 30s through 50s. “I get it. It’s hard if you’re a parent seeing stuff online,” she told me. “But at the same time, there’s porn online; there’s a bunch of weird crap. I think that there is a lot of other censorship that should be going on.”

When I asked why she was so harsh in her videos, she told me, “That’s the type of talk that I need. I wouldn’t say that I’m mean. I’m just blunt.” She added, “I’ve been in all of the situations that I’m talking through. So it’s not like I’m just up here scolding people.”

This echoed something Bhat had said to me: SkinnyTok’s ruthless tone rings true to many women because they’re already being so ruthless toward themselves. I’d be kidding myself if I said a woman’s body size doesn’t affect her prospects for dating, and even jobs. I would be lying if I said I did not desperately want to be slightly thinner—that I hadn’t wanted that from the moment I first watched my mother critique her own body in her bedroom mirror. I hesitate to admit that I’ve lost four pounds since I saw my first SkinnyTok video. I have not walked 40,000 steps a day, nor have I stopped eating after three bites. I’ve just stopped eating when I’m full, which, as silly as it sounds, I did learn from SkinnyTok.

Still, I think it’s time to unsubscribe. The body of my dreams isn’t worth risking my health for. I have two nieces, ages 3 and 6. I hate the idea that somebody might one day tell them to shrink themselves. To them, a swimsuit is nothing but a promise that they’ll spend the afternoon running through the sprinkler. They’re perfect, and they dream of being bigger, faster, stronger—not smaller.

[zurrr]

@nopecontest says no one uses this place to blog anymore, only reblog, so ill post some thoughts here and call it "blogging".

the internet is getting stupider and as i approach my 30s i find myself thinking more frequently about mid 2000s internet and all the dumb things i was interested in. ytmnd. different internet forums dedicated to sonic, ed edd n eddy, and the powerpuff girls. the friends i lost contact with from those forums. avgn when he was in his 20s and just starting out. wanting to make ytps thinking that was my calling at the time. newgrounds. albinoblacksheep. getting banned from deviantart multiple times because i was under 13. none of this is present anymore and will never be present again and thats bleak to think about on a regular basis. kids on the internet today will never experience online memories like this.

im more accepting of working my same retail job forever than i ever was, as the benefits are all i think about and how things could be worse. it used to be a big anxiety of mine, trying to think about how i could break away from retail and never go back to it, but honestly there is nothing else especially when i have no skills or education (if that even matters anymore) but like at the same time i dont care as much anymore. i make enough to get by. i could buy a thing i dont need and still be able to buy things i do need. im in a good position and have things others dont and theres no reason to fret over it anymore.

ive been figuring out my identity lately. i slowly came to the realization that i do not like wearing feminine clothes or presenting solely as female. ive struggled with body dysmorphia since, i wanna say before age 8 idk anymore, and ive always associated this was having an eating disorder, which im not gonna deny that i have. i often calorie restrict, and sometimes i dont realize that im doing this because im occupying myself so much that im not thinking about taking care of myself. this will be an ever-present thing about myself, but im learning that i can combat this by changing my wardrobe. i feel more confident when im not settling for wearing a dress or putting on make up cuz i feel like i "have to", and instead choosing clothes that are actually comfortable and not form fitting. ive been trying to explore this more, still a ways to go maybe, but mentally it's been comforting to consider and ill say here i go by she/they pronouns. it used to be she/her with no hesitation but thats not me anymore.

ive been watching one piece since last year and it's been interesting. this is one of those series that i never thought about watching, mostly because i didnt really grow up watching anime religiously and this is one i knew existed but i didnt think it was something i needed to touch when i just watched western shows. one piece is good. another thing that is good is dragon ball z, another series i didnt think id ever touch. i think both changed me for the better cuz it broadened my horizons and it feels like i made new friends. not in fandoms, i mean characters. im friends with characters. puar dragon ball is my friend.

to those who have been following me forever but only on tumblr specifically, im still drawing the same ocs. theyve gotten more complex, meaning they are much sadder and burdened with insecurities that i know too well. NEVERMIND is the only thing im gonna do forever cuz it's gonna take me a long time to get anywhere with it and i dont have enough time in a day to do it all, but thats ok to have only one creative focus. NVM is therapy and i dont need another project. you can read my webcomic here but it's on hiatus until next year. it is also apart of spiderforest which is a webcomic collective, maybe check out other comics on SF too while youre at it and support webcomic creators.

