Dr. Becky’s Fitness Blog

Dr. Becky’s Fitness Blog

The Symptoms of High Cortisol and How It Makes You Gain Weight

Video | Understanding Cortisol | Cortisol and Fat Storage | Symptoms | Testing | Management | Takeaway

Weight gain, particularly around the abdomen, high blood pressure, mood swings, and fatigue.

These are just some of the signs of high cortisol, the hormone commonly referred to as the stress hormone. 

At normal levels, it performs vital functions necessary for survival. However, if it is chronically elevated, it can block fat loss and encourage fat gain. This blog post explains how chronically high cortisol affects your body, an at-home test to see if your cortisol levels are out of whack, and ways to manage cortisol for better health. 

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Reducing Belly Fat with a Low-Carb, Polyphenol-Rich Diet

Video | Belly Fat Vicious Cycle | How Polyphenols Help Reduce Belly Fat | Polyphenol-Rich Foods | Takeaway

Deep belly fat, or visceral fat, that is stored around the abdominal organs is linked to significant health risks, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.

There are proven strategies for reducing belly fat. One that I’ve covered extensively on my blog is a low-carb diet. Another strategy is to boost your intake of polyphenols.

But here’s the thing: Polyphenols come from plants, and because plants make carbohydrates through photosynthesis, boosting polyphenols means you boost your carb intake.

Is there a way to marry these two strategies? In other words, can you enjoy your polyphenols and have your low-carb diet benefits, too? Absolutely, and not only is it enjoyable because of the great foods you get to eat, but it is also easy to follow and effective.  

This blog post shares how polyphenols help to reduce belly fat and the low-carb foods that contain them. 

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Morning Protein for More Muscle

Video | Study | Ways to Boost Protein | How Much Daily Protein? | How Much Early Protein? | Intermittent Fasting?

Eating sufficient protein is needed to support muscle mass and strength. When you eat it, also matters. That is according to a study involving mice and humans that compared muscle mass and strength in subjects who ate more protein for breakfast to those who ate more at dinner. This blog post shares the results and practical ways to add protein to your day. 

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Low-Carb Pizza Casserole to Pasta Pizza Casserole – Family Solution

Video | Jump to Recipe | Pizza Casserole | Fajitas | Tacos | Chili | Burgers

You love eating low-carb, and it is working for you as far as weight loss, blood sugar control, and mental clarity, but you cannot get your family members to adopt your new lifestyle. 

It is a common challenge, and the last thing you want to do is cook two dinners every night. This blog post gives you an easy-to-cook recipe to meet your low-carb needs and your family’s higher-carb requests.

And, if you like this recipe, read on for four more meal ideas that can be converted from low-carb-friendly to family-friendly in one step. 

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Can Diet Soda Reduce Belly Fat Risk?

Video | Soda Study | Is Diet Soda Healthy?

Diet soda is not a healthy drink by any stretch of the imagination. However, a study involving more than a thousand participants showed that while drinking sugar-sweetened soda caused a significant increase in belly fat, drinking diet soda did not. After the six-year study period, diet soda consumption was not associated with belly fat gain. 

While there is a lot more to healthy living than a flat stomach, having more belly fat (aka visceral fat) is linked to insulin resistance and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and more. Is diet soda the solution? We’ll explore the study and address that question in this blog post. 

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REHIT–The Least Amount of Exercise for Results

Video | What is REHIT? | Why It Works | How to Do REHIT | Details for Performing

If you don’t have an hour each day to do steady-state aerobic exercise. If a 20-minute High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session fits your schedule but requires more effort than you are willing or able to do, I understand. 

Can I interest you in 40 seconds of effort? 

This is not some silly made-up thing; it is a real form of exercise called REHIT or reduced-exertion high-intensity training, and it has been shown in studies to increase aerobic capacity and metabolic health, even if you are currently sedentary. This blog post shows you why it works and how you can do it. 

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Carnivore, Ketovore, Keto, Low-Carb – Carb Limits and Food Lists

Video | Water Weight | Comparing Carb Limits | Carnivore Foods | Ketovore Foods | Keto Foods | Low-Carb Foods

To maintain a healthy weight, the Food and Drug Administration recommends eating 275 grams of carbs a day. For some people, that amount of carbs in a 2,000-calorie diet works. But if it doesn’t work for you, you may consider following a diet lower in carbohydrates. 

This blog post shares four options: Carnivore, Ketovore, Keto, and Low-Carb. I’ll let you know what makes them different and provide food lists for each level. 

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Get Our FREE Guide to Fasting!

Finding the right fasting routine for your body and lifestyle takes time. If you’d like to avoid common fasting mistakes and find ways to make fasting easier, I encourage you to download this FREE guide!

Get your FREE “How-To” guide to fasting here!

Fasting Guide

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Make Low Carb Simple!

Download a list of 100 low-carb foods for free!

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4 Daily Habits That Give Your Body No Choice But To Lose Weight

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4 Daily Habits That Give Your Body No Choice But to Lose Weight

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Enter your information below for instant access to the strategy & free video series that explains how to get the most out of the strategy! 

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