In Case of a Snack Emergency

If you really want to snack -- and nothing else will do -- it may be possible to trick yourself into eating less.

People tend to eat the same number of food portions, no matter what the portion size, according to a study published in Psychological Science. Researchers offered participants a snack in two sizes: one small or one large Tootsie Roll, one small or one large scoop of M&M's, or one whole or one half-sized pretzel.

Regardless of which serving size subjects chose, they ate the same number of portions -- so the smaller-portion eaters ate less overall. To make this work for you, just choose smaller snack sizes and pay attention to the number of servings per container.

Go Green!

Enjoy coffee or tea?

Why don’t you switch your usual morning wake-up for a refreshing cup of green tea? Recent research has shown that green tea can help increase your metabolism and could help you burn an extra 78 calories a day. It tastes delicious and is an easy addition to your day.

Celebrity Fitness: Katherine Heigl

Before filming her new movie, Knocked Up, Katherine Heigl hated working out. But since meeting Hollywood trainer Harley Pasternak, the actress raves, "I'm in the best shape I've ever been in."

Still, Heigl, one of PEOPLE's 100 Most Beautiful in 2007, didn't get there without putting up a fight. "I hate dieting. I hate the whole thing!" she tells PEOPLE in its new issue. A revealing love scene in Knocked Up gave her the motivation to hit the gym with L.A. trainer Pasternak, who is known for his intense, time-efficient workouts. "Katherine had a beautiful body, but it had never been toned," says Pasternak, who has worked with Halle Berry, Jessica Simpson and Sheryl Crow.

Heigl, 28, met with him for cardio and circuit-training sessions of 25 to 50 minutes, up to five times a week for six weeks prior to shooting. On-set, she'd jump rope or lift dumbbells outside her trailer. All the while, she ate Pasternak's 5-Factor Diet, which delivered five high-protein, high-fiber meals a day. Even with a scheduled weekly "cheat day," says Pasternak, Heigl soon looked "tighter and more toned."

Typical Workout for Heigl:
• 5 minutes of jump-roping, jogging, or stair-climbing for a cardio warm-up.

A circuit of 4 sets each of the following:
• 25 dumbbell flies
• 25 lunges
• 25 low-body crunches

Followed by:
• 5-25 minutes of cardio running, elliptical training, stair-climbing or biking, with the last five minutes working as a cool-down period.

Sample Day's Meals:
Breakfast: French toast with ricotta pillows
Mid-morning snack: A mixed-berry shake
Lunch: TexMex salad with chicken and black beans
Afternoon snack: Hummus crudite
Dinner: Sea Bass with brown rice and edamame

Flaxseeds For Your Health

Loaded with alpha-linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid that helps reduce inflammation, flaxseed has been used for centuries for medicinal and health reasons.

Gandhi himself proclaimed, "Wherever flaxseed becomes a regular food item among the people, there will be better health." Bauman adds, "The seed itself has terrific nutritional value, very usable protein, tremendous fatty acids, and minerals like magnesium, potassium, and zinc." Additionally, they're a great source of fiber.

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Using Flax Seed Oil

-Don't use flax oil for cooking - heat can turn the essential fatty acids into harmful fats. Add flax oil to foods after cooking and just before serving.
- Flax has many virtues, but it also has a vice: it turns rancid quickly. To prevent spoilage, follow these tips. Keep the flax oil refrigerated with the lid on tight. Minimize exposure to heat, light and air and try to buy it in smaller containers.
- Flax oil taken with a meal can actually increase the nutritional value of other foods! Research shows that adding flax oil to foods rich in sulfated amino acids such as cultured dairy products, vegetables in the cabbage family, and animal, seafood, and soy proteins helps the essential fatty acids become incorporated into cell membranes. Mixing it with yogurt improves its digestion and metabolism by the body.
- Flax oil works best in the body when its taken with antioxidants, such as vitamins E, carotene, vitamin B6 and magnesium.

While a tablespoon of flax oil a day may not keep the doctor entirely away, its bound to help!

How to Avoid Overeating

Food nourishes us. But it also satisfies us, soothes us and helps us celebrate. Put that together with the fact that food is just about everywhere, and often in lavish amounts, and you have a perfect recipe for overeating. But just as we are hard-wired and conditioned to associate food with comfort and relief from anxiety, nervousness, depression, anger and loneliness, we can undo that conditioning -- or at least eliminate the most destructive aspects of it. It’s not easy, but it’s also not nearly as hard as you might think. And, like most new habits, it generally takes no more than 21 days if practiced on a regular basis.

1. Change your surroundings. A shift in setting has the power to change your mood—and keeps you away from the refrigerator.

2. Take five. A five-minute break, whether it’s a walk around the block, a sprint up-and-down the stair or a deep-breathing pause, has a similar effect.

