Desperate measures

When they first burst on to our screens the women of Wisteria Lane looked glam, groomed, trim and toned. Four years on, they���re looking better than ever. Fans couldn���t help noticing that Teri, Eva, Nicolette, Marcia and Felicity outshone their 20-something rivals, despite their ages ranging from 33 to 46. Here���s how they do it, and how you can, too...
Teri Hatcher
Teri, 43, got so thin last year that some critics suggested she was taking her desire to stay youthfully slim to extremes.Now she���s a healthier size 8 and stays in shape with Pilates and yoga-style exercises.
Teri, who plays ditzy Susan, admits she indulges in many fattening treats ��� including chocolate and wine ��� but makes up for it. ���Afterwards, I���ll watch it for a couple of days,��� she says. She���s also a fan of low-fat, high-protein meals and she goes easy on carbs.
Make it work for you: Get carb-smart. Ditch bad ones like white bread, white pasta, and cakes. Instead, fill up on brown or wholemeal pasta and bread ��� but only ever have a handful-amount of carbs with every meal. Secondly, make up for diet mistakes. If you overindulge, don���t assume you���ve blown your diet and there���s no point carrying on. Just make up for it the day after.
Marcia Cross
The oldest Housewife at 46, Marcia finds it a struggle to keep her weight down. ���I���m not like Eva. She can eat anything she wants. For me, not to eat is a constant struggle.���
Marcia cuts back on carbs when she has a fat day. ���Ditch the bread and you���ll feel the results,��� she says.
The actress ��� who plays super-prim Bree ��� also snacks on high-protein turkey slices and nuts to keep hunger pangs at bay. Also, she shuns the glitzy LA lifestyle for yoga. ���You won���t find me out in a bar or restaurant at night,��� she says. ���Instead, I���ll be at a yoga retreat.��� She added hill-walking to her regime after the birth of her twins.
Make it work for you: Hill-walking is a great fat-burner. Doing it at a slow pace burns phenomenal amounts of calories. Plus it tones your bum, legs and thighs. Yoga doesn���t burn as many calories as some exercise but tones you up and reduces stress levels. Studies show that stress can cause your body to retain fat around your waist and stomach.
Felicity huffman
The 45-year-old ��� who plays Lynette ��� recently took part in a triathlon with fellow A-lister Jennifer Lopez and then hit the red carpet at the Emmys just a few hours later. Phew! FYI, the actress works out with her hubby up to four times a week.
Running is her favourite way to stay in shape but she admits, ���I���m really slow but I love it. Plus, we play tennis and go biking and hiking.��� Felicity ��� who said she used to be ���a chunky girl with a bad perm and glasses��� ��� also loves healthy food. She adds, ���We eat well ��� I insist on it. But I don���t really have a diet no-no. I���d eat cheese all day long but I moderate myself.���
Make it work for you: Work out with your man! Or your best friend if you���re single. Studies show that women who work out with a friend or partner stick at exercise. Make your house healthy ��� put the whole family on a healthy living kick. Like Felicity, insist that your man and kids eat well, too. Finally, mix it up. Try a variety of exercise. The more muscles you work, the more calories you���ll burn.
Nicolette Sherdian
The 44-year-old ��� who plays maneater Edie ��� is a fan of military-style regime, as is Teri. ���I like being active,��� says Nicolette. ���I like sports and I go to the gym as much as I can.��� She���s also a huge horse-riding fan, plus she plays volleyball and does martial arts classes.
Nicolette admits she���s partial to junk food: ���I love pizza and French fries but I���m always on at Teri to stop bringing them to the studio!��� But Nicolette is otherwise spot-on with her diet. ���I try to watch what I eat otherwise and I love fresh fruit and veggies.���
Make it work for you: Eat fresh fruits of the season. Get into sport; whether it���s horseriding or tennis, try something competitive. You���ll enjoy it a lot more than a solo sport like running. Get help from your colleagues; if, like Nicolette, you work with someone who brings in junk, tell them you���re trying to be good and you���d appreciate it if they didn���t offer you them.
Eva Longoria
She used to be one of the thinnest Housewives but Eva is now curvier than ever. The 33-year-old has gained (a small) amount of weight because the show���s producers have made her character Gabrielle, a former model, a harassed mum-of-two in the latest series. It was when rumours started circulating that Eva was expecting that she hit back: ���I���m not pregnant, just fat!���
She still works out with her long-time trainer but they���ve now incorporated weights into her regime. ���With all the lunges, squats and leg presses I���ve done in the past two months, I think I���ve gained an inch of muscle in my butt,��� she says.
Nutrition-wise, every morning Eva enjoys a high-protein breakfast ��� egg white omelettes are her favourite ��� and she says: ���I���ve never dieted but I love meat and fish, and was raised eating fresh vegetables, so I���m pretty used to a good diet.���
After working out, she often eats chocolate ice-cream at home; only telling herself it���s all right because she���s balanced it out with exercise!
Make it work for you: Start the day with a protein-rich breakfast. It���ll keep you full for hours. Good choices include eggs, lean meat, peanut butter or milk. Treat yourself regularly with cheese or chocolate, it���ll stop you feeling too deprived. Just keep the portions small and don���t have them too often.