That's Fit

When I was in junior high, my best friend's mother swore by an appetite suppressant with the unfortunate name of Ayds. (It's no wonder that product went off the market!) Funny thing is, by the time I graduated from high school, my friend's mom didn't seem to have lost any weight during those years. Hmm...

While that particular product has long since vanished, there are plenty of odd-sounding options to suppress your appetite. Everything from lozenges to nasal spray to pickle pops to little "shots" that look and taste like coffee creamer. Women's Health reviewed some of the options and surprisingly found that some of them actually work.

Call me old-fashioned, but I'd rather just opt for a small, healthful snack to curb my hunger.

I'm not one to buy into claims that a pill can suppress my appetite or a chocolate shake can keep me full from morning until dinnertime. I prefer natural remedies for feeling full -- like eating healthful foods.

There's another natural way to suppress appetite, says RealAge. It also happens to burn fat, fight disease, strengthen bones, and improve mood. Any guesses?

It's exercise.

If you've been eating (or feeding your kids) oatmeal for breakfast with the understanding that it's one of the healthiest choices you can make, you need to rethink your strategy.

While oatmeal can provide good nutrients, a recent study showed that kids who only ate instant oatmeal for breakfast experienced increased appetites and calorie consumption throughout the day. In fact, when compared to having a vegetable omelet and fruit, oatmeal increased appetite and calorie consumption by more than 80%. Steel-cut oats didn't have as drastic an effect as instant oatmeal, however.

The researchers attributed their findings to fluctuations in blood sugar resulting from a meal of processed grain products. Adding some protein at breakfast is essential in keeping blood sugar (and appetites) from fluctuating wildly throughout the day.

Here at That's Fit, we've talked a bit about the merits of sunlight and Vitamin D, but a recent article at Prevention really sums up a number of reasons to "light up your life." You'll likely be well aware of some of the benefits of getting the right amount of light, but I think some of them will surprise you -- at least, they surprised me!

For example, did you know that you can use sunglasses to prevent jet lag? Or that using bright lights at night can affect your sleep?

Check out the gallery to see how light can help you improve your health.

God created appetites as a way to make sure we wouldn't forget to eat and starve to death, but somehow over the years it's turned into almost the opposite -- instead of helping us live our appetites are contributing to one of the biggest killers of our generation: obesity.

Although many work to retrain appetites and are successful, many people (me included) fight it on a pretty much daily basis -- I'm not so much training myself not to be hungry for certain things as I'm training myself to recognize when that hunger is legitimate and when it's not.

But sometimes it gets the better of me.

Zinc is more than just a way to use a 'z' in scrabble -- it's an essential nutrient that your body needs, both to heal wounds and injuries and help your body break down carbohydrates. How do you know if you're getting enough? Here are some signs that you're not, according to Everyday Health:

• Wounds, lesions and infections are difficult to heal.
  
• Your appetite is decreased.
  
• You experience an abnormal sense of taste and smell.
  
• You have difficulty seeing in the dark
• You experience abnormal hair loss.
  

Think you might be low on zinc? Load up on protein sources like red meat, turkey, seafood and legumes, as well as veggies like spinach and peas. Whole wheat bread, yogurt and milk are also good sources.

Thankfully in America, many of us do not know what it's like to be hungry every minute of the day. While there are homeless and hungry people all over the world, we can count our blessings here at home. However, there are some children even in the USA that come from healthy households and cannot feel that sense of satisfaction.

ABC is running a story describing a disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome that can affect children and adults alike. This genetic condition causes a person to be physically unable to satiate an appetite. Therefore, they are always hungry.

It talks about a 5-year-old girl who suffers from this disorder, leaving her to dig through garbage or eat sticks of butter in an attempt to fill herself up. The kitchen is forced to be kept under lock and key at all times. Otherwise, the child could gain access and literally end up eating herself to death with food. Doctors are not able to directly treat this disorder either, so parents must constantly watch their children. However, they can provide a margin of error by increasing their growth with HGH (human growth hormone). Hopefully someday researchers will be able to identify a weak spot in this syndrome and put a stop to it entirely.

12 "healthy" foods that really aren't:

Why? Click to find out!

I'm shocked whenever I learn that a young person has started smoking. With all the risk associated with this habit, I can't imagine how anyone can even consider taking up this harmful practice.

A new University of Florida study found that teen girls often begin smoking while dieting -- dieting nearly doubles the odds these young females will smoke -- because nicotine suppresses the appetite. Suppressed appetites mean less food. Less food equals less weight.

Not everyone opts for this smoky endeavor. But parents should be on the lookout for smoking as well as other dangerous health habits, like excessive exercise and altered eating habits. If you notice your teen lighting up or taking other drastic measures to drop a few pounds, step in and help her get a grip. Here are 10 ways to help teens stay smoke free.

