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Food Review: Full Bar Caramel Apple Crisp

FitSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0700

I enjoy energy bars as pre-workout snacks, but the concept behind FullBar is different. Though nutritionally similar to Luna Bars and other healthy treats, these protein-packed portions are marketed to help people lose weight. As explained on the wrapper, FullBar was founded by a surgeon who does gastric bypass procedures.

Recognizing that the main benefit of gastric bypass surgery is that it makes people feel full and (hopefully) eat less, Dr. Michael Snyder decided to design a bar that does the same thing. To find out how it works and tastes, read more.

According to the instructions, FullBar is designed to be eaten 30 minutes before a meal along with an 8-ounce glass of water. The thinking is that going into mealtime, you will be less hungry and therefore eat less. It's a perfectly sound theory, and I'm all for the idea of finding nonsurgical ways to lose weight. But the fact is, you could get the same effect with any high-protein snack, and you could probably find something that tastes better too.

Everyone in the Sugar office commented on how big the FullBars are, but when you remove the wrapper, it's only slightly larger than a Luna Bar. It comes in four flavors; I tried the Caramel Apple Crisp variety, which has 160 calories per bar, plus 6 grams of protein and just 1 gram of fat. The S'mores Luna Bar I compared it to has 180 calories and 4.5 grams of fat but 4 more grams of protein than the FullBar. Perhaps for that reason, I found the FullBar didn't really satiate me as long as a Luna usually does.

The most disappointing aspect of FullBar was the very artificial, almost plasticky flavor and the odd spongelike texture. If the goal is to prevent people from eating too much real food, then giving them a bland-tasting supplement probably isn't doing much good. However, I can see how Dr. Snyder's concept could be effective for weight loss - as long as you used another type of protein bar or snack. What do you think?

Melissa d'Arabian's Helpful Hints For Feasting on a Budget

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:31 -0800

Of all the year's celebrations, Thanksgiving often is the most expensive. In 2008, roughly a quarter of you said you were spending $150 or more. This year, to help you stay well within your budget, we've enlisted the help of Melissa d'Arabian, winner of the Next Food Network Star and host of Ten Dollar Dinners With Melissa d'Arabian.

On her Food Network show, Melissa makes dinner for four for under $10 - and her Thanksgiving is no different. She's partnered with Walmart to come up with a turkey day feast that's only $20, and plans to serve it to her own family this holiday. "My family is really getting the $20 thanksgiving!" she says. Regardless of how much you've got in your wallet, she has some pointers to help you stay under budget. See them when you read more.

Healthy T-Day Dessert: Pumpkin-Carrot Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting

FitSugar — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:30:05 -0800

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and my love of all things pumpkin is hardly waning. From yogurt to muffins, I relish this tasty flavor of Fall. If you're looking for a pumpkin pie alternative, these pumpkin-carrot bars are delish. The bit of cream cheese frosting adds a deceptive element of decadence.

Low in calories while remaining full of flavor, these pumpkin bars make a great dessert - perfect for potlucks (much easier to share with large groups than pies) and they're relatively guilt-free. They're high in vitamin A - and trust me you cannot even taste the shredded carrot - and a bar only contains 70 calories and less than two grams of fat. With nutritional stats like that, it's OK to go back for seconds.

Check out the recipe when you read more.

Pumpkin-Carrot Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
Modified from SparkPeople

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup Earth Balance (or other butter substitute)
2 eggs
2 large egg whites
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin pie filling
2/3 cup finely shredded carrot

Cream cheese topping:
4 ounces light cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon skim milk

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Spray a 15 x 10 jellyroll pan with cooking spray.
In small bowl, whisk flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, and baking soda.
In larger bowl, use electric mixer to beat sugar, Earth Balance, and brown sugar until crumbly. Add eggs, egg whites, pumpkin pie filling, and carrots. Beat until well blended.
Add flour mixture and mix until well blended. Spread onto greased pan.
To prepare cream cheese topping: mix together cream cheese, sugar, and milk until thoroughly blended.
Drop teaspoon-fulls of topping over pumpkin batter and swirl and cut mixture into batter with a butter knife.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in pan completely on wire rack before cutting into squares.

Makes 48 squares.

Print recipe with images | without images

Looking for more healthy recipes? Then check out the Healthy Recipe Group - the name pretty much says it all.

Home Away From Home: The Madonna Inn

CasaSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:30:01 -0800

Looking for a kooky, kitschy hotel experience? Then check out San Luis Obispo's own Madonna Inn. This 51-year-old hotel is an absolutely unique experience for visitors, featuring an overwhelming pink color palette and rooms with themes including "Love Nest," "Caveman," and "Portugal."

If you're in the market for a unique wedding reception venue, the Madonna Inn can handle your reception. Fully equipped with a steak house, day spa, convention center, and bar, the Madonna Inn can supply all of your needs - especially if those needs involve gaping at the Swiss-Alps-meets-Old-West decor. One last piece of advice: don't forget to direct your male friends to the rocks and waterfall urinal if they need to take care of business - it's apparently a tourist must-see.

