Weight loss lessons from 'The Biggest Loser' contestants

History's weirdest weight loss fads, fact-checked

Nothing catches popular attention more than a claim to have found a quick weight-loss technique. History shows us such claims are often unfounded. Dr. Michael Mosley explores extreme weight-loss tips from history, from tapeworms to vinegar diets.

Explore the complex relationship between calories and weight

What if you found out that weight loss is actually much more complex than "calories in, calories out" and that the 2,000 calorie-a-day recommendation may not actually be accurate?

Is metabolism related to weight loss?

Read this article to better understand metabolism and why doctors say it's only one piece in the puzzle to managing weight. Metabolism breaks down and converts what we consume into energy, which provides fuel for all of our body's functions—both...

What do people do once GLP-1 medications succeed at weight loss?

The drugs have been adopted by 1 in 8 Americans, with many achieving their prescribed weight loss. They now face the question of how to keep the weight off, the key issue with any weight loss program that researchers have known about for decades. Each case is unique. Some folks continue to use GLP-1s like Ozempic in minuscule doses, while others taper them off over time.

How meal timing factors into health outcomes

The world is trending toward weight gain, a development that comes with a corresponding rise in risk for health conditions, including diabetes and heart disease. This article explores how meal timing has become a factor in nutrition and weight maintenance.

Artificial sweeteners aren't very helpful for weight loss

Research published in 2014 from a randomized controlled study found that, on average, people only lost about two pounds if they switched to consuming artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Some individuals using artificial sweeteners also have gained weight. Scientists theorize one potential explanation for this is that the sweeteners alter gut microbiomes in ways that reduce beneficial flora that would help promote digestion.

Sleep deprivation may slow metabolism

This article explains that, according to research from Penn State, restricting sleep for just a few days can affect how the human body metabolizes fats and change how satisfied people feel after a meal. The study found that people who don’t get...

At-home genetic testing results commonly led users to healthier lifestyles

Italian research that aimed to investigate what people do longer-term after receiving direct-to-consumer genetic test results indicated that whether the results were positive or negative, people tended to adopt a healthier diet after receiving the results, and they'd still maintained it a year after receiving their results. Some users also reported an overall reduction in stress over their health concerns. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Exercise causes diet-independent changes in the gut microbiome

Cardiovascular exercise has been found to boost the gut's population of beneficial bacteria, and exercise overall decreases the likelihood of developing a "leaky gut," a condition in which a porous gut lining allows bacteria to leak into the bloodstream and cause inflammation.

Activity trackers promise to improve health by forcing us to examine the facts

Explore how modern fitness culture, rooted in capitalist ideals of productivity and control, shapes our perception of health and self-worth. The author blends cultural criticism with personal insight to examine the contradictions of the wellness industry, the rise of wearable tech, and what it means to "optimize" a body.

Runners typically burn 2,600 calories during a marathon

They also burn between 5-10 pounds of water weight, often feel more focused and elated (thanks to increased neurotransmitters), and, oddly enough, temporarily grow about a half-inch shorter due to back muscles tensing.

Using fitness wearables to track muscle wasting in astronauts

All that exercising, and astronauts still are likely to lose a large amount of muscle mass while in microgravity. Astronauts can lose up to 20 percent of their muscle in as little as five days in space. Currently, tracking muscle loss means waiting until astronauts land to remeasure their muscle density post-trip. This article explains a NASA-backed fitness wearable that may be able to track muscle atrophy as it happens.

Investigation finds 'influencer' dietitians paid to promote sugar, supplements on social media

A joint investigation by The Examiner and The Washington Post found that food, beverage, and supplement corporations and groups have paid registered dietitians on social media to promote content that goes against decades of scientific evidence on...

Counting calories with a ballerina

Ballet dancer Theresa Farrell meticulously manages her diet to achieve her performance weight goal for the American Contemporary Ballet season in Los Angeles. She tracks calories, relies on pre-packaged meals, and calculates every intake. This regimen allows her to stay focused on training and rigorous dance routines, ensuring she's prepared physically for performances. Watch a day in the life here.

How endurance athletes can build resilience

Long-distance runners and other endurance athletes can improve their performances using tips explored in this article. Findings from two recent studies show that strength training, high-altitude training, and intense interval sessions are all potential methods for ameliorating long-term athletic capabilities.

'Menobelly' is real, with more fat stored around the abdomen as estrogen levels drop

The way fat is carried in the body shifts with menopause, with those pounds increasingly settling around the abdomen instead of the hips and thighs. Exacerbating this phenomenon, muscle mass also begins to decline, so calories stick around longer than usual. Resistance training, including push-ups and planks, alongside a heavier protein diet can help.

