Here's the scoop on sneaking food into the theater: Make sure it's easy to open and doesn't give off too much noise (or odor). The key is discretion, because the theater can ask you to discard food brought in from the "real world." That said, try these smart swaps:

For a chewy fruit substitute, measure out half a cup of Craisins at home for 200 calories.

Bring two of your favorite 100-calorie snack packs (Oreos, Mr. Salty chocolate pretzels), three Hershey's Dark Chocolate Sticks (180 calories), or three Nestle Crunch Fun Size bars (210 calories).

Crush a few butter-flavored rice cakes in a Ziploc—at 35 calories a pop, they go down just like popcorn!

Crum Creek Soy Nut trail mix (CrumCreek.com) gives you a little of this, a little of that (soy nuts, raisins, chocolate chips) for 131 calories per single-serving package.

How often do you sneak food into the theater?

• Always—it saves me major calories and cash!
• Sometimes—though sometimes it's fun to splurge (and share) with friends.
• Never—I give the concession stand two thumbs up!

NEXT: More summer diet and fitness tips >>