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Reality Check: Skinny Water Won't Make You Skinny

FitSugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:30:00 -0800

Kristen Bell and Nicollette Sheridan are fans of Skinny Water, the beverage whose motto is "Get Skinny, Stay Fit." These beverages contain "0 calories, 0 sugar, and 0 guilt," and they're made with the green tea antioxidant, EGCG, to help tame your metabolism. While green tea has been shown to speed up your body's calorie-burning process, you can't add these drinks to your diet and expect to miraculously lose weight, which is what Skinny Water implies. On their XXX-Detox drink's description, it says "Three Xs and you're . . . in the skinny club."

What you discover when reading the ingredients is that these drinks contain Splenda (sucrolose), an artificial sweetener that may be calorie-free, but is not exactly good for you. Skinny Water is basically like fruit-flavored Diet Coke — no calories, no nutrition. To get the benefits of green tea, you'd be better off drinking a freshly brewed cup.

I have a bit more to say on the matter, so to hear why Skinny Water annoys me

Reality Check: What the Broken Toilet Told Kevin Smith

FitSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and sometimes the strange truth is a little sad. Kevin Smith, who directed Zack and Miri Make a Porno, admitted recently to the LA Times that:

"I'm really, really fat right now. Fattest I've ever been. I broke a toilet. That's how heavy I am. I can't take all the credit — that was an old toilet and a very waterlogged wall — but my size took that toilet down."

This 38-year-old wanted to blame it on the fact that the toilet was worn out and decrepit, but then he realized it was his massive weight that was the issue. It was a huge (no pun intended) wake-up call. To find out what he's going to do about it

Reality Check: Seth Rogen's Diet "Secret"

FitSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:30:03 -0700

Wondering how Zack and Miri Make a Porno star Seth Rogen suddenly got slim? The actor says it's "the lamest answer ever," but I think it's actually the best answer. On Friday, during an radio interview on KIIS-FM, Rogen told host Ryan Seacrest: "I exercised and I dieted." What a novel idea, right?

At a time when everyone is dying to hear celebs' slimdown secrets, it's refreshing to hear this down-to-earth actor admit that he did it the old-fashioned way. There is no miracle pill, but the closest thing we have to a surefire weight-loss strategy is exercising more and eating less. To see how Rogen's girlfriend feels about his new look,

Reality Check: Eva Longoria Parker Is Not Pregnant — She's Just Fat?

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:30:00 -0700

You know and love Eva Longoria Parker from watching Desperate Housewives. Her character Gabrielle has always been notably petite and toned, so when an actress with that physique gains a few pounds, rumors start flying. The media continues to pry and ask Eva when her baby is due, and Longoria Parker has attempted to put the speculations to rest by saying, "I'm just fat." The actress only gained 10 pounds! She's gone from a size 00 to a size 0. Since when is size 0 considered too big? Um, I don't know which is worse — the media making a big deal about Eva getting slightly plumper or the fact that she called herself fat. At 5'2", she'd have to weigh over 136 pounds in order to be considered overweight when it comes to BMI. Gabby is still a twig, and personally, I can't even tell she's gained weight.

I think it is good for Eva's health that she's added a few pounds to her frame. Extreme thinness is not healthy and it's important for every woman, especially the young ones, to see actresses with curves.

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Reality Check: Felicity Huffman Eats Muffins

FitSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0700

Her show, Desperate Housewives, may be full of melodrama, but Felicity Huffman is refreshingly down to earth. The 45-year-old star appears on the September cover of More magazine, looking fabulous and speaking frankly about her fitness habits and finding a healthy balance.

I particularly like what she had to say about finding a personal trainer with a realistic attitude:

"I've had a lot of trainers through the years, and they’re always like, 'Oh my god, you ate a muffin?' and 'What do you mean you weigh 125? You can’t shoot at that weight.' [Kirsten Holtgreen is] the first trainer who's said, 'You’re not eating enough.'"

To see what else Huffman had to say about maintaining a healthy weight and wearing Madonna's underwear,

Reality Check: Megan Fox Asked to Gain Weight?

FitSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:00:00 -0700

I always assumed that celebrities were encouraged to lose weight and be thinner, but here's a surprising turnaround. In a recent issue of Us Weekly, it was reported that Megan Fox was "ordered by her director to pack on 10 or more pounds." She said "I'd lost a lot of weight and got really scrawny, but I was told I had to put on a size." Apparently in order to be in Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, she needs to look more muscular.

So the actress has put herself on a diet of sweets (including red velvet cake), and she's also eating later at night to help her gain weight. To bulk her muscles up, her man Brian Austin Green is acting as her trainer, making her do "man workouts" including push-ups, dips, and pull-ups. Now she boasts that she's really strong. Good for her.

I am all for seeing a curvier, stronger woman on screen. I think it'll help send a more positive message to young women that super-skinny is out.

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Reality Check: Victoria Beckham Eats?

FitSugar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:00:00 -0700

Posh is so often in the limelight for her fashion choices that her body is often the subject of discussion too. Uber slim Victoria Beckham defended her eating habits in the recent issue of Allure. Here's what she had to say about her diet:

"I'm very strict in the way I eat. I eat lots of fish, vegetables, fruit, Japanese food. I don't eat junk food. I'm really healthy; my kids are really healthy; David's really healthy. Of course I eat. I've been accused of not eating for ten years. If I hadn't eaten for ten years, I'd be [awfully] hungry."

