When Jim, your coworker, orders the soup-and-half-sandwich special, you probably think, Nice lunch, girly man, as you dig into your own burly meal of meat and potatoes. Let's face it, most of us view soup the same way we think of half a cantaloupe filled with cottage cheese: fine for supermodels, but not fit for a real man.

It turns out that soup isn't for real men ... real fat men, that is. A 1999 study at Penn State University found that subjects who ate soup before lunch consumed 100 fewer calories at their midday meal--and they didn't make up for those calories later on. A hundred calories might not sound like a lot, but don't underestimate the savings.

"If you eat 100 fewer calories at one meal per day, that could translate into a 10-pound weight loss in one year," says Katherine Tallmadge, M.A., R.D., author of Diet Simple: 154 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations.

The secret fat-loss ingredient in soup is water. When water is incorporated into food (as opposed to drinking it on the side), your stomach empties more slowly, keeping you full longer. Our three quick and manly soups are perfect for losing fat, and they're crammed with high-quality protein to help you build muscle. Whether your eating habits lean more toward Thor or Tinkerbell, these concoctions will keep you satisfied for hours.