That's Fit

In her most recent GOOP newsletter, Gwyneth Paltrow talks detox. And ... it's a little bit scary. She talks about doing the Master Cleanse last year, which she describes as "hallucinogenic (in a bad way)" and says she wants to do a different sort of cleanse or detox to drop the holiday pounds.

She talked to her doctor, who actually said the Master Cleanse "can be dangerous because the liver is not supported by the nutrients it needs." He explained to her that it's possible to detox while eating as long as you're not eating the wrong stuff.

Gwyneth created a menu plan for a "seven-day elimination diet," saying "I will be suffering along with you to kickstart my year a bit lighter." So, does that mean being rich and famous doesn't make a nasty detox any easier? Who knew?

So many things we do are by habit. When you brush your teeth in the morning, you're probably thinking more about the plans you have for the day than you are about brushing your teeth. The same goes for eating. Meals and snacks are such a day-to-day routine that -- even if you're dieting -- the act of eating can become somewhat mindless.

Being mindful of eating habits is important for all of us, but especially important when you're trying to lose weight. I just watched a Ruby rerun where she was upset after gaining weight during her vacation. She thought she had done really well with her nutrition plan. Then she sat down with her nutritionist and realized that the "protein bars" she was snacking on were really high in calories. What Ruby experienced is easy for all of us to do; we can trick ourselves into thinking we're doing great, when really we're falling short of our nutrition goals.

Oprah.com has some great tips on how to eat mindfully:

• Buy in bulk. In these tough economic times, it makes good sense to buy certain items in bulk. But be sure to measure out pretzels or other snacks; don't eat out of the bag because you might eat more than you planned.
• Eating with people. Believe it or not, the more people you dine out with, the more you're likely to eat. It has more to do with the amount of time you spend at the table. Avoid the bread basket and divide your meal in half -- one half to eat at the restaurant and the other to take home. Be sure to eat slowly and enjoy your meal.
  

Jack Nicholson has seen better days. Having slowly gone from hunk to chunk over the past few years, the former ladies man has been sporting a bit of a paunch over the last little while. But that doesn't mean he's become lazy -- the Hollywood superstar has been spending the holidays skiing in Aspen. And, at 71, he's certainly not letting age slow him down.

If he keeps it up, his paunch will be gone in no time -- a six-hour day of moderately-paced downhill skiing can burn nearly 2,500 calories, which more than makes up for the 200+ calorie Irish coffee you're sure to enjoy by the fire in the apres-ski lounge.

I was never a fan of the Twinkie. Not sure I've ever eaten one, in fact. Chocolate Ho-Hos and Ding-Dongs were more my speed while growing up, when a box of saran-wrapped sweets was no stranger to my kitchen cupboard. I'll never forget Twinkies, though, with all the speculation about how long they can live on a shelf without spoiling. What's in those things, anyway? The crew over at Discover magazine knows, after taking a peek at the book Twinkie, Deconstructed.

Packed into the Twinkie is something called cellulose gum. The stuff can absorb 15 to 20 times its own weight in water, and a pinch sprinkled on water floats like a jellyfish. "A moistened spoonful becomes a clear, gelatinous, slimy glob in a matter of minutes," says this Discover article.

Cellulose -- the word just makes me think cellu-lite -- interestingly replaces fat with a fatlike texture, without adding a single calorie to the cake. Cellulose gum is not digested, you see, and merely helps hold a flavor on your tongue. It also helps the Twinkie filling shine. There's also artificial butter (the kind you find on movie popcorn) in your Twinkie. And some other stuff too. But you'll need a copy of the book for the entire scoop.

I will tell you, though, that Calorie King calculates that one tantalizing Twinkie contains 150 calories and 4.5 g of fat (2.5 g are saturated but none are from the trans fat family). It also boasts 20 mg cholesterol, 220 mg sodium, 19 g sugar, 1 g protein and even 20 mg calcium.

Does all this Twinkie talk make you want one? Not me. No Ho-Hos or Ding-Dongs either, thanks.

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 like to turn the music up REALLY loud and dance around my living room. I dance till I sweat and love every second of it! Often, I dance alone. Sometimes, my neighbors who stop by just to visit will get caught up. My fourth-floor neighbor and infamous rapper, Solomon Jazz, has been known to cut a mean step in my tiny living room. He tried to dip me once, but I was heavier back then and it didn't work out so well. Stop by Solomon Jazz, I lost a few pounds so we can try again!

