Diet download: our three-step program is all you need to reboot your body into a healthy, fat-burning computer

Men's Fitness, Sept, 2001 by Myatt Murphy

Mix some beans into your bad food. We won't stop you from eating the occasional plateful of beef stroganoff, as long as you throw some fiber-rich beans (about a half-cup's worth) on top. Beans contain soluble fiber, so adding a few handfuls can trick your stomach into feeling fuller, thus limiting how many "bad" calories you consume.

"A half-cup [of beans] contains around eight grams of fiber per serving, which is enough to speed up how fast the rest of your food travels through your body," says Bauer. All that additional fiber will also lower your risk of triggering a fat-storing insulin surge, offer a boost of saponins (chemicals thought to prevent cancer cells from multiplying), and help control blood-sugar and cholesterol levels.

Finish every drink with a water chaser. Whether it's with a cup of coffee in the morning, a cola in the afternoon or a beer at night, drinking a full glass of water directly after having a beverage will help you to fill up faster and ingest fewer liquid calories; the excess water will also lessen your appetite throughout the day. "Staying well-hydrated also keeps your digestive system running at top speed, helping your body to absorb more nutrients and process food faster," says Novick.

Eat something green every other bite. "Look on any guy's typical plate, and you'll be hard-pressed to find anything green, let alone remotely related to the vegetable family," says Lischin. To boost your vitamin intake and limit how much you eat at every meal, alternate forkfuls of the main course with forkfuls of some form of water-laden vegetable (such as zucchini, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, etc.). Eating vegetables in between bites of other foods mixes in enough roughage to help speed up digestion.

"All those extra vegetables will fortify your body with additional vitamins, minerals and antioxidative phytochemicals," says Bauer, "decreasing your risk of obesity, certain types of cancer, gastrointestinal problems, and a host of other health-related diseases."

UPGRADE: DIETPERFECT 3.0 NUKING YOUR FAT

You're used to monitoring your system now and you've seen some results, but turning your body into a lean, healthy furnace that defies cholesterol and laughs in the face of fat means installing a serious upgrade. If you've inputted 1.0 and 2.0, then you're ready to download the final version: 3.0. As with any good upgrade, a handful of bugs need to be worked out. The following three tweaks can have a bigger effect on your health and appearance than all of versions 1.0 and 2.0 combined.

Make your side dishes the main course. Version 2.0 had you add extra vegetables to your meal without reducing your main course. "If you're looking to trim down and stay healthy, you need to reverse how your meals break down," says Lischin. "One trick is to make your side dish the entree and your main course a side dish." Divide your meals so that three-quarters of your plate is a mixture of vegetables, unprocessed grains, beans and fruit, leaving only a quarter of your plate for any meat or low-fat dairy products.