The Mayo Clinic Diet is a fad diet purported to help people lose 50 to 55 pounds during a 10-week span. It has no connection to the respected Mayo Clinic, a top research hospital, in Minnesota.

The basic premise of the diet is that dieters should ban all complex carbohydrates, but can eat as much protein and fat as they want. One of the "rules" of the diet even states, "At any meal you may eat until you are full -- until you can't eat any more."

Experts agree that a diet based on unbalanced nutrition and limited food choices, like the one recommended in the Mayo Clinic Diet, can be unhealthy. Plus, the boredom associated with eating the same foods over and over can prompt a return to old eating habits once someone goes off the diet.

The quick weight loss associated with the plan is also unhealthy. A better option than the Mayo Clinic Diet is the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid, a lifestyle plan that includes a variety of healthy foods and daily exercise -- and is actually associated with the Mayo Clinic. It offers personalized menus, shopping lists, meal plans, results charts and dining-out tips.

Learn more about diet hoaxes that can sabotage your weight loss plans and check out That's Fit's Fitness page for tips to get in shape.

Xenical is a prescription drug designed to help significantly overweight people lose weight. It is a version of Alli, the only diet pill that is approved by the FDA.

According to the manufacturers, Xenical is different from other diet pills because instead of suppressing your appetite or speeding up your metabolism, it blocks about one-third of the fat you eat from being digested. The undigested fat cannot be broken down and is eliminated through your bowel movements.

However, Xenical is not a magic pill.

"Xenical is a weight-loss drug that can have significant side effects and in blocking the absorption of fat to encourage weight loss, may also block the absorption of important vitamins, minerals and healthful fats required by the body," says Marissa Lippert, RD, of Nutrition Counseling & Communications. "Weight-loss drugs are temporary fixes, rather than lasting solutions. It's important to remember that in order to healthfully lose weight and sustain it, fresh food in the appropriate portion sizes should be the primary focus."

The American Heart Association agrees and recommends reduced-calorie diets that typically allow for no more than 30 percent of your daily caloric intake to come from fat.

Possible side effects include uncontrollable bowel movements, gas and oily discharge.

If you think Xenical may be right for you, speak to your doctor.

At That's Fit, we've got great food ideas, exercise plans and more to help you lose weight.

Love handles refer to fat deposited on the sides of the waist. These unsightly bulges are also known as a spare tire or a muffin top, which occurs when excess fat hangs over a person's waistband.

Most people agree that having excess fat around the midsection is undesirable. Research shows that abdominal fat leads to higher risks of heart disease, diabetes and even certain types of cancers. But how do you go about getting rid of love handles?

One way to effectively eliminate love handles is to lose weight by following a reduced-calorie diet and by consistently doing cardiovascular exercise.

As you begin your diet and exercise program, you can disguise your love handles by wearing clothes that fit properly. Avoid too-tight clothing, low-rise jeans and midriff-baring shirts. Opt for pants that go around your natural waist and for women, skirts and dresses that sit at your natural waist.

Check out AOL Health's belly-bloating foods to avoid or eat belly-flattening foods. AOL Health also has sections on how to burn ab fat and ab workouts.

Photo: Michelle May, M.D.

The trademarks of yo-yo dieting -- overeating, followed by deprivation in guilty repentance -- may seem like something a doctor would have the self-control and training to be above, but Michelle May, M.D., former yo-yo dieter and author of the new book "Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat," explains that "health care professionals are people too," and that the restrictions of diets -- not the dieters -- are to blame for failed weight-loss plans.

The reason? In her book, she explains that the very basics of dieting -- the counting, planning and constant need to think and plan your eating based off of someone else's rules (often "before you're even out of bed!") is tiring. So much so, that any good aspect of the diet is essentially canceled out by the end result: "This constant effort and vigilance may wear you out and cause you to return to overeating to escape." Once Dr. May ditched diets, and adopted long-term successful strategies she describes below, the weight came off.

That's Fit: What do you think was most effective in helping you achieve a healthy weight?

