FitSugar

Guess Who Said It?

FitSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:00:55 -0700

Can you guess which breast cancer survivor said this when she first heard the news of her diagnosis?

"Even though it ran in my family, I never in a million years thought it would happen to me. I was scared sh**less."

Guess Who Said It?

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:00:00 -0700

One of these lucky ladies has a supportive honey, and he said this about her shape and weight fluctuations. Can you guess who?

"It's something that everyone deals with. Everybody is different for a reason; it ain't about trying to be super skinny. That's not what's hot. It's what's inside."

Lindsay Lohan Is Not Trying to Lose Weight

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 03:30:00 -0800

It seems like you can't win for losing, and in this case I literally mean losing weight. Some celebs get scrutinized for gaining pounds, like poor Jessica Simpson, while others reap negative attention for dropping pounds. The Hollywood weight issue du jour is - Lindsay Lohan. Recently, public concern has been raised that Lindsay is losing too much weight. She defends her tiny frame, admitting that she has lost weight but that it "was unintentional." Claiming to be eating just as she always has, Lohan cited the Big Mac she had at McDonald's recently as evidence. She reasons that the weight loss is a side product of working too much, stress, and lack of sleep when traveling. Lindsay said, "I think it's all that stuff that adds up."

To see how much weight she has lost, read more.

Because she claims to never weighs herself, Lohan is not sure how much weight she's lost. She says pressures to be thin in Hollywood aren't on her mind anymore as she is just concerned with being herself, saying that it is important for celebs to "accept yourself for who you are."

Sounds like she may be running herself ragged without really jogging. I hope she takes better care of herself and adds some healthy meals into her daily life.

Source

Oprah Gained Weight - Are You Surprised?

FitSugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:45:31 -0800

Oprah has always been very open about her battles with her weight. In 1990 she hit her heaviest at 237, but Bob Greene came to her rescue with The Best Life Diet, and she dropped to 160 by 2006. By 2007, she was fit and healthy and even ran a marathon. This year, she went vegan for a 21-day cleanse.

In the latest issue of O magazine, however, Oprah talks about gaining weight, admitting that she hit the "dreaded 2-0-0." For her height and weight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that puts Oprah in the obese category, since her BMI is 31.8. She's concerned that the extra weight puts her at risk for health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Since she has issues with her thyroid, she had a fear of working out, and she said, "I was so frustrated I started eating whatever I wanted - and that's never good." She also said, "I'm embarrassed. I can't believe that after all these years, all the things I know how to do, I'm still talking about my weight. I look at my thinner self and think, 'How did I let this happen again?'"

As Oprah is always looking to better herself, she's planning to get back in shape in 2009 with her upcoming Best Life Week series beginning Jan. 5.

Speak Up: Rude Comments About Your Weight?

FitSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:30:00 -0700

I have a close friend who has gradually put on weight over the past year. It's not a huge deal, but pretty out of character since she's always been an active and fit person. With a crazy work schedule and stress, she's been eating more and hardly exercising, so she's gained about 30 pounds. We were shopping the other day and ran into an acquaintance we hadn't seen in almost a year. The woman said something you never say to a fellow female unless you know for sure. She asked, "Are you pregnant?" My friend was devastated and quietly answered, "No, I just haven't been taking care of myself." The woman wasn't trying to be mean, but it was really hurtful. On a positive note, the eye-opening comment really inspired my friend to get back into the gym.

So I'm wondering, has anyone ever made a negative comment about your weight or appearance? What rude remarks about how you've gained weight or look too thin? If so, how did you handle it? Share your stories in the comment section below.

Source

Speak Up: Has Your Family Ever Pressured You to Diet or Be Thin?

FitSugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0700

We learn a lot about relationships from our immediate family. Not only do we learn how to relate to other people, but also things like money and food. If fact, researchers have found that sitting down to regular family meals can help prevent eating disorders. Ahhh . . . but the home front isn't always so sweet and homey, and negative lessons can be learned in there as well. I think of the painful mother-daughter relationship in Spanglish, where the character played by Tea Leoni buys clothes many sizes too small for her daughter.

How was the family dynamic around food and body image in your house while growing up? Did anyone pressure you to lose weight? If you're a parent, how do you talk about your weight in front of your kids? How do you talk to them about their food choices? For being one of our basic needs, food can be quite an emotionally-loaded subject. Share your stories in the comment section below.

Source

5 Things: Helping Someone With Weight Issues

FitSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Since I'm involved in the health and fitness world, I meet a lot of women who are quite open with me about their weight issues. Most want to lose pounds because they're self-conscious about their appearance. I feel uncomfortable when they look in the mirror and make comments about how much weight they've gained, or what parts of their body they wished were smaller. If you know a woman like this, here are some ways you can help:

Invite her to work out with you. Choose an activity that's exciting and emotionally uplifting so the focus isn't on burning calories. Go for a hike, take a Partner Yoga class, rent kayaks, or try out African dance. If she's enjoying it, then she'll be more likely to stick with it regularly.
Take a food shopping trip together. Point out all the healthy foods you love that are low in calories, and high in fiber and protein. Teach her how to read labels and choose foods made with whole grains and other real ingredients.
After giving her some healthy food choices, share your favorite healthy recipe ideas with her, so she'll know how to incorporate these foods into meals. Teach her how to make some easy dishes that will fill her up with nutrition, not with sugar, fat, and refined carbs. If you're not much of a chef, take a cooking class together.

