FitSugar

From the Fit Community: I've Lost the Inches but Not the Weight

Fit Community — Tue, 10 May 2011 01:08:33 PDT

It's an age-old question: how come my pants feel looser but I weigh more now than before I started exercising? FitSugar reader livingthin turns to the experts for an answer and posted it in our 10 Pounds DOWN! community group.

Q: "I know everyone is always looking at the scale, but in my case I am slimmer than ever but the scale shows I am almost the same weight as I was on my son's first birthday - [I was] two sizes up [then]. I do two 50 minute exercise sessions per day five times per week; in total I exercise about 500 minutes per week if not more, and do a mix of plyometric exercises, Pilates, and hand and ankle weights. I can see my body is getting firmer and slimmer, but the scale takes my mood way down the higher it goes up. Is there a difference with different people's muscle mass density they build?" - Michele

A: Hi Michele! This question is an important one, and one that I have heard numerous answers to (although even I am not sure which one most accurately answers this). For help in responding, we turned to clinical exercise physiologist Jeff Dolgan.

"The human body tends to have a favorite weight that it functions most efficiently at," explains Dolgan. Scientists have termed this phenomenon the "set point" theory, which means the human body will adjust the components of mass to keep within a certain range. This allows for our center of gravity to stay the same and is helpful in maintaining biomechanical function, says Dolgan. Instead of worrying about the scale, says Dolgan, you should pay attention to your body composition instead. If you haven’t had your body fat tested yet, it may be a good idea to have a professional take this more objective measurement for you.

Keep reading for more advice on your body's muscle mass after the break.

Forget the Scale, How About a Bod Pod?

FitSugar — Tue, 22 May 2007 14:30:00 PDT

If you have a hard time stepping onto the scale, imagine stepping into the Bod Pod...

The Bod Pod is the latest in measuring body composition. Instead of underwater weighing, skin fold and circumference measuring or even a scale, your doctor (or personal trainer) may ask you to step inside the Bod Pod. This futuristic contraption will measure your body composition (fat mass and lean mass) in about 5 minutes flat.

There is something about this that totally reminds me of that look into the future ride at Epcot circa 20 years ago and I can't stop saying the name, Bod Pod, Bod Pod... However, this is actually a great device for fitness professionals. Don't be replacing your bathroom scale/body fat measurer just yet, because aside from the fact that it is absolutely huge, the Bod Pod is a bit on the pricey side. About $42,000 on the pricey side. Yikes -- I'll be sticking to the old fashioned ways myself, but you can check it out at BodPod.com.

Fit Over 40: Why Time Is Key (Even For Celebrities)

Self — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:22:42 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Halle Berry . . . these days, when a 40-something woman steps out in a bikini, it makes news.

Turns out, there's a scientific explanation for why we're so fascinated by these lean, toned, impossibly supple bodies. In some ways, these apparent genetic wonders are defying the aging process.

"Once a man or woman gets beyond their 30s, they're in a situation where unless they are really proactive about what they do from an exercise standpoint as well as eating sensibly, they are going to lose some muscle tissue," says Cedric Bryant, Ph.D., FACSM, Chief Science Officer for The American Council on Exercise.

Read the rest of this post after the break!

Should You Skip Sleep to Fit in a Workout?

Shape — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:33:26 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. Shape turned to personal trainer and strength coach Joe Dowdell for the answer!

Q. What's more important: getting enough sleep or fitting in an early-morning or late-night workout?

A. To change your body composition in the least amount of time, cleaning up your diet and getting seven to eight hours of quality sleep are both essential. Sleep is extremely important for body composition and helps the body and brain restore and rejuvenate in many different ways. Plus, sleep (or the lack thereof) affects important hormonal activity tied to appetite and therefore has a direct impact on your ability to lose weight (i.e. body fat).

One study published online at the Public Library of Science shows how sleep is connected to eating habits and weight gain. The December 2004 study found that people who slept less than seven to eight hours a night ate significantly more and weighed more than those who slept longer. What's more, the more sleep deprived the person was, the more they ate and the greater their weight gain. These results can be directly attributed to two key appetite-regulating hormones: leptin and ghrelin. Leptin (a hormone secreted by our fat cells) and ghrelin (a hormone secreted in our stomachs) work like a checks and balances system in the body and control your feelings of fullness and hunger. When you don't get enough sleep, your leptin levels drop and your ghrelin levels rise. In other words, you're more likely to crave sugary, high-carb foods (thanks to higher levels of Ghrelin) that have the potential to sabotage your diet. The growth hormone - which is extremely important for tissue repair, body fat reduction, and healthy immune function - also gets released during sleep.

