It's helpful to see amounts in pre-portioned packets to train yourself not to overdo it. According the the Weight Watchers plan, one 1-inch cube of regular cheese equals three points. How many people slice themselves a huge chunk of cheese and then tell themselves they've only had a little slice?

The Meal Measure is a gadget that helps accurately measure portion sizes. It's a round, molded device placed on the center of your plate.

It has several cut-out circles for half-cup and full-cup measures. When you're done spooning in the food, you lift up the gadget and you've got a perfect-portioned meal. Unfortunately, it doesn't slap your hand when you're dipping into a bag of chips or a tub of ice cream. It retails for $14.95 and is available online at mealmeasure.com.

Kraft Light Ranch contains 80 calories, 60 of them from fat, in a 2-tablespoon serving. That's quite a reduction from the 148 calories (140 calories from fat) in the company's regular ranch dressing. As a bonus, the label boasts it has no artificial preservatives.

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E-mail: vphillips@desnews.com