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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Pour yourself a piping hot cup of cocoa if you get the chance today. There's nothing better for warming your spirits on what might be a chilly day in your neck of the woods. Just two rules: Make it sugar-free, and go easy on the creamy toppings.

The great thing about hot cocoa is that while you sip your way to a toastier spirit, you'll also be helping your heart. Just ask researchers from Yale, who say that downing a cup of the chocolate stuff causes blood vessels to temporarily dilate so the heart doesn't need to pump as hard. The end result, says the crew at Ladies Home Journal: A blood pressure drop to the tune of six points (only three points if your cup contains sugar). Opt for naturally-processed cocoa powder over the Dutch-processed variety, and you'll get even more antioxidants for even better blood flow.

Go ahead -- indulge. It's Christmas. You deserve a treat. And a healthy heart too.

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Baking up goodies for parties, gifts and Santa is a terrific part of this festive holiday season -- even for me, your loving fitness trainer. Baking doesn't have to be bad for your body though, nor does it have to contribute to that traditional December weight gain.

If I weren't a fitness professional, I'd be a baker. It's fun and allows me the ability to be creative while making people happy. I love making people happy. I don't, however, enjoy putting fat on my hips or the hips of others. This has lead me to be really creative.

I've got a few suggestions for you to follow and a link here to my favorite baked treats in my online recipe book at Fitzness.com.

• Substitute eggs for an egg substitute like Egg Beaters.
• Substitute butter/oil for a sugar free syrup like the ones sold a DaVinci Gourmet. (Use equal amounts as the ones given for the oil/butter.)

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Cakes, cookies, ice cream, and popsicles. These sugary treats seem to be ingrained in every child's diet, especially the cold treats during the summer.

We all know that refined sugar is bad for us, so what is a mom to do? Is it really possible to keep refined sugar out of your child's diet?

This article from Mothering Magazine is written by a mom, Sarah Kamrath, whose five-year-old son has never had refined sugar. Never. I cannot tell you the respect I have for this mom, because 'never' is not easy. I can pretty safely say we don't have refined sugar in our house, but we do occasionally let our son eat refined sugar outside of our home. Birthday cake, the lollipop from the barber shop, and ice cream at a party have all been eaten by our near-sugarless son.

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Our football tailgate parties have taken a turn toward health. Long gone are the grilled sausages, chips, dips, cookies, and brownies. Out with the crap. In with the good -- and good for you too.

Check this out -- a recipe for a strawberry pie we've now served twice to our Gator friends and family. It's been met with rave reviews, and some are even duplicating this fruity treat at home. Want give it a try? If so, here's what you've got to do:

• Make or buy a 9" pie shell
• Grab two boxes of sugar-free strawberry jello
  
• Prep three cups of water
• Measure three rounded Tablespoons of corn starch -- leave this out and I bet you'll be just fine
• Cut up two pounds of fresh strawberries

• Then bake the pie shell and let cool
• Dump into large saucepan your water, cornstarch, and jello
• Cook this mixture, while stirring constantly, until it boils
• Cook for one more minute and cool to room temperature
• Add strawberries to sauce and pour contents into pie shell
• Refrigerate for two hours or overnight
• Serve and eat -- with a little fat-free Kool Whip if you dare

If strawberries aren't your fruit of choice, be creative. Make it a peach pie, a pear pie, a banana pie. Just match your fruit to an appropriate sugar-free jello and you'll be on your way to one healthy pie. No lie.

Here's my problem -- I usually eat healthy but when it's bedtime and it's 6 hours since my last meal, I feel hungry and it's awfully hard to sleep with my stomachs grumbling. But late-night eating will not only mess up your sleep, it's also a common time to over-indulge. So what 'free' (meaning calorie-free) foods can I use to quench my hunger?

eDiets recommends a bunch of stuff like sugar-free gelatin, chewing gum, club soda with a twist of lemon and salad without dressing. They also recommend spacing out your meals so you don't end up ravenous when you go to bed. Of course, if you're not too concerned with calories, you can have something like fruit, frozen yogurt, graham wafers or even a glass of milk before bed. Just make sure you don't eat eat something light and you don't over-indulge.

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I don't know what it is that makes some people crave one kind of food and others another but it seems like the most common craving culprits are anything salty or anything sweet. I know lots of people who will ruin their diet for potato chip, popcorn and cheezies, while I've always had to battle my love for all things sugary including the two main groups -- foods with frosting and foods with chocolate.

Cookies are one of the hardest sweet treats for me to avoid so I've been searching out some healthier recipes and found a site with an entire page dedicated to healthy cookies recipes. The three that I'm looking forward to trying are the Sugarless Heart Cookies, which look good for anyone on a low-sugar diet, the Low Fat Peanut Butter Cookies because they sound tasty with the added benefit of protein and, perhaps the most delicious-looking find, the recipe for Low Fat Triple Chocolate Cake Bars.

Have you got a sweet tooth but are on a diet? Have you got any low-fat, low-calorie or sugar-free recipes to share?

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The amount of cookies, cakes, breads and beverages that signify the holiday season can make navigating day-to-day life like running through a minefield for someone following a low-carb eating plan. Sugar is lurking around every corner -- it's hard to resist and downright impossible to avoid. So what do you do? Bring your own snacks, for one thing. String cheese, nuts, an assortment of sliced meats -- you might look strange toting these things around, but if it's what you need to do to avoid the cookie platter, then just do it! You'll avoid the sugar rush and crash and you'll be satisfied without the accompanying guilt.

Other tips? Drink lots of water, eat before the party and don't give up on your exercise routine just because it's the holidays.

Do you have any other suggestions?

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