FitSugar

Lose Pounds and Gain Shoes: The Shoe Diet

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 11:00:00 PDT

Do you love shoes? I sure do. It's a strange phenom really, women and their shoes. What else do women love (well love to hate, really)? Dieting. So, isn't it then a great idea to combine dieting and shoes?

This is just what Isabelle Shaw, author of The Shoe Diet ($12.95) has done. Unfortunately this diet is not about a special pair of shoes that curb your hunger (though I am sure we'll be seeing that in the future), it is based on the power of reward. What's a better reward than shoes? The diet is built upon a series of steps that you must take in order to earn your rewards, shoes. The first one being that you must start a food journal and begin your shoe rating system. For example, think of everything you eat just like a hotel star system, with one shoe corresponding to "not really worth it" and five shoes meaning "it was so worth it!" Soon you'll be eliminating your one shoe foods from your diet, all while keeping your eye on the ball: Your first new pair of kicks for a job well done.

I love that Dr. Shaw has realized that while we may not be willing to finally step up and eat right for our health, we will do it for a pair of hot shoes. Kind of reminds me of click it or ticket, we won't buckle up for our safety, but we'll do it to save 50 bucks. This is a diet that I think FabSugar (not that she needs to go on a diet) will enjoy. Buy the book on Amazon.com.

Jennifer Lawrence and Her Hunger Games Guys Share Big Production Secrets

Allie Merriam — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:37:21 PST

Jennifer Lawrence and her costars from The Hunger Games, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson, are on the cover of this week's The Hollywood Reporter. Along with their blockbuster's director, Gary Ross, the actors shared some of the secrets behind their much-anticipated movie. They dished on Hunger Games production details like what the stars got paid, how long they're contracted for, and which actresses were also in the running to play Katniss Everdeen. Gary dished out praise for Jennifer, who revealed that she had a tough time deciding to take the role. Liam also shared some advice given to him by his action star brother, Chris Hemsworth. Highlights from The Hunger Games interview include:

Jennifer on deciding to take the potentially life-changing role: "It was the middle of the night in England, and I was in bed when I got the call. And I was so in love with the books and the script, and suddenly it was right in my face - and the size of the decision was terrifying. . . I called my mom and she called me a hypocrite, because when I was doing indie movies and everyone was asking why I didn’t do studio movies, I said, 'The size of the movie doesn’t matter.' And she said, 'Here’s a movie you love and you were thinking of turning it down because of its size.' I thought, 'I don’t want to miss out because I’m scared. Me being scared, I never want that to stop me from doing something.' But I knew in my heart that I wanted it - it was about working out all the fears."
Liam on getting diet advice from his brother Chris: "My brother Chris texted me before shooting and told me to lose weight. He said, 'It's called The Hunger Games, not The Eating Games!'"
Gary on Jennifer's acting: "There's such a power and a truth to her acting. She has absolute, total control over what she's doing. I've never worked with anyone more talented than her - ever. A talent like this comes once in a generation."

The Secrets of the World's Healthiest Women

Health — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:45:10 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

From pouring on the olive oil like the Greeks to slashing stress like the Scandinavians, what we
can learn from the happiest, slimmest, longest-living cultures around the globe.

The secret to a long, healthy life in America? According to longevity researchers, it may be to act like you live somewhere else.

It seems like every year another country's lifestyle is touted as the new magic bullet to cure us of obesity, heart disease, and premature death: for an unclogged heart, herd goats and down olive oil like a Mediterranean. Avoid breast cancer and live to 100 by dining on tofu, Japanese-style. Stay as happy as Norwegians by hunting elk and foraging for cowberries.

Health.com: Weight-Loss Secrets From Around the World

The places we're usually told to emulate are known as Blue Zones or Cold Spots. Blue Zones were pinpointed by explorer Dan Buettner and a team of longevity researchers and are described in his book The Blue Zones: Lessons For Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest. They're areas in Italy, Japan, Greece, California, and Costa Rica where the people have traditionally stayed healthy and active to age 100 or older.

Keep on reading for more great tips from around the globe.

