College Initiative to Lessen Obesity: Hit or Miss?

Here's some food for thought: Officials at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania created a mandate that all students who had a BMI over 30 had to take a "Fitness for Life" class before they graduated (people with a BMI over 30 are considered obese). Only the overweight students were required to take the class and they were at risk of not graduating if they didn't take the class. The class is a weekly three-hour class involving aerobics, walking and weight training. Though it seems like a great idea, I think their methods are flawed...

This initiative basically seems like gym class for college students who failed phys. ed. in high school. It sounds like a fun class and I think it is really great that students automatically have the opportunity to work out (so you don't have any excuse for not exercising at least three hours a week). I actually would like taking this class but I'm not sure if the benefits of taking the class outweigh the embarrassment that can go along with being viewed as an overweight outcast.

I think it's great that Lincoln University wants to get their students healthier but I think they should do it a different way - everyone should take the class. Newsflash, just because you're thin doesn't mean you're healthy. This program would be a great way to connect all the students in a healthy initiative. They should also supplement the exercise program with taking away all vending machines and introducing healthy foods in their dining halls. Set-up a 5k run/walk on campus to have all the students preparing for a race. In order for a program like this to work on a college campus, everyone has to be united - not just those with a weight problem.

So Lincoln University, nice job. I think it's great what you're doing but just fix a few things in your program and you'll be golden, healthier and trim and slim.

-Kat

Heavy college students must pass a fitness class [msnbc]

Our Family Likes to be Healthy...Another Family-Health Initiative

There's nothing better than some family competition. My family members and I ran/walked a 5k back in November in Princeton but that was pretty much for fun because we all knew it wasn't a race--it was more of an initiative to shape up all together. But this time, sparked by The Biggest Loser on NBC, my cousins thought of a Biggest Loser competition for our family. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, we will all be dieting and exercising to see who will win the grand honor. Naturally, we all had a weigh-in on the same scale and we'll be weighing in again around Christmas. Whoever has the highest percentage of weight-loss wins the money (we each put $10 in the pot).

Though I haven't been very strict on my diet in the past week, I have made some changes to some bad habits of mine and I think these changes will help me out:

• I cut out Diet Coke entirely - After reading about the harmful effects on Diet Coke, I decided to cut it out. I don't drink anything else like coffee or juice so without Diet Coke, I'll just drink more water. I started on Black Friday and it's going well.
• I cut out chocolate almonds - Everyday during my lunch break, if I bought lunch or not, I would buy this small pack of chocolate almonds from this cafe near the office. It wasn't a large package (maybe 10 or so almonds) but it still added up. It was my fix for the day and before I knew it, it was a habit. Now, I cut those and I ate clementines and bananas this week. If I need a sweet fix, I pop in some Kettle Corn popcorn. So far, it has worked!
• I stopped chewing gum - Over the years, I have developed an addiction (yes, addiction) to Orbit sugar-free gum. But we all know that sugar-free products aren't the best for you. So I cut out gum all together. I substitituted it with Altoids. At the beginning of the week, I ate quite a few Altoids but towards the end of the week, I was eating less and less and I'm still going strong.
• Diner - I have successfully said no to the temptation of cream of chicken soup, french fries, endless diet coke, fried foods and creamy dressings. After a week of changing my habits, I found it easier to say "no" to the foods at the diner. I was mighty content with my oatmeal (I won't be cutting the brown sugar though, sorry).
  

But I still need to work on a few things. Here's my check-list:

• Exercise - Since I work quite a bit, I don't have time for the gym. My exercise pretty much consists of taking all the stairs in the subway (no escalators for me), walking as fast as I can to and from work and running to my bus in Port Authority. This definitely does help but getting back to a workout regimen would be fantastic. Believe it or not, I'm craving some time for the gym.
• Dinnertime - After a long day of work, I'm hungry. So when I get home, it's late (around 8 p.m.) and then I eat a big dinner. My mom is a great cook so I love to just eat. But I need to just eat less so that I don't pack on late-night pounds.
• Snacks & the Internet - Though I only have one day off, it seems that on that day, I snack quite a bit. Maybe it's my habit to just relax with a snack. So, usually while I'm applying for a job or browsing the Internet, I find some snacks in the house to eat. I have to nip that in the booty.

So now I know what I have to work on to make this work. What do you all have to work on? Is there one habit that you want to cut? I challenge you to take your favorite food or drink (that's not really that good for you) and cut it out. After a while, you'll see it's not that hard and you'll feel much better without it. Until then, I'll keep you posted on my progress - I need the money. I need to lose weight. I need to win.

