Amy Barnes once described food as her comfort, her solitude and her very best friend. That "friend" ended up costing Amy her health and her family.

Overweight for most of her life, Amy put on an additional 200 pounds during an abusive relationship with a boyfriend that lasted five years. "I used food to celebrate, to mourn, out of boredom and for comfort," she told the Today Show. The 35-year-old admitted she was addicted to food, just like someone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol. "I always had food in my hands."

Amy ballooned to 490 pounds and became too big to sit in an armchair or airplane seat, and too tired to walk up a flight of stairs or play with her children. "I had lost complete control over myself physically," she said. That loss of control landed Amy homeless and without her kids after a judge ordered her to "get healthy and get your life in order".

Grounds Crew preps for TTT '09 Photo: Katherine Tweed

Last week my brother Thomas declared "You're all going down." As one of the defending champions of the 2008 TTT, he isn't kidding.

This weekend is the start of the most important athletic event in my calendar year – the Tweed Tennis Tournament, commonly referred to as the TTT. It is a two-day single elimination mixed doubles tournament with a run off for third place, the coveted "winners of the losers" spot. When I confirmed if Uncle Lou and his girlfriend were playing – the answer was simply "We're playing to win." My cousin Laura told me she's just hoping her forehand holds up.

The trash talking doesn't begin Saturday at noon as the early rounds kick off, it goes on all year long – in person and via email. It forces me to get out and practice my terrible serve as soon as the weather is nice enough on the worn courts of New York City. I am not alone.

Celebrity dietitian and motivational life coach Tanya Zuckerbrot, author of www.ffactordiet.com and founder of www.skinnyandthecity.com, has helped thousands of people lose weight and keep it off with her program. Her philosophy? Tanya believes you should never sacrifice taste, even when you're eating healthy foods. Send us an email to reciperehab [AT] thatsfit [DOT] com to submit a recipe for a makeover!

Recipe may vary from photograph. Photo: juiterimages

As a working mom, I rarely have the opportunity to sit down to eat breakfast with my children. That is why every Saturday, when both my husband and I are home, we enjoy family brunch with our kids. I believe that cooking and eating together is the best way to teach kids healthy eating habits.

Nothing says brunch like warm, chewy French toast dripping with maple syrup. Although, with a typical serving -- containing over 600 calories and and 36 grams of fat -- it's far from the healthiest option if you are concerned about your families' nutrition. So I set out to tackle this brunch staple and came up with a recipe that's a hit with adults and kids alike.

If your kids are like my kids, they don't want any bread other than white. However, once cooked, any bread looks brown, making this switch much simpler. Swapping white bread for whole wheat bread bumps up the fiber content and helps to keep you feeling full all morning long. Furthermore, by replacing whole eggs and milk with egg whites and skim milk, you're still getting protein and calcium, but with half the calories and fat.

My Banana French Toast has become a regular in my house, with my husband, 6-year-old son and 3-year-old twin daughters. This recipe couldn't be easier and best of all -- it's so delicious, no one realizes how healthy it is!

Tanya's Tip: Don't like bananas? I've made this with strawberries and blueberries, and it was just as delicious!

Karla Carrington (right) and sister, Dr. Janice Chambers (left)

I take comments left on my posts very seriously. Often, I read people's comments and laugh out loud or end up clapping aloud in celebration of their victories. Some comments leave me with tear-stained eyes as I relive the pain of my past through the words of another. I've also had a few comments that haven't thrilled me, but I always respect that people feel strongly enough to write.

A few weeks ago, a reader expressed her excitement over the wonderful content offered here at That's Fit, but she felt that we hadn't stressed enough the significance of family support in the struggle to lose weight. Well, as luck would have it, I have a little story about that. Like to hear it? Here goes:

My older sister Janice is my best friend. I have a younger sister, Willette, and we're very close, but she is not my best friend because I have to pay her back money that I borrow. Janice's loans do not require payback. If Willette reconsiders the whole re-payment thing, her status might be upgraded, but until then, Janice is my best friend. Janice and I vacation together, we talk almost every day, and we even beat up old ladies together for Black Friday discounts. Janice is a woman of few words, and if she says it, she does it. She's one of the few people I look up to and even listen to.

We all know that Jessica Alba shaped up in no time after giving birth to her daughter, Honor, last summer. However, the sexy star is still working to stay slim, and she's enlisted the help of her family members by putting them on a diet with her.

Alba has cut all white out of her diet, and has asked hubby, Cash, and even her mom to do the same -- and it's not restricted to home-cooked meals. Rumor has it that Alba won't let anyone order the foods she's not eating, even when they're out at a restaurant!

OK, there's no disputing that it's far easier to stick to a diet when the rest of your household is dieting along with you -- it's only natural to have more difficulty watching what you eat if your favorite foods are not only around and available, but are being enjoyed by those around you. But asking your family to get on board with your new, stricter eating habits when they're not worried about their weight is a pretty major request to make, right?

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Gwyneth Paltrow has been dishing out her healthy living habits in the form of GOOP for a few months now. And, honestly, the thing that's gotten the most press regarding the website and newsletter is the fact that it seems to really bug people. I mean, shoot, even her husband hates it. And, most recently, health writer Mary Kate Hearon publicly slammed Gwynnie's GOOP, saying the A-lister stole the idea from her.

But Gwyneth doesn't care. And she's not only going ahead with GOOP, she's coming out with a GOOP cookbook (a GOOPbook?). It will be titled My Father's Daughter and will focus on cooking for the family as an expression of love.

All the recipes have been designed with the entire family in mind, but also, of course with health playing a vital role. Gwyneth mentioned her late father's pancake recipe in particular, saying she was working on making it a bit healthier.

