FitSugar

Love It or Hate It? Vintage-Inspired Eat Signs

CasaSugar — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:31:00 PDT

Flea market or vintage-inspired café signs like the Sundance Catalog's "Eat" Sign ($45) seem to be all the rage in shelter magazines these days. This one in particular is handmade by an Amish craftsman from sheet steel with a rusted, weathered paint finish, which gives it an interesting look. But it's just not my style to spell things out on my walls - even considering how much I love typography. How about you? Would you like to hang a retro café sign in your home?

How Many Times a Day Do You Eat?

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 03:30:00 PDT

I grew up eating three meals a day, but now that I'm much more active, exercising regularly and keeping up with my two girls, I need to refuel more often. So eating four or five smaller meals each day works much better for me. What about you? I'm wondering . . .

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Get in Gear: A Camping Stove is a MUST!

FitSugar — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 02:00:00 PDT

Just because you are "roughing it" in the woods with your tent and sleeping bag does NOT mean you must be stuck eating only trail mix. Having a camping stove is a necessity when campground camping. I definitely wouldn't truck this stove around while backpacking, but if you're driving to your campsite, you can pack whatever you want.

This Coleman 2-Burner Propane Stove has double burners so you can boil your pasta and sauté veggies at the same time. One 16.4 oz cylinder or fuel will last over an hour with both burners on high, so you'll have plenty of time to make a fabulous meal.

Want to hear more about it? Then

read more Worried about wind blowing dirt into your food or blowing out your flame? This stove comes with two folding WindBlock™ shields. You can also flip these shields down so they act as shelves to hold cooking utensils and spices. It's easy to clean and comes with a durable metal case to protect your stove. And the best part is that it's fairly inexpensive - you can order one from Rei.com for only $46.00. That's quite a deal considering eating healthy on your camping trip is so important. Fit's Tips: Looking for some ideas on what to cook on your Coleman Stove? Just think about what you like to make on your regular stove and do some slight adjustments. You can cook just about anything, as long as it doesn't take too long. Save time by prepping meals ahead of time. Pre-cut veggies and pre-measure ingredients, and then store your food in a cooler. Then when you're ready to eat, cooking a healthy meal will be a cinch. Source

Make the Most of Your Metabolism

FitSugar — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 02:00:00 PDT

Most of what controls your metabolism is not under your control, some folks have fast metabolisms and others have slow ones. Also, as we age our metabolism slows down. Scientists have estimated that metabolism slows about 5 percent per decade, beginning at age 40 as we lose muscle mass and increase body fat. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so when you lose muscle mass your caloric needs decrease. Luckily you are not completely at the mercy of your genetics - There are a few things you can do to keep your metabolism up.

Basically, metabolism is the total of all body processes that burn calories - your basal metabolic rate (calories burned by simply being alive) plus your activity factor since we all know that exercise burns calories.

The basal metabolic rate includes the energy we need for body processes, including digestion. About 10 percent of our calories are used to process the food we eat. This phenomenon, known as the thermic effect of food, is influenced by how much, how often and what we eat. In addition, food can directly affect metabolism by altering the way the body functions, which changes the amount of energy it needs.

According to Joy Bauer, nutritionist and author of the book Food Cures, there are ways to maximize your metabolism. Curious to know what they are? Then

Eat at least 1,000 calories per day (I would say 1,200 calories, myself). Although it is generally true that eating a low-calorie diet will help you take off weight, if you eat too few calories, your metabolism will get slower and slower as it tries to conserve energy. As your metabolism crashes, the weight you take off will most likely creep back on over time. Plus, you'll be more likely to binge on junk food if you reduce your calories by too much.
Eat every four to five hours. A regular meal schedule helps keep your body working to digest and absorb foods. Between breakfast and bed, aim to eat a meal or snack every four to five hours. Try to eat breakfast within 90 minutes of rising - People who regularly eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to control their weight. If you wait to eat until you're ravenous, you're more likely to overeat later in the day. Also, breakfast helps fire up your metabolism after a full night on a slow simmer.
Eat protein with every meal. All foods contribute to the thermic effect, which means that all foods – carbohydrates, fats and proteins – help to give metabolism a gentle nudge higher when we eat them, but protein has the greatest thermic effect of all. In addition, protein can increase metabolism by helping to maintain and build muscle mass.

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Eat Cake For Breakfast and Lose Weight, Study Says

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:21:52 PST

If your insatiable sweet tooth is preventing you from losing weight, findings from a recent study may be just the thing to help you slim down. Researchers found those who ate a large breakfast that included something sweet lost weight and were able to keep off more pounds than those who ate a small breakfast.

