Don't focus so hard on skinny jeans that you miss the one of the most powerful side effects of eating right and exercising -- being a happy person most of the time. You know, one of those spring-in-their-step types that genuinely loves their life, sleeps like a baby, smiles easily and is filled with boundless energy. Elizabeth Somer's new book, Eat Your Way to Happiness, reminds us the right foods coupled with exercise have a synergistic, immediate effect on your mood and cravings -- critical factors in the size of those jeans.

A registered dietitian and author of Food & Mood, Somer knows her stuff. The book includes 10 easy-to-understand diet secrets peppered with real-life success stories. If you're clueless about healthy eating, but feeling like you've got to do something to shed weight and lose your bad mood, this book is a terrific tool to educate and motivate. If you're a layman-genius in diet and fitness, Somer's assessment tools will help you identify your food and fitness areas that need tweaking.

Here's a sneak peek at a few of Somer's secrets and promises:

When Gregg McBride stepped on the scale one day, he thought it was broken. He later discovered the "error" message it displayed did not mean it was broken after all -- it just didn't go over 450 pounds, which was how much Gregg weighed at the time.

The 36-year-old's struggle with weight began in early childhood when his parents told him he couldn't eat junk food. But instead of setting a healthy example, this strict diet only hurt Gregg, so much so that he would steal money from his father's wallet to buy junk food and secretly scarf it down. "They thought they were helping," Gregg told the Today Show. "But in hindsight, I can see that they created a forbidden fruit. I ate junk food like it was going out of style."

Gregg's food addiction continued to get worse over the next 30 years. He was consuming nearly 9,000 calories a day on a menu that included soda for breakfast; several cartons of Chinese food and milkshakes for lunch; and a family-of-four-size meal from a fast-food restaurant for dinner, with a whole bag of cookies for dessert.

Despite Gregg's many attempts to lose the weight, nothing stuck ."I tried every diet out there: the wacky ones, the public ones, the dangerous ones," he said. "But I just kept getting bigger and bigger."

Gregg even tried a liquid fast where he didn't consume solid food for weeks. But when he spotted a half-eaten bag of potato chips in his trash, he stared at it for an hour before finally reaching in and devouring it.

Not to scare you or anything, but there's another good reason to start paying attention to your weight (as if you needed another good reason). The American Institute for Cancer Research released some scary data this month, showing that obesity could be the direct cause of more than 6 percent of all cancer cases diagnosed in the US every year. That's a total of -- get ready -- about 100,000 cases of cancer. Every year. Attributable to obesity.

More specifically, the researchers estimate that extra body fat causes 33,000 breast cancer cases a year, probably 21,000 or so cases of endometrial cancer and more than 13,000 of colorectal cancer. See, in the "olden" days, we thought fat cells were just these annoying little sponges of fat that sat there on our bodies making it tough to get into our jeans and embarrassed to get into a swimsuit, but not doing much else. We used to think these fat cells were inert. We now know that the little buggers are virtual endocrine glands, spitting out a huge array of inflammatory chemicals (like cytokines) and hormones (including estrogen!).

Fat cells are smart: They even secrete compounds that protect their interests. One such hormone, discovered in 2001, is called resistin, and it contributes to insulin resistance, a condition that makes it fiendishly difficult to lose fat. So sure, it's always good to watch your weight because of vanity. But if vanity doesn't do it for you, maybe understanding that excess fat can literally rob you of life by contributing to cancer, (not to mention heart disease and diabetes) might motivate you to take some action!

Interested in a diet that allows you to eat whatever you want, but still helps you lose around 6 pounds a month? It is possible, according to one small study. The catch? You'll have to fast every other day. Dr. Krista A. Varady of the University of Illinois at Chicago and her colleagues had 16 obese adults alternate days of eating normally with with days of eating only 25 percent of the calories required to maintain their weight for eight weeks, and the results were pretty impressive. Not only did the dieters lose an average of 12 pounds over the eight-week period, they also reduced their overall cholesterol by 21 percent.

Varady attributes the positive results to an overall change in eating habits; "I think it's probably because their stomachs kind of shrunk," she told Reuters. Still, don't give up on food just yet -- further research is needed as the study was relatively small. What's more, it's not clear whether this is a weight-loss approach that can be maintained in the long run.

