Working out your chest probably isn’t the first thing on your to-do list in the gym—but maybe it should be. Your chest muscles (a.k.a., pectoral muscles or "pecs," which are some of the largest in your body), are responsible for your upper body's stability, helping you to maintain proper posture, and even play a part in your ability to breathe deeply. Plus, they help you tackle everyday functional tasks like pushing open doors or picking up groceries.

Over the next 21 days, expect to tone those chest muscles, increase flexibility, and possibly even give your breasts a lift (breast tissue sits on top of the pectoral muscles, FYI) with these 17 strengthening and stretching moves. Get started and put your best chest forward.

Do you need to know how to lose weight safely in two weeks? Since you’re reading this, we’re going to assume that you do! We can help, whether you have a vacation coming up or an important event and you want to look your best. If you stick to the guidelines below, you can make a noticeable change in your appearance in the next 14 days.

We don’t recommend extreme weight loss methods, but really fine-tuning your diet and exercise routine can help you shed some excess weight and inches, quickly and safely. When it comes to losing weight quickly, simply cleaning up your diet can make a huge difference. What you eat and drink each day (and, what you choose not to consume) will determine your results. Then, adding in exercise and workout routines will get you the rest of the way!

Make sure to Eat Enough – You might be surprised to learn that eating enough is crucial to quick weight loss. Often times, when we’re trying to lose weight quickly, we essentially starve ourselves. This is not only unhealthy, but it’s also incredibly ineffective.

While it is imperative to decrease daily caloric intake, your body and metabolism still require a certain number of calories to burn fat at an optimal rate. For this reason, the first thing that you’ll want to do is find out How Many Calories You Should Be Eating Daily to Lose Weight.

Plenty of Protein – Protein is – by far – the most important macronutrient that you can eat for fast weight loss. It’s not free of calories; in fact, there are 4 calories in each gram. But, digesting protein takes longer and requires more energy. This means that when you eat protein, your body works harder and burns more calories than if you were eating carbs or fat.

Beyond that, consuming sufficient amounts of protein each day will boost your metabolism, slow down digestion, keep you feeling fuller for longer, and even help your muscles recover faster from your workout! A general rule of thumb for weight loss is to eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. For instance, if you weigh 140 pounds, you’ll want to eat 140 grams of protein daily for the next 14 days.

To ensure that you don’t get sick of your protein sources, check out this Ultimate List of 44 High-Protein, Low-Carb Foods.

Fewer Carbs – Decreasing your carb intake temporarily can be extremely beneficial to shrinking your waistline! When you eat carbs, your body holds on to water. Limiting carbs allows your body to let go of water, enabling you to lose inches as well. Furthermore, decreasing carbs will help you reduce your daily calorie intake, assisting in the weight-loss process.

If you're following the keto diet, or just eating fewer carbohydrates, beer (aka liquid carbs) was probably one of the first things you cut out. But there may be days when you just have to have a cold one, and in those instances, low-carb beer is the way to go.

Lucky for you, there's a plethora of options out there. Hoppy craft beers, and deep, dark stouts are typically brimming with carbs (and sometimes calories, too), so focus on the "light" beers. They're always lower in carbs than their regular counterparts. 

That said, some have more carbs than others. And they vary in calories too. “To be labeled as ‘light’ the product needs to have one-third fewer calories compared to the full-calorie version,” explains Taylor C. Wallace, PhD, principal and CEO of the Think Healthy Group and adjunct professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at George Mason University.

To help you choose a brew, we've rounded up eight low-carb beers that clock in at less than 100 calories per serving. Plus, they're easy to find on store shelves. Enjoy!

95 calories, 5g carbs, 3.5% ABV

At 5 grams carbohydrate per serving, Amstel Light is about middle of the road for this category. It's also light on the palate and quite refreshing.

55 calories, 1.8g carbs, 2.4% ABV

With an aroma of toasted malt and subtle hops, this beer is the lowest of the low when it comes to calories and carbs. And also the only Budweiser brew that’s under our 100-calorie cap.

