FitSugar -- Healthy, happy you.

How Often Do You Weigh Yourself?

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:30:00 -0700

Do You Lie About Your Weight?

FitSugar — Mon, 19 May 2008 04:30:00 -0700

I was reading an interesting article from the National Post that was talking about how Canadians have not been accurately reporting how much they weigh as well as how tall they are. I'm thinking to myself, "Yeah, join the club." Everyone likes to bend the number a little bit to make themselves just a little bit thinner or taller. So obviously this got me to thinking about you guys. Do you bend the truth a little bit whenever you have to tell someone how much you weigh?Source

Do You Lie About Your Weight?

Yes, always

Yes, sometimes

No, never

Depends on who's asking

Don't Stress Over Weight Fluctuations

FitSugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:00:00 -0700

If you're someone who weighs yourself daily, then you know that our weight is hardly static. If you weighed 130 before you went to bed and then 134 in the morning (after you pee) this does not mean you gained four pounds overnight. Well, unless you consumed 14,000 calories while you were sleeping. So don't sweat it and take a look at the common reasons for day-to-day weight fluctuations:

Drinking water: Two cups of water weighs one pound, so if you've been busy hydrating yourself then you'll definitely see an immediate and temporary gain in your weight.
Not drinking water: Not drinking enough water actually causes the body to retain fluid, which can also lead to a temporary weight gain.
Eating and drinking: Food and drinks have a weight too, you know. Just as you wouldn't stand on the scale holding a box of Girl Scout Cookies, nor should you weigh yourself after eating one. Wait until your body has had time to digest before stepping on the scale.

There's more so

How Do You Monitor Your Weight?

FitSugar — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 03:30:00 -0700

If you're trying to lose a few pounds or stick with your present weight, you probably have a way that you keep track of it. So tell me . . .Source

How Do You Monitor Your Weight?

A scale — I weigh myself all the time.

A mirror — I just look at myself and know.

My clothes — It's all about how my clothes fit.

A combination of the above three.

Something else — Tell me below.

I don't monitor my weight because all I care about is feeling good.

Height/Weight Matrix: Real People, Real Weights

FitSugar — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 02:30:00 -0700

We all spend a lot of our time looking at the bodies of celebs when they are made up, dressed up or airbrushed. Which is all fine and good, but I think it is important to see what "real" people look like. You know the ones of us who don't have personal trainers making sure we workout and personal chefs creating perfect 200 calorie snacks for us to eat

Over at Cockeyed.com they are creating a height / weight matrix of "real" people. It is a great way to see that people really do come in all shapes and sizes. It is cool idea and I hope you all decide to participate - all you need to do is send a photo and your stats. You should at least go take a look, it is really refreshing to see the variation on the human form.

Get Wii Fit with the Balance Board

FitSugar — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 04:00:00 -0700

Nintendo is out to prove that video games and fitness are not mutually exclusive. They recently unveiled the Balance Board, a Wii video game accessory for their soon to be released Wii Fit games. I have to say geeksugar and I are super excited about this new development.

The Balance Board looks somewhat like a scale but it is really a gaming controller. When you stand on the board it senses your motions so you can interact with the video game playing on your TV. The range of games will satisfy fitness enthusiasts of all kinds with Wii Fit games like yoga and soccer, as well as hula hooping and something close to Dance Dance Revolution. It looks like many of the games will activate and work your core.

The balance board will also take measurements of your body and plot your fitness level over time. If you are feeling extra competitive you can compare your progress with other members of your household. Sometimes a little friendly competition is in order.

Interested in seeing the Balance Board in action? Then

You Asked: What is the Healthiest Weight at Each Height?

FitSugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 17:15:00 -0700

Dear FitSugar,

Can you explain what a good weight range is for different heights? You hear so many weights for different heights and such a huge range. I am wondering what is the healthiest weight at each height.

Interesting question! Since body weight is a dynamic force (it is common to fluctuate in a 5 pound range over a month) the "recommended" weight is really not meant for you to measure yourself against. It is more for you to use as a reference point. With that in mind, check out this handy dandy chart to help answer your question. For each height, I listed "Recommended Weight," but also showed the "Lowest" and "Highest Healthy Weights" to show you the range.

This is meant to be a tool to gauge what your weight should be compared to your height. This isn't meant to make you feel bad about yourself. I just want to encourage you to live a long, happy and healthy life, and maintaining the recommended weight for your height is one way to make that happen.

Height	Recommended Weight in lbs	Lowest Healthy Weight in lbs	Highest Healthy Weight in lbs
4'10"	105	88	119
4'11"	108	91	123
5'0"	112	95	127
5'1"	116	98	132
5'2"	120	100	136
5'3"	123	104	140
5'4"	127	107	145
5'5"	131	110	149
5'6"	136	114	154
5'7"	140	117	159
5'8"	144	121	164
5'9"	148	125	169
5'10"	153	128	173
5'11"	157	132	178
6'0"	161	136	184

Fit's Tips: You can also check out Fit's BMI (Body Mass Index) calculator. All you do is type in your current height and weight, and it figures out how much body fat you have.

