Day Food Record: Fill & Download for Free

If you've ever tried to lose weight (and who hasn't), you've got to be mindful of whose advice you take. Your colleague says you need to cut out carbs. Your gym buddy knows the secret is to stop eating after 7 p.m. Your Facebook friend swears she’ll be in swimsuit shape by March if she only eats once a day. Your husband/wife, well, he/she sneezes and the weight seems to fall off.But do any of these tips really work? To help you shed those extra pounds—and keep them off—without starving yourself, ditching your social life, or eating only at odd times of the day, you need experienced real-world advice you can actually live with, day in and day out. I'll tell you how to focus on the delicious foods you can add to your diet, why you should be eating more often (yes!), the fat loss benefits of more sleep, and how even taking a few deep breaths can put you on a successful path to weight loss.1. Be honest about your daily calorie allowanceEveryone has a calorie budget, whether you're trying to maintain your weight or lose a few pounds. I've found that people ignore this simple fact. Your calorie budget allows you to build a healthy diet, and it helps prevent frustration about weight control. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide suggested daily calorie intakes based on gender, age, and physical activity level. When you know your calorie budget, then you can plan on how many servings of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and other protein sources to include every day.2. Never get too hungryYou make poor decisions when your judgment is compromised. Hunger is a primal urge that’s difficult to deny. When you're famished, it's hard to hold off until you can find healthy food. As a result, you end up eating anything that's not nailed down, and typically, regretting it. Planning meals and snacks works wonders to head off the intense hunger that can do a number on your best intentions to eat right. Always tote healthy snacks, such as an ounce of pistachios, a hard-cooked egg and some whole grain crackers, Greek yogurt, or 1/4 cup raisins. Don't skip meals or skimp on them, either.3. Use the red, orange and green ruleAt each meal include one food that is any of these colors. By focusing on these foods, you'll be sure to get some produce on your plate and won't have space on your plate for higher-calorie fare. (Bonus: Colorful fruits and veggies help your skin look healthier and younger!4. Eat right post-workoutPeople are notorious for overestimating how many calories they burn during physical activity, which is often far less than actual calories burned. When you overestimate the calories you burn during exercise, you may eat more than you need, making weight loss and maintenance difficult. High-intensity exercise may drive women to eat more, and moderate exercise may be the key to easier weight control. To see how many average calories you’re burning during everyday activities and exercise, check out this chart from the CDC. You can see how easy it is to wipe out the calories burned during a workout with just a few extra nibbles during the day.5. Eat one less biteDoing this at every meal could save about 75 calories a day which equates to nearly an 8-pound weight loss in one year!6. Be a heavy drinkerWater is essential for keeping the body hydrated and we're actually more likely to retain "water weight" by not drinking enough of it rather than by having too much. The needs of each person will be different, but the general recommended daily amount is 64 ounces. It also takes up space in your stomach so you'll feel fuller while taking in less calories.7. Kick the salt habitSalt is a big contributor to weight gain and often a reason why the numbers on the scale aren't going down. The average American consumes twice the amount of salt they should have each day, leading to weight gain, bloating, and the inability to lose stubborn pounds. Salt can also make you feel hungrier and thirstier, so check the nutrition labels for high sodium levels and choose fresh over packaged or restaurant foods. You'll see a puffy face and belly go down quickly just by cutting back on your sodium intake and choosing more natural foods.8. Spice up your foodAdding hot spices to your meals can help curb hunger, according to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition. Need another reason to add some heat? Scientists at the State University of New York at Buffalo found that capsaicin (a compound found in chilies) triggers your brain to release feel-good endorphins. A full belly and a good mood? Pass