April 2006 Archives
Exercise Strategies II
I admit, I'm biased, I rather move it to lose it than count calories, which I grudgingly do. So here's ways to zap 500 calories per workout. Yowza!
Exercise Strategies• Do 1 hour of intense cardio (elliptical trainer, rowing, ski machine).
• Do 70 minutes of power yoga.
• Take a 30-minute walk in the morning, a 15-minute walk at lunchtime, and a 30-minute walk in the evening.
• Swim laps for 45 minutes.
• Do this 60-minute workout: Walk for 15 minutes at 4 mph on the treadmill, then jump rope for 5 minutes; repeat 2 more times.
• Mountain bike for 45 minutes.
• Play singles tennis for 1 hour.
[source]
Diet Strategies II
Switch to this amped-up plan, choosing one 500-calorie-zapping strategy from the diet & exercise column per day, and you'll burn a total of 7,000 calories -- or two pounds -- in seven days.
How to Lose 2 Pounds in a Week• Instead of an egg salad sandwich on a kaiser roll, have a ham sandwich with 3 ounces of sliced lean ham and mustard on light bread.
• Swap kung pao chicken takeout for this homemade dinner: 3 to 4 cups of steamed veggies and 4 ounces of tofu with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
• Cut out all sugar for one day: Have a single serving of cereal such as Fiber One instead of a frosted variety, and skip the teaspoon of sugar on top. Leave the sugar out of your coffee and honey out of your tea; trade your peanut butter and jelly sandwich for two pieces of toast with sugar-free jam and skip the brownie for dessert.
• Have breakfast for dinner. Replace a hearty meal of pasta with sauce, one piece of French bread and salad with vinaigrette with a bowl of low-fat cereal such as Special K with nonfat milk and 1 cup of blueberries.
• Eliminate between-meal snacking. Skip your 10 a.m. cereal bar, your 3 p.m. yogurt with nuts, and the late-night ice cream.
• Go halfsies: At breakfast have half of a bakery bagel or a mini bagel instead of a regular-size whole bagel. At lunch, have a half sandwich. At dinner, have one-half cup of rice or half a baked potato.
• Hold all the bread. At breakfast, forgo the bagel with your fruit and cereal. At lunch, have the insides of your sandwich only. At dinner, skip the roll and any spread.
Tomorrow, 500 calorie busting exercise sessions ;)
Exercise Strategies
Yesterday I shared ways to shave 500 calories off food, today, how to burn 500 calories. Do either of these 2 things each day and you can burn aproximately 3500 calories per week or 1lb. Cool.
Exercise Strategies• Jog at a 10-minute-mile pace for 20 minutes.
• Alternate sprinting and walking for 20 minutes.
• Walk briskly for 30 minutes.
• Spin for 30 minutes at a moderate pace.
• Go for a 20-minute trail run.
• Do 1 hour of housework.
• Walk 1 mile in the morning and 1 mile in the evening.
• Do 35 minutes of power yoga.
• Do 35 minutes of Pilates.
• Practice tai chi for 45 minutes.
• Perfect your swing at the driving range for 60 minutes.
• Practice capoeira (a Brazilian mix of martial arts and dance) for 30 minutes.
• Hit a punching bag for 30 minutes.
• Go in-line skating for 15 minutes.
• Shovel snow for 30 minutes.
• Ice-skate vigorously for 30 minutes.
• Run up stairs for 15 minutes.
• Jump rope for 20 minutes.
• Do 25 minutes of circuit training.
• Dance for 40 minutes.
• Play Frisbee for 1 hour.
• Wash windows for 1 hour.
• Use a pedometer and log an extra 3,600 steps.
Ready to burn more? Tomorrow and Friday, ways to burn 2lbs per week :D
Diet Strategies
45 Ways to Lose One Pound a WeekHere are a few quick facts about losing a pound: It will make your jeans feel a smidge looser, it's the equivalent of four sticks of butter (picture that for a second!), and it requires that you burn and/or cut a total of 3,500 calories. Sound like a lot? It adds up faster than you think.
To lose one pound in seven days you need to reduce your net calories by 500 every day. The easiest way to do that is a 250 split: Cut half from your diet and burn the other half through exercise. To come up with easy ways to do this, we enlisted trainer Heather Rider, founder and director of Rider Fitness Consulting in Los Angeles, and nutritionist Lauren Slayton, RD, of Foodtrainers in New York City. Choose one strategy from the diet and exercise columns each day (feel free to mix and match) and after seven days you will have cut out 3,500 calories. Losing four sticks of butter has never been such a cinch!
Diet Strategies• Replace your morning bagel and cream cheese with an English muffin and cottage cheese.
• Skip the large bakery muffin in favor of 1 slice of whole wheat toast topped with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.
• Swap your large bran muffin for 3/4 cup of bran flakes.
• Replace eggs and cheese with scrambled egg whites.
• Replace your 450-calorie lunch with a 200-calorie protein shake.
• Replace large french fries with a yogurt-and-fruit parfait.
• Modify your lunch: Skip the cheese on your salad or sandwich, substitute mustard for mayo, and replace potato chips with soy chips.
• Have half a tuna salad sandwich instead of a whole, plus two cups of raw vegetables.
• Skip the cheese in an omelet and a lunchtime sandwich.
• Switch from cream soup to vegetable-based soup at lunch and dinner.
• Switch from one cup premium to light ice cream.
• Skip your afternoon frozen yogurt with ground nuts.
• Resist the handful of M&M's at the receptionist's desk.
• Cut out 1 biscotti and 1 large mocha.
• Switch from a chai tea latte to lemon tea.
• Have 1 ounce of soy nuts instead of 3 ounces of roasted almonds.
• Substitute a serving of beef with shrimp or a white flaky fish like cod at two meals.
• Leave behind one-fourth of breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Have 1 cup of strawberries instead of a whole banana, and cauliflower instead of a baked potato with sour cream.
• Replace ranch or blue cheese dressing with low-fat vinaigrette at lunch and dinner.
• Have a vodka and soda instead of a margarita at happy hour.
Tomorrow , my favorite, Exercise Strategies 
Outwit Hunger
Two simple ways to outwit your hunger are to eat slowly and don’t wait until you’re starving to eat, which can increase the chances of overeating.
I can attest to the first tip, when I am starving I can easily, easily I say, inhale an entire pizza. 
Conversely, if I take my time, which I can't help while eating a large salad. A 1/2 hour later as I'm still chewing lettuce, I'm no longer hungry and end up feeling, *gasp*, full even. Darn that brain trick.
FFYFC Round 2 Week 3
Week 2 is done and here comes week 3! Check in or kvetch about it over in challenge central. The link to the forum angie created is posted in challenge central too.
Walking Workout Secrets
According to Denise Austin, here are 6 secrets to get your walk on. Perfect for Round 2 of the Fitness Challenge no? 
- Get good shoes.
Go to a shoe store and have new walking shoes professionally fitted. There are so many brands and models available—they can help you find the perfect fit for your unique feet!
- Ease into it.
Start slowly! Gradually increase your pace and distance until you reach your ultimate goal, rather than overdoing it and getting injured right from the start.
- Pace Yourself.
Shoot for a pace that allows you to carry on a conversation without being winded. If you can't chat, you're going too fast! (Get a walking buddy to help with this—and you can keep each other motivated, too!)
- Pay attention to form.
Keep your head erect, back straight, and your abdomen flat. Land on the heel of your foot and roll forward to push off on the ball of your foot. Swing your arms freely at your side! If you find yourself getting sore after your walks, it may be your gait. If it continues, talk to your doctor or a physical therapist about how to correct it.
- Stay hydrated.
Aim to drink at least 8 to 12 ounces of water every 30 minutes while walking.
- Challenge Yourself.
Look for terrain that includes some variations! You'll burn more energy walking up and down hills than on flat ground. But if you're having trouble catching your breath, slow down and avoid hills until you increase your ability.
Aim for at least 20 minutes a day and you'll be well on your way to a longer, healthier life!
25 Quick Steps Towards A Healthier Diet
25 quick tips that will help you shape up your food choices while slimming down your waistline.
Increasing Vegetables
• Learn to properly steam vegetables.
• Decrease the meat and increase the vegetables called for in stews and casseroles.
• Add grated carrots, zucchini or cabbage to chili and meatloaf.
• Offer washed and trimmed carrot and celery sticks for snacking.
• Add finely grated carrots, pumpkin, or zucchini to baked breads and cakes.
Increasing Whole Grains
• Substitute whole-wheat flour for bleached white flour when you bake.
• Top casseroles with wheat germ or whole-wheat bread crumbs.
• Serve bran-based cereals, or those made from shredded wheat.
• Serve imaginative whole-grain side dishes (bulgur, kasha, etc.) instead of egg noodles.
• Offer crackers and corn chips containing whole grains.
Reducing Fat
• Cook with less fat by using non-stick skillets.
• Blot all fried meats on paper towels.
• Add a spoon of water or broth as needed instead of more fat when sautéing onions and vegetables.
• Substitute low-fat yogurt for mayonnaise.
• Substitute ground turkey for ground beef.
Reducing Salt
• Substitute lemon juice or herbs for salt when cooking pasta or grains.
• Avoid cooking with soy or Worcestershire sauce.
• Substitute garlic or onion powder for garlic or onion salt.
• Avoid using products that contain monosodium glutamate.
• Use unsalted or low-salt vegetable broths and products.
Reducing Sugar
• Choose canned fruits packed in water instead of heavy syrup.
• Use only fresh-frozen fruit without added sugar if fresh is unavailable.
• Cut the sugar called for in most recipes by one-third to one-half.
• Sweeten waffles and quick breads with cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla or almond extracts.
• Add pureed banana to baked goods and reduce the sugar.
[source]
Winners contacted
Okey doke, I can get back to normal posting here. The prizes have been secured and the winners have been contacted. *whew*
Articles and info posts shall resume Thursday
And the winners are
Congrats to Suzanne! She won the free t-shirt from sprywear.com
Also Barbi gets 2nd prize, a $15 certificate towards any sprywear.com product.
3rd place goes to Paige who gets a $10 certificate towards any sprywear.com product.
And lastly, all 4th, 5th and 6th (Dawn, elle & Melissa ) all get a $5 certificate towards any sprywear.com product.
Enjoy your new swag 
All winners will be contacted shortly via email. I really wish I could give all entrants a little something, but it wasn't possible. Thanks again for playing.
FFYFC Round 2 Week 2
Congrats on making it thru week 1, week 2 is going on and you can check in or kvetch about it over in challenge central.
Contest Concluded
The contest for the free t-shirt from sprywear.com has ended. The grand prize is a free t-shirt, but due to the number of entrants in general, it appears challenges are more popular on this site than free stuff...
...rather than draw out the remaining prizes over the next few months, this will be the final giveaway.
5 lucky people will get the following prizes this month:
2nd place gets a $15 gift certificate to sprywear.com
3rd place gets a $10 gift certificate to sprywear.com
4th, 5th and 6th place gets a $5 gift certificate to sprywear.com
Thanks for playing. All winner will be announced tomorrow!
Lawmakers Want Junk Food Out of Schools
Trying to shrink the growing waistlines of children, lawmakers want to expel soda, candy bars, chips and other junk food from the nation's schools.[snip]
Lawmakers blame high-fat, high-sugar snacks that compete with nutritious meals in schools. [source]
When I was in high school, I don't remember us having much junk food or even vending machines. The cafe did sell ice cream bars and maybe cakes. But I got my junk food fix before and after school. There was a store on every corner from my house to school to satisfy my salty potato chips, doughnut and cola needs.
Today, candy, soda and other snacks are sold in nine out of 10 schools, according to the Government Accountability Office. Already plentiful in high schools, junk food has become more available in middle schools over the past five years, GAO found.
That's not good. Especially when most schools have cut phys ed classes. Though not having junk food in school didn't stop me from seeking it out on my own, I at least had gym 3 days a week, weights twice a week and what I forgot to note above was, I walked to & from school every day. About 2 miles. One way.
Who's in cont'd
Oopsie. I forgot comments automatically close on this site. (Thanks Melissa)
Use this entry to earn a bonus ticket to win a free t-shirt of your choice from Sprywear.com.
All you have to do is 1 of 2 things, post about sprywear.com on your blog then leave a comment in this entry with the URL of your post. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment saying, "I want a free tee!". Only 1 bonus ticket can be earned, no need to go hog-wild and write a 100 posts on your site 
though it won't be held against you if you do Week 1's question will be posted later today.
This will stay pinned at the top for the duration of the giveaway.
Now that you got a bonus ticket, earn 1 ticket this week by answering the current question.
Good luck and have at it...
First OTC Diet Pill Coming Soon
GlaxoSmithKline has received conditional approval for over-the-counter sales of the weight-loss drug Xenical, a Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman said Friday.[snip]
Known generically as orlistat, the pill helps prevent fat from being absorbed by the body but can cause excess gas and oily discharge.
If it wins final approval, it would be the only FDA-endorsed weight-loss drug available without a prescription. [source]
I'm calling my stockbroker
Last Call
Here are the answers to the Week 1 question:
How many activities can you shop by? The answer is 10
What are their names? biking, golfing, hiking, kickboxing, running, skiing, strength training, tennis, walking & yoga.
The question for Week 2 is up. Another chance to get another entry in the Free T-shirt giveaway. Remember, you can get a bonus ticket by leaving a comment here or posting about sprywear.com on your site and leaving the URL in that post.
Challenge Central
As promised the FFYFC is back!
While it won't be pinned at the top or maintained on a weekly basis, there will be a standing post for anyone playing in Round II. It starts today, 4/9 and ends on 6/17. In this post you can find the downloads, logos for your site and links to the FAQs and later this week a link to a forum for the group.
In this round, the challenge is self paced. Following the weekly guide you downloaded, you can use this post to log miles/minutes done each week. Consider this an open thread for all things Round II.
| Program Downloads | |
| Beginner |   |
| Intermediate |
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| Advanced | |
Welcome to Round 2, 4/9 - 6/17 - Use this post to sign up, check in or kvetch ;)
12 pre-workout snacks
There are many different views about eating in relation to working out. Some say don't eat an hour before, others say eat 15 minutes before. Some say don't eat an hour after, others say eat as soon as you are done.
