4. CHOOSE LOWER-FAT DAIRY PRODUCTS

The strategy: Gradually work your way from full-fat to reduced-fat to low-fat to fat-free milk, yogurt, ice cream and cheese. If the last time you sampled low-fat cheese it tasted like rubber, give it another try. Low-fat products have greatly improved.

The weight-control benefit: This is an easy way to save on calories without sacrificing taste. Four ounces of regular cottage cheese has 120 calories, compared to 100 calories for 2 percent, 90 calories for 1 percent and 80 for fat-free. One ounce of Cheddar cheese has 114 calories and 6 grams of saturated fat; 1 ounce reduced-fat Kraft cheese has 90 calories and 4 grams saturated fat. One scoop of Breyers vanilla ice cream has 150 calories and 5 grams saturated fat; Häagen Dazs has 270 calories and 11 grams saturated fat; Breyers Light has 130 calories and 2.5 grams saturated fat. Tip: Focus on cutting saturated fat.

The health bonus: You drastically cut back on saturated fat, the kind that increases your risk of heart disease. For instance, those 4 ounces of regular cottage cheese contain 3 grams of saturated fat, compared to 1.4 grams for reduced-fat cottage cheese, less than 1 gram for low-fat and no saturated fat for fat-free. Experts recommend limiting saturated fat to no more than 10 percent of total calories, which translates to 22 grams per day on a 2,000-calorie diet.