The CNN Fit Buddies have made it through another week in their weight-loss and fitness challenge. Here's an update on their efforts to eat better and exercise more. Read about their successes and frustrations every Friday here on the Paging Dr. Gupta blog. And join the Fit Buddies by accepting the Fit Nation Challenge (details here).

Ed Lavandera, CNN Correspondent

You always hear people say they have more energy when they lose weight or start working out regularly. I never really believed it to be honest. But I experienced that this week. It was better than any double shot of espresso.

A few days ago I took an 11-mile bike ride with a friend. It was a hot, muggy day. I broke a good sweat.

A few hours after the ride, I realized I wanted to keep going. It was a strange feeling. I couldn't explain it. So I jumped on the bike again and went on another 11-mile ride. 22-miles in one day. I could not believe it.

I'm a believer now. Working out and eating better does give you more energy!

Stacia Deshishku, Director of Coverage CNNUS

As we approach Father's Day weekend, my heart is full. I am looking forward to going away with my husband and kids to Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the weekend. A short getaway. Some family time. A few days to exercise and spend time outdoors. All will be made easier because my husband and I have both been exercising regularly. Before Fit Nation we would have plopped ourselves down in front of the hotel TV and ordered room service. Now we are talking about swimming with the kids and taking a hike up Lookout Mountain. There are moments when we ask ourselves, "Where are the old Deshishkus and who are these healthy people inhabiting our bodies?"

Getting back to my heart : One of the greatest improvements we have seen has been in our heart rates. Both of our resting heart rates have dropped dramatically. We were also both in the 140 bpm range during exercise. After 6 weeks of solid cardio work we have both dropped to under 100 bpm. Our hearts are getting in shape along with our bodies. That's really what it is all about. My husband is my best friend and I want him around as long as possible. We have two gorgeous boys to raise and turn into fine men. We have a lot to live for - for a very long time. Thank you Fit Nation for helping put us on the road to a long and healthy life.


Matt Sloane, Medical News Producer

Fortunately for my weight-loss goals, my dad is on a diet, too. So when we met up with him here on vacation, neither of us was in the mindset to gorge.

We did a TON of walking, ate pretty well and didn't drink a lot.

Dad also brought a scale, so I'm happy to report I've lost a 1/2 pound since I've been here! Not very much, but I figure, if I can go on vacation and not completely torpedo my weight loss, I've done OK!

Now the news you've all been waiting for: She said YES!!

Back to vacationing. See you all next week.

Robert Dothard, Fitness Trainer

It is amazing how the Fit Buddies' training "issues" mirror the training problems I have with many other clients. Warmer weather brings schedule problems: kids' camps and activities, vacations, and the special holidays and events. The Fit Buddies are celebrating with Matt the news of his engagement, and since he was on vacation when he proposed, he has been the biggest victim of the summer workout 'meltdown," but we will all have the July 4 holiday to deal with in a couple of weeks.

I suggest three strategies to keep the "Fit Nation" on task this summer: First, plan ACTIVE events for yourself and your family. For example, my son has attended two camps already since school let out (horse riding and karate), but the activities can be as inexpensive as a family hike (we went up Kennesaw Mountain, near our home). Second, do your "homework." Find activities that are available when you are on vacation; with the vast amount of information online, this should be easy. And third, the best things in life are free. My best memories from last year's Fit Nation tour were of my runs in the various tour cities, ranging from the snow that I ran through in Michigan, to Iowa, where it rained so hard 10 minutes after my run that I have a picture of Sanjay holding an umbrella INSIDE the auditorium!

I hope that all your memories are pleasant, and that they include MANY healthy activities. Good luck, and good health.

I have a confession to make. When I was at my heaviest, I was able to sit down and eat an entire medium, thin crust pizza by myself. Now, I'm not very proud of that. It was a horrible way to eat, and I have learned from my mistakes over the years. But I've often wondered why my behavior was so irrational. Why would someone who knows that consuming an entire pizza is nutritional suicide still do it? Who's to say. But I always did it when I was stressed, or sad, or bored. Even though I was wolfing down thousands of calories and hundreds of grams of fat in one sitting, it made me feel good, for a little while. And that was the catch - for a little while. Then I'd realize what I had done, get angry with myself and start the whole process over again.

Was I addicted to food? Were tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese my drugs of choice? Some doctors these days think so - that food has become as addictive to some people as alcohol or cigarettes to others. What a lot of researchers are finding is that obesity, which once was thought to be a condition of the gastrointestinal tract - the stomach - now may be more of a psychological or neurological issue. Yep, that's right: The brain may be the culprit. Certain physicians believe that something in the brain of an obese person reacts to food, just as it would to other addictive substances. Food addiction is kind of a new term used to describe the compulsive or excessive craving for food to comfort the soul. Not only can this addiction be characterized by eating abnormal amounts of food (an entire carton of ice cream in one sitting, for instance) but the foods these "addicts" crave are not very healthy. When was the last time anyone said, "Gosh, I'd love to have a raw carrot right now!" or "I could really go for some steamed broccoli!" Not going to happen. Nutritionists have found that most people who are overweight tend to crave high-fat, high-calorie foods, which pack on the pounds. Studies have also shown that certain people who undergo bariatric surgery turn to other addictive habits after their operation, trading one addiction for another. So it becomes a vicious cycle. How to stop it? Doctors don't know, but they are researching ways to curb these cravings.

