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"### The planner: Shoshana Davis, 24, New York City\\n\\n__One small change__ Mapping out meals\\n\\n__The big payoff__ Dropped 130 pounds ina year and found the spotlight\\n\\n__How she did it__ Davis attempted dozens ofdiets before finding the one simple technique that worked for her:plotting out her bites. \\\"It wasn't easy at first\u2014it took time to getused to thinking ahead about every meal and snack\u2014but I'm much lesslikely to make poor food choices when I've put a plan in motion,\\\" Davissays. \\\"If I know I'm meeting my friends for Chinese, I'll look at themenu and decide which healthy dish I want in advance.\\\" Davis, who nowweighs 170 pounds, has also seen huge gains in her self-image. \\\"Myquality of life has improved so much. I was always the 'fat' friend andthe 'big' girl. Now I climb the stairs without getting winded and buyclothes at any store, and I recently signed up for an improv class. It'ssomething I never would have done when I was heavier,\\\" she says.\\n\\n__Why it worked__ cheduling your meals is akin to backing up your PC: You know youshould, yet it seems so laborious; but you put in the time because thealternatives (a computer crash, a scale that won't budge) are costly.\\\"When your diet has you going around in circles, thinking ahead is likea road map, locking you into a successful game plan,\\\" says SuzanneFarrell, R.D., a spokeswoman in Denver for the American DieteticAssociation.\\n\\n__Do it yourself!__ Use the [SELF Challenge shopping list](/fitness/2009/02/challenge-shopping-list), then hit the grocery store to stock up. Planning your meals and snacks keeps you on track,so junk won't tempt you.\\n\\n### The whole grainiac: Elaine Heinzman, 33, Washington, D.C.\\n\\n__One small change__ Eliminating white carbs\\n\\n__The big payoff__ Went down two sizes and got clear, glowing skin\\n\\n__How she did it__ Inspired by a health-conscious friend, Heinzman swappedprocessed carbohydrates such as white bread, cookies and pasta for wholegrains. \\\"I still nibble on bread and occasionally order white pasta whenI go out to eat, but I don't keep those foods in the house,\\\" she says.In addition to dropping two pants sizes over the course of a year,Heinzman sees a surprise benefit every morning in the mirror: asmoother, healthier complexion. \\\"I have oily skin and developed acne asan adult, but once I gave up processed carbs, my face started to clearup.\\\"\\n\\n__Why it worked__ \\\"The body digests whole grains slowly, so they helpmaintain steady blood sugar levels, staving off cravings,\\\" says Mary LeeChin, R.D., of Denver. At the same time, ousting white carbs canencourage your body to shed water weight, which is why Heinzmanexperienced such immediate results\u2014a great motivator. Balanced bloodsugar may also be the reason for Heinzman's improved complexion. When 43acne-afflicted people removed refined carbs from their diet, nearly halfsaw 50 percent fewer blemishes after three months, a study in *TheAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition* reports. Researchers suspect thisis because the insulin your body produces in response to high bloodsugar may encourage the cells in your oil ducts to multiply, causingblockages and breakouts.\\n\\n__Do it yourself!__ Make \\\"white out\\\" your mantra when faced with acelebratory spread. \\\"This simple rule helps me resist indulging inunhealthy foods at office parties,\\\" Heinzman says. Munch on crudit\u00E9s,nuts and fruit instead of chips, crackers and cupcakes. And at thegrocery store, ignore packaging that says *made with whole grains* (theproduct may still contain refined flour), and check the ingredients listfor *whole-wheat flour*. No dice? Place the item back on the shelf.Experiment with lesser-known whole grains such as bulgur and quinoa inside dishes and try whole-grain wraps, tortillas and English muffins forsandwiches.\\n\\n### The sweetener sleuth: Leslie Halpern, 23, Chicago\\n\\n__One small change__ Giving high-fructose corn syrup the slip\\n\\n__The big payoff__ A smaller size and no more afternoon fatigue\\n\\n__How she did it__ Reading labels may seem time-consuming, but Halpern madeit easy by focusing on one thing: high-fructose corn syrup, or HFCS. \\\"Ialways thought I was a healthy eater, but I realized products that arefat-free and reduced fat harbor a lot of chemicals, artificialingredients and sweeteners and don't keep you full,\\\" Halpern says. Sheskipped all foods containing HFCS, including some reduced-fat peanutbutters and light salad dressings. \\\"I started snacking on whole-wheatcrackers or carrots, and I noticed a huge energy jump, especially around3 p.m. Plus, even though I was eating full-fat foods, I lost about 5pounds.\\\" Eat fat to lose fat? Sounds good to us!\\n\\n__Why it worked__ HFCS sweetens many processed foods, including cold cutsand ketchup, and food makers often add it to reduced-fat foods to makethem tastier. Just like table sugar, HFCS can cause spikes and dips inyour blood sugar, and some research suggests it may mess with the hungerand fullness signals the hormone leptin sends out, leaving you feelingless satisfied. \\\"Eating a lot of fructose, which is found in both HFCSand sucrose, leads to leptin resistance,\\\" says HFCS researcher AlexandraShapiro, Ph.D., of the University of Florida in Gainesville. When thisreaction happens, leptin fails to control appetite, and the extracalories you consume are deposited as fat instead of being burned forenergy, she adds.\\n\\n__Do it yourself!__ To avoid an afternoon energy crisis,swap packaged foods with sucrose or HFCS for those high in healthfulfats and fiber, such as crudit\u00E9s with hummus, tuna salad on whole-wheatcrackers or raisins mixed with sunflower seeds. Also replace reduced-fatfoods you nosh on with small portions of the real thing. You'll feelsatisfied by less and skip the artificial stuff, too!