the hot sauce!9. Don't think diet soda will help you lose weightA University of Texas Health Science Center study found that the more diet sodas a person drank, the greater their risk of becoming overweight. Downing just two or more cans a day increased waistlines by 500%. Why? Artificial sweeteners can disrupt the body's natural ability to regulate calorie intake based on the sweetness of foods, suggested an animal study from Purdue University. That means people who consume diet foods might be more likely to overeat, because your body is being tricked into thinking it's eating sugar, and you crave more.A separate study found that even just one diet soda a day is linked to a 34% higher risk of metabolic syndrome, the group of symptoms including belly fat and high cholesterol that puts you at risk for heart disease. Whether that link is attributed to an ingredient in diet soda or the drinkers' eating habits is unclear.10. Focus on nutrient balance instead of calorie countingMaking sure an eating occasion has carbs, protein, and fat instead of just counting calories (like a 100-calorie pack) delivers better energy and fat loss results by giving the body what it needs, like quick- and longer-digesting nutrients so you stay full longer.11. Plate food away from where you're eatingBy keeping food within eyesight as you are eating, you may find yourself reaching for a second helping even if you really aren't hungry. Place the food on the kitchen counter or stove, portion out a serving on your plate and then sit down at the table and eat. This way, if you want additional servings, you'll have to get up, which helps you to be more mindful of what you are eating.12. Keep a food recordI know you've heard this time and time again. Well, that's because keeping a food record is vital to losing weight and keeping it off long term. A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that those who kept regular food records lost twice as much weight as those who didn't. When keeping a food record, make sure to track what you ate, how much you ate, anything you added to the food (condiments, oils, etc.), and what you drank. Also tracking your mood and appetite can be helpful and insightful into learning about your eating patterns as well!13. Start with soupPeople who ate a low-calorie vegetable soup before a meal consumed 20% fewer calories at the meal, according to research from Penn State University. Have a low-calorie broth-based veggie soup before your largest meal of the day to reduce calories and lose weight without feeling hungry.14. Take your timeRapid eaters are often heavier than slow eaters, according to research from The University of Rhode Island. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to send a message to your brain that you have eaten enough and are satisfied. If you rush your meal and eat rapidly, your body's satiety cues won't be tuned in to those feelings of fullness yet and it's easier to overeat. Try slowing down by chewing each bite at least 10 times, putting your fork down in between bites, and fostering a relaxing eating environment rather than eating on the run.15. Outsmart your hunger hormoneEven the most motivated and focused dieter will struggle to be successful at weight loss once hunger takes over. Our bodies secrete a hormone called ghrelin, which controls hunger and drives our appetite. If we don't understand, monitor, and control our ghrelin, we can forget about losing weight. Science tells us that the best way to control ghrelin is to eat small, balanced meals about every 3 hours or so. That's because ghrelin will spike after about 3 to 4 hours of fasting, so eating with regularity helps keep this eating trigger at bay. Ghrelin will also spike if we're deprived of carbs, so it's important to give your body and brain the carb fuel they need. When we skip meals or avoid carbs, we're inviting ghrelin to spike, which increases and makes us feel emotionally hungry. It makes us crave sugar and can derail even the healthiest eating routine.16. Dine anytimeIt's a myth that you'll gain weight as a direct result of eating after 7 p.m. I see many busy professionals at my private practice, and they often get home late. This doesn't mean that they should skip dinner if they're trying to lose weight.Many times, people stop eating by 5 p.m., which results in overeating the following day. This cycle is not ideal as it shuts down your metabolism. You should eat 70% of your calories before dinnertime and 30% at dinner, whatever time that may be. Just give yourself at least 90 minutes to end your meal before you plan to go to