That's Fit

Carol Alt might be a world-famous model, but she insists she's never been comfortable with her body. She says she was a heavy kid -- in fact, her sister is a plus-size model -- and even at 20 years old, she was tremendously uncomfortable with posing in a bathing suit.

Now, at 47 years old, she's decided to pose for Playboy -- kind of a big change, right?. So what's changed? Mainly, her diet. Alt is a raw food devotee, and says that it's the reason she looks (and feels) as great as she does. She's even written a book about eating raw.

"In reality, at my age, to know that I have come to such a point, where I am comfortable enough with my own body after 12 years of eating raw ... is an amazing miracle in itself," said Alt. "I want to enlighten other people to the fact that as they age, they don't have to start feeling worse about themselves -- getting tired, getting moody, getting fat and becoming ill," adding that her purpose in posing nude is to get people talking about her message, which is "eat healthy, look healthy, and be healthy." Well, this certainly is getting people talking!

Over the past few years, the fashion industry has received a fair amount of criticism for using too many skeleton-thin models. And it seems they're paying attention and trying to 'beef-up' -- well, if the recent New York Fashion week is any indication anyway. Nian Fish, the chair of fashion designers health initiative is insisting that all models used in the various shows were size 2 or 4 -- not 0 or 00, as was the previous standard. "I think there's progress," says Fish, "The girls are still slim. We didn't want them not to be slim. We wanted a projection of health"

Still, the fashion industry is a long way from embracing curves. "Thin is going to be the ruling look -- until someone says, 'I want voluptuous,'" said Fish. "I don't know if that ever is going to come back." And in London, plans to make models pass a health examination were dropped because of not enough international support.

Your thoughts?

In 1980, when Brooke Shields was just a teenager, she did a few Calvin Klein jeans ads with the famous tagline, "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." It appears the same has held true nearly 30 years later -- she showed up at a party for the designer's 40th anniversary wearing the same jeans. And yep, those are it in the picture.

Aside from the Calvins, Brooke obviously has pretty good genes of her own. But, genetics alone doesn't allow a 43-year-old woman and mother to fit into jeans she wore when she was 14 or 15, and Brooke shared a couple of her slim-down secrets, including cutting down on carbs.

She said, "If I stay away from too much carbohydrates, I'm usually better off," but that doesn't mean she deprives herself, adding, "I don't want to go through life not enjoying." In addition to watching her diet, she keeps her body buff by spinning and practicing yoga. Keep doing whatever you're doing, Brooke -- it's working!

As if young women aren't already blasted with images and messages about whether or not they're thin enough, MTV is sending the message to its young viewers that, in order to be beautiful, you need to lose weight with their new reality show Model Maker.

The show is holding auditions around the country now for women who "appear" to be between 18 and 25 and are willing to make their dreams a reality by dropping serious amounts of weight -- at least 30 pounds, and up to 80, within just 12 weeks. Basically, a pound a day.

Weight-loss shows are certainly successful, and it's not that I'm against a show that helps young women get down to a healthy weight, whether it's because they want to model or simply because they want to be healthier. However, the tone of this show (which still hasn't been given the green light for production -- they're waiting to see how the auditions go) seems to tell girls, "You're pretty now, but you could be beautiful if you lost a lot of weight -- fast."

Does this upset you as well? Or do you think it's just another reality show?

• Eat right. If you eat right, your kids are likely to follow suit. That means five servings of fruits and veggies each day, whole grains instead of refined products, and a limited number of red meats and processed foods.
  
  

• Move. Inspire your kids to get 60 minutes of vigorous exercise most days of the week by engaging in your own fitness pursuits. Discuss the value of being active with your kids too.
  
  
• Avoid smoking. Don't smoke, don't hang out around smoke, and chat with your youngsters about the dangers of smoking.
  
  
• Practice skin smarts. Protect your own skin from the sun, and slather your kids too. And teach them this American Cancer Society jingle: Slip! Slop! Slap! Wrap! Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat, and wrap sunglasses around your eyes.
  
  

What ideas do you have for heading kids in a healthy life direction?

In many ways, celebrities are just like the rest of us. Some of them pack on the pounds during pregnancy, while others stay relatively fit. Some of them love to exercise, while others want nothing to do with it.

Milla Jovovich is one of those celebrities who experience major weight gain during her pregnancy, and, according to her trainer Harley Pasternak, she "is not someone who embraces exercise." She got up to 192 pounds by the time she gave birth in November, and then she had to be ready to be filmed in a bikini less than half a year later.

She got back down to her goal of 130 pounds in five months by ... get ready for it ... working out hard and eating well. I know, it's not exactly breaking news, but we all know this is the system that works. Milla trained with Harley five days a week, and he prepared three meals a day for her and two snacks.

It's a healthy step, says larger-than-average model Emme -- she wore a size 14/16 at her career high -- of the "plus-size" crowning of 20-year-old Whitney Thompson. But it's still ridiculous, she says. "In our society, she's normal."

What does the big winner have to say about all of this? Here are a few of her thoughts.

• Revenge is sweet, she says, after being called "fat" by mean girls in her Atlantic Beach, Florida hometown.

• Despite teasing, she's never obsessed about her diet. "You don't have to starve to be beautiful," she says. "I made that decision in seventh grade, when my friends were drinking Slim-Fast."

• About speculation that she hasn't always been a size 10 but once fit into size 4 clothing: Never, she reports. She was once a size 6 but shot up to her current 10 in college. She has no plans for slimming down.
  
  

• Thompson also says she was never asked by ANTM staffers to put on weight to fit into the "plus-size" category. Had they asked, she says, she would not have done it.

