6 Ways to Fast-Track Your Way to Skinny Jeans

You are what you drink.

Skip the sugary cola or chemically-laden diet sodas and opt for green tea. Research shows it revs up your metabolism by as much as 4 percent (which may not sound like much, but it all counts!). Another study shows that three cups of green tea per day cuts your overall calorie consumption because of the tea's catechins, which block fat absorption and help to regulate blood sugar levels.

Get rid of all your "diet" bars that you find at the supermarket.

Most of them are just adult candy bars and have very few vitamins or minerals. You're much better off eating fresh fruits and vegetables, plus a serving of protein.

Eat more colors.

Make an effort to make your meals colorful and add veggies that are red, green, yellow, and even purple. This means piling on the broccoli, peppers, and even eggplant. Try to use as many colors as possible. Ask your kids to help you find the prettiest and most colorful veggies at the market and make it a game to try to eat from the rainbow.

Really keep a food diary.

I know you've heard it before, but when you write down what you're eating (and when you're exercising), then you will truly keep track of your progress and be able to make quick adjustments when you're not seeing many results. I can't tell you how many of my clients have been shocked by what they actually eat when they write it all down.

Don't get tricked by bogus health claims like low-fat, light, healthy, lean.

Be on the lookout for anything with artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, and damaged fats and eliminate them. Make sure you become a label reader in 2010, and become a high fructose corn syrup detective. One word of warning: It's in so many products from salad dressing to fruity yogurts. Find the foods that are free of it.

Don't carb out!

When you have a wrap for lunch, you're having your carb in the wrap. This means you don't need to "double carb it" by having fruit and a yogurt for dessert. Or have the salad for lunch with the bowl of berries. You only need one-two healthy carb servings (about 25 grams or 100 cals each) at each meal.

Your lateral shift for the week:

Hey moms, I don't believe in depriving yourself, but in making lateral shifts. In each column, I'll offer you one smart way to shift into good health.

JJ's Lateral Shift:

Out with the Old: Your Can of Diet Cola
Shift: Try a glass of sparkling water with Emergen-C. It's deliciously fresh-tasting and chemical-free, plus you get the C booster.