Shop smarter. When you return home from the supermarket with a fresh stash of goodies, are you tempted to rip open every bag and have a taste? Keep just one or two snack options, say, fat-free cookies and pretzel twists, in the pantry and you won’t rack up calories from sampling each one. If there are snacks you have a hard time resisting, leave them in the store.

I'm bad with this. I buy, say potato crisps, because when we have guests we like to be able to offer them a snack before dinner. But then I get a craving for crisps, and lo and behold, here's a pack in the cupboard!

I am horrible about shopping days. We are frugal, but whatever comes home that week always is sampled by me on that day or the next day.