Although the 2011 VMAs that took place this past Sunday were somewhat boring and uneventful, there was a lot of buzz about Demi Lovato’s new look. The “Skyscraper” singer walked the red carpet wearing a tight, body-hugging silver mini-dress with a plunging neckline. She accessorized with some metallic bangles and a pair of Louboutin pumps, and even though 99% of us would never be able to pull off a look like that if we tried, Lovato was subject to a lot of criticism that night.

So what was everyone upset over? Her body.

Before entering a treatment center in October of 2010, Demi was a completely different person. The stress of constantly being in the public eye had really taken a toll on her, forcing her to develop an eating disorder in the process. She had a very, VERY slim frame and almost looked a little unhealthy. After entering the rehabilitation clinic, Lovato was able to recover from her disorder and also recovered from a lot of mental problems. That being said, she obviously gained a little weight.

The weight-gain and her new curvier figure caused the star so much Twitter hate, that she eventually had to tweet out the following:

• @ddlovato: I’ve gained weight. Get over it. That’s what happens when you get out of treatment for an EATING DISORDER.

• @ddlovato: Guess what, I’m healthy and happy, and if you’re hating on my weight, you obviously aren’t. #UNBROKEN

Thing is, I’m a little confused. Sure, Demi definitely gained weight (as you can tell by comparing before and after photos), but who in their right mind would classify her as “fat?” I’d kill to have that body, and I know I’m not alone.

…Or am I? Even though Hollywood has been trying to embrace more full-figured women in the past few years by promoting healthy lifestyles and promoting plus-size stars, I can’t help but feel like people are still constantly pressured to be a size 2. After some of the most beautiful bigger women in the industry shed all their weight (Jennifer Hudson, Raven Symone, Jordin Sparks, etc…), it makes me wonder if that really is the key to success. It’s no secret that Demi has an amazing voice, but will her new body boost or shrink her fan base?

Aside from the Hollywood aspect of it, what does it mean for female body image as a whole? If some people look at Demi’s body and think “fat,” what hope is there for girls who are her size or larger? Should we be embracing healthy bodies instead of just skinny ones? I think as a society, we should embrace and encourage more women to go for the healthy look and not the impossibly tiny look. Maybe if there were more women who looked like Demi proudly flaunting their stuff, we could save a lot of young women from the stress of negative body image.

What do you think about Demi’s new look? Do you think women should aspire to be healthy or just to look their absolute skinniest? 

Everyone knows that sex without a condom is better than with that thin latex lining. According to guys it “feels amazing” and is “probably the best thing on earth.” (Clearly, guys have never tried dipping pretzels into frosting….) But we also know that no matter how good it is, it isn’t good enough to risk getting pregnant and spending our days playing peek-a-boo instead of beer pong.

Enter the birth control pill.

Seems like the perfect fix. 99.9% effective (when taken correctly, ladies) and no annoying de-sensitizing barrier to get in the way of some good old fashioned sex. It is probably the best thing to be invented since the wheel (though I would argue the Oh-My-Bod is totally up there), so it always comes as a huge surprise to people when I say that I really truly hate taking the pill.

“WHAT? WHY? HOW??!” you ask. Here are my top 10 reasons:

1. Cravings: For the first few months that I was on the pill I felt like I was pregnant. All I wanted was cake, donuts, pickles and peanut butter (not together…always). I would attempt to stick to the diet – due to #2 – but it was hard to chow down on a salad when what I really wanted was an entire large pizza and a chocolate milkshake. And when I refused to give in, I would find myself dealing with a major #3.

2. Weight Gain: I gained 4 pounds in my first three weeks back on the pill. That is more weight per week than I gained my freshman year and at least then I had a built-in excuse. Now I find myself on the pill to avoid pregnancy, but instead end up looking pregnant. And nothing says “let’s have sex without a condom” like a big, fat belly.

3. Mood Swings: Ever see the movie Music and Lyrics? A cheesy, stupid, predictable romantic comedy. Unless, of course, you are me on the Pill and you find yourself sobbing uncontrollably towards the end when they finally get together. And then you go home and cry yourself to sleep because your TiVo cut off the end of American Idol and you have no idea who got cut.

