Count me in as one of the thousands of people who suffer from frustratingly chronic insomnia. It seriously sucks, man. But want to know one of the best ways to ensure you get a good night's sleep every night? Watching your weight is key, according to a recent reports.

We told you earlier today that sleeping can help you slim down. Now we're telling you slimming down can help you sleep? Sure enough. Researchers found that people who consistently had a hard time sleeping were able to get more slumber when they were following a diet that was lower in calories. Additionally, once they reached a healthier weight, their sleeping patterns were much more regular. And sleeping disorders like sleep apnea and even snoring were less prominent and even cured with weight loss.

Well, that's certainly something to think about while you're tossing and turning tonight, huh?

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Diet drinks can pack on the pounds, say recent reports, and Oprah's Dr. Katz weighs in on the topic over at Oprah.com.

Dr. Katz believes diet drinks can cause weight gain. But science is not decisive on the matter. Suggestive, yes. For sure, no. It's the sugar substitutes (saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, neotame and acesulfame-K) that can do the damage, but evidence of this is based only on animal studies. Now, it's logical to assume that humans who consume these sweeteners end up overeating like animals do (sugar substitues cause the brain to expect more energy than it gets, which causes the desire to keep eating), but we won't know conclusively until humans are put under the microscope. Well, you know what I mean.

Dr. Katz isn't a big fan of the diet drink. "My particular concern is that artificial sweeteners are 200 to 13,000 times as sweet as sugar, and that is a potent stimulus for turning a sweet tooth into a fang," he says. He does make one exception for the drinks though: "They can be a great substitute for people who drink a lot of regular soda and are trying to cut down. Just be sure to take the next step -- toward the water cooler."

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Not only is laughter the best medicine -- it could quite possibly be the best way to work out too. Actually, you're probably laughing right now. See how it works those abs? I told you so.

OK, seriously. An hour of laughing can burn off as many calories as 30 minutes of lifting weights -- no joke. And this could help you shed once dress size or 11 pounds over the course of the year. How does laughing help you lose weight? Leading neuroscientists say it's because a bout of laughter is like a short, intense aerobic workout that uses muscles in both your face and stomach. Plus, laughing helps boost your confidence and ward off depression. Click here for Laura's take on why laughing makes you slim.

So I guess the only question is ... what makes you laugh? For me, this video does it every time.

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When it comes to weight, it's typically assumed that five to 10 extra pounds is nothing to fret about. Not so. Being just seven pounds overweight can increase your chances of heart failure.

According to a team of prominent researchers in Boston, "even those who were only modestly overweight had a higher risk of suffering heart failure. Apparently, the more overweight the person is, the higher the risk." Additionally, "regardless of how much exercise a person does, those with a higher body mass index also have a higher risk of heart failure."

Wow -- how disconcerting for those of us who spend hours on the treadmill and can't seem to budge the numbers on the scale. Still, good reasons to watch those numbers, no?

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December's Family Circle magazine has the skinny on blasting holiday calories. Here's what the editors say.

• Wrap presents while standing at a high table to burn twice as many calories as you would sitting. Place scissors and tape on the floor beside you and squat your way to a firmer behind.
• Make your mall shopping a relay. Choose a faraway parking spot and carry packages to your car after each purchase.
• Don't lick the spoon, because snacking on the wrong foods can add 500 calories to your daily intake. Try chewing sugarless gum, carrots and celery instead.

Clearly, some clever tips, right? Sure enough. But I don't think I'll be practicing them anytime soon. No baking for me -- sugar is just not my thing. And wrapping presents and shopping are two tasks I prefer to master with speed. The less time I spend on them, the better. I'd rather burn a few calories racing from store to store in the mall. As for wrapping, the quicker I am with the scissors and tape, the faster I can get to my real workout. What about you? How do you prefer to blast your holiday fat?

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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, We're half way through December and I've already gained four pounds. How do I stop this? Colin

A. Happy Holidays, Colin! Thanks for writing. I've got some pretty clear advice for you, which is the same advice I'd give if you showed up for a personal training session with me. Get a grip! Put a moratorium on the indulgences and focus on fighting that new fat.

