FitSugar

The Healthiest Diets in America

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:00:02 PST

I know many of you are trying to lose weight for our Get Fit For 2010 challenge. It's not always easy to change eating habits, which is why for some, the structure of following a formal diet works well. The problem is that many diets are unhealthy, unsafe, and ultimately don't keep the weight off. If you are struggling to find a plan to help you, Health - along with a group of doctors, dietitians, and nutritionists - came up with a list of their picks for America's healthiest diets. The panel judged the pool of 60 diets by looking at their ability to give total body healthiness, real results, motivation, and reasonably achievable exercises.

Volumetrics. The idea behind Volumetrics is to eat healthy but feel full. "Low-density foods like fruits and vegetables, as well as soups and stews, fill you up without overloading you with calories." This way you never feel like you're starving yourself. Volumetrics made the list because it’s “based on sound nutrition principles and overall healthy food choices.” We like it too because it's full of low-calorie and lower-fat food and lots of vegetables and fruits.

To see what other diets made the list,

The Best Life. I don't have to tell you who Bob Greene is, Oprah already did that. His diet is a complete makeover, "which offers a sane, healthy approach to overall lifestyle changes." It's full of recipes, attainable goals, and small steps that lead you to a bigger reward. The three components of the diet offer a "strategy that leads to slimming, nutritional eating, and increased physical activity."
The Sonoma Diet. I've got big love for the Mediterranean diet, which is what the Sonoma Diet is based around: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, fish, and nuts. The Sonoma Diet helps dieters quit processed foods for "active weight loss and maintenance." The Sonoma Diet is more about food and less about exercise, though: "This diet teaches you to eat slowly and savor your meals."
The Step Diet. This diet wants you to get up and move - specifically, 10,000 steps each day. The book comes with a pedometer and gives dieters realistic ways to move more, like "parking farther away, taking the stairs." As far as food, the message is simple: "Cut food intake to 75 percent of what you currently eat."
The EatingWell Diet. A newer diet, EatingWell looks at the science behind food and tries to change eating habits through behavioral changes like, "finding and facing eating triggers, eating and shopping mindfully, and cultivating regular, joyful exercise habits." It also encourages steady weight loss - about a pound a week.

Check out Health to see the five other diets that made the cut.

Don't Lie to Yourself

FitSugar — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 16:30:17 PST

I am not sure if you caught Oprah and Bob Greene talking about Best Life Diet Challenge but it was very interesting to listen to Bob talk about the possible setbacks people may have when getting fit. The one set back that really resonated with me is: Lying to yourself.

Basically, when you embark on a new journey, like losing weight by dieting and exercising, it is extremely important that you don't lie to yourself about getting healthy. If you say you are going to workout, then do it. Just like you can lose trust in another person who doesn't keep your word, you can lose trust in yourself. Stick to your word and you will eventually learn to trust yourself more which will help you along the process of getting healthy.

This makes total sense to me. If you tell yourself you're going to the gym, do it. If you tell yourself you're going to eat healthy starting tomorrow, do it. If you tell yourself you're going to quit smoking today, do it. Taking the step to Stop lying to yourself should be your first goal.

As you can tell, day one and I am already way into the Challenge. There are six contestants who are going to be doing this for nine months! I can't wait to see and hear about their transformations but to see the contestants on day one,

View 6 Photos ›

Check out Oprah's site to read more about the contestants, Bob and the Challenge.

The Best Life Diet Challenge Starts

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 16:30:00 PST

Bob Greene, Oprah's trainer and author of The Best Life Diet is getting several lucky people in shape for The Best Life Weight Loss Challenge and you can follow along and get in shape too!

Before you get started, Bob wants you to ask yourself these questions:

Why am I overweight?
Rather than "I don't have time to make healthy food" or "I have to eat out a lot," recognize the feelings that lead you to overeat. For example, you're really anxious about work and ice cream calms you down. Or, your husband is emotionally distant and eating fills the void.

Why do I want to lose weight?
If you say, "To look better," push further to ask, "Why?" Maybe you're afraid your significant other will leave you for someone prettier. But what does that mean about your relationship? Maybe you're trying to meet someone. Fine, but are there other changes you should be thinking about? After all, it's not only thin women who have partners. When people think that getting thinner will make them happy only to find it doesn't, it almost always leads to the misuse of food and a return to being overweight.

