Ladies: if you're looking to lose weight, you may want to cancel that lunch date!

A brand new study offers some important weight loss clues. The findings:

• Avoid eating in restaurants... especially mid-day
• Stop skipping meals
• And do your best to keep a detailed food journal.

The study, just published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, reviewed a wide range meal patterns and diet-related behaviors in 123 overweight and obese postmenopausal women for 12 months. The goal was to identify behaviors that added up to calorie reduction, and ultimately, led to weight loss.

As it turned out, women who kept food journals consistently lost about 6 pounds more than those who did not. Those who admitted skipping meals lost nearly eight fewer pounds than women who ate regular meals. And women who ate out for lunch at least weekly lost on average 5 fewer pounds than those who ate out less.

Because postmenopausal weight gain is a struggle for many women, the researchers believe using these basic strategies can help spur diet success.

I'm Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV, with the news to help keep your family healthy.