4. My Stomach: See #2.

5. My Ass: See #2 and multiply it by two. That thing is getting huge!

6. My Thighs: Ditto.

7. The Money: I use the generic version of my pill to keep costs down, but it is still $15 bucks a month (and much higher for many students). And my man doesn’t have to pay a thing. Sometimes he feels bad about this and buys me candy to make up for it. Which, as you can imagine, only further adds to #2, 4, 5 and 6.

8. Pain: You know how your boobs get all sore about a week before your period? I feel that daily. All the time. Even when I’m wearing two sports bras on the treadmill. I want to cut them off.

9. My Ass: It really got huge.

10. My Thighs: They had to grow to support the giant ass that is perched so nicely above them.

I won’t stop taking the pill – mostly because I am deathly afraid of becoming a mom – but I have to hope that there is a better option out there, preferably one that doesn’t involve needles or procedures. Something has to give…I just hope it’s not the seam in my pants.

Zero calories doesn’t always equal healthy.

If your favorite dessert is claiming to be calorie free, or you’re reaching daily for that “skinny vanilla latte” thinking skinny latte = skinny jeans, think again. The truth is all of these things are loaded with artificial sweeteners. Chemicals. Things your body doesn’t recognize and are actually poisonous for your bootylicious bod.

Hard to swallow, right? Girl, I know it. Every time I try to convince my friends that artificial sweeteners turn into formaldehyde in their body, are the furthest thing from natural and that it’s actually better for us all to have a little of the REAL stuff then this fake crap that millions of us are now putting in our bodies multile times a day, I get the same response: “Everything is going to cause cancer eventually so why not at least look good now?!”

Well, what if I told you that your artificial sweeteners are actually making you FAT? Gasp! Shudder! The horror!

I know, but it’s true.

Studies have shown that artificial sweeteners actually make you… EAT MORE, When you’re sipping on chugging Diet Coke (or whatever other artificial sweetener laden food or drink you enjoy) it confuses your body and convinces your brain that food is coming. To prepare, your body produces insulin, which actually drives up your appetite, slows down your metabolism and leaves you with a few extra pounds around your midsection. Studies have shown that people who drink diet soft drinks at meals end up consuming more food than those drinking water.

So for those of you freaking out, thinking real sugar is going to be the death of you AND your Spring Break body, here are some great sugar alternatives that are natural and delicious. Try weaning yourself off the artificial and lean in to real, all natural solutions. I promise you will feel and look better.

Stevia – Harvested from the Stevia plant, it’s an all natural, zero calorie sweetener. It comes in powdered packets for on-the-go, but my favorites are the flavored drops. They have everything from cinnamon to peppermint to English Toffee to Lemon and they are all great. I use it in my coffee, for baking – pretty much in everything.

Agave Nectar – Agave is a better choice than sugar because while they are similar nutritionally, what you can’t tell from the comparison is how your body processes and reacts to it. Agave is praised for being low on the glycemic index (GI), which means it won’t cause a spike in your blood sugar levels the way sugar does. High-GI foods like white sugar make us feel hungrier sooner, and give us that sugar crash. Foods made with agave nectar may keep you feeling fuller longer … which translates to eating less.

Truvia – Another form of stevia, Truvia is now even showing up at some restaurants and in some commercial beverages. Woot woot!

Sugar in the Raw - Okay so this is still sugar, BUT this brown stuff is better for you than the white processed crap. Just use it in moderation and you’ll be fine. Promise.

So what do you think? Will you be trading in your daily Diet Cokes for some more natural alternatives? Share your thoughts and questions below!

It’s my third (and basically last) week at this, and I have come to a conclusion — this challenge, in its perfect entirety, is impossible to complete. At least for someone like me who stays up way past 10 p.m. at night. However, I’ve still learned some very valuable lessons.

Eating is meant to fuel your body. Although after 10 p.m. we all want to nosh, I believe we should try not to, as that is not conducive to food’s goal. Through this challenge, I have learned a lot about my habits and why I eat late at night, and this challenge has made me so aware of my actions.

There is so much dieting information out there that will tell you that eating late at night is the key to weight gain. I don’t necessarily believe that is true — I believe that we eat calorically dense foods late at night, and that is connected to weight gain, not the time of day at which we consume them. But if we change our habits and use the food we eat late at night PURELY for fuel if we absolutely need it (read: if tea or water just doesn’t do the trick), then I personally think that’s totally acceptable.

