The Fat Girl's Guide to Living

I realize that not everyone owns an iPhone, or even wants to. But one look around any public space and you’ll notice that like it or not, the smartphone is here to stay. The good news: the technology is rapidly advancing in terms of performance and the array of inexpensive downloads (known as “applications,” or “apps”) available to users. These babies are only going to get better, faster, and able to perform more tasks to simplify and amplify our lives. Even if you have no immediate plans to purchase an iPhone, there are some good web sites associated with some of these apps that are worth checking out.

Shopping – Red Laser is the first app I discovered (thanks to my friend Jennifer) that made me feel like the new millennium had finally arrived. Sure, we don’t have jetpacks or flying cars (yet), but we can use our phones to scan stuff to compare prices! That’s close, right? Okay maybe not, but still . . . it’s a simple, cool, useful app you can use to instantly comparison shop in ways we’ve never really been able to do before. The down side: it only compares prices among a set amount of retailers, but I’d watch for this one to expand. For groceries, Grocery IQ and Shopper are handy grocery list apps (I use Shopper but wish it had a menu planning function) and Relish has a seriously delicious-looking app for meal planning and shopping (and making our foodie columnist Michelle drool) and Big Oven has a free app that lets you browse their burgeoning recipe database.

Nutrition & Fitness Tracking – Not all of our readers are looking to lose weight, but for those who are, the SparkPeople iPhone app received props from our readers when we gave a shout-out for faves on Twitter. Membership on SparkPeople is free, and it works a lot like Weight Watchers, My Food Diary, and other sites that allow you to track food intake and exercise – and it’s free! (We love that!). Speaking of Weight Watchers, members can take their points with them via the Weight Watchers Mobile app, which is also free.

Health & Wellness – hLog is a comprehensive app that tracks your overall health, including medications, sleep cycles, and other information.  GoMeals helps diabetics track nutritional information, find nearby restaurants, and record daily food intake. Diabetes Pilot allows users to record blood glucose levels, insulin doses, and produces trends summarizing your diabetes care. There are even apps to track your menstrual cycles – yes, really. For time zone and otherwise numerically challenged people like me, this is ideal (though I just circle the date on my wall calendar). iPeriod estimates your future periods and also helps you predict ovulation, for girls who are trying to conceive. New millennium, indeed. ShapeWriter is a company dedicated to making typing easier and more intuitive. For those of us with tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, having easier ways to type that put less stress on overused tendons is definitely worth considering. Finally, I use Ambiance daily for relaxation while meditating and background music while working, and there are tons of white noise sounds to help you get to sleep.

Good Eats – Urban Spoon offers city-specific restaurant recs, and I love the simplicity of TripAdvisor’s Local Picks. And not to tempt you Starbucks addicts too much, but they have two positively dreamy apps: one to find the nearest ‘bux and another to record the balance on your Starbucks card. Hello Vino is a free app that pairs the perfect wine with whatever you’re dining on at the moment.

Just for Fun – I may have an addiction to Words with Friends (a Scrabble knockoff with a social networking twist) and Crosswords, but they’re relatively healthy and inexpensive brain workouts compared to my former Starbucks jones. The Gratitude Journal and Vision Board apps are not only a blast to use, but they’re a perfect way to kick off a new year by giving thanks and dreaming big. I included this one just for Tee: Star Walk is a stargazing guide that shows phases of the moon, meteor showers, and constellations. Tell me that isn’t fun! And just today, I just discovered the Lego Photo app, which instantly turns your photos you into bright plastic brick works of art – for free.

Before You Buy - Talk to your friends and ask them about their favorite apps – a fun rite of passage for new iPhone owners. You’ll be sure to get an earful and/or an inbox filled with suggestions. A quick shout-out on Twitter (using Tweetie2, my favorite Twitter app) asking people for their favorite apps related to any topic under the sun will net you at least a few good responses. Also, read reviews before you buy and write them afterward; developers want to keep customers coming back and will listen to your requests for tweaks and additions. Finally, many apps associated with social media sites are free – like the flickr and Facebook applications, allowing you to bring your friends with you wherever you go.

