sugar

The Halloween Dilemma: Will no one think of the children?

October 6, 2011

To see more strange children’s Halloween costumes, check out this HuffPo slideshow. If you go, let me know what you think of this one. I almost threw up.  Leaves are falling, apples are everywhere, it’s a balmy 86 degrees here – all signs point to fall! (Ok, except the last one. We are having some freaky weather up here but I am definitely not complaining.) And fall means the return of the Halloween Grinch! Yay! As you may recall from my whining in years past, I really don’t like Halloween. It’s gross and I don’t do well with gross. I [...]

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The Sugar Substitutes Debate [How to diminish cravings for sweets]

July 13, 2011

Food labels are like ancient runes to me – I think that if I just study them hard enough eventually I’ll find the secret to perfect health. This is hilarious on two levels: first because labels lie in so many ways they make ex-boyfriends look lazy and second because while I’m so intent on reading labels, my spawn are usually deconstructing the entire food display. Which is why grocery shopping takes me three hours and always ends in tears and often with a lost shoe. (Dear Target: there is a red and black flip-flop on top of your freezer case. [...]

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Silencing the Siren Song of Sugar*

November 16, 2010

Katy Perry may have thought that she liked kissing a girl because of her soft lips (or because it got her attention from men who like to watch two girls kiss thereby relinquishing the power of her sexuality for the voyeuristic enjoyment of others) but it turns out there may have been another reason the Teenage Dream star enjoyed the smooch: Cherry Chapstick has sugar in it. How do I know this when their website only lists the vague “flavor/scent” ingredient? Because I’ve been there. Hot Chocolate Bonne Bell Lip Smackers was my gateway drug. My friend Liz and I [...]

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New Research: Jelly Beans Will Kill You (Giveaway!!)

March 26, 2010

I don’t want to start your day off on a bad note but the health and fitness research this week has been, well, a downer. Item the first: Turns out your gut instinct was right – scientists (at Princeton, no less!) have discovered via our favorite furry rodent test subjects that high fructose corn syrup actually does make you gain more weight than the same caloric amount of table sugar. Not only that, but HFCS causes scarring on your liver, childhood obesity and early death. But don’t worry, you still have to show ID to buy a single box of [...]

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The Weirdest Tip for Managing Cravings – And it Just Might Work

November 5, 2009

The things I do for you people. Seriously. Everyone around me thinks I’m one tinfoil hat short of an alien encounter. And I did it for you. EFTPronounced “fffffftttt” (kidding – it’s actually pronounced “I spit a lot”), Emotional Freedom Techniques is, in brief, a series of body movements, singing, tapping and eye rolling that you perform in a specific order to achieve emotional freedom. Lest you say, “But I did not know I was in emotional bondage, Charlotte!” I must point out that everyone has some binding emotions. Think of this as an emotional laxative. Plus it will really [...]

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Sugar Bombed: The Cheat Day Debunked

October 9, 2009

Hot on the heels of the American Heart Association’s recommendation that all Americans drastically reduce their sugar intake – women are now recommended to limit added sugars to 6 teaspoons a day (for comparison, one serving of soda has 8 teaspoons) – comes more bad news about junk food. Scientists have discovered that not only can bad eating derail you in the moment but it also sets up a chemical chain reaction in your brain that blocks the hormones that signal satiety for up to three days, giving new meaning to a “weekend bender.” Dr. Clegg, the lead researcher says, [...]

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Halloween Candy: To Give or Not to Give?

October 5, 2009

I am the official Halloween Grinch. Mostly it stems from a hatred of all things scary and icky. My theory is that between Iran’s second nuclear facility and OJ Simpson still roaming free there is plenty frightening stuff in the real world stuff. Roman Polanski apologists, anyone? (Off topic but you really have to click thru that link and watch the video. Hilarious!) My point: I don’t need a horror flick to make me pee my pants; I can do that just fine on my own. Although a trampoline helps. Haunted houses, being the worst combination of scary and icky, [...]

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Captain Obvious Says: Sleep Deprivation Causes Sugar Cravings

July 29, 2009

This comic is the first in a series drawn by professional comic and GFE reader N8 (sound it out) especially for The Great Fitness Experiment! I can’t tell you how excited it makes me that I have my own illustrator – I’d put it on my business card if I had any. Look for more funnies from him in the future! It all started with a bag of sugar-dusted gummi fruit and a handful of chocolate chips. Well, actually it started last night when I stayed up until 1 a.m. working on my book. Okay, technically it started last weekend [...]

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Burn 1,000 Calories An Hour!

July 6, 2009

You’ve seen the workout program ads: in between shots of glistening, contracting abdominals and hyper smiling people who only sweat in socially acceptable places – your amped up cleavage if you are a woman, your shaved pecs if you are a man – comes the promise. What, you ask, can a DVD workout/exercise book/smiling B-list celeb promise me when it comes to cardio other than a perfect body, chiclet teeth and a spray tan so authentic that real sunshine is jealous? Why, the promise of amazing ultra-high superbad caloric burn of course! I was reminded of this the other day [...]

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Mini-Experiment: Eat Candy to Reduce Sugar Cravings?

September 16, 2008

Photo Credit: XKCD Last week, a guest poster over at MizFit’s had an interesting diet tip. As I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur of weird diet tips, this one fascinated me simply for it’s sheer incongruity. Sue, a bodybuilder who promotes clean eating, suggested: 15 minutes before lunch and dinner suck on a sucking sweet (not a lollipop) with sugar.The small amount of sugar in a sucking sweet will contribute to your sense of fullness – allowing you to eat moderately and still feel satisfied. This little trick also helps not to eat while preparing the meal. I have [...]

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