That's Fit

Here's a reminder: My Smoothie King post published on Tuesday, and I'm pleased to report we have 17 comments already -- that's 17 people who've put their name in the hat for a drawing that will take place today after 5 PM. You know what that means? You still have time to leave a confirmed comment here (if you have not already left one), which will enter you in the contest to win a $100 gift card. Just describe the tastiest and healthiest smoothie you'd create if you could. That simple. Oh, and by the way, we're not actually using a hat. The drawing will be done via a computer software program and in only the most random of ways.

Here's a clarification: One reader was confused by the whole "skinny" smoothie thing. Here's what the Smoothie King experts have to say about their skinny offerings:

For those Smoothie King smoothies sweetened with turbinado (raw cane sugar), guests can choose to make them "skinny" by leaving out the turbinado and adding an alternative sweetener or the option of no added sugar at all. So, if a smoothie says it contains turbinado, it will only be made skinny once the turbinado is removed ... and that is when the 20-ounce smoothie will decrease by 99 calories and 23 carbs.

There you have it: The skinny on the smoothies you could be enjoying with that gift card you just might win.

I gave my husband fudge for his 40th birthday on Saturday, as promised. Don't worry. It was a treat. It's not a way of life. John loved it -- both the milk chocolate and peanut butter varieties -- and our boys loved it too. All three of them gobbled down the thick, rich indulgence. I just watched. Sugar is not my thing.

I also gave John a swim suit for his birthday. The one he's been wearing for oh, seven years or longer, just drips off his year-old lean body. So I replaced his Large with a Medium and presented it to him at his mini-party on Saturday. He loved it. Nothing like a new suit after nearly a decade, I guess. One small problem though. It was too big. With one easy tug, he pulled those trunks completely off his hips and down to the ground. He's down 40 pounds lately, and apparently, that's more than a one-size change.

So off I go in search of a smaller suit. And maybe another hunk of fudge.

Reporters at a recent press conference in Spain were nothing but stunned when actor Colin Farrell appeared at the event looking shockingly thin.

Why the major transformation for this Hollywood bad boy?

"I lost weight because my role demanded it," said the 31-year-old of his upcoming film, Triage. "It was all very healthy."

It was a few sentences from the Scott Anderson novel that inspired Farrell's drastic slim-down: He went to the bathroom to shave. Once his beard was gone he saw that his face had become drawn. He pressed at the hollows beneath his eyes, the pronounced nubs of his cheekbones.

Farrell, not willing to fess up to his weight-loss secrets, plays a war reporter in Bosnia in this new film and spent five weeks perfecting his character.

This week I've been sampling Dannon's Light & Fit 0% Plus Yogurt, and I absolutely love it. Before I go any further though, let me tell you how I feel about yogurt. I like it, but only if I feel like I'm getting a high in calcium, low in sugar, legitimately fruit-filled snack. Now, there is always yogurt stacked up in my fridge, because I have two little children. But, rarely do I even open up a cup for myself. Not that I would ever buy my babies anything "bad"... cause I don't. But I regularly expect perfection of the things I put in my mouth. I'm simply not willing to waste 100 calories on a teeny cup of yogurt. I'd rather have two big pieces of fruit.

So! I was thrilled instantly by the calorie count on Dannon's new Light & Fit 0% Plus Yogurt. Each cup boasts only 50 or 60 calories, depending on the flavor. That I can do! The fruity varieties are also full of real fruit chunks. Fresh and healthy fruit chunks, not the icky stuff dumped in from a can. On top of all that, each flavor has proven to be delicious to both my children and me, and then a few of my personal training clients as well.

Before you go give Dannon's Light & Fit 0% Plus Yogurt a try, I encourage you to do a side-by-side comparison of it's nutritional content versus that of other yogurts. I did this a few days ago and couldn't find anything as good. This is the type of thing you want to put in your fridge if you're trying to lose weight. It's a great fix for your sweet tooth, while providing a decent amount of protein, calcium, vitamin D and other important nutrients.

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!

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?

How many times have you heard a startlet credit her fabulous body with good genetics or a busy lifestyle. You know, "I swear, I eat junk food all the time! I just don't put on any weight!" Well, I don't know about you, but I generally want to punch those girls. You know, good for them and all, but most of us just aren't that lucky.

Well, it turns out most of them aren't, either. We're always hearing about celebrity diets and fitness routines, and this article in the Daily Mail gives us nine reasons why most of us don't look like most of them. And trust me, these are not things you want to do in order to get bodies like theirs.

If you think you have to be skinny and perfect to pull off the latest fashion trends, you are so wrong. All you need to pull off are these few tricks for dressing thin. If you like them, thank E! for calling them to my attention so I can share them with you.

• Get tops that fit. Don't squeeze yourself into anything.
  
  

• Avoid light colors. They show every bump and bulge.
  
  

• Choose black. It really is slimming.
  