Take the full tour.

Food Review: Forze GPS Shakes and Bars

FitSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:00:46 -0800

I'm typically wary of fitness drinks with gold packaging; they remind me of the weird muscle-building brands I see at the gym. But when I read the label on Forze GPS shakes and bars, I was intrigued.

This line of snacks, including chocolate and vanilla shakes and four flavors of energy bar, is described as a "weight management tool designed specifically for athletes." They promise to activate your appetite control signals, so they can be used as a between-meal or pre- or post-workout snack. Hear what I thought about their taste and the results.

Katy and Co. Give Us an Amazing MTV EMA Show

PopSugarUK — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:28:25 -0800

After the women and men arrived on the red carpet for the MTV EMAs they all took their seats for the ceremony. Green Day kicked off the show and then Katy Perry did an awesome medley of the Best Song nominees. The show was full of great performances, like Beyonce in red suspenders, Jay-Z's amazing NYC backdrop, Foo Fighters rocking out and Shakira showing off her drumming. Pete Wentz observed he was a foot shorter than Bar Refaeli as they presented an award, and Katy interrupted Kanye's nomination clip in a nod back to the VMAs.

Katy made loads of costume changes, from full skirts with holes, cheeky sheer tops and a West Ham kit with Rusty emblazened on it in honour of her beau's Twitter handle and football team. David Hasselhoff, Backstreet Boys, Brody Jenner, Miranda Cosgrove, Jesse Metcalfe and Juliette Lewis presented awards to winners like U2, who performed at Brandenburg Gate with Jay-Z for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Jonas Brothers presented a fan tribute to Michael Jackson, Tokio Hotel brought flames to the stage and Leona Lewis was surrounded by mist. Check out the full list of winners here and videos here!

To see lots more pictures of the show, read more.

View 75 Photos ›

Images include: Katy Perry, Beyonce Knowles, Jay-Z, Green Day, Dave Grohl, David Hasselhoff, Juliette Lewis, Backstreet Boys, Leona Lewis, Tokio Hotel, U2, Shakira, Brody Jenner, Miranda Cosgrove, Jesse Metcalfe

Fitness 101: Smith Machine

FitSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:00:15 -0700

When it comes to strength training, I am usually a free weight kind of gal. Then I learned to love the cable pulley machine. I was still looking to branch out a little more, so my trainer Hannah introduced me to the Smith machine. Essentially, the weight machine consists of a barbell that slides on a fixed rail, and can lock into place at the fixed points along the track. Twisting the barbell activates J-shaped hooks on the side of the bar that lock into holes on the rails. This simple locking mechanism turns the Smith machine into a "spotter," making it easier to work on hardcore moves like bench presses when you're alone at the gym. The Smith machine only moves in the vertical plane, which makes some exercises harder on the joints. Although squats seem to be a popular exercise to do using this machine, many fitness experts think the fixed plane of motion of the machine forces the body into compromising positions. You can still use this machine to get a full body workout, and by locking the bar you can do variations on incline pull-ups and push-ups.

While I always think of the Smith machine as something for gym dudes, I am keen to learn more. If your gym has this machine, ask someone to show you how to use it. See if they can teach you a few different types of exercises with it.

PopSugar Rush Reviews Funny People, TwiCon in Full Effect, and Barhop to Starbucks?

PopSugar — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 09:45:00 -0700

Happy Friday! Welcome to the weekend edition of PopSugar Rush! Today Molly gives her 10-second review of Funny People - read Buzz's more in-depth one here. Also, get a peek at what's going down at Twi-Con this weekend and some fun news about same-sex penguins and Starbucks getting boozy. Plus, check out our first edition of Guess-Who Rush, the new video version of our popular Guess-Who feature on Pop. Watch it now!

PopSugar Rush Reviews Funny People, TwiCon in Full Effect, and Bar Hop to Starbucks?

PopSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:30:00 -0700

Happy Friday! Welcome to the weekend edition of PopSugar Rush! Today Molly gives her 10-second review of Funny People - read Buzz's more in-depth one here. Also, get a peek at what's going down at TwiCon this weekend and some fun news about same-sex penguins and Starbucks getting boozy. Plus, check out our first edition of Guess Who Rush, the new video version of our popular Guess Who feature on Pop. Watch it now!

You Asked: Working Out Buzzed?

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:00:06 -0700

Hey Fit,
I had post-work appetizers and drinks with a girlfriend last night, and as we departed she said she was heading to the gym. Granted, we each had two light beers over maybe an hour and 20 minutes, but it surprised me that she'd go work out after a couple drinks. She said she doesn't do it all the time, but if she's not feeling too tipsy it actually helps her kind of zone out and get into her workout, and by the time she's finished any possible buzz is gone. Is this healthy to do?
- mamasitamalita

There are days when we try to pack it all in: work, catching up with friends, working out. With the recent news that folks who drink regularly tend to exercise more, I suspect this dilemma is increasingly common. To see what I have to say on the matter, keep reading.