sleep. You need at least 90 minutes to digest so you can sleep comfortably.17. Set a date with your kitchenBased on what I have applied in my practice, when it comes to weight loss we need to devote 80% of our efforts to nutrition and 20% to exercise.One way to do this is to schedule time and make a date with your supermarket and kitchen. Restaurant dishes are outside of your control, and the fact is, most times, those outrageous portions come loaded with salt and fat. Start cooking at home to better monitor your calorie intake.Schedule a day, like Sunday afternoon, to pre-cook for the week. Plan to roast a whole chicken. Cut up a batch of vegetables—like squash, peppers, eggplant, and sweet potatoes—toss them with a little olive oil and roast them in another pan alongside the chicken. Boil a pot of brown rice. Do all of this simultaneously and it should only take about an hour.Now you have the makings for Monday's burritos, Tuesday's stew, Wednesday's pasta dish, and so on. Each working evening, you should only need about 15 minutes in the kitchen to put it together—less time than you might spend heating up a fat-, salt- and sugar-filled frozen pizza!18. Breathe away cravingsThis may seem obvious. After all, you have to breathe no matter what, right? But few of us breathe deeply or consciously. Think about it: when was the last time you took a long, slow, deep breath, and slowly let it out again? Deep breaths of that kind take you out of your immersion in momentary stress, oxygenate your brain and tissues, and they help to reduce stress hormones. Take breathing breaks throughout the day, or, better yet, pair those breaks with a quiet walk to disassociate from the stress. Just a couple of minutes of walking, a few long, deep breaths, and you will start to see the results in your body.19. Eat before a party or eventDon't arrive at a big meal, event, or party starving. One study found that you'll be 2.5 times more likely to start off overeating starchy carbs, fried or cheesy foods than those who didn't fast before the meal. And, you'll be more likely to eat 47% more calories of that first food before switching to healthier fare. Have a light snack before you go to an event so you don’t arrive ravenous.20. Be adventurous with chopsticksChoosing chopsticks requires a bit more attention in picking up food from the plate. The portions are smaller, and eating with them takes more time because you have to closely watch each bite so the food doesn’t fall off. They can act as a reminder to slow down, savor and chew consciously which may help you realize you’re fuller sooner than you thought you’d be and then wind up eating less!21. Wear fitted clothingThe elastic waistband is the dieter's fashion enemy number one. When you wear clothes that fit well and make you feel good, you have awareness gauges that give you clear signals to help you put on the brakes as you fill up. Use this as a way of staying mindful of your goals and to help keep you from overeating.22. Sleep away weight gainMake a point of turning in earlier and you’ll see weight loss within a week. Recent research from the University of Pennsylvania found even just a few nights of sleep deprivation can lead to almost immediate weight gain. Scientists asked participants to sleep about 10 hours a night for two days, followed by five nights of sleep restriction and four nights of recovery. After the 11 days, the sleep-deprived group gained almost 3 pounds, compared with a well-rested control group.23. Celebrate healthy talkInstead of using words like "fat," say "fit"; change "can't" to "can"; "weak" to "strong"; "unhealthy" to "healthy." It takes practice but it can start to rewire how you think about your health and weight goals.New research commissioned by Special K surveying over 1,000 women, found that 9 out of 10 women who have a positive attitude about weight management reported either losing or maintaining their weight in the past year versus only about 50% of those with a negative attitude. And beyond being more successful, those with a positive attitude were eight times less likely to report having gained weight than women who think negatively.24. Eat breakfast without failA study published in the British Journal of Nutrition tracked the diets of nearly 900 adults and found that when people ate more fat, protein, and carbohydrates in the morning, they stayed satisfied and ate less over the course of the day than those who ate their bigger meals later on. Unfortunately, many people start off on an empty stomach. In one survey, consumers reported that even when they eat in the morning, the meal