Medical Service Provider, Health Care Tips, Health Services, Health Guide: Ready

Tuesday, 4 March 2014

I Did It! Ready For My Selfie

Michele Auguste
32, 5'9"
West New York, N.J.

Before
280 lb.
Dress size: 18/20

I was taught to eat everything on my plate. So from a very young age, that's what I did—even if I was full. My weight mushroomed to more than 200 pounds, but I became a pro at projecting fake body confidence. That was until I saw a photo of myself from a girls' trip in November 2011. Not only did I look huge, but I saw sadness in my eyes. It was an "Oh my gosh!" moment. I knew it was time for a change.

Diet overhaul
In December 2011, I signed up for Weight Watchers. I had tried several other plans; the few pounds I lost always returned. Weight Watchers made eating healthy seem doable because I didn't have to give up sweets or stop eating out. All I had to do was count my points. I quickly learned, though, that it was wiser to spend those points on grilled chicken and vegetables than on cartons of Chinese takeout. My new eating habits helped me ditch 20 pounds in eight weeks. And I could finally climb a flight of stairs without feeling winded.

Hello, elliptical
With my eating under control, I took to the elliptical twice a week for eight minutes, followed by a few crunches. I stuck to this regimen for almost seven months, building up to 50 minutes five days a week. And it worked. By August I was down another 70 pounds. My thinner, fitter frame gave me the courage to take on group fitness (Zumba and barre-based workouts). Each class left me aching, but the soreness was worth it because it led to an additional 30-pound loss. Then I hit a plateau. I tweaked my routine, but those last 11 pounds wouldn't budge. Despite my frustration, I stayed the course. Six months later, I finally hit my goal and found out what it means to be confident in your own skin.

After
163 lb.
Dress size: 6/8

Total lost
117 lb.
Sizes lost: 6

LITTLE CHANGES, BIG RESULTS
Small everyday strategies transformed Michele's body. Steal the ones below, and find more tested tips on Pinterest (pinterest.com/goodhealth).

MY FIT NIGHT OUT: ZUMBA
Every Wednesday, I take a Zumba class with the friends I met at Weight Watchers. It's our weekly girls' night. We catch up, bond and even enjoy a fun workout that burns a bunch of calories!

PORTION SAVER: A SCALE
People tell you to use a deck of cards, but I don't eyeball anything. I'm loyal to my food scale because if you're really hungry, your perception may be skewed. This way I know exactly how much I'm eating.

MY CHEAT MEAL OF CHOICE: CHINESE
I will always love Chinese food. Every other week, I have pork fried rice. I don't eat the entire container, though. I measure out a cup. I just need a taste to curb my craving.

GO-TO SNACK: WHEATABLES
They're like whole-wheat crackers dipped in honey. It's a healthy snack masked as a sweet treat.

SHARE YOUR SUCCESS STORY
Have an amazing body makeover of your own? Tell us about it at health.com/i-did-it and let us know what diet and fitness strategies worked for you.

As told to Rozalynn S. Frazier

View the original article here

Tuesday, 25 June 2013

Egg-Free Flu Vaccine Ready for Flu Season

By Todd Neale, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today

A new trivalent recombinant influenza vaccine has been added to the 2013-2014 flu recommendations to provide an immunization option for people with a history of allergic reactions to eggs.

Flublok is made using recombinant DNA technology and contains hemagglutinin produced in an insect cell line. Approved by the FDA in January, it is the only completely egg-free flu vaccine available, prompting the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to add it to the guidance for the upcoming season at one of its regular meetings at CDC headquarters in Atlanta.

According to the previous algorithm for determining how people with egg allergies should be vaccinated, those who had a history of only hives upon exposure to egg were recommended to get inactivated influenza vaccine followed by an observation period of at least 30 minutes after administration to watch for reactions.

And those who had a history of some other reaction aside from hives -- such as cardiovascular changes, respiratory distress, gastrointestinal symptoms, and reactions requiring epinephrine or emergency medical attention -- were recommended to see a physician with expertise in management of allergic conditions for further evaluation.

For the upcoming season -- following a unanimous vote by ACIP -- Flublok (abbreviated RIV3) will be listed as an alternative in both scenarios, assuming the individual falls within the approved age range of 18 to 49.

A reference to RIV3 also will be made in added language referring to people who do not have a history of egg allergy but who may be at risk based on previously performed allergy testing. In that case, "consultation with a physician with expertise in the management of allergic conditions should be obtained prior to vaccination" or, if age appropriate, RIV3 can be given.

At the last meeting of ACIP in February, the committee approved the addition of four recently approved flu vaccines to the guidance for the 2013-2014 season. On Thursday, Sanofi Pasteur's Fluzone Quadrivalent -- approved by the FDA earlier this month -- was added, as well. It is the only quadrivalent flu vaccine approved for use in children younger than 2.

All of the quadrivalent vaccines will protect against two A strains -- H1N1 and H3N2 -- and two B strains -- one from the Yamagata lineage and one from the Victoria lineage.

One of the ACIP members, Tamera Coyne-Beasley, MD, MPH, reported that her institution, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, receives clinical trial funding from Merck. The other committee members reported that they had no conflicts of interest.

Todd Neale

Senior Staff Writer

Todd Neale, MedPage Today Staff Writer, got his start in journalism at Audubon Magazine and made a stop in directory publishing before landing at MedPage Today. He received a B.S. in biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an M.A. in journalism from the Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting program at New York University.