Dr. Michelle May: I had to pay attention not just to what and how much I was eating, but why I was eating in the first place. I didn't have any deep, dark emotional issues, but I had certainly learned to comfort and entertain myself with food. Even when I was on a diet and following the rules about what to eat, I was still eating when I was bored, stressed or tired. When I felt too deprived of the foods I loved, I'd go off my diet. Nothing had fundamentally changed about my relationship with food so I just went back to overeating my favorites. This is what I called my eat-repent-repeat cycle.

I've since worked with thousands of people who are doing exactly the same thing, and the reason is that with yo-yo [dieting you don't] have any middle ground -- you are either on your diet or off. I kicked yo-yo dieting by changing the paradigm completely from a yo-yo to a pendulum. There is still the possibility of extremes but as you give overeating and dieting less of your energy, the pendulum settles into a smaller arc in the middle where you have the flexibility and the mindfulness to nourish your mind, body, heart and soul.

This just in: Candy will still be available after Halloween! Here are tips to help you avoid being "tricked" by candy and to let you indulge in a treat that won't wreak havoc on your good habits.

1. Give the treat of healthier snacks.
The grocery shelves are crammed with 100-calorie snack packs that are healthier options than candy. Snacks like pretzels, roasted nuts and baked chips and crackers are better options than some candies, and if you indulge in a pack, too, you can do it guilt-free.

2. Recognize your intent.
"Sometimes it's not the candy we want at all; we are just craving a particular feeling, like comfort or excitement," said Pam Wood, a Weight Watchers meeting leader in Austin, Texas. "We need to ask ourselves, 'What is it that I really want to satisfy: the craving for the candy or the craving to feel fabulous?'" If it's the latter, she advises that you say "no" to the candy and determine the best way to satisfy your true desires. If it is candy, go ahead and have a small piece to satisfy the craving.

SlimQuick is a weight-loss product that claims to be the first fat-burning aid created especially for the fat-storage issues of a woman's body. The weight-loss formula uses vitamin and herb complexes to "overcome the physiological and hormonal barriers" of losing fat."

Reviews of SlimQuick are mixed. On the positive side, the SlimQuick program advocates an exercise program to accompany the use of the product. One testimonial on the SlimQuick web site said, "I was faithful to the diet and exercise program that was outlined. I have never had such quick and excellent results in any diet program."

But there are dissenters out there, too. "Products like SlimQuick perpetuate the growing trend of misinformation under the guise of 'science.' At best, it offers false promises of health and fitness in a bottle," said Melissa Urban, owner of CrossFit 603. "At worst, it could be dangerous to your health."

More Diet and Fitness Questions Answered:

How Many Calories Do I Need?
How Do I Calculate My BMI?
How Many Calories Did I Burn?

It seems there a million different ways to lose weight. What it all comes down to, though, is a balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins -- the building blocks of nutrition. We are constantly confused, however, by the shifting advice from experts, from low-fat and low-carb to high-protein and low-calorie plans. But what if a DNA test could make the decision for you and tell you the best diet to follow with just a simple cotton swab inside your cheek?

For the past two months, Inherent Health has been offering a DNA Weight Management test at a cost of $150. I recently took one to determine what diet is best for me.

The test examines six of your different genes. These genes determine digestion and metabolism rate, and some studies have shown a correlation between them. By analyzing the genes' interactions, Inherent Health places you in one of six categories that reflect the food intake and exercise levels that your body will best respond to:

• Balance of fat and carbs and responsive to moderate intensity exercise
• Responsive to fat restriction and responsive to moderate Intensity exercise
• Responsive to carb restriction and responsive to moderate Intensity exercise
• Balance of fat and carbs and responsive to high Intensity exercise
• Responsive to fat restriction and responsive to high Intensity exercise
• Responsive to carb restriction and responsive to high Intensity exercise

My results put me in the last category, which, as far as I'm concerned, is the worst one!

HCG (Human Chorionic Gonapotropin) is a hormone present in both men and women that is typically used to increase fertility. HCG levels are especially high in pregnant women, and subsequently it's been dubbed the "pregnancy hormone." The HCG hormone is thought to trigger our bodies to burn off more stored fat than we usually would, a belief that has lead to the foundation of the HCG Diet.

