FitSugar

Are You a Fan of Prepackaged Diet Plans?

Leta Shy — Wed, 11 May 2011 16:49:18 PDT

Consumer Reports recently came out with its latest diet ratings, and Jenny Craig is on top. The diet program took top billing in part because most people on it stay on it for a while; a recent study found that 92 percent of dieters on the plan stayed on it for two years.

Three of the top four, actually, also featured branded prepackaged meals. Rated just behind Jenny Craig was Slim Fast, which offers branded meal replacement bars and shakes to help you lose weight. The Zone's delivered meals also were rated highly, coming in fourth. And while third-place Weight Watchers doesn't require product-endorsed meals as part of the diet, it does sell optional frozen meals and includes meetings or online counseling for support.

The diets that came in last, however, were the low-carb Atkins program and Ornish, the diet that emphasizes whole grains, fruits, and vegetables while limiting animal products. While there are support plans available for both diets, the main tenets of both can just be followed by buying a book.

Finding a diet that works for you can no doubt be a challenge; some people may love the convenience of knowing what and how much to eat, others may scoff at eating processed or frozen foods. Are you a fan of prepackaged diet programs like Jenny Craig and Slim Fast? What do you like about them?

Slim Fast Wedding Cake Topper Ads: Cool or Not?

FitSugar — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 03:47:21 PDT

Losing weight before a wedding is a big deal for a lot of brides. And judging from these ads, it's something that Slim Fast knows well. With a tagline that reads,"Need to lose a little weight before your wedding?" the three different ads show a cake topper where the bride is in an uncompromising position. In one she's gotten so heavy she's fallen through the cake, and in another we see that she's ripped the backside of her dress. While none of these situations are funny IRL, something about using cake toppers gives it a bit of humor. What do you think . . .

View 2 Photos ›

New brides, pay attention! We'll be bringing you tips on how to prepare your body for the big day, but we want to hear what you've been doing to stay in shape too. Head over to the FitSugar Community and post your wedding workout tips, or, if you're already hitched, how did you get healthy for your big day?

Fab Body Guide: Get Slim and Stylish

FabSugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 04:00:22 PST

You may have already seen the Slim Fast commercials and print ads with Rachel Hunter and wondered what the heck she's doing endorsing a diet. The company has joined with the blonde model to motivate women to get in shape and in style.

When you sign up (for free) to Style Your Slim, you start your road to weight loss and are granted a fashionable detour with the fashion rewards program. Basically, you're eligible for an American Express card for up to $40, and a monthly fashion rewards newsletter with fashion tips, product news, and special offers. The best part is you automatically get entered into a drawing for a chance to win $1,000 toward a new wardrobe. If that's not enough motivation to slim down, then I don't know what is! As with anything, please be sure to check rules and regulations.

Rachel Hunter Partners with Slim-Fast

FitSugar — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 11:45:00 PDT

Rachel Hunter does not strike me as someone who needs to lose weight. From doing activities likehiking, biking and Pilates, she seems to be pretty on top of her health. Apparently Slim-Fast had another idea in mind when they contact her to be their newest spokes model last March.

People got the scoop from Rachel on her new gig:

"I thought, 'Wow, what's wrong with me?'" says the model, 36, with a laugh. "'Do I look fat?'" Hardly. At 5'10" and 147 lbs. (about 10 lbs. more than her peak modeling size), Hunter is most people's idea of an after picture. She felt better when the rep said they weren't looking for a Kirstie Alley-type loss, but someone for a campaign aimed at women who want to drop 5 to 20 lbs. Hunter, it turns out, is one of them. "There's no target weight, but I'll know when I get there," she says. "I want to feel sexy and hot!"

Despite appearances, Slim-Fast sees in Hunter a regular gal who "can inspire. She's not a size 2, nor does she aspire to be," says brand director Virginia BlakeWest.

"As I've gotten older, I can't eat as much as I used to," says Hunter. But while she'll slurp the 190-calorie shakes for breakfast and lunch, she'll still cook favorites like pasta and steak for kids Liam, 12, and Renee, 15. (Their dad is her ex-husband, Rod Stewart.) "The diet is not something I want to involve my daughter in – there are already too many stresses on teens. We sit down and eat dinner together."

