That's Fit

If you're about to make a pitch to your boss about a much-needed raise, Health.com recommends you consume lean protein and whole grains, plus a little caffeine.

Why?

Because you want to be alert and upbeat, and protein foods contain the stuff to increase mental alertness. Whole grains also improve energy and so does caffeine for a bit -- but more important, it can improve your attention and short-term memory. How about this menu to rev you up: An egg-white and spinach omelet, a whole-wheat bagel with low-fat cream cheese, and one or two cups of coffee? If you don't get the raise, you'll at least be primed for a spunky day.

Health.com has you covered in all sorts of scenarios. Speaking to a large crowd? A high-protein, low-fat meal is best. Trying to get pregnant? Complex carbs, protein, and folic acid are your essentials. Before a workout: A light snack with carbs and water.

There's more. Learn exactly how to eat for performance right here.

If you think Keira Knightley is anorexic, you are wrong, says her mom who credits her slim figure to genetics and not a restrictive diet.

"She has always been thin," says mom. "She's her daddy's daughter, with his long body."

Apparently, Knightley, 23, eats like a horse to maintain her weight. A diet high in protein and carbohydrates is what reportedly keeps some meat on her bones.

On rumors that she's long suffered from anorexia, Knightley says: "I don't have it. I'm very sure I don't have it."

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. I am 12 years old and am a little chunky. I have love handles and wish to get rid of them, but I don't know what I should do! I was trying sit ups and crunches, but they don't work. Now I want to know what really works and how I can keep my body in shape without body fat . Everyone says that I'm not fat nor skinny, I'm just chunky. I want to get rid of all the chunky parts, but I don't know what I should do. Please help! Jellybean

A. First of all Jellybean, I want you to change your focus. I know it's hard to be young and uncomfortable in your skin. I too, had that issue before I was a teenager and ended up with a traumatic eating disorder. Trust me ... it brought me only bad things, never good. Don't go there. Instead of focusing on your so-called "flaws", find something about your body you like. I bet your body is loaded with treasures.

Yesterday, Danny told me exactly what he wanted for lunch: A tuna sandwich, nothing in it, nothing on it, just bread -- whole wheat bread. And cottage cheese (we only have the low-fat stuff). And milk (the two percent variety). So that's what I made him. He gobbled up every healthy bite, even wanted more than his two bowls of cottage cheese. I made him wait, though, just to see if his tummy decided it was full. It did.

Danny is my guy who will eat salmon -- even requested it for his birthday meal last week -- and he'll try anything at least once. Typically, he likes everything he tries. Well, not broccoli, even though he still eats it. What a guy.

Thanks goodness for my easy eater -- who also happens to like chocolate.

Our family is saving on gas costs by driving less. There are the unavoidable excursions -- trips to school, work, the grocery store -- but when we can manage it, we stay home. We just can't afford to drive all over town. I know you can relate.

I must say the best slim-down we've made on the driving front has been cutting down on eating out. Once an almost twice-weekly habit, we rarely dine out anymore. It all started when we realized the following:

• The four of us can never agree on a place to eat.

• Two kids with short attention spans rarely make for a relaxing restaurant experience.

• Our seven-year-old who begs to eat out typically complains of a belly ache once his tummy is full.
  

• We hardly ever exit a restaurant without spending $50 on food and drinks.

• Eating out can be a terribly unhealthy endeavor and we aren't even sure opting for the healthiest fare guarantees a nutritious meal.
  

Go to the grocery store hungry and you're bound to crave everything in sight. Blame your "Mmm" hormone, says new research that names the natural molecule ghrelin the responsible party.

Why ghrelin? Because it improves perception and memory when it comes to food. When hunger strikes, watch out, because ghrelin makes the brain find just about every food appealing, sending us on a path to diet destruction.

Researchers have long known that ghrelin, a hormone secreted in the gut, rises and falls before and after meals. Now they're learning that this "Mmm" hormone has even more power -- it causes hunger and encourages eating.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Most people will agree, but there are two side to every story. Diet Blog recently discussed the other side to the breakfast debate, based on the fact that most research on the importance of breakfast is funded by companies with a vested interest in your early AM food consumption -- namely companies who sell things like cereal, orange juice, frozen waffles and so on. They give a number of reasons why breakfast might not be as essential as we think -- you can check them out there.

I'm a staunch breakfast eater, if for no other reason then I am really freaking hungry when I wake up. I don't eat a lot -- a protein smoothie or a bowl of cereal will do -- but I have to have something or I won't be able to concentrate on anything for the first few hours of the day because I won't be able to hear anything above the growling of my stomach.

What about you? Is breakfast essential to your morning? Do you think we're being misled on the breakfast front?

We are certifiable health food freaks and have been since long before we had a child. One of my husband's biggest concerns about being a healthy eating household was that none of our son's friends would ever want to eat over and subject themselves to vegetables and such.

Well, now that our little guy is three, we've been having some of his friends for dinner. How did it go, you ask? Here are two cases in point.

