Everyone falls off the healthy-eating wagon from time to time. And that's OK. Life happens -- and so does chocolate cake. But when unhealthy eating becomes less of an occasional slip and more of a habit, it's time to take action. The good news is, even the worst eating patterns aren't hard habits to break:

• Late-night eating. Technically speaking, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie no matter when you eat it. But, more often than not, late-night snacking isn't really about hunger. Instead, it's just a habit to reach for the chips when your favorite show is on. If this sounds familiar, try eating dinner a half-hour later than usual. Also, go for a walk before or after dinner to help control your appetite. Then, during your down time, keep your hands busy working on a craft or doing a crossword. If you're feeling snacky, just wait out the craving for a while and see if you're still feeling hungry.
  
• Sweet tooth. Is your sweet tooth out of control? There's nothing wrong with having a small treat from time to time, but for many people, one small treat leads to a craving for a second treat (or third, or fourth). You can end up with a lot of calories and very few nutrients. When you've got a sugar craving, try soothing it with a sweet -- but healthful -- replacement such as dried fruit or some homemade trail mix. Check out Bethany's "Walking the Walk" to see how she nipped her sugar habit in the bud.

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Inspired by Bethany's Walking the Walk post, several of my fellow bloggers and I have been trying to ditch the sugar habit.

I started on my low-sugar plan just before New Year's. I wish I could say it was easy, but it wasn't. I thought that once the temptations were removed, I wouldn't crave sugar ... but I did. Oh, how I craved it. Now, however, several weeks in, it's easier. And I feel better ... more energetic.

Do you think you can go without refined sugars? Why not give it a try tomorrow along with many other people? Tomorrow, January 16th, is the Great Worldwide Sugar-Out Challenge. If you need some inspiration, check out some of these success stories.

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Want to know the secret to losing weight and keeping it off? Yeah, I'm guessing you do -- just like the rest of us. That's why Consumer Reports recently did a survey of its more than 20,000 readers, asking them not only about their weight, but their dieting and exercise habits. They found that 31 percent of respondents were of a healthy weight -- either they were always thin or had lost weight and maintained this loss in the long run.

Interestingly, whether they were always thin or had lost weight and kept it off, those of a healthy weight shared six habits:

• They control their portions.
• They limit their fat intake.
• They eat fruit and veggies every day.
• They chose while grain over white.
• They eat at home more often than not.
• They exercise regularly.
  

Notice this list doesn't include any fad diets or magic pills -- just plain old boring, sensible, healthy habits. The good news? These things are totally doable. So what are you waiting for?

(via A Better Life)

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My son likes many healthful snacks. Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, almost any variety of fruit, cheese sticks and sunflower seeds are his favorites. But if given the choice between any of his favorite healthful snacks and his least favorite type of junk food, he'll pick the junk food every time.

I adopted my son when he was 10 years old, so many of his eating habits were already formed. With time and determination, he's learned to enjoy home-cooked meals (he only liked frozen foods when he first moved in) and understands a lot more about nutrition. But the junk food addiction has remained a problem.

I've tried instituting other rules, such as having healthful "anytime foods" that he can snack on whenever he likes and in any quantity he desires. The treat foods were left for desserts and small treats each day. It's a good idea in theory, but it led to my son trying to sneak those foods up to his room. When they became hands-off foods, they were more desirable than ever.

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Kellie Pickler has gone through a wicked physical transition of the past few years. When she auditioned to appear on American Idol, at five feet tall, she weighed in as a featherweight 100 pounds. But by the time the competition and Idol tour was over, she had packed on 28 pounds in less than a year. That's a lot of weight on a very little person. The weight gain made Kellie feel bad, but one fellow celebrity (whom most people love and adore) helped her see the light and lose the weight. Read on to hear her story.

Fitz: Your body has changed a ton since you landed in the spotlight. Tell me about that.

Kellie: Oh my goodness! My body has made a big transformation. When I auditioned for Idol I was only 100 pounds and kind of riding on "the young card." Although I exercised a ton, I think I stayed thin because I was ... young! But my eating habits on Idol and the during the tour became terrible. We were always eating fast food on the road and having late night munchies. I gained 28 pounds in less than a year!

Fitz: How'd you take it off?

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I just read an article in People magazine about that morbidly obese lady Ruby who's losing weight on her television show. She once weighed more than 700 pounds, and I think she's now down to almost 400. This is fabulous news, and I congratulate her on her triumphs. She made a statement in the article that intrigued me, though, and I'm curious about how it translates for the rest of you.

Ruby basically said that knowing she was "almost one thousand pounds" made her put her foot down. At that point, she knew she needed to lose weight. I'm thrilled she made that decision, but why wasn't she shocked when she closed in on 500?

I've seen her interviewed and she seems like a lovely lady ... who just happens to have a very high breaking point. What is yours? What amount of weight gain is or would be acceptable to you? When counseling my clients, I encourage them to monitor their weight a few times a month. If they've gained more than two pounds, I suggest they quickly return to their healthier habits so they can maintain their ideal weight. Ten pounds is hard to lose, three is not so tough.

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Obesity is a risk factor for so many conditions. Subsequently, fat has become almost synonymous with unhealthy. In addition, we live in a society that trains us to believe that thin not only equals healthy, it also equals attractive. Daily Mail has an interesting article where two men -- one who is overweight and one who is thin -- are thoroughly checked out by a doctor to see who is actually healthier.

