Photo: Nick Wheeler Oz, Flickr

Mortified by your muffin top? Blame the booze -- according to studies, binge drinking can add a staggering 4 inches to your waistline if you're a woman, and 2 inches if you're a man. That's according to research from a few years ago that showed that ladies who regularly went on drinking binges were 4 inches bigger around the waist than those who kept their alcohol intake under control.

So just what constituted binge drinking in comparison to regular drinking? Those classified as binge drinkers drank at least 10 units in a single session at least once a month. But while 10 units seems like a lot, keep in mind that a large glass of wine can contain three 'units.' Eeps -- sounds like a regular Sunday dinner at my mother's house.

Still, this isn't really all that surprising -- alcohol can make you fat for a number of reasons:

Photo: Courtesy of Frank Bruni

Amidst a childhood of overeating -- we're talking tantrum-throwing if he didn't get that third burger he wanted -- Frank Bruni, 44, went on his first diet at age 8, beginning a what would become a decades-long struggle of weight-loss and weight gain. "I was born with just an enormous appetite, clearly," says Bruni. "Going on the Atkins Diet at 8, that was a measure of how self-conscious I'd become about my weight, just how much teasing I'd been exposed to and just how intensely eager I was, even at that young age, to do something about it. And so I kind of stepped on that whole binge-purge cycle at an early age."

After reaching his largest size -- upwards of 270 pounds (Bruni, then as now, didn't measure his size by the scales) and a 42-inch waist -- a breakdown helped him confront his compulsive eating habits. A new job with hours he could control allowed him to stress less and exercise more. Bruni, who now wears a size 34, says he's content with the way he's managing his eating. Instead of bingeing three to four nights a week like he did in the past, Bruni has an episode once every three or four weeks, at most.

In an interview with That's Fit, he shares how he quit the yo-yo dieting cycle, what his fitness routine entails and how others can begin to address their issues with food.

That's Fit: How did you break your pattern of yo-yo dieting?

Frank Bruni: A couple of things happened. I hit rock bottom in terms of I just so hated the way I looked and I felt so disgusted by it, there was a certain point where I was like, "I just can't put up with this anymore. It just makes me too sad and ashamed." At that time, I had just changed jobs, so I had less stress because I had more control over my hours. I was able to commit to 90 minutes to two hours of exercise every day -- and that's what I would do. I mean hard exercise. After that, when I was in more of a weight-maintenance mode, I happened to reassigned to Italy and the natural portion control and the emphasis on food quality over quantity that you find in Italy was like the perfect recipe to help me maintain the weight loss.

Photo: Courtesy of Avery

It took years of mental anguish, avoidance and self-medicating with food before tennis-superstar Seles was able to recover from her on-court stabbing, the cancer diagnosis of her father (coach and best friend) and his eventual death. In her new book "Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self" and in an interview with AOL Health, she explains how injuries that left her sidelined gave her time to remember and celebrate her father, and how she ate mindfully and eventually lost the weight she gained as a result of emotional and binge eating. Learn what life is like after making it to the top, and how Seles stays in mental and physical shape these days.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia might be the conditions that first come to mind when you think of eating disorders. But tennis great Monica Seles fought a nine-year battle with a lesser-known issue, binge eating disorder.

Seles turned to food as a way to cope through two tragic incidents -- the death of her father and being stabbed in the back by a Steffi Graf fan while competing in 1993. Seles said, "Food became my best friend. I was lonely and I would just eat. It was my coping mechanism. Food was how I dealt with stress."

In time, Seles' unhealthy relationship with food caught up to her and she packed on 35 pounds.

Seles talks about her battle with binge eating disorder in her book, "Getting a Grip." She says she finally realized she had beaten her disorder when she competed on "Dancing With the Stars" and was able to take harsh criticism without turning to food.

Have you ever used food as a coping mechanism?

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It's hard to believe right now, but soon, summer will be right in front of you. And since a few extra pounds might be right "behind" you, this is good news, because apparently, people are less likely to binge in the sunlight because they feel more self-conscious.

