That's Fit

That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader! We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind. Besides showing you off, we want to reward you for all of your hard work! Everlast and Everlast Woman are giving gorgeous workout T-shirts to each featured member! To join, please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Stephanie Hobbs

Age: 25

Occupation: Technical Support

How often do you exercise? Five to six days a week.

What type of exercise do you do? Running, cycling, and high-intensity aerobic exercises with weights.

Read on to see how much weight Stephanie has lost, how much she has to go, and what keeps her going!

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. 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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I'm a woman in my early 40s and have really let myself go over the past decade. I used to have a nice figure, but now I'm stuck with a 'lumpy bumpy butt' that is far too big. The rest of my body needs work too. I joined Weight Watchers two weeks ago, cause I saw that you wrote it was a great program. I'm down three pounds already. So, what do you advise I do to improve my backside. It's awful! Marlene

A. Hello Miss Marlene. I'm glad you sent me your question, and I'm confident I can help. There are a lot of things you can do to tighten up that tush. You've already taken the first step with Weight Watchers -- losing weight will be most important for getting rid of bulging pockets of fat.

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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hello Fitzy. I need your help! I'm six feet tall and last year I was close to 300 pounds. I am now down to 250. I'm still in the process of losing weight but am stressed because I cannot get rid of my "man boobs."They're devastatingly embarrassing. I wouldn't take my shirt off at the beach if you paid me. What can I do to make them go away? Liam

A. Hi Liam. Isn't it funny how big boobs are super cool on a chic but not so much on a guy? Interesting. Listen, I feel for you. Man boobs are not the status symbol of the day, and it's hard for most people to deal with any unusual bulging pockets of fat. Man boobs, love handles, and saddles bags; nobody wants 'em!

Meg Cabot writes books for the teen set -- her one claim to fame is The Princess Diaries series -- and she writes for us grown up people too. The good thing about the message she authors for adults is this: She makes it OK to be big boned.

Size 12 is Not Fat and Size 14 is Not Fat Either are two of Cabot's books. Big Boned is another. All are mysteries, written with easy-to-follow and witty storylines -- size 12 character Heather Wells, an ex-pop star turned assistant dormitory director, finds herself tangled in various student murder mysteries and gives equal time to her detective work and her body image. Wells dwells on her size at times, cracks jokes about her plumpish figure, and shares her struggles with diet and exercise -- she is no stranger to indulgence and finds her commitment to fitness marginal, at best. Wells is real, human. That's what I like about her. She knows she's got room for improvement when it comes to healthy living. She also knows happiness doesn't always come in a size two package.

Looking for a good book, plus some validation for the fact that it's OK to be a size 12, or 14? If so, Cabot may be just the author for you.

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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz. I am a fit and healthy forty-one year old woman. I generally eat a well balanced diet, but once in a while I like to splurge on a high calorie snack. Can you burn calorie for calorie? If a snack is worth 250 calories, and I burn the same 250 calories ... does this counteract the intake? Jamie

A. Yes, Jamie. You can! The simple formula for weight management is to burn the same amount of calories that you consume. You're in compete control of that. Just make sure you count calories accurately. Studies show most people tend to dramatically underestimate the amount of calories they consume each day. This is what leads to both weight gain and frustration during attempts at weight loss.

She's a skinny girl -- size two skinny, to be exact -- but One Tree Hill actress Sophia Bush says even girls her size can have cellulite. I believe it. Skinny can still be soft. And big can still be toned.

Bush, 26, is speaking out about skinny cellulite because she thinks it's important to remind young women that what they see in photos may not be the real deal. Don't think that stick figure on the cover of a fashion magazine doesn't have a little flab under her tight dress. And don't think that rail-thin star hasn't had her glossy likeness retouched. Even Halle Berry has cellulite, says Bush.

Staying fit is key, no matter your size. "I think it's healthy when fitness experts encourage fitness rather than getting a certain body shape," says Bush. "And I'm Italian -- I love food. I'm not going to cut out bread and pasta and wine to be thinner."

Well, when you're a size two, I guess that's easy to say. Still, she makes a good point.

Welcome to the Good, the Fat and the Hungry. I'm Karla and I have been -- or am -- all those things. Here, I will share with you my lifelong struggle with my weight and I hope you'll follow along on with my determined attempt to lose nearly 40 pounds. I promise to tell you every win and setback along the way every Tuesday and Friday.

I am not happy. I mean, I am happy with life overall, but I am not happy about my tummy tuck drains. I am one week post-surgery and still, I have them -- all three of them -- with removal nowhere in sight. You see, I experienced a drain blockage last week, which slowed the process considerably (I think this is atypical for most tummy tucks). I guess some gunk got stuck on the way out and clogged the drains, located between the pubic area and the bottom of my abdomen. Besides this hassle, I've got cords that, while long enough to pin to clothing, are in my way -- all three of them.

So, I saw my doc's physicians assistant today, and she said with the amount of fluid still draining, the drains should stay in place. She was actually happy about this and said we'd take a look on Thursday when I see my surgeon. I trust her completely, so they are right where she left them -- in me. I've read many stories of fortunate folks who had their drains out in a few days or even a week -- I just am not one of those lucky folks.

To truly make the most of your weight loss and fitness efforts, it's best to follow a program that covers all the bases.

Resistance training is a great way to build lean muscle and reduce fat, but it may not be enough by itself to produce the results you're looking for. Therefore, be sure to also include regular cardio sessions in your workout and spend some time stretching, as well. The same logic applies for doing cardio by itself; you will drop pounds, but not as fast as you would if you also weight train. And, without resistance training, you will not put on any considerable amount of lean muscle. But, what do you do if you don't have any weights at your disposal? Simple - use your own body weight. This article, from the popular fitness website iLookLikeFit.com, offers some great tips on how to get a solid body weight workout.