Our next door neighbor's six-year-old plays here almost every day after school and has recently begun to eat dinner here about once a week. She now asks every day what we are having for dinner because she has her favorites:

• taco salad made with homemade taco seasoning
• Applegate Farms hot dogs and Trader Joe's Organic Baked Beans and salad
• brown rice pasta with homemade red sauce, spinach, chicken sausage and zucchini chunks
• organic chicken burgers with avocado and salad

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. Hey Fitz. Yesterday I did two classes in a row - Cardio sculpt and Extreme training, which are both really tough. Two days before that I ran three miles to the gym, did a class and ran three miles home. For the first time in a long time I did not enjoy the exercise one bit. I have been exercising regularly for a long time now - usually I love it. I have been practicing good nutrition habits with the occasional sweet tooth fix, drinking lots of water and STILL the number on the scale is staying the same. I feel like I am on the verge of burning out. I can't seem to lose the flab around my tummy - particularly under my belly button and backs of my thighs, no matter what I do. Plus, short of starving myself and getting very cranky, I don't know how to actually lose the weight. Funny how a number on a machine, the scale, can be so vital to my state of mind. It's ridiculous, really. PLEASE - do you have any advice? Cindy

A. Whoa there Cindy! You need a break! Sounds odd for me to say this, but put your sneakers away and sit the heck down! Fitness is not supposed to make us insane, fitness is supposed to help us maintain our sanity. You are burnt out to the max, and need to just let it go for a while. I'm not suggesting forever, but take at least a week off. I know what you're going through. You already have an elite fitness level, but particular parts of your body are just not responding the way you want them to. You have incredibly high standards for your body. That often leads to frustration. Especially when you're 'starving' and running a million miles a week!

Just had my tummy tuck one week ago. All is going well -- better than I'd anticipated, actually -- and just yesterday I went with my mom while she picked my boys up from school. I even accompanied them to the park for an afternoon play date. It was great to get out of the house and away from the recliner that doubles as my daytime resting place and my bed. It's where I sit, sleep, write, watch TV, read bedtime stories -- and worry about how all I've gained through strenuous exercise over the past year is about to be lost.

According to my doctor, I can't really exercise for six full weeks. I can walk, and I can gradually add other movements to my routine, but I can't full-out run -- my favorite fitness activity -- for quite some time. This worries me. Will I gain weight? Will I lose my muscle tone? Will I be completely out of shape by the time I lace up my running shoes? It's possible.

What ever will I do?

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 husband makes a big stink when I give our kids any type of 'sugar candy' like gummy bears or bubblegum. The kids are totally skinny and I don't see what the big deal is. They are kids! What do you think? Christy

A. Hey Christy. Your husband is a freaking genius. That's what I think! He has the insight and thoughtfulness to know that as parents, you should be teaching your children the best habits possible. He knows that your children are less likely to eat nutritious things when they've had a dose of candy. They're more likely to deal with the pain and terror that comes along with having their cavities filled if you give them candy. They're more likely to struggle with their weight and other less than lovely issues later on in life if you don't instill high standards in them today.

About 50 food studies take place at any one time in Cornell University's food lab. Some of Brian Wansink's studies – critics call them "Happy Meal" studies – take place in the field. Regardless of location, all of Wansink's experiments yield interesting findings about how our subconscious influences what, and how, we eat. Check out these fun facts.

• Give a group of people at a bar the Super Bowl and a plate of chicken wings, and the subjects will eat 28 percent more when a waitress clears the bones from the table than when the bones pile up.

• You'll eat more M&Ms if they're available in 10 colors than if they come in seven because you'll crave the variety.

• Flowers at your table will make you eat more, even though the smell may clash with the smell of your meal.

• Use small plates, keep junk food in inconvenient places, avoid eating directly from a package, and be the last one at your table to start eating. You'll fare better nutritionally by practicing these healthy habits.
  
  

For more wacky food scoop, check out Wansink's book: Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think.

Maggie told us on April 11 that France lawmakers were considering a ban on the promotion of ultra skinniness. Well, they considered it. They pursued it. And yesterday, they passed a groundbreaking bill that would make it illegal for anyone, including advertisers, fashion magazines, and web sites, to publicly incite extreme thinness. The bill goes to the Senate in the next few weeks.

If passed, this law would be the strongest of its kind anywhere. It's getting some strong support. Some say encouraging severe weight loss, which can lead to eating disorders -- and contributed to the 2006 death of one Brazilian model -- should be punishable by law. It's also being met with strong opposition. Those involved with French couture don't like that boundaries may be placed on beauty standards.

Regardless of the outcome of this bill, French lawmakers and fashion industry leaders did sign last week a non-binding charter to promote healthier body images. A step in the right direction. But is it enough?

When I was about 35 pounds heavier, I used to think about my body all the time. I was constantly fretting over the parts I didn't like, wondering how I was going to change, stressing over food and agonizing over clothes. I was all-consumed. I spent so much time thinking about my body, that I kind of lost track of the more important things in life. I certainly must have been far less productive and thoughtful to others than I am now as well.

Throughout my fitness journey, which truly began when I started teaching group fitness classes at 15 years old....I have had many great and not-so-great moments with my body. I even enjoyed a few great years in my teens as a bulimic. Whoopee! (That was really the low point.) Having said that. Along the way, I've learned to enjoy a variety of challenging exercises and balance my fitness. I also learned to appreciate and enjoy produce more than Cheetos. I got a grip on eating right and now I never fret at all over what I put in my mouth. I simply make great choices most of the time.

Buying organic foods at your local grocery store can get pretty pricey, because I know you're filling up a third of your cart with veggies. Right?

Noshtopia has seven ways to cut costs on your organic purchases, which could help your budget, your waistline, and your overall help. Below are the three I found most helpful, but feel free to check out all seven of their suggestions here!

• Hit the local farmers' market. You're buying direct, so it's generally cheaper.
  
• Check store brands in places like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. These businesses often offer a store brand and organic version for similar prices to conventional brand names.
  
• Shop near closing time. Because of the lack of preservatives used in organics, they are often more prone to spoiling. Therefore, grocers might mark those items down near the end of the day to move them off the shelf.

Got a suggestion that's worked for you? Please share in the comments!