im gonna be grieving about panda (the cat i used to post about here) forever and thats ok too. she passed away 2 years ago in november and i think about her every day. i dont get as emotional about it anymore though. i maybe could if i focused hard enough on it, but i dont have to do that because i have a another cat now who is named bean. she's 4 and is so fuckin silly (and smelly) and i love her a lot. more rambunctious than im used to, but the memories i and @nopecontest have begun building with her have been well worth it. here she is playing mario sunshine

[smokenskinny]

So, for the first time in 13 years of my on and off relationship with ana and mia, I'm trying a different approach to weight loss. I've always overrestricted, so I'm used to eating 300-800 cals a day (I burn 2000 calories daily) and losing a ton of weight super quickly, but also gaining it twice as fast after experiencing traumatic events.

This time around, I've been eating 1300-1500 calories a day, but fasting for at least 24 hours once a week. I've been much more energetic eating this way, so it's also easier to take long walks and work out. I still have the intrusive thoughts whispering in my head that I'm eating too much, that I'm a pig and I'm disgusting, but after so many years of failure I'm willing to give it a go.

I'm comitted to losing 5lbs by February 1st. If I do this, I'll be the lightest I've ever been in my life (under 140lbs)

[dalishthunder]

A Game of Go

Chapter 4: Quiet Contemplation

Just calling one's practice "approach and accomplishment" and staying in retreat for years will produce nothing but hardship. Completing hundreds of millions of mantras will not even bring the warmth of the ordinary qualities that mark one's progress on the path! In other words, if the essential points of the path are not taken into account, perseverance will amount to nothing more than chasing a mirage. ― Patrul Rinpoche

It was warmer under the ice than it would have first appeared. The now reactivated Omnium’s operations kept the base warm enough to function without much discomfort. However, he was not accustomed to human guests, and you were not dressed appropriately for the climate.

That Ramattra had neglected to account for that when you exited the craft was… an oversight.

To your credit, you didn’t say anything; You just shivered in your thin hoodie, jaw clenched shut after your teeth had started chattering.

He supposed they would need to keep food stocked for you… wouldn’t they? He’d made sure to acquire several boxes of those energy bars but that would only last for so long. Adult humans needed around 2000 calories a day, you’d likely go through a box a day. Another item to add to his requisition list.

He had been fortunate enough to install a restroom for when Talon had discussed sending a liaison, so when you asked about that, he had been able to show you.

… You would also need sleeping quarters….

But as he watched you take everything in, the slight tremble in your step, eyes focusing back on him after a moment, he couldn’t bring himself to regret his decision.

He really should just have dropped you off at that small village in the mountains.

How long had it been since he’d had a friend?

Read on AO3

[starrvelvet]

Gonna do @uhardite ‘s glow up challenge! I love the idea of it and I honestly think it will make me more motivated!

I am on a journey to become the best version of myself so my banks would be:

1) Fitness: My minimum is 5k steps a day while maintain calorie deficit. But my goal is to get done at least 1 session of pilates, 8-10k steps (while on treadmill), 20-30 minutes on the elliptical + spinning. Also, healthy eating - more veggies and fish and protein! Taking daily ginger and tumeric shots every morning and having my vitamin supplement at night. Also cutting back on alcohol and only limiting myself to having sparkling wine when the mood calls for it (and by that I mean once a week max).

2) Beauty: I am already getting laser hair removal sessions done, but I wanna focus on having smoother and softer skin, moisturizing and oiling daily instead of every other day, and actually doing my skincare routine daily instead of when mood strikes. Also including weekly hair treatments and mani-pedis every 3 weeks. Trying to also get proper sleep every night.

3) Self Confidence: no idea where to start with this one. I’m trying to be more gentle with how I view myself and now my present goal is to affirm positive self-concept affirmations every morning and night. Also working on wearing clothes I feel good in instead of just throwing something on and I guess I will start with limiting negative self-talk.

Problem area is I am already outgoing and appear very happy-go-lucky but internally I’m not as secure with myself as how I appear and most advice I see is going with the fake-it-till-you-make-it approach and I think now it’s just up to changing my mindset.

4) Writing/Creativity: I have always wanted to be a writer but I always abandon projects halfway and I haven’t written a proper fictional piece since 2018! That’s a long ass time and I’m honestly over this hiatus and I want to have a novella done by jan 24th (the day the challenge ends) therefore my goal would be focus on writing at least 500 words a day on the minimum end and over 2000 a day in the higher end.

