Watch Your Waistline: Why You Should Eat Like a Bird, Not a Bear! Weight Loss

One of the best ways to ensure that you don't overeat is to eat like a bird does, as I mention in my book, "Total Body Diet For Dummies." No, that doesn't mean living on worms and birdseed. Think about how birds eat – they eat in small beakfuls all day long as they flit from place to place. Birds can't afford to be weighed down at any one meal.

Now, think of how bears eat. They eat large amounts of food at one time to store up calories and gain fat to sustain themselves through their hibernation period. Most people don't need to store up calories and fat for later, so it's time to stop overloading on calories – unless you plan on going months without eating. (I didn't think so – we need and love food too much, right?)

A good rule of thumb is to fuel your body with small meals and snacks throughout the day so that your metabolism keeps humming along like a bird's does.