Why have I been unable to maintain weight loss in the past?
Think back to the trigger that turned you from staying on a healthy program to eating out of control. Was the diet too rigorous? Did your spouse think you would fail? Many people have a core belief that they're not meant to be happy and so they continually find ways to sabotage themselves. Figuring out what drives you to relapse is the beginning of success.

Watch Oprah tomorrow, February 22nd, to learn more about the participants, the Best Life and the challenge.

Whitney Houston Funeral Plans

Allie Merriam — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:52:14 PST

Whitney Houston will be laid to rest in Newark - People
Does Gary Oldman have a shot at the Oscars? - Lainey Gossip
What's Oprah's latest controversy? - HuffPost Entertainment
See Ashanti's out-there look - TooFab
5 things you don't know about Kate Upton - Us Weekly
Are these your 12 favorite Grammy moments? - The Daily Beast
The best of Adele's 60 Minutes interview - BuzzFeed
Could Nicolas Cage top the box office? - Rotten Tomatoes
Katharine McPhee on life after American Idol - Wonderwall
Courteney Cox suggests new names for Cougar Town - Lifeline Live
Check out Taylor Swift's new video - Zap2It
A field guide to Grammy winner Bon Iver - The Frisky
Tax problems for Lindsay Lohan? - Celebitchy

How to Throw a Moneyball-Themed Oscar Party

Shannon Vestal — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:30:21 PST

It may not be baseball season quite yet, but you can get that feeling if you throw an Oscar viewing party and let best picture nominee Moneyball be your inspiration. The film might even make for a better theme than Midnight in Paris or The Artist, depending on your crowd. Here's how to score a home run at your Oscar gathering (and don't forget to fill out a ballot for a chance to win an iPad.)

How to decorate: Bring out baseballs, bats, gloves, and any other sports memorabilia you may have. String up streamers in green and yellow (the Oakland A's colors), and nod to the movie's financial theme by decorating with fake dollar bills. If you really want to tie in the film, get a life-size Brad Pitt cutout (which wouldn't be a bad thing to have around, anyway).
How to dress: Wear the shirt of your baseball team of choice, but to really mirror the film, rock Oakland A's gear, or at least their colors.
What to serve: Traditional ballpark fare like hot dogs, beer, cotton candy, and peanuts in the shell, of course. Bake cookies or cake pops and frost them to look like baseballs.

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

Love Your Laptop: 8 Tips For Keeping it Healthy and Happy

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:23:02 PST

Valentine's Day doesn't just have to be about giving affection to your significant other. It can be about showing your appreciation for the people and things that make your life awesome. Take your laptop, for example. Your window to the vast Internet, your laptop works really hard for you without asking much in return. Give your laptop a little TLC this Valentine's Day with these tips that will keep it happy and healthy all year long.

Clean it up - Giving your laptop (or desktop) a thorough cleaning is essential to extending its life. Back up any data you may already have stored (on an external hard drive or a portable flash drive), organize your desktop icons, empty your computer's trash on a regular basis, and clear out any programs you don't use. This will help free up space and keep you on the fast track to productivity.
Practice proper shutdown habits - Shutting down all open programs and putting your laptop to sleep instead of just closing the lid will help your computer stay cool and safe while in transport. But if you've had your laptop in a cold environment, let it warm up to room temps slowly before turning it on. This will keep condensation and dew at bay, which can ruin your computer's sensitive guts.
Protect your investment - If you're going to be lugging a laptop around, make sure it's protected in a padded case!

See the rest of my tips after the jump.

Announcing the 2012 Grammy Award Winners

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:20:23 PST

The mood of the Grammy Awards was a bit somber this year in the wake of Whitney Houston's shocking death, but the show went on, and the statues were all handed out to the winners. Adele owned the night, picking up multiple awards, including those for record of the year, album of the year, and song of the year.

Plenty of other folks received Grammys too, including Kanye West, The Foo Fighters, and Taylor Swift, so to see the full list of winners, just keep reading.

Adele Strikes a Pose For Vogue's March Issue

Chi Diem Chau — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:08:21 PST

Last night, Adele raked in six amazing Grammy awards including the win for best album of the year for 21. With millions of fans behind her back, the golden girl, recently recovered from throat surgery, shows no signs of slowing down. Vogue just added more fuel to the fire with the unveiling of Adele as its March cover girl, shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. With perfect wing-tipped eyes and sexy, voluminous waves, Adele emoted superstar status wearing a gorgeous citron and black lace dress from Oscar de la Renta, leather opera-length gloves, and strapped sandals. Read below to hear what Adele has to say about her love for Beyoncé, making red-carpet appearances, and her loud personality. Then, visit Vogue.com to see the whole story unfold.