I honestly don’t have any idea if I could accomplish any of these as I have full schedule 90% of the time because of uni and job, but I’m banking on my winter break to fully focus so let’s see!

Every post related to this challenge will be tagged as “70 days glow up challenge”.

[dis-contented]

tw food, eating, body image, ED, abuse, etc

Looking at photos of myself as a child is a mixed experience. On the one hand, cutie patootie, on the other hand, very traumatised.

It's especially hard because these photos came from my dad, so my natural inclination is to look at my body size. I was obviously a fat child, next to other children, the difference is especially clear. I didn't just... get that way, and it wasn't him feeding me because he was sexist trash and left a lot up to my mother. His approach was abusive and terrible, and only furthered my desire for comfort eating and made me feel deep-seated shame about eating. He was basically another bully, and he was meant to love and accept me. It fuelled my eating disorder and trauma related personality disorder being reviled by my own father. But simultaneously, I don't think he knew what to do with his fat daughter. It was the 90's and 2000's, the manufactured obesity panic was in full fucking swing, he was... I honestly think trying his best even though it wasn't even close to good enough and isn't an excuse. He had old fashioned ideas of gender based parenting instilled in him, and neither of them really did any preparation to become parents beyond what was recommended by doctors at the time. They had honestly spent most of the previous 10 years together stoned, drunk or both. They were fuck buddies who made a go of it. Neither of them was working through issues to become good parents, and they had no basis for raising a child together sober.

My parents did take me to a dietician when I was 7 (who ripped my dad a new one for feeding me reduced fat food, but dad kept trying to do it) and my parents did try the recommendations, but my mum fed me food in secret because I was hungry. Eating in secret, hiding my eating from my dad, was not uncommon. By the time I was 8 years old, after they separated, my eating was truly out of control. My mum was so depressed and spent her weekends on drugs. She had like... 3, maybe 4 jobs. In addition to keeping food in the house dad never let us have at home (I still distinctly remember eating white bread out of the bag by the slice with nothing on it after we moved out), we were eating takeaway all the time. In fact, my mother rarely cooked dinner for us again until she met her next partner, and we moved in with them. That's 2 years.

My step brother of sorts could eat whatever the hell he wanted, our lunch during that time (when I was 10/11) was a pie my mother cooked in the morning and put away in our lunch boxes and we ate it at recess because it was still kinda warm. Everyday! Not a once a week treat, every fucking day! My dad would've had a fucking stress induced heart attack if he ever found out. I think any reasonable parent would have, actually. When we lived there, we would buy huge 24 packs of cans of soft drinks, and I would have at least one a day. It's nuts. Truly. While I can't agree with how my dad handled things, neither can I agree with my mum.

They especially both failed when I did develop that inevitable eating disorder, and they both encouraged it. But it was the 2000's, pretty much everyone did. Including my 6th grade teacher who found out I was starving all day and not eating until after school, she just told me I'd never lose weight that way and told me to eat small meals several times a day. Thanks, Eva! Do you think maybe a referral to the school counsellor might have been more appropriate? My aunty Carla who would sleep over once a week and take me to school the next morning because my mum had an early start, and my aunt lived far away, was the only one who had a good response: alarm, and begging me to at least drink a Milo. My parents then allowed me to get a gym membership for my 13th birthday, got me Lean Cuisine when I asked, let me put myself on a low calorie diet. Hello. Anybody. Dietician? Child psychologist? Responsibile parenting?

I have half a mind to set all of my dads stupid photos on fire. I don't know what you're supposed to do to help an "obese" child, but it wasn't... any of that. I don't even think the fact I was a food motivated child would have raised any red flags if I wasn't fat.

My paternal female cousin never got fat as a child, she was the "success". Her crunchy mum was all over it, but as an adult, she did. All those years of being restricted only turned her into an adult who wanted to eat, and she had undiagnosed PCOS.

It makes me wonder if, even if you can "prevent obesity" in children predisposed to overeating and/or gaining more weight than their peers, can you actually do it in a way that doesn't give a child issues when they are old enough to make their own choices about eating? Should we just fucking try to give kids healthy habits and good self-esteem and leave the rest alone?

