When looking for a way to lose weight, quick usually seems to win out over low-and-slow (and sometimes even common sense). But a new study suggests that keeping a food journal may be just the trick to trimming your bod. And it can be done in about 15 minutes a day. Let’s face it, you probably spend more than that hating yourself for not losing weight fast enough.
Researchers at the University of Vermont and the University of South Carolina examined dietary self-monitoring habits of 142 participants in an online behavioral weight control intervention. Via press release:
After six months of monitoring their dietary intake, the most successful participants in an online behavioral weight-loss program spent an average of just 14.6 minutes per day on the activity. Program participants recorded the calories and fat for all foods and beverages they consumed, as well as the portion sizes and the preparation methods.
The study is the first to actually measure how much time it takes to self-monitor food intake in order to lose weight. The perception is that keeping a food “diary” is an all-day event.
“People hate it; they think it’s onerous and awful, but the question we had was: How much time does dietary self-monitoring really take?” said Jean Harvey, chair of the Nutrition and Food Sciences Department at the University of Vermont and the lead author of the study. “The answer is, not very much.”
Participants who lost 10 percent of their body weight — the most successful members of the cohort — spent an average of 23.2 minutes per day on self-monitoring in the first month of the program. By the sixth month, the time had dropped to 14.6 minutes.
The study found that the main factor that predicted weight loss was not the amount of time spent logging food, but the frequency. Said Harvey:
Those who self-monitored three or more time per day, and were consistent day after day, were the most successful. It seems to be the act of self-monitoring itself that makes the difference – not the time spent or the details included.
Results of the study are published in the March issue of Obesity,
Pornography is not the most welcoming space for women. Despite all the improvement and inclusion that’s been fought for within the industry, it’s still hard for women to find content that’s been developed for and by them.
Over the last couple of years, audio-based content has experienced a huge rise in popularity. You can see it all over social media. The presence of podcasts, audibles, and a rising sale of Airpods have all contributed to this phenomenon, transforming audio-based content into one of today’s most promising investments. Dipsea, an app that develops erotic audio stories, wants to take advantage of this with the addition of female empowerment. TechCrunch reports that they’ve recently acquired funding of $5.5 million from venture capital investors.
Dipsea functions according to a subscription plan, giving you access to their library of short-form erotic audio content by paying a fee of $8.99 a month or $48 a year. “The stories are designed to be listened to at any time, with the company’s examples including solo in bed, while getting ready for a date or to help turn off boss brain on the way home from work,” reports TechCrunch.
Despite the kind of expensive price tag, listeners report getting their money’s worth, claiming that there’s quality content on the app that triggers the imagination and provides a different kind of stimulus.
We portray the relationships and sex women deserve—fun, safe, and full of enthusiastic consent, characters they can respect, and worlds they want to lose themselves in.
Dipsea has hired all sorts of freelance writers to develop their projects in order to deliver content that’s entertaining and that also addresses issues like consent and diversity.
In a nutshell, Dipsea is kind of like Pornhub’s distant cousin. It’s much cleaner, socially conscious, with some narrative merit and for your ears only. It’s the first experiment of its kind, and it’s an interesting one that promises a bright future for erotica.
It is is a dream experience for someone who has limited time to check out the cannabis happenings in a streamlined way.
It’s so fun to end up in a new state with a cannabis program, but when you’re tired, hangry, and need to stretch your legs after a flight or road trip, sourcing cannabis isn’t always the most fun thing to do.
And what if you want to go deeper into the scene, doing more than just skimming the dispensary surface and ending up on the couch of your airbnb or sticking your head out of a hotel window? Finding cannabis friendly activities used to be harder than sourcing the flower—until now
What if you could make a few emails and have it all taken care of? In this age of literal weed orders at Barney’s, it’s more of a possibility than you know. Services are around to help travelers and tourists align with their preferred cannabis experience, you just have to ask.
Colorado goodies from the Hi Curious experience
It Makes Things Easy
Until the day when you can roll up and bring your stash with you through security, which we don’t recommend, try the amazing airport pickup service that some companies, like Cannabis Tours, offer to travelers. This is a relief to a medical cannabis user, but it’s not the only benefit of using cannabis concierge and tourism agencies to guide your trip.
For those seeking a full service experience, there are finally options, and they’re spreading to multiple states with legal cannabis. April Black, CEO of Higher Way Travel, uses the miles under her belt to generate good times for her guests. “As experienced travelers and cannabis connoisseurs ourselves, we can help our customers handle of the challenges they face when visiting a legal state.”
Hi-Curious founder Lauren Mundell says that though people want to check out cannabis for many different reasons, they always want a smooth experience. “Vacation days are precious, and time and attention are our scarcest resources,” she says. “Sophisticated travelers want a curated experience that helps them feel more local than tourist.”
