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Name: Caroline Nittolo

Age: 35

Height: 5 feet, 2 inches

Before weight: 271


Breaking point: After my father passed away from complications from diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, I hit rock bottom, and I was still using food as comfort. I went to see the doctor, and my blood pressure was very high. For the first time, I had health issues, and it scared me. Right around that time, I had to travel for a month on business/pleasure and had to take 14 different flights. I was so mortified that the seat belts didn't fit me! The worst part of the whole experience was that most of the flight attendants automatically brought the seat belt extender to me. They knew just looking at me that I would need it. It was horrible! I knew I was big, but I tried to block out the fact that most people could see how big I really was.

Exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer Bob Greene has helped millions of people slim down, most recently with his online program TheBestLife.com. The best-selling author shares the sure-fire strategies for losing weight, protecting your health and living your best life.

The number of Americans with diabetes has tripled since 1980, and as many as 95 percent of those diagnosed have Type 2 diabetes -- the kind that is often triggered by obesity. Diabetes and its precursor, pre-diabetes, have reached epidemic levels in this country. Sadly, it looks like this trend will continue to grow, as nearly one in five people has pre-diabetes.

These are sobering statistics, but there is good news. You can avoid these two conditions by making easy but significant lifestyle changes. This is the premise of my new book (co-authored by endocrinologist John J. "Jack" Merendino, Jr. and nutritionist Janis Jibrin) "The Best Life Guide to Managing Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes," out Tuesday, November 3.

To reduce your risk, use the following strategies:

• Maintain a healthy weight. Many of the same weight-loss tips I recommend in "The Best Life Diet," such as eating regular meals and snacks and avoiding certain foods that trigger weight gain, also work for fighting diabetes. That's because being overweight or obese significantly increases your risk for pre-diabetes and diabetes. In fact, people who carry their weight around their middles are most at risk for the disease. In one study, people who had the largest waistlines were 10 times more likely to have diabetes than those who had the smallest. To find out your waist circumference, take a measuring tape and wrap it around your bare abdomen just above your pelvic bone. The tape should be snug, but not pressing into your skin. Exhale a little and measure. The healthy cut-off: Men should be less than 40 inches; women should be less than 35. (If you're of Asian heritage, the numbers are 38 for men and 33 for women.)

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.

Guys, let's get this straight once and for all, it's time to stop overeating healthy foods -- and that's just one diet "don't" you're probably doing.

Why do we keep on letting ourselves fill up on empty calories? AOL Health's done the digging -- let's do the eating. Try these nine appetite-suppressant foods.

Whether you're counting calories, or just trying to maintain a healthy weight, you'll find nearly a month's worth of tasty menus in AOL Health's diabetes-friendly cooking guide.

Photo: Sam Catchsides, Flickr

Most of us don't want to take prescription drugs unless we have to, and a recent study found that when it comes to diabetes, we might not have to rely on medication to control our blood sugar -- maintaining a healthy diet could be enough. The four-year study from Italy found that participants who were able to stick to the Mediterranean diet were able to lower their blood sugar levels and keep them down over time, suggesting that a healthy diet could reduce the need for diabetes medication. What's more, the study also found that the Mediterranean diet was more effective at controlling blood sugar levels than a traditional American Heart Association-style low-fat diet.

Participants in the study who followed the Mediterranean diet were encouraged to eat lots of fruits, veggies and lean protein, as well as moderate amounts of whole grains and healthy fats, like olive oil. Additionally, they were instructed that carbohydrate intake should be no more than 50 percent of their daily calories, and they reduced their overall calorie intake -- from an average of 1,800 to 1,500 for women, and 2,600 to 1,800 for men.

So, basically, then, healthy food and eating less improves your health? Uh, this isn't exactly news, but experts are still fairly excited about the findings because this is the longest study of it's kind thus far. Still, it's not completely clear whether diet alone is enough to eliminate the need for blood sugar medication, but one thing is obvious: Your are still what you eat.

Find more about the Mediterranean Diet here.

Photo: Darren Hester, Flickr

Some weight loss drugs help you slim down but may cost you your health -- and other products don't even work at all. But there is some promise in a new drug in development that can not only help you lose weight, but can also help treat serious complications of obesity, specifically diabetes and high cholesterol. In recent studies on mice, fatostatin, as it is currently known, led to weight loss of 12 percent, reduction in blood sugar levels of 70 percent, reversal of diabetes and lower cholesterol. According to the findings from Chemistry & Biology, "Fatostatin blocked increases in body weight, blood glucose, and hepatic (liver) fat accumulation in (genetically) obese mice, even under uncontrolled food intake."

As for how it works? In a nutshell, Fatostatin stops the body from producing fat -- it's released as energy instead. It works by effectively 'turning off' proteins that help control fat synthesis.

OK, it's one thing to help mice lose weight -- past experience has proved that what works on a mouse doesn't always work on a human. So can it do the same for us? "I am very, very optimistic," lead author Sahil Wakil tells MSNBC. So are we -- but I'm hoping most of us are taking steps to change our lives today instead of holding out for a so-called miracle drug that's years away.

Wondering how to slim down? Find out how Phylicia Rashad did it.

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.

Many of the foods that are good for your waist are also good for your body, looks and brain. Check out how to maximize these healthy foods from AOL Health's "Beauty Diet."

Dining out when you have diabetes doesn't have to be a disaster. Our restaurant guide will help you make smart food choices -- without sacrificing fun social eating.

Learn what moves to do -- and when to do them -- to get a better night's sleep in this photo slideshow of falling asleep tricks that actually work!

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.

