BREAKING NEWS HERE. I don’t know what the heck you wanted from Santa for Christmas this year, but this is a gift that’s way better late than never. Drop your diet plans, dust off your checkbooks and dial up the Girl Scout in your life, because the troops have announced a brand new cookie flavor.

Yes, it’s true, it’s that time of year again when those little devils come back out and tempt you wherever you go—yeah, I’m talking about them Girl Scout cookies. Thin Mints, Do-si-dos, Tagalongs and Trefoils aren’t just raising money for little girls nationwide, they’re making my life more delicious. It’s a win-win situation.

In honor of the organization’s 100-year anniversary, a new flavor has been announced. It’s called ‘Savannah Smiles,’ named after the Georgian hometown of founder Juliette Gordon Low and supposedly in the shape of a smile, meaning it’s cut into semicircles. That’s right, they’re half-cookies. And the flavor is described as a “cool and crisp lemon wedge cookie,” so I’m seriously hoping it tastes more like a miniature lemon custard rather than a sour cup of lemonade from a neighborhood stand.

A few things you don’t need to know: five of these half-cookies, which is considered a single serving, is 140 calories and has 5 grams of fat (including 1.5 grams of saturated fat), 23 grams of carbs and one gram of protein. Hey, everyone needs protein, right? And they’re lemon flavored, so that’s like a serving of fruit or something…yes, this new flavor is definitely the nutritious one.

Even more important: Girl Scout cookie-buying season kicks off this Tuesday! Make some room in your pantries and squeeze your gym time in now, because soon, your freezer will be stocked with so many stacks of Thin Mints that you won’t even miss those pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

Does this flavor sound like any good? Either way, what Girl Scout flavor is the best? Yes, this is worth a debate.

Ashley is a UC San Diego grad who is holding on way too tightly to a potential career in magazines and goes to Vegas all too often. She’s fascinated with celebrities and strawberry beer and doubles as a pathological texter/emailer/blogger. Feed the addiction with tweets @cashleelee. Thanks in advance.

Although it may not feel like it (what up gloves in March), but summer is coming. And with summer comes tank tops, short shorts and bikinis. You know you want to start getting in shape for all those beach photos, but you also know you’re not ready to cut out all your favorite snacks. After all, what is life without ice cream or cheese? What is a night out without beer followed by the drunk munchies.

Here are some suggestions on how to make your favorite and most unhealthy foods a little bit healthier. Although it’s not exactly the same, these options are still tasty AND they don’t include that guilty feeling in the pit of your stomach when you wake up the next morning spooning an empty pizza box. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself in June, when you’re feeling totally fabulous in that new string bikini.

You don’t need to give up your favorite junky foods while you’re trying to slim down — just keep these tweaks in mind and you’ll be cutting down on a lot of unwanted calories!

Despite the fact that I know as much about nutrition as say, someone on Celebrity Fit Club, I actually wasn’t surprised to see this article in the NY Times about those miracle “flushes” and “cleanses.” Basically, lots of doctors says they’re bullsh*t.

According to the article, many western docs think that detox diets are not only not good for you, they could also potentially be harmful. One doctor in the article was quoted as stating “What ends up being consumed during a ‘detox’ are essentially stimulants, laxatives and diuretics.” Ew.

Okay, let me back up a second for those of you who may be as nutritionally clueless as I am. Most “cleanses” are like extreme diets that you undergo for a couple days or weeks. Basically, you avoid certain foods and replace them with nutritional and herbal supplements. In turn, your body that was once full of evil toxins is supposed to rejoice (after you feel like absolute sh*t for a few days) as you remove what the article calls “sludge” from your “constipated” body.

Take, for example, the arguably most famous detox program, The Master Cleanse. What you do is replace all solid food with a little mixture of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, maple syrup and water for a minimum of 10 days (but some people do this for up to 45 days. What the f*ck?!). Other detox diets reduce meat and/or solid food intake. Even crazier still: some diets advocate the use of enemas, colonics and herbal laxatives to rid the intestinal track of toxins.

Yes, seriously.

But what the article is getting it as is that even though some detox diets are good in theory and provide you with some vitamins and minerals, all you’re really doing is starving yourself. Or sticking something up your ass. Not fun.

And what’s even scarier is that, according to one doctor in the article, there is absolutely no solid evidence that detoxification programs actually work.

