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Welcome to Twitter Fit Tips. Keep track of the latest diet and fitness Twitter trends and opinions with this weekly post. Each week AOL Health's Twitter alias Healthpop and That's Fit will post fitness-related questions and the best tweet responses will get posted here. Start following Healthpop and That's Fit today.

This past week we asked (and confessed), "What's your most outrageous guilty pleasure treat/snack? (Ours would have to be fair treats: Kettle corn, funnel cakes and more!)"

Here's what our fellow getting-fit Twitterers had to say:

boschae@HealthPop Pralines and Cream ice cream covered in hot fudge with whipped cream and of course a cherry on top! Yummmmm!

bodybypizza@HealthPop NACHOSSSSSSSSSSS

jend420@Thats_Fit my guilty pleasure -- triple layer cheesecake we make at Thxgvg. Topped with ganache! What ISN'T amazing when topped in ganache?

Valentine's Day is tomorrow -- does your sweetie usually give you chocolate? If you love it, there's no need to cut it out of your life. Heck, even Jillian Michaels believes in allowing yourself a small number of treat calories each day.

Huffington Post shares the following tips for enjoying chocolate without guilt:

• Get the best chocolate you can. If you're going to have a treat, it might as well be one that you love, love, love.
• Use environmental control. The Huffington Post writer has an affinity for See's chocolate -- and a shop is within walking distance of her house. Instead of buying a large amount, she walks there once in a while and buys just a few. While we may not all be blessed (or cursed, depending on how you look at it) with a See's in the neighborhood, any store within walking distance can be a great way to get some exercise before getting your chocolate fix.
• Eat the best part first. Okay, I have to admit that this "tip" made me laugh out loud. But, if it works for the Huffington Post writer, it might work for you, too. She nibbles the chocolate off the outside -- still getting the flavor of the center, but avoiding the calories.(I'm sorry. It still makes me laugh. Just eat the whole piece for goodness sake!)
• Know the calories. If you know the calories in your piece(s) of chocolate, you can easily fit them into your daily calorie allowance.
  

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Frosting, of course, will never reach the 'healthy factor' of fresh fruit and vegetables. It can, however, be made more wisely to preserve the sweet flavor and creaminess while excluding all the fat.

My Fat Free Cream Cheese Frosting tastes amazing, spreads on easily and is the perfect substitution for the full-fat stuff. And ... if you're eager to go a bit further with it, substitute the sugar for Splenda and you'll have yourself a sugar-free treat as well.

Find this recipe on page 11 of my online recipe book at Fitzness.com. For more great recipes, pre-order my soon-to-be released book, The Everything Flat Belly Cookbook here.

Ice cream ... goooood. Free ice cream ... even better.

Baskin Robbins has come up with a new line of products called BRight Choices. If, like me, you're watching your calories, the BRight Choices line -- ranging from 80 calories to 140 calories -- is a good option for an occasional treat. This Thursday (January 15th) between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m., participating Baskin Robbins will give away free single scoops of the BRight Choices line-up to anyone who shows proof of a health club or gym membership. How's that for a good deal? Not only do all those hours of sweat at the gym pay off with a fit, healthy body -- you also get a free treat to enjoy.

Don't have a gym membership? Hop over to Hungry Girl's site for a $1 off coupon.

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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.

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, We're half way through December and I've already gained four pounds. How do I stop this? Colin

A. Happy Holidays, Colin! Thanks for writing. I've got some pretty clear advice for you, which is the same advice I'd give if you showed up for a personal training session with me. Get a grip! Put a moratorium on the indulgences and focus on fighting that new fat.

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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My sisters, mother, and I used to have a cookie exchange every year. It was a lot of fun, but we'd all go home with ridiculous amounts of cookies. It's nice to have some -- after all, a carrot stick doesn't exactly scream holiday spirit -- but too many is just too many. We ended up canceling the tradition altogether and now we just get together for a fun girls' night.

If you're planning on baking some of your family's favorite holiday cookies this year, here are some tips for enjoying without going overboard:

• Cut your recipes in half. Fewer cookies means fewer pounds on the scale. And only make your very favorites -- nobody needs 10 different kinds of cookies.
  
• Know the difference between holiDAYS and holiMONTHS -- Fitz tells you how.
• Don't leave cookies out on a tray for everyday noshing. Only set them out on the special holidays.
  

I recently wrote about healthy food options for school Halloween or harvest parties. My son's school harvest party was yesterday, and I opted to bring a healthy treat. I made ham, cheese, and granny smith apple sandwiches on whole wheat with a little honey mustard. I cut them into cute pumpkin shapes and arranged them on a festive tray.

As I brought the tray into my son's classroom, I was immediately dismayed. The food table was filled with bowls of candy, individual bags of chips, cupcakes adorned with gummy worms, brownies, and more cans of soda than you can imagine. The only remotely healthy item (besides my sandwiches) were some bags of pretzels mixed in with the chips. I walked into that classroom with a tray filled with 45 lovingly-made sandwiches and was quite certain my son was going to come home with those same 45 sandwiches. After all, I remembered the report that Martha told us about -- when given a choice, most kids simply don't like to eat healthy food.

When my son got home from school, he had an empty tray in hand. And -- wonder of wonders -- he told me that the sandwiches were a huge hit. He said the kids liked them so well they were almost rude and pushy about trying to get seconds. I was so thrilled to hear that even amidst a sea of sweets and junk food, kids will still opt for a healthier snack.