The world of plus-size modeling may not be large, but here are a few celebs known for strutting their full-figured selves.

Model extraordinaire and Project Runway pioneer Heidi Klum reveals her stay-slim secret in May's Good Housekeeping magazine. She doesn't whisper anything about strict diets and hard-core workouts, though. Nope. It's all about her kids.

Klum's three children -- ages four, two, and one -- keep her busy all the time, says this beauty who reports that staying active with her little ones is how she stays in such good shape. I'm not sure that's all it takes -- I'm a mom too and simply moving with my boys just isn't enough -- but apparently it's one piece of the puzzle for this Supermom who says working in the garden, jumping on the trampoline, climbing trees, and feeding ducks in the park top her activity list.

Do your kids keep you in shape?

For more celebrity diet and fitness scoop, check out this AOL Body site.

Tyra Banks' and her America's Next Top Model panel of judges just crowned another winner. Her name is Whitney Thompson, and there's nothing skin and bones about the girl who says she feels validated after so many years of being judged.

The 20-year-old Thompson is the first plus-sized model to win Top Model honors and the first of the show's winners to kind of resemble the average American woman. Media reports peg Thompson as a size 8/10.

Thompson said she's already heard from boys and girls all over the world who are struggling with weight and eating issues. "They're thanking me for standing up and saying, 'I am a plus-size model and I am beautiful,'" says this Florida gal who is the lucky recipient of an Elite modeling contract and a fashion spread in Seventeen magazine.

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.

This week I went back to talk with one of my favorite past guests, Mr. Colin Egglesfield. (To view Colin's in-depth interview click here.) Spring is here, summer is coming and this All My Children star has the most perfectly fit body one could wish for. We all want to know how celebrities earn their great bodies, and Colin was sweet enough to share his tips for preparing for swimsuit season. These tips are exactly as our favorite Calvin Klein underwear model gave them to me. So play close attention, follow his advice, and prepare to strut your stuff this summer!

• Run! You can do all the weight training in the world, but nothing burns off that winter weight better than a good 30-45 run at least three times a week. I like to start out doing about 30min and then gradually work up to an hour over the course of a few weeks as I start to get my stamina back. I love to run outside by myself with my headphones and some great music on my iPod and just go! It's my time to be alone with my thoughts, and anything that might be on my mind always seems to be a lot clearer after a good run.

Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts is bald, thanks to breast cancer and chemotherapy. She's done a bang-up job of covering up since she shaved her head in preparation of the big fallout -- her wig is a perfect match for the hair that once sprouted from her scalp -- but she recently decided to bare her shiny scalp. She did it to challenge her comfort zone, she says.

What started as a dare had Roberts braving the catwalk the other day as part of Isaac Mizrahi's runway show, live from New York Fashion Week. All of her friends and fans knew she was doing the show -- they just didn't know she'd do it bald.

"This is who I am," Roberts said about her decision to ditch the wig.

When Roberts was diagnosed with breast cancer last July, the last thing she felt was beautiful. When the folks at Good Morning America dared her to be model, she seized the opportunity. It was a perfect way to push herself outside a certain comfort zone.

To transform herself into a supermodel, Roberts worked with Tyra Banks on walking the runway, Mizrahi on finding the perfect gown, and model Nikki Taylor on photo shoots -- a special layout will appear in an upcoming Redbook magazine.

Check out Roberts here in this video where you'll see a courageous woman make a bold statement as she fights to regain her health. Now that's what I call a model -- a role model.

Tyra Banks has a few words for those recently poking fun at her weight. "Kiss my fat a--," she says. She says a whole lot more to her studio audience in this video clip.

Wearing the same swimsuit that caused the media to comment on her weight, Banks shows fans of The Tyra Banks Show how a camera angle or body stance can manipulate the way weight is portrayed in photographs.

On her critics, the 33-year-old says: "Luckily, I'm strong enough and I have a good enough support system. I love my Mama, and she has helped me to be a strong woman so I can overcome these kinds of attacks, but if I had a lower self-esteem, I would probably be starving myself right now. That's exactly what is happening to other women all over this country."

Banks makes no secret of the fact that she's put on 30 pounds since her runway days. She also makes no secret of this fact: "I still feel hot."

All My Children soap star and Calvin Klein model Colin Egglesfield and I have been talking lots of fitness lately, so I thought I'd get his advice for stay completely gorgeous for the holidays, and making it to the new year without an ounce of regret. This is what Colin has to say:

"My tips for the holiday season revolve around the theme of "CALORIE CONTROL!" You can enjoy most of the same treats you traditionally desire if you simply use the lowest calorie ingredients available. And of course, I'm never too conscious of exact calorie amounts, that would drive anyone crazy, I just try to be sensible about what I order and try to eat small portions when possible. "

Here are a few tips that I try to heed:

1. Latte, cappuccino, and hot chocolate lovers be sure to use non-fat milk! I love cappuccinos, so when I do order one... I order it with skim milk. I try to limit my intake of coffee to only two or three a week. The rest of the time I drink herbal teas.

Last week, I tuned into the Victoria's Secret fashion show on television. Wow! What fun they have with bras and panties! And watching the models strut up and down the runway with their enormous angel wings and teeny underthings made me want to do some crunches at ten o'clock that night.

Now, of course the girls are ten feet tall and they are quite trim. But they are not the anorexic looking waifs we see on other runways. In fact, these chicks are fairly curvy and mostly resemble women. NOT THE TYPICAL WOMAN, but they look womanly.