The question has been posed as to whether or not we can trust the calorie display on cardio machines.

This is an interesting question because you may have already noticed that you can use an elliptical one day and a different elliptical (different brand) another day and burn a totally different calorie amount even though you did the same amount of work.

Basically you should use the calorie readout as a guideline but not as the end-all-be-all of how many calories you burned.  The displays on cardio machines are notorious for being inaccurate and some machines are known to bump up the calorie readout by almost 25%.  The problem is that the machines do not consider factors in individual fitness levels and the specificity of the exercise and also they are not usually re-calibrated after hitting the gym floor.

To get the most accurate calorie readout try these tips:

• Enter a body weight that is lower than your actual weight.
• Add an extra few minutes to your work out.
  
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• When using machines with handles, don't let the handles support your body weight for you — they are there to help with balance only.
• Use a heart rate monitor that you have programmed for your personal stats — it will give you the most accurate readout.
• Don't focus on the calories the machine shows you're burning.  Instead, focus on being consistent and increasing your intensity, that way you'll be more successful at maintaining a regular exercise routine.

Fit's Tip:  If two machines show the same calories burned, but one workout seems way easier than the other, you've probably burned fewer calories than the one that felt harder.

Did you know that the FDA estimates the average American eats 4.7 pounds of trans fats each year?  Gross.

Well, not anymore if you live in NYC ...

Health officials have made NYC the first city to ban trans fats in the United States.  The final decision was made despite the 24,000 restaurants arguing against the ban saying that it is unrealistic to give them only six months to replace cooking oils and shortening and 18 months to phase out the ingredients altogether.

Restaurants will be barred from using most frying oils containing artificial trans fats by July and will have to eliminate the artificial trans fats from all of their foods by July 2008.

The Board of Health also passed another measure which applies only to restaurants that already report the calorie counts and requires them to display the numbers on menus and menu boards.  The new law should affect about 10% of New York City restaurants, including many fast-food establishments.  It's going to be hard to order that Premium Crispy Chicken Club from McDonald's when 680 calories is displayed right next to it!

Chicago is most likely the next candidate to ban trans fats citywide.

If you want to see what my friend Giggle has to say about all this click here.

Right on NYC!!!!!

Between 1 bottle of Sam Adams Winter Ale or 1 Pomegranate Martini, which do you think has the least calories?

Which Drink Has the Fewer Calories?

1. Winter Ale
2. Pomegranate Martini

We all love sugar.  I mean what's not love about sugar?  While there is no alternative for Sugar's online community — smirk — there are some real natural alternatives to your ordinary processed (and stripped of any available nutrients) table sugar.

• Stevia is far more sweeter than sugar and it comes from an herb — Just don't call it an artificial sweetener, for now it can only go by dietary supplement.
• Maple Syrup is just made from boiling sap and it has some trace minerals as well as some calcium and iron.
• Natural Sugar is great because naturally milled sugars go through a single process that leaves some of the trace nutrients from the cane.
• Honey is probably the most well known substitute for sugar — Use it in place of sugar for its natural anti-inflammatory effect.  Honey is also a natural antiseptic.
• Date Sugar is simply ground dried dates so it still contains small amounts of several vitamins and minerals found in the dates.

Fit's Tip:  Some people also use Molasses and Brown Rice Syrup as sugar alternatives but due to their distinct tastes I don't ever opt for them, but if you're indifferent you may want to give one or both a try.

Do you ever wish that all foods, even restaurant foods, came with a nutritional label?  I'm not sure that is going to happen any time soon, but until then you may want to invest in an electronic calculator.

CalorieSmart ($69) is an electronic (and portable) calorie calculator that provides you with the nutritional information of over 35,000 food items, including items from over 250 restaurants and 500 brands.  CalorieSmart is much more than a digital calorie calculator — It can be used to track your daily diet and exercise.  You can also transfer your food and exercise diary to your Windows PC and create reports and charts.  Use it in conjunction with our Calorie Evaluator to see how many calories you need to maintain your current lifestyle.  Buy it here.

Fit's Tip:  You should make sure you are adding up everything you're taking in — So be sure to calculate in all sauces and condiments.