FitSugar

Speak Up: Has Your Family Ever Pressured You to Diet or Be Thin?

FitSugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0700

We learn a lot about relationships from our immediate family. Not only do we learn how to relate to other people, but also things like money and food. If fact, researchers have found that sitting down to regular family meals can help prevent eating disorders. Ahhh . . . but the home front isn't always so sweet and homey, and negative lessons can be learned in there as well. I think of the painful mother-daughter relationship in Spanglish, where the character played by Tea Leoni buys clothes many sizes too small for her daughter.

How was the family dynamic around food and body image in your house while growing up? Did anyone pressure you to lose weight? If you're a parent, how do you talk about your weight in front of your kids? How do you talk to them about their food choices? For being one of our basic needs, food can be quite an emotionally-loaded subject. Share your stories in the comment section below.

Source

Spain Bans Ultra-Thin Mannequins

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 02:00:00 -0700

Women are made to feel awful about their healthy size. Who could blame them with all the super thin models and celebrities glorifying their bony frames? When we go shopping, the latest fashions of tight leggings and skinny jeans are no help. Of course, smooth-skinned size zero plastic mannequins, reminding us that we could never look like that, are modeling them.

Of course, in our hearts, we know we wouldn't want to anyway, because we know how models get to size zero. These stupidly thin fashion dummies contribute to the perception that skinny is the only way to go, which in turn contributes to eating disorders. Well I can tell you that starving myself is not on my list of things to do.

Madrid and Milan banned ultra-thin models from their fashion week runways late last year, and this year the Council of Fashion Designers of America announced guidelines designed to help models eat and live more healthfully (wa-hoo!).

I was happy to find out that Spain is also taking a step towards banishing this unachievable standard. I didn't know this but about 1 in 5 Spanish women between the ages of 13 and 22 suffer from an eating disorder.

One step Spain is taking is to get rid of the super skinny mannequins in clothing stores. All mannequins will be replaced with ones that are no smaller than a size 6. They are also planning on dealing with the issue of sizes. In one store a size can fit you just right, but in another store, that same size can be too tight. So all sizes will become standardized in all stores.

Spain is aiming to make the standard go from unreal and unhealthy, to a standard of healthy beauty. Italy is becoming interested as well. I'm hoping that these recent moves made by Spain will encourage all of the world's countries to make the change to support healthy women's bodies.

Liv Tyler Agrees That Size Zero is Unhealthy

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 04:00:00 -0800

Liv Tyler recently talked about dieting and motherhood. She said, "I've been on a diet my whole life." Being in the public eye, she spent years worrying about her weight, that is, until she became a mom.

Many women can relate, comparing themselves to skinny models, and forever being on a diet and working out to shed pounds. The thing is, models are getting skinnier, so women think they need to too, even though it's unhealthy for their bodies and their self-esteem.

Liv Tyler doesn't agree with it. She said,"I definitely think the girls look too skinny now. I'm friends with Helena Christensen and Linda Evangelista, and I remember Linda telling me that when she was a model (in the '90s), a sample size was a 6 or an 8. Now a sample dress size is a 0 or a 2. That's pretty alarming. There's a lot of pressure on the models. It's not healthy. I can't even imagine what that's like."

I'd like to find inspiration in Liv's thoughts and in her sister, Mia Tyler. She's a gorgeous and sexy plus-size model who's healthy and confident. It's great to see celebrities who represent real women. You know, for all of us who'll never have a model's strict BMI, not because we can't, but because we know it's unhealthy.

Source

Thin the Movie: The Reality of Eating Disorders

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 15:45:00 -0800

Eating disorders affect 5 million people in the U.S. More than 10% of those diagnosed with anorexia nervosa will die from the disease. Seeking to put a human face on these sobering statistics, acclaimed photographer Lauren Greenfield went inside a Florida treatment center to tell the stories of four women who are literally dying to be thin.

The devastating documentary film titled Thin, reveals her findings. It is captivating and you are drawn in by the heart-wrenching stories of these girls and their painful struggles as they each try to recover.

You can purchase Thin, a groundbreaking book about eating disorders. Greenfield's photographs are paired with extensive interviews and journal entries from twenty girls and women suffering not only from their eating disorders, but from the personal struggles that lead to the disorders in the first place.

The Secrets of Thin People

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 04:00:00 -0800

Do you ever look at that girl sitting next to you at work, the one who seems to be constantly eating but still thin, and wonder what is her secret? Real Simple has recently revealed some secrets of thin people, how they get there and how they stay there.

Thin people favor bulky foods.
Thin people watch portion sizes.
Thin people can put themselves first.
Thin people have thin parents.
Thin people don’t skip meals.
Thin people limit their options.

There's more secrets, so read more

Thin people live in Colorado.
Thin people don’t sit still.
Thin people weigh themselves.
Thin people don’t skip breakfast.
Thin people enjoy their food.
Thin people practice early intervention.
Thin people do what works.

Visit Real Simple to read the full article.

Part Two: 8 Secrets of the Naturally Thin

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 02:30:00 -0700

We all want to know what those naturally thin people are doing to stay so um, naturally thin. Prevention has discovered that healthy thin people just don't think about food the same way as everyone else. In this 8 part series, I'll reveal Prevention's 8 secrets of naturally thin people one by one.

