That's Fit

Hungry Girl's Top Ate Tips & Survival Strategies

Sara Abadi — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:16:00 EST

By Lisa Lillien Is the rumble in your tummy never-ending? Lisa Lillien, a self proclaimed "foodologist," and founder of the popular site Hungry Girl, shares tricks and tips for hungry chicks everywhere. Click through this gallery of her top "ate" diet survival strategies and then pick up her new book, 'Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World.' Keep your kitchen stocked with Hungry Girl essentials. Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla, canned pumpkin, Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss Cheese wedges, Egg Beaters, and House Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles are some of my recommended must-have items. They're all great for guilt-free cooking! Be prepared. Do your homework and always plan ahead. That means everything from doing research online about restaurant nutritionals before you head out to eat, and/or stocking your car or office with go-to snacks that can help kick cravings to the curb and keep you feeling satisfied. Keep shelf stable items like jerky (low-cal, high-protein, low-fat!), 100-calorie packs of almonds, and canned broth-based soups around for snacking. If you have a fridge handy, stock it with fresh cut fruit, veggies, light string cheese, nonfat yogurt, and sugar-free pudding Drink lots of water. This may sound cliché, but drinking water not only gives you energy, and keeps you hydrated -- it can help keep your appetite in check. I down about 12 glasses of H20 a day on average. Have a hard time guzzling water? Try drinking it at room temperature... it helps! Read labels! And read them carefully. Most of the time, everything you need to know about a product is written right there on the label. So take the time to look at it closely. Often packages of food and beverage bottles appear to contain a single serving, but they can actually contain 2 or more servings. When that happens you need to know that the nutritional info will actually be two or three times more than you think it is. That tiny bag of chips may be 1.5 servings, and that too-small muffin could be two servings. So pay very close attention! Avoid fad diets like the plague. While they work temporarily (anyone can drop weight following a very specific eating plan), fad diets don't teach you how to eat for the rest of your life. If you find guilt-free foods that you love and can incorporate into your diet for the long haul, you'll be able to phase out some of the higher-calorie foods, and change your eating habits forever. To me, Weight Watchers is the most sensible of all plans, and it teaches you how to live a healthier lifestyle. Work out. Don't be afraid of exercise -- it shouldn't be scary. If it is, you're doing the wrong things. Find something you love to do -- whether it's hiking with friends (gossip time!), or walking on a treadmill for 30 to 40 minutes while reading or watching TV. If it's something you enjoy doing, you'll do it! Don't be public about watching what you eat. Telling people you're watching your diet is a big fat no-no. If you do, there's a good chance they'll tell you how good you look, that don't need to lose weight, and why you should be sharing that ginormous brownie sundae with them. Change it up! Don't get into a rut chewing the same things over and over. Keep mixing it up. Try new recipes, seek out new food finds, and explore all the aisles of the supermarket. For fresh ideas, recipes, food finds, advice and reviews, sign up for Hungry Girl's daily emails -- and you'll get tips and tricks in your inbox every Monday to Friday.

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Maintain Your Accidental Weight Loss

