FitSugar -- Healthy, happy you.

Dieter's Delight: Jean Insurance

FitSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:00:00 -0700

So you're on a diet and exercise plan, with the goal of losing weight. As you begin to melt those pounds away, you realize that your clothes are feeling baggier. You know you could use some new outfits, but you don't want to buy a bunch of things that are just going to be too big again in a matter of time. That's where jean insurance comes in.

The company is called Lose and Win Free Jeans and here's how it works. You go out and buy a new pair of jeans. You send your receipt and 30 percent of the cost of your new denim to Bertie Ranger, the president of the company. After you spend some time eating right and exercising regularly, you're bound to need a smaller size. So you mail your jeans back to the pres., and she'll send you the full amount of what you originally paid for them. Then you can go out and buy a second pair of jeans. If you want, you can insure those, too.

It's a clever concept, huh? Now I bet you wish you thought of it first. Tell me, do you think you'd ever buy jean insurance?

Healthy Eating Tip: Pick a Time to Stop Eating

FitSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:30:00 -0800

When you're home from work and you've finished dinner, it's easy to crave a late night snack, especially if you're watching TV or staying up late to get some work done. You can end up eating mindlessly and consume an extra 200 calories even though you weren't really hungry.

If you're trying to lose weight or maintain the weight you have, it's best to stop eating about two or three hours before you go to bed just to avoid those extra, unnecessary calories. Since bedtimes are often sporadic, I like to choose a "stop eating time." Mine is 8 p.m. That gives me enough time to exercise after work, make dinner and eat my meal. I have a satisfying meal so that by the time I go to bed, I don't feel hungry and I don't feel stuffed either. It also gives my body a chance to digest, so that I don't end up with indigestion from laying down right after eating. So what is your "stop eating time"? Tell me in the comments section below.

Source

Speak Up: Has a Doctor Ever Told You to Lose Weight?

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 09:00:00 -0800

This summer it was reported that 66 percent of US adults are overweight, but only 12 percent say that they've ever been told by a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional that they are obese. I feel like this is a really touchy subject. I mean nobody wants to admit that they need to lose a few pounds, and it would be even worse to hear it from somebody else.

So I was wondering, has a doctor ever told you to lose weight? Do they have the right to tell you that because it's for your health, or do you think it's totally out of line and rude?

Source

Fittingly Mad: "You Lost Weight—You Look So Good."

FitSugar — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 02:30:00 -0700

I have a friend from high school who was always on the heavier side. She wasn't extremely overweight, but she wasn't a skinny-minny either. For the past year, she's been working really hard, eating healthier, and getting in shape, and she's lost a lot of weight.

Last weekend we went to a mutual high school friend's engagement party, and when we got there, all I could hear was, "Oh you lost weight—you look so good." Of course, it made her feel ecstatic to have all those compliments and attention, but it really pissed me off.

Want to know why? Then

Teenage Girls Smoke to Lose Weight

FitSugar — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 02:00:00 -0700

Every time I see a teen smoking, it alarms me. I always wonder if they have heard the news that smoking is not cool, is bad for your health, and can in fact kill you.

I was even more alarmed to read that new research has found that girls are starting to smoke in the hope of losing weight. The theory is that smoking distracts people from eating and helps curb appetites, and it's possible that the increase in teenage girls smoking is linked to high obesity rates so girls are turning to tobacco to lose weight.

Yet, another reason I despise those Camel No. 9 cigarettes, since they are marketed towards exactly those young girls and being advertised in magazines they read. It's sad that big tobacco still preys on the young ladies they already have a lot to deal with growing up as it is.

Since the media is clearly not going to help, we need to teach them ourselves. So if you have a teenage daughter yourself, talk to her about her weight issues. Let her know that smoking is not the way to lose a few extra pounds, and explain to her the importance of eating healthy and exercising.

Source

Skipping Meals WON'T Help You Lose Weight

FitSugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:30:00 -0700

If you want to lose weight, it's simple math - to lose 1 pound a week, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. That's about 500 calories a day that you need to either cut out or burn with exercise. Let me say this out loud - skipping meals doesn't count.

