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Want a flatter tummy by summer? Get started with these 25 tips.

A toned, flat tummy is a goal many of us strive to achieve in time for bathing suit season, but endless crunches and ditching all your favorite foods until July 4^th isn’t the right—or fun--way to do it. A sculpted core and trim tummy can be attained by incorporating small changes into your day, like holding in your abs while you walk and adding the right healthy fats to your diet. In our lean belly guide, you’ll get diet and exercise tips that will help you eliminate hard-to-reach ab flab and reveal a sculpted, sexy midsection. Here, learn 25 ways to flatten your belly by summer.

1. Take your gossip session on a walk
Instead of catching up with friends over food and drinks, suggest a reunion on the move—you're likely to work out 104% harder if you have an exercise buddy. Suggest a weekly walk-and-talk session, form a friendly fitness club, or take advantage of gym specials together. You'll motivate everyone to get moving while you grow even closer.

6 Signs You Joined the Wrong Gym

2. Deflate your muffin tope with the roll-up
Hold a resistance band taut between hands and lie on the floor face up, with legs extended and arms overhead. Pull abs in, tuck your chin, lift arms toward the ceiling, and roll head, shoulders, and torso up and over your legs as far as you can. Keep heels firmly on the floor and reach hands towards your feet. Pause, then slowly roll back down. Do 5 to 8 reps with 30 minutes of cardio 5 to 6 times a week.

3. Make time for cardio
If you want to burn the most belly fat, a Duke University study confirms that aerobic exercise is the most effective in burning that deep, visceral belly fat. In fact, aerobic training burns 67% more calories than resistance training or a combination of the two, according to the study.

The Top Walking Shoes for 2012

4. Try out Spidey moves
Eliminate spillover spots with the Spiderman Climber: Get into plank position with arms and legs extended, hands beneath shoulders, and feet flexed. Keeping your abs tight, bend your left leg out to the side and bring the knee toward the left elbow. Pause, then return to start. Switch sides. Do 20 reps, alternating sides, with 30 minutes of cardio 5 to 6 times a week.

The Secret to a Flat Stomach

5. Fight fat with fiber
For every 10 grams of fiber you eat daily, your belly will carry almost 4% less fat. Thankfully, there are more enjoyable ways to increase your fiber than scarfing down a box of bran flakes: Two apples, ½ cup of pinto beans, one artichoke, or two cups of broccoli will all give you 10 grams of belly-flattening fiber.

6. Be pushy at restaurants
Saying, "I'll go last" when the waiter comes around could be adding bulk to your belly. A recent study showed that a normal-weight woman was more likely to mimic a thin woman's eating habits than an obese woman's. So when you're out for girl’s night, order first. You'll keep yourself, and maybe even a friend or two, on track to a flatter tummy.

How to Prevent Anything

7. Do the Windshield Wiper
Lie face up with arms out to your sides, palms down, and legs bent at 90 degrees so feet are off the floor. Keep abs tight and slowly lower legs to the left as far as possible, keeping shoulders on the floor. Pause, then return to start. Repeat to the right. Do 20 reps, alternating sides.

Top Yoga Poses for Weight Loss

8. Clean your house
One more reason to start your spring-cleaning: Vacuuming is a great ab workout. Tighten your abdominal muscles while you push back and forth for a tighter tummy while you clean.

9. Cut back on the pretzels
Too much salt will make you retain more fluid, which contributes to a puffy appearance and extra water weight.

10. Fry fat with the boat move
Target your deepest ab muscles with The Boat: Lie face up on a mat with arms straight up over chest. Lift your upper body off the ground by rolling through the spine. At the same time, raise your legs so that you're balancing on your butt, knees bent and shins parallel to the ground. Slowly roll back down onto the mat, lowering legs. That’s 1 rep. Do 5 reps per set, resting 30 to 60 seconds between sets.

11. Add this green fruit to your diet
Just half an avocado contains 10 grams of MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids), which halt blood sugar spikes that tell your body to store fat around your belly. Eat these in ¼ cup servings to ward off belly fat without overdoing it.

10 Diet Splurges You Can Enjoy

12. Play catch
Get into a crunch position—lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor, shoulders and head off the floor with your abs contracted. Then have someone throw an exercise ball (or basketball) to you—first to your left side so you have to twist and reach to catch it, and then to your right. Do this as many times as is comfortable, and try to increase the number each week.

