FatFighter's blog

BlogHer08 - who I met, what I ate

2008-07-31T14:16:57-05:00

I just got back from the BlogHer08 conference
in San Francisco and I gotta confess, I'm detoxing a bit. See, the
problem is I can't resist sweets... and there were so many of them like
these yummy cupcakes at just about every corner, so of course, I
indulged... a lot!

In fact, I was so preoccupied with the Mrs. Field's cookies during
one break that I lost my wallet. Seriously, it was missing for 2 days.
But thankfully, Mary Hunt of In Women We Trust turned it in - yay and thanks again!

I spent most of the time hanging out with my fellow fitness blogger, Lisa from Workout Mommy - she is pretty darn cool. ;) As are Stephanie from Back in Skinny Jeans and Zandria from Zandria.us - I have been reading their blogs for awhile and we had been in touch via email so I was so glad to finally meet them!

A few other health/fitness-type bloggers I just learned about at the
conference and look forward to connecting with more over time are:

Esther, aka Faint Starlite, Kath from Kath Eats, Janice from Our Lady of Weight Loss, Susan from Mr. and Mrs. Get Fit and Siel from green LA girl!

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the generosity of the nice folks at Hakia.
I won an incredible contest - Hakia paid for my hotel for 4 nights and
the entire conference fee. I got to say thanks in person to Melek and
Farrah over lunch Saturday. Thank you, thank you, thank you again!!!

Now that I'm home, I'm back to my routine of healthy eating and Boot Camp.
It was just one weekend after all - a yummy calorie-filled one... but
best of all, a weekend filled with new friendships and connections.

The 5 best running shoes - from Consumer Reports

2008-07-31T14:14:53-05:00

When it comes to running shoes, you gotta get some that will support
your most intense workouts or you could end up in pain or injured. But
with so many to choose from, how do you know which ones are best? Our
friends over at Consumer Reports' ShopSmart magazine did the - yes - legwork for you.

They had nine men and women run in 12 pairs of sneakers each (24
pairs total), then had lab experts test the shoes for breathability,
cushioning, flexibility, stability and weight. The same model won for
both men and women - it was also one of the most expensive pair tested.

ShopSmart says, "Avoid buying the cheapest shoe you can find. The
least expensive model we tested, the Champion Wonder C9 (from Target),
was at the bottom of the heap in our tests. This is one place where it
can pay to splurge, especially if you're a serious runner."

Here are the Top 5 Running Shoes from Consumer Reports ShopSmart:

Women's:
First Place: Nike Air Zoom Vomero+ 2
Price: $120
Why: Best cushioning of all shoes tested. Testers said it gave them the right amount of stability.

Second Place: Nike Air Pegasus+ 2007
Price: $85
Why: Super fit. Cushy, yet stable.

Third Place: Puma Complete Infinitus
Price: $85
Why: Excellent fit and flexibility.

Men's:
First Place: Nike Air Zoom Vomero+ 2
Price: $120
Why: Cushy, and most testers liked the fit in the toe, heel, and arch.

Second Place: Brooks Glycerin 6
Price: $120
Why: Excellent comfort and breathability.

And here are a couple of tips from ShopSmart to help you buy the right pair of running shoes:

Shop at a store that specializes in running shoes.

Go there dressed to run - wear the socks you usually run in and any orthotics you use.

Test the shoes you're considering buying on a treadmill if the
store has one. Some stores may even let you run in their parking lot
for a bit.

Try to shop in the afternoon - that's when your feet are usually their most swollen, so you don't end up with tight shoes.

Ask about exchanges and returns - find out if you can run in the
shoes for a few days and exchange them if they're not right for you.

5 frozen treats with 100 calories or less

2008-07-31T14:00:05-05:00

Ahhh… summertime. Mmmm… ice cream. I'm a big fan of both! So, lucky for you, I’ve taken some time out of my busy schedule to sample a few frozen treats. I know, I know - it's a tough job but someone's gotta do it right? ;) I've got some great news, too - I found several that are big on flavor but low in calories.

Here is a list of my 5 favorite frozen treats with 100 calories or less:

Slim-A-Bear bars and ice cream sandwiches (wait, does that count as 2??!) - the ice cream is so creamy, you forget they're low-cal. Really. 100 calories.

Healthy Choice Fudge Bars - also very creamy and satisfying. I don't miss regular fudge bars when I have these. 80 calories.

Philly Swirl Fudge Swirl Stix are more ice-milk-y than creamy but they are sooo tasty. They come in 3 swirled flavors per pack - fudge & vanilla, fudge & caramel, fudge & chocolate. Each only has a cool 57 calories.

You can get Skinny Cow's Skinny Dippers in combo packs of vanilla and mint or vanilla and caramel. These are also more ice milk-y than creamy but yummy nonetheless. 80 calories.

Edy's Fruit Bars are perfect when you're in the mood for something fruity and icy and delicious. Strawberry is my favorite. 80 calories.