If you skip let's say Breakfast, or decrease your calories significantly (to less than 1000 calories a day), you're not helping your body lose weight. You're actually decreasing the rate of your metabolism. You go into "starvation mode" where the body tries to compensate for the low calories. Your metabolic rate can actually decrease as much as 10-15%, and your body will hold onto the fat and burn lean muscle instead.

Skipping a meal also makes you really hungry, so when you do go to eat your next meal, you'll probably end up overeating, which also won't help you lose weight. Try to reduce your daily caloric intake by 250 calories and burn the other 250 calories by working out. Try passing on that extra slice of pizza at lunchtime, and take a walk.

Fit's Tips: Don't let yourself go hungry. Eat throughout the day, making sure to eat 3 meals a day, and include small, healthy snacks in between.

Source

When it Comes to Staying in Shape, Which is Harder For You?

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 07:30:00 -0700

Losing weight and then maintaining it is tough because for most of us, it's a lifetime battle. There is no cure-all diet that we can go on for a week to lose weight and then miraculously go back to eating donuts and Doritos. We'd all be on it if we could. In order to lose weight and keep it off, you've got to eat a healthy diet and exercise consistently.
So which is harder for you?

When it Comes to Staying in Shape, Which is Harder For You?

Working Out - they don't call it "work" for nothing

Eating Right - I crave everything bad for me

Trying to Lose Weight? Tips for Eating Out

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Going out to dinner with friends can be so much fun, that is unless you're watching your weight. Menus are full of such tempting foods, and most of the time you end up eating more than you would at home. Plus butter is often the secret ingredient. Here are some tips so you can stick to that healthy diet of yours, and enjoy eating out as well.

Have a healthy snack before you eat - If you get to the restaurant and you're starving, you'll be more likely to order a lot of food, or devour the entire bread basket.

Think of one entrée as two - When your dinner arrives, ask for a take-out container so you can pack half away for tomorrow's lunch. If you wait to get the container until after you eat, you'll be more likely to finish off the dish. (When food is in front of you, you're more likely to eat it.)
Order with a friend - Sharing an entrée with someone else will cut your calories in half, so you can savor the taste, but not overeat.
Order a big salad for your meal - Most restaurants offer humongous salads filled with fresh veggies, delicate field greens, nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit, and grilled chicken. A big salad will fill you up, and they're filled with healthy stuff. Oh, and be sure to ask for the dressing on the side. Request vinaigrettes rather than creamy dressings.
Order a smaller meal - Either order an appetizer or a small entrée. They're usually big enough to fill you up.

Want to see the other great tips? Then

Will Yoga Help Me Lose Weight?

FitSugar — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 08:45:00 -0700

People have been asking me the seemingly rather simple question, "Will Yoga help me lose weight?" Ahhh...but the answer is not so straight forward because losing weight is different for everyone, depending on your genetic make-up, your habits, your diet, your personal willpower, and your lifestyle.

Yoga focuses on having mind/body awareness. When you bring your attention inward, you may notice a shift in your perspective about how you treat your body and what you put into it as fuel. Doing yoga regularly can inspire you to take care of yourself as you become more aware of your physical and mental states. For this reason, some people believe that having a daily yoga practice results in weight loss.

Exercising frequently is the key to losing weight and maintaining your weight once the extra pounds are gone. This goes hand-in-hand with eating a healthy diet filled with fruits, veggies, lean proteins, and whole grains. This kind of diet not only will help contribute to losing weight, but it will give you enough energy to workout. It's like a cycle.

In order to lose weight, you need to burn calories, right? Like anything physical, doing yoga can help you achieve that goal, but it depends on what style of yoga you choose. You want to choose vigorous Power, Vinyasa, or Ashtanga classes. These classes move quickly, and can really get your heart pumping, which can result in greater calorie burn than slower-moving gentle yoga classes.

Hour and a half classes like these should be done at least 3-5 times a week to see weight loss results. This consistency will help you strengthen, lengthen, and tone your muscles.

Want to know if HOT yoga will help you burn more calories? Then

Velform Sauna Belt - Scam With a Capital "S"

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 15:15:00 -0800

I know some people are desperate to drop some pounds, but come on. The Velform Sauna Belt is in a world of its own.