Now you can see why getting quality sleep is just as important as your workout routine and nutrition. In fact, I would rank sleep and diet as more important than exercise, especially if fat loss (i.e. getting a lean, toned body) is your primary goal.

5 Ways to Stream Your Workouts at Home

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 03 May 2011 05:51:58 PDT

Being on a budget may be a way of life these days, but cutting back on expenses doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your health goals. If a gym membership isn't in the cards, the good news is you can still get a great workout in your own home. Don't think it's possible? Check out these five ways you can leave the gym behind, raise your heart rate, and stream it all on your home network.

Netflix - More than endless movie and TV possibilities, Netflix also has a great selection of workout videos to choose from. Stream them at home, or add them to your queue, and keep them for as long as you want. For $9 a month for unlimited access, I'd say that's a steal.
OnDemand - Ever look at your cable provider's OnDemand section? Besides new pay-per-view movies, you can get a great workout with ExerciseTV, under the Sports & Fitness category, which offers classes like yoga, kickboxing, and cardio workouts to blast fat.

See the rest after the break.

Why You Feel Embarrassed at the Gym (and Why You Shouldn't)

Self — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 04:00:15 PST

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Workout-related humiliation is common: After all, you're doing things that require coordination and bum-in-the-air positions in a room full of strangers clad in sweaty spandex. Not only does this scenario lead to the obvious physical mishaps (falling in Zumba class, passing gas during downward dog, naked encounters in the locker room, etc.), it can also make you feel, well, awkward.

Here are 4 common gym insecurities, and why you should ditch them ASAP:

You think: "Ugh, everyone is in better shape than I am!"
Snap out of it: First of all, don't assume that just because someone weighs less than you that they are in better shape than you are. Being skinny isn't necessarily a sign of being fit - being strong is. To get an actual accurate reading on your body composition (rather than just comparing yourself to others), exercise physiologist Fabio Comana, spokesman for the American Council on Exercise, recommends checking your waist-to-hip ratio and your Body Mass Index (here's an online calculator).

And to get yourself in a more self-accepting state of mind pronto, position your body in a confident way: Shoulders back and down, head up, abs braced (like someone is about to sock you) and glutes engaged. Exude confidence and everyone will be jealous of you!

You think: "I have no idea what I'm doing."
Snap out of it: This might be true, but don't assume that everyone else does. They may look like they're pros, but chances are, they're just going through the motions (and not necessarily in an effective way) because they are too proud to ask for help. One-up them by seeking out the assistance of a trainer. You don't even need to buy an expensive lesson, just show up at the gym with a workout in hand (click here to download SELF's workout app), and ask one of the trainers roaming the floor if your form looks OK. Do this a few times a week and people will be asking you for help before you know it.

Two more solutions to your gym woes when you keep reading.

5 Reasons You'll Love Sea Salts More Than Epsom Salts

Jaime Richards — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:55:43 PDT

Too much salt in the diet might be a bad thing, but when it comes to using the substance on the body, it's actually quite the opposite. "I recommend sea salt because it's mineral rich," says Catina Stavroulakis, the founder of The Salt Project, a California-based company that manufactures beauty products using the healing powers of sea salts. She further explains, "Sea salt is a far greater soaking medium than Epsom salt because it speaks to the muscles and to the skin." Want to learn more? For a few reasons you might love sea salts more than Epsom salts, just keep reading.

DrSugar Answers: Dieting and Calories

FitSugar — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 09:30:11 PDT

DrSugar is in the house! And she's answering your health related questions.

Dear DrSugar,
I am trying to lose weight by dieting and know I should eat fewer calories than I am burning daily. I am wondering how big the calorie deficit should be to still be safe. I am trying to exercise (using the elliptical) a couple of days of week for at least a half an hour. Also what is the minimum amount of calories I should be eating daily?
-Dieting Gal

First of all, I’d like to commend you on your health and fitness goals! Also, I am delighted to answer these questions because they focus on healthy and safe weight loss, which is extremely important. There are a lot of fad diets and exercise regimens out there that, while effective in the short term in terms of quick and noticeable weight loss, may not be healthy or safe. To learn more about tips for safe weight loss, keep reading!

DrSugar Answers: Raising HDL Cholesterol Levels?

DrSugar — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:40:58 PDT

DrSugar is in the house! And she's answering your health-related questions.