This challenge has definitely motivated me to change my habits. This final week, when I was truly, truly hungry and water was not sufficing me, I would eat a wedge of Laughing Cow light cheese. A small snack with a little protein sufficed me late at night, and at 35 calories per wedge, it wasn’t a huge caloric commitment. My tummy was happy and my sanity was slightly restored — and I need to cherish all the sanity I can find!

I originally thought this challenge would motivate me to never eat late at night again. Instead, it has made me so aware of the reasons why I used to eat late at night: because food was there, because everyone else was doing it, or because I was bored or stressed. Completing this challenge has made me realize the power of food as fuel, rather than as a treat. Don’t get me wrong — I’m not going to be shunning dessert for the rest of my days (because I think that would make me lose my mind), but as far as late-night eating goes, I’m going to be more conscious and aware of the quality of the food my late-night self consumes.

For all of you other late-night eaters out there, I encourage you to give this challenge a try. The realizations I made about myself and my habits are valuable and helped me figure out how exactly I needed to change. So try and put down that 11:30 box of cookies, and let me know how it goes!

[Check out the other One Month Challenges we've taken on. And if you've got a challenge you want to tackle (and be held accountable for), email us and we could feature you next month. Come on - it's good for you!]

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month

Make this challenge stop. PLEASE, make it stop! I’m failing at this challenge quite miserably, and it’s just so discouraging.

I tried on Valentine’s Day. I really, really did. But my single girl friends and I all gave into our sorrows and ate our feelings and drowned our single girl worries in chocolate. Come on, can you blame me? Worst. Day. Ever.

That night definitely gave me a “screw this” mentality throughout the rest of the week. I know, I’m not proud. I could have told you how well I did this week, but that would have been a lie. And no one likes a liar (Unless they’re on ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars, during which I also found myself snacking on Monday night. UGH! I really failed this week).

I think I’m starting to lose sight of why I decided to do this challenge in the first place. I’m letting the stresses of everyday life get to me and make me forget that food is never, EVER the answer to stress. This is definitely the hump week. I feel as if I have hit the rock bottom, and the only place to go to succeed in this one-month challenge is up.

So I’m bringing back my water (maybe I’ll even spice things up with a lemon or lime). I’m re-reading my first post about this challenge, and I’m reading your comments for inspiration! I need some refocusing, so please, comment below and offer me some words of inspiration!

How are YOU getting through this challenge? Help me! Because I’m ready to rip February off my calendar and pretend this dreaded month never happened.

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month

It’s one week in. And my late-night self is hungry. Really hungry. Ugh.

The college atmosphere definitely makes it really difficult to complete this challenge. I definitely had a few nights that I caved, and when I caved, I caved badly. After a long day of sorority recruitment, all the girls ordered pizza at 11:30 p.m. Seeing how we had to be at the house for even longer after 11:30 to clean up, my starving self quickly forgot about my challenge and caved on a slice of pizza. Oops.

Another night, my roommates and I were thinking of our costume ideas for a themed social we were having this weekend. My costume involved making a dress out of candy (it looks AWESOME, by the way!), and when I had a little bit of candy left over, instead of looking the other way and remembering my challenge, I unwrapped those little chocolates like a little kid unwrapping presents on Christmas morning. Oops again.

Those were really the only two times that I caved badly, but for those of you who are not doing this challenge with me, understand this: this challenge is really, REALLY hard. One week in and I’m ready to call it quits. But I won’t.

The other five nights that I did not cave, I found myself drinking a LOT of water post-10 p.m. to deal with the grumblings in my tummy and the cravings in my mouth for late-night deliciousness. I’ve been trying to keep myself distracted in those late-night hours so that I don’t start to cry when my roomies are popping kettle corn during the commercial breaks of Jersey Shore. Again, drinking a lot, a LOT of water is helping, but I’m still having a lot of trouble. (And not just making it through the night without waking up for a pee break.)

I’m hoping this week will be better than last. We’ll see how my Valentine’s Day goes — because you know, every single girl wants her Valentine’s Day evening to be spent with a movie and a nice…glass of water.