[nursingwriter]

Health Concerns in the Food and Beverage Industry The need of appropriate labeling Good nutrition means eating food containing the right nutrients and calories that are needed for proper growth and functioning of the body. A healthy person is noted to be active, alert as well as happy. It is important for a nation to ensure that its citizens are well fed in order for the industries to work. A well feed nation is a happy and prosperous one. Issue to do with food safety and security must be addressed in order to realize good nutrition in all the citizens. In this paper we debate on an issue of health value, that is -should the FDA administer regulations on nutritional value offered in menus? Health concerns in the food and beverage industry Obesity has increasingly been a concern in the food and beverage industry. This is due to the serious health problems that are caused by Obesity. The ever rising number of obesity patients as well as the level of severity of the condition is noted to be a great concern to various health bodies. In the U.S., obesity has increasingly been cited as a serious health issue. In fact obesity in the U.S. is noted to be among the world's highest rates (Jackson n.d). In 2010, the Center for Disease Control reported very high number of people with obesity. About 35.7% of American adults are obese while 17% of the American children are obese (CDC 2010). This disease cost the government and the tax payer a lot of money. The direct medical cost attributed to obesity as well as the indirect economic loss for instance is estimated to have been between $51.64-$99.2 billions this figure soon increased to $61 billion and then $117 in the year 2000 (Wellman & Barbara,2002). The obesity related medical expenditure is noted to have reached about $75 billion (CDC 2004). NIDDK (2010) noted that two-thirds of all adults in the U.S. are either overweight or obese. EIRIS (2006) noted that law makers, consumers and health groups have increasingly linked the consumption of certain food and beverages with the prevalence of obesity. Changes in the regulatory environment, consumer resistance and litigation are noted to be the key potential risks. Studies have indicated that even though the number of positive steps taken to prevent obesity is high, the main foods and beverage producers are not doing a lot in the management of the obesity risks. They are noted to never take full responsibility for cases of obesity. Food and beverage manufacturers are noted to general fail to clearly publish the obesity related targets as well as the Performance Indicators (KPIs).This makes it extremely difficult to assess the various strategies as well as achievements taken in this course. Most food and beverage producers have therefore adopted a proactive approach that entails the application of the following strategies. 1. The development of products that are healthier 2. The reduction of the single portion sizes 3. The provision of clearer labeling to the foods containing nutritional information 4. A review as well as development of policies and frameworks on the marketing as well as advertising of food and beverages 5. The development of various health-related targets as well as dialogue with several other actors on the appropriate strategies of addressing obesity. A review of the above stated strategies indicates that there is need for FDA to administer regulations on nutritional value offered in menus. Childhood obesity is noted to be a particular source of concern. This is worsened by the unethical advertizing and marketing by the key actors. The need of appropriate labeling There has been a growing public interest in healthy diets. This has meant that manufacturers as well as consumers are increasingly becoming concerned with issues on nutritional labeling as a critical source of identifying healthier food and beverages. Nutritional labeling is aterm which refers to any information on the food labels that relates to the energy value (calories), carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, fat as well as sodium.The type of preservative used is also usually contained on the labeling. The provision of nutritional labeling or information is not compulsory in the EU or UK. This is unless the manufacturer makes certain nutritional claims about their product offerings. In the UK for instance, there are no guidelines on the issue of nutritional labeling. In some cases nutritional information is ether missing totally or is present in a form which is too complex to be comprehended by the general public. Therefore, the ongoing discussion between the industry players, health groups and regulators has a focus on making nutritional labeling compulsory as well as making the current system simpler to read and understand. This would the enable the consumers to make their own independent judgments on the type of food that they would like to purchase. Several proposals have been advanced by the health regulators and watch groups. They include the placing of warning on food and beverages with high energy density as well as linking of the calorie consumption to the energy output by effectively stating how much exercise would be needed to burn off the 'extra' calories in a given serving of a product. It is worth noting that the food and beverage manufacturers are notorious of arguing that they are never directly responsible for the rise in obesity rates. They blame the consumer's personal eating habits. Well this is pure hogwash because they have the responsibility from the ethical viewpoint to the health of the consumers. They should therefore try to assist the consumers in making of the right choices through the use of nutritional labeling to warn or give necessary information on the nutritional content and dangers of eating certain foods. Since the passage of the controversial Nutrition Labeling and Education Act in 1990, it has been noted that that there has been a debate on whether restaurants should be forced to provide nutritional information on their menu as well as menu boards (Greene 2010).This particular issue has been heavily contested by the players in the food and beverage industry due to the billions of dollars that consumers spend it eating away from their homes. Economists are noted to debate whether this issue is a subject of pubic or private interest and debate. The supporters of labeling claim that this is a very effective tool in combating of obesity and other diseases related to dietary issues (Robert et al. 2009). Consumers are entitled to know the correct nutritional information since this would help them in the making of the right dietary choices. The critics of the proposal however claim that personal choices are the main causes of dietary disease. Consumer behavior should be the ultimate force to decide on whether or not nutritional information is to be provided. Conclusion Since studies have indicated that the provision of a "learning effect" on the consumers, the FDA should FDA administer regulations on nutritional value offered in menus whereas, exposure to this statement keep consumers from consuming more calories. This is because this information has a salience effect" on the food and beverage consumers. If the nutritional information is placed on the menus as well as menu boards, then the consumers will have chance of seeing it every time they visit the restaurants. This information would then remind them of calorific values of the food and beverage offerings. Consumer may therefore become very sensitive to the calorific values and then use the information constructively in making healthy choices. It should therefore be the ethical duty of players in the food and beverage industries to ensure that the consumers are well informed. Works cited Ethical Investment Research Services. Obesity concerns in the food and beverage industry (2006) < http://www.eiris.org/files/researchpublications/seeriskobesityfeb06.pdf> Greene, Michael ., Menu labeling laws: the right to nutritional information? Prepared as an academic requirement for the agricultural law course at the Pennsylvania state university's Dickinson school of Law Spring semester (2010) Lackson, Lucas. Most obese countries. Reuters < http://www.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=USRTXT3DK#a=1> NIDDK. Overweight and Obesity Statistics (2010). http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/PDFs/stat904z.pdf Roberto, Christina a. et al., Rationale and Evidence for Menu-Labeling, 37 AM. J. PREVENTIVE MED.546, 551 (2009) . Wellman, Nancy; Friedberg, Barbara "Causes and consequences of adult obesity: health, social and economic impacts in the United States," Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition (Wiley-Blackwell) 11 (S8): S705 -- S713, (2002), DOI:10.1046/j.1440-6047.11.s8.6.x Read the full article

