Tonight, WE TV's "Secret Lives of Women" will introduce you to three women who lost dramatic amounts of weight and transformed their identities in the process.

The show's weekly installments dig into subjects from extreme plastic surgery and body modification to mafia wives and mothers of murderers. But tonight's episode -- which explores how three "ordinary" women bucked the odds to lose significant weight -- is packed with inspiration and helpful information, as well as entertainment.

You'll find yourself rooting for Celeste, Jennifer and Cindy as you think about how you might adopt some of their healthy habits.

Photo: Lifetime

Recently, I caught a couple of episodes of Lifetime's new show "Drop Dead Diva." It's about a young, gorgeous, self-centered aspiring model (Deb) who dies in an accident, but comes back in a different body (Jane). A bigger, smarter, kinder (but still totally gorgeous) body. And so, as the Web site says, "Now, by a twist of fate and a bolt of divine intervention, Deb must come to terms with inhabiting Jane's plus-size frame and learn to reconcile her beauty queen ways with her brilliant new mind."

Now, I'm not plus-size, but I'm probably closer to that than I am to that elusive size 2 that many actresses wear, so I immediately feel the need to give props to Lifetime for creating a show that features a lady who doesn't wear sample sizes. And the show is cute, fun and mostly lighthearted -- not a bad way to spend part of an evening.

However, although I know it's not the intent of the show, by showing the brilliant, plus-size attorney next to her thin, blonde, ditzy best friend, it almost makes it seem like you have to choose one or the other -- would you rather be thin or smart? And we all know that's not the truth. "Drop Dead Diva" is definitely showing that having the brains is a far better bet, although having the looks makes plenty of things in life much, much easier.

Photo: willposh, Flickr

British people are too lazy to have sex, at least that's according to a recent study by Nuffield Health in UK. And if that wasn't shocking enough, there are even more startling findings. Such as? Well, one in six say they'd rather sit through a TV show they didn't want to watch than get up to change the channel if the remote was broken. And more than half said they'll always choose the elevator over two flights of stairs. Wow -- no wonder Britain is the most obese nation in Europe.

But don't be too quick to point the finger -- I suspect Americans aren't doing much better. Obesity rates are similar between the two countries, and considering the majority of us don't engage in any exercise whatsoever, I'm guessing a U.S. based study would show similar results.

OK, so maybe stairs aren't your thing, and the couch is just too darn comfy to justify getting up, but that doesn't mean you have to be a total blob -- there are plenty of fun and fabulous ways to get fit.

Have you tried bocce ball and beach paddleball this summer? Sorry to burst your bubble but you really have no excuse to be quite so lazy!

I'll admit it. I'm addicted to the Food Network. I work from home, but I miss the noise of the bustling busy office environment I used to work in. To compensate for the silence, the Food Network is on quietly in the background almost all day.

Though I love to watch the shows, I rarely make the foods I see. But over at Vitamin G, they're wondering if the Food Network is making it harder for us to eat healthfully. A lot of the commenters agree with the theory. Says one person: "Those shows instantly make me hungry, even if I just ate a meal and normally wouldn't be! I can't watch them or I would get as big as a house."

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This might sound like the most blatantly obvious news out there, but your weight has a very close connection with how much TV you watch -- as in, the more TV you watch, the more you are likely to weigh. Whether it has to do with the fact that people tend to snack a lot in front of the tube, or the fact that when you're watching TV, you're probably not doing anything active, the moral of the story is clear: TV is no good for your figure.

Keeping this in mind, maybe now's a good time to forgo some of your must-see shows for an evening walk? But if missing Lost is absolutely not an option, perhaps you can catch the lasest episode while on the treadmill at the gym? Or, at the very least, try to do some sit-ups and push-ups on the commercial break.

(via Calorie Lab)

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Today I chatted with Donny Osmond. That almost feels silly to say. Not that he's silly, but because he's been a part of my life for about as long as Santa Claus has. Fortunately, I like him even more now than I did a few hours ago. Donny has spent his entire career in the spotlight, and at 51 years of age, he looks just about as great as he ever has.

He's performing in Vegas right now and hosting a new show on ABC called Rediscovered, airing December 22 at 9 PM ET, which sounds pretty fun. Rediscovered gives adults who unsuccessfully auditioned to be a Mouseketeer 20 years ago a second chance at stardom and a $50,000 prize. Donny and Marie were sold on the concept and are enjoying the opportunity to see these "regular people" shine on stage. Read on to learn more about the show, how Donny stays fit, and whether or not he's going to take his shot at Dancing With the Stars!

Fitz: So you're back on prime-time television. What drew you to Rediscovered?

Donny: Marie and I just loved the concept. It's been amazing to see these regular people dragged out of their normal lives and put back on the stage. The show is fun, the audiences have been really receptive and the contestants have proven to be terrific.

Fitz: Since the contestants haven't been performing for a living, are any of them disastrously horrible?

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I just read an article in People magazine about that morbidly obese lady Ruby who's losing weight on her television show. She once weighed more than 700 pounds, and I think she's now down to almost 400. This is fabulous news, and I congratulate her on her triumphs. She made a statement in the article that intrigued me, though, and I'm curious about how it translates for the rest of you.

Ruby basically said that knowing she was "almost one thousand pounds" made her put her foot down. At that point, she knew she needed to lose weight. I'm thrilled she made that decision, but why wasn't she shocked when she closed in on 500?

