Ricki Lake recently did a tell-all article about her weight loss secrets. Yes, her tips were interesting—I mean, she takes a “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” class?! Who knew that was still around? But I was more interested in her story about screwing up her diet—and why she didn’t gain an ounce.

For anyone who missed the original Hairspray, Ricki Lake used to weigh 260 pounds. (“I couldn’t catch my breath walking up stairs,” she says.) She dropped the first 100 pounds in the early 90’s, but she’s lost about 30 more in the past year or so. Her methods aren’t all that shocking: She orders healthy food from the Fresh Dining delivery plan, and tries to watch her portions. (For example, “one piece of bread instead of the whole basket”—can you imagine Kate Bosworth saying that? Bread is the enemy in Hollywood.) She also works out with a trainer three times a week, doing weight training for an hour. Totally reasonable.

But on vacation in Italy, she slipped—you know, pasta, pizza, wine, a trainer who’s on the other side of the Atlantic. The catch is, she didn’t gain weight. “I was shocked,” she says. “Exercise, even when you screw up the food, can keep you on track.”

Okay, but she didn’t have the trainer, right? But think about the average European vacation—wandering through narrow streets, visiting museums, strolling through markets, going up and down stairs, etc. Exercise is unconscious—you’re on your feet all day, rather than jamming all your activity into a half-hour run on the treadmill. (Same goes for the people who live there.) So it’s not just exercise that can save a diet from the occasional calorie binge; it’s an active lifestyle. Just something to keep in mind before driving three blocks to the 7-11, right?

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written by KG, October 29, 2007

Sit ups acutally don't turn fat into muscle, they simply strengthen the muscle under the fat. You have no control over where you lose fat. To make your stomach smaller you have to do it the toughest, yet simplest way - watch what you eat and get active.

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written by Anne, October 25, 2007

Try 1) getting a pedometer and walking atleast 10,000 steps a day (not hard) 2) sit ups help turn the fat into muscle around the abdominal area

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written by sanzai, October 23, 2007

can u help me, bwt my problems n my stomch...
after my delivery, til now, 8s hard for me to lose weight
cause my friends told me that im like a pregnant woman
becuase of my stomach...

i hope u can give me some tips or advice how to lose this fats in my stomach...
tnk u very much for reading my message...

more power & god bless