What to eat:

Start with soup
Studies have shown that soup can blunt your appetite for the food that
follows. Soup is warm and fragrant. It takes time to eat and feels like a substantial portion of food. Choose clear broths, or noodle, vegetable or bean soups rather than bisques, creamed or cheese-topped options to keep the calories low.

Eat more fruits and vegetables, drink less juice
Though juices are healthy choices, they are more calorie dense and don’t offer the chewing satisfaction of the whole fruit or vegetable. It is wiser to "chew" than "drink" your fruits and veggies.

Curb calories in a glass
Liquid calories don’t give you the same feeling of fullness as food. Drinking one can of soda a day, at 120 calories a can, adds up to 12 extra pounds a year. Coffee laced with cream, fruit smoothies, milkshakes, beer, mixed drinks, sweetened ice tea and even good-for-you fruit juice can add more calories than you realize. Stick with no-calorie drinks like water, mineral water, seltzer, diet soda, and unsweetened tea.

Fat free doesn’t equal calorie free
Cookies, candies, chips, ice cream, dips, salad dressings are just a few of the thousands of "fat free" goodies that line the supermarket shelf. Many of these products are loaded with sugar and can pack quite a calorie wallop. It’s OK to eat them, as long as you keep portion sizes moderate. A box of "fat free" cookies is not a serving!

Fill up on fiber
Foods high in fiber -- fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals and bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, beans -- offer fewer calories and more chewing satisfaction.

Buy single servings
How many times did you open a large bag of chips to have "just a few" and end up finishing the whole package? With a one-ounce bag of chips, you can indulge without sabotaging your weight loss goals. Single-serving pudding and ice cream, snack-sized yogurt and candy bars, and mini bags of peanuts, pretzels and chips help you keep overindulging under control.

Small sizes = a smaller you
There are no exceptions to the rule. Order small sodas, popcorn, ice cream cones, fries -- even enjoy small to medium sized fresh fruits. Whenever you are tempted to order "grande", "super" or "jumbo", ask yourself if you want to be "grande," "super," or "jumbo?"

Go easy on calorie-dense food
Foods high in fat and sugar pack in more calories, bite for bite. Fats like butter, mayonnaise, salad dressing and sour cream can add on calories quickly. Low-fat, high-sugar foods, are also high in calories.

Enjoy foods naked
Whenever possible, undress your food to cut calories. Eat baked potatoes without sour cream, vegetables without cheese sauce, bread without butter, meat without gravy, salads without dressing, ice cream without hot fudge, cake without icing. Over a lifetime, these dress-downs will help you lose and maintain your weight.

About the authors.

Get Skinny the Smart Way is available at your local bookstore or at Amazon.com.