Some experts say addiction is not the root of obesity and that food addiction is an overused term. They note there isn't enough research to prove that people are addicted to food and that people who turn to other addictions after treating their obesity with surgery may have addictive personalities, but that's not the driving force for obesity. These physicians say most obese people just don't know how to eat properly. They binge, they cut back, they go on diet after diet after diet. They splurge, feel guilty - the whole nine yards. They're not in control of their eating patterns. Obesity experts find that behavior modification and nutritional guidance usually help many obese patients lose enough weight to help them avoid certain illnesses, like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. So it's really more a life change than treating addiction.

As for my pizza indulgence... I don't do it anymore. With help from my nutritionist and a wonderful gym, I have lost enough weight to leave the obese category. But still there are days when instead of thinking of whole grain cereal and raisins, my head keeps telling me that a nice sausage biscuit would be good. But I know now how to tell my brain that that's not the best thing for me, and instead, I set my kettle on the stove to warm up water for my instant oatmeal.

Do you think you might be addicted to food? Do you think behavior modification is the way to handle obesity? Let us know.

I admit it. I have never worn sunscreen. Ever! The truth is, like many other people of color, I just didn't think I needed to.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says messages regarding skin cancer protection have traditionally targeted fairer-skinned people because this group is 10 times more likely to develop melanoma, the most lethal type of skin cancer. Perhaps as a result, many minorities, myself included, consider skin protection a non-issue. And an informal poll of my African-American family and friends found NONE of them actively wears sun protection during the summer.

The truth is, skin protection IS an issue for this group... especially since new research finds darker-skinned people who develop melanoma are more likely to die from the condition. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 1 million skin cancers are diagnosed in the United States each year. And although black people are less likely to develop skin conditions, they are three times more likely to die than Caucasians. Lack of protection, combined with late detection, often leads to higher death rates for black people, as well as for Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans.

Part of the misperception has to do with melanin, the pigment that gives skin and hair their natural color. I have always had the idea that because I have lots of melanin, I am at not at risk. Not true! Although pigmentation helps block the suns damaging UV rays, acting as a natural layer of protection, it does so only to an extent. Dermatologists are now seeing people from various ethnic groups coming in for skin checks because of a rise in skin cancer overall. And darker-skinned patients, if they are getting enough sun exposure, are equally at risk.

The moral of the story is that no one is exempt. The CDC recommends a sunscreen with a sun protection factor or SPF of at least 15 for everyone. And because skin tones are as diverse as the rainbow, it's important to check with your dermatologist to find out what more is needed to protect your skin type.

Summer officially starts June 21. Do you have the proper sun-protective resources for your skin? Do you consider yourself at risk for skin cancer?

She's 18 but she looks 14. With a red sweater, horn-rimmed glasses and a funky ponytail tied above her head, Jessica (not her real name) seems like your typical teen. But there's nothing typical about her. Raised by a woman who used crack and crystal meth, Jessica jumped from home to home, living with family and friends, while her mother spent time in jail, rehab and other facilities to quit her habit. Sometimes Mom would be clean for weeks, then, according to Jessica, "She'd give in to the devils inside her." Most of the time her mother prostituted herself for her hits. It was rough for her, but even rougher for Jessica.

I met Jessica on the last day of a fellowship at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee this spring. The weeklong event was designed to introduce journalists to the world of crystal meth. We attended classes, visited rehab programs, talked to professors, users, judges, police officers and doctors who've seen meth's effects on society. We witnessed how the production of meth destroys communities, kills, maims and puts an incredible financial burden on our penal system, medical community and foster care systems. But it was Jessica who opened my eyes the most. Here was this girl sitting across the table from me, talking about drugs, paraphernalia and pimps as if everyone lived this kind of life. Not once was she bitter. Not once did she come off as hating her mother, or the system that forced her to live in foster homes. In fact, here was a child, a young woman actually, who had no anger. Instead she had hope.

That's because for the past few years, Jessica and her mother have been living in a group home called the Renewal House. It's Nashville's first and largest long-term recovery community for women addicts and their children. What makes Renewal House different is that instead of splitting up families, as many rehab facilities do, Renewal House keeps the mother-and-child relationship intact. Research shows that keeping children with their parents, even mothers who are struggling with drugs, helps the child to grow with more confidence especially when that child enters society, moreso than if he or she were put into foster care. Studies also have found that children of drug addicts usually turn to crime or drugs themselves when taken away from their families, reflecting the loss of the nurturing bond that only a mother can give. Experts also note that programs that keep families together see a higher success rate of addicts getting off drugs and staying off drugs. So the mom helps the child and the child helps the mom.

Renewal House looks a lot like an apartment building. Children live with their mothers as the parent progresses through rehab. The kids go to school and live as normal lives as possible, while moms attended meetings, workshops, and therapy sessions. Renewal House's goal is to get the women off drugs and back to work, so they can provide a healthy home for their children. It doesn't always work, but the Renewal House has a success rate of more than 50 percent. Experts say that's impressive. And Renewal House provides a loving home for kids who normally would be shuttled off to live with someone other than a parent.

So Jessica was not angry. Jessica was not scared. In fact she was proud of her mother, who now works with other women in the program. You could see the love in her eyes as she spoke about her mom and her mother's will to break free from a habit that once consumed her. Asked whether she had felt abandoned at times, Jessica said no. "'Cause even though she was a whore and a junkie, my mama loved me. She will always love me. That's why we are where we are. "

Do you think states should fund more programs like this? Tell us about positive rehab facilities in your neighborhood.