Avoid the vending machine and sugar-laden beverages

The average can of cola has almost 10 teaspoons of sugar! Watch the sugar content of your daily beverages, and you can sip your way to skinny and more energy during the day.

Stick to water and you will satisfy your thirst without adding extra calories. Switching to water from sugary sodas or juice can help you cut calories. Drinking water benefits every cell in your body. It hydrates your skin and helps keep you alert.

Dr. Barbara Rolls, Ph.D. says, "It's recommended that women drink about 9 cups of fluids a day, including water and other beverages, 13 cups for men. But you need to be careful about your beverage choices. An estimated one-fifth of the daily calories consumed by Americans over the age of 2 come from beverages. Several studies point to calories from beverages as one of the causes of the nation's rising obesity and weight problems."

Water is certainly better than chugging high-calorie beverages such as soda or juices. Because sugar can affect the way the body absorbs fluid, sweetened beverages may not satisfy your thirst when consumed with a meal, so you may end up drinking even more of them, which adds to your overall calorie intake.

If plain water just doesn't do it for you, try these substitutes:

• Iced tea. Skip the canned stuff, which is loaded with sugar and calories. Make your own with a tea bag.
• Unsweetened herbal tea has zero calories.
• Fruit juice spritzers. Add seltzer to orange juice, grapefruit juice or other juices. A cup of seltzer and a 1/2 cup of orange juice is only 60 calories.
• Go for the hot stuff. Try hot black tea with lemon or peppermint tea for a pick-me-up.