Hints for a Healthy Weight

Following are four strategies, suggested by the American Institute for Cancer Research, that can minimize the difficulty of losing weight.

• Enjoy yourself. Look at the switch to leaner foods as a chance to find new, tasty things to eat, rather than as a punishing deprivation. Buy a couple of creative low-calorie cookbooks, trade recipes with friends, experiment with herbs and spices, sample exotic fruits and grains, and keep searching for packaged foods that are lean and flavorful. Eat slowly, taking time to savor the taste. And reward yourself with an occasional, modest indulgence in some "forbidden," fatty food.

• Make it convenient. With a little planning, you won't get stuck with a quick, greasy meal as your only option when you're rushed. Buy ready-cut vegetables and salad mixes, low-calorie frozen foods or prepared sandwiches, and whole-grain cereals. Cook several batches of food or make several sandwiches (reserving wet condiments for the last minute) and freeze or refrigerate the extras. Find take-out restaurants that serve lean cuisine, like steamed Asian food with sauce on the side.

• Curb your impulses. People often eat because they're bored, sad or anxious. Try to distinguish those motivations from true hunger, and attack the underlying problem -- find substitute interests or rewards, for example, or try learning to relax. At social affairs, fill up on healthful foods before you go, or head for the salsa or vegetable crudités when you arrive.

• Set reasonable goals. If you want to lose a lot of weight, start small: Aim for, say, a five-pound loss, then build on that success. Go slow--no more than about a pound a week; that gives you the best chance of maintaining the loss. Don't expect perfection: If you slip up and splurge, don't despair and chuck the whole diet. And know that if you're following a healthful diet and exercising regularly, you're improving your health even if you don't slim down as much as you'd hoped.