I appreciate her dry British humor. She does exercise as well, and like most of us she feels guilty about not working out more.

" I try to make the best of what I got. I like to do Pilates, even though I should go more often . . . I'd like to go to the gym more often but with three children, I don't have the time. I'm 34 years old. I accept the way I look."

Whether she is naturally skinny or "starving," self-acceptance is an important lesson that seems to come along with being over thirty. What do you think?

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Reality Check: Charlize Would Love a Miracle Pill

FitSugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:30:00 -0700

It's hard to hear some celebrities say that they've never seen the inside of a gym and they dine at fast food joints (or that they look so good from drinking shots of vinegar) because in most cases, it's just not true. It's always dumbfounded me why folks in the public eye can't just be honest about the extensive measures they go to to stay red carpet ready.

That is why I love it when a star speaks out and reminds us that yes, she may have a bit more resources than the average Joe, but she's human. In the July 21 issue of Life & Style Charlize Theron shares what would happen if she skipped the workouts. She said:

"I have to work out. I'm just like everybody else. I get fat if I don't work out. If you hear of some miracle pill, please let me know — I'd love to know about it."

Amen, sister. Amen.

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Reality Check: Jennifer Aniston's Expensive Anti-cellulite Treatment

FitSugar — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0700

Along with the fountain of youth, I'm sure many of us are looking for a way to erase cellulite from our bodies. Realistically speaking though, since 95 percent of women have cellulite, most of us have come to terms with those little dimples on our backsides since creams and lotions don't really work.

There are many expensive anti-cellulite treatments at spas though. According to Us Weekly, Jennifer Aniston recently headed to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Spa for a 110-minute lymphatic-draining massage and algae wrap. She paid $290 for this treatment that the spa says is designed to reduce "the dimpled, uneven appearance of cellulite." To find out if it works

Reality Check: Ali Larter Is Insecure, Just Like the Rest of Us

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 04:30:00 -0700

While reading a recent issue of Allure magazine I found myself confronted with the fact that when it all comes down to it, all women are plagued with insecurities, even if you're Ali Larter. Here are highlights:

"I’m an indulger, but then I have to be good," the actress says. "I’m also going to get my butt out and go for a run tomorrow."

Larter has no illusions about what is expected of her. She once had to have her thighs duct-taped before a photo shoot because, she says, “they were a little too round.” Another time, while she was shooting a movie on location, the filmmakers noticed that Larter had put on a few pounds.

To see how she handled such criticisms about her body just

Reality Check: What's the Deal With Fergie's Vinegar Shots?

FitSugar — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 03:30:00 -0700

In a recent Glamour interview, Fergie Ferg revealed that one of her diet tricks is shots of organic apple cider, unfiltered. She said:

"Two tablespoons. For some reason I've noticed a difference on my stomach. I just trusted [my trainer] on this one. I'm sharing. I'm all about sharing secrets."

Does anyone else smell a magic bullet? Now, I have read that drinking apple cider vinegar (ACV) can help with many ailments, but never weight loss, so I decided to do a little investigation. To see what I found out just

Reality Check: Emma Thompson vs. Miramax

FitSugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:30:00 -0700

Weight/body issues and Hollywood unfortunately seem to go hand in hand. I heard that two time Oscar winning actor Emma Thompson threw some of her star weight around (pun intended) with producers at Miramax, where she is working on an upcoming version of Brideshead Revisited. It seems that Miramax was demanding her costar, Hayley Atwell, drop a few pounds. It happens all the time; a studio asks an already fit actress to slim down for a role, but Emma provided a little reality check to the situation and took matters into her own hands.

Hayley explained the situation to the First Post like this:

I went round to Emma's one night and she was getting very angry that I wasn't eating all the food she was giving me. I told her why and she hit the roof.

The next day, Emma called the producers and threatened to quit her role if they forced Haley to lose weight. The studio quickly relented. Look for the two actresses in the upcoming film version of Brideshead Revisited. As an Anglophile, I can't wait.

I echo my pal Leslie at the Weighting Game when I ask, "Emma Thompson, will you adopt me?"

To see a photo of the perfectly lovely Hayley on the red carpet in Venice then

Reality Check

FitSugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:00:00 -0800

I read quotes all the time where a startling fit celebrity claims to rarely exercise and to eat whatever she wants. I am often skeptical, but like to give the celeb the benefit of the doubt. Celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson (he's trained Angelina, Jennifer Lopez, and Penelope Cruz) trained offered up the little gem of a reality check on the seedy, underbelly of the LA fitness world:

I had one actress who trained with me and took six Spin classes a week. And all she ate was lettuce and Swedish Fish. When the press asked her how she’d "transformed" her body, she said, "Oh, I do yoga and hike with my puppy." That made me laugh. Don’t lie about how much you work out, because other women are going to think, I walk my dog, why don’t I look like that?

Thanks for the reality check, Gunnar! My Monday needed that boost!

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