is a full breakfast only about one-third of the time. If you're feeling full-blown hunger before noon, there's a chance you're not eating enough in the morning. Shoot for a minimum of 250 calories and aim to get a serving of protein in so you’ll feel fuller longer.24. Take 10 minutes to eat a treatTry this strategy to permanently reduce cravings: Portion out one serving of your favorite treat, taking a minute to smell it, look at it, and think about it. Take one small bite. Chew slowly, moving it around your mouth and focusing on the texture and taste, then swallow. Ask yourself whether you want another bite or if that one satisfied you. If you still want more, repeat, this time chewing the food 20 times. Continue this eating exercise for as long as you want or until you finish the serving (it should take about 10 minutes). "When you take the time to slow down and be more mindful of what something really tastes like, you'll feel more satisfied," says Lesley Lutes, PhD, an associate professor in the department of psychology at East Carolina University. "Many participants said after a while, they didn't enjoy the treat as much as they thought they would, or they were content after just a couple of bites and were better able to stop eating when they were satisfied."

'Is there any relationship between the opioid addiction epidemic among working/middle class Americans, and the uneven gains from the economic recovery following the 2008-09 financial crisis?'.If the 2008-2009 financial crisis and its continuing fallout triggered and/or exacerbated the ongoing US opioid addiction crisis, a striking increase in opioid overdose deaths post-2008 would be expected. However, epidemiological data does not support such a premise. This answers summarizesData showing steady year-on-year increase in opioid overdose deaths from 1999 till date, overdose death rates varying widely from state to state, disproportionately affecting whites, and increasing in tandem as opioid prescribing rates rose from 1999-2010, deaths that the CDC already noted with alarm in 2006-07.How starting in the 1990s aggressive opioid marketing and lobbying gestated the roots of the ongoing opioid epidemic by changing how the US medical system treats pain.Steady Year-on-Year Increase In Opioid Overdose Deaths From 1999 Till DateOpioids prescribed in the US peaked in 2010, decreasing steadily since then (see below from 1) though they're still much higher than in the rest of the world.'CDC analyzed retail prescription data from QuintilesIMS to assess opioid prescribing in the United States from 2006 to 2015, including rates, amounts, dosages, and durations prescribed. CDC examined county-level prescribing patterns in 2010 and 2015. ..The amount of opioids prescribed in the United States peaked at 782 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) per capita in 2010 and then decreased to 640 MME per capita in 2015.’Drug overdose deaths have steadily increased since 1999, doubling already by 2006 in 45 to 54 year olds (see second figure below from 2).Drug overdose deaths vary widely from state to state, with states with rather different economic profiles such as West Virginia, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine and Maryland experiencing substantial increases from 2010 to 2015 (see below from 3).Overdose deaths disproportionately affect whites (see below from 2) though overall, black males continue to have the lowest life expectancy (see below from 4).Opioid prescribing rates steadily increased 1999-2010 with overdose deaths rising in tandem (see below from 5).Already in 2006-7, CDC reported alarming increases in opioid-induced overdose deaths (see below from 6).Aggressive Opioid Marketing in the 1990s Changed How The US Medical System Treats PainA little known drugmaker best known in the 1980s for the painkiller MS Contin, Purdue Pharma morphed into a multi-billion dollar behemoth on the back of OxyContin, its 1990s upgrade, whose unprecedented marketing vaulted the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, into the ranks of the wealthiest Americans today.Well worth the reading, Mike Mariani at the Pacific Standard (7) and Patrick Radden Keefe at the New Yorker (8) methodically and comprehensively unravel the process Purdue Pharma used to relentlessly lobby all manner of doctors from general practitioners to pain physicians alike to expand opioid prescription to those with all manner of chronic pain. US doctors in the incalculably innocent pre-OxyContin era tended to view opioids as 'dangerously addictive', limiting their use to those terminally ill, usually