Best diet strategies: we found the smartest tips and tricks for weight loss and healthy eating right here at home

Shape, Nov, 2004

--Leslie Ryan, senior editor, fitness

* When my eating habits get sloppy, I'll choose one item to eliminate rather than trying to overhaul my diet. For example, I'll cut out butter. This is a goal I can easily accomplish.

--Linda Lewis, fitness editor

* Fill up on fruit! On photo shoots, I walk right past the junk-food table and head straight for the trays of beautiful fresh pineapple, mango, melon and berries. These fiber-rich foods are far more satisfying to me than cookies and pastries; plus they have fewer calories and nearly zero fat.

--Dinah Erasmus, associate editor, fashion

* After a stressful workday, it's tempting to come home, drop the mail on the kitchen table and raid the cupboards for munchies. To avoid this unhealthy habit, I've developed a new evening routine: The minute I walk through the door, I put my purse, keys and mail on a table in our foyer. (This allows me to bypass the kitchen.) Next, I go upstairs to shower or change, check e-mail or watch the news a bit before heading downstairs to make dinner. Avoiding the kitchen until I've had a chance to unwind has cut down significantly on my absent-minded grazing.

--Kim Acosta, senior associate editor, health