Special thanks to Jenni for alerting me to this particular finding. You know me too well.

1. You Skip Meals

This tactic always backfires. You end up so hungry later on that you can’t help but overeat. And when you do, more fat will inevitably find its way to your midsection. Eating small- to medium-size meals every three to four hours, however, fills you up without resulting in a layer of flab.

2. You Go Vegetarian

Women will often avoid foods from the meat, fish, and dairy groups because they think they are packed with calories and fat. But remember, these foods are protein superstars that help boost your metabolism so you can fend off tummy pudge. Opt for low-calorie, low-fat choices, like cottage cheese or tuna (one 6-ounce can fulfills three-quarters of your daily protein requirement).

3. You Think Bread Is Bad

White bread, yes, but whole-grain breads and cereals? No way. These allow insulin levels to rise more gradually, reducing the chance that you’ll add fat to your belly. Wild rice, oatmeal, or whole-wheat tortillas once a day can make a difference.

4. You’re Crunch-Crazed

Sit-ups tone muscle, true, but they don’t have any effect on the layer of fat covering them. So doing 50, 100, or even 500 crunches won’t make your jeans feel any looser. What does work? Cardio. Instead of wasting all your time on crunches, spend an extra 10 minutes on the treadmill.

5. You Booze a Lot, but Infrequently

Alcohol has lots of calories yet doesn’t fill you up at all. So when you binge-drink, nutritionists say, you’re basically inviting flab to settle on your midsection. If you crave a drink, make it red wine; research suggests it may actually help fight pooch.

6. You Eat “Lite” Products

You may think you are doing your body a favor by opting for sugar-free yogurt, diet soda, or any other snack labeled low-fat or low-cal. But those versions are often loaded with artificial sweeteners, which some nutritionists believe may trigger your metabolism to increase fat storage.

7. You Think Fatty Foods Are the Enemy

As counterintuitive as it may sound, foods high in monounsaturated fats help burn off belly fat and lead you to consume less. Nutritionists recommend slicing one-quarter of an avocado onto a sandwich or drizzling olive oil and vinegar on your salad.

But this morning I chatted with Kim, my BAD ASS trainer over at 24 Fitness on William Cannon in Austin. She read about my Thanksgiving fail-a-plenty (and subsequently paid for it dearly during my session this A.M.) and wasn’t that shocked by both Ashley and my weight loss during the week.

Fact of the matter is, we lost muscle mass. Both of us avidly use weights — and typically use MUCH higher poundage than the 5 lb. dumbbells most women use when working out. I “think” that Mere and Kristine don’t regularly do weight lifting as part of their normal routines, which could explain their small gains.

Personally, the one thing I don’t want to do is lose muscle mass, because that is what helps you burn more calories throughout the day. So, there you have it. The official explanation (as best we can find) on why Ashley and I lost weight during Thanksgiving. I fully anticipate Christmas will not treat us as kindly

(And I also won’t mention the fact that I started my period less than 24 hours before yesterday’s weigh-in, which completely negates everything that I posted above because I’m rocking the main-bloat right now; however it does explain why I was so ravenous during Thanksgiving. Stupid pre-bloat.)

I’m not sure these are/were actually ever for sale. From the looks of this picture, it seems as though they likely went out of production around 1989.

This awesome gadget comes to you from the world of Chindogu, a term for useless Japanese inventions. It was the first I’ve heard of it, but moving forward, you better believe I’ll be on the lookout for weight loss/diet tips in this realm.

So if you’re new to the @fatroll, and looking to lose a few pounds (and live in the Austin area), check out a program that local business Total Relief Footwear started called “Walk It Off Austin.”

The premise: come into the store, get your picture taken, determine your current weight and review your weight loss goals. Then for every pound you lose, you receive a store credit!

It’s a simple trick to help jump start your weight-loss journey PLUS they help you understand just how important the proper footwear is when beginning a running/walking/exercise program.

Trust me, I made the mistake with my first pair of shoes by getting the “cute” shoes in the “cheap” section of a chain shoe store. More than six blisters on just one foot later, I realized I had bought the wrong pair of shoes… and I had trouble working out for a few days because my feet hurt so bad! Moral of the story — every person’s foot is different and so are each line and brand of shoes. So get the right pair (and support your local businessess)!

And good luck on your weight-loss journey!

I’m curious to see how Kristine, Jenni and Ashley fared during the Austin City Limits music festival this past weekend — think typical southern food like fried Twinkies and snacks served in waffle cones. Not exactly the most healthy options, but festival goers are prohibited from bringing in outside food. Looking back, it was probably a good thing that I left town to attend a wedding in Philadelphia!

Any last minute tips for the @FatRoll girls before the grand finale weigh in on Thursday?