terminal cancer patients.Mariani and Keefe recount how sheer money muscle was used to overturn this restriction in use of prescription opioids to instead render them acceptable to treat an expanding list of pain-related conditions.In practical terms, this meant serious boots on the ground in the form of intense lobbying by the likes of the now-defunct American Pain Foundation (9), and thousands of highly paid and hence extremely motivated sales reps to relentlessly push all manner of doctors to start applying the fifth Vital signs - Wikipedia during their routine examination of patients to elicit information about their pain levels and then palliatively treat them with powerful prescription opioids (10, 11), all while repeatedly assuring them opioids weren't addictive (see below from 12, emphasis mine).'Abbott’s relationship with Purdue and its part in building the OxyContin brand are detailed in previously secret court filings unsealed by a Welch, http://W.Va., state court judge at the request of STAT. The records were part of a case brought by the state of West Virginia against Purdue and Abbott that alleged they inappropriately marketed the drug, causing users to become addicted to the opioid. The case was settled in 2004 when Purdue agreed to pay $10 million to the state. Neither company admitted any wrongdoing.The documents include internal Abbott and Purdue memos, as well as sales documents and marketing materials. They show that Abbott sales reps were instructed to downplay the threat of addiction with OxyContin and make other claims to doctors that had no scientific basis. The sales reps from the two companies closely coordinated their efforts, met regularly to strategize, and shared marketing materials.'Opioid prescribing inducements included direct payments to doctors as well. One 2017 study estimated as many as 1 in 12 US physicians and ~1 in 5 family doctors accepted payments related to opioids during the course of the 29-month study (August 2013-December 2015) (13).Such change in prescribing was based not on carefully conducted scientific studies but one mediated by relentless lobbying and marketing, and came into place within the span of a decade from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s so much so that in 2012, 13 states had more opioid prescriptions than even people (see below from 14, 15). Clearly, change in prescribing (demand) went hand in glove with carpeting of the entire country with a surfeit of opioids (supply).Investigative reporting suggests regulator-opioid maker revolving door also helped grease the wheels.A Los Angeles Times report by Harriet Ryan, Lisa Girion, Scott Glover (16) uncovers how Dr. Curtis Wright, the FDA bureaucrat who led its medical review of Purdue Pharma's OxyContin application in 1995 left the FDA shortly after it approved it and within 2 years began working for Purdue.A piece in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by John Fauber suggests (see below from 17, emphasis mine) beefing up pain advisory councils with opioid maker-friendly voices also helped smooth the way in expanding usage of opioids in pain treatment,'Federal health industry regulators and executives of companies that make pain drugs have held private meetings at expensive hotels at least once a year since 2002 through an organization funded by the drug companies, according to emails obtained through public records requests and provided to the Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today.Each year a handful of drug companies have paid up to $35,000 each to send a representative to meetings of IMMPACT, where they could discuss clinical trial testing procedures with officials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other government agencies. IMMPACT's stated goal is to improve the design of clinical trials conducted to develop new pain treatments.’Such meetings appear to have favored opioid makers even as recently as 2013 (see below from 18, emphasis mine).'The Food and Drug Administration is under enormous pressure to change its mind about a powerful new prescription painkiller. Forty-two public health groups are urging the FDA to withdraw its support of Zohydro. The drug is similar to Oxycontin, except it comes in significantly higher doses. The FDA approved Zohydro last year, despite its own advisory panel voting against it. And critics are, among other things, raising questions about that approval process.’As late in the US opioid crisis as January 2016, a federal government pain advisory panel of 18 had at least 5 with financial ties to opioid makers, connections that came