[foodandcookings]

Unlocking Fat Loss: The Science Behind Active Ingredients That Work

Losing fat isn’t just about cutting calories—it’s about fueling your body with the right ingredients to accelerate metabolism, burn fat, and enhance energy levels. Below, we explore the most effective active substances that will help you achieve your weight loss goals. Discover their benefits, how they work, and the optimal dosages to maximize your results!

1. Caffeine – The Energy Booster and Fat Burner

Caffeine is a powerful stimulant known for its fat-burning properties. It increases thermogenesis, helping your body burn more calories even at rest. Additionally, it enhances focus and energy, making workouts more effective.

Dosage: 200-400 mg per day, ideally split into two doses to avoid crashes. Best taken in the morning or before workouts.

2. L-Carnitine – The Fat Transporter

L-Carnitine plays a crucial role in transporting fatty acids into your cells' mitochondria, where they are converted into energy. This helps improve endurance, reduce fatigue, and promote fat oxidation.

Dosage: 500-2000 mg per day, preferably before workouts or with meals.

3. Green Tea Extract – The Natural Metabolism Booster

Green tea extract contains catechins and caffeine, which work together to increase fat oxidation and energy expenditure. It is particularly effective in reducing belly fat and improving metabolic rate.

Dosage: 250-500 mg per day, preferably taken in the morning or before physical activity.

4. CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) – The Fat Reduction Catalyst

CLA is a naturally occurring fatty acid that helps reduce body fat by enhancing the body’s ability to break down stored fat and use it as energy. It also prevents new fat accumulation.

Dosage: 2000-4000 mg per day, divided into two or three doses with meals.

5. Yohimbine – The Stubborn Fat Eliminator

Yohimbine works by blocking alpha-2 adrenergic receptors in fat cells, allowing the body to burn stubborn fat more efficiently. It is particularly effective for individuals struggling with last-phase fat loss.

Dosage: 5-10 mg per day, best taken before exercise on an empty stomach.

6. Capsaicin – The Heat-Inducing Fat Burner

Capsaicin, found in chili peppers, stimulates thermogenesis, boosting your metabolism and promoting fat burning. It also helps suppress appetite, making calorie control easier.

Dosage: 2-10 mg per day, usually in supplement form.

7. Forskolin – The Hormonal Fat Loss Enhancer

Forskolin activates an enzyme called adenylate cyclase, which increases cyclic AMP levels, promoting fat breakdown and muscle preservation.