My take is this: I believe in everything in moderation. If you want to “cleanse” yourself of the “evil toxins” in the food we eat, go for it. But I think staying away from high fructose corn syrup, foods high in trans fat and sugar, and maybe cutting back a bit on the booze should do.

As for me, the only detox diet I plan to try this year is one that consists of pizza, beer and chicken wings. And maybe some celery sticks for good measure…and because they go so well with that ranch sauce I’ll be dipping my buffalo wings in. Yum.

So imagine my own surprise when I found myself buying a copy of Dr. Ian Smith’s new “diet” The Four Day Diet last week.

Fact is, these past two years, I have been in a constant fight with my weight. It goes up 5 pounds it goes down 4 it goes up 3 it goes down 1. It fluctuates more than Christina Aguilera’s voice on any given song. I can’t seem to successfully lose and keep off these last couple of pounds. Even though I do eat pretty healthy. Even though I workout 5-6 days a week. Even though I know the importance of complex carbs. And lots of veggies. And fiber. Oh boy do I know about fiber. I’ve read it all – I know the spiels.

So after realizing that complaining about the lack of results doesn’t do me any good and just makes those around me more miserable, I decided that I wanted to do something to give my body (and my metabolism) the real kick in the ass that it needs. Something to get back on track, clean my act up a bit to start seeing progress again. I know it’s cliché to start some sort of weight loss resolution in January, but here it goes. I’m trying it out. And blogging about it for you here.

The 4 Day Diet drew me in because it seems simple. And it’s just that- only 4 days. Well, 4 days at a time. There are 7 modules each lasting for only 4 days. Surely I can stick to something for 4 days! It works out perfectly: just when you get sick of eating one way you switch it up.

The 4-day modules are:

Induction (detox/cleansing)

Transition (to reintroduce all food groups)

Protein Stretch (to avoid plateaus)

Smooth (when you can have some formerly forbidden foods like pizza and French fries)

Push (the sprint just before the final stretch, back to a stricter eating plan)

Pace (a comfortable module for you to catch your breath)

Vigorous (the final module to lose those last few pounds)

The whole point of the program is to work on specific tools to build a lasting weight loss. The diet is based on clean whole foods (no calorie counting) and changes up your food and workout routines to keep your body guessing. And unlike most weight loss programs, the first 7 chapters are dedicated to getting your mind in the right place.

So here I go again… I’ll be updating every week as I move through the various modules. Hopefully I can help you (and me!) to get motivated, get inspired, and to share your own trials, tribulations and sucess stories as well.

Well, now researchers at UC San Diego have performed the first U.S. gastrectomy, a procedure where 80 percent of the stomach is removed, through an area that should never have anything other than a baby coming out of it.

Yup, that’s right, they removed a chunk of stomach through a woman’s vagina.

All in the name of weight loss.

I was baffled after reading this and had to find out details… Apparently, the procedure is very promising for the future of obesity surgery. According to the article, “This new ‘natural orifice’ technique may be an attractive alternative for the 200,000 U.S. patients who undergo surgery for the treatment of obesity each year.”

I’m sorry, but I think I’ll keep my ‘natural orifice’ off limits as an exit route for parts of my insides. But maybe that’s just me. The article goes on to note some positives about the procedure for those who have specific complications that would prevent them from getting the surgery any other way.

What do you think? Would you ever consider this?

I’m starting to think that there is some truth to the rule, “You are what you eat.” I think my muffin top would attest to that statement. In general, I stick to a healthy diet (of cupcakes), but when it comes time to crack the books I know that my typical eating habits will affect my scholastic performance. While I usually opt for a bag of M&Ms at the library, I now know that a giant bag of sugar is not the best thing to get me through the hours of cramming.

In contrast, there are foods out there that have been shown to improve memory retention and attention span. Read: The foods I should be eating. I am one who will do anything to pass an exam, even if it means eating my way to better grades. Because what could be better?

Eat? For better grades? Grad school may be for me after all.

When it comes to the basics, we all know the rules: “Don’t skip breakfast,” “Drink lots of water,” “An apple a day…blah, blah, blah.”But when it comes to college life, we need more than just a healthy diet – we need to feed our brains. So I’ve compiled a list of some snack foods to help our neurons rock and roll.

