question about posture and other 'cheats': looking 5 pounds lighter in 3 seconds

a large proportion of my friends are dancers, and i've always envied their slim/toned figures. i've only recently realized, however, that even when they stop dancing and start packing a few pounds, they still look really great. The secret, apparently, is not what you WEIGH, but how you POSITION your weight. I, on the other hand, have terrible posture. I tried straightening my back ang sucking in my tummy the other day, and amazingly, i looked like i lost 5 pounds in three seconds. (I went back into the mode of slumped-back and floundering tummy in less than a minute though.) I'm pretty psyched, and I'm really wondering,

how do i maintain good posture?

also, it seems that the way you walk also generates a different 'look'. i'm wondering what will put the confidence in my walk. Will heels actually help....?

I always try to suck my stomach in. Not only do you look thinner immediately but after doing it for a while (a long while) it does start to shrink your stomach. When I keep my stomach sucked in while I am eating as well I eat less and do not look so bloated after the meal. I just need to remember to do it more often lol

ditto to vmcbutterfly's stomach-sucking comment. it worked for me.

i try to sit on the very edge of my seat to improve posture as there is nothing for me to slouch back on that way.

as far as walking, you could try practicing walking with books on your head like they used to think models did... or did they really? who knows? i think heels help because you feel more confident in addition to having to walk really carefully.

Posture's a conscious thing.  You just have to remind yourself to walk tall, stand straight, pull the shoulders back and sit upright for long enough until it becomes a habit that you don't think about.   Reasonable-size heels help because they force your spine to turn out more at the base which pulls the stomach in a little at the front.  Flat shoes just encourge that flat-footed duck effect and make thighs look chunkier!!

My best 'cheat' is clever dressing.  I definitely think you can add or remove 7lbs with the right clothes.

I think that most singers (at least classically trained) probably have an advantage as well as we have to have good posture to align for proper breathing.

One of my favorite tricks is wearing v-neck shirts.  A nice deep v-neck makes me feel instantly more attractive and thinner - or I'll often wear one of those shelf-bra camisoles (with a bra) underneath something worn open - it optically creates a slimmer line. 

I've also noticed wearing clothes closer to the body is more slimming - as opposed to wearing something loose fitting.  Last year I bought several really neat Indian tunics from a "market" at an Indian event I went to - the colors were great for me and fit my style, had nice deep v-necks, and lots of ornamentation - however, even though the shirts "fit", they were too long and they didn't show my body.  I went to a tailor recently and had them shortened quite a bit so that they hit my hip bone and taken in at the waist so they aren't so boxy.  The result was an instant loss of 15 lbs!  I'd say a good tailor is really important - you would be amazed how just changing the fit of something bought off the rack to customize to your body makes you look so much better!

Another one for picture posing is turning your lower half to the side (your legs and lower part of your torso) and then your upper half 3/4 to the camera, and your face full on, or a little more than 3/4 angle.  This works amazingly to make you look slimmer in photographs.

I used to be a dancer and an important trick in posture we always used was to watch the curve of your spine.  A lot of people tend to push their chest forward and their butts back which makes an 'S' with your spine.  This also pushes your belly out so that it looks like you have a big butt and a big belly.  If you push your hips forward slightly it helps to align your spine properly, gives you better posture and makes you look more proportioned.

Finding your center of balance will help you a lot with better posture. If you are balanced when you are standing or walking, your posture will look better. Actually, Wii Fit concentrates on that too and has a program that will tell you how your balance is and can help you be more conscious about where you're shifting your weight. Stretching exercises will also help, so if you can, get a book or a list from the internet. The thing about walking with a book on your head does work and was in a list of stretching exercises in a book I had.

I think something else that helps with posture is to sleep on a harder surface (like a firm mattress, not the squishy ones where you sink in), and using no pillow or a smaller pillow.

For sitting, you shouldn't slouch. If your seat is adjustable, try to make it so that it is akin to a straight-backed chair.

Things like Pilates are great for posture.  Like somebody else has already said; walk tall, shoulder's back and down, tuck your bum in ever so sightly (if you tucked it in fully like a ballet dancer you would also have to turn your legs out which isn't always what you want), pull up in your abdominals and tighten your pelvic floor.  If you can do all that your posture will improve in no time!

I used to be a dancer and now I do pilates so posture is quite a biggy in my world.  :)

Oh and do get yourself wii fit.  It's great!