FitSugar

Nighttime Fasting: A New Way to Lose Weight?

Shape — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:09:52 PDT

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.

If you couldn’t let anything cross your lips from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m., but you were allowed to eat anything you wanted for eight hours a day and still lose weight, would you try it? That’s the apparent bottom line of a rat study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, which recently stirred up the weight loss pot.

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Scientists put groups of mice on different diet regimens for 100 days. One group of rodents ate healthy food while animals in two of the groups chowed down on high-fat, high-calorie feed. Half of the junk food eaters were allowed to munch whenever they wanted to while the others only had access to feed for the eight hours they were most active. The conclusion: even though they ate a fatty diet, the mice who were forced to fast for 16 hours were almost as lean as those who ate the healthy fare. Interestingly, the round the clock junk food eaters became obese and developed health problems, even though they consumed about the same amount of fat and calories as the time-restricted junk food fed mice.

See if a nutritionist thinks nighttime fasting works after the break!

Learn What Our Beach Body Survey Revealed About Bikinis

Susi May — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:37:34 PDT

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of Summer, and with this three-day holiday comes pool parties, beach time, and bikinis. But not everyone feels completely at ease sporting a swimsuit.

To get to the heart of the matter, we joined forces with Shape magazine and asked nearly 4,000 women, ages 18 to 46, questions about bikinis, prepping for beach season, and if they'd give up sex to attain an ideal bikini body. Read on to find the results, along with tips and tricks to feel more confident in your two-piece.

The Downsides to Meeting Your Goal Weight

Shape — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:32:50 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

When I started losing weight, I often looked at women who were thinner than I was and thought, "Wow, her life must be so easy." I knew that once I got to my goal weight, I'd feel awesome, and healthy living would be just as easy for me as it was for all the "I can eat whatever I want and not gain weight" women around me.

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Now that I've lost 75 pounds, I can say that I do feel awesome . . . but I can't say that a healthy lifestyle comes easy. Weight maintenance isn't as simple as I expected. While being at my goal weight has its perks, I have to admit: I failed to appreciate some of the great benefits I enjoyed along the way. If I did it all over again, then here's what I'd do differently:

See how you can enjoy the weight-loss journey after the break!

The Final Say in the Light Weights vs. Heavy Weights Debate

Shape — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:47:20 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

You've always heard that when it comes to building muscle mass, heavy weights are preferred over lighter weights. But a new study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology has found that isn't always the case. In fact, you can build just as much muscle by lifting lighter weights. If you do it right...

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The key is working the muscle to total failure or exhaustion, says Michele S. Olson, professor of exercise science at the Human Performance Laboratory of Auburn University Montgomery and the star of the workout DVD Perfect Legs, Glutes and Abs.

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"Failure, in this sense, is a success," Olson says. "If you work your muscles, on each set, until you cannot execute another repetition with appropriate form, the heaviness of the weight becomes less important."

Find out exactly what a "light" weight is after the break!

5 Tricks to Get the Most Out of Your Outdoor Run

Shape — Thu, 03 May 2012 04:11:45 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to celebrity trainer Jay Cardiello for some help!

The weather is getting nice and you may have been bitten by the "run bug." To make the transition from indoor runs to the great outdoors seamless and safe, I compiled a list of my top five tricks to get the most out of your outdoor run. Whether you have had some success running on the treadmill, or you are completely new to outdoor running, there are two crucial factors that you must understand.

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First, let's talk about a little guy named Newton. See, Newton has this law that states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Are you with me so far? Good. Well, with runners, the concern is what we run on. The harder the surface the greater the ground reaction force, which is basically the force exerted by the ground back onto the body (in this case, our little legs) that are in contact with it, is. To simplify this, surfaces like concrete and pavement will cause a greater reaction back into our joints and legs than an energy absorbing treadmill. This not only makes us work harder, but will tire us out faster and cause greater stress on our joints.

