Wednesday, August 29, 2018

This 51-Year-Old Lost So Much Weight That She's Unrecognizable

This 51-Year-Old Lost So Much Weight That She's Unrecognizable

If you've ever felt the need to lose a few pounds, you know how much of a head game it can be. Now imagine having a couple of hundred of those pounds to lose and knowing that, if you don't, you will probably die. This was life for Clara Williams. At over 400 lb, middle age was starting to seem like the end of the line, and, with so much at stake, she needed to make a change. She did, and — wow! — the difference is something you have to see to believe.

Life At 420 lb.

At 51 years of age, Clara had struggled with her weight her whole life. Anyone who has ever struggled with their weight knows how hopeless the dream of being a socially comfortable size can feel. Clara was getting older but not healthier; her weight was always a problem and now, she was facing the costs.

A Grandmother Who Wants To See Her Grandchild Grow Up

When she became a grandmother to her grandson, Isaac, she began to think about her weight in a different way. It was this life change that made losing weight about more than looks and clothes; living a long, healthy life became the motivator.

“It was hard to even get up off the couch by myself, let alone with a baby in my arms,” Clara said. "I was sick of being sick and tired. So I decided to fight to live life to its fullest.”

Hitting The Top With TOPS

After making the decision to start the process of losing weight permanently, Clara needed support and she found it. She joined TOPS, which stands for "Take Off Pounds Sensibly," a nonprofit support group for people who are ready to lose weight in a healthy, reasonable way. It was there that she began to transform her life and thus, her body.

Her Results

Clara did not use a strict, unrealistic diet to get these dramatic results. The TOPS program featured weekly contests and weigh-ins to keep her motivated and focused. The group kept her accountable and honest about her progress and habits, which made the transformation possible. Clara was quoted saying, “The support from the group gave me all the encouragement I needed, and in so many ways, it saved my life.”

Walking Is One Foot In Front Of The Other

Every journey, long or short, starts with a single step. Clara's is no exception. She walked and walked and walked to get her body into shape and keep her mind focused on her goals. She would also follow Leslie Sansone's Walk-At-Home tapes to keep her going.

One Step At A Time, Look How Far She's Come

At 5'10", Clara collectively lost 243 lb. That is a whole other adult person! Now, at the healthy weight of 183 lb, she reports being both relieved and mortified at the dramatic transformation she made to save her own life. The difference is huge in both mind and body. No looking back!

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

It Turns Out That Coffee Addiction Can Be Blamed On Genes

It Turns Out That Coffee Addiction Can Be Blamed On Genes

If you can't function without that morning cup of java, you are not alone. Hundreds of thousands of us drink it every day. In fact, aside from water and tea, coffee is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. But how much do you need before the caffeine kicks in and starts your engine? One cup? Two? Nine? According to a recent study, if you need a dump truck of coffee just to get your daily caffeine jolt, you can blame it on your DNA.

How many cups of coffee do you need throughout your day?COMMENTand let us know!

For some of us, coffee = life.

And if you really love it, you can even bathe in it. There's a spa in Japan that fills your bath with coffee, so you can reap all supposed skin-detoxing benefits. 

Are we really programmed to like it?

According to research from Nicola Pirastu, the scientist who led the study, some of us are carrying a gene variation that limits our coffee consumption. 

Science to the rescue!

The study tested over 1200 people. They all filled out surveys about coffee consumption and had their genetic makeup analysed. Then they tested 1700 more people just to confirm their results.

Do you have this crazy gene variation?

But they all revealed the same thing: if you had the gene variant, you drank less coffee. Those of us who have this weird variation actually need less coffee because the caffeine hangs around in our systems longer.

Wait — is it good to have this or not?

That all depends on how much you like to drink.

This special variant actually slows down our metabolism, and since our body takes longer to break it down, we're not reaching for that extra cup to get our fix. “The results of our study add to existing research suggesting that our drive to drink coffee may be embedded in our genes," says Pirastu.

Extra benefits!