13. Skip your daily soda habit
Where do you think all those bubbles from carbonated drinks end up? They gang up in your belly! Swap soda, diet soda, and seltzer for Sassy Water, a Flat Belly Diet staple beverage. Get the Sassy Water recipe here.

14. Get on the wagon
That glass of wine with every meal may be part of the reason your jeans are too tight. Alcohol intake is known to raise cortisol levels, sending fat straight to your belly.

15. Paddle off your belly pooch
Kayaking is an exhilarating, ab-crunching workout. Constant paddling requires lots of twisting and tightness from your abs for long periods of time. For the best kayaking trips, visit kayaking.org

 10 Reasons Your Abs Exercises Aren’t Working

16. Sprinkle these seeds on your salad
Sunflower seeds are packed with tons of MUFAs and B vitamins, which play an important role in protecting against inflammation. Sprinkle two tablespoons on top of your salad and stir-fries.

17. Sculpt your core while you walk
As you go about your day, imagine there's a magnet pulling your belly button back toward your spine. Practice the tuck until it becomes comfortable, and soon this easy ab-engaging move will become like second nature.

Try Power Walking to Blast Fat

18. Add fresh seafood to your plate
Salmon and other fatty fish are rich in the same omega-3 fatty acids as many belly- fat-busting foods. Try poaching your fish for a low-calorie way to enjoy this lean protein.

19. Guzzle more H20
Forget water weight: Drinking lots of water helps flush bloat that your body might be holding onto in the heat.

20. Stand tall while pumping iron
Stand as much as possible when doing weight-lifting exercises. That way your abs will naturally help to balance and stabilize your body. To add an extra flat belly boost to your weight routine, concentrate on keeping your abs tight and maintaining good posture while you lift, but without holding your breath.

21. Sleep away your belly fat
Research from the University of Chicago shows that those who sleep 7 hours or more a night lose twice as much fat and are less hungry than those who get less than 7 hours of shut-eye.

5 Ways Sleeping Less Makes You Gain Weight

22. Tone up with tennis
A few sets of backhands and forehands in the cool fall weather, and you'll feel your abs getting tighter after just a few sets. You'll strengthen your obliques with every stroke.

23. Keep peanut butter on your diet
One serving of peanut butter has 2 g of fiber and 8 g of protein, on top of belly-busting MUFAs. Try this easy recipe to add a flat belly punch to dinner: Toss a half-cup of whole grain noodles with 3 ounces cooked shrimp, minced scallions, and 1/4 cup sliced red bell pepper. Dress with a mixture of 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 2 tablespoons warm water, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.

Is Peanut Butter Good for You?

24. Punch your way to a flat stomach
Take your workout indoors with boxing. Aerobic kickboxing is more than just a great belly fat-burning, cardio workout. All those arm thrusts and high kicks firm abs, too.

25. Sculpt while you sit
While you're driving, sitting, or just waiting at the doctor's office, imagine there's gum or wet paint on the back of your chair so you have to hold yourself up instead of leaning back. Keep shoulder blades down and back, abdominals lifted, and picture yourself knitting your rib cage together and in.

Get the Belly Fat Blasting Walking Workout

More from Prevention:

Is Your Kitchen Making You Sick?

Sculpt Sexy Arms for Summer

The Best Exercises for Your Butt

 Beat Your Body's Fat Traps with Yoga

Getty Images stock

Cheeseburgers on a diet? You can splurge, as long as you do it in moderation.

By Amy Ahlberg
Prevention

Yes, you can have your cake (or pizza, or cheeseburger) and eat it too. But you need to learn what "moderation" really means. Here's how.

Three Steps to Get You Started
You already know that a too-strict eating plan can backfire, resulting in a blowout binge or, worse, throwing you off the wagon altogether. But when it comes to allowing yourself a little leeway, moderation is key. But what does "moderation" even mean? For gourmands, a cheeseburger a week might seem reasonable; for health nuts, maybe it's one every 3 months, minus the cheese and bun. To find out who's right, we turned to Sarah Krieger, RD, and Joan Salge Blake, RD, spokespeople for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For starters, they say you should only indulge in what you love, and skip the rest. If you don't have a weakness for fries, don't eat them just because they're there; and if you don't have a sweet tooth, don't have dessert simply because your dinner buddy does. "For me, I skip pizza and burgers, but I eat a great-tasting sweet treat every day," says Krieger. "I balance it with exercise and eating a variety of nutritious foods." For more tips, click through our slideshow. But first, some ground rules:

Step one: If you're overweight or have health concerns, especially heart disease or diabetes, talk to your doctor. This advice is based on an average 2,000-calorie diet, consumed by American adults at a healthy weight.

