Weight can be a touchy subject among friends. Honestly telling a friend whether those jeans do make her look heavy is a hard thing to do. While the number on the scale shouldn't mean a thing when it comes to close pals, the reality is some of us do change our habits, bite our tongues or plan different activities when dealing with friends who have more curves.

Click on the gallery below to take our survey and tell us how you really feel about friends and weight.

A group of men and women (about 2,600 of them) were surveyed recently by the folks at Real Simple magazine. Happiness was the topic, and some interesting stuff turned up -- like this: Women secretly wish for separate bedrooms; men secretly wish for separate vacations, Who knew? Most revealing, though, are the 10 things both women and men reported would make them happier. They're a pretty happy bunch already -- 75 percent of women say they are happy while 71 percent of men claim happiness. Still, there's always room for improvement -- and a better body and losing weight sure would help matters.

Check out the poll below (there's one for you guys and another for the gals) and tell us which of these 10 Real Simple things you'd take as happiness helpers. I'll be back to weigh in on the results -- can't wait to see how the body issues stack up.

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In a limited UK survey, only 21 percent of the doctors surveyed got a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise five days a week. Doctors cite a lack of time, motivation and resources as excuses for not following the advice they dispense to patients. That's Fit asked readers what they thought -- does the physical fitness of a doctor matter?

• 52.2 percent of you feel that doctors should practice what they preach.
• 23.9 percent of you feel that a doctor's lifestyle doesn't change what they know, and their knowledge is more important when practicing medicine. One reader commented that doctors who have struggled with weight themselves tend to be more helpful and empathic with patients.
  
• 23.9 percent feel that it depends on what kind of doctors they are and what type of advice they're dispensing.

While our health is largely reliant on the effort we put into it -- eating healthfully, exercising regularly, and getting proper medical care -- our environment can make a big impact on our health. Economic considerations and the structure of a city are just two components that can affect health.

The CDC does an annual health survey that asks city residents to rate their overall health as excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor. And while the CDC itself doesn't (quote-unquote) rank cities based on their surveys, their database does order the cities based on the results.

When all self-reported ratings are considered, Lincoln, Nebraska gets top honors -- 92.8% of residents state their health is good or better. Huntington, West Virginia comes in last on the 184-city list -- nearly half of the adults in Huntington are obese, but the mayor (who recently lost 80 pounds) says that the city's economic woes are of greater focus.

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Mississippi takes top honors once again in the fattest-state contest, according to the results of a 2007 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The state has had the highest obesity rates every year since 2004.

While Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Louisiana are not far behind, Mississippi is the one with 30 percent of its adults tipping the scales at obese levels. Perhaps it's because the South has a lot of rural residents and black women -- both groups tend to have higher rates of obesity -- or because the typical Southern diet is rich in fatty and fried foods. Perhaps the results of this study are not entirely accurate -- it was conducted over the phone and not with actual weigh-ins.

Colorado wins for least obese state -- 19 percent of adults here are considered obese -- mostly because of its healthy and active communities. Skiing, biking, and hiking apparently keep Colorado folks moving.

Where does your state place? According to this CDC site, my state of Florida is 24.1 percent obese. Plug your state in here, choose the year '2007' and the category 'Overweight and Obesity (BMI)' and see how it compares.

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Having just watched a beloved family friend endure a debilitating bout of chemotherapy, I'm very skeptical about a new survey released by the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS).

According to an article that appears in the current issue of Men's Health, a NCCS survey found that 94 percent of cancer patients claim that chemotherapy is not as enfeebling as most people perceive it to be. Again, I find this figure to be somewhat hard to believe. Even as a kid, when a good friend's father battled cancer, I witnessed the manner in which the treatment assaulted his body. I'm doubtful that he felt his initial concerns proved to be unwarranted once his treatment concluded.

In no way am I casting doubt on the efficacy of chemotherapy; rather, I'm simply voicing my opinion on this particular study. I simply find it hard to believe -- given what I've experienced personally with loved ones -- that such a high percentage of people finish treatment and essentially take the attitude of "It wasn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be." Could I be wrong? Of course -- wouldn't be the first time, definitely won't be the last. That's why I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the results of this survey. Feel free to weigh in on this matter in the comments section below.

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It was always my understanding that the whole "Not tonight, Honey. I have a headache" line was used as an excuse for someone to not have sex. However, a National Headache Foundation survey of more than 180 people revealed that 46 percent of respondents felt headaches because of sex.

Due to the fact that the people involved in the study all suffered from regular headaches (in fact, 96 percent of the them stated that just about anything seems to give them a headache), I suppose it shouldn't come as such a surprise that sex also had this affect. But, I'm not going to lie ... I'm still surprised.

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February is National Heart Disease Awareness Month. As such, it is important to be aware of the following three facts:

1.) 500,000 women die annually from heart disease in the U.S., making it the leading cause of death.

2.) African-American women have the highest mortality rate from heart disease.

3.) Minority women are less likely than white women to be aware of the dangers of heart disease.

Three facts that add up to trouble.

In a previous issue of the Journal of Women's Health, researchers from the New York Presbyterian Hospital published a study based on data collected to determine awareness of heart disease amount minorities. Comparing the results of a phone survey of 1,000 people with the results of a similar survey taken in 1997, the researcher found that 31 percent of African-American women and 29 percent of Hispanic women were aware of the disease, whereas 57 percent of white women were cognizant of the disease and its dangers.

