That's Fit

Liz Neporent is a diet and fitness expert and author of 12 fitness bestsellers. She regularly appears on national TV programs and is the president of Wellness 360, a New-York based wellness provider.

Last week I blogged about a study comparing bariatric surgery to lifestyle changes as a means to weight loss. The recent study, performed at the Miriam Hospital's Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine in Rhode Island, found that both methods worked about the same, though it took more commitment to drop poundage without undergoing the knife. Several of you wrote in to tell me what you had done to both lose and keep off a considerable amount of weight and as I read your comments, I was struck by how similar they sounded to the findings of the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR).

For those of you who don't know about the NWCR, it's a project run by Brown Medical School and the University of Colorado and has tracked more than 5,000 successful losers, e.g., people who have lost an average of 66 pounds and kept it off for more than five and a half years. People who sign up for the registry are asked all sorts of questions about their health habits, like what they've done to lose weight and what strategies they've used to keep it off. Their answers will be surprising to the many Americans who are looking for that secret formula to help them magically shed pounds.

Erin from "Fit Bottomed Girls" works out for several reasons. She wants to be strong. She wants to fit into her jeans. And yes, she wants to look good too. Nothing wrong with a little fitness vanity. I mean, we all want to look good, right?

Find out what else Erin has to say right here. She's dishes on why she doesn't like to shop and tells us what she really thinks about toxic orange tans.

Anyone who possess kids and a desire to work out knows the two don't always go hand in hand. Little ones don't always cooperate with our fitness plans, which means we've got to be creative.

CafeMom gets crafty with a jog stroller and shows us how to capitalize on the moment. Got a kiddo strapped in for a walk? Then try this Stroller Push-Up and this Stroller Reverse Curl. Your sagging boobs and mommy tummy will thank you.

Looking for a few ways to shake up your weight-loss routine, or do you maybe have a big event you're slimming down for? Head to AOL Health for diet-guru and anti-aging expert Dr. Oz Garcia's best shape-shifting tips. His two-week program promises to help beat bloat, reduce wrinkles and shed pounds. It's not going to be easy. You'll have to give up sugar, exercise every day and cut back on artificially-sweetened and salty foods. Read more about his body-transformation tips on AOL Health.

If you're looking for fitness inspiration, why not look to the stars? Each week, we round up some of the best celebrity fitness stories for you. Many will motivate you to hit the gym and eat healthfully, while some ... well, some can be viewed more as cautionary tales. But no matter what, you're going to be entertained!

Agave nectar is a sweetener made from the desert plant Agave tequilana -- yes, the same one that produces those tequila shots "Biggest Loser" contestants binged on this week. Considering agave is four times sweeter than sugar and has a lower-glycemic index, does this mean it's healthy?

"RealAge" says this claim is more false than true. Agave is still a high-fructose syrup (75 percent fructose), and many health experts state too much high-fructose is simply not good for you, potentially increasing the risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

When Dr. Oz raved about agave over at "The Oprah Winfrey Show," I ran out and bought a pricey little bottle. But I used it sparingly, only on oatmeal. So a big red light to piling on the agave: It's still a processed form of fructose and moderation is best. Check out this Dr. Oz webcast transcript on one of his favorite breakfasts -- steel-cut oatmeal with agave or raisins for sweetness, and a tablespoon of flaxseed oil instead of butter.

Desperate housewife Marcia Cross doesn't have time to work out, she told Kelly Ripa on Tuesday's "Live With Regis and Kelly." What with that hit TV show, two-year-old twin girls, breast cancer lobbying, skin cancer awareness campaigning and all, I kind of see where she's coming from. Somehow, though, the pounds that crept on the beauty's frame during pregnancy -- she scored a top weight of 190 -- are definitely gone. She's looking long and lean for sure.

Long is key, said Kelly. When you've got lengthy legs, which Marcia has, everything is naturally slimmer. Marcia swears there's nothing natural about her shape, which makes me think she's got to work for what she's got. Makes sense. It's what most of us have to do, after all. But if she doesn't work out, how does she come by her svelteness? Could it be diet alone? Our own Fitz tells me that weight loss and maintenance is 80 percent food, 20 percent exercise, so maybe Ms. Bree Van De Kamp is just eating right.