Surprisingly, the overweight man is healthier on almost every count. His blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, lung function and liver function all fall within healthy ranges. The thin man, however, didn't fare so well. While his lung function is good, both his cholesterol and blood pressure are high. In addition, his liver function and blood sugar are approaching unhealthy ranges.

Weight is not the only difference between these two men -- they lead different lifestyles and those lifestyles have an effect on their health. The overweight man exercises regularly, eats healthfully and doesn't drink. The thinner man doesn't exercise, pays little attention to what he eats, smokes and drinks quite a bit.

Weight is an important measure of health and we should all strive to achieve or maintain a healthy weight. But, while this article is far from a scientific study, it does show that a healthy lifestyle -- including good nutrition and lots of exercise -- has a bigger impact on our health than anything else.

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Kids have many health habits that leave a little to be desired. As health habits spiral downward, childhood obesity and related illnesses are on the rise. It's the role of a parent to help change kids' bad habits and replace them with health-promoting foods and activities.

AOL Health counts down some of the worst health habits that kids have today:

• Eating too much white or refined flour. White flour is void of nutritional value, so while it might make that soft and squishy bread kids love, whole wheat is always a better choice.
• Drinking soda. Not only does soda add ridiculous amounts of unnecessary calories, it's also damaging to dental health. To help break the soda habit, don't keep it in your house. Water meets your child's hydration needs better than anything else. Milk and 100 percent fruit juice are also good choices in moderation.
  
• Not exercising. Kids should be active for at least 60 minutes each day. Many schools are cutting back on physical education and even on recess -- so it's important that parents create time for active play. One of the best ways to be sure your kids are being active is to get out there and play with them.
  

Check out the slideshow on AOL Health for more unhealthy kid habits.

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Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly, our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Cameron Mathison introduced his amazing abdominals to prime time TV viewers last year on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Those abs are a gift daytime soap addicts have enjoyed for a long time, as Cameron has starred on All My Children for many years. Last week, Cameron sat down to chat with me (I'm the squeaky voice you'll hear over a weird connection in the background) about how he stays in amazing shape. His advice is golden and if you do what he says, you may be worthy of some shirtless scenes too.

If you're interested in getting one of those warm and fuzzy hugs Cameron may be handing out this weekend ...

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My healthy habits have taken a bit of a vacation over the past couple of week. Ten days ago, I took a short trip to Vegas (which-- let's face it -- is not the kind of place that helps you stay motivated to eat well and exercise.) Then, this past week, I had out-of-town guests, complete with four birthdays to celebrate over the weekend -- one of them my own. But I'm not writing this to tell you about me -- I'm trying to offer you (and myself) some tips for getting back on track after falling off the health wagon.

Here are five ways to revive your routine:

I'm on the fence about weight loss camps for kids. Sure they teach healthy habits, but what about the potential for emotional stigma? Are the benefits worth the risk? It probably depends on the child, the family, and the camp and how the situation is handled. What a good weight loss camp can do, I imagine, is take a child out of an environment filled with unhealthy habits and give them time to learn new, healthier ways of living.

What a handful of camps are doing right, then, are inviting family members along for the ride. Though the camper is the one who spends the majority of the time at camp, parents and siblings are invited along for a long weekend near the end of the summer. There, they too learn the joys of exercise and techniques for feeding their lighter and healthier camper.

It makes sense. Kids have a low tolerance for hypocrites, especially when it's their parents who don't practice what they preach. Since research shows that teens and dieting don't mix, encouraging entire families to be more active and focus on healthy foods seems like a recipe for success.

When it comes to weight loss camps for kids, what's your opinion?

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Let's face it: Nobody's perfect. But most of us try our best, and that should count for something, right? Over at AOL Health, they've recently put together the Good Enough Guide to Health -- a handy checklist of bare minimum you can do to make a positive impact on your health. For instance, we're told we should be getting eight to 10 servings of fruit and veggies a day. But if that's just not possible? Five will do just fine.

We all have a strong points and our weak points. So we want to know, when it comes to healthy habits, which is your strength?

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If your dad is short and overweight, your mom is short and overweight, you'll be short and overweight, too, right? Not necessarily.

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Earlier this month, Jacki gave us some great reasons to stretch (even though she admitted that she doesn't do it often). While I'm not a non-stretcher, I'm not as good about it as I should be for one reason -- I have my favorites, and those are the ones I like to spend my time on. The rest often pass to the wayside.

And this is a bad habit for me to have because I'm really not very flexible. However, I love crossing my heel over my opposite knee and feeling that stretch through my glute and hip. I like bending forward and rolling my back up slowly, feeling the stretch all through the back of my legs and my lower back. But I hate sitting on the floor and reaching for my toes, or reaching behind my head to between my shoulder blades. It's not fun and it's not comfortable. However, I've been trying to do more, I promise.

How about you? Are you an all or nothing, or do you, too, have favorite stretches you tend to do? And if so, please share -- maybe I'll find a new fave!

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Going to the gym is a personal thing -- when I'm there, I'm there for me (or, occasionally, for a really cool class). I wear clothes that are conducive to the workout I'm doing that day, and I generally don't worry too much about the other people there.

However, there are occasions on which I can't help but notice some of the other people. Often it's when someone is grunting really loudly, but there are plenty of other examples of bad gym habits. In fact, Newsweek has come up with a list of Nine Most Obnoxious Gym Sins.

To see all nine, you can check out the article, or you can see some of the common ones in our gallery. Got something to add? Leave your gym gripe in the comments!

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