Gimme a break.  TV marketers must think Americans are idiots.  And gullible.  And desperate.

I don't doubt that the woman who claims she lost 52 pounds by going through the Taco Bell drive thru, actually did lose the weight.  I mean, if she didn't, she is going to be sued, sued, sued!!!  And so will Taco Bell - after all, their pockets are probably deeper than hers.

HOWEVER, if this is true, what foods did she eat before?!!

She said she replaced her "normal fast food" with Taco Bell.  So she swapped Big Macs and fries covered in salt and dripping in ketchup for tacos?  Not exactly something I would be too proud of.  What other food did she eat?  Was it pizza, fried chicken, frosties, and donuts?  What types of exercise did she do?  Was it being a couch potato and using the remote control?  Is her blood pressure lower?  Is her cholesterol lower?

Let's use some common sense.  You lose weight by taking in less calories than you burn.  Period.

Don't let the advertisers pull you in and make you think that you can lose weight and be healthier by eating their fast food over someone else's.  We really are much smarter than that!!!

Now that I have your attention.....

No seriously, Weight Watchers has really placed their logo on 3 meals in New Zealand's McDonald's restaurants.  Each meal has a point value of 6.5.

At first I thought that McD's introduced new meals such as grilled fish or a veggie burger.  Not exactly.  The three meals are....

Chicken McNuggets, Fillet-O-Fish, and Sweet Chili Seared Chicken Wrap.  OMG!  Let's see, each has between 18 and 29 grams of fat, and is at least 385 calories.  The 385 calories isn't bad by itself, but how many people go to McD's and order the McNuggets without sauce, or a meal without fries, a baked potato, a soda, or a frosty?  C'mon, get real.

Read the article for yourself.  Is this a real effort by Weight Watchers to help consumers make smart choices?  Or is it a marketing ploy?  Let me know what you think!

This is a HUGE weekend for sports enthusiasts in the Midwest.  Since 1989, health and fitness buffs have been converging on Columbus Ohio to participate or attend the Arnold Sports Festival (formerly called The Arnold Classic).  You probably guessed that it is named after Arnold Swarzanegger.  It has grown exponentially since its inception in 1989 when there were 29 athletes contending in just two events.  Now in 2010, there are 17,000 athletes competing in 40 sports and competitions, including 13 Olympic sports.  Some of these events are archery, boxing, fencing, figure and speed skating, gymnastics, hockey skills, judo, running, table tennis, tae kwon do, weightlifting, and wrestling.

In addition to these, there is also a three-day Fitness Expo.  My husband and I have gone to this for the past few years, and each year when we leave, we are already looking forward to the next one.  We were there Friday and …

it was packed with people of all ages, body types and sizes, and backgrounds.

We tasted several samples, bought a few items at lower costs than normal, and even found a soon-to-be-released protein bar that was delicious.  We're counting the days until it is officially marketed!

The Arnold Fitness Expo is a smorgasbord of health supplements and products, ranging from protein powder to enriched water to spray-on tanning solutions.  Fitness magazines, personal trainer certification organizations, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and the military are also represented.  This trade show is truly a fantastic and inexpensive way for the beginner or the experienced to learn, sample, and buy at reduced prices.  Many of the booths offer free samples, and some even give away t-shirts and shaker bottles.  Tables are staffed with knowledgeable manufacturer representatives who are excited to share their products and answer your questions.

The Expo gets very busy, very quickly so if you are considering attending, you should plan accordingly.  Think of a shopping mall about a week before the holidays, jammed with people carrying multiple bags filled with gifts.  Now, take about 1/2 of the people and add muscles.  Lots of them!  This is how crowded some of the aisles get. The good news is that there is cell phone coverage so should you and your friends get separated, you can always call each other and choose a place to meet.

Many well known fitness and health professionals autograph photos or books, and pose for pictures. Sylvester Stallone was there a few years ago when he had just released his own line of supplements.  This year, Lou Ferrigno - who has been there ever since we started going, Tosca Reno, Monica Brant, and Branch Warren were just a few of the celebrities.  And yes, Arnold himself was also there on Saturday.  Robert Kennedy, the man behind Oxygen, MuscleMag International, Maximum Fitness and other publications was also meeting and greeting attendees.

On a more personal note, I decided to try the Marines' challenge.  In short, it is a competition to win an official Marines lanyard, hat, water bottle or t-shirt.  Men needed to complete a certain number of pull ups and women had to perform a flex arm hang.  I admit at first I felt a little offended that men and women were given different exercises to perform because I incorporate pull ups in my routines. But when I saw that to win the “top” prize, a t-shirt, a man had to complete 28 pull ups, I suddenly was more comfortable with 85 seconds of the flex arm hang.  Now although I exercise regularly, I hadn't tried a flex arm hang since I was in junior high or high school.  But they said they had a t-shirt in my size, so I thought, what the heck?

I'm excited to say that not only did I get a t-shirt, but I also broke the record so far that day.  I held myself up for 111 seconds.  I know my time may have been surpassed since then, but I impressed the Marines who were staffing the booth, and I got a really cool wick-away Marines t-shirt, which I wore today during my workout.