Need some more ideas? Then read more

Suggest she meet with a personal trainer to help her design an exercise plan with her weight loss goal in mind. That way she won't feel so lost in where to begin on this journey.
Be honest with her. If she's saying things you know are hurtful to her self-esteem, let her know that it worries you that she's so hard on herself. I'm sure she'll really appreciate that you care and she may even open up about her weight issues. Talking about it always helps.

Source

DrSugar: Tips For Healthy Weight Gain?

DrSugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:30:00 -0700

DrSugar is in the house and he's answering your health questions.

Dear Dr. Sugar,
I'd like some advice on how to gain weight the healthy way. I'm naturally petite and thin, yet I think adding a few extra pounds to my frame would be beneficial to my health, and I would probably look better too. The problem is I like to do cardio and other more vigorous sports (not to mention I work in a gym!), so it's difficult for me to keep my weight within a healthier BMI. Any suggestions as far as diet and exercise go? It's not as common to want to gain weight, but we skinny women are out there! Thanks.
- Looking to Add Lbs.

Thanks for writing in with your question. Although the majority of questions I receive are from women seeking weight loss advice, you are not alone. To see my advice on this topic, just read more.

Problems with low body weight are very important to address in order to maintain good overall health. Being underweight is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of less than 18.5. While the BM scale is not a perfect gauge of health, a BMI lower than 18.5 is almost always worrisome. Low body weight can be related to a wide range of medical issues such as eating disorders, serious bowel problems, and other chronic illnesses. It sounds like you are healthy, but are naturally very small. Even petite people should attempt to stay above a BMI of 18.5 for optimal health.

Weight gain can be difficult for very active people like you with a fast metabolism. Weight gain really boils down to a very basic formula: weight gain = calorie intake – calories burnt. This means that you need to eat more calories than you burn over the course of a day to gain weight. Here is an example of a calories per day calculator. You can go to the site and enter your height, weight, age, and activity level and it will estimate your daily caloric needs to maintain an even weight. To gain weight, you will need to eat more calories than that amount. A healthy amount of weight gain per week is about one pound. To gain one pound per week, you need to eat 3,500 more calories than you burned (3,500 calories = one pound).

The healthiest way to gain weight is to eat a well-rounded, protein-rich diet. You should opt for lean protein like fish and poultry. Another way to gain weight is to add strength training to your workout regimen in order to increase muscle mass. Foods to avoid include junks foods, processed foods, and foods that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol. It might also help to increase the number of meals you eat per day to four or five instead of three. For some more helpful tips, check out these tips on healthy weight gain.

Have a question for DrSugar? Send it by private messaging me here, and I will forward it to the good doctor.

DrSugar's posts are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. Click here for more details.

You Asked: Energy Bar For a Meal?

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:00:48 -0800

Dear Fit,
I just got off the phone with a friend and I need some advice. She says for breakfast, she eats one Balance Bar. I know some bars are fortified with vitamins, but this doesn't seem like enough to me - calorie- or nutrition-wise. What do you think? Is it OK to eat an energy bar for a meal?
-Concerned Friend

This is an excellent question because I think many people grab a bar for a quick meal because it's quick, easy, and fairly inexpensive. Is it enough, though? To find out what I think read more.

Replacing a meal with an energy bar is not a good idea. For one, most bars contain only about 200 calories. That calorie amount is suitable for a snack, not a meal. Another reason is that those bars were designed to give someone energy before or after a workout, so they tend to be high in carbs and low in fiber. That translates to quick energy at first, but your friend probably feels tired and hungry soon after. The low fiber issue may also affect regularity. The bottom line is that energy bars are not designed to replace a well-balanced meal, since they won't offer the same kind of nutrition. Even the ones that are fortified with vitamins and minerals only offer about 25 percent of your RDI, which isn't very much.

I think it's best to ask your friend why she's only eating an energy bar for breakfast. Is she short on time? Is she trying to lose weight? Does she think it's healthy? Once you find out her reasoning, you can suggest healthy breakfast ideas that suit her needs. There are plenty of tasty options that are high in protein and fiber to offer sustained energy, are easy to make, and won't break the calorie bank.

It's True! We Really Do Crave Fatty Foods When We're Stressed

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:00:42 -0800

If your chocolate cravings are any indication, you may have already suspected that high-fat foods are a woman's go-to snack when stressed. Now there's evidence to confirm your suspicions - UCSF recently conducted a study to examine the relationship between eating habits and chronic stress.

Researchers surveyed 600 overweight or obese women regarding their diet and stress. Issues classified as chronic stressors included job dissatisfaction, financial worries (like inability to pay rent or mortgage), or dealing with an ailing loved one. The women dealing with these taxing personal issues reported a higher likelihood of being unable to control what they ate, and a tendency to eat more fattening foods. Chronically stressed women were also more likely to force themselves to keep a regimented, strict diet to control weight gain, even skipping meals. The downside is that it's hard to keep up a regimented program, and being stressed means a plan like this is bound to backfire - ultimately there's a breaking point, and we're more likely to overeat.

To learn more about stressed-out eating, just read more.

While this study may not offer any groundbreaking info, it does serve as a healthy reminder: Be conscious of when you're actually hungry, and remember, there is such a thing as emotional eating. Be more mindful of your mental health and how it affects your food choices, and make healthy eating a priority. If you need some creative, healthy snack alternatives, visit our Snack Attack group for ideas.