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FitSugar — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:30:37 PDT

15-minute workout to get you bootylicious - Fitness
At Wynn Resorts, vegan and Vegas do mix - MindBodyGreen
Even a little second-hand smoke can damage lung cells - Vitamin G
Looking to lose weight? Put these foods in your grocery cart - That's Fit
At 24 Hour Fitness, fingerprint scans replace your old gym ID - Social Workout
Weight fluctuations: how much is normal? - Nutrition Data Blog

Does Your Weight Fluctuate by Season?

FitSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:00:00 PDT

Believe it or not, bikini season is right around the corner. The thought of tying up a two-piece suit may cause subtle panic in some of you, and for others, it's no biggie. The difference could have something to do with the tendency to let go a little during the Winter, indulging in warm comfort foods and saying cheers with libations more often than usual. Does your weight fluctuate by season?

Source

Don't Stress Over Weight Fluctuations

FitSugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:00:00 PDT

If you're someone who weighs yourself daily, then you know that our weight is hardly static. If you weighed 130 before you went to bed and then 134 in the morning (after you pee) this does not mean you gained four pounds overnight. Well, unless you consumed 14,000 calories while you were sleeping. So don't sweat it and take a look at the common reasons for day-to-day weight fluctuations:

Drinking water: Two cups of water weighs one pound, so if you've been busy hydrating yourself then you'll definitely see an immediate and temporary gain in your weight.
Not drinking water: Not drinking enough water actually causes the body to retain fluid, which can also lead to a temporary weight gain.
Eating and drinking: Food and drinks have a weight too, you know. Just as you wouldn't stand on the scale holding a box of Girl Scout Cookies, nor should you weigh yourself after eating one. Wait until your body has had time to digest before stepping on the scale.

There's more so

5 Things That Can Affect The Number on The Scale

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 10:15:00 PDT

If you religiously live by the scale, you've probably noticed that your weight can (and will) fluctuate a few pounds. Women's Health gives us five reasons that the number on the scale may be up (or down) a few pounds:

You were thirsty! Downing 16 ounces of any fluid can cause an immediate "gain" of 1 pound.
You're backed up. Constipation can tilt the scale by as much as 2 pounds if it's been more than a couple of days since your bowels did their thing.
You're going on vacation. To Thailand. The changes in air pressure can make you retain water on flights longer than 4 hours, which can show up as an extra 1 to 3 pounds on the scale.
You ate the Chicken Kung Pao. Have a salty dinner and you could wake up 2 to 3 pounds heavier - your body retains water to dilute all that sodium.
Aunt Flo's on her way. Hormone fluctuations in the 3 days leading up to your period can make you retain up to 5 pounds of water.

Fergie's Diet Weakness Is Fast Food - What's Yours?

Michele Foley — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:31:44 PDT

Fergie makes her third appearance on the cover of Allure, this time for its July 2011 issue. Inside she puts to rest all those pregnancy rumors and says:

"I think people think that I’m pregnant sometimes because my weight fluctuates . . . My problem is my discipline. I see a Jack in the Box or a Del Taco, and I will impulsively want it. I’m a work in progress in that area."

For anyone that strives to eat whole, healthy foods, Fergie's weakness for fast food is probably understandable. I'm not much of a fast food junkie, but cocktails and cake are definitely my weakness - especially when served together!

We already know what your healthy dessert alternatives are, but what are the not-so-healthy foods that make you go weak in the knees?

Sarah Michelle Gellar Takes Matching Charlotte Out to Shop

Allie Merriam — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 10:27:17 PST

Sarah Michelle Gellar carried her adorable daughter, Charlotte, yesterday in LA. The mother-daughter duo ran errands together and swung by a few shops, looking too cute in their matching sunglasses! It was a family afternoon for Sarah during a break from work on her show Ringer. To promote the program, Sarah posed on the December 2011 cover of Self. She spoke with a writer from the magazine about her weight-loss philosophy. Sarah Michelle Gellar doesn't own a scale, she said. SMG commented, "You can't live your life by the scale. We don't even have one in our house. I've never believed in them, because your weight fluctuates. It's more about how my clothing fits than a number. Besides, if you deny yourself everything because you're so focused on the mirror or the scale, then when do you get to enjoy life?"

6 Surprising Health Mistakes Even Smart Women Make

Prevention — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 04:05:18 PST

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

When was the last time you got 8 hours of sleep or lifted weights at the gym? You're not alone if you can't remember: Even some of the most savvy women didn't get the memo about these health-wrecking habits. Find out if you're among them.
From the Editors of Prevention

You're supposed to watch saturated fat and eat lots of vegetables — that's why you usually pick up a salad for lunch and dinner (even when the kids get burgers). But you're not obsessed with the scale like some women you know. You brush your teeth twice a day, and you last flossed, oh, maybe two weeks ago. You exercise but avoid lifting so you don't bulk up. The tummy pains you got last week? Must have been gas — nothing serious. And hey, you'd like to get 8 hours of sleep, but the days are short, and it's hard to get everything done. Sound familiar? These so-called "good" habits may actually be derailing your health. Here, experts share the surprising things you're doing wrong — and how to recover.

