I used the photo pictured above in a post yesterday, the one featuring Discover magazine's list of 20 facts about fat. Not only was this photo fitting for a piece about fat, but I liked it because the man who shares it on flickr.com reveals publicly his repulsion about that spare tire hanging from his middle.

"I'm fat," reads the title of the photo. And the photo description says: "I'm terrified. Putting up this image is the single most horrible thing I've done to myself ... but it's for a purpose. I'm fat. I've been fat for a while. I have a belly and manboobs. I have a 38" waist. Starting today, I'm making a change. It's time to hit the gym. Maybe telling the world that I'm doing it will force me to keep going."

The guy gets some pretty good responses to his display of chub. Some love his honesty; some love his meat. One person declares the vision something akin to a cuddly teddy bear. Another praises his bravery -- "Now that took some courage," writes one dude. "I applaud you. Stay motivated and keep it going. You should photograph your progress like once a week. By the 6th picture, you're really going to see the progress."

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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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It's just a matter of fact that the pages of our magazines are filled with retouched photos of celebrities and models. Too bad, really. Even if we logically know that Jessica Alba's impossibly skinny waist is a result of Photoshop magic, it makes it difficult to look at pictures of ourselves and not wish for something a little different. So it made me wonder ... if you could have any body part airbrushed in your photos, what would it be? Here's how you responded:

• Removing a double chin is what 2.5 percent of you wished for.
• A smaller butt got 12.5 percent of your vote.
• Thinner thighs were on 25 percent of your wish lists.
• A better stomach is what a whopping 47.5 percent of you would like.
• And 12.5% of you like yourself just the way you are.

I understand the wish for improved features. If the gorgeous Jessica Alba can be improved, I guess we all have room for improvement. But I can't help but wish that more that 12.5 percent had voted for not being retouched at all.

Note to magazine editors, professional photographers, and anyone else who dabbles in Photoshop ... cut it out. Jessica Alba just had her little girl, Honor, last June and she's back to pre-baby shape already. She looks gorgeous (says Maggie with a jealous sneer). But, apparently, someone from the Campari campaign didn't think she was quite gorgeous enough.

Photos have surfaced showing a shot from the photo shoot before retouching and a photo after retouching. Granted, in my opinion, they're two different photos (her head tilt is different and would they really retouch the whole background?), even so, it's obvious there's been some retouching going on.

I just think it's a shame to take an incredibly fit and gorgeous woman like Jessica Alba and find room for improvement. It's no wonder that I -- far from Jessica Alba-ish -- look at my mirror in the morning and wonder when my rear end is going to be declared the 51st state.

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It doesn't need to be your gym bag. It can be your fridge, the door of your snack-filled pantry, your treadmill -- you name the place. But answer me this: Whose hot body would you plaster (in photo form, not the real thing) on your location of choice to keep you motivated? Kristen says in a recent post that she might tape a photo of hot momma Jessica Alba on her gym bag. She got me thinking that this isn't such a bad idea. So I want to know who motivates you.

Me? That tummy that belongs to Fitz is pretty inspirational. I'm a fan of Madonna's built bod too. I like Kelly Ripa's thin but toned physique. And The Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels -- I love her look. Maybe I need a whole gallery of shots to keep me pumped.

What about you? Give me your pick -- celebrity or otherwise -- and I'll report back on what I learn.

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Skinnier? You? Want to see it? You can! WeightView.com offers you the opportunity, for free, to see yourself at the weight you're striving to become. All you have to do is upload a photo and enter your desired weight loss. Within 48 hours, WeightView.com will email you an image resembling what you would look like.

Talk about motivational tools! The ability to actually see yourself in the body you want to be in? Priceless. Figuratively, and literally. (Remember, I told you it was free!).

Have you been struggling unsuccessfully to lose weight? Maybe it's because the end result just does not feel tangible enough. This little bit of technology might just be what puts you over the edge to a fitter and leaner body.

