That's Fit

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz. I am a 37 year old female with a back problem. I found out last year that I have a thyroid problem as well. I am at the point where I need to lose weight really bad. My son graduates in June and I would like to be at least 40 pounds lighter. After that, I still would like to lose about another 100 pounds. I have been thinking about the Lap Band surgery. What do you think? Rachel

A. Hello Rachel. Sounds like you do have a bunch of weight to lose, but I'm not the person you should be consulting with on surgery. That's absolutely a talk you should be having with your doctor. I am a great person to talk to about weight loss in general though. You failed to mention in your letter what lengths you've been taking to lose weight the old fashioned way.

I'm actually not one of those folks against surgery in all circumstances. I am however, against surgery unless it is a last resort. Have you changed your eating habits? And when I ask that, I don't mean.....have you dieted. I mean....have you spent a good year working on becoming a "fit person"? I'd much rather you spend your money on a personal trainer who could guide you and harass you daily until fit eating and moving becomes a legitimate "habit" for you.

I know some folks who have had Lap Band surgery. They all weigh a lot less than they did pre-surgery. They all also say that they could've lost the weight on their own, without the surgery....if they had just realized their daily food choices made such a powerful difference. They all claimed to have been in denial pre-surgery. They convinced themselves that certain calories didn't count, which is why they never succeeded. SO! My question to you Rachel is....are you doing all that you can do right now? Have you hired a trainer? Have you COMMITTED to eating great? If all that is true have a chat with you doctor. Best Wishes, Fitz

Q. Fitz. I am a 59 year old male coming to grips with vegetables. I hate them, but endure them. In attempt to make peace with veggies, I am questioning the value of juicing them? Do I lose any nutritional value by doing this? Thank you for your site! Please advise...Neal Collins

A. Hey Neal. Sorry you're not a fan of some of the most beneficial things one can consume, but I'm thrilled that you're willing to find a way to make veggies a part of your life. Makes me want to jump through my computer screen and give you a huge fibrous hug! As far as your question goes though...NO! I don't find anything wrong with you juicing your broccoli, peppers and spinach. It doesn't sound delightfully tasty, but juicing won't harm the nutritional value.

I can think of other things that may do even better though. I have two teeny children who are OK with some veggies, but not all. The famous Mommy trick is to hide veggies in the foods that kids do love. Every think of that? You can finely chop or smoosh up veggies and add them to: casseroles, sauces, burgers, lasagna, tacos and more. I also find that flavors change depending on how you do or don't cook things. For instance. I can't stand raw onions, but devour them if they're grilled on the barbecue. You may want to try various vegetables in different ways.

In fact, I used to think I hated veggies too and avoided them like the plague. Then one day I met this spectacular looking man who made me a home-cooked meal of chicken and broccoli. I was horrified, but ate the broccoli anyway because he was soooo damn perfect. I ended up loving that man, and those little green trees too. I'm now married to the hottest guy I've ever seen, and eat broccoli most nights of the week. Funny how our lives evolve.

Keep working on it Neal. Veggies are a massive form of nutrition with very little costs as far as fat and calories go. They can benefit your skin, vision, heart, lungs, immune system, body fat, and life span. Seek out veggies in a variety of different colors and test em' out in different ways. When you come up with something good, I'll pop over for dinner some time!

Punches & Kicks,