So, how have you been holding up? Got some advice? Inspiration? Help. me.

[Check out the other One Month Challenges we've taken on. And if you've got a challenge you want to tackle (and be held accountable for), email us and we could feature you next month. Come on - it's good for you!]

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month

Oh, the wonderful world of late night eating. Whether it’s 2 a.m. pizza or that leftover Chinese food during your favorite nighttime shows, late night eating goes with college like studying goes with college. Except we actually, uh, do it. So, yeah, bad analogy.

Now, I don’t mean to sound like a party pooper, but get this: according to the New York Times, a 2009 Northwestern University study found that late-night eating does lead to weight gain.

Are you really surprised? The drunken munchies, the nighttime study snacks, or the boredom eating that so often takes place on college campuses definitely contributes to college weight gain. Something that I don’t want. So, when I was presented with this challenge, I asked myself — “Hey, if those things all lead to weight gain, why not just not do them?” Seems easy enough, so I accepted the challenge. And one day in, as I sit watching my 10 p.m. TV, dying for a snack to nosh on, I ask myself another question:

“Why the heck did I agree to this?” Oy.

For the next month, I will not eat anything after 10 p.m. No snacks, no treats, no little, teeny bites. Once the clock hits 10 p.m., the fridge is closed and so is my mouth.

And it’s definitely going to be a challenge. How am I going to survive my single status on Valentine’s Day night without watching The Notebook and eating chocolate with my best friends? How am I going to fuel my late-night study sessions? And worst of all — how am I going to resist the social midnight snacks when all of my friends are eating them?

These are the questions that plague me right now. And you know what else is plaguing me? The growling in my stomach.

But I’m going to make it through this month. And when I do, I’m going to come out healthier, with a better understanding of why I choose to snack late at night. Am I bored? Am I tired? Do I genuinely need to fuel my body at late hours? I don’t really know, but I’m pretty excited to find out. At least that’s what I keep telling myself as I watch my roommate down a bag of chips…

So as I take on this challenge, I invite you to eat a bowl of ice cream for me in your pajamas. Or, if you’re up to it, PLEASE join me! I’m going to need some serious support.

Thank goodness February only has 28 days.

You gonna join Melissa on this journey? Got any advice? Insight? Ideas? Sound off! She needs you.

Somehow you ended up with four 9am classes this semester. WTF? You can barely get up for your kickboxing class at noon on Fridays, and someone expects you to make it to class (ready to learn!?) by 8:50am the rest of the week?

Oh hell no.

You hope your professor doesn’t expect you to look presentable. Hell, he should just be happy you left yourself enough time to brush your teeth. Your morning routine is always the same: you roll out of bed at 8:30, grab the first pair of sweats you can find on the floor, throw your hair into a ponytail and run out of the house. You pop into the campus coffee shop en route to lecture and grab a coffee (“Giant, please!”) and something to munch on (“Give me the butteriest bagel you’ve got back there”).

What? It’s early and you need comfort.

You slide into your seat just as the Power Point appears on the wall in front of you. If it weren’t for the food, you’d probably fall right back to sleep – you’re just so comfortable. When class is over, you go to your next class, or to the library, or home for a nap. Whichever you choose, you sport the sweats for the rest of the day: through the classes, the breaks, the meals…

You spend so much time in your sweatpants during the week, in fact, that when the weekend comes and it is time to wear something that doesn’t say “Pink” across the ass you have trouble getting into them. No, not motivating yourself to get dressed; actually getting into them. After the first few weeks of classes your clothes feel a bit snug but you can still make em work (“I must have shrunk these a bit in the dryer….”). As the semester wears on, however, putting on your going-out-jeans has become a sweaty workout.

When the pants stop moving at your thighs, you begin to pull harder. You grab the belt loops and yank, squeezing your thighs, butt and belly into the denim sausage casing. Then you jump around a bit. Then you lay on the bed and see if that helps. If you finally do get those suckers closed, you start lunging around your room, doing squats, and sitting down to see if the denim gives a little bit.

It does not, but you’ve already tried on every other pair in your closet and these fit the best. You decide they will have to do. You throw on a loose shirt on top (to camoflauge the muffin top), throw back a few more drinks and head out.