Step two: "Take a look at how active you really are. With most of our lifestyles, we don't need a lot of calories in order to maintain a stable weight," says Salge Blake. Go overboard too often and your waistline, not to mention your heart and your pancreas, may pay the price.

Step three: Keep a food diary and ask yourself, from a caloric standpoint: If I have this indulgence, what foods will I need to avoid this week to balance it out? Now read on for our tips on how to budget your binge allowance this week, and every week.

My Perfect Diet is Making Me Fat

Bacon
Serving: 4 slices of pork bacon 168 calories, 12.7 g fat (4.2 g sat. fat), 767 mg sodium, 0.5 g carbs, 0 g sugar

Who among us can resist the aroma of sizzling bacon? If this is your weekend vice, be sure to curtail your fat and sodium intake for the 6 days before and after. Bacon's saturated fat content is high, says Salge Blake, and just a few pieces make a major dent in the 20 grams most of us can afford to consume daily. So enjoy those crunchy strips, but enjoy them responsibly.

Why You Shouldn't Be a Diet Perfectionist

Cheeseburger
Serving: 1 restaurant cheeseburger with all the fixings 940 calories, 58 g fat (22 g sat. fat), 1700 mg sodium, 51 g carbs, 0 g sugar

With 22 grams of saturated fat, this doozy of a dietary indulgence maxes out your daily saturated-fat allowance in one fell swoop. "Heart disease develops over time, and when [you] eat a diet high in saturated fat, the risk for developing heart disease is greater," says Krieger. If you're determined to chow down on a cheeseburger, your protein choices should all be "lean and mean," according to Salge Blake, for the rest of the week.

French Fries
Serving: Medium-sized fast food French fries 410 calories, 18 g fat (3 g sat. fat), 570 mg sodium, 58 g carbs, 0 g sugar

You've probably been there: The first few fries taste heavenly. As your meal wears on, they start to look (and taste) less appealing, but you polish them off anyway. "With every subsequent bite, the pleasure diminishes," says Salge Blake. Easy solution? Get a small order instead and get a side salad to go with it. Because once potatoes are deep fried, we're sorry to say they don't really count as a vegetable anymore.

Eat Fries--Guilt-Free!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Serving: 4 cookies, made from refrigerated cookie dough 312 calories, 24.8 g fat (14 g sat. fat), 340 mg sodium, 50 g carbs, 40 g sugar

One of the top calorie sources in the American diet is grain-based dessert, like cake, cookies, and pie, says Salge Blake. And while one or two cookies won't ruin anyone's diet, most of us don't stop there, and then we do it again the next day. But this sweet treat's a real sugar-shocker; women should consume just 24 grams (6 teaspoons) of sugar per day, and four cookies almost doubles that. That means you'll have to cut back elsewhere, whether it's in your morning cup of joe or even a glass of fruit juice. Another tip? Give your willpower a break and bake only a few at a time.

Ice Cream
Serving: 1 cup (1/4 pint) of vanilla ice cream 260 calories, 14 g fat (8 g sat. fat), 70 mg sodium, 28 g carbs, 28 g sugar

The saturated fat content of ice cream is high, so you need to watch your intake of all saturated fat, including protein and other sources, when you choose ice cream as your indulgence. A high saturated fat intake increases your (bad) LDL cholesterol levels, which then increases risk of heart disease, says Krieger. Salge Blake's tip for stretching a pint of ice cream to feed four people: "Add fruit to one-cup servings; You'll be dishing up something that looks a lot more generous and satisfying." If you want, add chocolate or crumbled up cookies to the mix.

The Best Low Fat Ice Creams and Frozen Yogurts

Steak
Serving: one 6-ounce steak 270 calories, 15 g fat (5 g sat. fat), 105 mg sodium, 0 g carbs, 0 g sugar

If you're having a craving for it, answer it, says Salge Blake. "With steak, you have less to worry about fat- and calorie-wise when you compare it to a cheeseburger." Still, many steaks come with seriously fatty sides, and the saturated fat does adds up. One way to keep it in check? Order a 3-ounce filet mignon, which is a naturally leaner cut, or get the 6-ouncer and brown bag the rest for later. Another good option: steak kabobs, which control the steak portion size you consume, plus add veggies.