I don’t know exactly what happened between August and now (maybe bootcamp, more visits to the gym and better eating habits), but not only did the scale tell a different story, so did my measurements. Essentially I lost almost 10 inches in six weeks (so measurements around my neck, chest, stomach, hips, thighs and calves)! Even though the scale said I had lost about five pounds, it was the numbers (and the body fat %) that made me giddy and jump for joy. Total win.

So here’s my recommendation if you’re looking to lose weight (and belong to a gym). Several fitness facilities (like Gold’s and 24 Hour Fitness – where I go) offer measurements and body fat analysis for you. Take them up on this. Because let’s be honest – the scale is a lying psychopath sometimes. Especially if you’re building muscle (or having a main bloat). But measurements don’t lie. And sometimes, knowing that I lost an inch in each of my arms and an inch and a half in each of my thighs, is way more exciting then stepping on the scale each week.

To try and avoid a huge fat fail on the scale upon my return, I decided to pack some workout clothes so I could hit the hotel gym in effort to counteract the inevitable overeating-while-on-vacation syndrome that I suffer from. The fact that I even THOUGHT to place workout clothes and tennis shoes inside my luggage is a huge win for me. What’s even more shocking is that I gave up some of my precious luggage real estate for something other than heels or a cute purse. I’ve truly changed.

While I’m proud of myself for packing workout clothes and actually hitting the hotel gym twice, (in the past, I had only heard rumors of gyms within hotels and wondered who the hell exercises during vacation?!), I think the massive amounts of calories I consumed each morning at the breakfast buffet probably canceled this out… and then some. Our hotel rooms included free breakfast (normally the price of $50 per person) and my whole family took advantage of this. I’ll spare you the details, but four out of five of us (cough, Josh) ended our breakfast each morning with dessert (usually a chocolate croissant). FAIL! Luckily we were able to skip lunch every day because no one was hungry until well past 6:00 pm.

At least I got back into my routine yesterday with the help of  the 2x week boot camp classes Jenni, Ashley and I now attend. Not only was I able to stay up long enough to attend, but I came in second place during our wall sit competition! Maybe I should workout while jetlagged more often : )

 Here are some pictures from the trip:

Josh’s Breakfast, Day 1 – double that and you’ll get an idea of what my plate looked like.

Us eating again at a luau

And lastly, my sister, Sarah, and I jumping on top of a volcano because I thought I should probably include one non-food related picture.

In his recent Washington Post article, Zinczenko covers some interesting “fat habits” of obese indivudals at buffet restaurants such as:

• They use larger plates. When offered two plate sizes, 98.6 percent of those with the highest BMIs took the larger of the two plates to the buffet. A bigger plate tricks your eye into thinking you’re not eating as much, and stuffing more food onto your plate — and into your mouth. Use a smaller plate, get a smaller belly.
• They eat while looking at food. 41.7 percent of those with high BMIs took seats that overlooked the buffet, instead of sitting in a booth or facing in a different direction. The site of food tends to make our minds think we have more work to do, eating-wise. Keep your food stored in the fridge or the pantry, not out on the countertops.
• They eat with maximum efficiency. While Chinese buffets offer chopsticks, 91.3 percent of obese patrons opt for forks. That just makes it easier to shovel in the food!
• They clean their plates. Of those patrons who were heaviest, 94 percent cleaned their plates so there was nothing left. Ignore Mom’s advice — let a little linger.
• They chew faster. Researchers actually monitored the chewing habits of the buffet-goers and discovered that the heaviest 1/3 among them chewed their food an average of 11.9 times before swallowing. The middle 1/3 chewed an average of 14 times, and the leanest 1/3 chewed 14.8 times.
• They dive in. The leanest people in the study typically took a lap around the buffet first, to plot out what they wanted to eat. But the more overweight group charged right in; doing so means you may fill up on some less-appealing items, then have to go back to snag that one nosh you have to have, but missed the first time.

Now you know what NOT to do the next time you find yourself in this situation…

Overall, it will be a different experience. I won’t have the naive aura of a freshman, a long standing boyfriend and a body of an 18 y/o. I don’t live in Jester, won’t eat in the cafeteria or attempt keg stands (ok, not all the time). I have no intention of frequenting the Union or Wendy’s for every meal. And, I totally plan on abusing my rights at Gregory gym.

But let’s not be hasty and ignore the fact that I’m back to a very irregular schedule. With classes, writing, reading, Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) meetings, consulting, TA-ing and general life, I will no longer operate on a 9am to 5pm schedule. And, this is where I for see my greatest downfall.

Stress eating, late night eating, inconsistent exercise routines are the exact pitfalls Jenni points out in her post.

Not to mention the first rule of thumb of every graduate student is to find the free food. Hey, we’re poor. What did you expect it to be? For example, I’ve already had two types of pizzas, bagels, coffee and will be consuming BBQ twice as a result of free “event” food.

I’m hoping I don’t have to take another trip to lose all of this theoretical weight gain. A bit older and hopefully a little wiser, I have confidence in not gaining that freshman 15 or 20 or 30..

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