  

• Dress one size bigger.
  
  

• Go with long cardigans to create vertical, taller, skinnier lines.
  
  

• Try little jackets too. Cinch around the waist.
  
  

• Ditch the chunky jewelry. It adds volume to your body.
  
  

• Nix the short skirts unless you have very thin legs.
  
  

• Invest in pencil skirts to elongate the body.
  
  

• Add high heels to gain length.

Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Elizabeth Lienhart

Age: 23

Occupation: Mechanical Engineer

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

What type of exercise do you do? Spinning, running, kickboxing, weight training, dancing around the house.

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Two piece swim suits and skinny jeans!

Congratulations to our Everlast Fitzness Fiend of the Week, Laurie! Laurie has lost an amazing 104 pounds! Because of her efforts, Everlast is dying to reward her with one of their beautiful ribbed tank tops from their Spring Collection to keep her looking gorgeous while she takes her fitness training even further. Can you imagine how amazing it would feel to have lost a whopping 100 pounds (and more)? It must have taken lots of sweat, lots of focus at meal time, and lots of perseverance when she hit plateaus. I'm so proud, Laurie! Hooray for you!

Maybe you'd like to win a smokin' tank from the Big E too? Wouldn't it be nice to be rewarded for your efforts every now and then? I think you should be. I think you should be my next Everlast Fitzness Fiend of the Week! ....

The dieter's paradox is known as this: being skinny and having a positive view of your physical body can motivate you more to exercise and maintain that physique.

But, to get there, you have to torture yourself losing weight and exercising to get to a point where you're happy with what you look like. The long-term view is what many dieters forget. Transformation does not happen overnight, even in the instant gratification society we live in.

In a recent rat study, this phenomenon was studied and confirmed. Why do so many people fail at dieting? Because they are not skinny to begin with -- and there's the paradox. You have to look past that fact and to the day when you are skinny enough.

Before Britney went off the deep end and Lindsay made rehab popular, Tara Reid was raising eyebrows as one of Hollywood's biggest party animals. And she's still at it, particularly with the publication of these photos of her looking frighteningly thin and disproportioned in a bikini.

She's recently been speaking out about the controversy surrounding her figure -- not only is she a victim of botched plastic surgery, but her waifish appearance was caused by her recent stay in a hotel. Apparently, they didn't offer room service. So? She just. didn't. eat.

Um, yeah ... No comment.

What would you do to lose a few pounds? Would you deliberatly catch an illness like the stomach flu? Would you go to jail? Would you shave your head? Would you spend $600,000? Would you quit your job? Fitness Magazine did a survey of women and men, asking them what they would sacrifice to lose a few pounds. Some of the results:

• Half of them would rather lose their jobs than be overweight
• 63% of women would rather be poor and skinny than rich and overweight
• When a man says he likes their body, 36% of women believe he's just being nice
• 5% of women said they would give up 20 IQ points in an instant for the perfect body.
  

There's more -- as Bev told us a few days ago, 85% would live with an extra toe if it meant they could keep the pounds off for good. And feel awkward about wearing sandals? No thanks.

Which begs the question--we're willing to sacrifice so much to be skinny, but why not ice cream, or cheese, or pizza or whatever our vice foods are? We'll give up our jobs but not junk food? We'll take on an extra toe but we can't find the motivation to go to the gym a couple of times a week? Yes, I'm oversimplifying the problem here ... or am I? What do you think?

(via Cranky Fitness)

As a bit of a self-confessed coffee maniac, I am happy that some of the beverages at Starbucks are going 'skinny', as Bethany pointed out a little while ago. But not everyone is happy about the change. As Diet Blog reports, at least one employee has spoken out about the change.

The source of her frustration? The wording -- the term skinny can have a negative impact on both the customers and employees, especially after being called out loudly countless times a day. Want more info on the complaint? Click here.

I can see her point. It might be embarrassing for some to ask for a skinny beverage-- it's almost like announcing to the whole store that you're on a diet. What do you think?

What risks would you take to inspire your own weight loss? See yourself writing, producing, marketing, and selling skinny songs to help get your butt in gear? Venture capitalist Heidi Roizen, 49, may not have ever predicted she'd do such a thing. But it's exactly what she found herself doing when her weight hit an all-time high and she wanted more than anything to fit into the small clothing tucked away in her closet.

After her hunt for inspirational diet music was met with defeat, Roizen decided to write her own lyrics. Hiring two music producers came next and now her CD Skinny Songs is available for $14.99 on Amazon. Her songs -- I'm a Hottie Now, Skinny Jeans, and Thin are three of them -- can also be downloaded on iTunes.

Roizen, whose goal was to go from a size 14 to a size 8, can now fit into her skinny jeans. And she plans to keep it that way. She hopes to help others reach their own goals too.

"I've made a lifelong commitment to a lifelong change," says the mother of two. "I started writing the music to inspire myself, and now I hope it will inspire others."