The slimming hormone serotonin plays a role too. It gets a boost from the sun, you see, and just so happens to suppress appetite. Another sunny bonus: The sun kicks in a dose of vitamin D -- and there's no doubt most of us are lacking in this D-partment.

Get ready to head for your sun chair, my friends. It might just get keep you trim. Don't forget your sunscreen, though, because weight loss and a little extra vitamin D are not so valuable if skin cancer comes along for the ride.

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Eating too much has some uncomfortable side effects. I'm sure you are acquainted with them -- too-tight pants, that uncomfortably full feeling, the possibility of embarrassing gas ...

But eating binges aren't actually dangerous, are they? According to the New York Times, they could be -- they could be deadly, even. According to Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, "Overeating will make your body work harder. The extra digestive workload demanded by a food binge requires the heart to pump more blood to the stomach and intestines. Heavy consumption of fatty foods can also lead to changes that cause blood to clot more easily."

Yeesh, that sounds pretty serious. This Christmas, eat until you're full and stop there. Nobody wants to witness a Christmas-day fatality.

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Most of us have been there: After a long, hard day, you head to the freezer and promptly grab the Ben & Jerry's. Next this you know, the entire tub is gone and you're left with that sinking realization that oh my gosh, I just ate 90 bazillion calories in one sitting, my pants are going to be too small tomorrow, GAH! Or maybe you didn't even realize how much you were eating. You were too busy losing yourself in an episode of Gilmore Girls and before yo know it, half of a large pizza is gone and nobody else was eating it but you.

But whatever the case, Binge eating is no good--for your health, your waistline, your mood and your self-confidence. That's why you need to be aware of what you put into your mouth. AOL Health recently put together 44 tips to help bust binge-eating behaviour. A few tidbits:

• Use blue dinnerware, including plates and napkins. Research shows it can act act as a natural appetite suppressant.
  
• If you're going to drink with dinner. drink beer. Those who did ate less than those who drank wine in a study.
  
• Don't eat by candlelight. Low light can trigger binge eating.
  

Interesting, huh? Read the rest of the tips by clicking here.

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When did children start getting so much darn candy for Valentine's Day? What happened to just passing your friends a little card in a little envelope? Seriously, it rivaled Halloween around here, and that's saying something. I finally threw it away today, not because my kids were bugging me for it (out of sight, out of mind), but because every time I walked through the kitchen I caught myself reaching for one of those foil covered hearts.

According to Healthbolt, a new study out of Cornell University found people ate 50% less when they could see the evidence of their binge, whether it was candy bars or chicken wings. Apparently, being able to see how much you're eating helps your brain register the amount. So the next time you find yourself poised to overeat, save your wrappers and see if you can put the brakes on that binge.

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With spring break right around the corner, alcohol will flow like water on the beaches where so many young people will flock to like birds. Somewhere in the course of all that frivolity, binge drinking may occur. It's a topic that has been studied, researched and enjoyed by countless people. But what's the reasoning behind why people binge drink?

On some level, researchers have found that there's a self-fulfilling pattern to booze. For example, one study observed students who were given alcohol, and what they thought was alcohol. The latter was merely a super chilled drink made to resemble icy vodka. But the results showed that people who thought they were getting drunk (who weren't) still acted the same way!

Whether it was aggression or affection, the expectations behind the alcohol fulfilled almost the same results as the people who were actually getting tipsy. But this binge drinking behavior could be rooted in some people's need to take a mental vacation. For others, it could be a reason to act out of character. It's one of those questions that may never fully be answered.

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Recently I talked about binge-eating disorder (BED) being the most widespread of eating disorders. But when it comes to binge eating, I suspect there are few of us who haven't gone on a binge from time to time. You know, like that time you polished off the entire tray of brownies, or you put away five slices of pizza in one sitting. But binge-eating disorder is vastly different from 'normal' overeating. Here are some key differences, according to Psych Central:

• Those with BED feel very ashamed when they overeat. If there's no onslaught of emotion after the binge, it's not BED
• Those with BED don't like to binge in public/
  
• When it's BED, the binges occur frequently -- at least twice a week for six months
• Those who suffer from BED don't feel physiological cues like hunger or fullness - they're more focused on emotional cues.
  