to light (see below from 19),'...after the committee last month bashed a federal plan to recommend doctors scale back on prescribing painkillers for chronic pain. The guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are intended to curb deadly overdoses tied to powerful but highly-addictive opioid drugs, including Percocet and Vicodin.'The Center for Public Integrity - Wikipedia also uncovered evidence of opioid maker lobbying of Congress and state legislatures (20), efforts estimated by Mother Jones to be 8X that of the gun lobby and 200X that of those advocating stricter opioid prescription rules (21).Raw numbers reflect the spectacular success of such unprecedented marketing and lobbying. In 1996, annual OxyContin sales were $48 million. For OxyContin's inaugural marketing alone, Purdue doubled its sales force to 600 and spent $207 million, so much so that already by 2000, OxyContin sales grew 23-fold to ~$1.1 billion (22).Already by 2001, OxyContin had become the most frequently prescribed brand name opioid for treating moderate to severe pain in the US, with so much overprescribing that the US GAO issued a 58-page report warning about it all the way back in December 2003 (23).In recent years, other opioid makers such as Insys Therapeutics Inc. (24) and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals (25) have also come under the public spotlight for their aggressive sales practices, tactics that also applied to antidote makers such as Reckitt Benckiser (26).Like a burst dam, such intense marketing and lobbying ended up transforming how US doctors treat pain, replacing wholesale old true and tried methods that erred on the side of caution to an approach where it suddenly became acceptable to treat any and all pain with extremely powerful opioids (1, 5, 27, 28), a change that a 2016 study (29) suggests had US family doctors and general practitioners at the forefront.Could one seriously argue that from the years 1996 onwards, physical pain and/or existential angst increased so much among the US population as to justify such an increase in opioid sales and consumption? Obviously not. Instead, the US opioid epidemic is inextricably linked to an unprecedented medical culture change in how US doctors were carefully and relentlessly persuaded by opioid makers, their lobbyists and sales reps to treat all manner of pain, not just terminal, late stage cancer pain, with highly powerful opioids.Problem is so far opioid makers haven't been held accountable for their willful recklessness (slaps on the wrist in the form of relatively piddling monetary fines obviously don't count) even as they've saturated the US market. Rather, a report in the Los Angeles Times by by Harriet Ryan, Lisa Girion, Scott Glover suggests that as their profits in the US market start to dry up, their ongoing intense lobbying around the world may end up replicating the US opioid crisis in other countries as well (30). For governments, policy makers and regulators the world over, how to avoid 'globalization of the prescription opioid epidemic' (31) thus becomes a matter of urgency.Bibliography1. Guy, Gery P. "Vital signs: changes in opioid prescribing in the United States, 2006–2015." MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report 66 (2017). https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/pdfs/mm6626a4.pdf2. Hedegaard, Holly, Margaret Warner, and Arialdi M. Miniño. "Drug overdose deaths in the United States, 1999-2015." NCHS data brief 273 (2017): 1-8. Welcome to CDC stacks3. Rudd, Rose A. "Increases in drug and opioid-involved overdose deaths—United States, 2010–2015." MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report 65 (2016). https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/pdfs/mm655051e1.pdf4. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_02.pdf5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC. "Vital signs: overdoses of prescription opioid pain relievers---United States, 1999--2008." MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report 60.43 (2011): 1487. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/wk/mm6043.pdf6. CDC Publications7. Mike Mariani, February 23, 2015. Poison Pill8. New Yorker, Patrick Radden Keefe, October 30, 2017. The Family That Built an Empire of Pain9. Propublica, Charles Ornstein, Tracy Weber, December 23, 2011. The Champion of Painkillers — ProPublica10. Tompkins, D. Andrew, J. Greg Hobelmann, and Peggy Compton. "Providing chronic pain management in the “Fifth Vital Sign” Era: Historical and treatment perspectives on a modern-day medical dilemma." Drug and Alcohol Dependence 173 (2017): S11-S21. