I'm forever hearing stick-thin celebrities credit a good metabolism for their trim waistlines. How lucky they are to have been awarded such a gift. But what about the not-so-skinny folks whose metabolisms do them no favors in the weight department? It doesn't leave them stuck, that's for sure.

A crummy metabolism can be overcome, say the America Takes It Off experts. All it takes is a healthy dose of exercise and adherence to a high-metabolism diet. Here are a few easy tricks.

• You've got to cut calories to lose weight -- but don't go too low. Eat just enough so you're not hungry -- a 150-calorie mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack between three meals (about 430 calories each) will keep your metabolism soaring.
• You've got to eat a healthy breakfast -- it jump-starts your metabolism and keeps energy high all day.
  
• You've got to try coffee -- it can rev your metabolism by five to eight percent. Tea does the same, but by 12 percent.

• You've got to commit to fiber -- it can burn fat by as much as 30 percent. Aim for about 25 g a day.
  
• You've got to drink water -- 48 ounces of cold water a day can raise your resting metabolism by about 50 calories daily -- that's five pounds lost per year.
• You've got to go organic -- dieters with the most pesticides in their bodies experience a greater than normal dip in metabolism as they lose weight.
• You've got to eat protein -- it will maintain lean muscle and increase post-meal calorie burn by as much as 35 percent.
• You've got to eat iron-rich foods -- they carry oxygen to your muscles that in turn burn fat.
• You've got to stock up on vitamin D -- it preserves metabolism-revving muscle tissue. One 3.5-ounce serving of salmon will give you 90 percent of your recommended daily value.
• You've got to ditch the drinking habit -- it inhibits fat burn.
• You've got to drink milk -- a calcium deficiency may slow metabolism.