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Oh if only that were true! How many bogus weight loss claims have The Three Tomatoes fallen for in our lives? Let me tell you. We have lost and gained enough body fat to populate a small island. We’ve lived on grapefruit, cabbage soup, and raw foods; eaten small portions several times a day; eaten large portions once a day; stopped eating by 6PM; tried miracle pills, liposuction and every crazy fad diet of the month, all on the way to discovering the simple truth. The secret to weight loss is no secret -- it’s calories in, calories burned, and yes, the dreaded word, exercise! At our ages we’re not trying for the perfect body. (We didn’t even one of those even in our twenties.) But we do strive for a healthy weight (we can see our toes), bones that don’t break, and bodies flexible enough to reach our toes.

But the diet, nutrition and exercise myths abound, which is why we were fascinated with a book called The Fat-Free Truth. Written in question and answer form by two fitness columnists, Liz Neporent and Suzanne Scholosberg, they posed just about every health and fitness question you can think of and then went in search of health and nutrition experts around the country to provide answers. They debunk commonly held beliefs like you must drink eight glass of water a day. Fact: there is no evidence that drinking lots of water will help you lose weight. And a group of pretisgious scientists concluded that most people meet their daily hydration needs by letting their thirst be their guide. Will vitamins give you energy? Fact: No, because they have no caloric value. These are just two of the 239 questions and answers ranging from how many crunches do you have to do to get six pack abs (or at least lose one stomach) and does weed whacking count as exercise, written in an often funny and easy to digest format.

But you gotta do more than just read the book. If there’s one thing all the experts agree on it’s the value of exercise! Our generation of women can easily live into our eighties. So the lifestyles we lead right now, can pretty much dictate what we’ll be living “like” in our old age. By age 75 most people have lost at least one-third of their muscle mass and two-thirds of all women can’t lift 10 pounds or more! Millions of women will have osteoporosis, which is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures a year (hips, spines, and wrists.) And that holds true for fat and skinny butts alike. But here’s the good news! Exercise can change those stats -- walking, weight lifting, and stretching are the key.

The Three Tomatoes recommend:

1) A personal trainer: if you really want to get into tiptop shape, this is the way to go. And if you’re paying $80 an hour, chances are you’ll show up! Now as much as we like really buffed, good looking young guys, get a woman trainer. They understand the differences between men and women’s bodies and won’t have you doing bench presses all day.

2) If you haven’t hit a gym since the 70ties, Curves is a great way to get back into exercise and you won’t have to feel intimidated by the gym bunnies (they’re not there).

3) Pilates - a great way to gain strength and flexibility. (But don’t expect Pilates to make you look like a dancer, unless of course, you are a dancer.)

So what's the end benefit? Instead of living in the basement of your kid’s house hoping they remember to feed you, you’ll be running around an island in the Caribbean being chased around by some young stud in his fifties! Now that’s a tomato’s dream.