Super-sized fast-food combos. Piles of pasta. Dessert. Dining out can be a disaster for those waging war against the waistline.

But a new Web site _ healthydiningfinder.com _ allows consumers to plug in a city or zip code, and up pops a list of restaurants in the area with a selection of menu items that meet certain healthy criteria, such as lower calories and fat content.

It was Wednesday evening. 8:30 p.m. to be exact. Girls were sprinting in their least graceful strides with one leg in a leotard and the other limping along desperately trying to keep up with her show-off counterpart. This marked the fourth consecutive day of four hour rehearsals, hence the indifference of seeming less than poised.

* Twenty percent off the total price of your purchase when you open a credit card.
* Ten dollars off today’s purchase just for trying on a pair of pants.
* A $25 coupon just to keep you coming back.

It certainly seems as though shopping is better in the winter, judging from some of the special offers from Newport’s retail stores.

Most Salve students can’t wait for the junior year; finally, they’ll be able to live completely on their own. Off campus housing is like the reward after living two years on campus dealing with roommate drama, those meddlesome RA’s, sharing bathrooms and cramped closet-sized rooms.

Go kayaking off the coast of Narragansett. Take a skiing trip to Loon Mountain. Go sailing in Newport harbor. Play some tennis at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, or head to the fairway at the Newport National Golf Club.

Did you know that you can do all of these activities if you are in Rhode Island? Most of them are right in Newport, a city rich with tourism.