If you think you may suffer from BED, contact your doctor.

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When we think of eating disorders, the image we conjure is of stick-thin anorexics and bulimics. But the most prevalent eating disorder isn't anorexia or bulimia -- it's Binge-eating disorder. Does it affect you?

Let's be clear here -- everyone overdoes it on occasion, eating more than is comfortable and feeling bad about it. But there's a difference between going back for thirds at the all-you-can-eat buffet and suffering from binge-eating disorder. It's a serious problem. Symptoms include food hoarding, eating to the point of pain or discomfort, regular dieting without weight loss and depression or anxiety over eating habits.

The May Clinic has some great resources on this disorder -- click here to find out more, and of course, see your doctor if you suspect with might have this disorder. And for a first-hand account of the disorder, head over to the fabulous Sunny's Shape-up Blog.

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Here's an interesting take on the European approach to alcohol consumption entitled "Booze, Brits and Binge Drinking." In the piece, the author poses the question of why British youngsters seem to act irresponsibly with alcohol, as compared to the French, for example. I think this is a perfectly relevant question for my generation, especially over here across the pond.

I mean, it's no secret that the quintessential American college experience has more to do with football and booze than grades and learning. So why haven't we young people learned to drink responsibly yet? This is a polarizing question by design, of course, because there are many people my age who manage to drink in a sensible way. But the danger comes from those who haven't learned how, as it only takes one trip behind the wheel to ruin other people's lives too.

Is it a matter of setting bad examples? The article points a finger at people who teach that it's okay to binge drink your night away, blacking out only to wake up with the mother of all hangovers. Can't remember the night before? Then it must have been fun. Or maybe its the age at which we're exposed to it (or supposed to be)? The French seem to teach responsibility early on... very early on. Children as young as 4 could have watered-down variants. It's legally 18 for the British (and 21 over here). Some people think it should be lowered in the US! Is that the answer? It's a complicated question with many complicated elements to consider, but in the end its up to those boozing it up.

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When it comes to dieting, I think we're all bound for a screw up every now and then, whether it's a huge whopper or a minor slip. But it's not so much the slip that matters -- it's what we do to fix it that does. For example, say you messed up an ate a whole pan of brownies. Do you declare your entire diet a failure, convince yourself that you've blown it for good and give up on it all together? Only if you want to be overweight for the rest of your life. As for the rest of us? We deal, and we move on.

Here are some fast fixes for diet disasters for WebMD:

• "I skipped breakfast." Get something in your tummy, asap. Yogurt, fruit and whole grains are best but if all you can get your hands on is a danish, go for it -- just eat healthy for the rest of the day. And make sure to have a healthy snack every four hours to keep your metabolism going.
  
• "I drank too much last night." Exercise will help with the hangover, I promise. You might need to go easy though. And don't give into your craving for fast food. Have something healthy instead. And never drink on an empty stomach.
  
• "I supersized my fast food meal." Enjoy it. Splurges happen, just make sure they're not a regular occurrence. Enjoy your splurge while it happens, and do a few extra crunches when you workout later.

Want more? Click here.

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We've all heard of the 'freshman 15' -- the legendary 15 pounds that students tend to put on during their first year away at college. Apparently though, that weight doesn't necessarily come from too much partying and late-night study sessions fueled with lots of pizza.

According to the study reported on here, female students who go away to university and live in dorms are three times more likely to develop a binge-eating habit than those who remain at home with their parents. Girls who already had negative body images were also three times more likely to begin binge eating than those who did not.

The many changes that students have to deal with when they first go away to college can be incredibly stressful, and for young people who aren't used to dealing with such heavy levels of stress, binge eating can become a coping mechanism. It's dangerous because it can not only lead to significant weight gain, but developing a binging habit can also eventually lead to bulimia.

If you have a child who has recently gone away for their first year of college and you're worried about how they're coping, take a look at the full article for more information.

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