The key to getting to your ideal waist size is dieting smart, not hard. It's your waist size, after all, which is most important to your health. (You want to get to 35 inches or less, measured at your belly button while sucking in, which you'll do anyway.) That's right, if you diet smart, waist and weight come down slowly but predictably until you reach your ideal. Dieting hard—avoiding some gro