If you stick to one of my tips daily, by next year you will lose 10 pounds. The tips are:
1. Don’t add a smear of cream cheese (50 calories per tablespoon) or butter (100 calories) on a plain bagel; you can use instead a hot, flavored bagel, like cinnamon-raisin or salt.
2. Instead of using regular bottled dressing (2 tablespoons, 135 to 155 calories), use fat-free dressing (30 to 50 calories).
3. Eat an English muffin (135), instead of that 2-ounce glazed doughnut (230 calories).
4. Replace an ounce of regular tortilla chips with 1/4 cup guacamole (242 calories), for the same amount of fat-free tortilla chips and salsa (130).

5. Think of a baked potato (7 ounces, 145 calories), instead of a 20 regular-size French fries (274 calories).
6. Sip chicken bouillon (13), instead of sipping a cup of canned cream of chicken soup (116 calories).
7. A grilled fat-free frank (40) is better than a regular pork or beef hot dog (142 to 180 calories).
8. Keep away from a chocolate bar (1.4 ounces, 210 calories) and take 10 regular-size jellybeans instead, or 4 to 5 pieces of hard candy (100 to 110 calories).
9. Corn on the cob (90 calories) is better than canned creamed corn (186 calories per cup).
10. after cooking cut off the skin from a chicken breast (save 100 calories).
11. Instead of adding 4 regular strips (145 calories) of bacon with your eggs, add only one slice of Canadian (43 calories, and as filling).
12. Two tablespoons of peanut butter equal 190 calories; 1 tablespoon is 95. Thus, hold back half of the peanut butter in your jelly sandwich.
13. Use 2 tablespoons light mayo (80 to 90 calories versus 200) in tuna, chicken and pasta salads, instead of the regular mayo.
14. Leave the bottom crust of a slice of pie on your plate (100 calories).
15. If pie is desired, use fruit or pumpkin (240 to 300), instead of pecan (430 calories per slice).
16. If you like ice cream, lick a frozen fruit or juice bar (50 to 90 calories), instead of premium ice cream (1/2 cup, 178 calories).
17. Use nonstick cookware when you brown or saute, and avoid the tablespoon of oil (120 calories).
18. Instead of regular soda (8 ounces, 100 calories), drink diet soda, seltzer or water.
19. Top your ice cream or frozen yogurt with 2 tablespoons of fresh berries, and don’t use crumbled cookies, crushed chocolate candy or hot fudge.
20. Whenever you are going to order shrimp, choose boiled (44 calories) shrimp, not the fried ones (146 calories for 8).
21. If it is must, order the small fries (235 calories), instead of the large one (355 calories).
22. Replace the 8-ounce container of low-fat, fruit-flavored yogurt (230 calories) with nonfat plain or nonfat aspartame-sweetened (90 to 110) yogurt.
23. Eat 20 chocolate-covered raisins (91 calories), rather than chocolate-covered peanuts (15 equal 195 calories).
24. Instead of tropical drinks, e.g., pina coladas, daiquiris or margaritas, order them "virgin with no alcohol.” You’ll still taste the refreshing fruity flavor without alcohol's calories (1 1/2 ounces of alcohol has about 100).
25. Instead of salted peanuts (328 calories for 2 ounces), 20 thin-twist pretzels (220 calories) will be better.

Dr. Michelle Brian
Dietitian