Metabolife's former CEO and co-founder Michael J. Ellis released his tell-all book "The Metabolife Story: The Rape of Cinderella" on February 13th. Now as you know, I'm a fitness pro who is adamantly against weight-loss drugs and snakeoil salesmen. I am, however, a business woman who's definitely interested in learning about the rise and disastrous fall of a bazillion dollar corporation.

Even though Mr. Ellis starts his book by sarcastically confessing to being a drug dealing thug who set out to murder people and cheat the government (if you believe the media's side of the story), the next few chapters paint him as a pretty light-hearted guy who simply created a product to help his father survive cancer.

Desperate to save his Dad, Michael experimented with herbs and other holistic remedies. He notes that a surprising side-effect of his concoction was weight-loss. The story just twists and turns from there on out.

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Stadiums are not only fantastic places to watch sports. They're incredible places to work out as well. Tune in to this Fit Kick to find out how to make your lower body tight and your waist waste away.

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The new issue of "Women's Health" magazine just hit stands and it's full of simple ways to help you lose weight. Calories can sneak up on you when you're not looking, so it's best to make wise choices whenever you can. The magazine lists 78 ways to cut 100 calories by making small changes, and I'm going to list my favorite eight here.

• Swap OJ for the real deal -- one fresh orange.
• Take your iced tea unsweetened.
• Use south-of-the-border savvy: Have a quesadilla made with two 6-inch corn, not flour, tortillas.
• Drizzle extra hot sauce, not blue cheese or ranch dressing, on your wings.

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Weight is the exact opposite of a grade point average. GPAs drop lightning fast, but they're really difficult to bring back up. Weight, on the other hand, is quite easy to gain and not-so-easy to lose. Divine Caroline counts down four reasons why weight is so finicky:

• Simple math. To maintain your weight, you need to burn as many calories as you take in. Consuming extra calories will result in weight gain. It's easy enough to exceed your calorie needs on a day-to-day basis, it's especially easy to do so when your routine is altered (like during a vacation).
• A pound is a pound is a pound. To gain a pound you need to consume 3,500 extra calories. Over the course of a special dinner out, an extra serving of dessert, and some extra large portion sizes you can reach that 3,500 calorie mark quite easily. To lose a pound, you need a deficit of 3,500 calories. Reducing the calories you eat and burning extra calories through exercise can give you the deficit you need -- but it takes commitment and effort on your part.

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Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Two-time Dancing with the Stars Champion Cheryl Burke has had quite a year. Five tiny pounds on her little dancer's body caused tabloid hysteria, and now she's starring in her own series of workout DVDs called Disco Abs. She came clean with me on the inspiration behind this belly blasting workout, her infamous weight gain, and who she'd love to partner up with on DWTS. She even shares expert advice on dancing in stilettos; definitely read it before you try it.

Fitz: Tell me about Disco Abs.

Cheryl: It's a series of three workout DVD's set to disco music. The workouts are based on a bunch of fun dance moves, and that's what I love most about them. They're so much fun that you forget you're working really hard.

Fitz: Fun is vital to people sticking with it. And what component is directly geared towards abdominal training?

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The beauty of a "before" picture is that it allows you to really appreciate how far you've come. Not there yet? Are you walking around in the body you'll one day refer to as your "before"? Watch this video and get a move on. Life is too short to spend one extra second in your "before" body. Pay close attention, take action and zoom on into your "after" body.

For fabulous cooking tips, creative workouts and more fun quick information from degreed experts in health and fitness, visit SportsHealthExercise.org.

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There are five really great reasons to be incredibly skinny. I think you'll agree with these.

• You are a contortionist.
• You're in jail and want to avoid all the effort it takes to create a master escape plan and just slide out through the bars of your cell.
• You want to hide behind small tress.
• You are part of an ice skating team with some dude spinning you around over his head.
• You are starring in a movie in which your character was lost at sea and has been stranded on an island for a long time.
  

