Tara Cox is Corporate Dietitian and Program Development Manager for Jenny Craig, Inc. She has pledged to help us health-watching singletons with some great tips for getting through the day (and nights out).

I was a low-fat dieter, then a low-carber, then a South Beacher, and now I’m all about high fiber and The F Factor. What diet ideology do you most strongly believe in?

When it comes down to it, to lose weight you need to eat fewer calories than your body burns each day. Carbohydrates, protein and fat are all part of a balanced diet. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, on which the Jenny Craig Menus are based, is the model for a healthful, balanced diet.
Because weight management is not just about food, you’ll want to find a comprehensive program like Jenny Craig’s that offers a food/body/mind approach to safe weight loss. As opposed to fad diets or quick fix programs, you want to find a program that teaches you how to create a healthy relationship with food, build an active lifestyle, and develop a balanced approach to living – the three critical cornerstones that can contribute to long-term success.
The important thing is not only to lose the weight, but to utilize the strategies and tools necessary to be able to successfully maintain it and encourage positive lifestyle changes.

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I hate to exercise. For me, walking to the subway and down to the platform is a schlep. I’ve tried to keep it fun with “sexy” workouts, but even those feel like an ordeal after a while. What do you advise for us couch potatoes, to get and stay active?

What you want to do is find an activity you enjoy – and then make it a “standing appointment” during your week. Walking is a wonderful way to be active and enjoy a good cardiovascular workout, and all you need to begin is a supportive pair of walking shoes. You can start small – maybe 15 minutes – and then build up your distance and time as you get stronger.
If structured workouts are not your style, try adding more activity into your regular routine and wear a pedometer to chart your steps. Ten thousand steps per day is a good goal, so you can challenge yourself to see how close you get to that milestone each day – including walking to the subway, strolling the halls at work, running errands on foot, cleaning the house, gardening, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, etc. Every step adds up!
If walking isn’t for you, consider joining a gym where you can choose between equipment such as elliptical machines, recumbent bikes and strength training machines and organized classes, including yoga, Pilates, aerobics, spinning and dancing. Whatever you do, find an activity you enjoy … and do it on a regular basis.
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Some swear by soy, others say it’s the devil. I personally love my soy lattes so much, I dream about them, and never have my cereal without some soy milk. Is it good for you? (In comparison to dairy?) What about fat/calorie comparisons?
It’s perfectly safe to substitute soy milk for traditional dairy milk. Most soy milks are similar in calories to a nonfat or low fat milk, and are fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Soy protein has the added benefit of helping to lower cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. It really is all a matter of preference.
Here’s a comparison of their nutritional content:

• 8 oz. soy milk: 98 calories, 7 g protein, 8 grams carb, 4 grams fat, 367 mg Calcium

• 8 oz. lowfat milk (1%): 102 calories, 8 grams protein, 12 grams carb, 2.5 grams fat, 290 mg Calcium

Research results are mixed when looking at the risk that soy isoflavones have for women who have breast cancer or are at risk for breast cancer. If there is a risk, it would be in consuming supplements with high isoflavone content. Moderate consumption of soy-based foods, like soy milk, should not be a concern.
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My friends and I like to tell ourselves that if we insist on eating out, sticking to Asian foods is way healthier and more diet friendly, specifically sushi. Is that true? Or are there still dangers there?

With any ethnic cuisine, there are nutritious food choices as well as less-than-healthy ones. The key is to know which is which … and to make your selections accordingly.
Often, even seemingly healthy entrees at an Asian restaurant contain breading or heavy sauces. To keep fat to a minimum, look for dishes cooked by the stir-fry or steam method. Your best choices are Chop Suey/Chow Mein, Lo Mein, Steamed Rice, Sushi/Sashimi, Sashimi, Shabu-Shabu and Teriyaki. You’ll want to go easy on Cashew Nut Chicken, Egg Rolls, Fried Rice, Sweet & Sour Entrees, Tempura, and Fried Noodles.

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Are cocktails off limits? Or is anything in moderation ok? I blame margaritas whenever my jeans are tight…
As with your favorite higher fat foods, the key is moderation – not deprivation. It’s fine to enjoy a glass of wine with friends on a Friday night – just remember that over-indulging can lower your inhibitions and numb hunger cues, leading you to overeat. If you choose to drink alcohol, it’s best to limit it to no more than one serving per day for women, and two servings per day for men
And instead of a traditional cocktail, consider low-calorie alternatives like a virgin cosmopolitan (cranberry juice with a twist of lime), sugar free tonic with lime, fruit juice with a splash of tonic, Virgin Mary (tomato juice with pepper and spices), wine spritzer (half wine/half soda water), rum with Diet Coke, or light beer/nonalcoholic beer.

From CNN:
Police: Man swiped 1,500 women’s undies
PULLMAN, Washington (AP) — A man was charged with theft and burglary after police said they found 93 pounds of women’s panties, brassieres and other underwear at his home.