I've seen her interviewed and she seems like a lovely lady ... who just happens to have a very high breaking point. What is yours? What amount of weight gain is or would be acceptable to you? When counseling my clients, I encourage them to monitor their weight a few times a month. If they've gained more than two pounds, I suggest they quickly return to their healthier habits so they can maintain their ideal weight. Ten pounds is hard to lose, three is not so tough.

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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.

The Hills season finale on December 22 is quickly approaching on MTV, and I was able to catch up with reality star Lo Bosworth for a quick interview. To find out how she stays in shape and what her "realities" are while starring on this hit show, read on.

Fitz: How'd you end up on The Hills? What goes in to that?

Lo: Well, I started out on Laguna Beach back in high school. Then I went away to college. I was at UCSB and I transferred to UCLA my junior year. That was when Lauren and I were able to spend more time together. So I started going out a little bit and sometimes they would be filming. And then at some point, the producers just asked me to re-join the show.

Fitz: You're on a reality show but not necessarily a "performer" in Hollywood. You're supposed to be "real," but do you feel tons of pressure to be thin, beautiful and well dressed all the time?

Will Lo launch her own fashion line? Read on!

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A recent study theorized that banning fast food commercials would have a positive impact on childhood obesity. After all, most kids watch an awful lot of television -- being tempted by burgers and fries (not to mention the toys they're packaged with) can be a big draw. Pair that with the potential sleep problems and loss of physical activity due to TV watching and you've got a recipe for childhood obesity. Or do you?

I asked That's Fit readers what they thought about banning fast food commercials. Here are the results:

• 56.6 percent think banning fast food commercials is a good idea. Remove the temptation and maybe kids would beg and plead for fast food less often.
• 34.5 percent of you think kids will still want fast food, whether they see it on commercials or not.
  
• 8.7 percent of you voted for other. Many comments focused on the fact that it shouldn't matter whether kids see commercials or not -- parents should determine the types of food that their family is eating. Kids shouldn't be the ones who dictate what they eat.

Do you think you're up on knowledge about childhood obesity? Take this AOL Health childhood obesity quiz and find out.

I recently came across this post at Lemondrop, and it made me laugh out loud -- I'm totally one of those people who watches Food Network while I knock out a cardio session. Then again, sometimes I watch HGTV or E!, but if there's a game on, I might follow that, while other times I catch up on Days of Our Lives -- somebody has to keep an eye on the evil Stefano DiMera, after all.

I can't say that I pay much attention to what other people watch, unless it's something super trashy on MTV or something. But it does amaze me to see people who seem to be able to follow a complicated plot. I can hardly follow along with my favorite song once I get a couple of miles under my belt.

And now, I'm curious -- what do you tune into when you hit treadmill or StairMaster? Let me know in the comments!

Over the in UK, rules were recently placed on child-targeted advertising, prohibiting them from running junk food ads during popular kids programming. But according to recent reports from the BBC, the rules are not working. The reason? They're not strict enough. In fact, it turns out that only four of the top 20 children's shows are required to adhere to these rules. So some shows, like The Simpsons, are not allowed to run junk food ads during commercial breaks, while other like Beat the Star (which attracts half a million children!) can.

However, it's still estimated that the amount of junk food ads that children see on British TV has been reduced by around 50%. It's a start, but I'm still hoping for 100%.

What do you think about kid-targeted advertising? Is it a parent's responsibility to restrict what their kids see on TV? Or should advertising companies back off and stop aiming at impressionable minds?

(via Calorie Lab)

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Think about it: What form of technology has made the single biggest impact in the lives of children over the past 100 years? Computers have revolutionized the world, but I suspect television has made the biggest impact on young people, particularly because they are a captive audience subjected to clever and manipulative advertising that is targeted specifically at them. As such, it's believed that TV advertising is one of the top causes of ever-rising childhood obesity.

This revelation has caused Mark Scott, the Managing Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corp, to push back against kid-targeted advertising, and he's calling for a commercial-free Children's channel to be developed down under.

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There are a lot of reasons to turn off the TV. One, if you're watching it, you're probably not moving. Two, if you're watching it, you might be digging face first into a bag of chips (not that I know anyone who does that ... ahem). And three, a recent study found that the dust on your TV screen might contain toxic chemicals.

Flame retardant is used in many household products these days, including TVs, but also in mattresses, carpet padding, and computer products. It also shows up in household dust, for reasons that, previously, experts couldn't explain. But what researchers in this study found was that TV dust contains high levels of flame retardant, leading them to believe that the heat of the television set vaporizes the retardant, allowing it to settle back onto the TV and surrounding furniture.

This is a big deal, environmentally speaking, because as of next February, TV broadcasts are going digital. When old sets get thrown away, the environment will bear the brunt of the additional chemical load. The researchers in this study didn't give any tips for how minimizing the issue in your own home. I'm not sure this is enough information to keep me from watching the season finale of Lost, but it is something to mull over. What do you think?

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We often talk about making small, livable changes to create a healthier lifestyle. Here's a simple move that can help your child avoid a sedentary lifestyle and possibly even do better in school -- take their TV out of their bedrooms.

In one study of 80 kids in Buffalo, young children who had a TV in their bedroom watched nine more hours of TV a week than kids who did not. A French study found that kids without TVs in their bedrooms were learner than those with televisions, and that kids with TVs in their rooms spent less time reading. A study in California found that kids who didn't have TVs in their room scored higher on achievement tests, and yet another study linked bedroom TVs with teenage smoking.

TVs in the bedroom may interfere with sleep, outdoor playtime, socializing, and of course, study time, not to mention the fact that when your kids are in their room with their door shut, you have no idea what they're watching. Like the computer, these studies make it seem like it's a good idea to place TVs in a family area only. What do you think?

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