Attending Fitbloggin’10

Hi All:

Very excited to be in Baltimore for the first Fitbloggin event spearheaded by Roni Noone of  GreenLiteBites. And I ‘m even more honored to be presenting with my friends at IFIC today and also wrapping up the event with a keynote address. Check out this all-star food and fitness blogger lineup!

Saturday March 20, 2010

6:30 – 7:30	New Balance Run/Walk – Click here for Info! Meet in Harborside Ballroom Salon C
8:00 – 9:00	Registration & Breakfast Be sure to stop by and have Breakfast with the Dietitian! in Harborside Ballroom Salon C
9:00 – 9:30	Welcome A Boxing Blogger Success Story in Harborside Ballroom Salon C
9:30- 10:30	Blogs, Accessibility and SEO: Dispelling the Myths. Presented by Scott Stawarz in Harborside Ballroom Salon A	Don’t write about junk science: How to critically evaluate research. Presented by IFIC in Harborside Ballroom Salon B
10:30 – 10:50	Break – Mizfit’s Muscle in Minutes! in Harborside Ballroom Salon C
10:50 – 12:10	Getting Noticed: How to Pitch to Traditional Media with  Sahar Elhodiri Aker Dawn Wellington Jordan Bartel Courtney Robinson in Harborside Ballroom Salon A	WordPress from .com to Self Hosted: An in Depth look into one of the Most popular Blogging Software out there. Presented by Jim Doran in Harborside Ballroom Salon B
12:10 – 1:10	Lunch in Harborside Ballroom Salon C
1:10 – 1:25	POM Presentation in Harborside Ballroom Salon C
1:25 – 2:40	Beyond the Blog: Getting Published with  Charlie Hills Linda Konner Jennette Fulda Caitlin Boyle Brett Blumenthal in Harborside Ballroom Salon A	Body Image and Blogging: What are we teaching our kids? with  Heather Blessington Marsha Hudnall Melissa “Lissa” Henriquez Carla Birnberg in Harborside Ballroom Salon B
2:40 – 3:00	Mizfit’s Muscle in Minutes! Pure2Raw Snack Table in Harborside Ballroom Salon C
3:00 – 4:15	Using Social Media to Reach Goals: The Power of an Online Community  Carmen Staicer Theresa DiMasi Carla Birnberg Benjamin Teal Leah Segedie in Harborside Ballroom Salon A	Making Money From Your Blog: Should You? Could You? How? Esther Brady Crawford Ted Rubin Emi Hofmeister Brett Blumenthal in Harborside Ballroom Salon B
4:15 – 5:30	EA SPORTS Active SonicTap Thriv Gruve Weight Watchers Closing Keynote brought to you by Quaker – Dave Grotto in Harborside Ballroom Salon C
5:30 – 7:00	Post Conference Reception Brought to you by Book Signings in Harborside Ballroom Salon B

 

Cool, eh? Lots of folks are twittering inquiries about Fitbloggin’11 registration – this is the event to attend for next year, for sure!

I will post again on Sunday with cool pictures and a recap with what I experienced while I was here.

Ciao and Chow!

“Ask The Guyatitian”: Belly Fat & Avocados

Irony or ironies…I have been absent from blogging to get ready for my keynote address at Fitbloggin’10 which is being held in Baltimore in a few short days. Ridiculous excuse, I know. Sorry for being away so long!

Back to business. I present to you, another rousing rendition of “Ask the Guyatitian”!

Dear Guyatitian:

I’ve been doing a pretty good job of losing weight but I’ve got about 10-20 pounds around my belly that I’d like to shed. I’m concerned because I hear that belly fat is  a problem health-wise. But I heard that eating avocados might help. This makes no sense. I thought avocados were high in fat? What’s the skinny on this fatty?

Gary from Tampa

Dear Gary:

You have a right to be concerned. Carrying around a good chunk of fat around your belly is  a risk factor for high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome , reduced lung function, headaches, dementia, type 2 diabetes, depression, heart disease and possibly a slew of other health challenges such as erectile dysfunction and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). By the way Gary, no worries for you on the PCOS thingy – pass that info on to women that you may know who are having a hard time getting pregnant, managing their weight or controlling their cholesterol.

According to the National Institutes of Health, if you are a guy with a waist measurement of over 40 inches or a gal with a waist over 35 inches, you are at risk for the biggies I just mentioned. 

Now that you are uber motivated to shed the love handles, let’s give you the nutrition smack-down on Avocados… Oh yeah, Hass avocado variety, specifically…

Avocados are one of the best food sources of a type of fat that may benefit your belly called “MUFAs” (monounsaturated fatty acids). A 2007 study featured in the journal Diabetes Care found that a MUFA-rich diet prevented belly fat from accumulating when compared to a high carbohydrate and high saturated fat diet  – both diets delivered the same number of calories. A Harvard study and a Australian study found similar results.

Avocados, though high in fat, only contain 50 calories per serving (1/5 of an avocado or 1 ounce). Of course, a guy-sized portion is 1/2 of an avocado but still can work nicely in a weight reduction plan as that translates to only 125 calories. Besides, avocado makes a tasty spread and is a great swap out for less nutritious mayo, butter and margarine spreads!

Here’s a little eductational yet delicious video I did on avocados for your viewing pleasure. Pull up a chair and pass the guac!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzY3B64QNLk

PS: Love the screen grab on YouTube – looks like I lost my dentures – ha!

PSS: Just heard that there is a woman who wants to be the first woman to achieve a weight of 1000 pounds. She is eating over 12,000 calories a day. Gary, are you still there? Stay away from this woman!

PSS: In the interest of full disclosure, I have worked with the Chilean Avocado Importers Association as a spokesperson.