Calm Down to Slim Down

t's no secret that stress causes the body to conserve fat. In moments of stress, elevated levels of the stress hormone, Cortisol, trigger your appetite and send you racing for the pantry. But slow down there, Turbo. You can out-smart Mother Nature simply by allowing yourself a five-minute time out. Don't have five minutes? Sure you do. "The best time to do this is after a work-out while stretching," says EatStrong's founder nutritionist Sophie Pachella. "Clear your mind, breathe deeply, and think of two things you're happy about, no matter how trivial. Work out at a higher intensity for five fewer minutes if this is the only way to carve out the time."

A Chocolate Compromise

Go ahead, admit it: you need chocolate in your life. You're not willing to break up with it over a silly fight on the bathroom scale. We hear you. And so did Healthsmart Food. Their new Chocolite Protein Bars come in six delish flavors: Peanut Butter, Cookie-N-Cream, Triple Chocolate Fudge, Cashew Caramel, Chocolate Turtle, and Strawberry. They taste remarkably like high-end chocolate and yet they're all natural, sugar-free (is this sounding too good to be true yet?) and only have 95 to 115 calories. It gets better: each bar contains 9 grams protein, 10 grams of fiber, 3 to 4 grams of fat and 1 gram of carbohydrates. Pretty sweet, right?

Strong and Only 7 Calories

It's the leafy green that kept Popeye fit for years. Any way you serve it- sauteed, salad fresh, as a sandwich accessory- "strong to the finish" spinach is, calorie for calorie, the most nutritious food there is. Vitamins K, A, C, B2, folate, magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium- the list is endless, and all for 7 calories per cup (raw). But after all the new research that's out, is frozen the way to go? "Yup!" says New York City nutritionist Sophie Pachella. "Frozen vegetables may be even more healthful than some of the fresh produce sold in supermarkets. Fruits and vegetables chosen for freezing tend to be processed at their peak when they're most nutrient-packed. Fresh produce may have traveled for days- not to mention the time it spends sitting in your fridge."