This month's goal shop smart, drop pounds; Easy ways to turn your grocery cart into a personal weight-loss weapon

Shape, August, 2008 by Julie O'hara

4 rules for resisting temptation

Experts estimate that up to 40 percent of what you pick up at the grocery store is based on impulse. "Those purchases tend to be high in calories and fat, which can sabotage your healthy eating efforts," says Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D., a spokes-woman for the American Dietetic Association. Play the market right with these simple strategies.

1 Bring a grocery list Nearly 70 percent of women who make one forget to bring it to the store. Stash your list in your purse or car, or go electronic: Make your choices on heart checkmark.org or tadalist.com, then download them to a PDA or phone.

2 Scan the top and bottom shelves

Many manufacturers pay supermarkets for prime shelf space to showcase their latest products. As a result, many of the healthier foods that are immune to trends aren't located at eye level. "Don't be taken in by fancy displays or packaging," says Taub-Dix. "It's important to read the nutrition panel of every item you pick up."

3 Don't be a slave to diet claims

A study in the Journal of Marketing Research found that people may eat up to 50 percent more calories when a food is labeled lowfat.

4 Use the self-checkout Women consume up to 14,000 calories a year from candy, soda, and other snacks bought at the register, reveals new research from IHL Consulting Group, a global market-analysis firm in Franklin, Tennessee. "We found that scanning your own groceries can slash, by a third, those last-minute buys," says study author Greg Buzek.

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* Turns out your Internet shopping addiction can actually help you lose weight.

According to a study in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, people on weight-loss plans who used online grocery delivery services, such as Fresh Direct, bought 28 percent less high-fat foods than those who made trips to the supermarket. "When you're at a computer, you're not faced with the same in-store temptations," says study co-author Amy Gorin, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Connecticut. "Plus, many sites have a feature that allows you to sort foods by their calorie and fat content, which makes picking the healthiest options easier."