Oh, there's one more frozen treat under 100 calories that I absolutely LOVE but I didn't include it in my list because I can never eat just one.

Whenever I buy these sinful Dove miniatures I try to trick myself by thinking since they only have 60 calories each it's much better than buying the regular Dove bars that have 320 calories.

But when it's all over, if I would have had just one of the bars I'd end up eating fewer calories. The miniatures are just too easy to eat one after another!

Anyway, back to my list... have you tried the frozen treats I mentioned? Do you like them? Does anybody else have any other favorites with 100 calories or less?

Boot Camp is kicking my booty!

2008-07-31T13:41:29-05:00

I can’t believe how out of shape I am. That’s the second thing I thought after my first FitWit boot camp workout (I was out of breath after just the warm up). The first thing I thought was, “Are you friggin’ kidding me??! You want me to do what???!!!” I mean... "Sure I’ll do 100 pushups and 100 burpees. No problem. Yep, go ahead and time me, too. "

I used to be in great shape – climbing stairs at stadiums, going rock climbing in the mountains, and lifting all kinds of weights. Best of all, I had a strong core which helped me better cope with a back injury. Now my back is weak and uhhh… so am I.

Wow. How could I let this happen? It seems to have crept up on me over the past three years. In that time, I’ve moved across the country twice – from Kansas to Washington State to Ohio. And it was hard to get back into a challenging workout routine like I used to have for so long. Oh, and I got hitched. That’s gotta have something to do with it, right? That's why both my husband and I are in this boot camp thing together.

It’s not that I ever stopped exercising… I just stopped pushing myself. But FitWit is all about pushing yourself, which is just what I need. Classes have everything from exercises with medicine balls, kettle bells and body bars to running, jumping, and crawling… to sit ups, push ups, and squats. There are 24 workouts in all – one hour each, four times a week, for six weeks.

Here in Columbus, we have FitWit personal trainers Chad Welday and Joel Baker to crack the whip… err... guide us.

“We try to make our classes difficult enough to challenge and beat even the most fit individuals,” explains Welday. “However we have designed this program to teach to any fitness level. In our current class we have individuals training to run in the Chicago Marathon as well as campers who are as much as fifty pounds over weight. Most anyone can excel in our camps regardless of what their individual starting point is as long as they are willing to work hard.”

And the changes campers should see - if we give it our all - include increased strength, body fat loss, improved flexibility, increased metabolism, toned muscles, increased energy, less aches and pains, and increased motivation. Nice!

The cool thing is every class is something different, so you never know what to expect... except of course that you’ll get your booty kicked in an intense workout. I wear a heart rate monitor to every class and I’ve been burning about 600 calories each workout. Not bad, eh?

And in the end, what do our fearless leaders want for us campers?

“More than anything else we would like our campers to feel a sense of accomplishment,” says Welday. “We expect our members to leave our six week program more confident, more motivated, more committed, and most importantly healthier.”

We’re just starting week 3 now. I will have more posts (and videos!) as the boot camp continues and of course, let you all know how much I improved when it’s all over.

You can find out much more about FitWit fitness boot camps right here.

Anyone else out there gone through a boot camp? Anyone else had a change in your life get you off-track of your workout routine? Do share!

Fruit and Veggie Chips - Nutrition in a Bag?

2008-03-19T11:13:54-05:00

Have you seen all the fruit and veggie chips at the stores lately? They’re like potato chips, only they come in flavors that include tomato, sweet potato, and berry. I haven’t tried them yet, but every time I see them I wonder can you really munch on these chips to score a serving of fruits or vegetables?

FatFighterTV got the scoop on two popular brands of fruit and veggie chips - Flat Earth and Terra. Terra says you can get a full serving of vegetables when you eat one ounce of its Sweet Potato chips.

Tara Gidus, RD, Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, tells FatFighterTV there is some nutritional value in Terra chips.

“The sweet potato has the most with 50-percent vitamin A in a one ounce serving. The rest of them have less than 10-percent of any vitamins and minerals, though,” says Gidus. “They may have enough actual vegetable to be considered a vegetable serving, but at 130-150 calories per one ounce serving, that will take a lot of calories to get your recommended veggie servings for the day.”

Flat Earth has similar claims. It says its baked crisps have half a serving of real fruits or vegetables in every ounce.

“The Flat Earth brand seems to have the first ingredients as rice flour and potato flakes,” notes Gidus. “They have dehydrated vegetables or powders of vegetables and also do not have a significant amount of nutritional value with the exception of some Vitamin A which appears to be coming from pumpkin.”

Because of the high fat, calories, and sodium in these fruit and veggie chips, the bottom line from Gidus – eat some in moderation, but don’t substitute them for the real deal.

If you want to try the Flat Earth Crisps, here’s a coupon to save you a buck. You might want to think of them as chips instead of fruits and veggies to keep things in perspective.

What do you think of the various fruit and veggie chips?