Weighing in on counting calories.

Look, let's be honest: unless you're on one of those eat-as-much-as-you-like-as-long-as-it's-all-protein diets, it's going to take some work to shed those extra pounds. Portion control and calorie counting may not be an exact science, but you'd better be pretty close if you're going to get the results you want, especially now that swimsuit season is here. (Guess what guys? You're not fooling anyone by wearing those sunburn-proof tops to hide your big belly, as the ladies will tell you.)

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What to do? A good place to start is acquiring an Eat Smart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale. Weighing a mere 13 ounces and measuring 8"x1.8"x6", it will give you the precise lowdown (in ounces, pounds, grams, and kilograms) on up to 11 pounds of food on its extra large LCD. It's graduated at .05 oz/1 gram increments, and the Tare feature eliminates the weight of the plate. There is a three-minute auto shutoff, which will lengthen the life of the two AAA batteries, which are included. Moreover, each unit comes with an Eat Smart Calorie Factors guide, making portion control and calorie counting easier.

Check them out at www.eatsmartproducts.com to ... well ... eat smart.