- Kat

"Slim-Fast cans recalled": another reason to just stick with diet and exercise

A little warning to the drinkers of Slim-Fast products - stop drinking any canned products! All the cans are being recalled because they found a bacterium that causes contamination and could lead to side effects like nausea (no bueno). So if you've tried Slim-Fast to work on your food control with a chocolate shake, just stop that. Switch your methods to diet, exercise and just plain-old self-control. Shake it up (without the shakes). Maybe you'll never go back to those shakes again?

-Kat

All Slim-Fast Cans Recalled [WebMD]

"French Women DO Get Fat," says study

There is a constant conversation in America about the eating habits of the Europeans and how they stay slim. I started to question this during the summer when I was in Greece--I saw so many overweight women compared to years past and it was surprising for a country that relishes being ultra thin (even worse, EVERYONE, literally, everyone, wears a bikini, no matter what size--I was the only one in a one piece, along with the other grandmas). But now it seems like Europe may be facing an obesity problem too...

In findings released today, researchers found that 15.1% of French women are obese while 26% of French women are overweight. The study, conducted by the TNS Sofres Healthcare and Swiss pharmaceuticals company Roche, shows that the French aren't immune to gaining weight in their country of wine and cheese [Reuters]. They found that the average French person has put on 6.8 pounds and 1.85 inches to their waist over the past 12 years.

What's interesting is that the researchers find the culprit to be the urban lifestyle in France. You'd think that walking in a city would be a way to battle off obesity but one of the researchers, Doctor Marie-Aline Charles, said, "Obesity rates have really risen sharply in urban areas where there's a concentration of sedentary jobs, public transport, less need to walk and a much greater availability of food."

But they still can't beat the Red, White and Blue. These obesity rates in France match the rates of the US in the 1970's. But even so, maybe the author of "French Women Don't Get Fat" should reconsider their platform. It seems like ALL of us have to take it easy on the crepes.

Real French women really do get fat: study [Reuters]

Rodarte for Target First, Rodarte Plus-Size Line Next...[we hope]

Kate and Laura Mulleavy are the two designers behind the high-end fashion line, Rodarte, a line prized for its futuristic designs. When I read about Laura and Kate Mulleavy of Rodarte winning the CFDA award (the Oscar's of fashion) for Womenswear Designer of the Year, I had a thought. Kate and Laura Mulleavy are both women that look normal. We see that real women can be a part of fashion--but behind the scenes. Their Spring 2010 collection from NY Fashion Week in September was perfection but I couldn't help but think of what they could create for a curvy women.

But they are taking a step in the right direction--The Cut just featured a sneak peek of their Target line (we love Target and love that designers design for them). But I'm hoping for a step further--how about a chic, plus-size line, ladies? I think it would be fabulous to design couture designs for the bigger woman (Kate and Laura could even wear their own designs to events). Would you buy Rodarte if they were to show up in Avenue, Lane Bryant, Torrid or Evans? I know I would. But either way, kudos to you both for joining the wave of fantastic designers bringing their talent to Target. We appreciate YOU.

To see Rodarte's Spring 2010 collection, click HERE.

Finally, Clear Images of Rodarte's Target Line Surface [The Cut]

Carolina Herrera for Target? Yes, Please!

Don't you just love when the ultra-elegant designers (the ones that you hear about on the Red Carpet or in glossy magazines post-Oscar and Golden Globes) design for the masses at Target? It's a little exciting, especially since the 'masses' usually equals sizes over the 2 or 4. Carolina Herrera may be the next up. When editors for The Cut asked the daring question to Carolina Herrera, "Would you design a line for Target," the fashion princess said, "If they asked me, of course!" (she's pictured to the left...wouldn't you want to buy clothes from this white-suited fashionista?)

This reminds me of Isaac Mizrahi's line at Target--affordable, sassy clothes that fit the Target shopper. I bought two dresses--both in size 16--from his line and they are two of my favorite dresses. I recently heard Mizrahi speak at the 92Y in a fashion panel, "The Future of Women's Fashion" along with Editor-in-Chief of Glamour, Cindi Leive, designer Ashley Olsen and Washington Post fashion writer, Robin Givhan. Mizrahi told the audience how one of his clients refused to buy anymore of his high-end clothing after he started to design a line for Target. And he was OK with it. "If they don't like what I'm doing, then they are not my type of client," said Mizrahi.

I'm loving this move among the celebrity designers to design for all of us. They are so talented and we all love their work but most of us don't have the price tag for their couture creations. But I'll splurge on a cute $39.99 dress from Herrera's (hopefully) future Target line any day.

Check out more of Herrera's styles HERE.

Carolina Herrera wants to do a Target line [The Cut]