They Realize Hunger Isn't An Emergency: Most of us who struggle with extra pounds tend to view hunger as a condition that needs to be cured--and fast, says Judith S. Beck, PhD, author of the new Beck Diet Solution. "If you fear hunger, you might routinely overeat to avoid it," she says. Thin people tolerate it because they know hunger pangs always come and go, buying them some time.

Emulate the Naturally Thin: Pick a busy day to purposely delay lunch by an hour or two. Or try skipping an afternoon snack one day. You'll see that you can still function just fine. Then next time you feel those grumbles, you'll hold off before making a beeline for the fridge.

More secrets revealed this week. Did you miss any? You can see all the secrets here.
Source

Weekend Reading: Thin for Life

FitSugar — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 02:00:00 -0800

You guys were interested in the secrets of thin people, I figured that I'd let you know about a book you may find interesting.

The book, Thin for Life gives a refreshing insight on how to lose weight by looking at real people who have done it successfully! To write the book, Anne Fletcher the author and dietitian, surveyed 160 people who succeeded in losing at least 20 pounds and keeping the weight off for at least 3 years (though some lost far more weight and kept it off longer).

The book tells about their success stories, strategies, motivation, inspiration and tricks of the trade. Most, like many of us, had tried everything to lose weight before discovering what worked for them. From her findings based on their stories, Fletcher compiled the 10 keys to success. She lets the people who've lost weight speak for themselves throughout the book but she also fills us in additional information to make it possible to apply to your life. This book is a great read if you like learning by example, rather than numbers and science, which (in my opinion) makes it more motivating than confusing. By addressing such critical issues as boosting self-efficacy, taking responsibility, positive self-talk, problem solving, exercise motivation and finding a personal right way to lose weight, you'll feel empowered rather than baffled.

You can buy the book from Amazon.com for $10.65. If you're really into it, you may as well get the sister book Eating Thin for Life ($10.20) which is the recipe secrets book.

Fittingly Mad: thinkThin bars

FitSugar — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 02:30:00 -0800

I recently came across these thinkThin bars in the grocery store and was fuming about them. Think thin? I'm sorry. I didn't get the memo that being thin is the only important thing to think about in life. As if we aren't inundated enough from magazines, TV, and celebrities that thinness equals beauty. Now I have to get that message from my food?

These bars are low in carbs (only 2g) and have 20g of protein. I guess they're on the whole Atkins bandwagon, promoting foods that are low carb/high protein. Is this supposed to be a magical bar that you can eat and it will instantly melt away fat and make you thin. Oh please!

On the website, it says that thinkThin was developed as an "inner beauty food" designed for those who "think" about what they eat. Interesting philosophy. Maybe they should have been called thinkBeauty bars instead. What do you guys think about these bars?

Source

Kashi Pizza: Original-Crust vs. Thin-Crust Pizza

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:00:00 -0700

I like to keep frozen pizzas in my freezer just in case my family needs a quick meal. I love ones made by Kashi because the crust is made with whole grains and they're really flavorful. They used to only make regular-crust pizza, but then they came out with thin crust.

If you want to know how these two compare then read more.

As you can see, the one on the right definitely has a thinner crust. It was so thin that it took less time to cook, and it had a much crispier texture than the regular, chewy crust.

	Regular Crust	Thin Crust
Serving Size	1/3 pizza	1/3 pizza
Calories	290	260
Total Fat	9g	9g
Saturated Fat	3.5g	4g
Cholesterol	20mg	20mg
Sodium	570mg	630mg
Carbs	37g	29g
Fiber	4g	4g
Sugars	4g	4g
Protein	14g	14g

Nutritionally speaking, the thin crust pizza does has fewer carbs and calories, but it also contains more sodium. I guess it comes down to personal preference because they tasted so much alike. Personally, I prefer the regular crust because it fills me up more, and the thin-crust pizza feels less like a meal and more like an hors d'oeuvre. If you haven't tried either of them, they're definitely worth checking out.

Part Three: 8 Secrets of the Naturally Thin

FitSugar — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 04:00:00 -0700

They Don't Use Food To Cure The Blues: It's not that thin women are immune to emotional eating, says Kara Gallagher, PhD, a weight loss expert based in Louisville. But they tend to recognize when they're doing it and stop.

Emulate the Naturally thin: Add the word 'Halt' to your vocabulary, says Gallagher. More than just a command (as in stop eating that entire sleeve of cookies), it's an acronym that stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired--the four most common triggers for emotional eating.

If you're truly hungry, choose a balanced snack, such as a handful of nuts, to tide you over until your next meal. But if you're angry, lonely, or tired, seek an alternative calorie-free solution to your emotional need. Blow off steam by going for a run or just jumping around--the heartbeat boost will help dissipate your anger. Lonely? Call a friend, e-mail your kid, or walk to the park or mall. Being around others will make you feel more connected to your community (even if you don't bump into anyone you know). If you're tired, for heaven's sake, sleep!

More secrets revealed this week. Did you miss any? You can see secrets one and two here.

Source