Want to drop a few pounds? Trying to maintain your weight? Either way, you may never need to diet again. “Just string together a bunch of small, positive, healthy steps,” say Marla Cilley and Leanne Ely, authors of Body Clutter: Love Your Body, Love Yourself. Get started today on this easy routine:

Wine’s just fine

The medical community is buzzing about resveratrol, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory found in the skin of grapes used in making red wine (as well as in blueberries and cranberries). Drinking a 4-oz. glass of red wine or eating a cup of raw berries (heat may destroy the health benefits) could help lower your glucose levels.

A new French study published in Cell says this, in turn, curbs cravings for less-filling, high-calorie foods like cakes and pastries.

Pump up the volume

We all know we’re supposed to exercise 30 minutes a day at least three days a week — the tough part is getting motivated. A recent Ohio State University study showed that people who listened to music while walking were more likely to go farther than those who didn’t, so start thinking up a playlist of your favorites!

Think Popeye

Eat spinach every day. In a recent Swedish study of the veggie, researchers discovered that a chemical compound in spinach may actually stave off hunger. Those who ate a spinach salad before a meal consumed fewer calories overall than those who didn’t; try having one before lunch and dinner.

Turn in early

During winter, if you go to bed early — by 9 p.m. — you’re more likely to hinder the usual weight gain this time of year, says Cherie Calbom, author of Sleep Away the Pounds. “Even adding an extra 30 minutes of sleep a night will make a difference in controlling your appetite and weight.” How? When you don’t get enough sleep, your body reacts by kicking up the hormones that keep you alert and also make you hungrier!

Scale back

Should you weigh yourself daily? Diet experts Cilley and Ely suggest that if you’re dieting, you should step on the scale just once a week. The reason: Since everyone’s weight fluctuates anywhere from 2 to 5 lbs. on any given day, you may think your efforts aren’t paying off and become discouraged enough to quit your attempt to lose weight.

Eat every four hours

Don’t let yourself get hungry. A 2004 study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that people’s metabolic rate drops when they run low on food; you’ll burn more calories in a day if you keep your body fueled up.

“It’s the golden rule of weight loss,” says Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “Eat three meals and two snacks a day and always eat breakfast within two hours of waking up.”