Hungry Girl's Top Ate Tips & Survival Strategies

By Lisa Lillien

Is the rumble in your tummy never-ending? Lisa Lillien, a self proclaimed "foodologist," and founder of the popular site Hungry Girl, shares tricks and tips for hungry chicks everywhere. Click through this gallery of her top "ate" diet survival strategies and then pick up her new book, 'Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World.'

Keep your kitchen stocked with Hungry Girl essentials.
Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla, canned pumpkin, Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss Cheese wedges, Egg Beaters, and House Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles are some of my recommended must-have items. They're all great for guilt-free cooking!

Be prepared.
Do your homework and always plan ahead. That means everything from doing research online about restaurant nutritionals before you head out to eat, and/or stocking your car or office with go-to snacks that can help kick cravings to the curb and keep you feeling satisfied. Keep shelf stable items like jerky (low-cal, high-protein, low-fat!), 100-calorie packs of almonds, and canned broth-based soups around for snacking. If you have a fridge handy, stock it with fresh cut fruit, veggies, light string cheese, nonfat yogurt, and sugar-free pudding

Drink lots of water.
This may sound cliché, but drinking water not only gives you energy, and keeps you hydrated -- it can help keep your appetite in check. I down about 12 glasses of H20 a day on average. Have a hard time guzzling water? Try drinking it at room temperature... it helps!

Read labels!
And read them carefully. Most of the time, everything you need to know about a product is written right there on the label. So take the time to look at it closely. Often packages of food and beverage bottles appear to contain a single serving, but they can actually contain 2 or more servings. When that happens you need to know that the nutritional info will actually be two or three times more than you think it is. That tiny bag of chips may be 1.5 servings, and that too-small muffin could be two servings. So pay very close attention!

Avoid fad diets like the plague.
While they work temporarily (anyone can drop weight following a very specific eating plan), fad diets don't teach you how to eat for the rest of your life. If you find guilt-free foods that you love and can incorporate into your diet for the long haul, you'll be able to phase out some of the higher-calorie foods, and change your eating habits forever. To me, Weight Watchers is the most sensible of all plans, and it teaches you how to live a healthier lifestyle.

Work out.
Don't be afraid of exercise -- it shouldn't be scary. If it is, you're doing the wrong things. Find something you love to do -- whether it's hiking with friends (gossip time!), or walking on a treadmill for 30 to 40 minutes while reading or watching TV. If it's something you enjoy doing, you'll do it!

Don't be public about watching what you eat.
Telling people you're watching your diet is a big fat no-no. If you do, there's a good chance they'll tell you how good you look, that don't need to lose weight, and why you should be sharing that ginormous brownie sundae with them.

Change it up!
Don't get into a rut chewing the same things over and over. Keep mixing it up. Try new recipes, seek out new food finds, and explore all the aisles of the supermarket. For fresh ideas, recipes, food finds, advice and reviews, sign up for Hungry Girl's daily emails -- and you'll get tips and tricks in your inbox every Monday to Friday.