What you can do

• Cut your plate in half. Portion sizes in restaurant meals and packaged foods alike have increased tremendously in the last 25 to 30 years. And our waistlines have supersized along with them. Unfortunately, today’s portions seriously exceed USDA guidelines. The grossest excess occurs with cookies, in which the standard marketplace portion exceeds guidelines by 700 percent. (With pasta, it’s 480 percent; muffins, 333 percent; steak, 224 percent.) To avoid overeating, aim for at least half your plate to be taken up by fruits and veggies at every meal; split the other half between whole grains and lean protein.

• Use smaller dishes. It sounds a little silly, but it works. In a Cornell University study, researchers found that people actually serve themselves more food when using larger spoons and plates. Conversely, petite dinnerware yielded smaller servings—an effortless diet strategy for those of us who want to lose a few pounds.

• Never go anywhere hungry. Hunger trumps even your best weight-loss intentions. If you allow yourself to get famished, you’ll likely find yourself munching on donuts, potato chips, ice cream, or other empty, no-nutrient calories in easy reach. Plan to eat three meals and two 100- to 200-calorie snacks every day to help keep your hunger at bay. Make sure your snack includes protein and fiber, which will fill you up and keep you going till your next meal. Smart snacks include: a medium apple, 72 calories, with a stick of string cheese, 80 calories; nonfat, lite flavored yogurt, 125 to 150 calories, with half a pink grapefruit, 37 calories; ½ cup shelled soybeans, 120 calories; 1 cup 1% cottage cheese, 163 calories, with 10 baby carrots, 40 calories.

• Turn off the set. Studies consistently show that too much TV time raises your risk of gaining weight, which should come as no surprise, considering how little energy it takes to sit on a couch and aim a remote control. By getting up and attending to some of those chores you’ve been avoiding, here’s what a 150-pound person can burn in 30 minutes: straightening up the house, 85 calories; prepping or cooking dinner, 68 calories; raking the lawn, 147 calories. Even paying your bills will burn 51 calories! And don’t watch TV before bed…it disturbs your sleep, and lack of sleep is another contributor to obesity.

• Garden, sweep, bathe the dog, and wash your own car. Why? Because technological labor savers like autos, elevators, and remote controls have cut down on the amount of physical energy we expend in a day. Put your own elbow grease into tasks and here’s how many calories you’ll burn (these stats are for a 150-pound person who does 45 minutes of the following): wash the car, 102 calories; garden, 136 calories; bathe the dog, 119 calories; sweep outdoors, 136 calories; paint a room, 153 calories; walk—instead of drive—to run an errand, 126 calories.

• Eat breakfast. People who are successful at losing and maintaining their weight eat breakfast regularly, say experts at the National Weight Control Registry, an organization that studies successful long-term weight loss. The registry compiles data on 6,000 people who have lost 30 pounds and have maintained the loss for at least a year. Nearly 80 percent of the registry members report eating a morning meal every day. Researchers suspect that eating breakfast has a positive impact on metabolism and appetite, which are vital for weight control.

• Keep stress at bay. Unemployment, health problems, divorce, even an infuriating commute can trigger what’s known as “emotional eating.” High-cal, fattening food, whether it’s a candy bar or a bowl of super-cheesy pasta, might bring momentary relief from your daily hassles. But once you’ve finished bingeing, you’ve still got your worries—and the additional guilt from of overeating. To quell emotional eating, ask yourself: Is my hunger physical or emotional? If it’s the latter, take a walk, call a friend, meditate—all are known stress busters. Plus, they’re calorie-free!