The book is slated for publication in fall 2009, but here's what I want to know -- will you be lining up for your copy?

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. 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. Hey Fitz, Long time reader here. We've got a problem in our family, and it's that my dad is incredibly obese. He has a fairly athletic build, but in recent years became "potbellied." He's the only obese person in his family, and his health is REALLY starting to suffer.

He's having problems with his knees, joints, back, and worst of all -- his attitude. He cannot exercise because he's already so inactive, and every diet he's been on (reluctantly) he's just put the weight back on afterward. Sometimes he does it intentionally, for fun (a la Dunkin Donuts trips ... how awful!)

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Thought peer pressure was just for junior high kids? Dieters face it, too.

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This morning, I encouraged you to start a new tradition with your family -- a healthy one. So instead of chugging egg nog and gossiping about Aunt Rita's new facelift, don your winter coat, hats, mittens and snow boots and head out to the great outdoors. Here are five activities you can do as a family:

• Go tobogganing. The going down part? Exhilarating. The going up part? Exhausting. You're sure to work off those extra calories you're planning on eating at Christmas dinner -- or perhaps you've already eaten them.
  
• Build a snowman. Extra points if you can make it look like someone famous. Though I'm thinking Amy Winehouse might not work, seeing as the hair is bigger than the body.
  
• Have a snowball fight. Play nice ... or not. It depends on your family dynamics, I guess.
  
• Make snow angels. Come on, when was the last time you did that?
• Play Wii. OK, the outdoors isn't for everyone. If the whole clan ishappier in front of the TV, so be it -- just make sure you're getting active at the same time.
  

Have a healthy family tradition of your own? Do share.

If you've got the whole clan assembled for the holidays, chances are you'll be snapping a few shots of the group before, during and after your ginormous Christmas feast. But nobody likes bad photos of themselves -- you know, the ones where you have more chins than a Chinese phone book. You want to eat the turkey -- not look like one.

Female First has some tips on making your chin area look as flattering as possible in your holiday snaps, including:

• Tricks of the make-up trade. Some subtle shading around the jawline can make a world of difference.
  
• A good haircut works wonders too. Accentuate the chin with a bob or long layers.
  
• Elongate your neck when the photo is being snapped, sit or stand up straight and press your tongue to the roof of your mouth.
  
• If you're doing a solo photo, get it taken from slightly above and to one side -- then follow the previous steps.
  

Got any tips of your own?

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Good things come in small packages, they say. That's especially true when it comes to healthy stocking stuffers. What better gift to give than one that encourages an active, healthy, happy life?

Over at Holidash you can find healthy stocking stuffers for women, for men, and even for the kids in your life.

Ho Ho Ho!

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Welcome to Walking the Walk, a feature that takes a deeper look at commonly shared diet and fitness advice. Every other week, I'll choose one piece of advice and practice it for seven days. Then I'll report back on what I discovered about making it work in real life and how it affected my own personal fitness -- and how it ultimately can affect your own efforts.

Ask a celebrity mom how she stays fit and she'll usually demur, "Oh, I just chase my kids around all day." Insert eye-roll. Unless you've got the metabolism of a mouse, keeping your kids busy isn't going to whittle that waist down to the celebrity-standard size double zero. Either they aren't eating, or they're being less than honest.

But for the rest of us -- those who aim to be physically fit but a little more on the average side -- can chasing your kids all day count as fitness? I think so ... that playground equipment can be surprisingly adaptive to an adult workout, after all.

During this week's Walking the Walk experiment, I aim to find out exactly how much of a workout I can get chasing my kids around all day.

In the current economic climate, almost every family is feeling the financial pinch. But just imagine how tight things must be when you have a family as big as the Duggar family of 17 Kids and Counting? From groceries to holiday spending, the Duggars have to be very frugal. They also have to be careful about spending when it comes to entertainment. According to Jim Bob, the Duggar family dad, one of their favorite activities is playing broomball at the local community center. After the initial investment of the gear, this is now a free activity the whole family can participate in ... plus, it's great exercise.

What is broomball you ask? That's the same question I had to ask when I first read the article. Broomball is somewhat similar to ice hockey, but the equipment is quite a bit different. Instead of a hockey stick, players use a "broom" -- a stick with a rubber-coated broom-shaped tip. Instead of a puck, players maneuver a blue or orange ball around the ice rink. And instead of skates, players wear special shoes with rubber soles.

I haven't played broomball, but it sounds like a lot of fun. Plus, if the Duggar's younger kids can manage it, it's obviously a great activity for the whole family.

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You've fortified your weight loss goals this holiday season with a solid plan, extra workouts, and a dash of willpower.

But one thing you don't want to underestimate this month are the holiday diet saboteurs, well-meaning loved ones who can wreck your weight loss in a ho-ho-ho-hurry.

Luckily, Laura knows how to stop them, so pop on over to Holidash and see what she has to say.

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Ah, Thanksgiving. Isn't it a great day? I hope yours was fantastic. Last week, prior to the big day, I asked you what you loved most about Turkey Day. Here's what you had to say:

• 31 percent of you -- the majority -- just love Thanksgiving, and everything about it. I'm with you guys on this one.
  
• 17 percent of you are crazy about the food.
  
• 17 percent love the time with friends and family the most.
  
• 14 percent of you love having the day off work.
  
• 11 percent of you don't like anything about Thanksgiving. Bah Humbug!

Thanks for sharing your feelings towards Thanksgiving -- it's good to know I'm not alone in my love for this day. Be sure to vote in other Your Turn polls and stay tuned for more results!