Ever considered placing yourself in a time-out? I have. When my kids are driving me crazy, or my responsibilities are mounting, or I just need a bit of silence, a time-out seems quite heavenly. And if I follow the proper time-out protocol of sitting quietly for one minute per each year of age, I'd get a whole 37 minutes all to myself. Not bad.

OK, so maybe a mommy time-out is not likely to happen. A food time-out might be in my future, though, especially now with holiday eating in full force.

Nutrition experts recommend we all take food time-outs during our meals. They suggest taking 20 minutes between courses -- the amount of time it takes for fullness signals to travel from your stomach to your brain. Stop, think, and listen to your body's natural hunger cues, and you'll take control of your appetite and avoid overeating too.

Although many of us may have that junk food and candy out of sight, we always know where it is. It could be hidden under the bed or way behind in the pantry somewhere.

The thing with 'feeling' hungry has nothing to do sometimes with the hunger signals from your stomach going nuts on their way to the brain. According to experts, everything from stress to hormones to people, places, and situations can kick your appetite into overdrive.

What to do when there are so many forces out to get you? That's where a strategy and willpower come into play. But then again, there are food-based strategies as well, like potatoes (believe that or not). Read on for more.

I'm a good eater most of the day ... until about 3pm, that is. That's when a mid-afternoon energy slump leaves me feeling out of sorts and hungry for anything that is remotely bad for me. But here's a trick that I learned from Shape Magazine: If you work out two to three hours after you eat, you can curb your appetite and actually feel full for longer -- perhaps until dinner time?

This isn't always possible if you work in an office, but in lieu of a workout, how about a quick stroll around the block? It will wake you better than a coffee will, and it will keep you refreshed as you finish out the day.

New moms have it rough. No doubt about it. Everything from the physical recovery of giving birth to sleepless nights and zombie-like days can drain the best of us. It's hard to imagine good nutrition and exercise ever fitting into the hectic days with wee ones. The experts at parenting.com say it's possible, though. Here are some of their ideas for sneaking in some good-for-you nutrition and fitness.

• Start the day off right with a healthy breakfast, a quick workout, and some tunes. Breakfast quick picks include whole-grain cereal with skim milk, low-fat cottage cheese with fresh fruit, or two hard-boiled eggs with wheat toast or crackers. Workouts can be as short as 15 minutes. Try some squats, lunges, push-ups, and crunches to get the day started. Then belt out some of your favorite lyrics -- singing burns 59 calories per hour.
  
  
• Drink water throughout the day to keep your body properly hydrated.
  

Whether you're headed to a big deal family reunion or just down to the lake for the day, food and vacation time are a dangerous mix when it comes to sticking to your diet and healthy eating plan. It's just too darn easy to come up with excuses why having one more bite of this and one more of those is okay, and before you know it you've packed on 5 pounds and fallen completely off the wagon. So try these 4 tips to reduce summer party temptations:

• Slow down and really taste your food
• Avoid eating out every day
• Take an active break
• Plan ahead to avoid vending machines

Staying aware of the emotional health of your family members can also include the four legged members in your household. Does your dog have separation anxiety? Many bad behavior problems stem from separation anxiety. Know the below symptoms of canine separation anxiety and some of the things that can help ease their distress.

Your dog follows you around everywhere you go. Your dog acts overexcited when you return home or when you prepare to leave. Your dog whines and barks while you are gone. Your dog's appetite decreased while you were gone or will only eat when you are at home. Your dog develops digestive problems, and urinates or defecates excessively. Your dog becomes so upset they throw up. Your dog becomes destructive, and digs excessively, or chews only certain items while you are gone.

Here are some suggestions to help decrease the separation anxiety your dog may be experiencing.

Get another pet to keep them company. Take your dog to day care, or have a friend visit and walk your dog. Keep your TV or radio on. Give your dog a really great toy with your scent on it that it only receives when you are gone. Get your dog used to your routine when you are getting ready to leave. Keep your dog well exercised.

Here we go again! More hope that there's a way to eat less and lose weight without feeling hungry: research shows that a fullness hormone just might do that trick.

Symlin, which is a synthetic version of the natural hormone 'amlin' and is often used to treat diabetes, was recently studied to see how it affected the appetites of obese men and postmenopausal women. Compared to a placebo, the people taking Symlin injections prior to meals ate significantly fewer calories daily over a six week period and ended up losing quite a bit more weight -- all without feeling hungry.

No word just yet on how (or if) this will make it to the general population (I'm thinking injections before every meal are a little painful!), but it seems promising. But is it too promising? Sounds a little "too good to be true," and that's always a red flag.