But even if fasting does work, is it healthy? It can be and many leading researchers believe it's actually good for you. If you can handle it, that is -- dealing with a grumbling tummy all day and going to bed hungry aren't all that much fun. Nonetheless, if you're interested in fasting, make sure you speak to your doctor first.

Can't handle fasting? Take some dieting tips from Liz Hurley.

Be inspired by our That's Fit Success Stories. Then motivate others by submitting your own. Share how you've transformed your body through diet and exercise by sending us an e-mail at successstories [AT] thatsfit [DOT] com.

Name: Kara Masucci

Age: 33

Height: 4 feet, 11 inches

Before weight: 222

How I gained it: When I was younger, I ate all the time. Food was always around, and it was yummy. I was active, and I burned it off. But I remember my mom and grandma slapping my hand when I went for the second cupcake and saying things like, "Don't eat that, you're already too big."

As an adult, I enjoyed going out to eat, and I was apathetic because I was already overweight. I just thought, "I'm already big, I might as well have the cheese fondue!" As a Nurse Practitioner, you would think I would know better, but book smarts and street smarts are different. So I resolved myself to just be happy, and I thought I was.

Breaking point: When my daughter was one year old, I started to have some health issues. When I look back at my pictures now, I see how much weight I was carrying, but at the time, I thought I looked the same as when I was a freshman in college. I was overweight, but not "obese."

Have you ever been on a Medifast diet? If you were, you might have been wearing leg warmers at the time -- this diet invention has been around since the 80s.

You won't be grocery shopping much on the Medifast diet because you're required to buy their food. Medifast diet developers say you'll lose weight fast, with a two to five pound weight loss each week on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan. You eat often on this diet, but in very small doses. The 5 & 1 followers eat five pre-packaged Medifast meals each day, followed by one Lean & Green Meal featuring a lean protein, vegetables and condiments from their approved list of options. With 70 Medifast diet selections, you're not sucking down diet shakes all day. Food choices include chili, stew, soups, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, bars, puddings and a few other mini-meals. But forget that turkey panini with veggie chips for lunch.

Medifast is all about calorie restriction. Depending on which meals -- or, really, bars and shakes -- you choose, you're getting around 800 to 1,000 calories per day. Not much, especially if you're simultaneously inspired to clean the junk off your treadmill and start exercising.

"Someone who is generally going to use Medifast is considerably overweight to begin with and not engaged in any physical activity anyway. The recommendation is for the first two or three weeks on the diet, don't do any exercise at all," advised Constance Brown-Riggs, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. She doesn't think Medifast can support rigorous exercise, but followers can engage in more moderate activities such as walking.

Brown-Riggs has put dozens of clients on the diet over the years with great success, noting it's a good way to jumpstart weight loss for the busy person who doesn't have time or won't take time to consider their food choices.

"It's a good way to get them started. Success breeds success, and once they're able to start losing, it's easier to transition them from Medifast to a regular eating regimen," Brown-Riggs said.

Nutritionally-speaking, meals do combine protein and carbs, so you can allegedly lose weight and retain lean muscle. They also have designed a meal plan for people with Type 2 diabetes. This diet isn't cheap, a four-week package of Medifast meals costs about $300. Comparatively, Nutrisystem costs about $350 a month, the Cookie Diet is about $240 and the high-protein Atkins diet sells a variety of a la carte bars, shakes and cuisine. The cost of the Jenny Craig diet depends on menu items ordered. Jenny Craig says their clients spend $1 more a day than the average American spends on food, but this ballpark cost remains a mystery until you start ordering.

Instead of choosing diets that require pre-packaged meals, try shopping the perimeter of the grocery store -- where the produce, lean meats and dairy are located -- and writing down all of your meals in a $5 food journal.

This prescription diet pill Meridia (with a scientific name sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate) treats obesity by increasing satiety -- or the feeling of being full.This orally-administered drug is typically recommended to be used in combination with a healthy diet and exercise routine to treat excess weight that may be related to diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

As for its effectiveness? The jury is still out. According to Fred Vagnini, M.D., medical director of the Heart, Diabetes and Weight Loss Centers of New York and author of "The Weight Loss Plan for Beating Diabetes," Meridia is not as effective as one might originally think.