RELATED: Your Ultimate Keto Diet Grocery List

90 calories, 2.6g carbs, 4.0% ABV

A little pricier than other light beers, this recently-launched line from the famous Mexican company actually clocks in at fewer calories and carbs than Corona Light (which is 99 calories and 5 grams carbohydrate).

99 calories, 7g carbs, 3.3% ABV

The lighter version of the famous Dutch-brewed Heineken still delivers on taste. But f you don’t care about the booze, Heineken's brand new non-alcoholic beer—Heineken 0.0—will give you that same classic taste for only 69 calories and 4.8 grams carbs

Unfortunately, there's no good indicator—such as bitterness from hops—that can help you ID other low-carb beers. “Obviously if the product tastes sweet, it likely has more sugar and carbs," says Wallace. "But in general, quantities can vary between even similar products."

American have gotten wider in recent years, but not taller, according to a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report, published today by the National Center for Health Statistics, found that average weight, waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI) increased among all age groups between 1999 and 2016.

Overall, men’s average weight increased by more than 8 pounds during that time period from 189.4 in 1999–2000 to 197.9 in 2015–2016. Women’s average weight increased by nearly 7 pounds, from 163.8 to 170.6.

Average heights, however, did not see similar growth. Most groups saw no significant change in height over the study period, while some—like women of all ages, and men 40 to 59—saw an overall decrease in stature.

The results were similar among most demographics, with the exception of black men and Asian men and women. Among black men, measurements of weight and waist circumference increased until 2006, then leveled off. Asians (of both sexes) were the only group that saw no significant change in width nor height.

RELATED: 15 Things Nobody Tells You About Losing Weight

The study included measurements from a nationally representative sample of more than 45,000 adults, and it provides an update to a previous study of height and weight trends through the early 2000s. In that report, it was revealed that the average American weight increased by more than 24 pounds between 1960 and 2002. Average height also increased, by about 1 inch, over those four decades.

Steven Heymsfield, MD, president of The Obesity Society, says the results of this study are not surprising. “Clearly, there has been an increase in adiposity in this country,” says Dr. Heymsfield, who was not involved in the new report. Many studies have documented growing waistlines and rising BMIs over the last several decades, he says, along with increases in the prevalence of obesity-related health problems.

But the findings are still important, he says, because they show that height has not played a role in changing BMI patterns over the years. (BMI is a measure that takes both height and weight into account, so it’s influenced by changes in either.) “It proves that what we’ve suspected is correct—that BMIs are getting higher and higher, and we can’t blame it on the fact that people are getting taller or shorter,” he says. “It’s dismaying, but also reassuring for our research.”

RELATED: 57 Ways to Lose Weight Forever, According to Science

It’s helpful that the study also looked at weight and waist circumference, says Dr. Heymsfield, since BMI doesn’t paint a complete picture of one’s health. It doesn’t take into account muscle mass versus body fat, for example, so people with a lot of the former may fall into the overweight or obese category even if they're very physically fit. Studies have suggested that measurements such as waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio may be better indicators of a person’s overall health.

So now that we have evidence—even more evidence, that is—that the obesity epidemic is real, what can we do about it? Dr. Heymsfield says there’s lots of ongoing research, and that scientists are making new discoveries every day.

“We’re looking at this on the molecular level, and progress has been breathtaking,” he says. “We now know that there are certain genes that predispose people to obesity, and that’s helping us to identify people much earlier in life who are at risk.” Scientists are also studying how public policy efforts—like calorie labels at restaurants and taxes on sugary beverages—can help turn the tide.

RELATED: 13 Types of Cancer Linked to Being Overweight

On an individual level, if you’re concerned about your weight, there’s also the age-old advice that doctors have been giving for decades: Strive to get the recommended amount of physical activity, eat a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and talk with your doctor or a nutritionist about obstacles that might be standing in your way. This study shows you’re definitely not alone—and provides even more incentive for Americans to reverse this troubling trend.