Just so you know, it may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build since muscle weighs more than fat. Also remember that a healthy attitude about your body is the most important thing here, and this is just another tool to encourage you to be healthy.

Source

Do You Like Working Out in Front of a Mirror?

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 12:30:00 -0700

I have to say that sometimes I LOVE doing yoga or lifting weights in front of a mirror - it's a great way to check for proper technique and alignment.Mirrors can also be a way for women to obsess about how they look (or how they don't look), so I feel like it adds to issues of low self-esteem and poor body image.What do you think?Source

Do You Like Working Out in Front of a Mirror?

Yes - Mirrors and me are best friends, I LOVE to see myself, especially to make sure I'm doing exercises correctly.

No Way - I don't want to see what I look like!

It depends - Explain below...

Get in Gear: Cal-Carb Clicker

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:00:00 -0700

Now I thought I've seen every gadget on the market to help you lose weight, but here's another one. It's called the Cal-Carb Clicker. Catchy name, huh?

What does it do? For $19.95 it will keep track of your daily:

Carbs
Calories
Carbs & calories together
Points
Blocks
Fat grams
Water intake
Whatever it is you're counting

Wow, can it do my laundry and make dinner too? To find out,

Exercise Explanation

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Working out can be confusing if you're new to it. How long should I stretch? What kinds of cardio can I do besides running? How often should I lift weights?

Here's a basic chart to explain. This is just a general overview, so you can make little changes depending on what your goals and needs are.

Type of Exercise	Kinds	Benefits	How Often
Cardio and Aerobic	Running, Jogging, Biking, Stepper Machine, Brisk Walking, Elliptical Machine, Swimming, Competitive sports like soccer, Classes like Spinning or Cardio Boxing	Improves stamina Benefits your circulatory system including your heart Great for helping to decrease high blood pressure Burns calories and helps you lose weight Helps maintain your weight Reduces your risk of osteoporosis Improves your cholesterol levels	For a healthy body, you should do 30 minutes at least 3 times a week If you're trying to lose weight, than you need to do 30 minutes or more at least 4 or more times a week

There's 2 more. Want to see the rest? Then

Tracey Gold: An Inspirational Survivor

FitSugar — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 11:00:03 -0800

We knew her as Carol Seaver on the hit show Growing Pains about the picture-perfect 80's family. Later, it came out that Tracey Gold was suffering from anorexia. After plummeting to 80 pounds and nearly dying, she was forced to leave the show, and enter rehab in 1992.

Tracey wrote a book about her traumatic and moving experience of her journey to recovery called Room to Grow: An Appetite for Life. In it, she describes her feelings and experiences with anorexia, and how she managed to survive through it.

She says, "My hope is that in sharing my experiences, battles and hard-earned knowledge, Room to Grow will be something people can turn to for help, a source of comfort and encouragement. It is for every sister, daughter, friend or boyfriend whose life has been touched by anorexia nervosa. This is my story. I hope it helps."

It's an inspirational story outlining the truth about women and the pressure they feel about their body image. Buy it through Amazon.

Why Does My Weight Fluctuate?

FitSugar — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 16:35:00 -0800

I talk a lot about maintenance when it comes to your healthy goal weight. This simply means keeping your current weight fairly constant rather than losing or gaining weight each week.

If you think that this means the number on the scale should remain static, you're wrong. For most people, maintenance means weighing within three or five pounds of their goal.

The reason for this is because everyone's body weight will fluctuate from day to day, even during the course of one day. Daily fluctuations in weight of about a pound can be normal when you are trying to maintain your weight -- and they may be due to:

Normal body fluctuations related to eating and elimination
The amount of salt or high-sodium foods you consume
Temporary water-weight gain, for women, near the time of menstruation
A decrease in physical activity

So stop stressing over every single pound fluctuation your body is just being totally normal.

Working Out But Still Not Fit?

FitSugar — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 03:05:00 -0800

Many people have asked if they are considered healthy if they work out regularly even though they are still overweight.

To clarify, you can be overweight and still be fit. Problems come into play when the cause of being overweight is due to fat and not muscle. If you exercise and your extra weight is fat, you are at increased risk of having Type 2 diabetes, cancer and strokes.

Definitely do not get discouraged and stop exercising. Overweight folks are still benefiting from working out, they just need to start focusing on actually losing weight for good. This means a healthy diet should also be incorporated with any exercise programs.

Fit's Tip: Don't let the scale rule your life. Thin people can still be at risk for heart disease, especially if they smoke or eat a diet high in saturated fats.