According to a few media archives I've tracked down, Marcia has tried her fair share of food and fitness endeavors over the years. To drop some baby weight, Marcia embraced BravaBody, according to "ABCNews." Developed by two over-50 women, BravaBody focuses on nutrition and the slowing metabolism of aging women (Marcia is 47). "Fit & Healthy" shares that Marcia is not afraid of the Spanx and that she exercises a little bit every day, mostly at the LA fitness club Burn 60. She's reportedly no stranger to cardio and strength training, and a diet filled with protein and veggies helps out too. "iVillage UK" dishes on Marcia's pre-marriage, pre-baby practices -- apparently, lyengar yoga kept her long, and low-fat foods kept her lean.

Marcia is still long and lean. And while it may not come naturally and she may not have time for exercise right now, I'm betting the star follows an always-healthy lifestyle, and treadmill or no treadmill, that matters. Eat right, chase toddlers, keep active, and I'm guessing you'll see some results too. Oh, yea, and you might want to yank on a nice pair of Spanx.

More women are running, says "Running USA," which is good news for us girls. But it's also good news for the sport in general. Running is on the rise, thanks in part to women, charitable race events and running clubs. Though the 5K, at 3.1 miles, is still the most popular road race, the half-marathon is quickly becoming a favorite among runners.

It's pretty easy to see why. Running a 5K is an accomplishment, sure, but running a half-marathon will get you major bragging rights. It's a pretty motivating long-term goal. But while it requires training -- usually 10 weeks -- it's not as big of a commitment as a marathon. "It's a challenge, and you have to train, but it doesn't take up a crazy amount of your weekends," runner Staci Bafford recently told the "Baltimore Sun."

A half-marathon, at 13.1 miles, is also safer for the first-time racer, I think. Amateur runners might not be ready for the physical and mental challenge of a marathon their first time out. Better, I think, to start with a 5K and work your way up.

What would you think if someone suggested you drink a concoction of lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup? I don't know about you, but I wouldn't chug-a-lug that foul mix if somebody paid me. But Beyonce used the lemonade diet, and she's not the first -- the lemonade diet (aka Master Cleanse) has been around since 1941.

Just like clothes go in and out of style, so do crazy diets. "Glamour" shows us seven decades of wacky diet trends:

• 1930's-1940's. Not only is this the era where the Master Cleanse first appeared, ad campaigns also touted smoking as a way to keep off unwanted pounds.
• 1950's. The 1950's paved the way for a kinder, gentler form of weight loss. What was it? Prayer. That's right. Pray yourself thin. "Pray Your Weight Away" was published in 1957 and was the first of many prayer-based weight loss theories.
  
• 1960's. We have the 60's to thank for the horrible cabbage soup diet. A more helpful trend that was born in the 60's is the weight loss support group. (Overeaters Anonymous and Weight Watchers were both formed in the decade.)
• 1970's. The quest for weight loss in a pill started in earnest in the 70's. Dexatrim and the unfortunately named Ayds appetite suppressants were all the rage.
• 1980's. After the unsuccessful quick fixes of the 70's, self-discipline came back into vogue in the 80's. Plans such as the super-restrictive Scarsdale Diet were the diets of the decade. Low-fat was a term that was sneaking into everyone's vocabulary.
  
• 1990's. Low-carb plans like the Atkin's diet were all the rage in the 90's.
• 2000's. We're still not immune to silly diet trends. How about the Morning Banana Diet or the Cookie Diet (which has actually been around in one form or another for quite a long time)?

What's the craziest diet plan you've ever tried?

Brian Wansink, Ph.D., and Author of "Mindless Eating"

That's Fit: In your book, you mention calorie-compensation, a phenomenon that can occur when people exercise to "make up" for the calories they burned, by eating more. How can you avoid it?

Wansink: One of the biggest things that causes diets to initially fail -- just initially, not over the long run -- ends up being compensation. Some of that is compensation related to exercise, the other part is compensation related to rewarding yourself for having eating a healthy lunch or for not having eaten a dessert. If you're rewarding yourself for not snacking, you may compensate by eating a larger dinner. In terms of compensation related to exercise, it's due to two things. First of all, people grossly overestimate the number of calories they burn when they exercise. They can exercise for a couple of hours and eat a Snicker's bar and erase that in a minute. The second thing is they psychologically want to reward themselves for having gone through the inconvenience and efforts of exercise.

