Blog Posts by SHAPE magazine

Gena Lee NolanYou might remember her as one of those red-swimsuit-wearing hotties running in slow motion on the hit 1990's show Baywatch. These days, Gena Lee Nolan is on a crusade to save lives just like her character-but it's not on the beach. Nolan is one of 22 million Americans who suffer from weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, and other symptoms caused by poor thyroid function. Behind the scenes of her hit TV show, no matter how little she ate and how much she exercised, Nolan continued to gain weight. Her once-silky blonde hair became dry and brittle, and she was constantly tired.

After a long journey, the actress discovered she suffers from Hashimoto's disease, in which the immune system attacks and eventually destroys the thyroid. It took more than 10 years-not to mention the development of increasingly frightening symptoms-for doctors to discover what was really wrong with her.

RELATED: DIY Health Checks that Might Save Your Life

In honor of today, which is World Thyroid Day,

Guacamole is a good source of monounsaturated fat. You already know that nutrients like fiber, protein, and monounsaturated fats are necessary to sustain long-term health. Now, our Diet Doctor, Mike Roussell, phD, outlines the best ways to add 8 of these super nutrients to your diet so that you can optimize your weight-loss progress.

1. Monounsaturated fats: Replacing carbohydrates in your diet with monounsaturated fats will help you slim down by shuttling fat away from your midsection (See my Ask the Diet Doctor column on this topic for a more in-depth explanation).

Where to get it: Avocados, Macadamia nuts, and olive oil are great sources of monounsaturated fats. They also come packaged with great nutrients such as antioxidants (in olive oil), fiber (in avocado), and B-vitamins (in macadamia nuts).

RELATED: The Top 20 Artery-Cleansing Foods

Green tea contains EGCG. 2. EGCG: EGCG or Epigallocatechin gallate is an antioxidant found in green tea (and put in most weight-loss supplements available today). EGCG can increase

Mini peanut butter cupsThese meals are not only adorable (seriously, everything looks better in a mason jar), but they're the perfect portion. Share them with a friend, take them on a picnic, or just eat them all yourself.

1. Mini Peanut Butter Cups:
280 calories, 22.5 grams sugar, 14.8 grams fat, 31.5 grams carbohydrates, 8.3 grams protein

These vegan peanut butter cups owe their silky smooth texture to a secret healthy ingredient: organic tofu! Blended with peanut butter, the tofu adds creamy thickness without any extra calories or fat.

Ingredients:
For the crust:
Heaping 1/2 c. + 2 tbsp. graham cracker crumbs (10 squares)
1 1/2 tbsp. pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
1 tbsp. coconut oil (or Earth Balance)
2 1/2 tsp. cocoa powder

For the filling:
200 g. soft/silken organic tofu, roughly chopped
1/4 c. natural peanut butter
1/2 c. Sucanat or brown sugar, processed into powder (or 3-5 tbsp. icing sugar)
1 tbsp. almond milk
1 tsp. pure

by SHAPE diet doctor, Mike Roussell, phD
How to eat carbs and lose weight.
While eating fewer carbs is essential for optimal weight loss , you don't need to completely eliminate carbs from your diet. The amount of carbs that you should be eating is based to two things: 1) How much weight you need to lose and 2) Where on your body you need to lose the weight.

When people talk about cutting carbs or eating a low-carbohydrate diet, the Atkins Diet or a ketogenic diet approach often come to mind (which conjures up images of bacon, grease, and spoonfuls of peanut butter straight from the jar-not the epitome of good health). But there's a lot of room in the carb-cutting spectrum between what the average person eats (the daily recommended value for adults is 300g carbohydrates) and the extremely low-carb ketogenic diet (usually less than 50g carbohydrates per day). Diets aren't one size fits all, and different levels of carbohydrate intakes work best for different people. There's even research to prove it.

RELATED: 10 New

By Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD

Do you worry about cost when grocery shopping for healthy food?According to a new national poll in ShopSmart magazine, the cost of healthful foods is the number one barrier that keeps women from eating healthfully. The poll found that 88 percent of the women surveyed 'make excuses' for not eating healthfully, with 57 percent citing cost as the top obstacle and 47 percent naming social temptations as the greatest barrier. And while half of women feel good about their eating habits and have tried to buy healthier foods in the past six months, nearly 40 percent believe they could do better. Here are a few more findings:

• 55 percent have tried to get their families to eat healthier, but nearly a quarter have been unsuccessful at doing so

• Dinner and breakfast rank equally as the healthiest meal women eat daily; just 24 percent feel lunch is the healthiest meal of the day

RELATED: 6 Stir-Fry Recipes Better than Takeout

• 63 percent have regular cravings for particular foods, with chocolate at the top

Ever wonder how much your hair weighs or if tossing and turning during a nightmare burns calories ? We did too-so we asked Erin Palinksi, RD, Nutrition Consultant and author of the upcoming Belly Fat Diet For Dummies if there's any truth to these five off-the-wall weight-loss questions.

Do nightmares burn calories?1. Do nightmares burn calories? If your dreams are of the adventurous variety, surely you must burn a few calories leaping tall buildings and soaring through the air, right? Not necessarily, according to Palinski.

"Just because you wake up with your heart racing , doesn't mean that you're burning calories," she says. However, if a dream or nightmare causes you to toss and turn for minutes or hours, this will burn a few more calories than lying still.

On the flipside, if your nocturnal adventures are interrupting your sleep quality, it can actually have a negative impact on weight. Research shows that after a poor night's sleep, hormones that regulate appetite such as ghrelin and leptin can become

the best abs exercises of all time!Bring on the short-shorts and swimsuits! We went to our favorite celeb trainer, Joe Dowdell, to get his top three abs exercises. Here are the moves he swears by to rock those teeny-weeny bikinis:

Instead of just giving you my three favorite abs exercises, I'm going to give you my top three choices for beginners as well as a few options that are great for intermediate/advanced trainees.


Best Abs Exercises for Beginners
1. Plank: Lie facedown on mat. Place forearms on mat, elbows under shoulders. Place legs together with forefeet on floor. Raise body upward by straightening body in straight line (don't let your hips sag). Hold position.

RELATED: The Good Morning Workout

2. Side Plank: Lie on your side on mat. Place your right forearm on mat under your shoulder, perpendicular to your body . Place your left leg directly on top of your right leg and straighten knees and hips. Raise your body upward by straightening through your waist so your body is ridged. Hold this position for 30-60

It's our body's largest organ yet there is still so much we don't know about our skin! From preventing wrinkles to the benefits of facial massage, we went to anti-aging expert Dr. Aaron Tabor to get the scoop on 10 things you don't know about your skin-but should!

"Your skin reflects your overall health," Dr. Tabor says, "so the best thing to remember is to eat a healthy diet and avoid junk food, do not smoke, exercise regularly, and drink plenty of water. It is also important to read the ingredients on all skincare products and avoid any that contain "Glycols" or "PEGS," as they contain harmful chemicals."

Since May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, it's the perfect time to start thinking about preventing future damage to your outer layer. Read on for more of Dr. Tabor's tips!

Decode botanicals1. Decode botanicals: Botanicals, or a plant or plant part valued for its medicinal or therapeutic properties, flavor, and/or scents, can be very useful in skincare products.

"Botanicals that contain