My BFF Sapphire has stopped by many times for an impromptu visit and has very quickly become a victim of the music. When the music takes over, she too must report to the dance floor, aka, my living room. The music also draws my next door neighbor Kim inside. Her dance floor is the kitchen cause my living room's too small to hold all three of us. Somehow we make space and dance, dance, dance! To make things complete, I just need to get my FINE neighbor Andre' upstairs for a dance. Every brownstone needs a sexy shy guy -- that's Andre'. But sometimes, I hear him playing his music loud, and somehow I know that, on the other side of my dance floor, his ceiling, that he's dancing, too.

Bev tells me it was in the 50s in Chicago the other day. A friend of mine in Ohio shared recently that it hit 68 degrees in Cincinnati. Are your snowmen melting too? If so, get yourself outdoors for a warm(er) winter workout.

We get some cool temps here in Florida now and then and as crazy as it might sound to you below-freezing folks, those 40-degree cold mornings definitely drive me indoors, where I often sluff off on the whole exercise thing. But when we registered at 80 the other day, I laced up my sneaks and ran -- and ran, and ran. It was refreshing (well, it was hot, actually, but I like to run in the hot), and by golly, it may help jolt me out of my recent fitness slump.

My friends: Take advantage of any unseasonably warm day you get this winter. Get outside and walk, run, bike, hike -- just get your heart pumping. Go ahead and hibernate on the really cold days if you must. But when winter gives you a break, take it. Take the opportunity to visit AOL Health's America Takes It Off program too -- lots of great diet and fitness tips here.

I have a scale. Never used to, until I lost some weight and determined I wanted to keep it off. Now, I keep a scale in my bathroom. And I'm one of 12 percent of women who weigh themselves daily. Twenty-four percent do it weekly. And 27 percent do it monthly, according to Good Housekeeping magazine and Geneen Roth's January 2009 column Fat ... or Fiction?

Roth thinks we women shouldn't weigh ourselves so much, and she shares in her column a story of a woman who was one day pretty proud of her body, her svelteness, her flat stomach. Then she stepped on a scale and realized her weight had climbed seven pounds. Instantly, she was depressed. Her body looked no different than it had earlier in the day, when she felt all thin and trim. The only thing that had changed were the numbers staring back her from a lifeless machine. Later in the day, this woman learned that the scale she'd stepped on was off by seven pounds. She hadn't gained any weight, after all. Instead, she'd lost a pound. She was suddenly happy again.

Herein lies the problem, says Roth: We let the scale determine whether we have a good day or a bad day, whether we allow ourselves joy or not. Scales shouldn't have this power. We should. Step off the scales, ladies, and let your body drive your self-worth. If you feel good, then go with it. No validation needed.

From those of us with tiny mosquito bites to those of us who are more well-endowed, we're all looking for a good sports bra. Not only does it look bad if things are rocking and rolling upstairs, it's just plain uncomfortable and really detracts from your workout.

Here comes Fitness magazine to the rescue (like a knight in shining armor, but with bras instead of a sword). Check out this slideshow, featuring great sports bras picks for everyone, from the A cups all the way to the D-Plus cups.

No doubt about it: When you have the right fit, you'll be supported properly so you can focus on your workout.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the problems I've been having with plantar fasciitis. I hadn't been to see a doctor yet, but based my the symptoms, I was quite certain plantar fasciitis is what I'm dealing with. My pain was typically worse in the mornings after I worked out -- to the point that walking was difficult until things loosened up for me.

Since I wrote my original post, I've tried out some tips. All in all, I think they're helping. I've been able to wake up the morning after working out and (aaah, aaah the angels sing), I can actually walk. There's still some pain, but it's not nearly as bad. Check out the gallery for details.

Do you have plantar fasciitis? If so, what's worked best for you?

Obese men have a lower chance of reproducing, and it's just not because they're less likely to score with chicks at the bar. No, obese men have an actual physical problem down there, with their sperm.

According to new studies, obesity impairs fertility by not only drastically reducing sperm count in men, but also by altering the quality of sperm. Additionally, a previous study found that obese men were more likely to battle impotence problems too.

Obviously, obese men who want to have kids should slim down but not just in the interest of improving their chances of conceiving. Obesity is one of the highest causes of premature death -- and you want to live to see those kids grow up, don't you? Well, then, now might be just the time to align yourself with America Takes It Off. Click here to learn more. And come back and see us on Monday -- we'll be issuing a challenge that might just help you on your way to slimmer days.