If you have to make a treat for a classroom party, dare to be different and make something healthful. Like me, you may be pleasantly surprised at the kids' response. Family Fun has some clever ideas for healthy, fun snacks that you can try.

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Instead of dressing up in costumes and bringing candy to school on Halloween, my son's teachers have opted for a harvest party instead. At first, I was wondering if he was going to be disappointed -- he's so thrilled about his "army guy" costume. But he's really excited about the party. So am I. I see it as an opportunity to send him to school with a healthier treat to pass instead of miniature candies. Some ideas:

• Fall Harvest Sandwiches. This recipe is from Kate Gosselin of Jon and Kate Plus 8. Cut the sandwiches into bite-sized treats with fall-shaped cookie cutters.
• Make a homemade harvest trail mix with almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, dried apples, and candy corn.
• Modify the standard Rice Krispie treat and use whole-grain cereal (like Cheerios) instead. (This still isn't very healthy ... but at least it's an improvement.)
• Ants on a log or apple ladybugs are a fun and healthy snack.
• Make these healthy pumpkin muffins in a mini-muffin tray so they're bite-sized.

I think most people would agree that kids need to eat more healthfully. School lunches need to improve, and parents need to make better choices about the items they put in their kids lunch bags.

I wrote a post a while ago about how my son's teacher has banned candy from her classroom, except for special occasions. I thought that was a great rule -- she still allows treats on birthdays and holidays, but on a day-to-day basis, she only wants the kids to bring healthful snacks. A Wisconsin school district, however, has taken the ban even further.

The Neenah School District is requiring that kids bring in fruit, vegetables, or other healthy snacks when they bring in treats for the class. It seems a bit strict to me, and I'd imagine that the kids would be disappointed at first. But, with a little creativity, healthful snacks can be fun, too.

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When I was a kid, one of the most enjoyable parts of Halloween was coming back home and sorting through my loot with my dad. As an adult, I now know he was inspecting them for safety. But, as a kid, it was all about sorting them into categories and counting them. One of the categories we created was called "Dad's" -- because my dad always claimed his fair share of my Halloween candy. I never minded ... in fact, I was usually the first to start the Dad pile.

It turns out my dad isn't alone; 90% of parents admit to helping themselves to their kids' Halloween treats. While a few small treats isn't bad -- it's a holiday, after all -- you (and your kids) shouldn't overindulge. Here are some tricks to keep the treats to a minimum:

• Set a one-day rule. If you and your kids have enough willpower not to go too crazy, leave the treats in the open and set no limits for one whole day. After that day, put the treats away and limit it to one or two pieces a day.
• The baggie system. Ration the treats out to a small number in a baggie for each day.
• Favorites only. Have your kids (and you, if they're willing to share) pick their favorites. Get the rest of the candy out of the house.
  
• Buy back. If your child is a bit more possessive of their Halloween stash, offer to buy back some of the candy. That way, you're reducing the overall sugar intake and giving them some holiday spending money.

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If you're looking to lose pounds, chances are the first thing you'll cut out is dessert. After all, eating a bunch of sugar after the biggest meal of the day is probably not the best diet choice, right? But if dessert is your favourite meal of the day, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to eat your sweets and lose weight too. FitSugar recently compiled a list of their favourite light desserts -- plus here are some of mine:

• Fruit and Light Cool Whip. Three teaspoons of Light Cool Whip has only 35 calories. Pair that with a handful of fresh, healthy, antioxidant-rich berries and you've got a perfect sweet treat.
• Jello or fat-free pudding. Both are very low-cal and very sweet. Opt for the sugar-free variety and you're consuming virtually no calories.
• Warm milk with a touch of honey. This one not only satisfies a sweet tooth, it helps you get to sleep too.

What's your favourite healthy sweet treat?

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Today I had more than bills in my mailbox. When I opened it up, there was a little treat waiting for me. A free cookie, courtesy of Kashi. I love Kashi cereals, so when I saw a commercial for free samples of their cookies, I thought I would give it a try. The sample was an Oatmeal Dark Chocolate cookie, and it was totally yummy.

More importantly, it's packed with nutrition. The main ingredient is a blend of seven whole grains (hard red winter wheat, oats, rye, triticale, barley, long grain brown rice, and buckwheat). It also has sesame seeds and, of course, tasty dark chocolate. Even though it's all natural and contains lots of good ingredients, it is still a cookie -- it has 130 calories and five grams of fat (1.5 is saturated). It also has eight grams of sugar, but thankfully none of it is from high-fructose corn syrup. Honey and and brown rice syrup are used for sweeteners.

The cookies are also available in Happy Trail Mix (cranberry, raisin, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and shredded coconut) and Oatmeal Raisin Flax flavors. Go ahead. Steal a cookie from the cookie jar and see what you think.

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You know what it's like ... you go through the grocery store, filling up your cart with nutritious foods and turning down most of those treats that will derail your healthy eating plan. But then it happens. You reach the check out lane, the person ahead of you is being ridiculously slow, and you're stuck ... right next to all the candy bars.

According to research published in the Journal of Consumer Research, a little temptation is good for your willpower. They concluded that having "large stocks" of treats in your home may actually help you control your eating.

That may be what their research determined, but based on my own personal experience I say a loud and indignant "yeah, right!" I'm more inclined to believe research that shows when most people are given an option, they opt for the junk.

[via Lemondrop]

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