The best thing you can do is to not look at exercise as a fat-burning activity. Look at it as being a toning and strengthening activity. Think of exercise as something you're doing to look younger and stronger. For people who want the overall goal of looking well and feeling better, it works well as a goal. If you change your frame you end up not overcompensating, because you're not using the calorie-in and calorie-out [point of view].

There are a few reasons you might not sweat when you work out. One is all scientific and medical in nature -- something about cells in your sweat glands. Another: You might not be working hard enough. Or maybe it has something to do with coffee, dehydration or the air around you. "Love and Blueberries" helps you figure it all out.

And if you're sweating a lot, well, that might not be a bad thing. Here, Fitz weighs in on sweaty pits.

Superfoods. Every so often a food will be splashed across the pages of magazines and on TV shows and touted as the new miracle food. Once the hype ball starts rolling, it's hard to stop. The next thing you know, that so-called superfood will be blended into beauty products, sold as a supplement and claimed to be a cure-all.

Recently, I asked you about your opinion of so-called superfoods. Here's what you had to say:

• 76 percent of you aren't fooled by the hype. You believe superfoods are often healthful, but no more so than other healthy foods. What a great, balanced way to view it. Most foods that are deemed "super" are, by definition, healthful. But that doesn't mean they need to be consumed by the wagon load. Choose a varied, nutritious diet and incorporate superfoods just like you would any other healthy food.
  
• 11 percent of you eat as many superfoods as possible. You believe that they wouldn't make the claims if they weren't true. Well, you're kind of correct and kind of incorrect. I'm not aware of any unhealthy superfoods. (I'm still waiting for Skittles to be deemed a superfood ... wouldn't that be great?) But once the media grabs hold of a so-called superfood, it starts showing up in all sorts of products ... and they're not all reliable. Check out Bev's post on the acai scam for a perfect example.
  
• 7 percent of you aren't sure what a superfood is and you'd rather munch on some Fritos. Superfood is generally used to describe a food that is high in phytonutrients and is believed to have health benefits. Sadly, Fritos are not included in the superfood category.
• 6 percent of you let it in one ear and out the other. You think it's all just hype and you ignore the so-called superfoods. A little skepticism is wise, but don't miss out all together. Try incorporating superfoods into an overall balanced diet.
  

Can you really get flat abs in just 10 minutes? No, but that's not really what this DVD is about. This was the second 10 Minute Solution DVD I've had a chance to review, so I was familiar with the concept. The 10 Minute Solution DVDs don't promise results in 10 minutes, but they give you the option to do 10-minute sessions individually, or do all the portions at once for a full workout.

The 10 Minute Solution: Quick Tummy Toners DVD has five sections: Crunch Free Abs, Yoga Abs, Bikini Belly, Ab & Waist Definer and Sexy, Sporty Abs. Each section was led by Jessica Smith, who I really liked as an instructor. She was encouraging, had a seriously enviable body, and cued the moves really well, offering options to keep them easy or make them a little more challenging. Also, she had a different outfit and hairstyle for each section, which I got a kick out of.

Level of Difficulty
There were some challenging moves, for sure, but not tons of them. I definitely think a beginner could handle a majority of the moves with no problem.

Now that it's mid-March, winter should be coming to a close, though for many of us, spring is but a mere dream we hang onto. But whether or not it feels warmer where you are, one thing is certain: Bathing suit season will be here before you know it, and the time to start shaping up is now.

Problem is, research shows that we crave carbs when it's chilly out, which means that we need to get a handle on our cravings first. Here are a few tips:

• Purge your pantry. Get rid of sugar and unhealthy carbs like white rice and pasta. Stock the fridge with fresh veggies and healthy things like hummus. Believe me, you'll snack on the healthy stuff when you don't have a choice.
  
• Find filling alternatives. Nuts, for instance, are a great source of energy and -- in small doses -- are waistline-friendly.
  
• Give in ... wisely. If you can't live without your morning toast, don't beat yourself up -- just have whole wheat bread and make sure you only stick to one slice.

Got any tips of your own?