Foods Not to Ditch When You Diet

Fried Chicken
Serving: one 5.7-ounce restaurant fried chicken breast 360 calories, 21 g fat (5 g sat. fat), 1080 mg sodium, 11 g carbs, 0 g sugar

Chicken's not bad in itself , it's when it's battered and fried that the fat and sodium issues arise. That's bad news for your blood pressure, which can be spiked by too much salt. Most Americans should consume around 1,500 mg of sodium daily, and this chicken breast almost maxes you out on its own. If you indulge in this, you need to shave down your sodium intake for the rest of the week. Remember: If you spend your allowance in one place, you have to cut corners somewhere else. "It's important to savor high calorie foods, rather than scarfing them down," says Krieger. "Eat them slowly. Smell the aromas, limit distractions like TV or reading, and enjoy with family and friends," she says.

Doughnuts
Serving: One chocolate doughnut 380 calories, 25 g fat (11 g sat. fat), 410 mg sodium, 36 g carbs, 17 g sugar

If a doughnut is your idea of breakfast, take a look at the carbohydrates and sugar here: This is a treat, not a healthy way to start your day. "Too much sugar on an empty stomach can cause stomach upset and a quick drop in energy after the initial sugar surge," says Krieger. "This leads to cravings or increased hunger." Another problem? Refined carbs are low in fiber, which means they don't make you feel full. So treat doughnuts as what they are, dessert, and indulge sparingly.

Pizza
Serving: 2 slices of a large cheese pizza 580 calories, 20 g fat (9 g sat. fat), 1440 mg sodium, 74 g carbs, 8 g sugar

Pizza's an all-time favorite food for many, but just looking at the sodium count could practically send your blood pressure soaring. If there's too much sodium in your body and your kidneys can't keep up, it builds up in the blood, says Krieger, leading to high BP. If you indulge in pizza, you should keep an eye on your sodium for the next 6 days. And because plain cheese pizza offers no fiber from veggies, Salge Blake suggests you add veggie toppings to your pizza, or eat a salad before diving in.

Cheesecake
Serving: One plain slice of restaurant cheesecake 460 calories, 29 g fat (17 g sat. fat), 330 mg sodium, 43 g carbs, 33 g sugar

Would you still want this decadent dessert if it meant no more treats for the week? If so, go for it, but if not, take Salge Blake's advice and spread out your dessert opportunities for the week. It's easy: Just make smaller, less calorie-dense choices and you can enjoy dessert more often. Remember: A small amount of a treat gets the job done, satisfaction-wise, according to research. Train yourself to eat like that and you'll appreciate those "first bite" pleasure opportunities even more, without breaking the diet bank. Life this way can be sweet indeed.

More Links:
6 Snacking Mistakes That Make You Gain
11 Ways to Cut Calories From a Lunchtime Sandwich
Snacks That Power Up Weight Loss
Learn How to Eat Less Without Feeling Hungry

By Dave Zinczenko
Men's Health

Rarely does a complicated problem have a simple answer. And for America’s 36 percent national obesity rate, the answer is sandwiched between nutritional obfuscation from the people who sell food and the bad diet habits of those of us who eat it. So in Eat This, Not That! 2012, I took a hard look at the eating habits of America. Here I present to you the surprising reasons you gain weight, plus examples of the restaurant meals that encourage the bad habits.

Reason #1: Eating a Carb-Heavy Breakfast

Perkins Berry Blueberry Pancakes: 1,140 calories, 29 g fat (12 g saturated), 2,150 mg sodium, 200 g carbohydrate, 110 g sugars, 20 g protein

Sugar equivalent: 7 Klondike ice cream sandwiches!

Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that meals that limited carbohydrates to 43 percent were more filling and had a milder effect on blood sugar than meals with 55 percent carbohydrates. With that in mind, this pancake platter is 70 percent carbs—a full 800 calories worth—making it a dangerous way to start your day. The best breakfast is one heavy on protein, and eggs make that incredibly easy. In one study published in The International Journal of Obesity, dieters who ate eggs instead of bagels for breakfast lost 65% more weight and a 34% greater reduction in waist circumference.

Eat This Instead!

Perkins Build-Your-Own-Omelette with Swiss Cheese, Bacon, Mushrooms, and Spinach: 430 calories, 29 g fat (13.5 g saturated), 530 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrate, 1 g sugars, 35 g protein

Feel-good fuel: Food is powerful, and the wrong kind can leave you depressed, tired, and anxious. Instead, instantly brighten your day with these 11 Foods That End Bad Moods.  

Reason #2: Eating Excessive Amounts of Sodium

P.F. Chang’s Pork Double Pan Fried Noodles: 1,652 calories, 84 g fat (12 g saturated), 7,900 mg sodium

Sodium equvalent: Nearly 9 cans of Pringles potato crisps!

