That's Fit

Would you steer away from that juicy restaurant burger if next to its menu description came a whopper listing of its calories? New Yorkers are facing this very question now that the city's chain restaurants are legally required to post calorie counts on their menus.

Officials are hoping that publishing calorie facts will inspire healthier dining and minimize out-of-control obesity. It might. Kind of like journaling your every bite might prevent you from over-eating, staring at the number 2,900 while you drool over the Outback's Aussie Cheese Fries just might cause you to pull in the reigns. Gazing at a Starbucks pastry case may become a whole new experience too. Apparently, people were recently seen backing away from the glass at one location as they read labels.

"Oh man, I never would have guessed it was that much," said one woman about the cookie calorie counts. "It definitely discourages me from buying."

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. Dear Fitz. My high school offers very few sports, but I'd like to play something. I'd like to try out for football, but my old-fashioned mother thinks that will make me a "tomboy". What do you think? Katie

A. You've come to the right place Katie! I happen to have embedded myself in the traditionally male sport of full-contact kickboxing, and you know what? It made me a better woman! Sports are sports. Whether you play with a ball, racket, gloves or sneakers...sports are just a more fun way to exercise and flex your competitive muscles. Period.

I loved getting in the ring to try and knock an opponent out. I loved the strategy, speed, and power of the event. Fighting, in fact, is one of my favorite things to do. Some of the girls I've competed against thought they had to take on some sort of macho persona. Short hair, yucky jeans, and mean snarls. I, on the other hand, preferred to act like a monster in the ring and show up to the after-party like a lady in a pretty dress and heels. Embracing my athleticism, strength and courage has allowed me to appreciate how wonderful it is to be a woman. A strong, athletic, educated woman who loves to have the doors held for her.

Have you seen the 100-calorie snack packs at the grocery store? It seems like they have them for everything now -- cookies, crackers, even dog treats. I've never been a fan of them myself because A) it's amazing how they can make a chocolate chip cookie taste like cardboard and B) I'd rather just eat a REAL chocolate chip cookie.

Revolution Health has some great tips for handling the munchies healthfully. Snacking isn't a bad thing. Healthy snacks help you maintain your energy and stabilizes your blood sugar. Here are 11 healthy, convenient alternatives -- and they're all under 200 calories!

• 2 cups fat-free popcorn
• Single-serve instant oatmeal (opt for the reduced sugar variety)
• Whole-wheat crackers
• Whole-grain cereal
• Sliced apple or celery sticks with 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 4-6 ounces of light yogurt or fat-free pudding
• Snack-size low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup nuts (almonds, pistachios, walnuts)
• Any whole fruit
• Serving of soy chips
• Dried fruit and nut mix

I'm not starting a food diary because I have a big weight loss goal. But I do have an issue with my mid-section -- it's just a little too loose for my liking -- and since months and months of healthy eating and vigorous exercise have not produced many results in this area, I've decided to write down what I put in my mouth so I can determine if my healthy eating is not so healthy after all.

Yesterday was day #1 of my food journaling and already I know I have some bad habits. How do I know? Because there are certain items I don't want to write on my list. I must not want to see them in writing because I know they aren't conducive to my overall goal of shedding the tummy flab. All day, I steered clear of the tub of cashews in my pantry and the graham cracker sticks my kids eat. While not the most dreadful of diet pitfalls, these snacks, when eaten regularly or in excess amounts, can surely sabotage my stomach. So for now, they are off my list.

I highly recommend a food journal if you want to know the error of your ways. All you need to do is write down everything you eat and drink. Here are a few ground rules.

• Take your food diary with you wherever you go so nothing is forgotten and left off the list. If you don't wish to keep a bulky notebook with you, hang onto a small notepad so you can jot down what you consume. Transfer it to your official journal later.
  
  
  
• Write immediately after you eat. Document what and how much you eat right after you commit the act. Include condiments, dressings, butter, everything that enters your mouth -- even that mini candy bar, the last quarter of your toddler's grilled cheese, that half a soda you're sure doesn't add up to much.
  
  

• Keep it specific. Record the type of food and the portion size. Avoid vague descriptions. If you ate 10 crackers, write just that. Don't write "handful of crackers."
  
  

• Don't forget calories. Look up the calorie value of your foods and drinks and be sure to adjust for portion size. Add your calories as you go so you see your running total and know what wiggle room you have for the remainder of a day. To determine your ideal daily calorie total, check out this formula.
  
  

While food journaling may seen taxing at first, it will get easier. You'll be surprised at how quickly you learn the calorie counts of your usual foods. And you'll love it when you start seeing results. You will see results, by the way. Studies show that people who use food diaries tend to lose more weight and keep it off longer than those who don't.