Dr. Ornish on the Power of Love, Chocolate, and Snacking

Lauren Turner — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:59:25 PST

We had a chance to chat with Dr. Dean Ornish, founder and president of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, over the weekend at the Sundance Film Festival. He's a featured health expert in the new documentary, Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare, which examines the current state of our health care system and provides hopeful solutions based on lifestyle and dietary changes. A big proponent of chronic disease prevention through healthy habits, Dr. Ornish offered up some sound advice and simple changes we can all make to improve our health - chocolate included!

FitSugar: What do you think is the most simple, overlooked thing people can do for their health?
Dr. Ornish: Love more. What you eat, how you respond to stress, how much you exercise, whether or not you smoke, how much love and support you have. But of all those, probably the love and support. Study after study has shown that people who are lonely and depressed are 10 times for likely to die or get sick. You're more likely to smoke and abuse yourself if you're lonely and depressed. It's not enough to just work at a behavioral level and give people information; you have to work at a deeper level.

FS: Everyone has days where they don't want to exercise, how do you motivate yourself on those days?
DO: If I really don't want to, I don't, and then I'll do more the next day. What matters is your overall way of eating and living. So if you don't do something one day, do a little more the next. If I don't have time to meditate for an hour, I'll do it for a minute. It's not all or nothing at any age, and it's really up to you.

FS: People like to stick with their daily habits; how do you get individuals to change their behavior towards healthier choices?
DO: It's about helping people connect the dots between what they do and how they feel, and giving them the tools. Fear is not a sustainable motivator. You can scare people into changing for a few weeks, but not for very long. When you make changes, most people find that they feel so much better so quickly, it reframes the reason for changing from fear of dying to joy of living, and that's what makes it sustainable. Also, to realize that it's not all or nothing. Instead of saying this is good food and this is bad food, and don't ever eat meat, be a vegetarian - I never tell people that. I used to a long time ago and then I realized I was actually not only not helping people, but making it worse. It turns people off because even more than being healthy, people want to be free, so when you tell people what to do they stop listening. If you eat meat five times a day, eat it three times a day or have a meatless Monday and see how you feel. If you don't exercise one day, do a little more the next. Then you start to feel better and then it comes out of your own experience, not because some doctor or some book told you.

To find out Dr. Ornish's surprising favorite indulgence and his take on snacking just read more.

In The Mommy Diet, Alison Sweeney Offers Fitness Tips For Every Level

Leta Shy — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:51:25 PDT

Between the encouragement among the contestants and the life-changing before-and-after shots that flash on the screen, there's a reason why The Biggest Loser gets your emotions going. The show is a positive, supportive look at the struggles people face with diet and exercise.

The new book by the show's host Alison Sweeney, The Mommy Diet ($14), is no different - it's chock-full of support and encouragement. The easy read is divided into stages of motherhood, from prepregnancy (such as foods to eat when you are trying to get pregnant) to the life of a busy mom. The actress weighs in on different aspects of pregnancy and postpregnancy body and mind, including fitness, diet, fashion, and romance tips.

Of course, exercise is a big part of her month-by-month plans, and Alison offers useful tips even if you aren't a new mom. If you're looking for advice on how to ramp up or kick-start a workout routine, you may find this book helpful. The actress recommends the old standards - making sure you are active every day, switching out high-fat diets for natural, whole foods, and elimination diets - to help start any regimen, and also offers exercises (fully explained and with some illustrations) and sample meal plans for people at every level of fitness.

But even if you are an old pro, the working mom and fitness fanatic has a few maintenance tips for you as well. Check out a few of her tips after the break!

Link Time: Diet Coke Gets a Glam Makeover

Susannah Chen — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:12:53 PST

Diet Coke gets a glam makeover - HuffPost Food
How to roast the perfect chicken – The Daily Meal
McDonald's UK is giving away books in Happy Meals - Eater
It's fellas vs. ladies in Top Chef 9 Restaurant Wars - Grub Street NY
Fergus Henderson talks all about pig parts - Food Republic
Making Momofuku Ssam Bar's famous bo ssam - New York Times
On the sustainability of oysters - The Perennial Plate
Beat those food cravings in the New Year - Yahoo! Shine

8 Life Lessons Learned From CES 2012

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:31:59 PST

This year's CES didn't just teach us about gadget trends and the future of the industry - it also taught us a few things that we'll remember in our everyday lives as well. Here, we offer up a few tips to take with you on your next journey to a big tech conference, or to keep in the back of your mind for life. Trust me: our pain is your gain!