In conducting the study, researchers also discovered that this disparity in awareness among white women and minority women has gone unchanged since the initial survey was conducted in 1997. We can only hope that this lack of awareness will change for the better in years to come.

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I was trying to leave the house tonight, when I made the mistake of answering the phone. I somehow just knew that I should have just let it go to my voice mail, but I didn't. Twenty minutes later, I was still on that same phone call, answering survey questions about how often I watch sports. Even though that freakin' survey lasted twenty minutes, I at least knew that I was taking it. It was conducted by my volition, just as it was ended at my discretion. However, what's currently going on around the United States and Canada is a bit more sneaky. You see, if you have a heart attack, stroke, or any other issue that would cause paramedics to come to the scene, you may involuntarily become part of a clinical study. Yup, you read that right. It turns out that about 15,000 patients, selected randomly from 11 regions throughout the U.S. and Canada, are having their lifesaving procedures examined by researchers.

The goal is to use this information to figure out ways how to improve the lifesaving techniques used by ambulance services and emergency rooms. Still, many critics feel that this method is intrusive and duplicitous, in addition to being an abuse of patients' rights.

Feel free to weigh in on this topic by commenting below.

Women are expected out outlive men by about two or three years. Why is that? While there may not be one single answer to that question, one of the many may have to do with the fact that men visit the doctor far less than women.

According to WebMD, a survey of 1,100 men revealed that 85 percent of men saw a doctor if they felt ill, but typically waited for a few days to first see if their ailment dissipated on its own. It's important to note that most of the men in the survey had medical insurance and were registered patients of a primary care physician.

When asked why they were reluctant to visit the doctor, most men responded that they only did so when they were extremely sick. Others stated that they did not have the time, while some asserted that they were averse to taking medicine.

A remarkably high 80 percent of the survey repentants rated their health as either good or excellent, though the results of the survey suggested otherwise. Perhaps one of the reasons for this disparity, aside from the disinclination to visit a doctor when feeling ill, is that men spent an average of 18 hours per week watching television but only 5 hours per week exercising.

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Are your holidays off to a merry start? If not, you're in good company. Respondents in a recent Mental Health America study indicated this cheery season is downright stressful.

Forty percent of survey participants said finances cause them too much worry, and 34 percent feel they have too many competing seasonal activities in their lives. Time with family, either too much or not enough, is stressing 17 percent. And 28 percent have anxiety about overindulgence or lack of exercise.

Never fear. Here are some stress busters intended to help you steal back some of your sanity.

To ease money woes, sell some of your rarely used holiday gifts from last year on eBay or scale back on the number of gifts you buy. To minimize time commitments, kindly say "no thanks" to some parties and events or drop by for a short bit and then go hang out with family. To combat cookie guilt, vow to walk 30 minutes for every treat you eat. And for the family members who drive you nutty, focus on the positive traits each person in your clan has to offer. Surely, there's something redeeming about those aunts and uncles you so rarely see.

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Becoming aware of how to live a healthy life is one thing. Following through on what we know is another thing entirely.

A recent 2007 Food & Health Survey of 1,000 Americans, led by the International Food Information Council, revealed a serious disconnect between what we know about diet and what we actually do about it.

Ninety percent of those surveyed agreed that breakfast is an important part of a healthful diet. But only 49 percent said they actually eat breakfast every day. Eighty-four percent reported being physically active for health reasons at least one time per week, but 44 percent said they don't balance physical activity and diet to manage their weight. Sixty percent of survey participants who said they were trying to lose weight reported making an effort to cut calories. Yet only 11 percent knew the number of calories they should consume each day.

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Here's an interesting question: is watching TV while you exercise, specifically something tempting like a cooking show or the Food Network, motivating or distracting? Are you more likely to push yourself harder and faster, or get frustrated and quit early to head to a fattening dinner at your favorite restaurant?

Fitsugar posed this question and according to their survey the results are pretty close, with only 4% separating the "it's motivating" group from the "it's distracting" group. Personally I can relate to both sides -- I think it's all about my mood at the time and, of course, how hungry I am. One more reason to keep a tasty power bar in my gym bag!

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According to a nationwide survey of over 356,000 adults, Mississippi has a higher number of strokes than any other state. The results are based on a phone survey where participants were simply asked if they had ever been told by a doctor that they had had a stroke, and it didn't include people living in nursing homes or institutions. Oklahoma and Washington tied for 2nd place, and Louisiana rounds out 3rd place. The state with the fewest strokes? Connecticut.

The study also gathered some other interesting facts, such as fewer than half of stroke patients make it to the hospital within 2 hours of the onset of symptoms, and that the rates of strokes for men and women are roughly the same.

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By now we all know that fast food isn't really the best dietary option especially for those trying to live fit. However, I think that most things are fine in moderation so while it's best not to opt for the drive-thru window everyday, it's ok to indulge in burgers, fries and shakes once in a while as a treat.

So for those of you out there who can't or won't give up their fast food fix, the restaurant guide gurus at Zagat's have conducted a survey on the nation's favorite fast food options. Categories include Top Mega-Chain, Best Burger and even Favorite Mascot.

Check out this article for a quick summary of the winners as well as some hilarious outtakes from those polled. Unsurprisingly, the top concern when eating fast food among those who responded to the survey was the amount of calories and fat in their meal, and the article points out that Applebee's received the top spot for Best Healthy Options. You can view the survey results in full here, and keep them in mind the next time you decide that salad and soup just isn't going to cut it for dinner.

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