Diets forget it

self-restraint. We've got a better plan: Stuff yourself silly. There's a way to fill your mouth and your stomach without doing the same to your yoga pants. It's called fiber, and if you still think of it as something Grandma stirs into her OJ to stay regular, you need a serious update. "Fiber is the secret to losing weight without hunger," says Tanya Zuckerbrot, R.D., author of The F-Factor Diet. One U.S. Department of Agriculture study found that women who increased their daily fiber intake from 12 grams to 24 absorbed 90 fewer calories per day than those who ate the same amount of food but less fiber. Do nothing to your diet other than add more of the rough stuff and you will lose nine pounds in a year, effortlessly. Here's how this wonder substance works — and why you'd have to be nuts to let a day pass with less than your recommended 25 grams.

Fiber 101

What is it, exactly, that we're asking you to shovel into your body? Fiber is the indigestible part of a plant. It's in fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and beans. Now that the fiber trend is catching on, you'll also find it added to yogurt, soy milk, pasta, and more. Other foods pause to pay a toll along your gastrointestinal highway, but fiber zips through E-ZPass style because your body can't digest it. Like seat fillers at the Oscars, fiber fills a void and then vanishes when something better takes its place.

You've probably heard of the two kinds of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber tends to hide inside foods — the flesh of apples, the grain of rice inside the hull. It's what gives cooked veggies their soft, mushy quality. In your stomach, soluble fiber binds with liquids to form a gummy gel that makes you feel full as it slows digestion, letting your body absorb more nutrients from the rest of your food.

Insoluble fiber is what most octogenarians are after. It bulks up as it absorbs liquid in the stomach; the bulk pushes waste down and out of your system. Insoluble fiber is usually found in the skins and outer parts of foods, and it's what gives many their tough, chewy texture. "Think of insoluble fiber as a broom," Zuckerbrot says. "Basically, it speeds up the passage of material through your digestive tract and sweeps out all the toxins in your body." Translation: Hello, fiber; goodbye, constipation.

As long as you're eating natural foods, you'll reap the belly-filling benefits of both kinds of fiber. By taking up space in your stomach, fiber foils overeating by making you feel too stuffed to keep snacking. And while you're enjoying the satisfaction of a full stomach, you can gloat over the fact that it likely took fewer calories to achieve that feeling: Foods that pack a lot of fiber can help lower your carb intake. If you're noshing on cereal with 44 grams of carbs per serving, but 10 of those carb grams come from dietary fiber, your body will absorb only the 34 grams of nonfiber carbs. The result: High-fiber fare can help you stay out of the spike-and-crash cycle some high-carb foods can create.

Diamonds in the roughage

The only bad thing about fiber is that most of us don't get enough of it. "More research is showing that Americans' intake of fruits and vegetables remains below recommended levels," says Sari Greaves, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Remember that RDA of 25 grams? The average woman squeaks by on about 14, according to the Agricultural Research Service. Too many of us chow down on fiber-empty grub like chips and soda. Fiber-rich foods deliver more bang for their bulk: They tend to be the most nutrient-dense, which matters if you're cutting calories.

Now that fiber comes in everything from yogurt to grape juice, it might be tempting to let fiber-added goods fill the gap. But while those products have their place, they shouldn't be your go-to source. "It's always better to get your fiber from whole foods," Greaves says. Supplements and add-ins don't have the same nutritional benefits as whole foods.

Some easy ways to sneak in natural fiber:

Add a small salad to your dinner.
Swap out your white rice for brown.
Toss kidney beans or chickpeas into your soup.
Switch to cereal with at least five grams of fiber per serving, or go 50-50 with your usual cereal and a higher-octane variety.
Eat high-fiber fruit like raspberries with light whipped cream for dessert.

But before you start eating kidney beans by the truckload, remember that most experts recommend upping your fiber intake gradually. A sudden increase can leave you bloated and gassy — side effects sure to sabotage your efforts to look good in a miniskirt. "If you're getting about 10 grams a day and suddenly shoot up to 25, you're going to experience a little discomfort," says Carolyn Williams, a nurse practitioner at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. "You're just not used to that bulkiness."