The solution? Take a moment to reevaluate your workout. Be sure to include both resistance training and cardio sessions throughout the week. And, if you opt to do them both in the same day, most experts suggest performing your weight training first and then finish with your cardio.

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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I'm 26 years old and have never been happy with my upper body. My arms are lanky and my chest is soft. I have a demanding job as an attorney, and simply don't have the time nor the know how to get involved in a complicated training regiment. I know I have to "earn" a good body, so I was hoping you could dumb things down for me. A simple routine I can do in a hurry. P.S. I love your fit tip videos! Thanks. Tim

A. Hello Mr. Tim! Training for a guy with "no time" huh? That' my specialty! Glad you asked. Look pal, I wish I could pull off the persona as a rocket scientist, because I'm on top of this stuff ... but I can't. Fitness is painfully simple, and you can achieve your goals without much complexity.

I'm so excited to share with you the recipe for my Protein Power Potato. It's something I've been eating several times a week, and it really has served me well. I insist that my food be: low cal, low fat, high fiber, often high in protein and overall nutritious. This Protein Power Potato fills me up, and gives me the energy to get through tough workouts or wild days with my kids. (It keeps me really trim too.)

I've included an option for making this a vegetarian or carnivorous option as well. Since I understand food, and know what I want out of it ... sometimes I just look in my fridge and concoct something that's going to give me what I need. That's how we got this meal. Did I mention this thing is delicious too? Mmmmm. I could eat it every day!

To give it a try, visit the Recipe section available at Fitzness.com, page 42.

Remember how happy we all felt when Lay's introduced Baked Potato Chips? I do. It was a feeling of relief for me. I had given up chips in lieu of a hard fit body. Fair exchange I thought! But then, there was this company telling me that they weren't going to fry all of their chips anymore, and yes ... there would be a healthier version for people like me. Yahoo!

Once again, snack lovers get to rejoice. The LesserEvil brand snack company has created an amazing variety of popcorns and krinkle potato sticks to make just about everyone drool. Most single servings contain about 110 calories of which about 20 come from fat. Not bad!

The Classic Kettle Corn is the perfect combination of sweet and salty, and thank goodness my bag was a single serving. If it weren't, I could have devoured nine! It was better than any of the junky stuff they sell at carnivals for sure! The Black and White Kettle Corn made my children's "movie night" here at home an even more special event. Good news for me ... I didn't feel the slightest bit bad about giving it to them. The Zesty Pizza Krinkle Sticks were odd to my husband and I though. Why? Because we could not figure out how they made them taste exactly like pizza! It was both weird and wonderful at the same time.

Women's Health magazine just sent me a release with some fun tips entailed, and I thought I'd share this one with you. Four fabulous moves useful for those of you guilty of missing morning workouts to sleep in late, and then missing the gym after work due to fatigue. As your online trainer I want to make this clear to you: skipping your workouts on a regular basis is detrimental to your health!

Of course, early morning workouts can be tough. They're also what keeps you full of the energy you need to get through each day with vigor! Check out this gallery, and next time you go to hit the snooze button ... get your fanny up and do the Cat Cow pose instead. (No moo-ing necessary!) These four easy moves will give you the energy to get to the gym and start your day off right!

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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hey Fitz, My name is Sarah and I'm almost 16. I have always been involved with sports including: hockey, basketball, soccer and you name it! Now that I am older, I have slowed down a bit and only play basketball for high school and travel. This is what is bothering me: I can't seem to run as long as I used to. I get tired easily and run out of breath. I'm not fat or anything, and I am even really fast. But by the time I run one length of the court I'm pretty much dead. What am I doing wrong and what do I need to do to change this? It seems like I get more out of breathe each season. Thanks, Sarah

A. Hi Sarah, Thanks for writing. I have two thoughts on what may be happening with you, the first being more probable than the last. Most likely, you've just become out of shape. That doesn't mean you're obese or in horrible shape, it just may mean you're not capable of doing as much as you were two years ago when you were involved in three sports! You take pride in the fact that you run fast. That's great! But, the fact that you like to go all out probably makes you more likely to suck wind at the end of one lap.

Fat. Talk about a word that unjustly carries a negative connotation. When someone is overweight, they are considered "fat." When a food is unhealthy, this appellation is typically assigned because of how much "fat" it contains. And when the likelihood of something taking place is low, you're told it's a "fat" chance. Poor fat -- it deserves much better than this.

For all the fat shunners out there, it's important to know that not all fats are bad; in fact, most are essential to total body health. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are probably among the best examples. Fatty fish, flaxseed oil, dark leafy greens, walnuts, wheat germ, and hempseeds all contain EFAs, which cannot be created by the body and must therefore be obtained from diet. Monounsaturated fats -- such as olive and canola oils, almonds, avocados, and pecans -- are incredibly healthy fats, as are some polyunsaturated fats, such as sesame and sunflower oils.

The fats you want to steer clear of as much as possible are saturated fats (butter, shortening, lard, etc.), trans fats (hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils) and fake fats, such as Olean and Olestra. It's because of these fats that "fat" has gotten such a bad name.

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Nutrition expert, Elizabeth Somer, and I recently sat down in New York City at the Prilosec OTC round table event to chat about aging without feeling or looking OLD! She tosses out tons of great advice about living well, living long and looking hot while doing it. The interview was fun and her books are great!

View Elizabeth's books below: