That's Fit

Welcome to the Good, the Fat and the Hungry. I'm Karla and I have been -- or am -- all those things. Here, I will share with you my lifelong struggle with my weight and I hope you'll follow along on with my determined attempt to lose nearly 40 pounds. I promise to tell you every win and setback along the way every Tuesday and Friday.

I stood on my BFF's porch recently and heard a sound I hadn't heard in nearly two years -- a lawn mower. Even though it was distant, it was easily identifiable. Having lived down South for most of my life, hearing this sound is not unusual. Having returned to my southern home from my current New York home, the nostalgia this sound brings makes me exhale deeply. Not a lot of grass being mowed in Brooklyn but standing there on a porch in Charlotte, NC with the 60-degree sun shining on me, I was glad to be home.

In my last post, I expressed deep concern over reverting back to my old ways once I returned home. I wasn't sure if I would continue my good New York habits. In some ways, I thought I would; in other ways, I did not. After much agonizing over making time to exercise, I decided I would do what I could do. I was intent on enjoying my family for the first time this year, after all. So, I managed my portions well and made good food choices. I did not deprive myself of the local favorites I can't get in NY, such as Chick-Fil-A, but instead of having the whole sandwich, I ate half. I also enjoyed a hot dog from the North Carolina exclusive Cook-Out. Instead of getting the famous foot long, though, I had the regular size dog. This trip was a balance of what's become important to me now and how serious I am about my newfound fitness and my healthy lifestyle. It was also indicative of my connection to food, family and friends.

I never could finish Upton Sinclair's The Jungle about America's 20th Century meatpacking industry -- it was too depressing. But I did drive through Colorado last summer and witnessed loads of cattle standing in mud and excrement off the interstate between Ft. Morgan and Estes Park. The horrid conditions and nauseating, inhumane stench were shocking -- made me wonder where our burgers and steaks really come from.

AOL Health's Where Fast Food Comes From summarizes a new study which analyzed the carbon and nitrogen isotopes in meat served at Wendy's, McDonalds and Burger Kings across the nation, to determine the animals' diets and conditions raised.

Study authors claim test results reveal cattle were strictly confined and fed predominately corn. Burger King meat did offer the greatest variability -- some cattle may have grazed on natural vegetation and/or fed other feeds instead. Chicken samples revealed extreme confinement, and the isotope signatures of some meat indicated animals had consumed their own waste. Yuck.

MSG is a controversial food additive used to enhance the flavor of many processed foods. From what I can tell, MSG does not affect me, but it gives my husband headaches. As reported by Julie's Health Club, some complain of chest pains or a rapid heartbeat, too.

Did you know MSG:

• is comprised of the amino acid glutamic acid (glutamate for short), sodium and water?
• has triggered a soup war? Campbell's Soup removed MSG from some of its soups, then started the war by launching an ad campaign against MSG-containing rival Progresso soups. Of course, MSG-removal had been in the works at Progresso, so they fired back with advertising pointing out many Campbell's products still contain MSG. Nothing like truth in advertising.
• there are two types of MSG? 'Naturally bound' MSG is found in savory foods like meat, tomatoes and mushrooms. The controversy is actually over 'free' glutamates, which are extracted from foods, industrially-processed and added to many packaged foods (e.g. Doritos). Some say it's the free glutamates that trigger bad reactions, not the natural glutamates. All I know is I ate way too many tasty orange triangles in high school.
  
• does not have to be listed on a food label (per the FDA) if it is part of another ingredient? MSG may be in there, but with this black hole loophole you won't find it on the label.
• has a load of secret identities? It's also called vegetable protein extract, autolyzed yeast and sodium caseinate, to name a few. Check out an extensive list over at MSG Myth.

Do you experience negative reactions to MSG?

Are you a flexitarian? If you're eating more plants and less meat, fish and fowl each week, you're probably a flexi. The term 'flexitarian' became hot a few years ago and as a part-time veggie, I immediately fell in love with the word. I relish vegetarian food, even tried being a veggie for five months once, but couldn't stay away from folding leaner cuts of meat and seafood into my regular diet.

Spinach lasagna, giant garbage salads, broccoli quiche -- I make these kinds of meals regularly for our family. But I also flip turkey burgers, too. According to the Vegetarian Resource Group, health is the leading driver for vegetarian food consumption.

If you want to learn more, don't miss registered dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner's new book -- The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease and Add Year to Your Life. Packed with flexi recipes and simple shopping lists, Blatner will get you flexing to manage your weight, increase your energy and reduce your health risks.

Last week, the Houston Wellness Association is holding their 2008 Wellness Symposium at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. This two-day health care event was designed to bring together wellness experts from across the country, to talk about how to tackle healthcare and the problem of obesity in American children. At the event, William J. Clish M.D., a professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, said, "Of all the mothers I see, the majority argue with me about their kids' right to be obese ... to be 'what they are.' I argue they have the right to be their very best."

Well put.

His presentation included several tips on how to help keep your kids in shape:

Poor posture not only causes you to look 10 pounds heavier and feel less confident ... it also hurts! Check out this video from Stacy McCarthy, the yoga expert from She's Active Health Network. Stacy offers up a few simple stretches you can do anywhere at anytime to get you standing as tall as you should.

For more fun, quick, tips and recipes from degreed experts ...

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Fitz, My entire upper arms wobble when I wave hello or goodbye. I'm only 26 years old, but I feel like my arms look like they belong to an elderly woman. I run so I'm thin, but my arms are too flabby. Help! Jada

A. Hello running woman! Thanks for throwing me the soft ball. In fact, maybe that's something you should try. Throwing softballs is a great workout for the triceps. And, if you hadn't predicted what I was going to say, you should be working your triceps! And biceps and forearms, etc.

What makes your high-rise box in the sky a healthier living space? Unless I'm camping at high altitude, I'm not a fan of living where the birds fly, but a whole lot of people call a high-rise home. To be fair, city living is often more conducive to daily walking compared to my soccer mom-suburban sprawl lifestyle.

Don't just examine the space layouts when shopping for a high-rise home, consider the health of the entire building and surrounding area. The Chicago Tribune had fun applying these five criteria -- admittedly unscientific -- to a few of the largest residential towers in Chicago:

• Walkability: Pop in your address at Walk Score to find out how close you reside to walkable destinations such as stores, schools and parks.
• Conservation Efforts: Does your building recycle, use green lighting, rehab with green materials?
• Access to Green Space: If you live across from Central Park, you're golden. Beyond looking out over greenery, you must be near it to reap the physical benefits.
  
• Fitness Facilities: On-site, affordable fitness is critical, especially if nearby green space is filled with hoodlums after dark. Unless you own the penthouse, you probably don't have space for a home gym either.
  
• Healthy Eating Options: If a gas station is the only food source in the area, you're in nutritional danger.
  
  

Wonder how the nearly finished Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago will score.

While Americans are bagging leaves, Australians are bagging lemons. Bikini season is nearing in Australia, and the lemon detox diet is ramping up in popularity. Kilos are reportedly dropping like crazy Down Under, and Hollywood celebrities such as Beyonce Knowles and Mariah Carey have shed pounds on the diet, but is this detox healthy?

On the diet, you're drinking six to nine glasses per day -- for five to 14 days -- of a special concoction of Madal Bal Natural Tree Syrup, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and pure water. No solids. Here are a few lemon detox dangers cited by nutrition experts:

• It's been labeled a starvation diet -- you know what that means -- dizzy, moody, hungry (there goes vigorous exercise). Also, like a squirrel gathering nuts, your body will start storing fat for emergency survival.
• Should you be solely nourishing yourself with a drink containing nearly zero protein, little fat and few vitamins/minerals?
  
• Be prepared to lose lean body mass, a real metabolism-slower, making future weight loss more difficult.
• Critics contend the diet puts you at risk for a quick re-gain of fat, not muscle.
• Detoxing for more than three days can rob your bod of vitamins/minerals.
  
  

Sounds like a bunch of unhealthy, sour lemons to me. I'd rather avoid the need to detox entirely by eating loads of fresh fruits and vegetables, drinking tons of water and keeping processed foods to a minimum.

I have been sleeping in ecstasy for the past few weeks. Yes. I have a Sleep Number Bed. Not only do I have a Sleep Number Bed, but I have the new kind with Memory Foam on top. Mmmmmm. It's amazing. In fact, I didn't realize how poorly I was sleeping until I got this bed.

I value sleep. I'm a fitness trainer, fitness enthusiast, mother of two and writer of far too many things. I need to sleep, and I need to sleep well in order to accomplish the ridiculous amount of tasks that fill my days. Are you familiar with this insane style of living? I bet many of you are.

Sleep is such a powerful tool. In fact, it's a requirement for professionals and parents and growing children too. Think of it this way. Exhausted people don't work out. Those running on fumes struggle to achieve the bare minimums of each day and then toss and turn at night, unable to get to sleep quickly. Sleepless people tend to eat poorly and gain weight as a result as well. The bottom line? Quality sleep is a crucial component for vitality, fitness and success.

There are a wide variety of ways to keep your workout fresh. Changing rep counts, limiting or extending break time in between sets, and performing new exercises are just a few ways to avoid the dreaded fitness plateau.

Another great approach is to redesign your workout strategy. One way of doing so is to utilize a technique known as pyramiding. By and large, a weightlifting pyramid is a process of lifting heavier weights each set while reducing the number of reps performed. For example, for your first set of bench press, you may start with 10 reps of 135 pounds; second set, eight reps of 155 pounds; third set, six reps of 175 pounds.

Some people also like to "climb back down the pyramid" after they have reached the pinnacle; after completing the set with the maximum amount of weight, they then begin scaling backwards (ex. if you just finished the aforementioned set of six reps using 175 pounds, you would then work back to doing a set of eight reps using 155 pounds.). Incorporating a pyramid into your workout from time to time will help prevent sticking points and will keep your workout working.

If you want to follow the latest fashion trends, you should go for it. Want to get that trendy haircut? More power to you. You should get in on the diet and fitness trend too -- because high blood pressure is on the rise in America, and we're pretty sure this is one trend you'll want to avoid.

The numbers are climbing -- from 1998-1994 24.4% of Americans had high blood pressure; more recent numbers show that 28.9% are now diagnosed with the condition. On the upside, more people are being properly treated, so deaths related to blood pressure have decreased.

While you can't control some risk factors for high blood pressure -- such as family history, race, and age -- there are things that you can control. Maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly, eat a healthful diet that's low in sodium, avoid drinking alcohol, and keep your stress level under control.

My colleague at the Active Health Network, and yoga expert, Stacy McCarthy, has some pretty enlightening information to share about the two things that keep you running, jumping, and dancing for fitness. Your feet! Spend about a minute watching this great clip, and spend the rest of your life moving in the upright position.

For more fun fitness tips, recipes and videos ...

Think bottled water is better for your diet than tap water? Give it some more thought, in light of this just-released news: Bottled water is no better for your body than tap water.

Just as many contaminants are floating in your bottles than from your taps, a new study says. Translation: Bottled water is no purer than tap water. It's safe to say that most tested brands of water met federal standards, despite contamination -- two were suspect -- but don't worry, no one is saying water is now unhealthy. The issue is that we understand that water is water is water. Drink it from a bottle, or drink it from the tap. According to this study, there really is no difference.

Wondering what contaminants were found in the 10 brands that were tested? Here goes: Bacteria, caffeine, the pain reliever acetaminophen, fertilizer, solvents, plastic-making chemicals, and the radioactive element strontium. Thirty-eight chemicals were detected in all. Researcher wisdom says that some of this stuff probably came from tap water that some companies use for their bottled water, and others probably leached from plastic bottles.

Welcome to the Good, the Fat and the Hungry. I'm Karla and I have been -- or am -- all those things. Here, I will share with you my lifelong struggle with my weight and I hope you'll follow along on with my determined attempt to lose nearly 40 pounds. I promise to tell you every win and setback along the way every Tuesday and Friday.

Is desire alone enough to attain a goal? Or does it take more? What separates those who get it from those who don't?

Too often I wonder why I continue to struggle with my weight loss as much as I do. I try not to beat myself up, but maybe I should I do it more. I mean, why do I pat myself on the back for even the smallest accomplishments? How is it possible that as much as I exercise and know of its benefits that I still make it borderline optional?

On occasion, I will buy myself a "treat." I absolutely love Tootsie Rolls and have bullied my fair share from kids on the playground. (Note: being the biggest kid in school wasn't ALL bad). For whatever reason, I easily justify to myself why I "deserve" a treat, be it in the form of Tootsie Rolls or something else not included in my daily diet. But seriously, even typing the word deserve is almost comical because I'm just not that good. And saying on occasion is almost as funny. Deserve translates to justify and on occasion really means several times a week. I call it treating but I'm really tricking -- myself.