3. Fake out your mouth. If you're craving something sweet, try a pickle, hot pepper or any other completely different taste sensation. And if salty snacks are your weakness, go for something spicy.

4. Reward yourself.Treat yourself to a relaxing activity you normally wouldn't do: a warm bath, a surprise call to your college roommate in London or uninterrupted reading of gossip magazines!

5. Get physical.Go for a stroll, run or do any physical activity at all.The endorphins released will often balance the chemistry of a "craving brain").

6. Sit with your feelings. Rather than stuffing negative or uncomfortable emotions like fear and anger by stuffing your mouth, try "being" with those feelings for five to ten minutes. Can you locate it (in your stomach, your chest) and describe it (a hot pellet, ball of ice)? Write it down. You’ll discover it’s less frightening than you think.

The interesting part of the whole exercise is that most overeating triggers only last 15 minutes. If you can outwait them -- or outwit them -- you can beat them. You'll be amazed (and happily surprised) at how differently you’ll feel a quarter hour later.

Evil Foods that Ruin Your Diet

Cocktails
Joining friends for happy hour? Consider this: An eight-ounce gin and tonic has 160 calories versus an eight-ounce daiquiri, which has 430. If you know you'll be enjoying cocktails later, cut calories elsewhere that day. Then stick to one drink, preferably a glass of champagne or wine spritzer, which are much lower in calories.

Specialty Coffee
Drinking a cup of black coffee (sans sugar) is no problem. But a coffee filled with sugar, whole milk and whipped cream could easily cost you hundreds of calories. It's OK to indulge occasionally but don't make it a daily habit. If you do indulge, order the smallest size, ask for low-fat milk and replace sugar with an artificial sweetener.

Bagels
Although quick and convenient, these enormous rings of dough could wind up on your backside. Why? A four-ounce bagel is equal to four slices of bread. So eat just half a bagel, preferably one made of filling whole grains, and replace the butter or cream cheese with one tablespoon of protein-rich peanut butter.

Granola Bars
They sound like the ultimate health food, but granola bars are often no better than candy bars. Some contain more than 200 calories and may be loaded with sugar. If you can't give them up, at least choose a low-fat, one-ounce granola bar that contains whole grains.

Applesauce
Applesauce seems like such a healthy food. And it can be, as long as you're eating natural, unsweetened applesauce. Otherwise, you'll get a huge dose of sugar and calories -- 100 calories in four ounces of regular applesauce versus 50 in four ounces of the natural, unsweetened version.

Mayonnaise
It tastes delicious on sandwiches but beware: Just one tablespoon of mayo has 12 grams of fat and 110 calories, so use only a teaspoon at a time. Even better? Switch to low-fat or use hummus instead, which has only about 30 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per tablespoon.

Sports Drinks
Unless you're exercising for more than an hour, you don't need a sports drink. Sure, they might taste better than water, but down a 32-ounce bottle and you'll be 240 calories richer. If you can't stand plain water, add orange or lemon slices for a splash of citrus, or try a no-calorie flavored water.

Baked Chips
Although healthier than regular chips, baked chips are still loaded with calories. One ounce of baked chips (about 15 chips) contains 110 calories and packs no nutritional value. Instead, get a crunchy, salty fix by snacking on whole-wheat crackers, celery with peanut butter or low-fat popcorn.

Regular Soda
One 12-ounce can of regular soda contains about 150 calories, not to mention a slew of sugar. Drink a can a day without changing anything else in your diet, and you could gain 15 pounds by year's end, according to one study. Switch to diet soda, and limit yourself to two cans a day.

Salad Dressing
Salad is a dieter's best friend, right? Not when it's swimming in dressing. Top those greens with one tablespoon of dressing -- full-fat dressings have about 50 calories per tablespoon -- or switch to low-calorie alternatives like salsa or balsamic vinegar.

Orange Dreamsicle Shake

Orange Dreamsicle (32 grams protein)

-1 scoop French Vanilla All the Whey Bariatric Protein Isolate (24 grams protein
-1 scoop (individual serving) sugar-free Sunrise Orange Crystal Light powder

-8 ounces skim milk

Alternatives: substitute 4 ounces orange juice for 4 ounces milk; substitute 4 ounces yogurt for 4 ounces milk; add 1/2 tsp. orange zest to shake.

Celery...who knew!?

Celery is a dieter's dream food, especially those that have problems with snacking. It is
extremely low in calories, yet it provides many health benefits - plus its an easy, tasty, and crunchy snack.

Celery contains vitamin C and several other active compounds that promote health, including phalides, which may help lower cholesterol, and coumarins, that may be useful in cancer prevention. To boost flavor but still keep the calorie count to a minimum, you can dip celery in your favorite low fat & low sugar dressing.

Keep a stock pile in the fridge so next time you feel those cravings coming on just grab some and munch away!