On Beyoncé: "She's been a huge and constant part of my life as an artist since I was about ten or eleven. I love how all of her songs are about empowerment. Even when she's married and Jay-Z put a ring on it, she releases 'Single Ladies.' Go get yours. Go get what you deserve. I think she's really inspiring. She's beautiful. She's ridiculously talented, and she is one of the kindest people I've ever met."

On making red-carpet appearances:: "I hate the red carpet. I don't feel insecure, I just feel like, Oh, I don't want to do this. I literally get a stomach cramp."

On her personality: "I am quite loud and bolshie. I'm a big personality. I walk into a room, big and tall and loud."

Photos courtesy of Vogue

6 Ways To Be Your Own Best Valentine

YourTango — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 04:00:17 PST

We're happy to present this excerpt from one of our favorite sites, YourTango.

Once again, February 14th is right around the corner. And this year, for whatever reason, you don't have a Valentine to call your own. You may be single or separated, divorced or widowed. Unfortunately, so many of us who find ourselves in this situation fall into feelings of deep inadequacy and despair. We tell ourselves: "I'm not good enough; something's wrong with me; I'll never find someone." The reasons why we're "alone" don't matter. What matters is learning how to address these feelings so that you embrace Valentine's Day 2012, feeling the fullness of love rather than the black hole of emptiness and lack.

Here are six proven ways for you to be your own best Valentine this year:

Avoid the black hole! You may be tempted to judge or blame yourself because you are alone. Don't do it! Say to yourself, as often as necessary, what your deepest wisdom knows to be true: "I am lovable and connected to everyone, forever." You don't have to believe it for this to work! Cherish the daily miracles that might easily be missed - the smile of a stranger, the movement of a child, a lovely connection with a service person.
Buy yourself the most beautiful Valentine's Day Card several days before the "big day." Then spend some time writing a heartfelt note to yourself and literally mail it to your own address. When the card arrives in your mailbox, enjoy opening it and reading it on Valentine's Day. Inhale your message, feeling its beauty in your heart. Then let that radiate to your whole body.

Get the other ideas when you finish reading the rest of the story on YourTango: 6 Ways To Be Your Own Best Valentine

Written by Dr. Lynda Klau for YourTango.

5 Things to Know About Joy Williams of Grammy-Winning Duo The Civil Wars

Tara Sharp — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:48:00 PST

If you didn't know who Joy Williams was before tonight, we guarantee you will be hearing a lot more about her in the months to come. Joy's one half of folk duo The Civil Wars with Johnny Depp lookalike John Paul White, and the first-time nominees won two Grammys tonight: best folk album and best country duo/group performance for their 2011 album Barton Hollow. They are also one of the performing groups to hit the Grammy stage tonight! Here are five things you should know about this woman who rocks (including her Taylor Swift and Adele connection!):

Hailing from Santa Cruz, CA, Joy was 17 when she signed a recording contract with Reunion Records, balancing a singing career with finishing up high school. She began her career as a contemporary Christian music artist before leaving Reunion and founding Sensibility Music with her husband. Then one of her first songs on her own label, "Charmed Life," appeared on the season finale of Grey's Anatomy in 2009.
Joy's been married since 2004, and it's not to her Civil Wars partner. Joy's happily paired up with her manager and Sensibility Music cofounder Nate Yetton.
In 2009, Joy formed The Civil Wars with John Paul White, whom she met at a songwriting session in 2008. Their first studio album, Barton Hollow, was released in 2011 and debuted at No. 1 on iTunes's album sales chart and at No. 12 on the Billboard 200. The band even opened for Adele's 2011 North American and UK concert tour.
Joy, 29, and her husband are expecting their first child in June. Joy announced the pregnancy on Twitter Friday, saying, "My baby bump & I will see you on the red carpet."
Fellow singing starlet Taylor Swift gave Joy and The Civil Wars a helping hand when she included the band's song "Poison and Wine" on her official iTunes playlist, saying, "I think this is my favorite duet. It's exquisite." And now Joy and Taylor have a song together for The Hunger Games soundtrack called "Safe and Sound." The music video debuts tomorrow!

Check out photos of Joy and The Civil Wars at the Grammys now!