So we're all savvy enough to know that just because it's under the salad section on a menu, doesn't mean it's healthy, but who knew these salad shockers could pack in thousands of calories and nearly a day's worth of fat grams (or more). AOL Health culled together some of the worst leafy-green offenders.

First it was an epidemic of obesity, and now it's an epidemic of diabetes and obesity. One sure-fire way to ward off the latter and reign in on your overall health? Ditch your car. Walking -- even if it's not helping you lose weight -- does a great job of keeping your health in shape. Read all 12 diabetes prevention tips from AOL Health here.

Want to know what the ladies are thinking about themselves (and their partners) in bed? Read AOL Health's sex survey to find out once and for all how (and if) size matters, whose looks she's worried about and how far on the kinky scale she's willing to go.

Eating well generally includes getting a variety of vitamins and antioxidants. So that's why a recent study on the effects of mixing exercise and antioxidants is so very frustrating at first glance.

Exercise helps boost your metabolism and increase insulin sensitivity, but incorporating antioxidant supplements such as vitamin C and E into your diet might negate these benefits, researchers found.

When you exercise, your muscle cells metabolize glucose, causing tissue-damaging oxygen molecules to be released -- antioxidants attack those molecules, which is normally a good thing. However, those same molecules have been shown to increase the body's sensitivity to insulin, which can help prevent Type 2 diabetes.

Don't think this means you get a pass on your daily servings of fruits and veggies, though -- researchers in this study agree that getting antioxidants through food is a good thing, and that it's really when you start taking large amounts of supplements that antioxidants might curb some of the benefits of exercise if you're at risk for diabetes.

Keep in mind, of course, that this is only one study. It is part of a growing body of evidence that have not shown supplements to be beneficial, and some may even be harmful. So the message isn't really frustrating at all, fruits and vegetables are still the best way to go.

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We've long known that inflammation is a huge part of every degenerative disease from Alzheimer's to heart disease, and it's a big part of obesity as well. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California-San Diego found that overeating can induce inflammatory responses that underlie Type ll Diabetes and obesity. So what's the big news? We've known since forever that eating too much makes you fat.

Food, all by itself, may not directly cause diabetes, but what you eat can up your risk of developing the disease.

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One of the easiest ways to cut calories and sugar from your diet is to give up your soda habit. But for one Swedish woman, asking her to quit drinking Coke is like asking her to quit breathing. She took drinking soda to an entirely new level -- from bad habit to total addiction.

Addicted to Coca-Cola? Really? Yes, really.

In fact, the woman, who also happens to be deaf, had to go through legal channels to have her addiction recognized. An appeals court recently ruled that she be hospitalized for her addiction to Coke and food, due to her uncontrolled high blood pressure and diabetes.

People joke all the time that they're addicted to their favorite foods. Though they may not be an addiction in a true sense, cravings can be a very powerful thing. Check out the gallery below for tips on how to keep them under control, and when cravings do strike, try substituting one of these low-cal snacks instead.

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While being overweight can be detrimental to your health, having a little junk in the trunk might actually be helpful.

Researchers have long known that belly fat can raise your risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. New research from Harvard Medical School suggests that subcutaneous fat -- the kind that tends to gather on hips and butts -- may actually help prevent type 2 diabetes.

This is great news if you've got a little extra bulk in your booty, but I wouldn't take this research as a green light to let yourself go. Eating healthful foods and maintaining a healthy weight is still your best defense against health issues like type 2 diabetes. AOL Health has some great exercises to help get your butt in shape. And remember, you can be fit and still keep your curves -- just check out the sexy stars below for proof.

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When it comes to the idea of gastric bypass surgery, I'm like a cork bobbing on water. I'd like to have a firm pro or con opinion, but there are so many things to consider. You just have to read through Karla's posts to hear a very realistic view on life after weight loss surgery. And Dr. Jonny has some serious points to consider as well. So, while a part of me would like to be anti-weight loss surgery, I know that for some people it is a very good choice. I am concerned, however, that the choice for surgery is made too rapidly.

A recent study shows that gastric bypass not only helps obese teens lose weight, it also can halt type 2 diabetes in its tracks. Those are certainly good results and have positive effects on the teens' health. But they're teenagers. And they're undergoing major, life-altering surgery.

I just hope that for everyone -- especially teens -- weight loss surgery is a last resort. All efforts to lose weight naturally should be tried first.

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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.

There's no doubt that genes have something to do with your weight. But not nearly as much as you might think.

According to a new study, lifestyle choices have a lot more to do with insulin resistance and obesity than heredity does. What you do -- or don't do -- can actually "turn on" these genes (or render them inactive).

Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body doesn't process sugar well, and it often leads to diabetes, obesity, heart disease or all three. But with all the talk of finding "genes" for these conditions, we often forget an important fact: Genes interact with the environment.

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Randy Jackson calls his diagnosis with Type II diabetes a double-edged sword. It was bad, because diabetes is a disease that never goes away. But it was good, because he had to do something about it. What did he do? He lost weight -- and lots of it -- and changed his entire lifestyle. He dishes up the skinny in his new book Body With Soul: Slash Sugar, Cut Cholesterol, and Get a Jump on Your Best Health Ever.

While Jackson was the recipient of gastric bypass surgery, he says it wasn't meant to be an easy fix. A lot of hard work is still necessary after this expensive and risky procedure (just ask Karla), which certainly is not for everyone. It worked for Jackson, though, since he had a disease and needed to do something quickly.

Post-surgery, Jackson is all about changing habits, and he fully endorses the morsel diet -- just have a bite and then move on. And no seconds either. Hey, we all know what's good and bad for us, says the American Idol judge. Eat healthy food and move. Does it get any easier than that?

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