math-related stories
Ask Fitz! Your Fitness Questions Answered -- Can you burn off extra snacks?
Ask Fitz!, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
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.
The perfect butt
Cellulite, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness
Developed by Dr. David Holmes, a psychology lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, and his team of British academics, this mathematical -- but also pretty subjective -- formula will tell you exactly how flawless your bum really is. It goes like this: (S+C) x (B+F) / (T-V). It's not as hard as it looks.
Translation: First, a woman must assess her assets on a scale of 1 to 20 (1 is worst; 20 is best) in the following categories.
S = overall shape (a ripe peach being just about right)
C = circularity (rounder is better)
B = bounciness (less wobble is preferred)
F = firmness (too much push to that cushion loses points)
T = skin texture (no cellulite, please)
Then she must calculate V, which is the ratio of her hips to waist. Then she simply does the math and determines how close she is to 80 -- a perfect score.
Fitness math
Obesity, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements

Let's be honest, math sucks. I apologize if me saying that offends the thousands of mathematicians who frequent this site (tongue planted quite firmly in cheek), but I'm sure the rest of you agree that there isn't any fun to be found in a math equation. Still, there are some instances when it's necessary for us to just suck it up and crunch the numbers.
Tracking your fitness progress and staying on track to reach your goals often involves the dreaded M word: Math. Arithmetic. Or whatever you want to call it, physical fitness can oftentimes be best charted and measured using these equations. Fortunately, most of them are simple enough for even me to handle, so I have little doubt that you guys will have any trouble with them.
One of the more important fitness formulas is one that helps determine how many calories you should be eating. Essentially, using this formula, you determine what your normal caloric intake is and, based on the resulting figure, how many calories you'll have to reduce your diet by to lose weight.
If counting calories doesn't work -- stop!
But that doesn't mean you're off the hook. You're still going to have to watch what you eat -- but this time, use visual cues to decide what constitutes a portion of what and be very stringent about what extra ingredients you are adding to your healthy foods. Still, with these tips, you can find a good balance -- without all the math.
How do you size up your food and lose weight without counting calories?
Danica McKellar tells girls intelligence is hip
Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation, Nutrition & Supplements
When I was growing up I used to be so envious of Danica McKellar (aka "Winnie" off The Wonder Years) because she was cute and thin and lots of boys had crushes on her. Now that I'm older, well, I'm still a bit envious because she's still fit and beautiful, but I've also got to give the girl some serious respect because she's also really smart. Not only is she intelligent, she aims to let other girls know that it's great to be smart.
I think that in an age where women like Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson flaunt the notion that they're hot but stupid (and I really wonder whether either is as clueless as they have portrayed themselves to be), it's incredibly refreshing and encouraging to have a beautiful woman not only admit that she's smart, but also make sure that young and impressionable girls know that it's possible to be both pretty and intelligent.
McKellar, who has penned a book called "Math Doesn't Suck", assures adolescent girls that it's cool to be good at math (and as an extension, most other school subjects I would imagine). So while I'm still a little bit jealous of the girl who was "Winnie Cooper", I'm also pretty darn impressed with the woman she's become.
It's just about the math
No matter what kind of fad diet you try, or crazy new exercise routine, losing weight (or maintaining your weight) is really just about the math. Calories in versus calories out. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts. 3500 calories equals one pound, so if you overeat by 3500 you've gained one pound and if you burn an extra 3500 you've lost one pound. The great news is that the fitter you are the more calories you burn, not just by being more active but because your metabolism moves faster. So even though you probably hate math in this situation it can really work in your favor.
Although it can work against you too, if sitting around eating fast food everyday is your thing...
Are you working out hard enough? Try using the Talk Test,
Healthy Habits, Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
A common challenge of exercise is figuring out how hard you should work. There are a few options to calibrate the ideal effort you should be putting forth, but most require too much math to make them great mid-workout options. I like the Keep It Simple Stupid version called the Talk Test.
For the average healthy individual who is trying to improve overall fitness, including cardiovascular and lung capacity, these are the rules.
- If you can have a full blown conversation during an aerobic workout you should be working harder.
- If you can't talk at all, even to scream "help!", you are working too hard.
- If you are huffing and puffing, but still have enough wind to tell your partner or trainer, "I can't wait to get this over with"...your pace is juuuuuust right.