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter

Forget the keto diet. Everyone is chattering about The Dubrow Diet right now. (It's the #1 new nutrition release on Amazon.) And it’s got some big, life-changing promises.

If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it is. The Dubrow Diet is from reality TV power couple Heather Dubrow and Terry Dubrow, MD. She of Real Housewives of Orange County fame, and him a Newport Beach plastic surgeon and star on Botched. Their book is all about how to go on a diet that leaves you feeling and looking as good as they do.

So, what’s the huge secret? Intermittent fasting. Right, not such a huge secret, considering that next to the keto diet, IF is the next hottest thing. There are several ways to do intermittent fasting, but the Dubrows stick to time-restricted fasting. This means you only eat during a certain window of time in your day, and fast the rest of the hours. For example, you may fast for 12, 14, or 16 hours a day. They call this a “reset” (fast) and “refuel” (feast) schedule.

In their book the Dubrows present the research on intermittent fasting as definitive. But the reality is, it's still emerging. The authors of a 2015 review of 21 studies concluded that while certain types of fasting have been found to help people lose weight and body fat, the data on time-restricted fasting is limited, and "clear conclusions cannot be made at present." In 2017, a position statement from the The International Society of Sports Nutrition noted that there isn't any evidence that intermittent fasting is more effective than cutting calories.

Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, Health’s contributing nutrition editor, agrees that it's too early to draw conclusions about IF: “We’re still learning about the potential health benefits of intermittent fasting in healthy adults, including if it’s the best approach for long-term weight loss."

RELATED: 7 Dangers of Going Keto

How does the Dubrow Diet work?

Get ready, because there are three phases and many rules within each:

Phase 1: Red Carpet Ready

You commit to a “two- to five-day metabolic boot camp” of a 16-hour reset (fast) and 8-hour refuel (feast). This is meant to reset your hunger and fullness cues.

Phase 2: Summer Is Coming

This phase is done until you reach your goal weight. How quickly you want to get there determines how long your “reset” period will be. For instance, if you want to do it fast, you’d stick with a 16-hour reset and 8-hour refuel window. You also get to “cheat”—either for a “moment,” a “meal,” or an entire “day,” depending on your fasting schedule. Your eating time may start at about 1 p.m. with lunch (before that you’d have coffee, or a green/beet drink that they heavily promote), followed by a light snack, and then dinner.

While the Dubrows don’t encourage counting calories or macros, they do have guidelines for what you should eat in a day. In this phase, that includes:

Protein: 2-3 servings per day

Fat: 2-3 servings per day

Nuts, seeds, and snacks: 1 serving per day

Dairy: 1 serving per day

Veggies (those that grow above ground are preferred): 2-3 servings per day

Fruit: 1-2 servings a day

Complex carbs: 1 serving per day

And, good news, you get to drink alcohol—something low in sugar (like wine or brut champagne). Women are encouraged to stick to one drink per night. But if you have this glass of wine, cut your fruit to one serving per day.

Phase 3: Look Hot While Living Like a Human

In the maintenance phase, you stick with the basic plan outlined in phase 2 indefinitely. (The old “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” reasoning.) That means a 12-hour fast five days a week; and a 16-hour fast twice a week. Here, the idea is that you find your groove so that the rules become more automatic, and the whole thing becomes easier to sustain.

RELATED: 10 Foods to Eat More of If You're Trying to Lose Weight, According to Nutritionists

What a nutritionist thinks

Exhausted yet? The phases and differing fasting lengths can make this a more complicated plan to follow, Sass notes.

One plus, says Sass, is that the diet emphasizes whole foods, veggies, lean proteins, and healthy fats. And it doesn’t require eliminating carbs completely. But there are some big minuses: “The diet feels outdated, as far as the phases, the very low-calorie levels, and the emphasis on body image,’’ says Sass.