Forget bloating and parchedness—these salt-soaked noodles pose a larger threat. Salt has been shown to produce an addictive effect similar to that of opiates. Researchers in Florida found that when opiate-dependent subjects went off a drug, they increased their intake of sodium-rich foods, ostensibly to stimulate those same opiate receptors in the brain. Salt, say the researchers, often “feels good” rather than “tastes good.” The subjects in the study, during opiate withdrawal, saw an average weight gain of 6.6 percent. Protect yourself by swearing off The 8 NEW Saltiest Foods in America. 

Eat This Instead! 

P.F. Chang’s Garlic Noodles: 712 calories, 16 g fat (4 g saturated), 1,440 mg sodium

Reason #3: Ordering foods because the name sounds healthy

IHOP Chicken & Spinach Salad: 1,600 calories, 118 g fat (32 g saturated, .5 g trans), 2,340 mg sodium

Calorie equivalent: 3 McDonald’s Big Macs!

IHOP’s egregious salad is a prime example of what researchers call the “health halo” effect. This is the psychological phenomenon in which people perceive unhealthy meals as healthy when those foods are associated with good-for-you buzzterms or foods. Words like “natural” or “multigrain” can be misleading, and any time a restaurant serves something on a salad, people automatically assume it’s good for them. The so-called health halo also makes us more likely to overeat. Restaurants like IHOP know and exploit this, which is how salads with 100+ grams of fat continue to make it onto menus.

Eat This Instead!

IHOP Take Two Combo, 1/2 Double BLT Sandwich and Seasonal Fresh Fruit:  470 calories, 28 g fat (6 g saturated), 1,180 mg sodium

Related link: Which is the superior snack: a granola bar or a chocolate pudding cup? The answer could surprise you. Find out, courtesy of The Ultimate Snack Scorecard.  

Reason #4: Ordering combo meals

McDonald’s Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Value Meal (with Large Fries and Large Coke): 1,550 calories, 67 g fat (23 g saturated, 3 g trans), 1,750 mg sodium, 95 g sugars

Fat equivalent: 17 bowls of Kraft Easy Mac!

A study in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing showed that, compared to a la carte orders, value meals pack an extra hundred calories or more. And in some cases, as seen here, that number can be much, much higher. Part of the problem is that restaurants bundle items together so that they can pawn off cheap calories, like those found in french fries. So they earn more profit, and you earn more inches on your waistline. Piece together your own meal to be sure you’re not being stuck with any freeloading fat calories.

Eat This Instead!

McDonald’s McDouble, 4-Piece Chicken McNuggets, and Large Iced Tea: 580 calories, 31 g fat (10 g saturated, 1.5 g trans), 1,290 mg sodium, 7 g sugars

Related link: Discover the 1,500-calorie combos lurking in the drive-thru line with the 10 Worst Fast Food Meals.

Reason #5: Taking in empty calories

Dairy Queen Banana Cream Pie Blizzard (medium): 770 calories, 28 g fat (17 g saturated, 1 g trans), 83 g sugars

Sugar equivalent: 9 bowls of Cookie Crisp cereal!

Dessert calories are empty, meaning they present your body with lots of energy, but no nutritional advantage for burning it off. Sugar is the primary culprit here, and there’s a direct correlation between the amount you eat and the size of your pants. What’s most shocking is that we develop our propensity toward sugar at very young age. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, today’s kids take in about 16 percent of their daily calories from added sugars, and the main sources are soda, baked goods, cereal, candy, and fruit drinks. This primes us to gravitate toward monstrous, over-sweetened desserts—like Blizzards—later in life. When your sweet tooth strikes, think modesty. It only takes a few bites to satisfy, and if you stop there, you’ve cut hundreds of calories from your diet.

Eat This Instead! 

Dairy Queen Banana Sundae (medium), 330 calories, 10 g fat (6 g saturated, 0.5 g trans), 42 g sugars

The 5 Grossest Things You’re Eating

The 7 Biggest Food Label Lies

8 Scariest Restaurant Meals

6 Worst Frozen Diet Foods

As part of Joy's 25,000 pound Weight-loss Challenge, TODAY viewers were invited to submit short essays on how their lives had been transformed while following the monthlong diet plan. Two participants would win a trip to New York City and a makeover, courtesy of TODAY. When selected Dayna Rice, 29, from Charleston, S.C., told TODAY producers she's been too busy taking care of her daughter for the past two years to really focus on herself.