Sara Abadi — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:33:00 EST

Provided By Women's Health Excess pounds have a way of spontaneously combusting when dieting is the furthest thing from your mind -- when you're in a new relationship, knocked flat by the flu, swamped at work. "Although muscle is usually the first to go in those cases, an unexpected loss of five to 10 pounds can be a good starting point for reaching a healthy weight," says Tara Gidus, R.D., a nutrition coach at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Florida. Of course, if the cause of the drop was unhealthy or impossible to maintain, it's going to take more than wishful thinking to keep the weight off. Give these expert-approved strategies a try: New Love A big dinner doesn't seem so appealing when you have butterflies in your stomach. "When you're nervous or excited--as you are at the beginning of a relationship--the brain releases certain hormones, including adrenaline, that can suppress appetite," Gidus says. That's terrific--until a few months later, when your nerves calm down and your appetite ramps up. And the more time you spend with your honey, the more likely you are to pig out: According to a study presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the Obesity Society, women in cohabitating couples have higher obesity rates than singles, and newly married women gain an average of 24 pounds over five years (the average weight gain for single women is 15 pounds). Keep It Off Your beau might be able to inhale hoagies and still bounce a dime off his abs, but don't assume you can--a guy burns about 600 more calories per day than his better half. Consider his stash of junk food officially off-limits and find guilt-free indulgences: Skinny Cow ice cream bars, sugar-free Jell-O rice pudding, low-fat mozzarella sticks. If dates typically involve a knife and fork, plan them around physical activities instead --swimming, hiking, biking, or hitting the gym. Having a workout buddy boosts your chances of dropping a size or two. The Flu After you've been sick as a dog for a week or more, coworkers' comments about your sudden slim-down can leave you lovin' your new bod. But don't buy a new wardrobe just yet: "It's unrealistic to expect to maintain 100 percent of illness-related weight loss, because not eating is not an option," Gidus says. Chances are, the only exercise you did while you were sick was crawling back and forth between the bathroom and bed, so your muscles have begun to shrink. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that just two weeks of decreased activity can lead to more belly fat and less muscle. Keep It Off Get thee to a gym. For every pound of muscle you pack, your body burns more calories daily--and that's even when you're not exercising. And remember this: One pound of muscle takes up a lot less space than one pound of fat. So even though you might not see the difference on the scale, you will see it in the mirror. Just wait until you feel at least 80 percent healthy and have a green light from your doctor before pumping iron again, cautions Florida personal trainer Maren Piefer. She recommends three 30-minute full-body-toning sessions a week. To build lean muscle and tone without adding bulk, do lots of reps (three sets of 12 to 15 per exercise) with the heaviest weights you can lift while still maintaining proper form. Try doing two moves for each major muscle group (for example, leg curls and dead lifts for your hamstrings, pushups and flies for your chest). While you're at it, don't stop eating that chicken soup: Research from Pennsylvania State University found that eating soup before a meal reduces the amount you eat overall by 20 percent. Stick to soups that have 100 to 150 calories per serving, such as Campbell's Chunky Healthy Request Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup or Progresso Roasted Chicken Rotini. Stress When your calendar is at maximum capacity, you can be too distracted to eat, says Suzanne Farrell, R.D., a private-practice dietitian in Denver. But when time, yoga, or your massage therapist finally kicks stress to the curb, your appetite will probably return with a vengeance. When it does, it'll be tough to keep the pre-burnout pounds from piling back on because you've picked up eating habits like skipping meals and replacing your lunch with a candy bar and more coffee. Keep It Off Since you've been too busy to shop, your cupboards are probably bare by now. Use this opportunity to rebuild your diet from scratch, Farrell says. Pack your kitchen with the nutrient-dense foods your body needs--whole grains, fruits and veggies, low-fat dairy, lean meats, and beans--and leave out everything it doesn't. "Fill your stomach with good-for-you food and you'll be less likely to dive into the Lay's--especially if you have to go to the store to get them," Farrell says. To stay on track, try this twist on a food diary: Create separate columns for fruits, veggies, whole grains, dairy, and lean protein. Each day, when you eat a serving of one, put a mark in the appropriate column. Then tally them up: A moderately active woman who gets 30 to 60 minutes of exercise per day should have about two cups of fruit, three cups of veggies, seven ounces of whole grains, three servings of dairy, and six ounces of lean protein daily. The closer you get to these levels, the healthier (and slimmer) you'll be. A Change of Scenery "Skipping the country could be one of the greatest things you can do for your waistline. According to the Journal of Economic Perspectives, 25 to 30 percent of the U.S. population is obese; we out-chub United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, Italy, France, and Japan. Traveling abroad gives you a chance to take a vacation from bad diet habits, especially those triggered by your environment-like those three Krispy Kremes you pass on the way to work every day. Keep It Off You don't have to be in Rome to eat as the Romans do. When play time is over, ID the healthy vacation habits you want to import into your real life, Gidus says. For example, sometimes there's not enough time or it's too expensive to eat big meals abroad, so you graze from morning till night. "Continue eating mini-meals and snacks (300 to 400 calories apiece) every three to four hours to keep your metabolism high," she says. If you liked drinking espresso straight in Italy, start ordering a single shot at Starbucks instead of your usual 360-calorie vanilla latte. Stocking up on cookbooks from countries that eat naturally low-fat diets can also help keep the pounds at bay, Farrell says. Shop the supermarket's international aisles for the healthy foods you ate on foreign soil, and you'll have an easier time holding onto that vacation body all year long.

