It was with a fair amount of skepticism that we told you about Lily Allen adopting a bizarre-sounding weight loss scheme known as Hypno-Dieting, but according to reports, it was not only successful in helping her drop two dress sizes over the past year, but it also helped her give up her hard-partying, alcohol-swilling ways. Impressive, no?

So what's the deal with this 'hypno-dieting' anyway? We imagined a Freud lookalike swinging a stopwatch and chanting 'you are getting sleeeeeeeeeeepy,' ala some bad TV movie -- let's hope it's a bit more sophisticated than that. But while Lily's Hypnotist Susan Hepburn wasn't giving away any tricks of the trade, she did say this on the process: "During sessions, I taught Lily to favour healthy, low-fat meals instead of junk food. And to see that alcohol isn't a confidence booster, it's just extra calories that sabotage your efforts to get a good body."

Wow. It sounds so simple. And it obviously works. But at over $450 a session, you might want to stick to Weight Watchers. Or America Takes It Off. Click on the badge below for the skinny on this program.

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Wondering what your favorite celebrities do to stay so darn fit? I know, it can be hard keeping track of all the hot celebrity fitness scoop all week long, which is exactly why we try to make it easy for you by rounding up all the famous folks' fitness goodies from the past week and presenting them to you here! Just click on your favorite stars above to find out what they've been doing to stay in shape.

Britpop signer Lily Allen has generated lots of controversy over her ever-changing waistline. It seems that she's finally being upfront about her weight -- she claims her weight is the result of a health problem. Allen was recently diagnosed with a heart murmur, and the health scare has caused her to change her habits for the better.

Says Allen, "I used to love nothing more than sitting in front of the telly with two packets of Ginger Nuts and two bags of milk bottle sweets - and I'd devour the lot. But this heart thing has made me cut back on all that kind of cr*p. I now find that, because I am looking after myself, I don't feel like eating the bad stuff so much."

I'm glad to hear that she's lost weight for her health, and not just to fit in with other skinny celebs. What do you think?

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We all know fitness doesn't come effortlessly to anyone. There's hard work and consistency involved in being in shape. Hence the sweatiness. And celebrities are no exception...well, except for the ones who get their bods through a little plastic surgery, but hardly any of them do that, right? Right? This week's celebrity gawking focuses on the fact that, well, it isn't easy.

Jessica Simpson may be getting praise for her toned body again, but she confesses she's lousy at one key component of her regime: jumping rope. Jess claims her lack of rhythm is to blame, and of course her trainer makes her do lots of sets, because trainers are evil like that. She also says if she craves a food, she allows herself a taste, as in, a couple of bites. Livin' large, girl. Now that sounds like it isn't easy.

Lance Armstrong is pretty much the picture of athletic awesomeness, but now that he's training for a marathon, he says running isn't easy. Lance claims riding a bike is more efficient and easier on the body. That's only because he's never seen me ride a bike.

Samantha Harris, host of Dancing With the Stars, resumed working out just two-and-a-half weeks after giving birth. She says her doctor gave her the green light, so she dived in with a yoga class, a cardio sculpting class, a plain old sculpting class... She says, "I'm not trying to drop the weight fast in any capacity." Mmm hmm, whatever you say. I'm thinking the immediate return to exercise isn't, you know...

Lily Allen credits hypnosis for her recent weight loss. The singer dropped many pounds and claims the hypnotism helps her stop eating when she's full and makes her want to get to the gym daily. Allen has blogged about her weight and body issues for a while, and while she's tried to let go of it, she confessed in May that she had "fallen victim to the evil machine." That kind of public weight scrutiny can't be easy.

Forbes interviews the trainers to stars like Jessica Biel and Kimora Lee Simmons for the lowdown on how celebs get their bodies looking good. I'll give you a hint: It sure helps to have the time and money to work out zealously with a trainer. There are also photos of swanky gyms the famous people hit. Exercising with a pro in posh digs still isn't easy, but it's easier than the rest of us have it.

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Losing weight and changing your unhealthy habits means changing your way of thinking to a certain extent, but how far would you go? Brit popstar Lily Allen has resorted to hypnotism to lose weight, according to the Daily Mail. And it's working -- she's gone from a size 10 to a size six, despite her insistence that she's happy to set a good weight example for celebrities.

Apparently, when she's under hypnosis, the hypnotist works are implanting healthy habits into the mind of the client -- stuff like eating lots of fruits and veggies, going to the gym regularly and eating organic. Then, when the person is awake, their mind automatically tries to follow these healthy habits. Supposedly.

Allen's hynotherapy sessions aren't cheap -- £300 per hour-long session -- so it makes more sense to see a nutritionist and/or personal trainer. What do you think?

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Controversial British musician Lily Allen has lashed out at super-slim celebs like Victoria Beckham for making her look like 'Fat Lily Allen', according to this article. She says, "I'm a size 10 (American size 8) with a size 8 top (American size 6) and made to feel fat next to someone like Kate Moss. What makes me angry is I let it happen. I'm not super-skinny, so in 'Fameland' I'm fat. It's now my ambition to get all those skinny-arsed b*****s off the covers of magazines and get normal people on them."

I think Allen's got the right idea -- Size 8 is not big and it's better to at least try and change the system rather than putting your own health at risk by conforming to it.

However, according to the Skinny Website, Allen isn't quite as confident with her size as she lets on. She apparently has caved to pressure and lost some weight. I hope she doesn't slim down too much -- the world needs more size-8 + cover girls.What do you think?

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