Every dieter knows that empty feeling in the pit of her stomach, not to mention the growling and gurgling that erupts when we decrease our food intake in the name of dropping a few pounds.

One of the biggest problems with dieting is the constant hunger. No matter how much water we drink, how many salads we munch or how much sugar-free gum we chew, the hunger is always there. Hunger makes us blow our diets, pure and simple.

But there's a new way of eating that promotes weight loss without feeling hungry. Instead of tiny little portions of food, enjoy large, full plates. The trick is figuring out the energy density of foods.

Calculate energy density by dividing the calories by grams of weight. For example, 1 cup of Cheerios has 110 calories and weighs 30 grams. 110 divided by 30 equals an energy density (ED) of 3.7. Add 1/2 cup skim milk to those Cheerios, and the ED drops to 1.1 while the total calories are only 150. Compare that breakfast to one Pop-Tart, with an ED of 3.8 (200 calories and 52 grams weight). You get more volume and more fullness from the Cheerios and milk than you do from the Pop-Tart.