Read her essay:

By Dayna Rice

I started on January 1, 2012. It was the day that changed my life. I started at 180 lbs and as of today I have lost 14 lbs. I know that may not be an earth-shattering number for most people, but for someone that has been the same weight for the past two years it is HUGE!!

Nothing motivated me more than the chance to win this contest and meet Matt Lauer. I have counted every calorie and have been running on a treadmill and doing Zumba several days a week. I have been tempted many times but I think about the chance to come to NYC and that allows me to tap into my inner strength and keep going.

At the prime of my life I weighed 125 lbs. After I got pregnant I have struggled to lose the weight. I have been setting small realistic goals, which I think had been my downfall in the past. I celebrate every pound and I am more motivated than ever. Entering this contest and having to be accountable has made a big difference. There were many nights this past month that I went to bed excited to wake up and get on the scale. The sheer joy of getting to log in to TODAY.com and enter a new number was the extra motivation I needed to get through the day. Now that the weight has started to fall off I am officially hooked. I can now see my final goal of 130 lbs in the distance and I feel stronger than ever that I can definitely reach it.

It's never too late to start your own weight-loss challenge! Click here to read all of Joy Bauer's daily tips.

Care to downsize that cheeseburger order?

What if the server at your favorite fast food joint asked if you wanted to downsize your order, instead of asking you to supersize it?

That’s a strategy that might make some patrons happier – and a lot thinner, a new study suggests.

When people were asked if they wanted to downsize portions of their side dishes at a fast food restaurant, as many as a third opted for the smaller – and thus lower calorie - option, according to the report published in the journal Health Affairs.

The whole notion seems counter to our natural bargain-hunting instincts: less food for the same price. But consumers apparently are ready to tighten their belts, literally.

“The restaurant thought people wouldn’t be willing to do it," said the study’s lead author, Janet Schwartz, a psychologist and an assistant professor of marketing at the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University. “Some people don’t want big supersized portions and they’re willing to pay a premium for it by paying the same amount for less food.”

Other strategies, like displaying the calorie count of every item on the fast food restaurant menu, just haven’t led to weight loss, Schwartz said.

The idea behind downsizing is that people really do understand that no matter what’s put on their plates, they’ll most likely devour every single morsel, Schwartz said. But, if they’re given a chance to get a smaller portion before they stick the first forkful into their mouths, many will go for it.

For the new study, Schwartz and her colleagues asked a fast food Chinese restaurant to offer customers smaller portions of high carb side dishes. In one experiment, people were given a small price incentive -  a 25-cent savings – and in two others, they were simply offered a smaller portion at the same price.

When there was a cash discount, 33 percent of people chose the smaller portions, as compared to 21 percent and 18 percent without the monetary incentive. 

The savings in calories were significant – 200 for those choosing the downsized option.

Leslie Bonci, a nutritionist at the University of Pittsburgh thinks this kind of strategy could help the nation shed some serious pounds.

Certainly the addition of calorie counts didn’t.

“There’s a certain number numbness out there,” said Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

A big part of the problem is the growth of the portion size, Bonci said. It’s changed our expectations.

“There was a time when the piece of meat on our plate would be 6 ounces,” Bonci explained. “Now, depending on where you go, it can be anywhere from 9 to 12 ounces – and more if you get a steak. A serving of pasta used to be a cup, now it’s 3 at a minimum and often up to 6.

“Meanwhile, vegetables have taken a nose-dive. You used to get five chunks of broccoli on your plate, now it’s just one sad little spear. There’s been a total reversal of what’s being put on our plates and our eyes have gotten used to it.”

Still, Bonci said, calling it “downsizing,” might not be the best strategy if you want it to appeal to hungry diners. “Downsizing has such a negative connotation,” she explained. “People are going to think, ‘I don’t want to lose my food!”

“Instead of asking, ‘would you like to add some fries,’ servers could ask, ‘would you like to right-size it,’” Bonci suggested.

If you’re trying to figure out how to implement the “right-size” strategy at your favorite fast food joint, Bonci suggests simply ordering the smallest size of everything– and not ordering anything bigger than the size of your fist.

“So, if you do a single burger or a junior burger and a small fries then you’re really getting out of there unscathed in terms of your calorie cap,” Bonci said. “And make sure you choose a small drink, too. Or better yet, ask for a cup with ice and fill it with water.”

Bonci underscores the importance of carefully monitoring your liguid calories. “If you order a small burger and a small fries and add to that a tank sized soda you can triple the calories of your meal,” she said.

