Diet strategies that work

Starting a diet is easy.  The hard part is sticking to it.

Consumer Reports just polled more than 3,000 of its subscribers on losing weight to see just what they're doing to stay on target.

Sarah LaFleur says she's really changed her eating habits, and it's paid off.  She's lost 65 pounds in the last three years.

"I wanted something that was easy, something that I could use on the go, something that I could do quickly," said LaFleur of a free online app called " lose it " to track her calories.

The app lets Sarah count calories anywhere on her smart phone. Sarah's not alone, according to the Consumer Reports national research center, a just-released survey of online subscribers found many people are using online tools to track their diet, including Weight Watchers Online and free sites like myfitnesspal.com and sparkpeople.com .

"Our surveys have shown that counting calories is linked to losing weight and keeping it off," said Consumer Reports' Elissa Schuler-Adair

Like Sarah, respondents to this latest survey relied on tried-and-true strategies to meet their weight-loss goals, like eating more fruits and veggies.

"I think the biggest change was the portion size," said LaFleur.  Also drinking more water and cutting back on sugar. And the poll shows many people used positive thinking to keep themselves on track.

And of course exercise helps, too. When Sarah noticed her weight starting to plateau, she grabbed her running shoes.  She is now running half marathons

And she's determined to lose more weight.  Weight Watchers and Weight Watchers Online were the most popular commercial diet plans in Consumer Reports' poll, but you don't necessarily need a plan, 69% percent of those surveyed followed their own diet and exercise regimen.