I understand both sides of the to-weigh or not-to-weigh debate. On one hand, weighing yourself regularly keeps you honest and it can be motivating. On the other hand, for some, scales can become an obsession and, if you weigh yourself daily, you may get a bit down on yourself when the numbers don't move as fast as you wish they would.

I'm of the mindset that people just need to figure out what works best for them. I'm a weigher. Each morning, like it or not, I climb on the scale and see what's what. I've had to get used to the fact that sometimes -- even if I've done everything right -- I might go up a half pound or so. That's just the nature of weight loss; I accept that and don't let it ruin my day. Also, I'm a data-loving girl. For some reason, I just need to know that number on the scale when I'm trying to lose weight.

Glamour has an idea for weighing yourself without revealing the full truth. They suggest covering the first two numbers on the scale and just watching the final number. If you fall squarely in the not-to-weigh camp, this might be a handy trick for you.

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When trying to lose weight, there are probably a few rules you follow, including lowering your intake of fats and sticking fast to your lower-calorie diet. But, maybe you shouldn't -- AOL Health took a look at some of the ideas behind Crack the Fat Loss Code by Wendy Chant, and some of the suggestions might surprise you.

• Pig out -- Not all the time, of course, but every 18 days -- this keeps your body from getting used to the same caloric intake, thereby increasing your metabolism.
• Forget fat-free -- Skip the skim and opt for low-fat (or -- gasp! -- even full fat) dressings and dairy products, and make sure you get omega 3 fatty acids like tuna and flaxseeds, and monosaturated fatty acids like you find in nuts and nut butters.
• Spice things up -- Adding just half a teaspoon of a spice, like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, or cayenne can boost your metabolism nearly 80%!
  
  

AOL Health has plenty more tips and tricks for cracking the fat loss code, and you can find them right here.

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Carnie Wilson has seen extreme ups and down in terms of her weight and other aspects of her life -- earlier this year, Carnie stated that she'd hit "rock bottom" when she weighed in at 208 pounds. Not only was she unhappy with how she looked and felt, but she wanted to try getting pregnant again (she and her husband already have a three-year-old daughter, Lola) and knew it wasn't healthy to do so until she'd lost 40 or 50 pounds.

And now, she has -- this time, through diet and exercise rather than surgery.

Carnie, who is now down to a healthy 160 pounds, shared a few of her best tips and tricks with Momlogic, talking about how she stayed motivated and on track and how she fought cravings. And, she's serving up advice, too, encouraging people not to diet, but rather, to improve eating habits and add some exercise to be healthy.

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If you ever purchase fresh fish, you absolutely need to check out this video from the Active Health Network on SportsHelathExercise.Org. Chef Laurie divulges the sneaky tricks used to disguise bad fish and guides you on how to choose the good stuff. Watch this quick clip and save yourself from ingesting bleach. Yeesh!

To view more quick, fun, and functional tips and recipes from degreed experts ...

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Got 10 minutes? That's all you need to change your diet for the better, says Dr. Katz in this Oprah magazine article.

The way Dr. Katz sees it, there are two ways you can improve the quality of what you eat: You can study nutrition theory, abandon everything you're doing wrong, and retool your diet from the ground up. Or you can make one small, 10-minute change at a time. Try these few tweaks.

• Eat breakfast. This 10-minute investment can translate into a healthy weight.
• Eat whole-grain cereal. Use your 10 minutes here to find one with five grams of fiber per serving. Add skim milk and fruit and you're set.
• Avoid pre-packaged dinners. Putting together a home-cooked dinner takes only about 10 minutes more of hands-on time than using mainly prepackaged dishes.

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Whether your (bra) cups runneth over or the only cleavage you are able to show is with your toes, you still want to have the best breasts possible. And no, I'm not suggesting implants or augmentations -- this post isn't about surgical enhancement. I'm talking about simple things you can do at home to get "wow" breasts, and according to Fitnessmagazine.com, it only takes three steps!

You might not be planning to wear tops cut "down to there," but chances are good that sometime this summer you'll find yourself in a top with a neckline that shows at least a little bit of your chest. And when that day comes, you'll be glad you've been taking care of the "girls," believe me!

• No more zits! Did you know that the skin of your decolletage has just as many oil glands as the skin on your face? And, be honest -- even if you wash your face every night before you go to bed, how often do you wash your cleavage in between showers? I don't know about you, but I can truthfully say never. If your chest is prone to breaking out, use an anti-acne body wash with 5% benzoyl peroxide once a day. And, when you work out, wear fabrics that breath and wick away sweat. You can also treat trouble areas with a 2% salicylic-acid body spray after exercising to banish bacteria.

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I have been both shivering with disgust and giggling my head off all day today. I grabbed the March 31st issue of OK! magazine off the rack at my gym this morning to keep me company as I ran on the treadmill, and I nearly fell off from laughing. Ugly Betty star, Vanessa Williams, admits to having almost smeared urine all over her face in an effort to get rid of acne.

Oh my! Acne is stressful and embarrassing I'm sure, but I think my face would have to be falling off before I considered doing that! Apparently, someone told her that urine cures acne and she almost followed through with it. Her confession suggests she put her valuable "morning urine" in a container, but just couldn't follow through with applying it.

How many times have you heard a startlet credit her fabulous body with good genetics or a busy lifestyle. You know, "I swear, I eat junk food all the time! I just don't put on any weight!" Well, I don't know about you, but I generally want to punch those girls. You know, good for them and all, but most of us just aren't that lucky.

Well, it turns out most of them aren't, either. We're always hearing about celebrity diets and fitness routines, and this article in the Daily Mail gives us nine reasons why most of us don't look like most of them. And trust me, these are not things you want to do in order to get bodies like theirs.

