Tried-and-True Weight-Loss Tricks

1. Keep a diary.

Studies show that people who keep a food diary are more likely to lose weight and

stand it. To get the most from your food diary:

• Write Whyse. Make a list of all the reasons you try to lose weight. Not just to lower your cholesterol, but you can live to see your children and their children grow up. So you and your husband can take the cross-border trek, when you retire. So you can have the pleasure of burning the mortgage when it is finally borne fruit. You get the picture.

• Write worries.What are you concerned about your ability to lose weight? Think you will not be able to give up fried chicken or resist your mother's death-by-chocolate brownies? Certain holidays will derail your efforts? Write down your concerns and develop a plan of action to resolve each will keep you in control of your goals.

• Record your triggers. Every time you eat something, you think you should not document how you felt when you ate it. Soon you will see patterns, like the fact that you tend to dig into the ice when you've just had a fight with your daughter, you press the drive-through when the work is stressful, or you eat chips at a restaurant table because everyone else does. You may not be able to remove those triggers, but you can change how you respond to them.

2. Do not eat like him.

If you are a woman trying to lose weight, one of your biggest roadblocks may be your man. Studies show that women often put on weight quickly after they get married. The reasons are different. He eats larger portions, and you try to keep up (you only need about two thirds of what he eats). You are cooking a complete meal every night, while in your single days a salad may have been enough (a big salad with some tuna for the protein and an oil-based dressing can work well for both of you). Or you eat more (it is much easier to eat health fully home).

3. Reduce your plate.

Start using a salad plates instead of a dinner plate to encourage smaller portions.

4. Use the toothpaste trick.

Brushing your teeth immediately after dinner to prevent late noshing. (When your mouth feels clean and Minty, you are less likely to think about eating.)

5. Feel the difference.

Carry around a 5-pound bag of sugar a day. Then notice how much lighter you feel when you put it down. This is how you feel when you lose 5 pounds.