Leave the last bite

Are you a plate cleaner? If no one's lurking around do you lift your plate and lick the last thin sheen of pancake syrup? That pretty much describes this plate scraper. My sweet tooth is not fluent in self-control either -- however it is learning key phrases such as "No!" and "Close the cabinet and walk away. Now."

But I have one friend who always, always leaves one or two bites on her plate. She's lean, too. She's not big into fitness so it's either decent genetics or her eating habits or a combination thereof that delivers her lean frame. Regardless, this plate cleaner admires her natural self-control.

Fitness magazine's 10 Ways to Lose 10 Pounds shares commonsense advice to reduce your caloric intake and boost your metabolism. In their tip "Eat Three Fewer Bites Per Day" simply leave one generous bite of your breakfast, lunch and dinner on your plate to save 50 to 75 calories per day. You'll drop ten pounds in only five to eight months. Remember, this doesn't mean take two muffins and leave one bite of muffin #2! Us plate cleaners know all the tricks.