According to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2005, participants who received sibutramine and lifestyle modification lost more weight than taking the drug alone or doing behavior modification on its own. All subjects were prescribed a 1,200 to 1,500-calorie diet and the same exercise regime.

"Studies have not shown a real dramatic long-term weight loss with Meridia," Vagnini said. "I don't think it's that effective and it affects blood pressure."

For instance, Dr. Vagnini previously prescribed sibutramine in his practice for weight loss and mentions it was "not successful" in terms of weight loss. Furthermore, as shown in studies and indicated by the drug's manufacturer, sibutramine has been known to increase blood pressure and/or pulse rate in some patients. In placebo-controlled obesity studies, 5 to 20 mg daily dosages were associated with increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

According to the drug manufacturer, side effects from taking Meridia include increased blood pressure, dry mouth, upset stomach, constipation, nausea, memory loss and dizziness.

At That's Fit, we're committed to helping you get healthy, live well and be strong through healthy lifestyle choices including healthy diets and enough exercise.

The Sporting Goods Manufacturer's Association, the fitness industry's primary source for tracking participation and industry earnings, has released a breakthrough study that tracks the top exercise trends across the country right now. "The exercise industry is not immune to the side effects of this tough economy," Tom Cove, the president of SGMA, said in the study. "But more people are aware of the importance of regular physical fitness for de-stressing and overall health."

If you think everyone is ditching fitness during the recession, think again. This study found some potentially surprising trends in the exercise world, including a classic gym class that's making a comeback.

Here are some of SGMA's year-end highlights:

Have you ever gone on a diet and felt like you were going through withdrawal from lack of chocolate and sweets? A new study by Boston University has found that you're not too far off base, reports ScienceNOW.

In fact, there are a few parallels between yo-yo dieters and drug addicts, says co-author of the study and Boston University neuroscientist Pietro Cottone. It's not just the good feeling you get when you eat, say, chocolate cake, that makes you go back for more. The study found that dieters also seek out those foods to avoid the negative feelings they experience when they don't have those foods, similar to an addict trying to avoid withdrawal, he explains.

Researchers in the study gave rats cycles of normal and then chocolate-flavored rat chow, and saw some surprising results. Rats in the control group (all regular food) ate about the same amount every day, while rats who occasionally got chocolate food began to eat far more when they got the chocolate-flavored food, but less when presented with regular food. Additionally, according to ScienceNOW, the chocolate-fed rats exhibited signs of anxiety when the chocolate-flavored food was taken away. (Um, how many of us can relate to that?)

Now that Thanksgiving is only weeks away, and decorations are already firmly in place in department stores, it's impossible to ignore that the holidays are coming -- and the few extra pounds that always seem to accompany the holiday season whether you like it or not. Which is why, then, that this week has been declared the official start to to the pre-holiday diet -- you know, that mad rush to lose a a little extra weight before party dresses and egg nog start making a regular appearance in our life.

It's not just you and I, either. Studies show that 58 percent of women will make an attempt to slim down before the holiday season -- mostly because they want to look their best for the their office party but also, I suspect, because they don't want to feel quite so guilty when they polish off another rum ball at the neighbor's open house.


And how do we intend to do this? The majority of women -- 71 percent, in fact -- take the sensible approach to dieting by eating three healthy meals a day. But there's still a worrying 10 percent who will skip meals to lose weight. But they needn't bother -- apparently 17 percent of holiday slimmers will gain it all back by New Year's Eve, just in time for another round of dieting called the January Detox.

The Zone Diet, devised by Barry Sears, M.D., and introduced in 1995, gained popularity through celebrity dieters like Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore and Madonna.

Like other weight-loss plans, the Zone Diet encourages dieters to cut calories, especially those from carbohydrates and unhealthy fats. It encourages people looking to lose weight to eat lots of lean meats and other foods filled with healthy omega-3 fatty acids as well as fiber-rich vegetables and fruits. To keep their blood-sugar levels stable and fend off hunger pangs, those on the plan eat five small meals a day.

Unlike some diets, the Zone Diet doesn't force people to buy certain foods, which can help cut down on the costs that sometimes accompany these plans. There are, however, a line of Zone Diet supplements. People who choose to eat them should be warned that they can be expensive.

Sounds perfect, right? Not so fast.