Dosage: 100-250 mg per day, containing 10-20% forskolin extract.

Why Choose a Supplement That Combines These Ingredients?

Each of these ingredients plays a unique role in fat loss, but the most effective approach is a synergistic blend that maximizes metabolism, fat oxidation, and energy levels. Our premium fat-burning supplement combines these clinically dosed ingredients for optimal results.

Don’t wait to transform your body—get started with the ultimate fat loss formula today!

"For the latest updates and exclusive content, visit our website today."

[devnews]

Diet plan to reduce body fat

Goal: Reduce Body Fat (from 26% to ~15-18%) While Maintaining Muscle Since you are 75 kg and somewhat thin, your focus should be on losing fat while keeping muscle intact. The ideal approach is high-protein nutrition, strength training, and a slight calorie deficit without extreme dieting. 1. Nutrition Plan (80% of Your Results) Daily Calories & Macros: Calories: ~2000-2200 kcal/day (to be in…

[katrani]

Books Read 2025: Nickel and Dimed

So like, I probably picked a bad week to actually read this one. Just kind of added to the background anger in a lot of ways. The book's twenty years old!!!!!!! And we're still dealing with the same shit, just slightly different numbers!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In some span from 1998-2000 or so, Enhenreich took three months (unclear if it's continuous or spaced out?) to run the old experiment of "can I live on minimum wage for x time". And yanno, a lot of people get flack for poverty tourism, but I will give her that she actually has the working-class family background to be cognizant of the problems with doing anything like this and that it feels less like tourism and more like a considered approach.

So to me, sitting at a desk all day was not only a privilege but a duty: something I owed to all those people in my life, living and dead, who'd had so much more to say than anyone ever got to hear.

But if the question was whether a single mother leaving welfare could survive without government assistance in the form of food stamps, Medicaid, and housing and child care subsidies, the answer was well known before I ever left the comforts of home.

She also set some extra factors for herself:

Furthermore, I had no intention of going hungry. If things ever got to the point where the next meal was in question, I promised myself as the time to begin the "experiment" approached, I would dig out my ATM card and cheat. So this is not the story of some death-defying "undercover" adventure.

It's a fairly straight-forward accounting from there, with some footnotes for Bureau of Labor statistics or info pulled from other articles. Ehrenreich doesn't pretend to have some unique viewpoint on this, if any researchers just seriously talked to people in these lower-wage categories they'd get the same answer. She just has the privilege of being a well-regarded writer when she went to do this that she can place the spotlight and be listened to. (Well, mildly, since nothing seems to have changed long-term, comparing the service job life now to her accounting.) She admits where she was "cheating", relying on being able to bring $1000 as starting funds or having the safety to go back to her real life for a couple of days (with the intention of catching up on business e-mails and the life, but I assume she didn't stick to low-wage meals on those days).

But she is funny and insightful, around that:

Or so said my father, who must have known what he was talking about because he managed [...] ascending from boiler-makers to martinis before booze beat out ambition.

At Hearthside, we utilize whatever bits of autonomy we have to ply or customers with the illicit calories that signal our love.

I am not tired at all, I assure myself, though it may be that there is simply no more "I" left to do the tiredness monitoring.

...but a lot of small things have been going wrong, and at this level of finances, nothing wrong is ever quite small enough.

I especially appreciate the retail chapter, because she spends a while in the psychology going on- the tiredness that leads to frustration at people who're just doing their shopping, the weird sense of pride that you have to take because otherwise everything else is too crushing, the odd sense of community that comes out of being stuck in a bad workplace with others and how that can make it harder to leave.

I do recommend this still, because either she gives insight into something some people haven't had to experience, or she puts words to stuff that can be so hard to pick out when you're in the middle of it. Even if they're out-of-date, I have a couple of articles I want to follow up about, and I am curious about stuff written about the welfare reforms happening at the late 90s- what exactly got changed and how long the push to do it took, what was the fallout. I was still a young kid back then, too young to know that all happened, but at a guess I think it must've affected how my family existed.

I will look up Ehrenreich's other books, at some point.

[nurtitiongenie]

Our High Protein Meal Plan 2000 calories offers a comprehensive approach to healthy eating, combining high-quality proteins with wholesome ingredients to create meals that are both satisfying and nutritious.

