Absolutely Everyone Needs a Plan. John Schlife,

       First is exercise. The surgeon general has given the first ever report from that office recommending more physical activity. Very simply, it is now a major public health issue. Inactivity is connected to all aspects of health (physical and psychological), longevity, death rates from all causes (not just heart disease), etc.

       Secondly, we eat too much food. We eat too much healthy food. Controlling amounts is the key. When purchasing and preparing food for at-home eating, or when eating out, consider using the following to help control the amount you eat.

       Fruit—select an apple, a peach, or a pear rather than a bunch of grapes. People graze on a bunch of grapes.

       Sandwich at the deli—use 1 filling (meat or cheese, not both).

       Sandwich at the deli—order half, even when a whole sandwich is a better buy. Too many half sandwiches that were going to be saved for the next day never make it to the next day.

       Potato—bake it. This is a very filling and exact serving portion. People eat several servings when potatoes are mashed or fried.

       Ice cream—get into the car and drive to the ice cream shop. Purchase 1 serving and stay right there to eat it. This is in contrast to purchasing a gallon, placing it in the home freezer, and then seeing if you can avoid it. One bowl at home will probably be 3 or 4 real servings.

       Pizza at a restaurant—order pizza, and while the pizza is baking, eat a plate of salad (vegetables, not cheese, egg yolks, and macaroni salad) and have a large diet drink.

       Pizza at a restaurant—order personal-size instead of ordering a whole pizza, and then planning to save the extra for the next day. Leftover pizza rarely makes it to the next day.

       Lunch—select items that automatically come in 1-serving sizes such as a bagel, a carton of light yogurt, a bean burrito, and a baked yam.

       TV dinners—now that Healthy Choice is on the market, these are available in a low-fat and acceptable-salt variety, but the main selling point (even with the old high-fat and loaded-with­salt varieties) is the control of the serving size. Heat it up, eat the small portions of 2 or 3 things, and pitch the container. There are no seconds.

       Cups, bowls, plates, etc.—there is a simple bottom line: People eat a bowl of cereal, a bowl of soup, a plate of pasta, a plate of rice, or they have a cup of coffee, etc. Think ahead. Plan for reasonable-sized serving dishes. This is rigging the score, setting yourself up to win, instead of taking too much on a large serving dish and then trying to not clean your plate.