Blog Posts by SHAPE magazine

You can thank the stinging cold weather for your high-calorie cravings, as research shows that we all tend to eat a little more during the winter months. What do we hunger for most? Comfort foods and sweet treats! Thankfully, we found 10 cold-weather desserts that deliver decadent flavor for shockingly few calories to keep you slim until spring.
Chocolate and Goat Cheesecake Popsicles1. Ancho Chili and Chocolate Goat Cheesecake Popsicles: Taking a bite out of this creamy goat cheese blend is like feasting on a slice of rich cheesecake-in popsicle form! With a spicy kick of ancho chili powder and a dose of antioxidant-rich cocoa, each low-fat treat amounts to approximately 75 calories.

Ingredients:

4 oz. low-fat goat cheese, softened

1/3 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. cocoa powder

2 eggs, separated

1 tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. ancho chili powder


Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine goat cheese, sugar, and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add egg yolks two at a time. Fold in flour, cocoa powder,

You are what...he eats?Being in a relationship is great for you, but your waistline? Not so much. Here are some sneaky ways your man (okay, maybe it's not just him) meddles with your metabolism--and easy ways to fix it so that you can balance your healthy lifestyle and your relationship.


1. You eat what he eats: Men generally eat more, eat worse, and eat out more often than their female counterparts. When you're with your man 24/7 you may start to match his eating patterns. Research shows that while your guy is likely to lose weight through your positive food influence, you're more liable to pack on pounds when you're a witness to his ordering deep-fried appetizers or another round of Guinness!

The solution: Meals are symbolic of happy times together, but don't let this determine how much you will "happily" consume. One of the best tricks to gauge your true hunger is to imagine a steak dinner. If you feel hungry enough to eat that, then you have room to spare. If you can't stomach the thought, you may be

Cuddle up! Research shows it's good for your health. Next time your guy gets on your case about cuddle time--he says he's too hot, needs his space, doesn't feel like relaxing--present the evidence. Research suggests that there's more to cuddling than meets the eye. Lovey-dovey'ness aside, the health benefits of cuddling will surely convince him to make time for it.

Reason 1: It Feels Good
Cuddling releases oxytocin, which is also known as the feel-good hormone. "It increases overall happiness," says psychologist, physical therapist, and author of bestseller A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness Elizabeth Lombardo.
"Cuddling, holding, and sexual play releases chemicals, like oxytocin, in the brain that create a sense of well-being and happiness," says Dr. Renee Horowitz, an ob-gyn who recently opened the Center for Sexual Wellness in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Cuddling can also release endorphins, which is the chemical released after a good workout or when you eat chocolate, Horowitz adds, which contributes to that

From well-deserved makeovers to love-related treats, we salute these weight-loss superheroes!

Elizabeth Yarnell1. A wardrobe and career makeover: "In 2009, when I lost 17 pounds from switching my diet away from foods that I was sensitive to and were causing me to swell, I celebrated by buying myself a new wardrobe to fit the new me! I went from a 6/8 to a size 2 in jeans-I couldn't keep my old pants up! I never thought my butt could be so small. The best part was that I didn't feel deprived or hungry because I had lots of food choices and could eat the quantity I wanted of the foods that my body could handle.

I was so inspired that I got a doctorate and changed my career; now I am a holistic nutritionist and my virtual practice focuses on identifying hidden food sensitivities by using state-of-the-art testing and cutting edge dietary therapies. In the fall of 2009, my husband and I celebrated my weight loss and our 10-year anniversary by going on a romantic adults-only retreat to Cancun, and I

We got some of our favorite fitness experts to reveal their go-to moves for a flat, sexy stomach. Try them out today!

Passé ab series1. Passé ab series: "This move is one of my all-time favorite abs sculpting exercises," says Andrea Rogers, a former professional dancer, certified Pilates instructor, and creator of Xtend Barre. "It strengthens the abdominal muscles while developing stability of the pelvic lumbar region. You can also amp things up by increasing the tempo."

To do it: Start seated, then lean back, resting your weight on your forearms (bending your elbows behind your body, fingers facing forward). Extend both legs straight out in front of you. Bend your right knee into a 'passé position' by pointing your right foot and pressing the inside edge of your right foot along the inside of your left knee. Draw your abs in tight and lift your legs off the mat and towards the chest (maintaining passé position). Bring your right knee all the way up to the right side of your chest and then lower your

If you're already fit, it can be a challenge to find workouts that are challenging enough to help youimprove your fitness level even more. We went in search of some of the toughest workouts around to help the fit get fitter! (Warning: We recommend bringing along water, a towel, and possibly a friend to revive you before attempting any of these high-intensity training methods).


Can you handle the heat from these challenges?1. Tough mudder: First up? Probably the toughest fitness challenge we've seen-ever. Coined 'Tough Mudder' for a reason, this 10-mile obstacle course dubbed "the toughest event on the planet" features insane challenges (designed by British Special Forces) like 12-ft. walls, underground mud tunnels, and running through 10,000 volts of electricity.

If you're bored with training for a marathon, triathlon, maybe even the iron man, this might be the perfect new challenge for you. Just be prepared to sign a 'death waiver' before participating. In fact, it's so tough, it's where top fitness pros go to get their own

Moving in with your significant other? Follow these tips for a smooth move-in process. The idea of wrapping your dishes in newspaper and watching your living room drown in a sea of bubble wrap has never been more exciting. You and your man finally took the plunge, signed on the dotted line, and picked up two sets of keys. After ages of trying to squeeze your entire wardrobe into one tiny drawer at his pad, the time has come to merge your most prized possessions into a new place. While it's doubtful your grandmother's china will coordinate with his college beer mug collection, here are five tips to get through the adjustment period and make it "home sweet home."

1) Moving in with Your Boyfriend? Start from Scratch
To maintain a healthy relationship and avoid a turf war, move into a place that's new to both of you. This way you can start fresh as happy homemakers, instead of forcing him to throw out his old CD collection to make room for your shoes. Obviously Manolos trump Metallica, but he will beg to differ.

RELATED: Is He "The One" For You?

Is it ever safe to lose more than 10 pounds per week?Slow and steady often wins the weight-loss race, but is it ever okay to lose a large amount of weight in a short period of time? What about when you have a big event coming up, like a wedding or a reunion? We wanted to know if it's ever advisable (and safe) to lose 10 or more pounds in a week, so we went to our Diet Doctor, Mike Roussell, phD, to get his take. Here's what he had to say:

When it comes to weight loss and safety, the difference between safe and unsafe doesn't have to do with how much you lose but how you lose it. Losing 1-2 pounds per week is often cited as a safe amount, but little safety data exists to support that number. What makes 3-4 pounds unsafe? Only the way in which you lose it.

RELATED: 11 Ways to Rev Up Your Metabolism

If you drink nothing but lemon juice and maple syrup with a dash of cayenne pepper for a week and lose 10 pounds, I would consider that unsafe weight loss. On the other hand, if you complete three intense, metabolic