Photo: Courtesy of Tony Posnanski

First he felt numbness in his arms, then his doctor said that weighing 420 pounds at 5 feet 6 inches, he had three months to live if he didn't choose to have a gastric bypass or turn his life around. If Tony Posnanski needed further motivation to lose the weight, he found it in his wife's constant worry that he was going to die of a heart attack. So in February 2008, the self-proclaimed lifetime yo-yo dieter decided to ditch the fads and started his "Anti-Jared" journey. Since then he's lost 216 pounds, to weigh in today at 204. (He dropped just below 200 before, but missed his muscular build.) Now that he's at a weight he feels comfortable with, and his wife and newborn to stay healthy for, he says he would "never put them though the torture of me being that heavy" again. Find out how he lost the weight and just what he's got against (Subway's) Jared.

That's Fit: Can you describe a typical day's worth of meals and any exercises you did when you were at your heaviest, 420 pounds?

Tony Posnanski: My exercises consisted of rolling around in bed, going to the bathroom and cleaning up after my dog because I was way too tired to take her out. I was very inactive. I went to the chiropractor four days a week because of back pain. I would consume close to 10,000 calories a day. On the way home from work, I would stop at three different fast food restaurants. I can remember sitting in my car at 2 a.m. with $40 worth of Taco Bell. I would eat over eight pounds of food at a Chinese Buffet. Believe it or not, I made Michael Phelps look like an Olsen twin.

Does blogging about your weight loss progress lighten the load? Or is it just dead weight? Blogger Jessica from Jezebel pondered this question in a recent post.

Blogging can be the ultimate weight loss journal. Recording your progress in a journal is a tried and true tactic to keep you on track. And when you put the information out there for anyone to see, well, that's just more reason to stay on course. In addition, there is a wide ring of weight-loss bloggers out there -- starting your own blog and following along with others can be a great source of camaraderie and support.

But I can also see how a weight-loss blog could become a burden. Particularly if it is a paid blogging position, as in the example on Jezebel. It is possible that the pressure of reporting your actions/progress on a blog may lead you to make decisions you otherwise wouldn't. Losing weight isn't a short-term game -- it's a long-term process. Healthy eating and exercising are habits that have to last a lifetime, but everyone has days where they eat birthday cake or skip an exercise session. Even weight-loss bloggers have to give themselves enough room to live a little.

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If you missed our daily postings this past week, we invite you to take some time to catch up on our prior week's news and gear up for a new week of healthy living information and inspiration.

This week, we finally saw the last of Hurricane Ike, after it finished wreaking havoc from Texas all the way to the Northeast. Ike was big and mean, and our thoughts are with our readers impacted by the devastation and destruction this storm caused.

Here's what else we've been talking about this week:

• Hey, you're exercising. That's great! But are you making one of these three fitness mistakes?
• Brooke Shields shows off her Calvin Kleins -- the exact pair she wore at age 15. How does she do it? Kristen dishes the dirt.
• Wrinkles bothering you? Get a face lift... for your refrigerator!
• Working out at home is an easy way to get fit. But what if your house could help you work out?
• Got some time to burn today? Use it wisely -- burn an extra 500 calories!
• Blogging's a great hobby, we'll agree. But not if it causes you to gain weight. Find out more about blogger bloat.
  
  

Have a great week everyone!

Blogging is good for the mind and the soul, but don't let anyone tell you it's good for the body. Sure, writing about healthy habits all day long can be inspiring, but blogging itself is a sedentary, solitary task. And if you're a blogger, you're at risk for something called Blogger Bloat -- "a tendency of bloggers and bloghers to gain weight by sitting for long hours in front of computers, snacking on treats! Blogger bloat is a greater risk in the winter, when bloggers tend to choose starchy and comfort snacks," according to this article on Divine Caroline.

Of course, this isn't limited to blogging -- it's something experienced by anyone who spends hours in front of the computer. It could be called writer's waist, typist's tummy or receptionist's rear. Whatever the reason keeping you from getting up and moving around, it's important to find a balance. Avoid blogger bloat and other conditions with these 10 tips.

How do you keep up with blogging and still stay slim?

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When something big happens in a bloggers life, their first instinct is to, well, blog about it. But is the stress of needing to keep up-to-date on blogs causing health problems in their writers? Consider this story from the New York Times: Renowned blogger Om Malik suffered a heart attack on December 28th ... and then blogged about it only a few days later on January 3rd to explain his absence. In the wake of his announcement, there's been speculation that being one of the world's more well-known bloggers may have had something to do with the Malik's heart problems.

I can see the connection: When you're a public figure, someone who shares their thoughts with the world almost daily, someone who's job it is to keep on top of stories, someone who feels accountable to thousands of readers, the stress can get to you. And when your name is your business, I can imagine that the pressure of maintaining it can be overwhelming. As a professional blogger, I don't find it overly stressful, but then again, I'm relatively 'small potatoes' compared to Mr. Malik.

I'm curious to know what you think -- is blogging too stressful?

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Does blogging help you lose weight? That's the question at hand on this recent segment on CBS. Dietitian Kerri Glassman shares her thoughts on blogging for weight loss. The verdict? It helps.

Why? There are a couple of key reasons -- firstly, blogging creates a support network. You know how we're always telling you how you'll be more successful at weight loss if you do it with support from a friend or family member? The blogging community offers hundreds of friends who are rooting for you. Secondly, keeping a blog is like keeping a food journal -- you're documenting what you're eating and how much you're exercising, so it helps you take an honest looks at your habits and indulgences.

The best part of the segment for me was the screen shots of some of my favourite weight loss blogs, namely:

• Sister Skinny
• Cranky Fitness
• Back in the Skinny Jeans
• Lose the Buddha

If you haven't checked out these awesome blogs, do it -- they are truly fabulous.

Thanks to reader Aaron for the tip!

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A friend and I had a conversation a year or so ago, shortly after Tyra donned her fat suit. "If I put on a white coat," she asked, "would I know how it felt to be a doctor?" She had a good point. When Tyra felt the hurt and shame that those who struggle with obesity sometimes bear, she felt it for an afternoon. And at the end of that afternoon, she knew she could unzip her extra pounds and leave them behind.

When a person who has actually struggled with food or weight issues talks, I'm riveted. That's why this post struck a chord with me. Laurie, the author, writes some heart wrenching words about why she started overeating and what being overweight did for her. Packing on pounds made her bigger, she says, but more invisible, when being invisible was what she needed.

Luckily, Laurie's the kind of girl who knows how to sort out her feelings. As she dug through the reasons behind her overeating, she discovered that those bad habits weren't working for her anymore. But Laurie was battle worn -- a dieting veteran. She refused to go back to counting calories or carbs or anything else that crossed her plate. In fact, she came up with what I think is probably the best eating advice of all time (and I'm quoting her):

"...eating natural, nutritious foods with the sole aim of being healthy."