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Keeping track of what you eat is one of the simplest ways you can reduce your caloric intake. But if you're like me, you're probably just too darn busy (or lazy) to make note of everything you put in your mouth.

A simple fix? Get your camera and take a photo of what you're eating. That way, you have visual proof of just how much you're stuffing down your throat, and facing the truth is the first step to changing your habits. Becoming your own 'Food Photographer' can really work, according to this article from The Daily Mail. In studies, participants noted that keeping track of what they ate in pictures made them think more carefully about their food and portion choices.

Luckily, you don't need to lug around your expensive camera to do this either -- with the advent of super-convenient camera phones, your own visual food diary is only a click away.

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Working with SportsHealthExercise.Org (a company built on real advice from real experts in various areas of health and fitness), I was able to film a ton of great Fit Kicks , including this one here. Fit Kicks are smart, energetic and quick Kick Butt tips to help get you in the best shape of your life!

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Any of us who've carried a few extra pounds have inevitably had that ah-ha moment. You know, the one where you look at a photo from your past vacation or family event and think to yourself, omigod, is that me? Is that what I look like? I look so ... fat ... ! The thing is, we see each other every day in the mirror, and so we sometimes don't notice an extra few pounds here and there. Until, that is, we see ourselves from far away, from another point of view.

Truth be told, these moments of realization are hard. But they're also necessary -- we need to face the facts to make changes in our lives. So next time you find a fat photo, don't burn it, bury it in the garden or hide it away. Keep in it plain view--perhaps even on your fridge?--as a reminder to make better decisions.

And trust me--with enough dedication, it won't be long before you can chuck the fat photo and replace it with a fit photo, one that you can truly be proud of.

Maybe so! I just got done chatting with the host of TLC's Trading Spaces, which by the way...is a lovely thing to do. Paige is saucy, fun and really very sweet. The type of girl you want to live right next to. I was interviewing Paige for a future Celebrity Fitzness Report and she was totally open and honest.

We talked health, fitness and show business. We also talked a bit about nudity. One of my reader's suggestions was to ask Paige if she'd ever pose in the buff. She didn't say no. In fact, under the 'right circumstances' she would do it. She didn't say she would do it to show off her fantastic figure (which she has) though......

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Back in September That's Fit first mentioned the controversial Italian advertising campaign featuring a 68 pound anorexic model, and now it's making headlines again: almost all (there's only 1 left in Rome) of the images have been pulled due to claims that they don't follow Italian advertising code of conduct standards. The photographer, Oliviero Toscani, is calling the move "censorship" and says he's considering legal action for moral and economic damages.

I personally don't think the ads should have been pulled, but regardless they've already made an enormous impact.

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The SUBWAY restaurants near my house are doing a neat little promotion today. SUBWAY is giving a free Fresh Fit for Kids Meal to parents who bring in their children, ages 12 and under, with a photo of their children engaged in an act of fitness.

I love the way SUBWAY offers healthy choices, and promotes eating healthy as a whole. Going this extra step forward and rewarding children for their fitness accomplishments is an awesome idea, and they deserve a big high five for doing so. Check with your local SUBWAY to see if they'll reward the fit child in your life too!

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I wanted to share one of the best fitness photos I've taken in my 17 year career. I train a lovely and highly motivated woman Kim, who comes in three times per week. Kim has been training with me for about five weeks and she's already lost 17 pounds; she's dropped down from a size 18 to a 10 as well. Kim is one of the cool folks who doesn't necessarily love exercise, but she does it because she knows it will get her where she wants to be. So far she adores the results she has earned.

Back to the photo. Kim shows her lack of love for training quite often with moans, groans and pleas for mercy. She also makes these amazing faces. I suppose it's all her way to get me to take pity on her and allow her to stop whatever horrendous thing we may be doing at the time. It never works. But the efforts she puts forth that lead to these faces of agony are the same ones that cause her to skip in beaming about her new pants.