While there are a plethora of foods out there to give your brain a boost, not all are study-friendly. Salmon and eggs, for example, are great brain foods, but being the “smelly kid” has never been cool, so it’s not realistic to brown bag these snacks to munch on in your study groups. (However, these are fine foods to eat for breakfast or lunch before a big exam…alone in your apartment.)

A personal favorite study snack (which is perfect for winter exams) is hot chocolate. But not any hot chocolate: DARK hot chocolate. It is lower in calories than its milky brother, and has a moderate amount of caffeine to boot. Dark chocolate also has a suspiciously high amount of antioxidants (chocolate? good for you? I know!) and natural neural stimulants that increase blood flow and enhance your mood! This warm bevy will keep you alert and in a good mood, no matter how late you have to be in the ‘brary.

Speaking of drinks, green tea is known for being fabulous for our brain and body. My tastebuds never quite agreed (green tea tastes like dirt) until Arizona Tea came out with Blueberry Diet Green Tea. I’m not a fan of drinking my calories (unless the drink rhymes with “odka”), so I stick to this diet version (10 cals per serving). I bring one of these with me to the computer lab whenever I go and it definitely keeps my brain turned on. If Starbucks is more your style, try mixing 2 tea bags (like Orange & Spice with Green Tea) for a tasty brain beverage.

Perhaps you don’t believe me on the Blueberry Green Tea, but I think we all know that blueberries themselves are hella good. They are in season right now and are great for snacking (and dieting, if that’s your thing). Ounce for ounce, blueberries actually have a greater antioxidant capacity than most any other fruits or vegetables and contain 5 grams of fiber per cup! These are also perfect for eating in the library (some rules were just meant to be broken) – no one can hear you munch on them.

Note: If blueberries are not too accessible, Craisins are a good substitute. Dried berries last a long, long time (becuase, seriously, who has time to go to the freakin’ market?), so load up, refrigerate, and grab em whenever you need a little brain boost.

From my own experience, however, the olympian of brain-boosting foods are nuts. Almonds, in particular, are great for your general health, but cashews and walnuts are where I get my fix. Not only do these jewels contain healthy fats that stabalize your blood-sugar for hours, but nuts have been shown in recent studies to be associated with better memory retention and mood. Both very important things for a super long study sesh.

Truth be told, keeping your glucose levels afloat will have a similar affect on your GPA. Happy snacking!

Hmm. What can I complain about today?

I KNOW! Snacks!

100-Calorie snacks are ridiculous, and while it seems like complaining about 100-Calorie snacks is stupid, and yeah, it probably is, it’s not just about the portions-for-p*ssies-packaging that gets me – it’s what these things represent.

Nabisco has all sorts of them – chips, cookies, crackers, whatever. I went to the store one day and saw a box of 100-Calorie Cheez-Its. “Cheez-Its!” I exclaimed in the aisle. “Cheez-Its are a delicious treat, and they’re only 100 calories, right here in these little bags that have been portioned for me? Yes! I shall purchase these Cheez-Its at once, and they will be enough to satisfy my hungry stomach.”

I bought them and it was very disappointing.

There were, like, 7 and a half Cheez-Its in the teeny-tiny bag, and no, I was not satisfied. Not only that, but that feeling of disappointment when those 7 and a half Cheez-Its were in my still-hungry stomach, only made me feel worse than when I originally bought the Cheez-Its because I felt bad about myself in the first place! It made me think to myself, “Wow. This bag didn’t do a very good job in satisfying me. I must be a whale. Must. Have. More.”

Jezebel features an article about this very thing, and also brings up the good point that these boxes of freakishly small bags cost more than a regular box that isn’t portioned off at all. If some one doesn’t have enough self-control to stop eating a regular box of Cheez-Its, who’s to say they’re not just going to keep opening the freakishly small bags, one after another? AND, if we all know that one of these stupid bags only has, like, 7 and a half Cheez-Its in it, why can’t we just buy a cheaper, bigger box of them, remove 7 and a half Cheez-Its, put them in a little zip lock bag and make our own 100-calorie proportions?

Because these companies want you to think you’re retarded and incapable of handling such a feat.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, low-fat brands are one thing, and yeah, lots of people in this country could definitely afford to eat them, but when companies are doling out weak portions for “those who cannot control their diets,” well….screw that.

