Losing weight is one of the most difficult endevours that many people undertake. There is so much weight loss information available, and much of it is difficult to follow, conflicting, or both. To top it off, many of the diets people follow just plain don’t work, at least in the long term, and most people are looking to not only lose weight, but keep it off. Typically, diet programs aim to prevent eating certain foods, and keep calories artificially low , sometimes in the extreme . Not many folks can stay on a diet that does that for very long . For many people, it only takes one time of falling off the wagon to derail their entire program.

University studies have proven that because of the way the human psyche works, expecting to stay on a highly restrictive diet for a long period of time is unrealistic, no matter how much willpower you have. One way to do an end run around your will power is to give in to it on occasion, but in a carefully controlled way.  That goes a long way toward helping maintain the long term effectiveness of any diet program  

Some people question allowing yourself to deviate from a diet plan, but there is plenty of evidence that shows it can be very effective . Eating something you like after dieting all day is like rewarding yourself for a job well done. A snack can be the treat you get for running five miles, a hard day of work in the weight room, or not eating french fries, cookies, or cake.

You are wide open to have a snack that is under 101 calories, but don’t kill yourself counting .  Here is a list of foods that will do that for you:

* Mix a spoon of flax seed meal with your favorite flavors of light yogurt. It’s delicious and provides Omega-3 fatty acids and all important dairy based calcium. 
* 100 calorie no-sugar pudding
* A 100 calorie extra dark chocolate bars (at least 70%  cocoa)
* 4 dried apricots
* ¼ cup blueberries with one ounce of canned whipped cream (the cream adds fat, which helps moderate the sugar entering your blood stream) 
* ¼ cup fresh peaches with one ounce of canned whipped cream
* ¼ cup fresh strawberries
* 1 small orange
* 2 smaller plums
* 2 tablespoons raisins
* 1 large, whole grain fig newton
* 12  large grapes
* ½ cup Jello with a shot of whipped cream
* ¾ cup diet Jello with a shot of whipped cream
* 4 large broccoli florets
* 3 cups plain popcorn with salt only
* 8 baked tortilla chips with three tablespoons of salsa
* frozen juice bar

* one large dill pickle
* twenty peanuts
* I piece of string cheese
* 1 small baked potato with two spoons of chili

 There are occasions when rewarding yourself with a small, healthy treat won’t do the trick though. If you are experiencing emotional pain and trying to use food to solve deeper issues, you need to solve them first. Emotional problems can easily lead to binge eating, and that will almost ensure you eat too much food, and consequently calories, even if the food you choose is healthy.   In fact, a new study done at a major research institution just outside of Boston  has revealed that it is the number of calories you eat that is ultimately responsible for how much weight you lose (or gain) more so than the type of foods you eat.

Researchers have developed  some weight loss and weight lifting supplements you can take that will help make it easier to eat less . Some supplements will even work to   increase your metabolic rate, as will some fat burning foods you can eat. There are also some foods that burn fat so you can eat plenty, without worrying about gaining weight. In fact, these foods can also help increase your metabolism so that you’ll burn fat more easily .

A similar way to reward yourself is to take one day off of your diet and then just eat everything under the sun for a day, without regard as to it’s fat, sugar, or calorie content. That way you are not one deprived for one whole day. Just make sure it is the same day each week so that you have that occasion to look forward to. This helps lessen the pain of self-denial which ruins so many dieter’s efforts.

Another benefit to the “one day off” diet approach is that it helps re-balance your hormones, such as leptin, that do much to control your appetite. This goes a long way towards keeping your appetite in check.

For most people, just going on another diet doesn’t cut it. They need to make a more permanent change. If they don’t, eventually they fall back into their old patterns again. It is just the way they’ve lived for years and difficult to break the cycle. Only a treu lifestyle change will get them to their goals and keep them there  . Remember, nothing is more frustrating that having to figure out how to keep from gaining weight back after you’ve lost it!

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