So, girls: dish on your favorite iPhone apps, fat-girl-specific or not. And from all of us at FGG, have a wonderful new year!

Chilling in Camp Dining Room moments before the kids kicked me off and took over

We realize that roughing it isn’t for everyone, but camping is an affordable and fun way to travel. Camping also offers the chance to disconnect from email and text messages while reconnecting with the natural world. And sleeping on the ground needn’t mean the end of all creature comforts, even if you’re on the fuller size of full-figured.

If you’ve never been camping before, you might wonder why more than a sleeping bag is necessary. First, it’s not like you’ll find grandma’s neon orange shag carpet out there–without a proper barrier between you and Mother Earth, rocks, roots, and twigs will go bump in your night. Some campgrounds even require that you pitch a tent in a designated area, which is often covered with gravel. Second, a camping mattress also provides insulation from the cold–and sometimes wet–ground. Third, depending on the type of activity you’ll be doing, like backpacking or hiking into a remote campsite, the bulk and weight of the mattress itself might matter.

But finding a bed away from home isn’t always easy given the array of choices, not all of which are geared toward girls of a certain size. Here’s our guide to finding that sweet sleeping spot that won’t leave you feeling like you’re dozing on top of a marshmallow.

Get to know the types of camping mattresses and pads.

Foam pads – You may have used the ancestral version of these pads (which remind me of the stuff they use to make Crocs) for Girl Scout campouts. Designs and materials have evolved since then; there’s some spring to these pads, there’s nothing to inflate (or leak), and the insulating properties are decent, but I’d put these at the lower end of the comfort scale for most users.

Self-inflating pads – The term “pad” and “mattress” are sometimes used interchangeably here because self-inflating pads combine the best of many backpacking and camping worlds: portability, durability, and comfort. Self-inflating pads come in a variety of lengths, widths, and thicknesses depending on your needs. Backpackers often use shorter, narrower, and thinner pads to save ounces on the trail, but car campers can afford a bit more luxury, which is what I’m all about at this point in my outdoorsy life.

Air mattresses with pumps – These look more like the mattress on your bed or the Aerobed you have stowed away for overnight guests. Pluses: they come in a range of sizes (including queen and king) and are widely available at big box retailers. Minuses: these tend to have a “waterbed effect,” which I prefer to leave in the 1970s where it belongs. Add a sleepmate to the mix and if anyone moves, it feels like you’re riding on a raft in the ocean awaiting rescue. This type of mattress tends to be more vulnerable to leaks and punctures (more surface area means more can go wrong) and they often require a separate foot or battery-operated pump. The technology is always improving on these things, so read reviews of recent models to see if stability and durability improve over time.

My personal pick – I use a size large REI Camp Bed 3.5 Self-Inflating Pad, pictured above. First off, it’s much smaller and therefore more portable than traditional air mattresses, and it’s a snap to set up (“self inflating” pretty much means what it says). Second, it’s thicker than a backpacking mattress (for a good suggestion on those, check out this glowing review of the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir by the gear testers at Backpacker magazine) and I find it super-comfy for my size 20 bod. My husband feels these are just a bit too narrow, but he’s 6′1″ with a rib cage like a linebacker, so we probably should have purchased an extra large for him (REI lists the specs for each mattress on their web site). Finally, it doesn’t slide around on the tent floor, it feels luxurious, and I sleep really well using it.

Take one for a test roll. Find a reputable retailer who will let you try out a mattress first. REI is renowned for their excellent customer service, so if you have one in your area, check them out. Check the return policy to make sure you can return the mattress or pad if it doesn’t work out. Again, companies like REI, L.L. Bean, and even some independent shops (ask around!) will accept returns of used items, while big box retailers might be less likely to do so. And don’t forget about borrowing gear from friends to see if a particular pad or mattress might work for you.

Now that you have some of the basics down, what are you waiting for? Get shopping for that next overnight under the stars!

Let us know your favorites! This guide is based on my over twenty years of camping and backpacking experience but it’s by no means exhaustive. If you have a favorite camping pad or mattress–or hammock or cot–share what works for you in the comments section.