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Competitive Eater Crazy Legs Conti's Diet and Fitness Routine

Sara Abadi — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST

Crazy Legs Conti, competitive eater and star of Crazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating Photo: Buck Wolf, AOL News Call it a sport that's seen a growth spurt or two, a fascinating hobby or just plain gross. You've seen the photos, or at least heard of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest -- personally my favorite part of July 4th -- but what about the other 364 days of the year? Who are these ferocious feasters and what is their life like outside of competition? To get inside the world of competitive eating, we consulted competitive eater Crazy Legs Conti, ranked 15 in the world and most recently the cannoli eating champion. People assume competitive eaters must be 400-pound individuals who gorge themselves at all-you-can-eat buffets, and nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Crazy Legs is 6'3'' and weighs 215 pounds. You also might be surprised to know that he's a dedicated runner and does yoga two to three times a week. "Throughout the year I eat competitively 40 to 45 times," he says. "So I'm watching every bite, chew and swallow to be able to go the table and perform to the best of my ability. It's like preparing for a marathon, but it's a marathon of eating." With about 80 competitive-eating events a year, thousands of dollars of prize money on the line and tons of buzz surrounding these events we definitely wanted to hear more from this eating expert about how he stays fit, while eating so much. That's Fit: People might assume you sit around and eat all of the time, but you're pretty active. What is your exercise routine like? Crazy Legs: The first thing I do is running. I jog the Williamsburg Bridge [between Brooklyn and Manhattan, in New York] three or four times a week. I travel to so many cities, so I always bring my running shoes. I'm from New York, so I don't have a car. My running shoes are what get me around these cities. The other thing I've done in the last year which I've found incredibly helpful is yoga. Now, traditional yogis would probably grossly offended that I took up yoga to eat hamburgers or hot dogs, but yoga is great for digestion -- there are poses that help digestion. The other component is breathing. I do vinyasa yoga which focuses on alternate nostril breathing. When I'm eating, my mouth is obviously full but my nose is not, so through doing yoga two to three times a week and using a neti pot my breathing has improved. I call my body the basketball-player shape, so yoga was a little daunting at first, especially with all of the tight clothing. I have gear with the Buddha on it which I thought is the perfect combination of yoga and competitive eating. He's a little plump, you know? Overall yoga and running are my main ways of exercise to burn off calories and prepare for consuming so many calories too.

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Cinnamon Health Benefits

Sara Abadi — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST

In addition to jazzing up dishes, cinnamon is a spice with many health benefits. Cinnamon has anti-inflammatory properties, helping reduce chances of both stroke and heart disease. The spice also has antifungal and antibacterial properties that can help fight infections and lice. Cinnamon appears to have a positive effect on blood sugar levels and according to the USDA's Human Nutrition Research Center, cinnamon seems to make insulin more efficient at taking glucose out of blood and converting it to fuel for your body. Studies also claim anti-viral benefits for a special cinnamon extract against Avian Flu H9, the Sendai virus, HIV and Herpes Simplex 1, Newcastle disease (in chickens) and the flu. The extract not only fights viruses, but it will also immunize against them. To top it all off, cinnamon is an excellent source of manganese, dietary fiber, iron and calcium. Cinnamon can be toxic in large doses. And please note that large, doughy cinnamon buns are not an ideal source of cinnamon. Read more about this sweet spice on That's Fit: Cinnamon is Good for You Scents of the Season Cinnamon Keeps Blood Sugar Down

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