Heidi Keyes, President of Cannabis Tours, is part of a multi city team who make every activity take flight. She tells The Fresh Toast, “Basically, we’re setting you up to make sure you not only get the most out of your cannabis vacation, but that you’re doing it safely, legally, and easily. We’ll take care of both your weed paranoia and your travel anxiety and make your entire vacation streamlined, and as structured as you do or don’t desire.”
Cannabis friendly yoga session in Colorado
They’ve got the plug
You can’t always just look up if a hotel, Airbnb rental, or other lodging is cannabis friendly, and it’s still pretty rare in most states. These cannabis connectors have relationships with the spaces you’ll want access to for the most low key experience. Some lodging doesn’t even allow cannabis in outdoor spaces, so don’t just assume because there is a patio that you’ll be all set.
Keyes says this is a big reason they love to help people get what they need out of a legal locale, “Even if cannabis is recreationally legal in the place you’re traveling to, be aware that public consumption is not legal, and every state has different regulations on how much you can buy and where you can smoke. Most hotels are not cannabis-friendly, so be aware of smoking fines, the quickest way to ruin a vacation is a $500 fee for smoking a joint in your room!“
There’s also so much more to do than simply smoke. Mundell knows that people want to peek behind the green curtain, “If you want to go beyond consumption and actually learn about the culture, industry and the laws, it’s challenging to do on your own.”
Black says that itineraries can make or break an experience, “The ones we offer save the traveler the trouble of researching the cannabis scene in an area and making separate reservations with each different activity.” She says that where possible, consumption friendly transportation is deployed, and Cannabis Tours also does this in select cities.
The Clinic in Denver, Colorado
These organizations use the beauty of social activity and creative expression to bring cannabis newbies and cannabis experts all together. It is is a dream experience for someone who has limited time to check out the cannabis happenings in a streamlined way, so make sure to take advantage of what a tour company or concierge can offer, the future of cannabis tourism will involve lots of these types of businesses.
Former U.S. congressman and disgraced public figure Anthony Weiner could be the latest politician ditching civics for cannabis. Weiner was released from federal prison earlier this month, following his 2017 sentence of 21 months in prison for sexting with a minor. Currently he is staying in Bronx halfway house, but was seen around New York meeting with a potential investor about a future marijuana business, reports the Daily Mail.
Weiner, who must publicly register as a sex offender due to his crimes, was heard telling the investor to downplay his “sexual stuff.” Instead, Weiner urged the investor that he’s the “perfect guy” for the project, and referred numerous times to his wide network of connections. A Daily Mail source said Weiner kept mentioning “talking to people in Colorado and California” and “Chinese manufacturing.”
“Weiner was advising the other man on how to approach investors and said, ‘Tell them you have this great venture and then be like, I know the perfect guy,’” the Daily Mail source said. “’Weiner appeared to be referring to himself and explaining how to get other money on board but conceal his involvement.”
Ex-convicts typically have a difficult time finding work in the cannabis industry, in no small part due to the federally illegal and Schedule I status of cannabis. This is why expungement efforts—like San Francisco dismissing over 9,000 marijuana convictions this week—and initiative programs that secure opportunities for ex-cons, particularly those convicted of marijuana-related crimes, is such a vital component of any serious cannabis reform.
This, of course, is a different story when considering the missed opportunities of a sex offender and disgraced politician like Anthony Weiner. Those on probation, like Weiner, usually can’t find work in the cannabis industry because it’s federally illegal and they’d therefore be breaking parole. However, a cannabis attorney told the Daily Mailthe decision ultimately lies with Weiner’s probation officer and the prosecutor’s office.
Weiner might be helped by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s newfound enthusiasm for cannabis reform and legalization. Cuomo has made numerous promises the plant will be legalized for adult use in 2019, though New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy made similar booming promises while running in the gubernatorial race. New Jersey has failed to make significant headway, though NJ voters haven’t helped matters.
Considering royal watchers were able to correctly predict Meghan Markle was pregnant before she announced it, eagle eyed fans are now convinced the Duchess is having a baby girl.
An Instagram story has been circulating, a video seemingly leaked from inside Markle’s baby shower last week at the Mark Hotel in NYC. And there sure is a lot of pink, from the macarons to the flowers to the cake toppers.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuKnuCuH4lq
Here’s the video clip, originally posted by @ harry_meghan_updates, which includes the hashtag “GIRL”.
But according to a Mail on Sunday source (by way of Express), we’ve got it all wrong. They say Markle openly talked about having a baby boy at her shower.
“She was talking openly about it,” said the source.
It’s royal protocol that the baby’s gender not be revealed until it’s born. Plus, Meghan has previously stated that she doesn’t want to know the gender ahead of time, so who knows.
