Home > Diet & Fitness > Weight watching > Body slimmers and fat trimmers Dumping pounds takes drastic measures, right? Wrong - it's the little switches that can make the biggest difference to one's weight. Subtle lifestyle changes really take and keep weight off because you're more likely to stick with them: little changes with big slim-down benefits.

TEASE YOUR SWEET TOOTH Satisfy your cravings with a piece of high-quality dark chocolate. Not only does this make a great reward, dark chocolate has been shown to contain healthy antioxidants and minimal sugar.

LEAP FROG While you're watching TV or waiting for coffee to brew, do jump squats: Start with feet and legs shoulder-width apart, knees bent so that the thighs are almost parallel to the floor. Swing arms forward and jump up, landing back in the squat position. Not only does this tone your legs, it is also an effective in-place aerobic workout. Or, while watching your favourite one-hour weekly drama, run in place or jump rope during each three-minute commercial break.

GO FRUITY Snack on an apple, a pear, a peach or an orange rather than bunches of grapes or cherries. Twenty grapes have 76 calories, while a medium apple has about 80. You tend to snack on 0 or 100 grapes at one sitting (380 calories). But nobody eats five apples at once. GA_googleFillSlot("sitagitarectanglebottom");

AEROBIC SHOPPING To shape up while you shop, park your car as far away as possible from the entrance to the shopping centre. Once inside, walk briskly around the mall a couple of times before you buy anything. You treat yourself to shopping after you exercise.

POP IT With popcorn. The air-popped variety, minus salt and butter, contains only 20 to 30 calories per cup. Most people's jaws start to hurt after three cups of popcorn, so you stop eating and you end up saving a lot of calories.

POUR SOME COLD WATER ON IT Not only is thirst often mistaken for hunger, water can tame appetite. Water helps fill up your stomach, so it takes away hunger pangs.

GO TINY The sight of abundant food stimulates overeating. Use smaller plates to make modest portions look like large ones. Instead of serving food from communal bowls or platters on the table, leave them on the kitchen counter. That way, you'll have to get up to serve yourself second helpings instead of thoughtlessly picking from what's in front of you.

WEIGHTED WALKS Whether you walk on a treadmill or around the neighbourhood, you can increase your caloric expenditure by as much as 20 percent by wearing hand or ankle weights. Start out with small weights and gradually increase. Get your doctor's okay first.