A group of 193 obese adults (not a huge study) were split into two groups. One ate a large, 600-calorie breakfast that included a sweet item such as a cookie, cake, or doughnut. The other group ate a 300-calorie breakfast with no dessert. Both groups ate the same amount of calories daily: 1,600 for men and 1,400 for women.

Keep reading to find out more details about cake and weight loss.

Two Easy Changes For Better Eating

Leta Shy — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:17:17 PST

We all know slowing down at meals helps our brains register that we are full before we overeat, but besides putting the fork down, you should also go one step further - try "meditating" while eating. Studies have found that relishing your food by putting the fork down, stopping the chitchat, and focusing on its taste and texture can help you appreciate your food so you'll eat less of it.

So, how can you make a change for the better? We've got two ways to help you eat less food, slowly, after the break.

How Sports Illustrated Cover Girl Kate Upton Stays Healthy and Fit

Michele Foley — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:48:16 PST

After being named the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition's "Rookie of the Year" in 2011, Kate Upton is this year's cover girl! The five-time equestrian champion has showed off her curves in campaigns for big names like Guess, Victoria's Secret, and Dooney & Burke. On being fit, Kate told The Daily, "It's really important to stay slim for the industry . . . but you still want to have a body." Here's the scoop on how Kate maintains her model curves.

Kate's fitness regimen: Like many of the industry's top models, Kate trains with former competitive swimmer Justin Gelband. Justin told Shape that he "incorporates multidirectional exercises" into Kate's training sessions. To keep things fresh, Justin changes up the types of workouts he and Kate do together (Pilates and kickboxing are favorites) and uses a variety of equipment like medicine balls and exercise bands.
Kate's diet: For Kate, it's all about living a healthy lifestyle. Kate has said in several interviews that it's important for her to watch what she eats, but she doesn't go on any sort of special diet to prepare for a shoot or runway show. Her splurge? The occasional treat of ice cream or french fries.

Photos courtesy of Sports Illustrated and The Daily

5 Aphrodisiacs to Set the Mood Right Tonight

Susannah Chen — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:09:21 PST

If it's really true that 70 percent of women and men expect to get hot and heavy tonight, then dinner should have one mission: to make the two of you swoon. We've offered the lowdown on healthy foods that'll stimulate sex drives - but what foods do chefs put on the menu to help you get in the mood?

To find out, we turned to David Bazirgan, who's no stranger to sexy meals. As the executive chef at San Francisco's Fifth Floor Restaurant, he helps to set the standard for the city's relaxed fine dining atmosphere. To check out some of the ingredients that he elects to use on his Valentine's Day menus - and to hear what he calls the most "underrated" aphrodisiac, read more.

5 Ways to Make Moving a Habit

Leta Shy — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:52:25 PST

We all should take time to relax, but sometimes we don't realize just exactly how sedentary our lives can be. Even if you devote an hour to exercise most days, if you're not moving a lot the rest of the time, you can be doing more harm than good. So start making moving a habit with these five tips.

Keep track: One of the best ways to encourage yourself to move is to get a fitness monitor that tracks your steps. You don't have to invest a lot - while more sophisticated trackers (like these five fitness monitors) track your steps as well as your exercise (some can also distinguish between walking on flat ground and when you're going up steps), you can buy a basic pedometer for just a few dollars.
Try a one-minute move: Whether you're folding laundry or watching TV, multitask by building muscle while you work. Take a one-minute break to dance around or do squats, lunges, or planks, and you'll raise your heartbeat as well as your energy levels.

Read on for three more ways to making moving a habit.

Do You Track What You Eat in a Food Journal?

Leta Shy — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:53:01 PST

No matter how much you exercise, if you're looking to lose weight, changing your diet should also be a priority. And watching what you eat has become so much easier with the availability of iPhone apps, websites, and fitness monitors that can track exactly how many calories you're consuming every day.

Most food trackers have vast databases that make inputting every single thing you eat relatively simple: just search for the specific brand or type of food and add how much you've had (there are several good sites to choose from; FitSugar editor Michele recommends My Fitness Pal). But while being aware of what exactly you're eating is an important aspect in any weight loss plan, food trackers may not be for everyone. It can be hard for some to remember to log every single thing they eat, or it can even turn all-consuming if tracking your food leads you to obsess over every calorie.

What's your take on food journals - do you track your food?