If you’re going to allow yourself a desert, like ice cream, ask for the kiddie cone, Bonci suggests.

In regular restaurants consider ordering appetizers instead of the full entre, or asking if they offer a half size portion, Bonci suggests.

Condiments are a source of “hidden” calories because people often forget to account for them when tracking their food intake. A few squirts and smears of mayonnaise (100 cals per TB), regular salad dressing (up to 90 calories per tablespoon), barbecue sauce (20 cals per TB), and/or ketchup (15 cals per TB) can add up to a significant amount of calories every day, and even stand in the way of your weight-loss goal.

Today, your task is to clean out your condiment shelf. Ditch the fattening stuff and restock it with diet-friendly flavor enhancers like light salad dressings, salsa, mustard, low-fat mayo, balsamic vinegar, and hot sauce that can add dimension to your meals without jacking up the calorie count.

To enhance your weight loss efforts, check out Joy’s delicious, easy-to-follow meal plan that’s perfectly formulated to maximize results.

For slimming recipes, menus and health tips, visit joybauer.com and follow Joy on Facebook and Twitter.

What do you think of today's Challenge tip? Share with us on TODAY Health's Facebook page. And record your progress on our Twitter hashtag #TODAYHealth!

Read yesterday's tip from Joy: 
Get moving during commercial breaks

In light of Paula Deen’s disclosure on TODAY that she’s been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, fans and foes alike are wondering whether the celebrity chef’s own cooking might have caused the condition. After all, how can bacon-doughnut-egg burgers possibly be good for you? 

Seriously, y'all: A fried-egg bacon burger on a glazed doughnut bun is NOT doctor-approved.

Deen defended her fattening cooking style -- and her decision to keep her diabetes diagnosis a secret for three years -- to TODAY's Al Roker. "I have always encouraged moderation," she said. "I share with you all these yummy, fattening recipes, but I tell people, in moderation... it's entertainment. People have to be responsible."

Deen continued, "Like I told Oprah, 'Honey, I'm your cook, not your doctor.' You have to be responsible for yourself."

Experts say you can't draw a straight line from someone's diet to their diabetes. While weight, activity level and genetics all contribute to type 2 diabetes, it’s not what you eat that's most important, but rather, how much.

Related: Deen says diagnosis won't change the way she cooks

Three factors push a person toward diabetes, said Dr. Robin Goland, an endocrinologist and co-director of the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center.

The most important factor is genetics – whether you’ve inherited a susceptibility to the condition.

“Now I’m not recommending this, but if you don’t have those genes working against you, you could gain weight and not exercise and your blood sugar would stay normal,” Goland said.

The other main risk factors are being overweight and not getting enough exercise. Your risk also increases as you age -- Deen is 64. Experts aren't sure exactly what causes type 2 diabetes, in which the body becomes unable to metabolize sugar correctly, causing the sugar to build up in the bloodstream. It used used to be known as adult-onset diabetes and left untreated, it can be deadly. But it can be managed -- and prevented.

While Deen's recipes -- which promote prodigious amounts of butter and fried foods -- may not specifically cause diabetes, eating that kind of high fat and high sugar food regularly can make it very difficult to maintain a healthy weight.

Related story: Struggling to overcome 'diabetes shame'

And for people who did inherit a susceptibility, lifestyle can make a difference. That means they may stave off diabetes by maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly.

Further, Goland said, you don’t have to exercise for hours every day or be twig thin. A large study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that just modest changes in diet and exercise could prevent diabetes in nearly 60 percent of people at high risk for the disease.

Even among people whose blood sugar has moved into the danger zone, small changes can make a big difference. 

“If we take the hypothetical person who weighs 300 pounds and has high blood sugar when she enters my office, blood sugar can be brought down with a weight loss of just 5 to 10 percent,” Goland said. “That means if she gets her weight down to 280, her blood sugar might return to normal.”

What’s important when it comes to diabetes prevention is not what you eat, but rather, how much, said Linda Siminerio, director of the Diabetes Institute at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

“To my knowledge no particular food has been linked to an increase in the risk of diabetes,” Siminerio said. “It’s being overweight and inactive.”

Siminerio sees some possible good coming out of Deen’s diagnosis.

“She’s a star on TV and she has a lot of power,” Siminerio explained. “This would be an awesome opportunity for her to come up with recipes for great tasting foods that are healthy. She could use her influence to teach people about healthy eating. Then the dark cloud could turn into a little bit of sunshine.”