\\n\\n### The salad buff: Cinya Burton, 23, New York City\\n\\n__One small change__ Eating greens for dinner instead of greasy takeout\\n\\n__The payoff__ Sound sleep and more energy\\n\\n__How she did it__ Come quitting time, this former college athlete had todrag herself to the gym to slog through a halfhearted workout. Shesuspected her nightly pizza habit was making her sluggish, so when asalad shop opened around the corner, \\\"I started picking up dinnerthere,\\\" she says. \\\"I have greens, protein, nuts, veggies, fruit andbalsamic vinegar.\\\" Since making salad her supper, Burton has beensnagging better rest. \\\"I go to bed feeling light, not uncomfortable likeI would after a heavy meal,\\\" she says. \\\"I wake up with tons of energy,and the quality of my workouts has drastically improved.\\\"\\n\\n__Why it worked__ Most of us know salad in one of its two most popularforms: the wimpy rabbit food that leaves us ravenous an hour later, oran undercover fat bomb that packs more calories than a cheeseburger.(See: Chili's Boneless Buffalo Chicken Salad, weighing in at 870calories.) But Burton's greens knock it out of the nutritional parkbecause she loads them with lean, filling protein such as chicken;satiating, healthy fats such as olive oil or avocado; and fiber-richfruit and veggies. And people who eat salads regularly are more likelyto meet their recommended intakes for vitamins C, E, B6 and folic acid,reports a study from the University of California at Los Angeles.\\n\\n__Do it yourself!__ Avoid green fatigue by experimenting. \\\"Repeating mealscan put you in a rut, which could lead you to abandon your plan, so mixthings up,\\\" says Keri Gans, R.D., a spokeswoman in New York City for theAmerican Dietetic Association. For a filling, flavorful salad, includehealthy fat such as pine nuts and a serving of protein such as leansirloin or salmon, Gans says. And ditch fat-free dressing in favor of atablespoon of olive oil or full-fat dressing; a little fat helps yourbody absorb more cancer-fighting antioxidants from the veggies.\\n\\n### The meal multiplier: Laura Whewell, 31, Pittsburgh \\n\\n__One small change__ Eating less, more often\\n\\n__The big payoff__ A 30-pound scale-down and more spending money in the bank\\n\\n__How she did it__ Whewell gave up her three squares for six smaller mealsafter watching her husband have success with the strategy. \\\"I used toeat eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast, but now I hold the toast andhave one or two strips of bacon and then an apple a few hours later,\\\"she says. Eating less\u2014but more frequently\u2014has amped up her energy andhelped her resist the vending machine in the afternoon. \\\"Once I switchedto mini-meals, I lost 30 pounds over three months\u2014and I've kept it off,\\\"she says. A major bonus: Whewell spends less eating out. \\\"I'll eitherorder a regular meal and ask the waiter to box up half of it for lunchthe next day, or I'll order off of the kids' menu,\\\" she says. \\\"Friendswill spend $20 while I spend only $8 to $10.\\\"\\n\\n__Why it worked__ \\\"Six meals a day works well for people who get hungrybetween meals,\\\" Chin says. By eating every few hours, you avoid the urgeto chow down on anything chocolaty, greasy or sugary that's nearby.Another plus: By shrinking her portions, Whewell gets used to eatingsmaller servings and enjoys flavors she craves without packing onpounds.\\n\\n__Do it yourself!__ Some dieters use this plan as an excuse to overeat, sobe careful to do it the right way. Calculate how many calories you needeach day and divide that number by 6 to determine how much to eat ateach mini-meal (300 calories per nosh on an 1,800-calorie diet). Thekeys to success are shrinking the size of your breakfast, lunch anddinner\u2014not simply adding snacks to a three-meal-per-day regimen\u2014andincluding complex carbs, lean protein and healthy fat in each bite. Trytwo whole-grain crackers such as Wasa with 1 tablespoon peanut butterand an apple or a banana, or a whole-grain tortilla filled with choppedveggies, 1/4 cup reduced-fat shredded cheese and salsa.\\n\\n### The whole foodie: Nicole Alifante, 37, Scarsdale, New York\\n\\n__One small change__ Nixing packaged foods\\n\\n__The big payoff__ High bone density\\n\\n__How she did it__ After years of eating packaged food and poppingsupplements, Alifante, at the urging of her eco-conscious hubby, startedeating unprocessed items such as fish, fruit, vegetables and poultry. \\\"Ithrow out less garbage each day,\\\" Alifante says. Another unexpectedbenefit: a stronger skeleton. \\\"I get bone-density tests becauseosteoporosis runs in my family, and, amazingly, it went up! I think it'sbecause I'm eating tons of calcium-rich dairy and leafy greens and Ihave more energy for exercise.\\\"\\n\\n__Why it worked__ Your body is better at absorbing vitamins and mineralsfrom food than it is at getting them from supplements, notes a studyfrom Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. \\\"Women whogot most of their calcium from their diet have a higher bone-massdensity than those who got calcium mostly from supplements,\\\" says leadresearcher Reina Armamento-Villareal, M.D.\\n\\n__Do it yourself!__ Alifante admits that her new diet is expensive. To keepcosts down, shop the farmers' market for homegrown produce. (Localproduce is also fresher and tastier than food shipped from overseas.)Make in-season veggies and whole grains the stars of most of your meals,Chin says. And when you do want meat, use sliced or diced proteininstead of full fillets in stir-fries, soups, stews and kebabs.  \\n  \\nPhoto Credit: D. 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