Source

Foods That Can Make You Look Pregnant

Shape — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:29:06 PST

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

Over the weekend, I saw a photo of a female celebrity (who is in a relationship with a male celeb) leaving a café with the caption, "Baby bump?" and I had to refrain myself from shouting out loud, "Come on, can't a girl eat without the world thinking she's having a baby?!"

The truth is having a perfectly flat stomach all the time just isn't normal. After you eat or drink, food and liquids naturally expand your stomach and intestines, so at least a little "bump" is inevitable every single day. So if you regularly get stalked by paparazzi or you have family members who are anxiously awaiting news of a new addition, here's the lowdown on when you might get mistaken for being pregnant:

See which foods may make you look pregnant after the break!

Team Zoe's Joey Maalouf Answers Your Most Hair-Raising Questions

Jaime Richards — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:00:00 PST

You've learned how he creates Rachel Zoe's signature beachy waves, and you've likely admired his other work from afar (Jessica Alba's soft and pretty Golden Globes makeup, anyone?). And most recently, celebrity stylist Joey Maalouf has signed on as a beauty advisor for Slim Fast's Studio Wow! campaign, which he explains, is a way to help people be at their most confident for a big, upcoming life event.

"You know, there's no one big step that does it; it's a lot of little steps," Joey says. "First the tricks of dieting, then you start to think about your external look: styling, hair and makeup. I love making people feel like they can just do it at home - and they can," Joey adds. And that's why he's answering your most hair-raising questions. From keeping curls bouncy to Spring 2012's hottest trends, see Joey's expert advice on how you can wow the crowd when you read more.

5 Unbelievably Bad Fast-Food Breakfasts

Prevention — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:06:39 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

By Molly Raisch, Prevention

Mom always said, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” And she was right. Morning meals are essential to revving your metabolism and kick-starting your calorie burn, but indulging in a fat- and calorie-laden breakfast from your favorite fast-food chain could easily send you into sugar shock and pack on the pounds. Research shows that people who ate a big morning meal consumed an extra 400 calories per day, setting themselves up for muffin tops and pancake bottoms. Here are six breakfast drive-through disasters and their Prevention-approved healthier, make-at-home options.

Fifty Simple Strategies to Lose 10 Pounds

Starbucks® Zucchini-Walnut Muffin
Muffins are calorie sinkholes - they pack in the calories but somehow still leave your stomach grumbling. This muffin from Starbucks® seems healthy enough, boasting both zucchini and walnuts, but don’t be fooled by its veggie-based name. This morning baked good has close to 500 calories and 28 grams of fat.

Try Instead: Zucchini-Raisin Muffin
These scrumptious zucchini muffins are half the calories and nearly a third of the fat as their coffeehouse counterparts. Tricks of the trade: Load up your bread batter with tons of zucchini shreds and add raisins for a touch of natural sweetness.

Ten Breakfasts For Glowing Skin

McDonald’s Big Breakfast® With Hotcakes
When your breakfast comes off a fast-food menu and has the word “big” in it, your waistline is headed in the same direction. This hearty breakfast has scrambled eggs, sausage, a buttermilk biscuit, hash browns, and two hotcakes piled onto a plate, making it no surprise that one order accounts for over half your day’s calories and over 55 grams of fat. The worst part? This lumberjack breakfast is sky-high in sodium: 2,150 milligrams.

Try Instead: Pancakes With Berries and Cinnamon
Satisfy your hotcake cravings with these light and fluffy low-cal flapjacks. The secret to cutting fat and calories without losing any buttery flavor: bake them in the oven. Top with berries and cinnamon, and you’ve got a mouthwatering, guilt-free pancake breakfast the whole family will love.

Keep reading for more healthy breakfast swaps after the break.

11 Ways to Print Instagram Photos

Kelly Schwarze — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:34:01 PST

Instagram is the easy way of creating dreamy iPhone photos in a flash. The filters work their magic so well that nearly every picture comes out looking like a keepsake. Making those memories permanent can be just as easy with these tools for turning Instagram photos into a lasting work of art.

