Photo: Stephen Lovekin, Getty Images

Odds are, if you've had to lose weight in the past, some of those lost pounds have crept back on at one time or another. That yo-yo cycle of dieting is never fun. Can you imagine if your job actually required you to gain and lose pounds? Many of the Hollywood set have had to adjust their weight for a role, but Renee Zellweger just might be the queen of the doughnut. With the third installment of the Bridget Jones's Diary series in the works, Renee Zellweger is gaining once again.

Zellweger gained roughly 28 pounds for each of the first two movies. Certainly not enough to make her tiny frame overweight by any standards -- in fact, she looks downright cute as Bridget Jones. But gaining 28 pounds probably isn't as fun as it seems. "I had a panic attack with all the specialists talking about how bad this is for you long-term, putting on that much weight in short periods of time," Zellweger told the Daily Mail. In fact, Zellweger has described her body as "whacked" after putting it through the Bridget Jones weight gain. "It doesn't know what has happened because it thinks there's supposed to be a baby and there's no christening," joked Zellweger.

For the first Bridget Jones movie, Zellweger gained the weight by eating as many doughnuts and cheese pizzas as her body could take. Not surprisingly, the junk food and lack of exercise made her feel sluggish. For the second movie, she hired a nutritionist and gained the weight with a controlled, but high-calorie, diet.

Losing the weight again was no bed of roses, either. Zellweger said that she felt like she had a toddler strapped to her back while running around the track. Obviously, Zellweger has the funds for trainers and the expensive Ashram Spa in Calabasas, Calif., but the hard work required to lose the pounds was all hers.

If you could earn a Zellweger-like salary, would you be willing to gain and lose weight repeatedly for work?

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 ...

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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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.

As a three-time Sports Illustrated cover model and world famous supermodel, Cheryl Tiegs knows quite a bit about being beautiful. I suppose this makes her a perfect fit for her role as judge on ABC's new reality show True Beauty, which debuts this Monday, January 5 at 10 PM. Instead of really judging the unsuspecting contestants on their physical beauty, though, Cheryl and her cohorts will be removing folks who act really ugly. That should be fun to watch.

In the gallery below, you'll find more about the show and Cheryl's beauty tricks. You just might learn something new about Cheryl Tiegs -- for example, did you know she once gained a good deal of weight? Click below for more!

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If you're a fan of Batman, or simply would like to have the same rippling abdominals the Batsuit provides ... check out this video and then try it at home.

For more innovative training videos, studded with stars ...

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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.

Kellie Pickler has gone through a wicked physical transition of the past few years. When she auditioned to appear on American Idol, at five feet tall, she weighed in as a featherweight 100 pounds. But by the time the competition and Idol tour was over, she had packed on 28 pounds in less than a year. That's a lot of weight on a very little person. The weight gain made Kellie feel bad, but one fellow celebrity (whom most people love and adore) helped her see the light and lose the weight. Read on to hear her story.

Fitz: Your body has changed a ton since you landed in the spotlight. Tell me about that.

Kellie: Oh my goodness! My body has made a big transformation. When I auditioned for Idol I was only 100 pounds and kind of riding on "the young card." Although I exercised a ton, I think I stayed thin because I was ... young! But my eating habits on Idol and the during the tour became terrible. We were always eating fast food on the road and having late night munchies. I gained 28 pounds in less than a year!

Fitz: How'd you take it off?

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As your fancy online fitness trainer, the ability to teach through video is an invaluable tool. The written word is wonderful for so many things but actually showing you and communicating eye-to-eye via the amazing graces of THE PODCAST has allowed me to truly show you how and why you should try some of my favorite training techniques. Let's take a look back at a reminder of all the cool ways you can take your fitness training to a higher level.

#1 Innovative Push-ups with Emphasis on Your Abs

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