Many of the same genes that process caffeine are also used for certain medicines. So figuring out how these genes work might actually have an impact on how different patients respond differently to the same medications.

Coffee has superhero-like qualities.

“Coffee is protective against some types of cancers, cardiovascular diseases and Parkinson’s,” says Pirastu. “Understanding what is driving its consumption may help us understand what the effects on these diseases are, and so open new lines of research.”

Break time!

Four extra-large dark roasts? Seven espressos? How do you get your required caffeine boost each day? COMMENTand let us know!

The Best Beauty Looks At Coachella

The Best Beauty Looks At Coachella

The first weekend of Coachella passed, and all I can say is I wish I were there. It looked like a ton of fun! But it's cool, I'll just watch from home. My favorite thing about Coachella is seeing the gorgeous outfits that festival goers have been rocking. Aside from the awesome outfits, I love getting inspiration from some beauty looks as well. Keep reading to check out these gorgeous beauty looks that were rocked at Coachella 2017! 

Pink hair, don't care! 

I love the line on her lips. I'm definitely obsessed with this new trend.

I'm so amazed that she drew flowers on her eyes.

Now that's sick.

These studs just make her makeup look so much more unique. 

This look screams Coachella.

Gorgeous. 

Loving the blue details. 

What's your favorite makeup look? Comment to let us know! 

Monday, August 27, 2018

28 People That Inspired Us To Ask Why We Didn't Think Of That

28 People That Inspired Us To Ask Why We Didn't Think Of That

When so many wonderful things have already been invented, it can get pretty hard to make your mark. I would have loved to introduce peanut butter to an adoring crowd, but sadly, I'm over a century too late.

So when someone like these people moves us forward as a species, we feel happy for what they did, but also a little jealous we didn't think of it first.  

1. Well, I guess we can honestly say she found one weird trick that makes parking attendants hate her.

It's important to make sure the fake one actually looks genuine, though. Otherwise, they'll just think someone was handing out flyers.

2. I don't know about y'all, but I didn't think of this one because until now, I wouldn't have thought it was possible.

I suppose his dream to push the boundaries of how hair can be cut sets this innovator apart from the rest of us.

3. If only we were lucky enough to receive the same important education.

I guess they weren't wrong when they said "you can be anything you want," but they should have added "but you probably won't be" so as not to get our hopes up.

4. Now, this fine young man can grow up just comfortably knowing that life sucks.

So he's already ahead of all of us who had to learn it the hard way.
What better gift can a parent pass on to their children?

5. The only problem with this is that it's gonna take some serious doing to get him back on dry food.

I mean, we ate ramen because we had to, not because we wanted to. So it's like going from mom's cooking to that total sadness.

6. How am I just now hearing about cow appreciation day, and why isn't everyone celebrating it?

Anything that gives the world both cheese and ice cream deserves all the love in the world, just like this grandpa and his fabulous shirt.

7. They call these traps "hotels," so how come it took us this long to figure out we have to promote them?

And the best part is that if it works like it's supposed to, nobody can complain about this person's false advertising.

8. It's good to see that someone's finally making this dream a reality.

Training a gator not to bite you is one thing, but I don't know what kind of guru this person has to be to turn it into a chill dude having a cool day.

9. Although I guess we can't say we haven't thought of doing this. We haven't been able to do it.

It's not like everybody just has a "how to train your alligator" kit lying around, and getting them to stop being mean is quite the challenge.

10. Ah, if only my best friend and I could've done this back in high school.

Sadly, even if we had thought of it, our last names were nowhere near each other, so I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

11. Very clever, he'll seem like the world's most doting dad as long as nobody gets too close.

Because if they realize the baby's not real, they'll be worried about him for a completely different reason. Is looking drunk worse than looking crazy?

12. With so many people out here getting really intense about their thirst, she had to do something.

Now instead of saying, "Hey, beautiful" and getting increasingly aggressive from there, they can just leave her to towel off in peace.

13. Plus, now they'll know how annoying that whole exchange normally feels for the ones they holla at.

Well, except for maybe that guy who asks to drink her bathwater. I don't what will work on someone that freaky.