The source does acknowledge that regardless of gender, Meghan plans to disregard old-fashioned stereotypes, so don’t expect a lot of blue or pink if it’s a boy or girl.
Bella Thorne is not shy about her affinity for marijuana. The actress and social media star is perhaps one of the biggest influencers online, just below the likes of the Kardashian clan and the Hadid sisters. And she’s known to post on Instagram about her love of cannabis.
This perhaps explains why Lowell Herb Co., one of the biggest cannabis brands in California, tapped Thorne for a commercial aimed at the Oscars. Lowell says the ad, which was rejected by ABC, would’ve cost around $2 million to air during the telecast, similar to the cost of a Super Bowl commercial. The network cited a zero-tolerance policy on cannabis, though it’s worth noting that Jimmy Kimmel is known for frequent references and explorations to cannabis culture.
“We chose to air the ad during the Academy Awards, which is a quintessential California moment, using Hollywood talent and fans of the Lowell brand,” Lowell Herb Co CEO David Elias said in a statement. “As a leader in the cannabis industry, we are determined to keep pushing for the normalization of the cannabis industry and cannabis consumption.”
This is another notable example of a cannabis company creating a commercial for a major television event, but ultimately getting rejected by TV networks. Acreage Holdings tried a similar strategy revolving around this year’s Super Bowl, but was denied by CBS. Instead, like Lowell Herb’s Oscars commercial, the ousted ad ended up on YouTube, and ultimately probably garnered more media attention for its exclusion. (It’s worth noting that the ad was prohibited from buying local ad time in California as well as nationally.)
Because cannabis remains federally illegal and is classified as a Schedule I drug, cannabis ads can’t legally run on most advertising platforms. These cannabis companies are almost certainly aware of this. But they’re getting the last laugh because these commercials have smartly positioned themselves as refutations from old, fussy media executives, drawing (free) media attention from less traditional websites like ours. You can’t blame Lowell Herb, or Acreage Hodlings or MedMen for that matter, trying to earn some good publicity.
That said, it clearly raises your company’s profile to have Bella Thorne as a spokesperson. “I’m proud to be featured in Lowell Herb Co.’s first TV commercial,” Thorne said in a statement. “I’m a huge supporter of how they treat their company from the inside out, and particularly their social equity program that supplies jobs for recently pardoned non-violent offenders of cannabis-related offenses. They aren’t just a ‘weed’ company, they’re helping make a change in people’s lives. It’s a shame that, that message won’t be televised….for now.”
If you don’t know who Jennifer Esposito is, she’s an actress and author, known for her roles in the movie “Crash” and the TV series “NCIS”. She was also briefly married to Bradley Cooper back in 2006.
After Sunday’s now iconic “Shallow” performance at the Oscars, David Spade posted a picture of Cooper and Gaga on Instagram, asking his followers: “Is there any chance these 2 aren’t fucking?”
Esposito saw the post and simply commented “Ha,” adding fuel to an already large fire.
Although a “Ha” is hard to interpret without some context, it’s understandable if there’s some bitterness behind Esposito’s remarks. It must be hard to see your ex-husband so cozied up to Lady Gaga of all people.
Cooper’s current girlfriend and baby mama, Irina Shayk, was also a spectator at the awards show, sitting between Cooper and Gaga throughout the evening. Unlike Esposito, Shayk hasn’t made any remarks, and she looked sincerely happy and comfortable with the whole thing. According to E! News, a source close to Shayk says that she doesn’t see what all the fuss is about and that she knows that Cooper and Gaga are artists and were also in character. Can we all just leave them alone now?
It has been said the marijuana legalization discussion only ends once the record of every person every convicted for a pot-related crime is wiped clean. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón seems to understand that this is an essential next step of the post-legalization movement. He announced earlier this week that his office would expunge more than 9,000 marijuana convictions.
It was just last year that Gascón teamed up with Code For America to employ the use of technology to efficiently determine which of the city’s pot offenders qualified for expungement under the language of Proposition 64. Essentially, his office used a computer program called “Clear My Record” to scour thousands of pot convictions – some of which go back as far as 1975 – setting aside the misdemeanors for clearance. A judge will start making these expungements official in the next few weeks.
“It was the morally right thing to do,” Gascón told the Los Angeles Times. “If you have a felony conviction, you are automatically excluded in so many ways from participating in your community.”
San Francisco is the first municipality in California to take this robotic approach to the expungement clause in the state’s marijuana law. In most cases, people with pot convictions have to go through a burdensome affair before their stoner sins of the past can be absolved. It’s a tedious process, Gascón said in an interview with NPR, which is the main reason that not even 30 people had taken the leap to get their records cleared ahead of the city’s mass expungement campaign.