1. You Always Order a Salad
Don't assume that bowl of lettuce is always the healthiest menu pick.

Truth is, a lot of take-out and restaurant salads are basically a burger in a bowl, says Brie Turner-McGrievy, RD, clinical research coordinator for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) in Washington, DC. That's because add-ons like fried chicken, croutons, and full-fat dressing pack major calories, fat, sodium, and other unhealthy nutrients. One example: McDonald's Bacon Ranch Salad with Crispy Chicken and Newman's Own Ranch Dressing has 540 calories and 35 grams of fat; a Big Mac has 540 calories and 29 grams.

The fix: Don't scratch take-out salad off your menu; just use a few common sense rules before you order. Avoid high-fat add-ons such as sour cream, extra cheese, croutons, bacon bits, and creamy dressings like Caesar and ranch. Opt for salads that aren't just a fiber-free mound of iceberg lettuce dotted with a few carrot and red cabbage shavings. And plan ahead: Most fast-food chains supply nutritional info online so you can scout out the best options before you leave.

Avoid These Surprisingly Unhealthy Salads

2. You Rock Out While You Work Out
Do your ears ring after a long iPod-powered workout?

Check the volume on your iPod or MP3 player, advises Andrew Cheng, MD, an otolaryngologist at New York Medical College. The normal range of an MP3 player is 60 to 120 decibels; persistent exposures above 85 may cause hearing loss. If you're concerned, ask a friend to stand next to you while you listen: If she can hear your music, it's too loud.

Learn the fix and four more other common mistakes, when you read more.

Yo-Yo Dieting Makes Keeping Weight Off Harder

FitSugar — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 04:30:21 PDT

You eat a balanced diet and exercise, and you lose weight. But once you reach your goal, you exchange trips to the gym for pork lo mein on the couch, and end up gaining all the weight back (and then some). You're not alone. In fact studies show that two-thirds of dieters regain more weight within four or five years than they initially lost. Even celebs aren't immune to the grasps of yo-yo-dieting. Kirstie Alley, Oprah Winfrey, and Janet Jackson have all struggled with keeping the numbers on the scale from going up.

Constant yo-yo dieting makes it harder to keep the weight off because when your body mass decreases by 10 percent or more, it ends up slowing down your metabolism by 11 to 15 percent. Going on and off diets also changes other aspects of your physiology, such as increasing the hunger hormone ghrelin, and decreasing the hormone leptin, which makes you feel satisfied and full. Doctors believe strict diets which are low in calories are the worst. Your body may see restricting your calorie intake as a threat to its survival, and that's why it holds on to the extra pounds on your tush.

I'm sorry to say, but I have more bad news so keep reading

Jessica Simpson Talks Wedding Plans, Weight Gain, and "Styling America" in Lucky

Lauren Turner — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:35:57 PDT

Jessica Simpson was all smiles in a sexy Gryphon New York dress for the cover of Lucky's December issue. She recently announced her pregnancy with a funny Halloween-themed tweet, though at the time of her interview with the magazine Jessica was still keeping the exciting news quiet. Instead, she addressed her "weight gain," talked about her wedding plans with fiancé Eric Johnson, and shared her thoughts on "styling America." Here's more from Jessica in Lucky:

On her weight: "I got so much scrutiny for putting on extra pounds, but I think that the decision not to make myself anorexic was actually great for branding. Because when you’re really, really skinny, not everybody can relate to you. Everybody fluctuates, but I’m open about my weight and I’m still confident. I didn’t cry about it too much."
On meeting Eric and wedding plans: "When I met him I just felt so comfortable with myself and where I was in my life that if he didn’t want to be part of it, he didn’t have to be. I haven’t started shopping for our wedding yet. When I got engaged, everyone thought I would get married immediately, but I have not put a single dress on, and by the time this comes out I will not be married! We’re just enjoying being engaged right now-and that’s honest."
On her brand: "If it has my name on it, I want my stamp of approval to be on it I want to keep my customers coming back. So it’s going to be important to me in these next years to stay focused on the collection. I love that I can dream about paisley, and then two months later, someone’s wearing it. I’m basically styling America."

4 Reasons to Stop Weighing Yourself Every Day

Leta Shy — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:40:22 PDT

Whether it's looming in the corner at the gym, blinking up at you on your bathroom floor, or hiding in the corner at a friend's house, the scale seems to always be there, ready and waiting for you to hop on. But if weighing yourself has become part of your daily routine, here are some reasons why it may be time to ease up on the frequent weigh-ins.

Fluctuations are normal. Our weight changes constantly; fluctuations in that number on the scale every day, or even in the same day, are normal. Spend too much time worrying about how you've changed from one weigh-in to the next and any slight increase can be demoralizing and can turn a good day into a bad one.

Read more reasons to stop the daily weigh-in (and what to do instead) after the break.