Secrets of Slender Women

A plan and some supersweet, candylike clementines -- or even those giant succulent strawberries with stems -- may be the simple things that help you drop the pounds that seem to be accumulating faster than dust bunnies under your bed.

See, in a recent study that looked at women's attitudes toward food, it turns out that the heaviest women were those who fell into the "impulsive eater" category -- they're tempted by advertising and by food they see or smell and tend to eat out of stress or boredom.

The skinniest? They're the label readers, the ones who are willing to pay more for healthy foods and who think about balancing the foods they eat throughout the day.

Thing is, after years of obeying the call of Mrs. Fields, reading a library's worth of labels isn't going to turn you trim right away. You need an interim strategy. The first thing you need to do is decide what you're going to eat -- which should be mostly produce, grains that are 100% whole, nuts, healthy fat, and some lean protein. And make it sound good enough for company. That means no "grilled fish," but plenty of "pan-seared, black-pepper-crusted tuna." No "steamed veggies," but lots of "roasted vegetables with rosemary." Get it? And that's where the clementines and the strawberries come in. If you're the type to eat what you see, make sure what you see is only tempting, healthy stuff. In other words, if your impulses guide you, let them guide you to the best foods from the ground.