“You have to hire an attorney. You have to petition the court. You have to come for a hearing,” Gascón explained. “It’s a very expensive and very cumbersome process. And the reality is that the majority of the people that were punished and were the ones that suffered in this war on marijuana, war on drugs nationally, were people that can ill afford to pay an attorney.”
Although people convicted of a misdemeanor pot crime may have never had to serve time in jail, a record marred with a drug offense, in many cases, can disqualify them from employment opportunities, college loans and housing. It’s just enough to keep otherwise law-abiding citizens from bettering themselves.
San Francisco’s leap on the expungement issue has reportedly forced other district attorneys around the state to consider a similar approach. The Code For America program could clear up to a quarter of a million marijuana convictions in California before the end of next year.
“What we have shown with marijuana is that this can be done en masse,” Gascón told the San Francisco Chronicle. “You can just go through the criminal records of thousands of people and provide the relief that they qualify for without having to have a lot of human resources invested in it.”
Us Weekly claims that Irina Shayk is utterly unbothered by all of this:
While Oscars viewers were swooning over Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s intimate “Shallow” performance on Sunday, February 24, the Silver Linings Playbook actor’s girlfriend, Irina Shayk, watched from her front-row seat — and wasn’t bothered at all.
“Irina knows that Bradley and Gaga are artists,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly of the 33-year-old model. “It’s a nonissue for her. They were in character putting on an Oscar performance.”
Flamur Rexha, pleaded with daughter Bebe to stop posting pictures and videos that he described as ‘pornography’ after her newest music video was flagged on YouTube as ‘sensitive.’
Bebe Rexha’s father was reportedly not a fan of a recent Instagram post by his daughter.
In the since-deleted screenshot message, the Grammy-nominated singer’s dad, Flamur Rexha, pleaded with her to stop posting pictures and videos that he described as “pornography.”
“You better stop posting stupid pornography because you make me sick,” he wrote. ‘”I can’t take this anymore. Embarrassed to go in public everywhere I can go. I’m very upset with you, I can’t believe it.”
Along with the post, Rexha captioned, “My dad hates me.”
The 29-year-old pop star, whose latest music video “Last Hurrah” was flagged as “sensitive” on YouTube, eventually took down the post and later explained why she deleted it.
“My dad is not a bad guy. I should […] never have posted that screenshot. Im disappointed in myself. I was being sarcastic,” she tweeted. ‘I understand where he is coming as a father and that’s why the text was a bit harsh. I am upset that he still isn’t speaking to me, but he is still my father.
Such was the case for Angelina Jolie and her famous family on Monday night. Of course, it wasn’t just any ordinary movie night for the star and her youngsters. The actress moderated a special screening of the Netflix film, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, at the Crosby Street Hotel in New York City.
The movie is Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor’s feature directorial debut and stars him as well as Maxwell Simba, Aïssa Maïga, Lily Banda, Lemogang Tsipa, Philbert Falakeza, Joseph Marcell and Noma Dumezweni.
Ejiofor sat down with Jolie for a Q&A during the event, as did William Kamkwamba, whose memoir the film is based on. The film tells Kamkwamba’s tale of when he was a boy and figured out how to build a windmill to save his Malawian village from famine.
Angelina Jolie, Kids, Shiloh, Pax, Maddox, Zahara, Knox, VivienneMonica Schipper/ Getty for Netflix
Along with famous guests like David Schwimmer, Abbi Jacobson, Neve Campbell, Christian Slater, Gina Gershon and Edward Norton, all six of Jolie’s children with ex-husband Brad Pitt—Maddox, 17, Zahara, 14, Pax, 15, Shiloh, 12, Vivienne, 10, and Knox, 10—attended and happily posed for photos with their mama.
From Super Bowl commercials to board games, a surprising amount of businesses are trying to make a product that somehow relates to Game of Thrones. Urban Decay, a cosmetics company, had the wildest idea when they decided to create a Game of Thrones-inspired make-up line, which will hit shelves this April just in time for the final season of the show.
Now, when you see a White Walker you’ll think “beauty product” instead of “murderous frozen zombie.”
Details regarding the new make-up line are scarce but it was confirmed through the company’s Instagram that there’s some sort of Ice and Fire theme. Act surprised.
Although the idea behind the make-up line is a little silly, the colors and the pictures available look kind of cool, so we shouldn’t judge it before we try it on. Game of Thrones is an extremely beloved show that has changed the way in which we view TV, opening up a space for fantasy content. It’s watched by people of all genders and ages, so we predict Urban Decay’s line will have some sort of success.
Although Halloween is far off, this year you can expect less Khaleesi and more White Walkers. This time, the zombies will be kind of beautiful instead of creepy and morbid.
