Okay, though we don't really obsess about weight – with vacation and the Fourth of July in such close proximity it's impossible not to think about it just a little. To boot, it's a loooong weekend and weekends are when we usually fall off the wagon and eat ice cream and mac & cheese for dinner rather than a fresh chicken sandwich with a side of watermelon.

If you're on the same boat and want to be able to squeeze into that bathing suit after a long weekend of fireworks and indulgence... well then read on my sisters and brothers.

There is no denying the truth behind the phrase, "You are what you eat." A perfect example is the huge zit you always get after housing a greasy pizza. You can also put a positive spin on the saying and change the way you eat for good.

Summer is the best time to kick start better eating habits for your skin, hair, body, and even your mind. There is so much juicy fruit and yummy grilled chicken around that it's easier to say no to macaroni salad and the ice cream man.

The Vogue Diet ... What is that like water, asparagus, and chewing gum? Nah not so much, it goes more like this "lose some weight or you can't be on my cover."

That's exactly what happened to Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte. The two designers received a call from a Vogue editor who suggested they get on a diet and see a personal trainer. Kate and Laura were actually fine with it because they wanted to get healthier anyways (uh huh). The 'Vogue Diet' consisted of four months of personal training and a meal delivery service.

The fashionable diet paid off as they lost a combined total of 50 pounds. They even kept a diet diary that will appear in the April issue. Of course Vogue got a lot of heat for asking the sisters to diet, and this isn't the first time. Back in 1998 Oprah actually agreed to drop 20 pounds before her cover shoot.

I don't know what to think about this. On one hand if Vogue paid for all of my weight loss needs and I kinda wanted to drop some weight anyways it wouldn't be a big deal. However on the other hand ... Vogue is straight up calling people fat. What do you all think?

For the past few weeks the product "Portion Pals" has been popping up in random places. At first I thought it was some freaky weight loss program (ala Jenny Craig) until I started reading the recommendations on ThisNext.

Apparently this is a magical weight loss program, which I typically scoff at such thing but after reading up on it, this thing makes sense. A lot of sense. It is a tool that helps you do what you are supposed to do to lose weight. No need for a dramatic carb free diet or a crash diet of power bars and diet coke -- just sensible everyday food in the correct portion sizes.

Portion Pals are discs that double as cutting boards that allow you measure out the proper amount of food you should be putting in your body. Do they work? According to the site, ThisNext users, fashionistas, and celebrities they do. I am ordering a set right now, so you know I believe the hype.

If you are looking for an easy way to drop some of those holiday pounds, you might want to try thinking about it. Researchers at Hull University in the UK determined that subjects who thought about the muscles they were exercising tended to work out harder.

By monitoring the electrical activity of 30 people doing bicep curls, the scientists concluded that when subjects were asked to focus on muscle mechanics, their bodies showed significantly higher levels of electrical activity. (Electrical activity is a useful way of measuring how hard the body is working.)

Of course, brain work will never replace body work in the battle of the bulge, but focusing on your muscles might give you a more effective work-out. So if you're planning on hitting the gym next week, remember to think (and breath and have good posture and maintain proper alignment).

[via bbc.co.uk]

Living in a culture obsessed with thin, it can only be expected that hundreds - nay, thousands of weight loss products will be showcased by the media in a single calendar year. South Beach, Hydroxycut, Atkins, TRIMSPA, The Zone - we've heard them all, and while some of these programs stick around with some semblance of longevity, most are just a flash in the pan.

I think most of us know now that weight loss doesn't come in pill form. Exercise gurus and nutritionists have drilled the mantra "eat right, exercise at least 3 times per week, and you'll be fine" into our heads enough to know that we are going to have to work a little for the weight to drop off and stay off.

However, an old diet tactic is making new rounds. It cleverly combines work ethic with immediate gratification, appealing to just about any American consumer interested in dropping a couple of pounds. The diet is called the "Master Cleanse", and involves surviving for 10 days on a mixture of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, maple syrup, and water. And that's all.

Sound tough? It is. But it works, and the diet has many devotees, including celebrities such as Beyoncé Knowles and Denzel Washington. Joy Bauer, a New York City based nutritionist, estimates that if performed correctly, the cleanse will provide about 650 calories per day, 950 calories less than the minimum recommended for a woman trying to maintain her weight. "Of course you're going to lose weight," Bauer said. "You're starving yourself." Cleanse supporters quell their critics by citing the program's many benefits, including supposed help for ulcers and other internal ailments and the purging of impurities and toxins like pesticides and food additives.

So what do you think? Is the "Cleanse" just organized starvation, or is it the anecdote to our immediate gratification-style weight loss obsession?

Almost more important than all the books on what to eat and how to lose weight is a book about how to look like you've already done those things. Of course, it's important live a healthy lifestyle, but it's also nice to be able to look like you do. How Not To Look Fat is similar in concept to the TV shows that dispense various fashion advice, but it is a bit more direct, taking the position that the first step towards looking good is not looking, well, fat.

The book ($9.72 at Amazon) dispenses advice on how to make sure you're always looking your best, whether that involves picking more flattering clothes or sitting in a different posture (to give the impression of looking slimmer). The author, Danica Lo, is a former plus-size model, in addition to being a fashion and beauty writer, so her book reflects her personal experiences and knowledge that not everyone has to look like Nicole Richie in order to look fabulous (and not fat).