First off lets just be clear: calories are calories and they all count. Period. But in the world of weight loss and healthy living different calories do have different traits, and so they also have different impacts on your body. Understanding why you should eat the way experts recommend will go a long way towards helping you not only do it successfully -- but to keep doing it successfully on down the line. Here some experts help straighten us out on some of the most common misconceptions and myths about calories:

Should women ever eat less than 1200 calories a day when trying to lose weight? No, 1200 calories is considered to be the lowest safe calorie total per day in order to lose weight without sacrificing health. Dip much lower than that and you can throw your body chemistry off and risk issues like heart problems and gallstones.

Do most people underestimate or overestimate the calories they consume each day?

I won't say he's wrong, the author of Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control and Disease. I will say I'm intrigued by what he has to say about losing weight -- that it's carbohydrates and not fat and lack of exercise causing Americans to gain weight -- because in my experience, limiting fat and increasing my workouts helped me drop 15 pounds. But hey, maybe I'll give his advice a whirl and see what happens.

Gary Taubes says fat, even the saturated kind, does not cause heart disease. He says that obesity is not caused by eating too much and that exercising is certainly not the key to weight loss. He claims the diet industry is telling us to eat precisely the foods that make us fat, and he declares that carbohydrates engineer our bodies to accumulate fat. The fewer carbs we eat, the leaner we'll be, says this man who vehemently disagrees with diet experts who advise a low-calorie, low-fat plus exercise regime. This approach has a dismal success plan, according to Taubes. Restrict your carbs to 60 grams per day and you'll lose weight -- in one study, weight loss averaged 37 pounds. Go the low-calorie, low-fat route and this study finds you'll lose four.

Here's why cutting carbs works: You burn up the fat you have and store less, stave off insulin resistance, feel less hungry, and have more energy.

Scientific evidence on Taubes' viewpoint is insufficient to recommend or condemn this type of diet, partly because the diets in line with his thinking (like the Atkins diet) are not backed by long-term trials that prove safety.

I kind of like my diet at this moment in time. It's fairly low in calories, fat, and sugar (Taubes does agree sugar is a diet no-no), void of sweets and soda, packed with fruits and veggies, and not so restricted on the carbohydrate front -- although breads, potatoes, and rice don't usually accompany my at-home meals, I do tend to snack on crackers and pretzels and I always go overboard with the bread basket when dining out. And exercise is a staple in my life -- when it comes to the link between exercise and weight loss, I'm a believer.

What do you believe? The reigning wisdom of diet and fitness experts or the controversial wisdom on Taubes?

At this point it's common knowledge that fast food is full of fat and calories, and we've all seen plenty of scary headlines declaring the "deadliest fast foods" and citing outrageous calorie counts. Plus it seems we find different numbers wherever we look -- so if you're trying to get an accurate reading on your favorite indulgence you've probably found yourself stuck in the +/- 300 calories range. Yeah, that's helpful.

So I'm presenting this list, from A Calorie Counter, with all of that in mind. It's one list that I think looks about right as far as the numbers go, and I always think lists like this are fun. One thing I know for sure: at 1680 calories I won't be having a large White Castle chocolate shake anytime soon!

The list ranks the top 272 items total, so take a look -- you might be surprised at where your favorite indulgence lands on the list!

Jamie-Lynn Sigler, the 26-year-old former Sopranos actress who was honored recently at the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) for her work as an ambassador for the group, remembers clearly the day her dad begged her to eat some cake. Knee deep in her own eating disorder, she just couldn't do it.

"I remember rationalizing that if I had that one piece of dessert, the next morning I would wake up and weigh 400 pounds," she says. "It sounds so wild, but for me it was true."

It's hard for Sigler to recognize that person with such a warped sense of reality.

Sigler, who continually works on her recovery, tries to achieve a healthy balance in her life. Once obsessed with over-exercising and measuring the input and output of every calorie, she now strays from any regimen or ritual when it comes to dieting and exercising.

"I have a wonderful friend who does yoga with me," she says. "When I go home to Long Island, my mom and I take the dog and go hiking. It's nice to be outdoors."

This has to be the most novel idea I've seen in a while -- a beer mug that lists consumed calories right on the mug itself.

Although beer consumption is generally not associated with those keeping count of their calories, a reminder such as this would be prudent for many food packages from which foods are eaten and drinks imbibed. What do you think?

Education and knowledge about what you put inside your body can be life changing and empowering, but the lack of insight from most about foods and drinks helps explain why more than ever, we're seeing an explosion of obesity in Western countries.

Tools like a calorie-informing food or drink package would make for a great information conveyor.

It's that time of year when eating becomes a sport and pounds pack on like there's no tomorrow. There's no better time than the present then to start burning those calories before they get the best of us.

We burn calories with every activity we perform, even sleeping. Keeping track of what we burn throughout the day and becoming aware of which activities burn more calories than others can help us stay the healthy course as we eat our way through the holidays.

