Secrets to getting slim

Have you tried diets, workout plans, calorie calculators—even natural health products or pills to lose weight? If so, you’re not alone. A whopping 80 percent of Canadian women want to lose weight and 58 percent feel pressure to be thin or shed pounds, according to a recent Ipsos Reid survey sponsored by Dairy Farmers of Canada. And with good reason: we know excess pounds can raise our risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and more. A scientific analysis published in a February 2008 issue of Lancet, for instance, linked excess body weight to 20 different types of cancer, including endometrial and gallbladder cancers. Fortunately, winning the battle of the bulge may be easier than you think. Just take it one meal at a time, with these research-tested tips in hand.