A better strategy: Start small and build. And drink plenty of H2O — without it, you may find yourself in even more of a bind (pun intended). Don't go overboard, either. Fiber's benefits start to wane once you hit 50 grams per day. "It doesn't happen often," Greaves says, "but you can max out. Too much fiber can compromise the absorption of vitamins and minerals."

If you're not getting enough fiber through food alone, supplements can make up the difference. "Fiber got a bad rap in the '70s because there were all these horrible concoctions — twigs and branches and wheat germ," Williams says. "Now we can get it without even tasting it. Fiber from supplements makes people full, and it's very healthy for you." Sounds better than tree bark, doesn't it?

What you need to know before you head to the mall.

Stores that are planning to close after Christmas are still selling gift cards through the holidays even though the cards may be worthless if there isn't another outlet nearby or even still in business to honor them. There is nothing illegal about the companies continuing to sell them.

Here's a partial list of stores we need to be cautious about:

Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide closing
Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 stores nationwide
Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing down specialty stores
J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbots)
Pacific Sunwear (also owned by Talbots)
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores; more to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing down remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ ( New Brunswick )
Macys to close 9 stores after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing down all stores
Sharper Image closing down all stor~s
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Loews to close down some stores
Dillard's to close some stores

Sex and Pregnancy

sex in pregnancy: the ultimate guide



Too sick to want to? Not sure if you even still can? Whether you can't wait to try it or you're scared you might hurt the baby, one thing is for sure; sex during pregnancy is a whole new experience. Separate the myths from the facts right here. And get ready to have some fun again! Read more

Whether you're up for it or feeling too tired or sick, there's no escaping the fact that sex during pregnancy is a whole new experience. Some women report that it's the best they've ever had, while others are less than enthusiastic. Of course, both responses are completely normal. Let's find out why.

If you're the woman who is experiencing sex like never before, your pregnant body holds the clue. This heightened pleasure and libido can probably be attributed to the increased blood flow to the pelvic area – including the uterus, vagina and clitoris – where more sensitive nerve endings live. Or, it may be that you finally feel free from the worries about conception and contraception – where a bedroom free of condoms, pills, gels, or diaphragms means no fuss, hassle-free, spontaneous sex. If you find yourself on the other end of the spectrum - where sex isn't even on the radar now that you're pregnant – you're not alone.

The same engorgement that can push some women over the edge of pleasure can give others an uncomfortable feeling of fullness or even abdominal cramping during or after sex. You may be just too darn tired or nauseated to make love – or even care. This really rings true in the first trimester – when early discomforts like breast tenderness, nausea, vomiting and fatigue can lessen your sex drive. Emotionally, a woman may feel less desirable now that she's pregnant or her thoughts may turn inward toward the baby and less to her own pleasure. But things should pick up once you're past the early part of pregnancy. In fact, for many women, the second trimester ushers in a renewed energy and desire for sex. In the last trimester your appetite may wane again as impending labour, delivery, and your belly loom large. And by this point, some women just feel too big and unattractive to even worry about sex.

But what about how the father-to-be feels? Your partner probably finds you sexier than ever. In fact, his desire may actually grow as you and the baby do. The luckiest men are thrilled with the changes pregnancy brings to their sex life. A new voluptuousness in their partner – including larger, fuller breasts and belly – are a real turn-on for many men. But just as some women have reservations about sex in pregnancy, your partner may as well. His desire may be dampened by his concern for you and the baby's health, apprehension and anxiety about becoming a new father, fear that sex can hurt the baby, or even self-consciousness about making love in the presence of your unborn child.


Here are the most common myths about having sex during pregnancy:

Myth #1 ~ Having sex will cause premature labour
Although no medical evidence exists to show sex causes labour – or miscarriage – stimulation of the breasts can speed up the production of oxytocin – a chemical that can cause contractions when you near your due date. But wait. As pregnancy progresses, you'll discover that you can – and indeed will – have all sorts of minute contractions without going into labour. This is an absolutely normal part of pregnancy. And although sex is totally safe until the day you deliver – your doctor or midwife may decide to limit sex if your pregnancy is considered high risk. This includes women with a previous history of premature labour, early cervical dilation, placenta previa, premature rupture of the membranes or vaginal bleeding or pain during intercourse.

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