Check out this calorie burn calculator and you can determine just how many calories you'll expend performing more than 40 different activities. If you weigh 165 pounds and mow your lawn for 45 minutes, you'll burn about 321 calories. Spend 30 minutes running a 10-minute mile (weight: 135), and you'll burn 318 calories. Cook that holiday feast for 60 minutes (weight: 195), and 185 calories will be gone. Plug aerobics, cleaning, skiing, or walking into this nifty tool, along with your weight and length of activity, and you'll be on your way to calorie-burning awareness.

Keep in mind that simply burning calories is only a portion of what you need to accomplish in your quest for health. A well-balanced, low-fat diet, plenty of rest, and a healthy attitude are also essential. Of course, moderation is key too -- even with exercise. And don't forget that when you exercise, you must invest your 100 percent. Going through the motions alone won't do much good. Give it your all instead.

Here's to a calorie-burning holiday for all!

When you grab your veggies in the grocery store, do you go for fresh, frozen, or canned? If you grab frozen or canned vegetables, you may be onto something -- these options tend to deliver even more nutrients than their fresh counterparts.

All forms of produce are low in calories and contain fiber and phytochemicals -- plant compounds that provide varied health benefits. And when it comes to fiber, fresh is best. But for plentiful nutrients, already-cooked produce is tops. Cooking makes nutrients more readily available to the body, and the time fresh produce spends sitting on shelves depletes their nutrients.

There are some downsides to frozen and canned foods, however, like additives you won't find in the fresh produce aisles. So be careful. Look for low-sodium items, avoid all cream and cheese sauces, and steer clear of any label that reads "sweetened."

I think this logic applies to adults and kids alike but the blurb I just read in the November issue of Family Circle puts the kid spin on diet foods and drinks. And this is what it says: Diet foods and drinks may actually lead to obesity.

Research suggests that kids who eat low-calorie versions of foods may develop distorted connections between taste and nutritional content. If they never really experience the good stuff, they are more likely to overindulge when they do get a taste of it. So it's best to skip the diet goods and instead teach kids to eat all foods in moderation. Like the kid who never gets to watch TV and then arrives in front of a television set and can't break away, kids who are restricted from regular foods may one day go way overboard.

This makes sense to me -- that's why I think we adults can also benefit from this little diet lesson.

For more on this topic, take a look at this article.

I am happy to report that my husband and I have inspired a few people to aspire for healthier diets. I think it's John's very apparent weight loss that gets people thinking, and then asking how exactly it is that he's dropped nearly 40 pounds in the span of six months. In the event you might be contemplating your own diet revamp, here's how we've done it.

We started with three "No's" -- no sweets, no soda, and no red meat. And then we took on a two "lows" -- low calorie and low fat. There's other practices we've adopted along the way, like cutting down on breads, pastas, and other starchy items and abandoning creamy dressings altogether. We also use minimal amounts of butter and try to stay away from packaged foods. And while we've ditched a whole lot of junk from our diets, we've upped our consumptions of fruits and veggies. John has also become a real advocate for flax seed. He'll sprinkle it on just about anything.

That's it. Simple, right? We think so, now that we're over the hump and don't crave the unhealthy stuff we once shoveled in our mouths. We also think you should know this: Our way of eating is by no means temporary. It's not a diet. It's a life change. So we challenge you to not borrow this plan and then return to your old ways once you reach your desired weight. It just won't work that way, and your pounds will inevitably come creeping back. If you practice what we're preaching, you need to practice it for the long run. This way, you'll enjoy both a healthy weight and a healthy body for the long-term.

The truth is, despite all our best intentions, we're all bound to splurge at some point or another. My splurge was the other day -- my birthday -- on which I treated myself to some of my favourites ... pizza, milkshakes and sushi, to be exact. And man, did I ever feel sick afterwards -- going from a healthy, low-fat diet to an all-out grease binge doesn't sit well.

So if you're going to splurge, here's my advise -- go slowly and splurge wisely. Chances are, your splurge foods won't be healthy, but that doesn't mean there aren't things you can do to make the healthier. Check out this quiz from AOL for some insight into what's a smarter splurge and what will set you back.

What's your favourite splurge?

Give it up for the apple. It not only keeps the doctor away. It also keeps calories away.

A new Pennsylvania State University study shows that the consumption of apples in different forms affects calorie intake. Specifically, people who ate an apple about 15 minutes before lunch consumed almost 190 fewer calories than when they didn't have the apple.

This study of 59 normal-weight men and women suggests that eating something like a low-calories piece of fruit versus something like fruit juice before a meal might be a great strategy for reducing calorie intake.

"It looks like solid fruit is more filling than fruit juice, and people perceive them differently," says one researcher. People look at an apple and look at fruit juice, and they think the apple will fill them up. And it does. And they eat less as a result. And this is why the apple deserves a round of applause.