[sashop]

Best Smartwatch BeatXP Flux

In the fast-paced world we live in today, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be challenging. However, with advancements in technology, we now have powerful tools at our disposal to help us stay on track. The Smartwatch BeatXP Flux is one such device that goes beyond simply telling time. It’s a comprehensive fitness companion that can unlock the full potential of your fitness journey.

Your Fitness Guru

The BeatXP Flux is not just a smartwatch; it’s your fitness guru. Equipped with state-of-the-art sensors, it monitors your heart rate, tracks your steps, and even analyzes your sleep patterns. This wealth of data is not just for show; it’s a roadmap to your fitness goals. By understanding your body’s responses, you can tailor your workouts for maximum efficiency.

Real-Time Workout Metrics

Say goodbye to guesswork during your workouts. The BeatXP Flux provides real-time metrics on your wrist, allowing you to make on-the-fly adjustments. Whether you’re running, cycling, or hitting the gym, you can monitor your heart rate, and calories burned, and even receive personalized coaching tips. This level of insight ensures that every workout is purposeful and effective.

Goal Tracking and Motivation

Setting fitness goals is easy, but staying motivated is often the real challenge. The BeatXP Flux turns goal setting into a game. With customizable goals and achievement badges, you’ll find yourself motivated to push your limits. The watch keeps you accountable, celebrating your victories and encouraging you to strive for more. This gamified approach transforms your fitness journey into an engaging and rewarding experience.

Seamless Integration with Your Lifestyle

One of the standout features of the BeatXP Flux is its seamless integration with your daily life. From receiving call and message notifications to controlling your music, this smartwatch ensures you stay connected while staying active. The watch is also water-resistant, making it suitable for swimming and ensuring it can keep up with your active lifestyle, rain or shine.

Comprehensive Health Monitoring

Beyond fitness, the BeatXP Flux takes care of your overall well-being. It includes features for stress tracking, guided breathing exercises, and menstrual cycle tracking. This holistic approach recognizes that health is more than just physical fitness. By addressing various aspects of your well-being, the watch becomes a true companion in your journey toward a healthier and happier you.

User-Friendly Interface

The BeatXP Flux doesn’t compromise on user experience. Its intuitive interface is easy to navigate, ensuring that you spend less time fumbling with settings and more time focusing on your fitness. The vibrant display is readable even in direct sunlight, and the long battery life means you won’t be constantly tethered to a charging cable.

Conclusion

In the era of smart technology, the Smartwatch BeatXP Flux stands out as a game-changer in the fitness landscape. It goes beyond being a timekeeping device, evolving into a comprehensive fitness companion that empowers you to master your fitness journey. With real-time metrics, goal tracking, and seamless integration into your lifestyle, the BeatXP Flux is not just a smartwatch; it’s a key ally in your pursuit of a healthier, more active life. So, strap it on, embrace the data, and let the BeatXP Flux guide you towards unleashing your full fitness potential.

[healthytips93]

‘’The Ultimate Guide to Calorie Deficit for Sustainable Results"

I. Introduction

A. Hook: The elusive secret to effective weight loss

In a world overwhelmed by fad diets and quick fixes, the true secret to sustainable weight loss often remains elusive. In this comprehensive guide, we unravel the mystery behind successful weight management – the calorie deficit. Go here to get a natural nutritional supplements for weight loss.♥

B. Brief overview of the obesity epidemic and the need for sustainable solutions

As obesity rates soar worldwide, it's imperative to explore effective and sustainable solutions. The calorie deficit emerges as a beacon of hope, offering a science-backed approach to shedding excess pounds.

C. Thesis statement: Enter the calorie deficit – the game-changer in the weight loss journey

This blog post will delve deep into the science of calorie deficit, explaining its principles, significance, and providing practical strategies for incorporating it into your weight loss journey.

II. What is a Calorie Deficit?

A. Definition: Breaking down the concept in simple terms

A calorie deficit occurs when you consume fewer calories than your body expends. In essence, it's the golden key to unlocking stored fat and achieving weight loss.

B. Basic principles of calories in versus calories out

Understanding the basic equation of weight loss is crucial. Calories in (food consumption) minus calories out (energy expenditure) equals the calorie deficit or surplus that influences your weight.

C. Illustrative example: How a calorie deficit leads to weight loss

Consider a scenario where your body needs 2000 calories a day to maintain its current weight. By consistently consuming 1800 calories, you create a daily calorie deficit of 200 calories, leading to gradual, sustainable weight loss over time.