The HCG diet is fairly controversial for a number of reasons. Firstly, it restricts dieters to 500 calories a day -- well below the recommended daily amount -- is believed by virtually all qualified health professionals to be extremely unhealthy. Secondly, the FDA has only approved use of HCG for fertility treatments, and there are no comprehensive studies showing that the HCG hormone either works for weight loss or is safe in the long run. Finally, one of the diet's main promoters, Kevin Trudeau, is well-known in the weight-loss industry for being a convicted fraudster.

The first component of the HCG Diet is daily administration of the HCG hormones, either through an oral supplement or an injection. The second component of the diet is a strict eating plan that allows dieters to consume only 500 calories a day. Breakfast consists of only coffee or tea without sugar but with a tablespoon of skim milk if desired. Lunch and dinner on the HCG diet each consist of 100g of lean protein with one vegetable, one cracker and a small rationing of fruit. Regular doses of the HCG hormone are thought to reduce the side effects of extreme hunger, including nausea, headaches and hunger pains. There are no exercise requirements on the HCG diet.

Jonny Bowden, author, nutritionist and weight loss coach cuts through all the misconceptions about diet and fitness to help you transform your body, your health and your life.

I can't help but watch with a combination of amusement and sadness when I read about the billions of dollars spent each year on useless weight-loss products, programs that don't work and high-priced gimmicks that promise to effortlessly relieve the pain of being overweight -- especially when some of the best weight-loss tools in the world are both virtually free and right under our noses.

Which brings me to the subject of today's post: The apple.

Yup, the lowly, all-to-common apple, of which there are literally hundreds of varieties. They're available 12 months a year (but in season right now!), are cheap as dirt, can be had anywhere -- and they happen to be one of the best kept weight-management tools on the planet.

P90X is a workout plan designed by trainer Tony Horton which aims to help users get in shape in 90 days. According to the creators, P90X uses "an advanced training technique called Muscle Confusion, which accelerates the results process by constantly introducing new moves and routines so your body never plateaus."

P90X is a set of DVDs which include 12 different workouts that focus on a specific muscle group or set of exercises. In addition to workouts, the P90X comes with a three-phase nutrition plan. Phase 1 is the Fat Shredder, a high-protein diet; phase 2 is the Energy Booster, a mix of carbohydrates and proteins with a lower amount of fat; and Phase 3 is the Endurance Maximizer, a diet of complex carbohydrates, lean proteins and lower fat, which includes more carbohydrates than the previous phases. There is also a "How to Bring It" DVD that provides a quick overview of P90X, a calendar to track your progress, online peer support and more.

Want to learn more? Discover why Sheryl Crow Loves P90X and read That's Fit Blogger Karla Carrington's review of P90X.

Photo: Lester Cohen, WireImage

Despite all the headline-stealing heartbreak, getting dumped did wonders for Jennifer Aniston's figure. (And she's doing wonders for the image of the fit-after-40 crowd.) Find out how she and others have rebounded from lost love by getting fitter and hotter than ever.

We at That's Fit and AOL Health know you've got a lot going on in your lives besides staying in great shape, and we realize that more than just diet and exercise goes into feeling your best every day. That's why we're sharing some of the exciting reporting going on at AOL Health.

The first lady isn't the only leading woman with lean arms. Check out this photo gallery of our favorite famous guns -- and learn how to get the look.

Just what does it take to attain timeless beauty? From Marilyn to Twiggy, AOL Health reveals the diet and exercise routines that helped them achieve their famous shapes.

If your aches and pains make you feel decades older than your peers, you may not be exaggerating. Recent research reveals that a 50-year-old living with chronic pain may have a body that looks similar to a pain-free 75-year-old. AOL Health offers exercises and nutrition advice to help treat your problem.

Tonight, WE TV's "Secret Lives of Women" will introduce you to three women who lost dramatic amounts of weight and transformed their identities in the process.

The show's weekly installments dig into subjects from extreme plastic surgery and body modification to mafia wives and mothers of murderers. But tonight's episode -- which explores how three "ordinary" women bucked the odds to lose significant weight -- is packed with inspiration and helpful information, as well as entertainment.

You'll find yourself rooting for Celeste, Jennifer and Cindy as you think about how you might adopt some of their healthy habits.