Get plenty of sleep. Between long hours on the show floor and various industry parties (and afterparties), there's a good reason we'd love to see siesta lounges at CES. But if you can't nap during the day, be sure to get enough shut eye at night. This is true even for the real world, where you've got emails, shows, and news to catch up on. Put away the laptop at a decent hour and get your beauty rest. You'll wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day's to-do list.
Carry water. Downing coffee, cocktails, and Diet Cokes, coupled with the dry weather in the desert, and filtered air in the hotels and casinos can cause dehydration fast. Keep a bottle of water on you at all times. This not only keeps your skin fresh, lips hydrated, and head clear, but it'll keep you from overheating due to thirst.
Wear good shoes. Did I mention how much we walked at CES? Seriously, the biggest expo I've ever seen, it spans the Las Vegas Convention Center and surrounding hotels. It's not hard to walk six miles in a single day. Multiply that by three or four days, and you've got yourself a good workout. Dress your feet appropriately for CES, and everyday life, since it can save your back later down the road.
Get in the lunch line early. Hungry bloggers line up to get their lunches far before the 11:30 a.m. call time. Although we never saw a shortage of food, who wants to wait in another line when you're tired and hungry? This is another way to say "eat your lunch." Skipping meals can lead to headaches and crankiness, symptoms you don't want to experience when you're in a fast-paced and crowded space or in your office.

Check out the rest of the list when you read more.

Trending on Très - Margaret Thatcher's Ironclad Wisdom

TresSugar — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 04:00:00 PST

We take a look back at Margaret Thatcher's words of wisdom.
Our favorite tweets from funny ladies this week.
Say bye, bye, bye to his single days by looking at JT's boy band days.
Best quotes on love from Drew Barrymore characters.
Resolutions: Mindy Kaling shares her hilarious new diet plan.
And she's out of the race! Michele Bachmann's best and worst moments.
Dakota Fanning covers Cosmo at 17; see more underage scandals.
She's chosen her charities, now look back at Kate's sweetest charitable moments.
The relationship is over, but remember Katy Perry and Russell Brand's quotes on love?
Snuggle up by the fire and enjoy our January book recommendations.

A Diet Book For Kids: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?

Rebecca M Gruber — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:30:53 PDT

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels, but do your tots need to be reading about it?

Paul M. Kramer thinks so. The author of several self-published books about tough issues kids face (including Bullies Beware! and Divorce Stinks!) isn't set to release his latest title until October, but it's already generating criticism. Maggie Goes on a Diet ($11) is intended to teach tots (ages 4-8) about the importance of eating a healthy diet by telling the rhyming story of pudgy Maggie who goes on a diet in order to become the star of the soccer team. According to the publisher, "Maggie has so much potential that has been hiding under her extra weight."

But is the message really the importance of a healthy diet or that being slim guarantees success? If that is the message, is it one that we should be teaching young girls?

The No-Diet Trick to Reducing Belly Fat

Shape — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 04:07:27 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian with master's degrees in both nutrition science and public health.

In a new study published in the Journal of Obesity, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found that mastering mindful eating and reducing stress effectively prevented weight gain, even without dieting, and that the women who experienced the greatest reduction in stress lost the most belly fat. In a nutshell, mindful eating is about being aware of your eating patterns and thoughts rather than acting on autopilot.

In this study, 24 of the 47 stressed, overweight or obese women were randomly assigned to practice mindfulness, while the other 23 served as a control group. The mindful group participated in weekly sessions for nine weeks, which included an intense meditation retreat, stress reduction, learning to recognize hunger and fullness, and become more aware of taste. They were asked to spend 30 minutes a day meditating and practicing mindful eating. These women experienced significant reductions in cortisol, a stress hormone linked to an increased appetite and more belly fat, and were able to maintain their body weight while reducing belly fat. In contrast, the women in the control group continued to put on pounds and saw no reduction in cortisol.

If you're like a lot of my one-on-one clients you may be thinking, "I don't have 30 minutes a day to meditate!" I hear you. But in my private practice I have found that a little mindfulness goes a long way. Check out my previous post about how practicing eating slowly, even just once in a while, can help raise your eating antennae. You can even practice by eating chocolate!

Learn more about how chocolate helps with losing weight after the break!