14. The best part about this is that there are still plenty of really nice small countries for him to choose from.

That probably explains why he hasn't been to Canada yet, even though it's right next door. 

Still doesn't explain why he didn't count Alaska, though.

15. Well, I guess some of the best ideas require a little risk-taking.

Sure, they may set the lawn on fire, but nothing in that neighborhood will ever be as cool as a fire-breathing snowman. 

And they pulled it off without melting his hat.

16. This amazing Twitter account for the last Blockbuster store.

These tweets are as sad as they are hilarious. Who doesn't love a Twitter account for a fallen hero?

17. This foot-controlled condiment dispenser.

Everyone knows the worst thing in the world is trying to balance your fries with one hand also pump ketchup with the other hand. This foot pedal is genius.

But is the foot pedal more genius than this awesome ketchup robot?

We may never know for sure. Look at that strength. That precision. The sheer speed of it all.

18. This 4 liter pitcher, placed at each table at this sushi restaurant.

It's truly a really smart idea. Streamlines everything. 

Who even needs a liter pitcher anymore, that is so 2016. 

19. Speaking of streamlining, peep this contraption.

Bar soap is honestly so problematic. It slips and slides everywhere. This makes it so much easier to be clean. 'Cause hygiene is important, y'all. 

20. A Subway in a...wait for it, wait for it...SUBWAY.

Sometimes, life hands us a perfect storm. This is absolutely one of them. It's a sandwich inception and I'm here for it. 

Subways are so lit, it makes so much sense.

Subways have a lot of different types of people and types of smells in them. Just like an actual subway shop. 

21. This restaurant, that has a really bougie scent bar.

If you like the smell, you order the coordinated cocktail. How brilliant is that? So much money saved. So many better decisions to be made.

22. This brilliant way to save the environment and also save money.

Why waste unopened ketchups? Ketchup is a gorgeous condiment that should be preserved as a world treasure.

23. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust in a vending machine.

Honestly, forget chips or candy bars. I want a Speedo bathing suit at a moment's notice.

24. That's a pretty clever way to make sure nobody ever accuses her of resisting arrest.

And as someone in a similar situation, I'd probably also choose going down to the station over running away.

I'm not saying it's an easy choice, but still...

25. OK, so I'll admit this one isn't gonna change the world or anything, but I'm still kinda mad I didn't think of it first.

Hey, there are worse legacies than making people sing that part in their heads every time they walk by. 

26. This person just raised the bar, because a window tinted to look like you has about a million uses.

Now he can scare people in the parking lot and they can't yell at him. It helps that this guy's already rocking a troll face.

27. And the best part is that nobody will ever feel comfortable enough to steal his car.

Even if they're pretty sure he's not actually in there, there will always be that shred of doubt. Now we just need this tint in GIF form.

28. Of course, sometimes people come up with things we hadn't thought of andcouldn't do even if we had.

I can't deny that this is probably upping her polish game like crazy, but everything about how people are supposed to go about it screams "NOPE."

Knitters And Crocheters Needed To Make Beanies For Newborn Babies

Knitters And Crocheters Needed To Make Beanies For Newborn Babies

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If your fingers can fly with a pair of needles, the American Heart Association needs you. They've put out a call for volunteers with skilled fingers to knit and crochet beanies for newborns.

They're building up a supply of adorable little red caps for Little Hats, Big Hearts, a campaign that gives a little beanie to every baby born in February, which is American Heart Month.

Little Hats, Big Hearts started small, with a chapter in Chicago making about 300 hats back in 2014. Just three years later, it has become a national deal, with more than 40 states taking part. 

It's all part of a big movement to get families thinking about heart health and congenital defects.

Local Heart Association groups get together to make hats for babies in their areas. 

However, anybody can go to the Heart Association's website and download a few different patterns to crochet or knit for babies or preemies. They're also accepting donations of yarn.

So if you have the skills, consider lending them to the Heart Association for this amazing campaign!

Just think of how your work could be warming some precious little noggin! 

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