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376871617300030/pdfft?md5=3f2ef3c4ddb2c940d6f48f623ef4cc45&pid=1-s2.0-S0376871617300030-main.pdf11. Harris, Matthew C., et al. "Prescription Opioids and Labor Market Pains." (2017). http://cber.haslam.utk.edu/staff/harris/Opioids_HKMG.pdf12. Stat News, David Armstrong, September 22, 2016. Secret trove reveals Abbott's bold 'crusade' to sell OxyContin13. Hadland, Scott E., Maxwell S. Krieger, and Brandon DL Marshall. "Industry Payments to Physicians for Opioid Products, 2013–2015." American journal of public health 107.9 (2017): 1493-1495. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brandon_Marshall/publication/319203662_Industry_Payments_to_Physicians_for_Opioid_Products_2013-2015/links/599acf44aca272e41d4089fa/Industry-Payments-to-Physicians-for-Opioid-Products-2013-2015.pdf14. Prescribing Data15. Protect patients from opioid overdose16. The Los Angeles Times, Harriet Ryan, Lisa Girion, Scott Glover, May 5, 2016. http://www.latimes.com/projects/oxycontin-part1/17. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, John Fauber, October 6, 2013. Emails point to relationship between drug firms, regulators18. Critics Question FDA's Approval Of Zohydro19. Associated Press, Matthew Perrone, January 27, 2016. Federal pain panel rife with links to pharma companies20. Public Integrity, Liz Essley Whyte, Geoff Mulvhill, Ben Wieder, September 18, 2016. Politics of pain: Drugmakers fought state opioid limits amid crisis21. Mother Jones, Julia Lurie, September 21, 2016. Opioids are ravaging the country. These lobbyists want to keep the drugs flowing.22. Van Zee, Art. "The promotion and marketing of oxycontin: commercial triumph, public health tragedy." American Journal of Public Health 99.2 (2009): 221-227. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2622774/pdf/221.pdf23. https://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04110.pdf24. Founder and Owner of Pharmaceutical Company Insys Arrested and Charged with Racketeering25. This company’s drugs helped fuel Florida’s opioid crisis. But the government struggled to hold them accountable.26. Reckitt Benckiser sued by 35 US states for 'profiteering' from opioid treatment27. Boudreau, Denise, et al. "Trends in long‐term opioid therapy for chronic non‐cancer pain." Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety 18.12 (2009): 1166-1175. 6 (2017). https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/pdfs/mm6626a4.pdf28. Schuchat, Anne, Debra Houry, and Gery P. Guy. "New data on opioid use and prescribing in the United States." Jama 318.5 (2017): 425-426. https://www.issup.net/files/2017-07/New%20Data%20on%20Opioid%20Use%20and%20Prescribing%20in%20the%20United%20States.pdf29. Chen, Jonathan H., et al. "Distribution of opioids by different types of medicare prescribers." JAMA internal medicine 176.2 (2016): 259-261. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2474400?version=meter%20at%20null&module=meter-Links&pgtype=article&contentId=&mediaId=&referrer=&priority=true&action=click&contentCollection=meter-links-click30. Los Angeles Times, Harriet Ryan, Lisa Girion, Scott Glover, December 16, 2016. http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-oxycontin-part3/31. Humphreys, Keith. "Avoiding globalisation of the prescription opioid epidemic." The Lancet 390.10093 (2017): 437-439.

I am a sophomore student here at BIT Mesra as on June 2015. It is ranked consistently at the second position in Private College Rankings, and always next to the IITs and BITS Pilani. But then these rankings do not have much of a credibility, as they are often doctored. Talking about it in the present day scenario I have seen, I have to sayBIT Mesra is among the only five leading Science and Technology institutions in India eligible for Cargill Global Scholars Program working with the Institute of International Education (IIE).Faculty:BIT Mesra has over hundreds of faculties in departments ranging from Engineering, Science, Humanities, Architecture and Pharmacy. Not all of them are extremely good. Some are very good. The professors are strict in general and often adamant in their decision to give excessive work.Academic Load:Varies from departments and time. I belong to the Electrical and Electronics Department, pursuing Bachelor of Engineering, and yes I have a huge workload generally. Professors in my department , along with Electronics and Communication Engineering, are strict. They are pretty rigorous, compared to other "chilled" departments such as Computer Science and Mechanical. But I have