How to form lasting, healthier habits

James Clear's "Atomic Habits" is a bestselling book about making small, realistic changes to create healthier habits. This brief piece breaks down three key lessons from the book as well as four simple steps toward adopting its approach.

Eating competitions can ruin a stomach's elasticity

Competitive eaters make room for all that food by toying with the stomach's ability to expand and contract. Still, doctors warn that repeated stress can destroy that ability, leading to further issues.

Moving your body every day is key to longevity

In an era of biohacking, where millionaires subject themselves to draconian routines and tests to de-age themselves, one study suggests a super simple key predictor of mortality: more than any other trait, how much subjects moved determined how long they'd live. Movement mattered even more than age in predicting overall life longevity. Researchers suggest this means we should all simply get outside a bit more. Read more about the study here.

Even in recent history, adaptations to the environment drove human evolution

Through genetics, environmental pressures, and cultural influences, humans have evolved to tolerate lactose, develop varying skin pigmentation, and acquire genetic resistance to diseases like bubonic plague. The metabolic and digestive systems of Indigenous peoples have adapted to their diet, which is influenced by the availability of food and water.

Social support plays a critical role in recovery from addiction

This engaging TEDx talk from addiction researcher Jacki Hillios explores addiction recovery through a transformative lens and Phoenix Multisport—an innovative program helping people rebuild their lives through active lifestyles. By living out its core message that people are not defined by their disease, the program demonstrates the power of social support in recovery.

Arnold Schwarzenegger fueled a lot of the interest in strength training, beginning in the 1980s

This was notable because clinicians around the 1950s thought that lifting heavy weights was bad for health, dampening muscle-strengthening interest that dates back to the ancient Greeks. Beyond Schwarzenegger-inspired interest and the popularity of Venice Beach bodies, the weight training movement also later gained momentum due to accumulating scientific evidence and the rise of entities like Crossfit. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Research suggests that lottery winners tend to be happier than those who lost

Despite this host's attempts, it seems unlikely to prove that money buys happiness. However, there are interesting studies that suggest increased wealth can, on average, improve one's satisfaction.

The best predictor of success.

Leaving a high-flying job in consulting, Angela Lee Duckworth took a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school. She quickly realized that IQ wasn’t the only thing separating successful students from those who struggled. Here, she explains her theory of “grit."

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

An interesting perspective on whether (and how) brain size matters in cognitive ability

Some brains are bigger than others, but what is the relevance, if any, to brain size and intelligence? This Scientific American article explores the question and offers examples. It also visually compares frontal slices of several mammals' brains, showing that humans don't necessarily have the biggest cerebrums on the block.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

Learn how your body is, scientifically, like a firework with its own slow, controlled burn.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

Watch how algorithms can be designed to train themselves and self-improve without human input, to the point where the optimized code is too complex for programmers to understand.

Recent research found that the brain doesn't seem to massively rewire following amputation—upending earlier beliefs about the cause of phantom limb pain.

Fast-casual restaurant Chili's is experiencing a resurgence, with its parent company recently reporting a nearly 32% increase in sales, thanks to passionate Gen Z fans on TikTok.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

Use this tool to calculate the dollar value of your parental mental load, from meal planning to coordinating after-school care, then see resources that help generate solutions.

Apollo astronauts left items in the moon's 'toss zone,' including golf balls, family photos, and bags of human waste, to make room for lunar rocks.

Neutron stars, the remains of some massive stars after they explode in a supernova, are the densest directly observable objects in the universe.

Browse a detailed visual analysis of over 200,000 similes—comparisons that often use 'like' or 'as'—from popular fiction to see how frequently writers the same idiomatic expressions.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

How the most famous Ebola book, The Hot Zone, which sold 3.5 million copies and was translated into 30 languages, got aspects of the disease so wrong.

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

'Shogun,' a 1980s TV series, helped popularize sushi in the US by stimulating an American interest in Japanese culture.

NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent the 2025 summer training with monks in central China to enhance his body and mind.

The boiling temperature of water decreases with increasing elevation because the molecules need less energy to overcome the lower atmospheric pressure associated with thinner air.

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.

Search a massive database of over 4 decades of clues from the TV quiz show 'Jeopardy!'

In 2009, the nation was gripped by the story of a missing young boy who was believed to be floating over Colorado in a homemade balloon, until it was revealed that he was at home the whole time.

The Nasdaq's 'Magnificent 7' companies are responsible for roughly 40% of the Nasdaq 100 index's gains, while the remaining 93 companies account for the other 60%.