You stop for a cup of coffee in the morning and walk out with a whipped cream covered concoction. Or you're out for lunch and you order a healthful meal ... and a soda. Those innocent looking drinks can pack a pretty hefty calorie wallop if you're not paying attention.

Liquid calories are not new news. But the lines at coffee houses remain long, and sales for soda and energy drinks don't seem to be hurting. So I wonder ... do you count liquid calories?


Watching your calorie intake is just one part of taking care of your health. Fitness is important, too. Last week, I wondered if you worked out with a trainer.

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Do you have a few extra pounds? If so, what's to blame? Ice cream? Bread? Too many second helpings? CafeMom reports that liquid calories may be the biggest culprit when it comes to weight gain.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a reduction in liquid calorie consumption can lead to weight loss.

Keep an eye on those sugar-sweetened sodas, whipped cream topped coffees and sugary fruit drinks, because they can add calories you might not realize you're consuming. And don't be fooled by vitamin and antioxidant-enriched drinks -- they can still be high in sugar and calories.

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If you're trying to shave off pounds but the scale's not budging, it might be time to look at what you're drinking.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I just bought a fairly fitted dress for a party this weekend and am desperate to avoid a poochy tummy. I'm in pretty good shape but often get bloated. I can not wear this dress if I'm bloated. Help! Andrea

A. Hi Andrea, Bloating is a bummer, but I can definitely help you avoid it. You're just going to have to be smart about what you eat and drink for the few days prior to your event.

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At any kind of restaurant or fast food chain where you have a choice of what size beverage to order, what do you usually end up choosing? According to statistics, most people land right in the middle, not the largest option but not the smallest either. Everything in moderation, right?

Not if the fast food chains can help it! They want you to order the biggest, baddest of everything and they're don't have any scruples against using tricks to get you to do it. For example they've figured out that by simply calling a medium a "small," a large a "medium," and creating a new, even bigger "large" size they get people to order more -- i.e. they keep ordering the middle size, which is of course, bigger (and more expensive).

Ugh, I'm so sick of fast food chain games.

Via psfk

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Did you know that there is a Beverage Guidance Panel? I laughed out loud when I came across their existence. Are you kidding me? Are we at the point where we need a panel of experts to guide us as a society through our beverage consumption? And we wonder why so many worthwhile programs and social initiatives are underfunded. Just the same, there is a Beverage Guidance Panel, and their "guidance system for beverage consumption" (I swear to you, that is exactly what it's called) emphasizes that people should limit their intake of sweetened drinks such as sodas, juice drinks, and energy drinks to 8-ounces per day.

Yes, I find it ridiculous that there was a public proclamation made by a formed panel of beverage experts. And yes, I also find it even more ridiculous that these people actually get paid for making beverage-based proclamations. But, make no mistake about it, these people are absolutely right in what they are saying.

Kids should consume no more than 100 milligrams of caffeine per day. Really. Limiting caffeine will minimize jitteriness and sleep problems and will contribute to the overall health of your pint-sized pals.

While energy drinks have become ultra popular among teens and tweens, just one serving can contain 200 milligrams of caffeine and gobs of sugar -- as many as five teaspoons of sugar are often crammed into a thin little energy-drink can. That's simply too much for these youngsters. Do your kids a favor and help them transition to more healthful beverages, like water, low-fat milk, unsweetened tea, 100 percent fruit juice, and sports drinks low in caffeine and sugar.

For more on why energy drinks aren't really good for anyone, adults included, check out this enlightening article.

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The Food and Nutrition Department here in my area has adopted a Wellness Policy for the county, a policy that extends into the public school system. This is good news for me since my oldest child is in first grade at one of our city's elementary schools. So what exactly does this Wellness Policy do for Joey and his public school counterparts? Among other things, it influences the way these kids eat while at school. Here's how.

Fryers have been removed from all schools. All food items are now baked. And a strict standard has been implemented for all snack items. Snack calories have been limited to 250, fat will be kept to 35 percent of total calories -- except for nuts and seeds -- and each snack will have a max of 35 percent of its weight from sugars, excluding fruits and veggies. Trans fats will be eliminated, and beverages will include only bottled water, eight-ounce servings of milk and 100-percent fruit juice, and low-fat and non-fat regular and flavored milk. Juices will have no added sweeteners and can only contain 120 calories per each eight-ounce serving.

I consider this a step in the right direction for sure. How about your local school system? Any similar changes taking place?

To read more about this one school system's healthy practices, click here.

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Ever had raw milk? It sounds like a simple enough product, but depending on where you live it may be illegal to buy it or sell it. Some 70+ years ago milk caused 25% of all food related illnesses, but with the advent of pasteurization that number dropped sharply to a mere 1%. Raw milk (meaning straight from the cow and unpasteurized) may taste richer, have more natural enzymes, and appeal to many because it's more "natural," but along with those perks comes a much greater risk of ingesting dangerous bacteria like E.coli, salmonella, and others. Currently 15 states in the U.S. outlaw the selling of raw milk, and many others have severe laws and restrictions.

Raw milk is becoming more and more popular every day -- people are showing that they want it bad enough that they're either ready to deal with all the red tape or they're finding ways around the laws altogether and basically buying it on the black market. What do you think? Should people have the choice to buy what they want or should it be against the law?

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It's another example of a good product getting changed and twisted for all the wrong reasons: PepsiCo has announced that due to popular demand it will soon begin selling a "diet" version of the popular sports drink Gatorade.

It's not that I'm fundamentally against low-sugar drinks (Gatorade has always tasted a little too sweet to me anyway) but the whole principle behind Gatorade is that it provides an energy boost (read: calories), electrolytes, and hydration to athletes who really push it to the limits. So when would you need a diet Gatorade? Is it really the same thing anymore? It might as well be a Diet Coke Plus, but available in a variety of fruit flavors.


Via Diet Blog

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I honestly can't decide if I think this gadget is handy or hilarious. On one hand, a "tool belt" for water bottles does sound nifty, but how many separate beverage options do you really need in the average workout? It could be used for the added weight I guess, and of course if you're training for something like a marathon -- but wouldn't it all get warm and gross after awhile? I honestly have never trained for any extreme long-distance sports, so maybe this is appealing to people who have? And after all, if Fergie likes it...

The 6-Bottle Terminator FuelBelt holds six 7oz bottles for your choice of liquids or gels, for a total of 42 oz. of hydration. The bottles are evenly distributed around the entire belt, and it's fully adjustable with lumbar support. All that for about $32.

via FitSugar

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You've probably heard that coffee has no calories. This claim is true -- for the most part. Some people drink their coffee black. Others, like myself, need a little something to make it less bitter, such as some cream (or milk) and sugar. But those add extra calories, sometimes a significant amount. In addition, reviews about coffee are mixed. It has been linked to miscarriages, high blood pressure and anxiety, among others, and though many of these claims are not strongly proven, it sometimes seems like it would be better to just give it up than worry about the potential risks.

So maybe we would all be a bit better off if we switched to tea? Tea has a number of benefits and, unlike coffee, I can drink tea without sugar or milk. Green tea in particular has a great reputation, and is purported to be a great source of antioxidants, which can help defy the aging process.

What do you think?

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