Blog Posts by FitSugar

Source: 7 Ways to Lose Weight This Holiday Season

Maintaining your weight during the holidays is a noble goal, but if you want to go for the gold, then here are seven tips that will have your dropping pounds in no time.

• Burn 500 calories a day: If your diet is the same over the holidays, then cutting 500 calories a day can help you shed a pound a week. Here are some ways you can cut 500 calories from your diet without depriving yourself. Mix and match your 500-calorie goals for a week, and you'll have saved 3,500 calories.
• Have a cheat day - not a cheat week: It can be easy to fall into the holiday gorging trap, but if you want to lose weight, what you eat is most important for weight loss. So while you may want that second glass of eggnog or to eat all the delicious baked goods of the season, keep your diet on track to see results.
• Schedule your workout plan: Diet may be very important, but if you want to lose weight, you can't skip your workout. Spend a few

FitSugarSource: 5 Fat-Burning Foods That Won't Hurt Your Diet During the Holidays

With the holidays here, it can seem like diet sabotage is around every corner. But it's not just about sugary office treats and endless holiday party spreads: some of the most common Fall and Winter foods actually help, not hurt, your waistline. Want to know which ones? Read on for five fat-burning foods you should be eating this holiday season!

• Dark Chocolate: Your favorite indulgence actually includes two ingredients that are known to boost metabolism: caffeine and the antioxidant catechin. Just make sure you stick to a small square a day so the sugar and calories don't outweigh dark chocolate's fat-burning potential.
• Sweet Potatoes : Sweet potatoes may just be your cold-weather fat-burning secret. Sweet potatoes are a great source of fiber, which helps keep you feeling full while burning calories by putting your digestive system to work. And they also contain a hormone that helps regulate your blood

Source: Never Eat Airport Food Again! Easy Snack Ideas Under 100 Calories

It's no secret that travel and notoriously pricey, unhealthy snacks go hand in hand. If you're hitting the road this holiday season or heading to the airport, packing your own snacks will save you money, unwanted calories, and candy bar regret. A small snack will also keep your diet on track, curbing stomach growls - preventing you from overindulging come mealtime. Grab some ziplock bags and start packing some of our favorite 100-calorie snacks before you board the plane or hit the road this Winter!

• Three cups of popcorn (93) sprinkled with cinnamon (6): 99 calories.
• Kashi Cinnamon Oat Heart to Heart Cereal (1/4 cup of cereal is 40 calories) with a small apple (53): 93 calories.
• Mini Clif Bar (Crunchy Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Raisin Walnut, Chocolate Chip, or Blueberry Crisp): 100 calories
• One rice cake (35) drizzled with almond butter (51): 86 calories
• Seven Stacy's Simply Naked Pita Chips (65) with one

FitSugarSource: Feed Your Skin: 7 Foods to Combat the Winter Dull

It's easy for skin to become dry, flaky, and sallow during the Winter. Before you go out and spend your paycheck on fancy lotions and creams, try nourishing your skin from the inside out - what we put in our body is just as essential for a healthy glow as what we put on it. Here are seven foods that will leave you glowing all Winter long!

• Get That Youthful Glow: If you're not getting enough vitamin A in your diet, then your skin is majorly suffering. Not enough of this nutrient makes skin dry and flaky. The vitamin is also touted for its anti-aging benefits.
• What Wrinkles?: By now we all know that citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit are chock-full of vitamin C, which is great for protecting against immune deficiencies like colds. But this essential nutrient also helps turn back the clock by preventing wrinkles.
• Smooth It Out: You probably already know that sulfur masks are great to put on the

FitSugarSource: 4 Yummy Fats to Munch On

Eating fats to stay healthy may sound backward, but it's true. In moderation, certain fats, like heart-healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats, are necessary. As a rule of thumb, a little less than 30 percent of your total calories should be made up of fats, and of this total, only 25 percent should be made up of saturated fats (little to no trans fats should be eaten). Think of eating healthier fats as a way to support dietary functions, and consuming bad fats as hindering progress. Here's the dream team of fats you should start eating this week.

1. Coconut Oil: This hidden gem has been a favorite in both the vegan and holistic health communities for years. Although saturated, a light dose of coconut oil can be instrumental to your well-being, because it helps raise levels of good cholesterol. Add a small teaspoon to your tea, or use it as your go-to cooking oil.
2. Avocado: Eating monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), like the kind found in avocado,

FitSugarSource: Four Weeks Notice: How to Stay Fit Before Christmas

The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas can be tough for even the fittest folks. Cooler weather makes working out more difficult, and getting caught up in the hype of the holidays makes putting off a workout even easier. If you're ready to stick to your plan - and to not make getting fit your New Year's resolution for yet another year - then practice these tips.

• It's Not a Cheat Month: Even though people crave comfort food during the Winter, you've got to continue to make healthy choices all December long. Plan ahead when you know you'll be indulging. And be sure to appropriately indulge so you don't end up binging on a big plate of Christmas cookies!
• Register For a Race: When you know that you've got a race on the horizon, you've got to train - there's no other option. Gift yourself a race from Active.com, and create a training plan that you can stick to. After all those long runs, you'll feel so much

Source: The Pumpkin Pie Workout

All that turkey on Thanksgiving often feels like an appetizer for the pumpkin pie. If you're interested in off setting the calories in piece of pumpkin pie (316 calories) topped with two tablespoons of whipped cream (16 calories) with a little exercise, you need to burn at least 332 calories. Here is a 42-minute treadmill workout that will do just that! If you're a 130-pound woman then this interval workout will burn 340 calories.


More form FitSugar: How to Prevent Overindulging on Thanksgiving


Set the treadmill incline to one (this will help prevent shin splints).

FitSugarSource: 10 Healthy Desserts For Your Thanksgiving Feast

It's hard to save calories during Thanksgiving, especially when your dining room table is full of goodies. Make your indulgences work for you with still-delicious healthy versions of highly caloric desserts. Read on for some of our favorite healthier Thanksgiving desserts, from vegan pies to lower-fat cookies!

• Vegan Thumbprint Cookies: Who needs high-calorie pecan pie when you can make these vegan pecan thumbprint cookies? They're a cinch to make and can be done ahead of time if your oven is prime real estate on Thanksgiving.
• Apple Slabs: Get the taste of apple pie without all the work (or the carbs) with a 149-calorie piece of these thin-crust apple pie slabs.
• Raw Chocolate Pumpkin Pie: Need a healthy Thanksgiving dessert, quick? Whip up this raw pumpkin pie with chocolate-coconut crust. You won't have to roll, bake, and cool this pie before enjoying it!
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse: Lighten up