User Post: 13 tips to cut calories and watch what you eat.

Gretchen Rubin

I've been thinking a lot about my eating habits lately-probably because summer is approaching, with its shorts, bathing suits, and sundresses.

Here are some guidelines that I've been trying to follow, with various degrees of fidelity:

1. Wear snug-fitting clothes. How I love wearing yoga pants every day! But they are just too comfy.

2. Buy food in small containers. Studies show that people give themselves larger portions out of larger boxes, so I don't buy that economy box of pretzels.

3. Make tempting food inconvenient-put cookies in a hard-to-reach spot, set the freezer to a very cold temperature so it's hard to spoon out ice cream, eat wrapped Hershey's kisses instead of M & Ms.

4. Order the appetizer size.

5. Use smaller plates, bowls, and cutlery. I often use my four-year-old's little plastic Disney Princess plates.

6. Dish food up in the kitchen, and don't bring serving platters onto the table (except vegetables).

7. Pile my plate with everything I intend to eat, and don't get seconds once that food is gone.

8. Keep serving sizes small: get a small frozen yogurt instead of a large; get a single hamburger instead of a double.

9. Skip the add-ons: tell the waiter that I don't want the side of fries, don't add croutons or bacon to my salad. I feel like Sally from "When Harry Met Sally" as I quibble about how my food should be served, but oh well.

10. After dinner, signal myself that "Eating's over": brush my teeth, clean up the kitchen, turn out the lights.

11. Don't allow myself to get too hungry or too full.

12. Realize that, with some things, I can't have just a little bit. It's far easier for me to skip cookies, bagels, and chocolate than it is to have a sensible portion. I'm an "abstainer," not a "moderator."

13. Never eat hors d'oeuvres.

* Want to volunteer as a super-fan -- to help with the pre-launch of my soon-to-be-unveiled fabulous new happiness-related website, and/or other various things? I'd be thrilled to hear from you. You can click here or email me at gretchenrubin1 [at] gmail [dot com]. Just write "super-fan" in the subject line.