The diet discourages dairy consumption, which can keep those on the Zone Diet from getting several essential vitamins and minerals like Vitamin D, Vitamin E and calcium. Another common complaint is that the low-carb plan leaves dieters too tired to exercise. Coffee and soda intake can get tricky on the plan, too, because caffeine, which causes insulin levels to spike, is considered a no-no.

Others have a hard time understanding the 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat (40-30-30) ratio that Dr. Sears says will make your metabolism function best. These restrictions can be especially problematic when you're dining out. Dieters are also required to eat within one hour of waking and, roughly, every two to three hours after.

Additionally, Zone Diet creators claim -- despite a lack of evidence -- that those who follow the plan will decrease their risk of cancer, heart disease and other conditions while improving athletic performance.

If you have decided to lose weight, one of your best bets is a healthy, low-fat diet, paired with exercising several times a week. That's Fit has Diet and Weight Loss tips to help.

Read the full Zone Diet Review and Zone Diet Foods List from AOL Health.

Amy Barnes once described food as her comfort, her solitude and her very best friend. That "friend" ended up costing Amy her health and her family.

Overweight for most of her life, Amy put on an additional 200 pounds during an abusive relationship with a boyfriend that lasted five years. "I used food to celebrate, to mourn, out of boredom and for comfort," she told the Today Show. The 35-year-old admitted she was addicted to food, just like someone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol. "I always had food in my hands."

Amy ballooned to 490 pounds and became too big to sit in an armchair or airplane seat, and too tired to walk up a flight of stairs or play with her children. "I had lost complete control over myself physically," she said. That loss of control landed Amy homeless and without her kids after a judge ordered her to "get healthy and get your life in order".

Two Day Diet pills are a weight-loss supplement that claim to be "all-natural," offering users the chance to lose up to 15 pounds in one month. Also known as the Two Day Diet Japan Lingzhi Slimming capsules, these diet pills contain a number of foreign-sounding ingredients such as ebony, Lingzhi, sibutramine, fox nut, seman pruni, dioscoreae and tuckahoe.

Those using Two Day Diet pills are instructed to swallow one or two capsules before breakfast and are advised to drink plenty of water. The supplements are recommended to be used with a balanced eating and exercise plan.

According to the manufacturers, Two Day Diet pills can do several things: Speed up your metabolism, prevent your body from digesting fat, suppress your appetite, boost your energy and expel toxins and waste from your body. However, according to Keri M. Gans, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, "there is no scientific research to support the claims."

Reviews of the product are quite often negative, and Gans adds "I recommend healthy eating, not another fad diet with false hope."

Minor side effects listed for the product include dizziness, diarrhea and thirst. Several major complications have also been linked to the product, including stroke and heart attack.

A 30-day supply of 2 Day Diet pills can be purchased for approximately $30 and are available through a variety of online retailers.

Chromium, also called Chromium Picolinate, is a weight-loss supplement. Chromium is a naturally occurring mineral found in meat, poultry, fish and whole grains, and when combined with picolinic acid, has anecdotally been believed to help weight loss by helping in reducing body fat and increasing lean muscle. Chromium picolinate has also been linked to having positive effect on how the body processes glucose and been rumored to manage type 2 diabetes.

But while it's mostly agreed that chromium picolinate weight-loss supplements aren't generally harmful, they're not thought to carry much benefit either -- i.e. they probably won't help you lose any pounds.

According to Health Service at Columbia University, there is no evidence to prove that chromium affects weight loss.

Hank Lukaski, Research Leader at the US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center insists, "Chromium picolinate has no effect on building muscle, reducing body fat, changing body composition, decreasing weight or increasing strength."

Officials at Harvard Medical School advocate natural chromium consumption through a healthy diet rich in whole grains, nuts, broccoli and green beans, which contain the mineral, but do not recommend chromium supplements without a doctor's consent.

What's more, Science Daily reports that there may be an increased cancer risk to those who regularly took the chromium.

Chromium picolinate supplements are taken on a daily basis before working out. Alternatively, pure chromium supplements can be ingested. Chromium and chromium picolinate supplements are available through various online dealers for approximately $10 for 250 tablets.

Trying to lose weight? AOL Health reviewed these natural weight loss aids and their claims -- to see which work and how effective they really are.