Dear DrSugar,
I just had lab work done as part of my routine physical. My HDL cholesterol level is really low - 30. I am really scared. What can I do to improve the number? Is it possible to make it go up?
-Freaked out about HDL

This is a great question since cholesterol problems are quite common in Americans. High cholesterol affects 42 million Americans, and 63 million more have borderline high cholesterol. To learn more about cholesterol and what those numbers mean, just

read more! Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is found in the fats (lipids) in your blood. While your body needs cholesterol to continue building healthy cells, having high or abnormal cholesterol levels can increase your risk of heart disease or stroke. According to the Mayo Clinic, when you have high cholesterol, you may develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels. Eventually, these deposits make it difficult for enough blood to flow through your arteries. Decreased blood flow to the heart can result in chest pain or a heart attack, while decreased blood flow to the brain can result in a stroke. Cholesterol levels should be measured at least once every five years for everyone over the age of 20. For women over the age of 45 and men over the age of 35, routine (at least yearly screening) of cholesterol is recommended. The screening test that is usually performed to check cholesterol levels is called a lipoprotein profile. The profile measures more than just total cholesterol, but also measures levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides. Total cholesterol is a composite measurement that includes LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and the other lipid components. Most physicians recommend that total cholesterol levels are less than 200 mg/dL. Triglycerides are the chemical form in which most fat exists in food and in the body. A triglyceride value less than 150 mg/dL is considered normal. LDL cholesterol is often referred to as "bad cholesterol" because its buildup on the walls of one's arteries can increase the chances of developing heart disease. The lower the LDL cholesterol level, the better it is for one's health. An LDL level below 100 mg/dL is optimal for people at risk for heart disease, and below 130 mg/dL is near ideal/optimal. HDL cholesterol is often referred to as "good cholesterol" because it protects against heart disease by taking the "bad cholesterol" (LDL) out of the blood and keeping it from building up in the arteries. Thus, the higher the HDL level, the less LDL in the blood. An HDL level of 60 mg/dL is optimal. In the case of the person who asked this week's question, the HDL level is 30 mg/dL, which is considered low. Below 40 in men and below 50 in women are considered to be low levels of HDL. Increasing HDL cholesterol levels can help reduce one's risk of heart disease, and it is very possible to increase one's HDL level. First, lifestyle modifications go a long way when it comes to improving your HDL cholesterol levels. Quitting smoking can increase one's HDL cholesterol by 10 percent! Other lifestyle modifications that can help increase HDL levels are losing weight, frequent aerobic exercise, limiting alcohol consumption, and a healthier diet including healthier fats. A healthy diet can include some fat, and recommendations say that 25-35 percent of daily calories can come from fat, and saturated fat should be less than 7 percent of daily calories. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats - found in olive, peanut, and canola oils - tend to improve HDL levels. Nuts, fish, and other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids are other good choices for improving LDL and HDL levels. Other foods that have a healthy effect on blood cholesterol levels include whole grains (such as oatmeal and oat bran) and nuts (such as walnuts, almonds, and brazil nuts). There are prescription medications and over-the-counter supplements that can help cholesterol levels, however, these should really only be discussed or started with the direction of a physician. Hopefully this information will help you understand what the different types of cholesterol are and lead you to either get your levels checked if that has not been done, or to discuss with your physician what your results mean if they are abnormal. Cholesterol levels can be improved not only with lifestyle modifications, but also with medications and supplements. Thus, if you had abnormal results or are concerned, you should discuss this with your primary care physician to determine what the best lifestyle modifications and treatments will be for you! Have a question for DrSugar? You can send it to me via private message 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.

Announcing the 2010 Emmy Winners!

BuzzSugar — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:10:58 PDT

This year's Emmys have come to a close, and I'm still surprised by some of the unexpected winners. The voters gave lots of love to new shows, with Modern Family winning the big award for outstanding comedy series (and a win for Eric Stonestreet!). It was also a night for repeat honorees, with the cast of Mad Men and Bryan Cranston both taking the stage for a third time.

Jimmy Fallon kicked things off with a fun musical number (watch it again here), and the night had several laugh-out-loud moments (George Clooney's Modern Family video cameo was a personal fave). I was in the press room throughout the night, so don't forget to check out what the stars had to say about winning, along with our Emmys coverage from across the Sugar network. Then stop by later as I recap all of the major highlights right here on Buzz. But first onto the lucky honorees. For the full list of 2010 Emmy winners, just read more.