Investigators believe Garth M. Flaherty, 24, took as many as 1,500 undergarments from apartment complex laundry rooms before he was caught, police Cmdr. Chris Tennant said.

A man was seen taking underwear from two laundry rooms Saturday, a witness recorded his license number, and Flaherty was identified from photographs, Tennant said.

Police found enough underwear in his bedroom to fill five garbage bags, Tennant said.

“He said he had a problem,” Tennant said.

Flaherty has been jailed on 12 counts of second-degree burglary and one of first-degree theft.

Police had previously received 12 reports of underwear thefts in the northeast part of town, where Washington State University is located.

“We were kind of concerned about how to match up bras and panties with victims,” Tennant said. “Based on the unique descriptions from a couple of women, we can tie him to those thefts.”

The underwear will be held as evidence until the case is resolved, after which their disposition is uncertain, Tennant said.

“Would you really want them back?” he asked. “I would say not.”

Last summer, while doing a fair complexion story for Beauty News NYC, I discovered Bare Escentuals.

My very (very, very) white skin doesn’t agree very well with most foundations on the market. I either end up yellow, pasty, or like I stuck white out on my face. Not very attractive. Anyway, BE was not like the others, and I found it actually gave really natural-looking coverage while staying true to my complexion.

I had never tried mineral makeup, I was thus intrigued. Made of pure crushed minerals, bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation looks like a powder, but feels sort of creamy, and can help a lot if you are like me and have that whole pale blotchy thing going on.

So, I got started, with their “Get Started” kit. I feel now this was a calculated move to get me hooked and then reel me in…cause since then, it’s all just spiraled out of control.

I’ve become something of a ho. I can’t get enough. First, their brow kit helped save me from flaxen ruin. (Try being this blonde. You go through life looking like you have NO BROWS. It could be a problem.) Then the big tease mascara gave me lashes that made it look like I had invested in extensions.

Normally I can control myself, I’m in the biz of makeup. I shouldn’t be so paralyzed with love for one line. But yet. I need help.

So, I’m trying to curb my habit. Right after I finish playing with my new shimmery liner shadows.

Sometimes I’ll be out to dinner with my friends, and stare at menu items in a state of semi-panic. Things will seem fairly inoculous enough, but it’s always hard to tell for sure. And, we all know, a few bad choices can send your entire effort off course.

I think I may have found help. The Salter 1440 Portable Nutri-Weigh & Go Dietary Computer Scale calculates the nutritional values of your food as calories, protein, carbohydrates, total sugars, total fat, saturated fat, fiber, sodium, cholesterol, net carbs, G.I value and % of calories from fat.

I confess, I haven’t had the nerve to bring it out with me yet - my friends already think I’m a little nutty. But it’s already helping me make smarter choices at home!

Being a porcelain-skinned blond *does* have its drawbacks: fair, sensitive, often painfully dry skin. I invest loads in the best of lotions and potions, but had never took the time to get a good facial.

Well, if I treated my girlie bits to a present to celebrate the first week of Spring, my face deserved something special as well.

Joanna Vargas is the star of star facialists. and from face to fanny, I was enthralled. On the agenda this visit was her much-sought-after Triple Crown facial, a 3-step process that exfoliates away dead skin, followed by lymphatic drainage and a micro-current that promotes collagen and elastin — which works the soothes the puffiness out of your face. Finishing with an oxygen treatment, it is truly an exercise in decadence, but is also the ultimate in nourishment. Yes, having a gush of pure oxygen sounds freaky and new-agey, but it is undeniably refreshing. The oxygen is part of a completely natural theme. Joanna’s skin care approach is very holistic, all the products are organic, and the serums are spiked with antioxidants.

While having my face buffed and basted anew, I also received a bit of “tone up”. Joanna does the ultimate NYC favor - working two parts of your body simultaneously. The tone up uses a contraption thus-far-unknown to the US that depletes accumulated stress from the body and smooths out cellulite. As the machine works, you will feel the ebb and flow of subtle vibrations — almost like a pinpointed mini-massage.

The results? Let’s just say, an hour later, I walked through the streets of the city without a stitch of makeup and yet contently glowing.

The unfortunate news? It appears I have a new addiction.

Joanna Vargas, 501 Fifth Ave., 212-949-2350

http://www.joannavargas.com/index.html

I love sugar.

So, when Face to Face NYC informed me that I could use this sweet goodness in order to make my girlie bits smooth and soft, I was, well, intrigued.

Sugaring has existed in the Middle East for thousands of years, but is very new to our parts. (In fact, only a few salons in the city do the treatment.) An alternative to waxing, it is a form of hair removal using all natural (and edible) ingredients — sugar and honey. Sugar has huge antiseptic and healing properties, as well, which means that if you have super sensitive skin, the redness will go away much sooner.

Sugaring also hurts way less than waxing, though your first time applying it to your bikini area is going to hurt, no matter what. Especially for a girl who has always shaved (My aestician explained to me that this is because shaving an area for years gives it a “beard-like” result, regrowth-wise, and makes removing that hair sort of like ripping a band-aid from skin. Repeatedly.)

