My stay-at-home exercise level is significantly less than when I was going to the gym three times a week. My weight is starting to creep up.

Here's how much less we need to eat, based upon our reduced level of #StayAtHome activity.

​I'm still exercising, but a lot less intensively than before stay-at-home. I was doing three intense gym visits and running 5km twice a week. 

Now I run more often, but don't have the gear and space to put in the maximum intensity I was doing at the gym.

I have been eating walnuts daily for many years for dietary reasons. But only today, I learnt that they have a positive effect on our fat-burning metabolism.

That's not an excuse to eat more of them, as all nuts are high-calorie snacks. But here's an exciting finding:

"Studies show regular nut eaters don't appear to gain weight and that nuts may help with weight loss if they're eaten in an energy-controlled diet."

​[Copy of my weekly newsletter] Please enjoy my hand-picked 4 Most Valuable pieces of content that I found this week, to help you live longer better.
These four topics stood out to me (click the links below):

1. Research supports the idea that plant-based diets are beneficial
2. Think dietary fibre is just for digestive health? Think again.
3. Will a nightly protein shake help you lose weight?
4. Exercise of the week: A stretch that will change your life

How often have you read something like this "another way to lose more weight is to eat more protein"? An alternative version is this "boost your metabolism by increasing your protein intake". 

And yet another version is "take a protein shake before bed and see your fat burn away as you sleep".

Sorry to break the bad news, but eating more protein isn't going to help—no more than a walk around the block.

​A walk around the block will do you more good.

Carnitine is a supplement that is often touted as a "magic pill" for weight loss or exercise performance.

The weight loss benefits are arguably still unsubstantiated. And, some sports authorities believe that there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend Carnitine to athletes.

However, Carnitine does have benefits which have recently been substantiated for diabetics (I'm one of those).

[Copy of my weekly newsletter] Here are my hand-picked 4 Most Valuable pieces of content that I found this week, to help you live longer better.

These four topics stood out to me (click the links in the body below):

1. Apple cider vinegar - does it really help weight loss?
2. How cognitive fitness makes it less likely that you will fall
3. The most powerful antioxidant has a clean bill of health
4. What to eat to give you more glowing skin

In setting your long-term health and fitness objectives, it is a good idea to avoid extremes.

​Extremes are not only almost impossible to keep up in the long-term, but they may also harm rather than help you.

Dietary extremes include keto diets (of course) packed with second rate fats and protein, no water diets, and "eat whatever carbs you want as long as you burn it off" diets.

Fitness extremes include cross-fit, which is not going to be your answer to living longer better, and gym machines, which dumb your brain and body down to just looking good in a t-shirt.
​
One way I think about exercise and food plans is to think ahead - 10 or 15 years ahead. I ask myself, will I be able to apply these same food and exercise principles then, and will they benefit me then?

[Copy of my Weekly Newsletter] Here are my hand-picked 4 Most Valuable pieces of content that I found this week, to help you live longer better.

These four topics stood out to me (click the links below):

1. Thinking of losing weight fast - add in some exercise
2. Why you hit an early diet plateau and how to break through
3. How to retrain your posture and reduce neck and shoulder pain
4. Inflammation in your gums stresses your immune system

If you follow conventional weight-loss wisdom, then you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

The "3500 calories per pound of fat" rule is applied to mean that if you maintain a deficient of 500 calories each day that you will lose one pound of fat each week.

​This doesn't work for long-term weight loss.

Modifying your expectations will keep you motivated to keep going. The reality isn't as exciting, but it sets you up for success.

The most common reason that you are not losing weight is down to the way we think about our effort and the expected results.

​At the gym, the average level of energy in cardio classes is modest, but the expectations are high.

When the outcomes fall short of the expectations, then we are likely to give up. That applies to all of our endeavours - writing on Medium, learning a language, exercising, or losing weight.

We'd be better off to do a reality check on our expectations before quitting. If we can reconcile a less ambitious set of expectations, and then keep putting in the effort, success is much more likely.