Weight loss starts with shopping. Taking control of what you eat begins with taking control of what you buy.

Every time you toss a low-calorie food into the cart, you’re taking responsibility for losing weight—even before you sit down to a meal.

There’s a very simple formula for low-calorie eating: Stock up on low-calorie staples. These are the basic packaged, canned, and frozen ingredients that you’ll reach for to create tasty, healthful, low-calorie meals anytime.

The Picture Perfect Anytime List is a menu of the lowest-calorie produce, soups, sauces, condiments, marinades, dressings, dips, candies, desserts, and beverages available. Stuff your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer with them, and reach for them anytime. Feel free to go to the foods on the Anytime List when you want a snack or are planning a meal. Eat any amount of them for any reason. When the Anytime List becomes the core of your eating—in other words, the main dish around which you build your meals—you’ll have no trouble staying thin for life.

The Anytime List
Fruits and vegetables

All fruits and vegetables—raw, cooked, fresh, frozen, canned—belong on the Picture Perfect Anytime List. Avoid any packaged fruits that have added sugar. Otherwise, the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the better.

Soups

You’ve heard of value for your money. Soups give you very good value for the calories. They are filling; a bowl of soup can be an entire meal. They are satisfying. For many people, they are more satisfying than raw vegetables, while many give you all the benefits of veggies (if you choose the soups chock full of vegetables). They are inexpensive, convenient, easy, and quick to make. Soups don’t make you feel like you’re on a diet. Above all, soups are versatile. They can serve as a snack, as part of a meal, or as a cooking ingredient.

Sauces, Condiments, and Marinades

Put the following items at the very top of your shopping list. They’re invaluable for adding flavor, moisture, texture, and versatility to every food and every meal.

• Salad dressings: oil-free or low-calorie (light or lite)
• Mayonnaise: fat-free or light
• Sour cream and yogurt: fat-free, plain, or with NutraSweet (or low-fat nondairy substitutes)
• Mustards: Dijon, Pommery, and others
• Tomato puree, tomato paste, and tomato sauce
• Clam juice, tomato juice, V8 juice, and lemon or lime juice
• Butter Buds or Molly McButter
• Cooking sprays (such as Pam) in butter, olive oil, garlic, or lemon flavors
• Vinegars: balsamic, cider, wine, tarragon, and others
• Horseradish: red and white
• Sauces: salsa, cocktail sauce, tamari, soy sauce, A1, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup, duck sauce, chutney, relish, and others
• Onion: fresh, juice, flakes, and powder
• Garlic: fresh, juice, flakes, and powder
• Herbs: any and all, including basil, oregano, tarragon, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, dill, chives, sage, and bay leaves
• Spices: any and all, including cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cumin, nutmeg, coriander, curry, paprika, and allspice
• Extracts: vanilla, almond, peppermint, maple, coconut, cocoa powder, and others