That said, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting. (Images of writhing legs and cries for my mommy were in my thoughts all day.) It did hurt, and sting a bit after, but the entire process took about a half hour, and I will not have regrowth for about a month. This is very nice when you are used to daily visits with your razor. And even nicer, sugaring weakens the hair root, so less will grow back and when it does grow back, it will be thinner, softer, and much more agreeable to the sugar. (ie: next time, I may not even need those tylenol beforehand!)

Lessons I learned during my very first Brazillian bikini sugaring:

1 - Apparently my naughty bits were very excited to meet the sugar, and parts got moist. Even more interestingly, this is very common. (You’d think being naked in front of a stranger with hot substances would give the area pause…) The problem with this is that when you are sugaring, the area must be completely dry and oil-free. Otherwise, the sugar sort of sticks and has to be dried with powder to be removed. I hope I don’t turn into a baked good.

2 -Because sugaring involves completely organic, water-soluable ingredients, it also can remove dead skin cells. So, while you think you are just getting your hair yanked out, you are really getting a great exfoliation as well. I love 2-4-1 deals.

3 - Let your hair grow before waxing/sugaring! I only stopped shaving about a week ago, and because of that, there were some fine blonde hairs too short to get. Without enough regrowth, you can’t get your best results. And, by the way, if you have too much regrowth, you better trim, or you’ll have trouble as well.

Much like giving birth, the euphoria of the results was so plentiful that I was able to hit two parties immediately after with a bounce in my steps and forget the pain — which was in itself not nearly as bad as the hype. If you do go to Face to Face, ask for Diane. She’s super sweet and happily will talk you through things. Which is pretty nice, with the whole stranger pouring hot liquids on your privates, aspect.

For more information on your own sugaring (since you know you want one now too…)

Face to Face NYC
20 west 20th street
suite 603
new york city 10011
212.633.0404
info@facetofacenyc.com

On a whim last night, I went to a local salon for one of their $12 mani/pedi combos. This afternoon, I’m going for a sugaring, and the last thing I want to do is shove chipped toes in the aesthetician’s face as I writhe in “mild discomfort”. It would, I believe, be rude.

While clearly I did not expect vino or hot stones at this price point, I did have a certain degree of expectations. However, when I returned home and two toes were already mussed, I realized that even at a bargain rate, this was no deal.

So, what can we expect from a pedicure? I consulted Elsie Loreus, owner of NYC’s esteemed Paradise 54 salon:

“What is a pedicure? What is the most important part of a pedicure? It’s more than polish on toes. The polish is just the final touch. A holistic approach to the foot must be taken. It’s not just about beauty procedures, but massage is just as important to promote good circulation and the general health of the feet. All of these procedures lead to beautiful feet.”

Gotcha. So, probably my 5-minute bargain salon lukewarm foot bath would not apply.

“First of all, you must give yourself time for a proper pedicure. I prefer an afternoon pedicure. You’re not in a rush and you’re not too tired. You can relax and enjoy the pedicure. The feet should soak with sea salt in warm
water and spiked with your favorite smelling oil. After a good soak, the feet should be exfoliate with a salt scrub. Next, the feet should be coated with three layers of warm paraffin wax. Followed by a reflexology massage to pamper tired soles.”
Well, it was still daylight out when I went for my $12 deal, so I got that part right…

“Women focus too much on a youthful complexion and figure, and ignore their hands and feet. Taking care of your hands and feet is more than just about the latest trends. It’s an essential step of the boomer generation’s pursuit
of eternal youth..”

Thanks so much to Elsie Loreus for these great tips. We’re going to have a more in-depth Q&A with her soon, so send any questions you have my way. Also look forward to a She Knows piece on where to find the best pedicures in and around the city.

For now, I’m going to go find a pretty pair of socks.

Friends, I ask:

If you were about to get your naughty bits waxed (ahem, sugared), to be immediately followed by a cocktail party…

What would you wear?

As today is the first truly spring-like day of the season, I present you with a recipe for one of my absolute favorite cocktails.

Margaritas are, alas, a guilty pleasure of mine. The mixture of tequila and sinful sugar, and sweet, sweet, agave gets my insides all aflutter. (In more ways than one.)

When my friends at Partida Tequila told me they had reinvented the margarita by substituting agave nectar for sugar, I was aflutter in an entirely new way. The only thing better than my favorite naughty indulgence is making it a guiltless pleasure.

This new recipe removes all the sugar and replaces it with pure agave nectar.

The Partida Tequila Margarita contains:

o 1 oz. lime juice (app. the juice from one lime)
o ¾ oz. pure, organic agave nectar
o ¾ oz. pure spring water
o 1.5 oz. Partida Tequila Blanco, Reposado or Añejo

The agave nectar used in the cocktail is an organic, natural fructose sweetener extracted from the blue agave plant, which, by the way, my friends, is also considered a natural “hot” plant. Fringe benefit, indeed.

Best excuse ever for being drunk and horny.