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You’re already enjoying a daily afternoon snack, but by optimizing your choices, you can get a better midday pick-me-up.

Plan snacks that are 150 cals or less to keep total calories in check, and make sure to incorporate a protein-rich food. Protein is the nutrient with the highest fill power, and including it at snack time helps tide you over until dinner. Protein also helps you feel focused and alert so you can avoid the dreaded afternoon slump.

Best snack choices include:

• 1 ounce (small handful) nuts, a container of nonfat Greek yogurt
• String cheese with an orange
• A hard-boiled egg with an apple
• ½ cup sunflower seeds in the shell
• Baby carrots or bell pepper strips with ¼ cup hummus
• 1 cup edamame in the pod.

For slimming recipes, menus and health tips, visit joybauer.com and follow Joy on Facebook and Twitter.

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Read yesterday's tip from Joy:
Cut 10 percent of your calories by taking it slooow

Research shows that you eat about 10 percent fewer calories at meals when you slow down your pace.

That’s because your body has more time to respond and release appetite-suppressing hormones, so you don’t wind up eating past the point of fullness. To draw out your meal, set down your fork and take sips of water between bites, chew your food thoroughly, and join in on the conversation if you’re eating with others. If you’re dining solo, it may help to set a kitchen timer to help prevent you from rushing, at least until you retrain yourself to eat at a more leisurely pace.

Use these strategies at every meal, and you’re sure to give your weight loss a boost.

For slimming recipes, menus and health tips, visit joybauer.com and follow Joy on Facebook and Twitter.

What do you think of today's Challenge tip? Still sticking to your New Year's Resolution? Share with us on TODAY Health's Facebook page. And record your progress on the new Twitter hashtag #TODAYHealth!

Read yesterday's tip from Joy:
Sip 2 glasses of water before lunch. Why it helps

Guzzling water just before mealtime helps fill you up with liquid volume—so you wind up eating less food during the meal. In one study, dieters who drank two glasses (16 ounces) of H2O before meals consumed fewer calories at meals than those who didn’t, and lost 44 percent more weight over the course of 12 weeks.

For an added edge, swap out your water glasses for two mugs of green tea. Research shows green tea may be even more effective than water at curbing appetite at meals, and, as an added bonus, it gives your metabolism a slight boost.

For slimming recipes, menus and health tips, visit joybauer.com and follow Joy on Facebook and twitter.

What do you think of today's Challenge tip? Still sticking to your New Year's Resolution? Share with us on TODAY Health's Facebook page. And record your progress on the new hashtag #TODAYHealth!

Read yesterday's tip from Joy:

Slash dinner calories with high-fiber veggies

Slash your dinner calories by up to 20 percent by beginning dinner with a non-starchy veggie course—a bowl of broth-based vegetable soup, a large tossed salad with low-cal dressing, or something as simple as a sliced cucumber or handful of baby carrots.

All of these vegetable options are high in volume and loaded with fiber and water, so they fill up your belly and immediately start to curb your appetite. That means you’ll likely eat less of your main entrée and end up saving yourself major calories at dinner.

For the perfect pre-meal soup, get the recipe for Joy’s Skinny Veggie Soup.

For slimming recipes, menus and health tips, visit joybauer.com and follow Joy on Facebook and twitter.

What do you think of today's Challenge tip? Still sticking to your New Year's Resolution? Share with us on TODAY Health's Facebook page. And record your progress on the new hashtag #TODAYHealth!

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Sweet craving? Try healthier muffins, decked-out sprouts

Daily exercise helps you burn calories and shed pounds faster.

It also keeps you in the right mindset to stick with your plan, since you won’t want to undo your hard work by eating the wrong foods. Walking is a total feel-good. It's my preferred form of aerobic exercise because it’s low-impact (easy on your joints), doesn’t require any special equipment (just a comfortable pair of sneakers), and can be done almost anywhere.

If you can’t commit to 30 straight minutes of walking, break it up into three ten-minute spurts and space them throughout the day. You’ll still get the same health and calorie-burning perks. If you prefer, you can swap out the walking for 30 minutes of any cardio activity, such as biking, jogging, using an exercise machine, or completing a half-hour fitness DVD.

For slimming recipes, menus and health tips, visit joybauer.com and follow Joy on Facebook and twitter.

What do you think of today's Challenge tip? Still sticking to your New Year's Resolution? Share with us on TODAY Health's Facebook page. And share your progress on the new hashtag #TODAYHealth!