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Second, the treadmill is a flat belt that provides consistency with each step. There are no stones, traffic, or inclement weather activity that would cause you to be off balance or have to change your gait. Running outdoors forces the body to make constant small adjustments. That said, here is what’s going to make your outdoor run a successful one.

5 Unique Ways to Make the Most of Your Treadmill.

Learn how to make the most out of your outdoor runs after the break!

5 Exercises to Ditch Arm Flab Forever

Shape — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:07:15 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to celebrity trainer Jay Cardiello for some help!

Ah, that infamous area along the back of your arms, the nemesis of so many women. How do you tackle the jiggle? First, I want to tell you what not to do, as people are often tempted to take the wrong course of action. And that is the concept of spot reducing, or lowering fat stores in one specific area of the body. It is essentially impossible to accomplish and should not be a part of your fitness regimen. Fighting arm flab requires more than just spot treatment!

In order to tone the backs of your arms, which is where your tricep muscles are, you have to remember this: specific exercises to increase your lean muscle mass will get you results, but you must also decrease your fat intake without risking too much muscle loss. (Sound familiar? Have you managed to lose fat, but still carry some extra bulk around the tricep?) So, to lose the wiggle and jiggle, be sure to eat a healthy balanced diet with proper nutrients; get at least six to eight hours of sleep so that your body can repair, recover, and build muscle; and consistently maintain your exercise program. And be sure to incorporate these five flab-fighting exercises into your workout routine.

The Ultimate Abs and Arms Workout

See Jay's arm workout after the break!

9 Ways to Prevent Allergies - Without Medicine

Shape — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 04:39:14 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

Nothing puts a crimp on a Spring run like sneezing, snot, and watery eyes. And since seasonal allergies can worsen over time, early intervention can be the difference between enjoying the outdoors and being stuck inside with a box of tissues. To help you avoid that unfortunate fate, we pulled together this list of the best natural ways to keep your allergy symptoms under wraps.

Anatomy of a Cadbury Crème Egg

Shape — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:18:32 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to nutritional consultant Mike Roussell, PhD, for some help!

We're all familiar with the things that signal spring’s arrival: extra hours of daylight, budding flowers, and Cadbury Crème Eggs on display at every supermarket and drugstore in America. It’s easy to justify grabbing one (or two) of the seasonal treats on your way to the checkout (They’re only available for a few weeks out of the year). But have you ever wondered what’s inside the chocolate shell? You'll be happy to learn that there is actual egg in Cadbury Crème Eggs, but the rest might (or might not) surprise you.

Keep reading to learn what is in a Cadbury Crème Egg

Carbs Without Cause: 8 Foods Worse Than White Bread

Shape — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 04:14:05 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

White bread has pretty much become bad-for-you public enemy number one; who doesn't automatically order their turkey and Swiss on whole wheat? The reason, of course, is that white bread is processed - it's had all of its goodness stripped away, leaving a soft, squishy slice that was all the rage in the last century. But even if you're a whole-wheat convert, other processed carbs may be finding their way into your diet, many with more than an entire day's worth of recommended carbohydrates.

Your first line of defense is to opt for whole foods that are as close as possible to their original source, says Manual Villacorta, RD, author of Eating Free: The Carb Friendly Way to Lose Inches. And as always, managing portion sizes is key. Otherwise, here are eight bad carbs that may be sneaking into your diet, even if you've sworn off the white slices forever.

Could My Post-workout Snack Be Making Me Fat?

Shape — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:37:39 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to nutritional consultant Mike Roussell, PhD, for some help!

Q: Could my post-workout snack be making me fat? I've read that chocolate milk is a great post-workout drink, but is that still true if I just took a beginning Zumba class (or did a similar low-intensity workout)?

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A: No, your post-workout snack is not making you fat. In fact, quite the opposite. The holy grail of nutrition is to be able to preferentially send the nutrients in your food toward your muscles for energy and repair and not to your fat cells. Exercise is the one thing that can do this. Exercise causes your muscles' cells to actively pull sugar out of your bloodstream and into your muscles with much more fervor than any other time of day.

Find out if chocolate milk makes the best recovery snack after the break!