In 2009, Jessica Simpson was the topic of much discussion when she appeared onstage wearing a black tank top and “mom jeans” – high-waisted and unflattering pants. In a repeat of these pictures, Simpson’s weight is once again in the spotlight.

On her way to a Dior beauty luncheon benefiting Operation Smile at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, Simpson was photographed in a skin tight, voluptuous red dress with a squared off neckline. The pictures have sparked pregnancy rumors and jokes at her expense.

When pressed about weight gain, stars often fight back with anger and follow up with dramatic weight loss, not always in a healthful manner. But Simpson has historically reacted differently. She has spent the last year and a half speaking publicly about society’s views on women and weight on Oprah and on her own VH1 show The Price of Beauty. She’s even vowed to use real women, and not models, at the exhibition of her Spring 2011 line during Fashion Week.

Simpson has been quoted repeatedly as saying that she’s not worried about her weight. In Us Weekly, she addressed the rumors by saying, “We all obsess over looking like the perfect Barbie type, and that’s not always what’s beautiful,” she says. “It’s about making peace with yourself.” In an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show, Simpson referred to the buzz about her weight gain of 10 pounds as “ridiculous and sad.”

Having your weight under the microscope is unfortunately one of the more annoying aspects of being a celebrity. It’s not always unhealthy to gain a few pounds, and if it’s done in a healthy manner, it can be a very good thing. The most encouraging aspect of Simpson’s weight gain sagas is that she reacts positively and does what she can to help other women realize that being stick thin isn’t the healthiest for anyone. Her weight gain, or really any person famous or not, should not be news

Read more: Should Jessica Simpson’s Weight Gain be News?

Reviewed by Heather Ashare, from Diets in Review.

If you’re  a pasta-loving, carb-watching health enthusiast, you’ve probably heard of or tried the Miracle Noodle, a zero-calorie noodle-like product that is made from the konjac plant.

The plant is sometimes referred to as elephant yam, even though it is an entirely different plant from the orange tuber yam that we are familiar with. Konjac is widely used in Japanese and Asian cuisines. It contains a kind of fiber called glucomannan, which has been associated with controlling blood sugar levels. The fiber is often used as a thickener in foods.

Now, a company called NoOodle has created an entire line of super low-calorie noodles and entrees. Created by self-taught chef and owner of Lincolnshire Gourmet in Highland Park, Illinois, Terri Rogers is known for providing her loyal patrons delicious, nutritious menu items. Inspired by a growing demand for healthy foods and requests for gluten-free, low-carb, low-calorie entrees, Rogers made a discovery that set in motion an amazing new food phenomenon known as the NoOodle™ – a no-calorie noodle.

The NoOodle has many other impressive attributes. It doesn’t contain any gluten, fat, net carbohydrates, soy or preservatives. It’s as guilt-free and as natural as raw celery stalks. But unlike celery, these super low-calorie noodles are a dieter’s and non-dieter’s dream food come true!

Recognizing the wellness potential for her customers seeking a healthy substitute for traditional noodle dishes, and for those afflicted with diabetes, celiac disease, adult or childhood obesity and other health concerns, Rogers went back to the kitchen and got to work on creating a line of NoOodle entrees using her signature recipes that could be sold at grocery stores all around the country. In fact, the University of Illinois (Chicago) and Swedish Covenant hospitals will soon be providing NoOodle™ meals to their patients.

In September 2010, the first wave of heat ‘n eat refrigerated entrees will be available for purchase online at NoOodle.comand at many Chicago area retailers. But NoOodle was kind enough to provide DietsInReview.com with a sneak preview taste of their soon-to-be-launched NoOodle entrees.

Here is a look at these new dishes and their quite impressive calorie stats: 

• Ultra-Lite Primavera – Fresh vegetables and NoOodle tossed in a light broth (30 calories per package)
• Mamma Mia! Marinara – Zesty marinara sauce with NoOodle (70 calories per package)
• Terri-yaki Chicken – A signature dish blending rich soy and spicy ginger with NoOodle™ (90 calories per package)
• Say Cheese, Pleeeze! – NoOodle in a creamy cheese sauce (140 calories per package)

These meals are super yummy, but just be aware that glucomannan needs to be consumed with a lot of water. The ingredient has been linked to choking or the gagging reflex in some people, especially with those with esophageal problems. You also don’t want to consume any product or supplement containing glucomannan right before going to bed or lying down.

While NoOodle provided Heather Ashare with sample product, this review is her own opinion and was not influenced or sponsored in any way.

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In my experience as a personal trainer, women like to blame exercise for a lot of things: making them tired, making them bulk through muscle gain (oh, please), and making them overeat. The last one is when I like to politely remind them that we, as humans, do in fact possess the gift of freewill, and exercise is not what brings the chips to their lips after a workout, it’s their brain, which makes the decision to eat it sound okay.

This doesn’t mean, however, that the hunger is not real. Women especially experience energy cravings after tough workouts, which can be hard to suppress. There are several studies that suggest exercise promotes higher responses in energy-regulating hormones in women than it does in men. The more calories women burn, the more calories they crave after exercise. The result?  Women crave more food after exercise than men, making them more likely to overeat after a workout which can have disastrous effects on their goals.

Just one more biological reason men can lose weight easier and faster than women.

But don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an excuse. While the craving is real, it doesn’t mean you need to give in. Being healthy means making healthy decisions every day. Our bodies are smart and tell us what they want. But in this case, they want to cancel out our workouts. If weight loss is your goal, that calorie deficit is what you need, and post-workout snacks are one of the quickest ways to make it disappear.

Impulse control is the key to a proper diet and successful weight loss. So, instead of scarfing cookies after a treadmill session, choose a low-calorie, protein-rich snack to refuel your muscles without undoing all your hard work

Read more: Women More Likely to Overeat After Exercise Than Men