Yep. These are the best reasons I can think of. Skinny or trim (which is the word I prefer) is fine if that's what you naturally are, as long as the term suits you in a healthy way. But "skinny" is not something I would hope people would strive for. Healthy and fit are far more important concerns than "skinny."

We all know that people tend to use time as a so-called "legitimate" reason to eat poorly. Those people never like me much. Why? Because the excuse is lame and doesn't hold water, and I'm fairly upfront about it. The truth: Bananas are quicker to peel than any package can be opened. Apples don't even need peeling!

Cooked food can also be insanely quick. In fact, I always keep giant bags of various frozen vegetables in my freezer so I can toss them in a bowl and heat them in the microwave in under five minutes. Is it gourmet? Not really. Do I care? Hell no!

What matters most is that we choose fruits, veggies, lean meats and whole grains. Those are a few of the things that are vital not only to weight maintenance, but they support a nourished, energetic and disease-free body. If you are hell-bent on eating poorly than just get on with it. But if you truly want to make fitness happen and change your life, you're going to have to kick excuses to the curb.

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Ever wonder how much exercise you should really be doing and why? This Fit Kick has your answers.

For more quick and fun fit tips by degreed experts in the field of health and fitness ...

Frosting, of course, will never reach the 'healthy factor' of fresh fruit and vegetables. It can, however, be made more wisely to preserve the sweet flavor and creaminess while excluding all the fat.

My Fat Free Cream Cheese Frosting tastes amazing, spreads on easily and is the perfect substitution for the full-fat stuff. And ... if you're eager to go a bit further with it, substitute the sugar for Splenda and you'll have yourself a sugar-free treat as well.

Find this recipe on page 11 of my online recipe book at Fitzness.com. For more great recipes, pre-order my soon-to-be released book, The Everything Flat Belly Cookbook here.

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Eric Stoltz has one of those careers any actor would kill for. Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Mask, Pulp Fiction ... the list goes on and on. He's currently on a tear, directing all sorts of hit primetime shows too, but this week we sat down to chat about his guest role on ABC's Grey's Anatomy. My opinion: Eric is really smart, relaxed and funny. He also happens to know the secret to losing weight -- you might be surprised by how simple it actually is!

Fitz: You're playing a serial killer on Death Row for a couple of weeks on ABC's Grey's Anatomy. Any similarities between you and your character?

Eric: Fortunately, no. But it did get me interested in reading and learning more about serial killers. Although repellent, they're often very brilliant, bold and fearless people. Evil characters like that offer me a great opportunity to be creative.

Fitz: Does that mean you're really a super nice guy?

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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. Hi Fitz! You always say that drinking calories causes weight gain, so I'm willing to try kicking my habit. I'm completely addicted to Coke. There are all sorts of programs to help people stop smoking, but none for cutting back on soda. Help! Brian

A. Thanks for the terrific question, Brian. I'm so glad you've been paying attention! Yes ... caloric beverages such as soda, juice, milk and alcohol are definitely responsible for much of the extra fat folks are carrying around. As an example of this, I once did a series of lectures for a large fire department in my area. I referenced the huge fountain drinks I always saw the firefighters driving around with and showed them how much sugar was in each cup. As their jaws dropped, I challenged each of them to, at minimum, switch to diet soda and, at best, switch to water.

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That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader! We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind. And to reward you for your efforts, Everlast and Everlast Woman have provided gorgeous T-shirts to bestow on our featured members.

Name: Candice Miser

Age: 22

Occupation: Student/ PCA

How often do you exercise? Not enough!

What type of exercise do you do? Yoga and ab training.

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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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That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader! We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind.

Name: Chuck Marshall

Age: 44

Occupation: Programmer

How often do you exercise? Five to six days a week .

What type of exercise do you do? Body weight strength training and cardio. I like to do intervals, elliptical, rowing, and running (when I'm not injured).

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