I lean more towards the, if it works for you do it, side of things. Some days I try not to eat for an hour, others days like Saturday as I'm used to eating breakfast in the AM if I workout during that time, I can't wait a full hour. I end up getting queasy, so I eat.
Here's a list of great pre-workout snacks to eat before your next run, bike ride, walk, or swim. Regardless of when you chow down, the benefit is they are all low in calories and packed with carbs, a good thing to fuel your workout by the way.
- Six ounces vegetable juice and 1/2 cup dried apricots
- High-carbohydrate energy bar (look for one with 40 grams of carbohydrate and fewer than three grams of fat)
- One piece whole grain pita topped with three tablespoons fruit spread
- One glass sports drink and one cup ready-to-eat, whole grain breakfast cereal mixed with one Tbsp of raisins
- One package instant oatmeal made with four ounces vanilla soy milk or fat-free milk with a dash of cinnamon and sugar
- One toasted plain bagel with two teaspoons jam, a banana, 1/2 cup cooked rice sprinkled with cinnamon, and eight ounces sports drink
- One 1/2-ounce box of raisins
- Two mini bagels spread with low-fat cream cheese mixed with two Tbsp dried cherries
- Six ounces applesauce poured over three three-inch squares of cornbread and topped with two Tbsp raisins
- One cup sliced banana in vanilla yogurt
- 10 chocolate animal crackers and a glass of cranberry juice
- One cup cooked pasta tossed with 1/2 cup dried cranberries and two tablespoons honey
*[source] (I got that from msn.com but now the link is dead)
Going going
In the last few days fitroll members may have noticed less space on their site. Nope your eyes aren't playing tricks on you, spots on the fitroll have been getting snapped up at a fairly brisk pace, as of today 12 spots remain. Here are some of the newer tenants in recent weeks:
Bill
Louisa
living to feel good
on my weigh
a weight loss success
a.m.
Louisa
Va Va Voom
Stamp Til Dawn
If you are hunting for some fresh reads, check 'em out.
Obese Children Too Big for Car Seats
Thousands of obese children cannot fit into car seats, leaving them at risk in the event of a crash, researchers said in a study published in the journal Pediatrics.[snip]
According to the study, more than 282,000 overweight children younger than 7 do not fit into most child safety or booster seats available on the market.
I just don't even know what to say.
Contest question
Ok, here's your chance at getting a 2nd ticket in the hat, now that you got one bonus ticket. After checking out sprywear.com, come back and answer the question posted here. It'll stay posted till Saturday 4/8. On Sunday, another question will get posted for a 3rd and final ticket in the hat. Good Luck!
Who's in?
Use this entry to earn a bonus ticket to win a free t-shirt of your choice from Sprywear.com.
All you have to do is 1 of 2 things, post about sprywear.com on your blog then leave a comment in this entry with the URL of your post. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment saying, "I want a free tee!". Only 1 bonus ticket can be earned, no need to go hog-wild and write a 100 posts on your site though it won't be held against you if you do Week 1's question will be posted later today.
This will stay pinned at the top for the duration of the giveaway.
Now that you got a bonus ticket, earn 1 ticket this week by answering 2 questions.
Good luck and have at it...
April Sweepstakes
One thing about me, I LOVE to find motivation where I can and am so tickled to have possibly the cutest t-shirt company ever, Sprywear.com, not only be the first sponsor of fatfighterblogs.com, but also give the site the ultimate hookup, a free t-shirt!
Sprywear: Women's T-Shirts for Active, Fitness Minded Women
What better month than spring to run around town in a spanking new Tee that says it all. Phrases like:
"Spry women know it is impossible to win unless you enter the race"
or how about:
"Spry women know that every great journey begins with a single step"
and even the sassy:
"Spry women who live the life of their dreams don't get there by being dainty & darling"
Go on over to sprywear.com, take a look around and come back here tomorrow when the contest starts.
Be a Spry woman (or man) this spring...enter the contest...keep fighting fat! :)
R1 Wrap Up
You made it, congrats to the Round 1 Grads!
Use this post for any final checking in you'd like to do. Consider this week a rest week and if you'll be doing round 2, decide which program you'll follow. Have you been lurking all this time and want in? Print out the program you plan to do and get ready to start walking next week. Round 2 starts on 4/9.
Let's see how you've improved:
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Round 1 peeps, I hope your weight loss went well and your stamina improved. Move up a level if you feel ready or do another round in your current level.
Discontinued
As of this month, I'll cease posting birthday notices on the blog. They all appear on the sidebar anyway so you'll still get your shout out