III. The Science Behind Calorie Deficit

A. Metabolism demystified: Understanding basal metabolic rate (BMR)

At the core of calorie deficit lies the concept of basal metabolic rate – the energy your body expends at rest. Learn how to calculate your BMR to determine your baseline caloric needs.

B. Energy expenditure: Unveiling the role of physical activity

Beyond resting metabolism, physical activity significantly influences calorie expenditure. Discover the impact of different exercises on your overall energy balance.

C. Impact of calorie deficit on stored fat

Dive into the biochemistry of fat metabolism, exploring how a calorie deficit signals the body to tap into its fat stores for energy. Uncover the intricacies of lipolysis and fat oxidation.

IV. Calculating Your Caloric Needs

A. Determining Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

Learn how to calculate your BMR using widely accepted formulas such as the Harris-Benedict equation. This foundational step sets the stage for understanding your caloric requirements.

B. Accounting for physical activity with the Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)

Introduce the TDEE concept, incorporating your activity level to estimate the total calories your body needs. This personalized approach refines your understanding of caloric needs.

C. Setting a realistic caloric deficit goal for weight loss

Discover the optimal calorie deficit range for safe and sustainable weight loss. Balancing ambition with practicality ensures long-term success.

V. The Importance of Calorie Deficit in Weight Loss

A. Fat loss vs. muscle loss: Why calorie deficit matters

Distinguish between healthy and unhealthy weight loss by understanding the importance of preserving lean muscle mass during a calorie deficit. Learn how to prioritize fat loss for lasting results.

B. Long-term sustainability: The key to keeping the weight off

Explore the pitfalls of crash diets and quick fixes, emphasizing the sustainability of a gradual, well-managed calorie deficit. Uncover the science behind maintaining weight loss.

C. Addressing common misconceptions about calorie deficit

Dispelling myths and misinformation surrounding calorie deficit is crucial. Address common misconceptions, such as starvation mode and the one-size-fits-all approach.

VI. Strategies for Achieving a Calorie Deficit

A. Mindful eating: Quality over quantity

Shift the focus from mere calorie counting to mindful eating. Explore the importance of nutrient-dense foods, portion control, and savoring the eating experience.

B. The role of regular exercise in creating a sustainable calorie deficit

Examine the synergy between diet and exercise. Discover how incorporating physical activity not only boosts calorie expenditure but enhances overall well-being.

C. Practical tips for tracking and managing calorie intake

Navigate the landscape of calorie tracking apps, meal planning, and effective strategies for staying within your targeted calorie range. Practical tips empower readers to implement changes seamlessly.

VII. Potential Challenges and Solutions

A. Overcoming plateaus: Adjusting your calorie deficit over time

Plateaus are inevitable in any weight loss journey. Equip readers with strategies to overcome plateaus by adjusting their calorie deficit, introducing variety in workouts, and staying motivated.

B. Dealing with hunger and cravings: Smart choices and alternatives

Address the psychological aspect of weight loss by offering practical tips for managing hunger and cravings. Explore healthy snacks and mindful eating practices to curb the urge to overeat.

C. The psychological aspect: Building a positive relationship with food and body

Recognize the emotional connection to food and body image. Encourage readers to cultivate a positive mindset, focusing on progress rather than perfection.

VIII. Real-life Success Stories

A. Inspiring examples of individuals who achieved weight loss through a calorie deficit

Highlight real-life success stories, showcasing diverse approaches that led to meaningful weight loss. Personal narratives offer relatable inspiration for readers.

B. Highlighting diverse approaches and lessons learned

Explore different paths to achieving a calorie deficit, from dietary changes to varied exercise routines. Extract valuable lessons from each approach, emphasizing adaptability in the weight loss journey.

IX. Conclusion

A. Recap of the importance of calorie deficit in weight loss

Synthesize key takeaways, reiterating the pivotal role of the calorie deficit in sustainable weight loss. Emphasize the empowerment that comes with understanding and implementing this fundamental concept.

B. Encouragement for readers to embark on their weight loss journey with knowledge and confidence

Empower readers to take charge of their health by embarking on a weight loss journey armed with knowledge. Encourage a shift towards sustainable habits and mindful choices.

C. Call to action: Start your calorie deficit plan today for a healthier tomorrow

Provide actionable steps for readers to kickstart their weight loss journey. Whether it's calculating their BMR, setting realistic goals, or implementing mindful eating practices, urge them to take the first step towards a healthier tomorrow.

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