Weight management can be tricky, but this strategy here is a bonafide winner when it comes to keeping your weight under control. Knowledge always gives you power!

For a delicious low fat taco recipe, training vidoes for amazing abdominals, yoga advice and more ...

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If there's one celebrity name that pops into my head when I hear the words "stick thin," it's Mary-Kate Olsen. Kate Moss is up there too, but I'm guessing Mary-Kate may be known more for her skinniness than her Full House stardom. Hey, things might be changing, though.

Tabloids are reporting that the normally waif-like Olsen twin has put on a few pounds. This all stems from rumors that Mary-Kate is pregnant. Her rep says she absolutely is not. Apparently, the 22-year-old reveals in her new coffee table book Influence that doesn't even want kids. Maybe after previously battling anorexia, she just wants a few extra pounds. Not a bad idea, I'd say.

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Bethany has a 2 PM snack attack. Maybe you do too. Or maybe yours hits at 3 or 4 PM. Whatever your time, grab a pen and paper and start writing. It will help you eat less and may even cause you to shed a few pounds.

December's Good Housekeeping magazine reports that British researchers in one study fed 47 women a midday meal and three hours later, asked them to write about either the meal or their morning commute. Those who wrote about lunch chowed down one-third fewer goodies later in the day. Seems that remembering your last meal helps activate your body's "I'm satisfied" signal.

Quick, before your afternoon craving hits, jot down the specifics of what you last consumed. And if you just can't help grabbing at something when you want it most, try one of the foods Bethany recommends in this post. Or pick a snack from the following gallery. Each one contains no more than 200 calories.

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Hopefully, most of you made great choices for your health yesterday, on Thanksgiving Day. You exercised in the morning, avoided too many appetizers and stuck to only one piece of pie. If you did that, congratulations -- I'm proud of you!

If you went a little nut-so on the nuts and gobbled up several different desserts, though ... it's time to get to work. Weight gain comes as a direct result of consuming more calories than you burn. It's quite possible that you actually gained anywhere from a half a pound to three in just one day. Yeesh!

Your second priority is to force vigorous exercise into each day during the next week as well. Vigorous exercise leaves you huffing, puffing and sweating profusely. Do lots of it.

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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. Besides showing you off, we want to reward you for all of your hard work! Everlast and Everlast Woman are giving gorgeous workout T-shirts to each featured member! To join, please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Shannon Jack

Age: 32

Occupation: Child Care Provider

How often do you exercise? Four to five days a week

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Hold your head up high. it's more than just a saying, it's a beauty secret -- one that most photographers like myself already know. Sucking in your chin and holding it up is and easy way to take pounds -- and years -- off your face, according to this article from The Daily Mail.

And just as exercise helps your body become taut and slim, exercises for your face can help slim the chin. Says facial fitness expert Eva Fraser: "By exercising certain muscles in the face for ten to 15 minutes, several times a week you can maintain, or even recreate, a good jawline. There's no magic wand, but as long as you have the discipline and patience to maintain it, this method is far more effective than any facelift."

Complimentary haircut and make-up will also do wonders for your chin. Share your beauty tips in the comments below. And check out the gallery below for clothing that will slim your shape.

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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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Ladies, sometimes it just doesn't seem fair -- we have to deal with PMS cravings, monthly bloating, child-bearing hips and more fat cells than men. We seem to gain weight just by looking at a piece of chocolate cake. It seems our gender just isn't conducive to weight loss. But according to recent studies, there's another very good reason we struggle with our weight: Men.

According to this article, a women's weight fluctuates according to the cycles of her relationships.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. 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. Hello Fitzy. I need your help! I'm six feet tall and last year I was close to 300 pounds. I am now down to 250. I'm still in the process of losing weight but am stressed because I cannot get rid of my "man boobs."They're devastatingly embarrassing. I wouldn't take my shirt off at the beach if you paid me. What can I do to make them go away? Liam

A. Hi Liam. Isn't it funny how big boobs are super cool on a chic but not so much on a guy? Interesting. Listen, I feel for you. Man boobs are not the status symbol of the day, and it's hard for most people to deal with any unusual bulging pockets of fat. Man boobs, love handles, and saddles bags; nobody wants 'em!

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