I’d rather eat an entire bag of Oreos and keep my 3,000 calories of pride.

Plus, seven and a half f*cking Cheez-Its does absolutely nothing for a pothead.

Take a moment to think and it is easy to come up with at least 10 different diets:

South Beach…Atkins…Weight Watchers…L.A. Weight Loss…The Cabbage Soup Diet…The Juice Diet…The Cookie Diet…Medical Weight Loss…The Zone…That one where you order the food…

If only losing weight were as easy as a simple equation.

Oh, wait. It is: burn more calories than you eat.

Makes you feel stupid, right? I mean, I have personally spent the past 10 years battling my weight. I go up, I go down, I plateau. I’ve done cardio, weights, pilates, yoga. I have spun, I have run, I have swam. I guess I am just not good with math and equations because I am still battling the bulge.

Besides my addiction to all things cake related, my biggest problem is that I just don’t know how many calories I am burning. Sure, the elliptical has a calorie count, but who knows how accurate that is?

Thankfully, there is a handy new tool on the market to help all of us with our weight loss battle. Introducing the Bodybugg. This little guy is scientifically calibrated to tell you exactly how many calories you are burning throughout the day.

This is no pedometer, my friends. Nope; this technological wonder monitors everything you do – from walking to class to jigging at the bar – and lets you know just how many calories you have burned (so you can figure out how many calories you can eat). Working out is still a must, but the Bodybugg takes the guess work out of it all.

The Bodybugg isn’t cheap – it’s like the Chanel suit of weight loss tools – but if this bad boy can do everything it promises, it is worth every penny.

Looks like that Marc Jacobs bag will have to wait. It is time to end this weight loss journey once and for all.

Because of my sisterly devotion to KC, I take issue with the newest Star Magazine cover, which features my girl as one of the “Stars Losing the Battle of the Bulge”.

Hmmm. When they say bulge, do they mean a stomach that isn’t sunken? Do they mean a ribcage that isn’t protruding through clothes? Do they mean a waist fitting into a size 8 dress?

Perezhilton featured the cover on his site, and his readers were uncharacteristically on Kelly’s side. It seems I’m not the only one who wants the press to chill out when it comes to the weight of celebrities. Maybe we really are starting to realize perfection doesn’t exist.

What do you think, lovelies?

Is KC packing the pounds, or is she just a normal girl who sometimes makes unfortunate fashion choices?

As temperatures rise and shorts, bathing suits, and skirts become less about fashion and more about necessity, it becomes more and more vital that I love myself. I must love myself because I’m not always the biggest fan of my thighs and stomach. I must love myself because I always think my arms could be firmer and my knees could stop looking so weird.

As I type this, I’m sitting at my desk in a bathing suit (living in New York has kept me far away from any type of swimming pool, but bathing suits are much more acceptable than a bra and underwear if someone were to knock or accidentally look into my apartment. Or if a stranger crawls through my window while drunk. This has happened. I am now always prepared), sweating and drinking water like a mad woman.

Any other article of clothing would be insane to wear at the moment, and thus, I’m forced to see my body in all of its flawed glory—and probably will be seeing it for the rest of the day into tomorrow, if NYC continues to bake me like a Christmas turkey. Since starting a new gym routine that includes lifting and more cardio, I’m more comfortable in my skin than I’ve been in a while, but even a size 4/6 looks less than perfect when one is sitting Indian style in a bathing suit.

But I won’t give in. I won’t give in to the nagging feeling that I should stop eating just for the day, or swear off anything with carbs, or run down the block to one of the 12 GNC’s by my apartment and grab a bottle of weight loss pills. I won’t give in, because I’m 24, and I’ve been down this road season after season.

I also won’t diet. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Dieting makes me sad, obsessive, and only works for a little while. If I diet, I’ll lose weight, but the weight I’ll become won’t be something I can maintain comfortably.

I’m normal for my height, have a good BMI, but must consistently fight the urge to freak out when I see an unflattering picture or a girl who is literally half of me. I have to fight the urge, but I do, because life seems too short to obsess about becoming thin.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m the only one out there who feels this way. What about you, lovelies? Anyone out there who’s at a normal, healthy weight and fighting to love herself that way? Anyone else refuse to diet? Anyone else sick of the Hollywood brainwashing? Let me know!

…Before my apartment completely turns into a rotisserie oven.