Let’s chat about those calorie levels. Though the Dubrows say you shouldn’t count calories, the reality is that their diet is quite low in calories. When you’re only eating in an 8-hour window, there’s simply less time to eat (which is one reason why intermittent fasting may be effective in the first place). Couple that with the limited servings of foods you’re eating, and you may be getting around 1,000 to 1,200 a day, at least in the first two phases.

“Limiting calories this much goes below the amounts generally needed when you're completely sedentary,” says Sass. “So, you’re eating less than it takes to support your body if you were to lay in bed all day and do nothing. This kind of deficit isn’t dangerous short-term, but it’s not necessary, and it can contribute to irritability, mood swings, persistent hunger, and cravings,” she says.

RELATED: 57 Ways to Lose Weight Forever, According to Science

Another caveat: The Dubrow Diet is also…a diet. There’s a lot of emphasis on staying "hot" or bikini ready. But that approach can be problematic, as Sass points out. “Weight loss should be a side effect of developing a healthy, balanced, and sustainable relationship with food. When body image—getting red carpet ready, getting a bikini body—is the focus, it can lead to an overly restrictive mindset that can trigger under-nourishing, which is not healthy physically or emotionally, and not maintainable long-term,” says Sass.

Aside from promising physical results, The Dubrow Diet also presents itself as your be-all and end-all for confidence, happiness, motivation, and boundless energy. But any diet that claims it will change your life should raise a red flag. (Besides, a plan that encourages a preoccupation with exactly what you’re eating and when in order to look a certain way—rather than making healthy decisions in the context of a full life—can suck the joy out of things real quick.) Bottomline: approach with caution.

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter

If you’re asking yourself about how to cut down on carbs, you’ve come to the right place. Cutting out carbohydrates is one of the simplest and most effective ways to lose weight and control blood sugar. By cutting carbs, insulin levels are reduced, appetites are better satiated, and rapid weight loss occurs.

You might be wondering how to cut down on carbs. Carbs are in everything! Even protein-rich foods, like cheese and eggs, have trace amounts of carbs. The answer is that there are a lot of easy, effective, and healthy ways to reduce your carb intake so you can experience the benefits of a diet that is lower in carbs.

Here are 10 simple ways to answer your questions about how to cut down on carbs.

Bread is extremely high in carbohydrates and lacking in much else when it comes to nutrition, which makes it a poor choice for a healthy diet. If you must have bread, choose items lower in carbs like flatbreads, low-carb tortillas, and sandwich thins.

When eating out, go bun-less or only eat the bottom half of the bun or bread. I have even brought in my own low-carb tortillas to a Mexican restaurant to enjoy with fajitas, instead of the corn or flour tortillas offered.

If preparing food at home, there are a lot of recipes out there that provide low-carb bread substitutions such as lettuce leaves or Cloud bread. These 10 low-carb sandwich recipes  are a great starting point for ideas!

Sometimes hunger strikes between meals and all too often we go for that bag of chips or candy bar to hold us over. Even some choices considered to be healthy, like trail mix and granola bars, are laden with carbs!

Try having lots of low-carb snack options at the ready for those little hunger emergencies. Good options are nuts, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, deli meat, or jerky. These 15 Low-Carb Snacks On-The-Go are a good place to start for some handy low-carb snack ideas as well!

Adding sugar to sweeten foods and beverages adds an extra 12g of carbs per tablespoon. There are plenty of sweetener alternatives out there to use in place of sugar in your morning coffee or tea, as well as in baked goods.

Stevia, erythritol, xylitol, and monkfruit are all-natural sweeteners that do not raise blood sugar or affect insulin levels, so they make for excellent alternatives to sugar. Check out 7 Effortless Ways to Cut Down on Sugar for more suggestions to cut the sugar out of your diet.

Cutting out sugar is extremely difficult. The seemingly innocuous stuff is actually quite addictive. If you feel like you need a little help in this area, this  7-Day Zero Added Sugar Meal Plan could be the jump-start that you need to get past those sugar cravings.

As you may know, losing weight and getting fit requires you to keep both your diet and workout routine in check. These tips to shed fat faster will help you improve both aspects of your weight loss journey.