Your legs and feet begin to fall asleep at some point in the night due to decreased circulation. You have trouble bending your knees to get up the stairs to exit the bar. Your jeans nearly tear as you sit in the cab. When you finally get home and peel those things off  – and notice the deep red line across your belly – you know you’ve got to do something.

It is then that you vow never to wear sweats to class again; those elastic waistbands are far more forgiving of the donuts, the bagels and the sugary Fraps you fill yourself with on a daily basis. (Note: when sober you also realize that cutting those things out of your diet may be a good idea, too.)

We know how you feel. We’ve all had the sweat pant weight gain before. Just get up for that kickboxing class and you’ll be OK.

And, of course, studies show that women are at a higher risk for stress-induced eating and consequent weight gain. Blame it on cortisol – probably the suckiest hormone I’ve ever heard of. It’s a stress-related hormone that’s linked to weight gain (especially in your abs!). Cortisol also makes your metabolism slow down and increases your appetite. It ALSO leads to a tendency to consume high-fat foods. Ugh.

There are ways to avoid weight gain and unhealthy habits even when you’re scrambling to finish that paper at 4am the night before. What does a girl gotta do to stay healthy and avoid gaining weight during these super stressful times?

Build a support system.
Friends and family are there for you – feel free to vent! Unloading your stress and frustrations will keep you focused… and prevent you from stress-eating.

Snack smart.
Avoid sugar and caffeine. They’ll seem like a good choice… until you crash a few hours later! And when you’re making your 2am food run, keep healthy snacks closest (front of the cabinets and fridge) so that’s the first thing you see and grab. If you have time to cook, put food away right after you make it so you’re not mindlessly eating seconds and thirds while studying. Also, no matter what hours you keep during exam week, try to keep your eating schedule as close to normal as possible. Eating when you should be sleeping increase your chances of gaining weight.

Take breaks.
It’s been proven that exercise relieves stress, so do it! You don’t have to give up an hour to hit the gym, either. Try meditating and focusing on your breathing for 10-20 minutes. Play music, get out of your chair and dance between chapters. Or, now that the weather is starting to get nice, get outside and take a 10-minute walk. Simply moving around will ease your mind and make you feel better.

What are your healthy ways you cope with stress during finals?

Best friends. Waiting home for you with open arms when you take that first walk-of-shame (or hip to hip, if you’re in the good fight together). Your shoulder to cry on, owner of every secret known to your embarrassing character.  A best friend is there for you when you need to decode that late night text from your crush.  A best friend is there for you when all you want to do on a Friday night is veg out and discuss the important things… like Octo-mom. A best friend will accompany you on the dance floor and be honest if you’re ‘shopping cart’ move is outdated.

And a BFF is there for you to tell you you’re fat?

OK, let me put down my Caramello Bar, and let’s figure this out. A recent survey of 3,000 women revealed that one in five women secretly think her best friend is fat but won’t dare share this information with her.  The study also suggested that the truth was a big “no no” because 1 in 5 women ended the relationship post dishing the info. Now, this seems a little extreme. You mean to tell me relationships end because your BFF tells you to put down the bread stick?

On the surface, as natural as being there for me to watch trashy reality TV, I would want my BFF to be there to tell me the truth about my weight (especially after sifting through my freshman year Facebook album).  Double chins and Smirnoff do not go well together and maybe I need a little outside perspective (sans beer goggles) to see that. Best friends are supposed to be honest with one another and if she can’t tell me the truth about my ever growing muffin top, who can?

But on the other hand, I would be pissed off, hurt and embarrassed.  Maybe, when I attempted to squeeze into all 12 pairs of my jeans with no success, I already realized that. I don’t need someone else to point it out to me and make me feel worse. And maybe I feel good about what I’m wearing and my Beyonce curves; who is she to tell me the cupcake doesn’t add into that happy equation?

I guess I am contradicting myself here, because as much as I want someone (especially my best friend) telling me to lay off the Sun Chips, I want them to lay off my weight issues.  Those issues are mine to control and while I’d like my BFFAEAEAE to be honest with me, there is such a thing as too honest.

What do you think?
Is there an unspoken pact in a friendship to bolster each other and leave the mirror and a scale to do the dirty work?  Do you want your friend to lie to you, or is it your friend’s duty to tell you the truth?