Diet Tip #12: Stay In It to Win It (And Lose Pounds)

When you want to keep the weight off, here's a countdown of the three key things to keep in mind.

1. Keep your expectations in check. Weight loss is a gradual occurrence—not an overnight phenomenon. And a healthy diet should become just another part of your ongoing lifestyle, with the occasional, well-planned, and portion-controlled indulgence.

2. No food is off limits. When you exclude entire groups of food, you feel deprived, panic, and overeat. Instead, look for the best-quality, healthiest (and smallest) version of whatever it is you crave: A square of dark chocolate instead of a milk-chocolate candy bar or a high-fiber multigrain roll rather than a slice of white bread.

3. Track your calories. It might be old-school, but keeping a faithful account of everything you eat has been shown to help people lose weight as well as keep it off. (It not only keeps you more honest, but also helps you pinpoint a problem if a few pounds creep back on.) At least there are new—and easy—ways of doing it: Try an online service like myfooddiary.com; for a portable option, download a calorie-counting application to your cell phone.

 

(courtesy of allure.com)