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Keep your resolution front of mind by writing it down and sticking it to your mirror, fridge or even in your car. Then, add a list of related mini goals to spur your motivation.

If your goal is to lose weight, for example, then your mini goals might be:

• When stressed, eat an apple instead of a doughnut.
• For every hour of tv watching, walk at least 15 minutes.

Each time you complete a mini goal, place a fun gold star next to it! While simple in concept, it works. It makes you feel capable, builds enthusiasm and helps prevent you from losing hope.

Chef Ethan McKee, like Darlene Dougherty, former president of the American Dietetic Association, has a few tricks for spicing up holiday recipes that won't clog arteries or pack on the pounds. McKee, who dishes out health-conscious cuisine year-round, says his technique tweaks can slim down a menu. Here's how he does it.

McKee braises his sweet potatoes in vegetable stock, herbs, and garlic so when he purees them, he can ditch the butter. He brines meats to boost flavor without adding loads of extra calories, and when he wants to create a creamy dish, he grabs some non-fat yogurt. Add some to your mashed potatoes, he says, and you'll get a nice little tang.

Is cauliflower on your holiday menu? If so, slice and sauté it with olive, some raisins and almonds and your dish will come out caramelized and crunchy. To lighten up your desserts, cut portion sizes and use Whey Low, an all-natural sugar substitute with a quarter of the calories.

See, it's possible to be jolly without abandoning taste. You just need to know what's naughty and what's nice, says McKee.

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I have a definite bag of tricks when it comes to fitness. In my bag, I've got running, walking, push-ups, a handful of core exercises, some resistance band stuff, and occasionally, some weight lifting. That's about it. It seems enough on the average day. It gets my heart beating, causes me to sweat, and lets me know I've worked some major muscle groups. But sometimes, when I throw something new into my bag, I realize there's so much more I could be accomplishing.

Recently, my mom and I hopped on our bikes and peddled around town for 90 minutes. We never realized how hilly our area is until the burn in our legs made it abundantly clear. It was also clear my core was engaged in a whole new way. My arms were tensing and tightening differently. My butt was sore. My hands were too. And my back -- well, my back is apparently very weak.

What I realize now after mixing up my workout routine is that I need to do it more often. I need to distribute my physical work more evenly so all my muscles benefit. Consistency is good. But so is variety. So I'll stick with what works for me on the average day. When I get a chance to change gears, though, I'm going to embrace a little diversity.

It seems a little variety is not only good for the body -- it also helps us stick with our fitness goals. Read here for more about this topic.

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It's that time of year again.

When those impossibly cute little gremlins come a-tapping on your door (we get over 200 of them).

Hands outstretched...they want it.

Candy!

You want it too! So right after bed there you are going through the kids basket full of goodies! You can't help it...you must resort to petty theft.

But now that you've got your hands on the goods, you're wondering what can you eat without feeling like you're also cheating on your diet?

And, because I feel your pain...here's the low-down from Men's Fitness on the junk (tricks) that you can let your kids have and the delights (treats) to take for yourself. All still in moderation of course.

Tricks
*Skittles, Tootsie Rolls, and DOTS: These are sticky and sticky candy lingers, increasing levels of cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth.
*Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: The peanut butter is filled with added sugar.
*Snickers: Even the mini-bars have among the highest calorie, carb, and fat levels of any candy bar.
*Mounds: Tasty, yes, but that coconut core is also loaded with calories and saturated fat.

Treats
*Peanut M&M's: Those little nuts have protein, B vitamins, potassium, and healthy fat.
*Candy Corn: Most brands are made with honey (a good source of disease-fighting antioxidants).
*3 Musketeers: The best bite-size candy bar, with one of the fewest total-calorie and fat counts.
*Hershey's Minis: High in calcium. Four mini-bars provide 10% of your daily calcium quota.

There. Feel better? Your only dilemma now is thinking up elaborate lies to keep your secret under wraps.

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The body has an infinitely intricate set of mechanisms that all work together for your body to function on a day-to-day basis. Most of the time we're completely unaware of all these small adjustments our bodies are making, and, subsequently, wouldn't know how to replicate them on purpose. But by understanding these mechanisms, you can manipulate, or "trick," your body into better performance.

Eco Dialogues has created a list of 18 useful "tricks" -- such as how to "make your heart stand still." Apparently, you can calm a racing heart simply by blowing on your thumb. They interviewed an emergency medical services specialist at the University of Pittsburgh who says the vagus nerve -- which governs heart rate -- can be controlled by breathing. So when you're nervous before a big speech, or on a first date, breathing on your thumb can get things back to normal.

Other interesting "tricks" include how to tickle your throat by scratching your ear, experience supersonic hearing, unstitch your side and breathe underwater. Some are more useful than others, but all of them are certainly interesting!

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Here's a great article on 20 ways to use vinegar for various things. From deodorizing toilet bowls to polishing metal, vinegar goes way beyond cooking. Talk about versatility: did you know that if you add a cup of apple cider vinegar to your bath water, it will soothe itchy and dry skin? And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Apparently vinegar is bad odor's worst nightmare. Pets who mess around with skunks are easily remedied with a cloth and vinegar. Another great way to make the kitchen more sanitized is to use this elixir for cleaning the microwave. Simply douse a cloth with vinegar and nuke it for 15 seconds on high. The evaporated fumes will break up the crusty food particles clinging to your microwave (and yes, deodorize it the process).

On the food front, vinegar still has a few tricks up its sleeve. Add a tablespoon of it when boiling eggs and if the shells crack, you won't lose any of the egg whites through a leak. Vinegar also tenderizes meat and reduces the taste of salt in the event you add too much while cooking various foods. The uses keep going, so check out the full list here for more.

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