Rosemary Ellis, Good Housekeeping magazine's Editor in Chief, writes in her January 2008 Editor's letter about this weight loss secret: It's not what you eat and it's not how much you exercise -- it's what you write down about what you eat that matters most in the battle against the bulge.

"Jotting down every bite makes you increasingly aware of what you're eating," writes Ellis. "And when you're more in tune with that, you tend to make smarter choices. The extra weight drops off and is more likely to stay off -- as long as you keep writing."

Why do food diaries work? Because they keep us in the moment and require us to make judgment calls. They make a record of what we're putting in our bodies and that tends to be enough for many to forsake an indulgence.

If losing weight is on your to-do list, consider investing in a notebook and a pen and scribbling down your own bites. See if it makes a difference in how you eat and how you carry your weight. If this technique works for weight management, it might help in other areas of your life too. Maybe an anger journal would help keep your outbursts to a minimum -- instead of shouting at the target of your upset, write instead and calmly approach your subject at a later date. Keep an exercise journal, a happiness journal, a gratitude journal, or a parenting journal. Just keep writing and you're sure to become better at the topics that unfold at your fingertips.