I'm guessing you spend a lot of time thinking about your weight. Some days you might love it, but most days it's the opposite. It has control over your mood and your confidence, and at the same time, it seems like an arbitrary number that you have no control over. It just doesn't seem fair.

And guess what? It's not. Fair, that is. According to this article from Reader's Digest, your weight is determined by many factors you don't have any control over -- your genes, your mother's habits when you were in the womb, your spouse, your family, your career, your busy schedule, illnesses you've had in the past ... and the list goes on, unfortunately.

So what are those who are dealt the fat hand to do? It's up to you to change your habits, change your metabolism, and change your lifestyle to one that's conducive to weight loss. It sucks, but it's true. There's no magic pill (yet), so just as if you were born with a learning disability, you've just gotta learn how to work with what you got. Never fear: AOL Health's America Takes It Off campaign is here to help. One click on the badge below, and you'll surely find the inspiration to make some change.

Like the look of J. Lo? If so, you might want to train like she does. Check out this scoop -- her trainer, Gunnar Peterson, tells Glamour magazine what it takes to look Hollywood buff.

• It's not what you're doing. It's how hard you're working. Are you giving it all you've got? If you're reading the paper while treadmilling, you're not.
• Set the bar at high. Like 100 percent. If you're aiming for an average body, you're too low. Go for perfection and see how close you can get.
• Ditch the scale. It's the most dangerous piece of equipment in a gym. Want to know if you've gained or lost weight? Put on your favorite pair of jeans.
  
• Squats rock. They work the biggest muscle group of the body -- the gluts.
• Don't always trade down. Don't always skip the delicious stuff for raw carrots and brown rice. It's OK to enjoy your food.
• You can't blow it in a week. Don't worry too much about your holiday calorie overload. A little weight gain is reversible.
• Bulk comes from eating. Training hard won't make you bulky -- eating too much will.

Good stuff, isn't it? I've got more. Kristen recently got some scoop from the trainer himself. Here, she gets the dirt on which celebrities work out the hardest. Here, she gets Gunnar to spill some secrets about getting fit FAST. And here, all about fitting into that little black dress.

Gunnar isn't the only one with the dirt on dropping weight and getting fit. AOL Health has some smart strategies too. Check them out by clicking on the badge below.

Our That's Fit readers are the best! I'll say it: You are simply far superior to readers of any other fitness site or magazine. That's why we're taking the time to both show you off and reward you!

Joining the That's Fit Club is easy, and the rewards are fantastic. A weekly winner will earn his or her own spotlight here on That's Fit, and our sponsors, Everlast and Everlast Woman, have graciously donated gorgeous fitness T-shirts to make sure our winning members look hot while training. All you have to do is send your online fitness trainer, Fitz, (that's me) your answers to these questions, along with a photo of yourself. Winner selected in compliance with contest rules.

Our mission here is to educate and inspire. We would be foolish to ignore the potential our readers have to do both by sharing their stories. So. What are you waiting for? Join! We can't wait to hear all about you.

If you're in the mood to join something else, we highly recommend you jump on board with America Takes It Off. If you've got a size you're still trying to lose, this is your place. Click on the badge below to learn all about it.

Weight loss isn't easy. So when you're trying to lose those stubborn pounds, it helps to have someone you can confide in and someone you can count on to bolster your resolve when it weakens. In turn, you can do the same for your pal.

But ZoneDiet.com conducted a survey that shows there's a little distrust among diet buddies. Here are just a few of the things they uncovered:

• Two-thirds of those surveyed believe their diet buddy is lying about what they're eating.
• Over 60 percent would be unhappy if their diet buddy lost more weight than they did, but 70 percent say it would also make them unhappy if their buddy didn't lose any weight. (So we're OK if they lose some weight, but not if they beat us at our own game. Nice.)

Are you a slave to exercise? If so, you might be overtraining. Here's how you can tell if you are.

One overtraining clue is your resting pulse, says LifeTips. First thing in the morning, if it's 10 or more beats more than normal, you could be working out too much. Unusual fatigue and a lack of enthusiasm for fitness might also be indicators. Not sure? Try this: Cut back on your workouts for a week and see if you feel better. Slacking for a short time will allow your body to rest and your muscles to fully recover. Chances are you'll see even better results when you return to your game.

If fevers or other symptoms ever interfere with your exercise, overtraining might be the least of your worries. In this case, see a doctor, please.