Is obesity a form of child abuse? That's an issue that's up for debate. On one hand, facilitating your kids' unhealthy habits to the point that they are putting their health at serious risk could be considered a form of neglect. On the other hand, eating too much and not exercising enough are not crimes and shouldn't be treated as such.

Still, in the UK, they're taking the former standpoint -- and they've even started taking severely obese kids from their homes and placing them in government care. The hope is that placing the kids in care will not only help them get healthy but help teach them life-long healthy habits. It's a drastic step, but it's one they see as necessary.

I'm curious to know what you think ...



(via Calorie Lab)

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Plenty of Hollywood hotshots have gained or lost weight for a role, but most of them don't start off on the rather chubby end of the spectrum. Seth Rogan, however, did, and while he's lost a considerable amount of weight for his role in The Green Hornet, he's not all that happy about it.

He told E! News, "I'm sellin' out, guys. It's for The Green Hornet. The only reason. There's no other reason. I think it serves the movie." He has no intentions of keeping his new body around for long after wrapping the film, though, saying, "I think it will take three hours [to get his big old body back]."

Even if he's less than enamored with the results, it's taken some hard work to get him to this weight (which he doesn't know, because he doesn't weigh himself) -- he eats well and works out hard. He skips the burgers and visits his "brutal" trainer. "I go there real early in the morning. He tells me what to do, and I go home and go to sleep, and it's like it never even happened."

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All summer, rumors have been swirling about Eva Longoria Parker and her not-so-svelte figure. Well, it still looks pretty good to me but apparently, it's plumper than usual, which makes the topic ripe for speculation. Is the girl pregnant? People want to know.

No. She's just fat, says Desperate Housewives costar, Felicity Huffman.

Longoria Parker, 33, has been putting on weight for her Housewives role -- character Gabby will play an overworked housewife when the show's storyline jumps five years this season -- and she'll also sport a fat suit so she appears even larger.

What else does Huffman have to say about her chubby pal? "She looks cute," says the co-star. I happen to agree.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Miss Fitzness, I'm a vegetarian, but still weigh 34 pounds more than I'd like to. What gives? I thought vegetarians were supposed to be skinny, and I hate being chubby! Meredith

A. Hello Meredith, Thanks for writing! Vegetarianism can have tons of benefits, and a trim physique can be one of them, if done right. Having said that ... it's very easy to go wrong as well. Here is the deal. Vegetarians don't necessarily eat all fruits and vegetables ... vegetarians just don't eat meat. There are tons of products that have no animal products in them, yet are still super high in calories and fat. Let's start with a short list of some vegetarian approved products:

• Flour
• Sugar
• Oil
• Frosting
• Gummy Bears

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Recent studies out of Japan show that people who are sociable tend to be chubbier than those who are introverted and prone to worry. I don't know about you but I don't find this surprising at all. After all, so much of our socializing happens over food and I know that when I'm in the midst of a string of social events, my pants tend to be a bit tighter than normal.

But you know what? I love my friends, and I love being sociable, and if having a social life means carrying a few extra pounds, so be it -- I wouldn't have it the other way around. What about you?

That said, I think there are ways you can make your social life healthier. Filling up on salads at a large dinner is one way, and reducing the amount of alcohol you consume is another. You can also try to encourage you friends to do something active instead of heading to the neighbourhood pub for wings.

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Bear Grylls (at right) used to be a more cuddly bear. The athletic star of Discovery Channel's Man vs. Wild recently revealed to me that he used to be quite overweight. After completing his service to the British Special Forces and getting married, Bear gained two and half stone! Not familiar with stones? Well, each of the British survival expert's extra stones equal a whopping 14 pounds! That's quite a lot. 35 pounds to be exact.

Bear is ripped now. How did he make the transformation? He decided to! Bear says that he just was sick of being a loaf and changed his ways. He also was suffering from back pain. (He broke his back during a free-falling parachuting accident). To stay in shape for his adventures and remain pain free, Bear trains three hours a day. He varies his workouts with: martial arts, running, climbing, yoga, swimming, pull-ups, push-ups and more. When he's not eating all sorts of disgusting live and dead animals to demonstrate survival skills, Bear avoids meat and dairy. He feasts on fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

The guy knows what it's like to be out of shape, and has decided that's not the way he wants his life to be. His training is not 'easy' for him, but it's something he feels passionate about. Bear is not chubby at all anymore. In fact, his ripped. What a lucky lady his wife is to get to cuddle up with that Bear.

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Recently, a photographer friend of mine received a lot of attention for a photo she shared of a baby (not the child pictured.) The baby, about six months old, looked similar to the Michelin Man, because he had lots of rolls of cute little baby fat. Most viewers commented on how adorable the baby was, but several expressed concern that the baby was morbidly obese. Eventually, the photo was taken down out of respect for the parents.

Some babies are just chubby, so I don't think it's something to be alarmed about -- and I think that the commenters who were so quick to judge a child they didn't know were just plain rude. And according to this article, fat babies are not a concern to doctors, though a child's weight should be monitored after the age of one.

Would you be quick to point it out if you thought someone's child was obese?

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According to this article, Gwen Stefani is very neurotic about her looks and the size of her body because she was a chubby child. By the looks of her, I can tell she takes puts a lot of energy into her looks -- she is quite slim and always dressed fashionably, even if she's just out for a stroll. Staying fit and looking good is a top priority to her and she obviously puts a lot of time into it.

But she's trying to get past these issues, as Fitsugar has pointed out. She's even considering bulking up, because according to her, "it's such a waste of time. And people like me whether I'm a little bit fatter or not."

What do you think? Will Gwen be popular at any size, or is being ultra thin and fashionable too important when you're a celebrity?

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Guys with muscles are sexier, a study posted on Diet Blog has found. Built and toned guys were rated by women scored better on overall desirable than guys who are brawny, slender, chubby or average. And yet, the same study found that chubby guys rated best in terms of commitment. Does this mean that women think that the less attractive a man is, the more likely he is to be unfaithful in a relationship?

Moreover, slender guys are least likely to be dominant or volatile. Built guys, however, were seen as dominant and volatile, so does this mean we find men who exhibit these traits attractive? The study is pretty interesting, in that it shows that women do apply personality traits to men based on their appearance. Does it show that we women do judge a guy by his appearance, even if we don't realize it? I think so.

As for why we find muscles more appealing, I think perhaps it is an evolutionary trait. Our instinct is to find a mate who can provide for us. What do you think?

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