know some very good students who manage workload and excel in other activities too.Student IntakeBeing constantly rated among the top colleges and also being government aided, almost all students are meritorious and hard working. Most of the top branches close at a rank north of 20k in JEE Mains. So yes mostly the cream of the society study here. The peers are really smart and have great ideas, and we have heard of alot of startups from BIT Mesra.We have a past of over 5 decades so we have a huge alumni association inclusive of people such asAlok R. Chaturvedi, Professor, Purdue eBusiness Research Center, Krannert School of Management, Purdue UniversityDeven Sharma, Executive Vice President Standard & Poor's, a Division of The McGraw-Hill CompaniesK. N. Rao, CEO & Board of Director, DCM Shriram Industries LtdKaran Bajaj, author of Keep off the Grass, Johny Gone DownM. Chandra Dathan,Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)Sanjeeva Kumar Singh, recipient of Arjuna Award (1992) and Dronacharya Award (2007) in archeryShree K. Nayar, T.C. Chang Professor of Computer Science, Columbia UniversitySudhir Trehan, Vice Chairman, Crompton GreavesV. Vaidyanathan, Chairman, Capital First Limited.Formerly MD and CEO, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance & Executive Director on the Board of ICICI BankSheo Keshwar Singh, former Engineer-in-Chief who also served as Director (Distributions) & Member of Board at Bihar State Electricity BoardRakesh Amol -President -KEC International LtdAnd that's just a few.Foreign Tie Ups:We have foreign tie ups with/such as1) EAGER - NETWIC Project of ASIA LINK Programme2) Student exchange with Purdue University, USA3)University of Leeds, UK Twinning program4)Technical Tieups with University of New Brunswick5)University of Houston, USA Twinning programFacilitiesI would say the facilities (sports, labs, infra) are decent.The college has campus wide LAN. All classes have projectors, computer terminal ends. There is a separate Research and Development Building that has PARAM, Several Digital and Electronics Lab. Besides all that we haveGolden Jubilee auditorium as well as a Mini auditoriumPARAM 10000 super computer100 Mbit/s LAN Connection in all BIT hostels rooms(1Gbit/s in newly built floors)R&D building housing computer and scientific labs.Post OfficeIndian Railways Reservation CounterA three storied library. There is a separate internet facility inside the library in order to let students read IEEE and other journalsUCO Bank branch with an ATM.State Bank of India Branch and an ATMICICI Bank ATM16 bed hospital.Lord Shiva templeBuses run between campus and Ranchi city, from 0600 hrs to 1900 hrs, at regular intervals.Co-operative shops.Food canteens.Medical Store.Sports complex.Music room.PlacementsThe placement records at BIT Mesra are pretty decent. In the recent year there has been mega placements with Facebook, Microsoft and Goldman Sachs. The list is a a partial list of companies that comehttps://www.bitmesra.ac.in/cms.aspx?this=1&mid=608&cid=440Student lifeYes the life here is not like the college you see in the tv. People have loads of work and even less free time. But we do have fun.Student organisationsThere are numerous active student clubs, covering various activities and events on campus:BIOTS (Biotech Society)Electronics and Communication Society (ECE SOC)ACM, Students' ChapterDance ClubDRISTI (Directing Rural India Towards Social and Technological Integration)Ehsaas- The Dramatics SocietyEntrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC)Environment Protection Awareness Club (EPAC) ClubElectrical and Electronics Society (EEE SOC)Fine Arts Society (FAS)IEEE, Students' ChapterIEI (Prod), Students' ChapterIEI (Civil), Students' ChapterIET, Students' ChapterLEO Club, Students' ChapterLiterary SocietyMusic ClubNCCNSSNews and Publication Society (NAPS)Photographic Society (PSOC)Team RobolutionRotaract Club, Students' ChapterSAE, Students' ChapterSports and Adventure ClubUNESQUOQ-BITThe following groups provide specialised activities platforms:BIT LUGOpera Campus CrewSportsThe institute has hosted several All India as well as Zonal Level tournaments. Sports facilities are:Gymnasium including multi gymStadium for track and field eventsCricket/football/hockey groundBasketball courtsVolleyball courtsTable tennisTennis courtsBadminton courts (three indoor and five outdoor)So Birla Institute of Technology Mesra is a good choice to come to.Yes it has a brilliant past and good enough foundations. It has better opportunities than most other colleges in India. Come be a part of the legacy!