By wearing this unfashionably ugly belt, it claims to help you sweat away unwanted fat, eliminate cellulite, lose weight and ease muscle pain, all while "sitting in the comfort of your own home."

The Velform Sauna Belt "focuses the sauna heat on the most problematic body parts to help flush out and eliminate toxins. This portable sauna belt is great for the abdomen, waist, back and hips. Just apply the Velform Sauna Belt around the chosen body part and let the belt do all the work."

It works like a heating pad - you can control the temperature setting. When it's set to maximum (that sounds scary), the heat stimulates the blood flow, which helps you generate heat. This is turn makes you sweat.

Fit's Tips: Spot reduction gadgets like this don't do a thing to help you lose weight. You've got to do good old fashioned cardio to burn calories to lose fat all over your body.

Wii and Weight Loss - It's Official

FitSugar — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 02:00:00 -0800

Well, the research is in. Kids who regularly play Wii games burn up a significantly larger amount of calories than kids who play other game consoles, or spend their time passively watching TV.

Not really surprising news for anyone who has ever played Wii Sports. After a night of Wii bowling, the next day my arm was really sore and I knew that I had worked it!!!

Professor Tim Cable headed the study at Liverpool John Moores University, where they measured the impact of playing Wii versus playing a traditional non-motion-controlled console on 5 girls and 7 boys, between the ages of 13 and 15 years.

15 minutes of gaming using a traditional controller increased the subject’s energy expenditure above resting values by an average of 60%. With a Wii controller this was increased to a whopping 156%.

Heart rates also increased to 130 beats per minute while playing Wii, compared with 85 beats per minute with a traditional console.

Most kids who are serious gamers, average about 12.2 hours of playing video games a week. At 150 calories an hour, in a week they'll burn 1,830 using the Wii, which works out to be 40% more than your average video game.

Wow that's great news, but too bad it's next to impossible to get your hands on a Wii right now.

FREE Pedometer

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 09:15:00 -0800

OK so maybe you guys weren't totally excited about the free Metamucil I posted about recently, but this may get your heart pumping a little more.

Pfizer's new My Heart Now Program, which strives to educate the public on heart disease, is giving away FREE pedometers! All you have to do is fill out a short survey (it's really short, it took me under a minute to do) and they'll send you a pedometer. Visit the My Heart Now site to get your pedometer!

What's Your New Year's Resolution?

FitSugar — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 09:02:27 -0800

I'm happy to see that many of you shouted out your New Year's Resolutions for all to hear in Declare IT: The New Year's Resolution Group. It's not too late - you can still post your resolutions.For those of you who may be too shy to tell the world, we'd still like to know what healthy changes you're planning on making.

Can Grapefruit Help Me Lose Weight?

FitSugar — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 03:11:22 -0800

The 80's were chock full of fun fads like Duran Duran, leg warmers, and the very popular "Grapefruit Diet."

The diet consisted of no more than 800 calories a day (no wonder people lost weight). You ate grapefruit in the morning, grapefruit in your salad, and even used grapefruit juice in your cocktails (goes great with vodka). This citrus fruit was consumed with as much black coffee as you liked, some daily protein (hard-boiled eggs), and an occasional piece of dry toast. Delish.

Grapefruit was considered a "fat-burning food" that could kick-start your metabolism, but the diet soon became another crazy weight loss fad that faded away like acid washed jeans.

In 2004, one Dr. Fujioka conducted a study on the grapefruit and discovered that people who included grapefruit in their diet actually lost weight. It seems that grapefruit helps reduce insulin levels, which affects blood sugar regulation. Also, grapefruit is high in fiber.

The juice of grapefruit supposedly enhances the fat burning process - but so does exercise, which by the way - is also part of the grapefruit diet.

Fit's Tips: Hmmm, seems to me this diet should have been put to rest with the big hair of the 80's. Adding grapefruit to your diet won't perform miracles. The best way to lose weight - cut back on the number of calories you eat and increase your physical activity.

Check it out - Weird Al Yankovic made a parody of "Zoot Suit Riot," called "Grapefruit Diet." It's hilarious. Want to see the lyrics, then