PostalPix - Use this iPhone app to print four-inch squares from your Instagram library for only 30 cents each. Fast shipping, matte finish, professional quality resolution, and the convenience of mobile shopping make this our first stop for Instagram prints. They even sell just-right square 4-inch wooden frames.
CanvasPop - Those filtered photos are worthy of an at-home gallery. Create a high-resolution 12-inch square or 20-inch square stretched canvas print for the temporary price of $30 and $60, respectively. Buy multiple canvases for an artful wall vignette.
Printstagram - The company offers multiple ways to print Instagram photos, but the 20-by-40-inch posters will make the most stunning addition to a living room wall. Between 50-400 photos are arranged in a clean grid on thick, archival paper for $25.
Blurb - Haven't looked at a photo album in a while? Blurb brings back what now seems like an antiquated way of sharing photos with a modern, Instagram twist. Softcover books with 20 pages of Instagram photos runs $11 and a hardcover is $22. Christmas present, perhaps?
Postagram - A fun way to show people you're thinking of them, Postagram mails a postcard with popout Instagram photo and message to friends for 99 cents each. A thoughtful alternative to a birthday e-card!

Three more ways to print Instagram beauties after the break.

15 Days of Holiday Giveaways, Day 9: Win an Intel Core-Powered Lenovo IdeaPad Ultrabook

SavvySugar — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:34:36 PST

It's the holiday season, and we're getting in the spirit with our third annual 15 Days of Holiday Giveaways! Every day for the first 15 days of December, one of the PopSugar Network sites - plus our sister sites PopSugar Shop, Fashionologie, and ShopStyle - will feature a new fabulous giveaway.

For our ninth day of holiday giveaways, we are giving away a Clementine Orange Lenovo IdeaPad U300s Ultrabook, powered by a second generation Intel Core processor. This Ultrabook is the ultimate combination of style and functionality with breathtaking speeds, ultra-fast booting times, and the slim Ultrabook design that is just 0.6 inches thin and weighs less than three pounds. It's the perfect laptop for the on-the-go, tech-savvy soul!

This giveaway has ended.

After you enter our giveaway above, don't forget to enter CasaSugar's giveaway of $1,000 to Design Within Reach, PetSugar's giveaway of three Limited Edition iRobot Roomba 780s, GeekSugar's giveaway of two Xbox Kinect prize packages, BuzzSugar's giveaway of a year of movie tickets for you and a friend from MovieTickets.com, BellaSugar's giveaway of $2,000 to Saks Fifth Avenue, and Fashionologie's giveaway of a $1,000 shopping spree to Theory. Good luck and happy holidays!

Little Daily Tricks to Wake Up Slimmer

Health — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:01:00 PST

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

By Jessica Girdwain

We get it: you want to lose the jiggle but don’t want to blacklist your favorite eats, count every single calorie, or overdose on gym hours. The great news is, you can drop weight without dieting: experts say making small change-ups to your day is one of the best ways to lose.

We grilled health and fitness pros for the tweaks that will help your shape the most. Road test a few, and you could shed five (this week!), 10, or even 20-plus pounds without a whole lot of effort.

Health.com: Diet Tricks the Pros Tell Their Friends

Power up PB
"Buy natural varieties of peanut butter and pour off the oil sitting on top. Each serving will have 20 fewer calories and two to three fewer grams of fat. It’s a small difference that'll add up to a couple of pounds per year."
-Amelia Winslow, personal chef in Los Angeles and founder of the healthy food blog Eating Made Easy

Pop to It
"Skimping on fiber will make you gain weight. Forget the pretzels and go for a bag of low-fat popcorn. It has five times the fiber and only 90 calories for six cups, so it’s filling and satisfying.

A recent study found that when women doubled their daily fiber intake from 12 to 24 grams, their bodies absorbed 90 calories less per day. You could lose almost 10 pounds in a year!"
-Tanya Zuckerbrot, RD, author of The F-Factor Diet: Discover the Secret to Permanent Weight Loss

Health.com: Fill Up on Fiber

Dance Your Butt Off
"Kick up your heels and go dancing with your girlfriends - or have a solo dance session at home. Fast-tempo dances are not only a blast to do, but in an hour you’ll torch 400 to 500 calories. That’s equivalent to light jogging on the treadmill, but it’s way more fun!"
-Christine Avanti, author of Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food: Lose the Fake Food and Kickstart Your Weight Loss

Keep on reading for great slimming tips!