Five secrets of successful dieters

Habit No. 4: Live it up
Weight maintenance is not about deprivation or denial. It is about setting limits and making a few compromises. You can still have pizza, but one piece along with a big salad.

Put this habit into practice:

• Give yourself permission to be imperfect and to treat yourself — but only on occasion and on smaller portions. Make conscious decisions about how to spend your calorie allotment. If dark chocolate is your favorite treat, then have a small piece, but don’t waste your time on a less-satisfying or mindless snack.
• Take time out of a busy day to nurture yourself in non-food ways, such as a pedicure or a hot bath.
• Most important, put the weight thing into perspective. When you reach the end of your days and look back over your life, heaven forbid that your main accomplishment was that you agonized over your weight!

Habit No. 5: Focus on real food
Fad diets work short-term, but they are not the way to keep weight off long-term. Instead, most diet successes monitor calories and portions, eat lots of produce and quality carbs, limit fat grams, and eat consistently, regardless of whether it is a weekday, weekend, or holiday.  Ask diet successes what is different about their diets today compared to the past and they overwhelmingly respond that they used to eat haphazardly and now make a concerted effort to eat regular meals.

Put this habit into practice:

• Load the plate with low-fat fare, i.e., vegetables, fruit, whole-grain breads and cereals, legumes, extra-lean meats, seafood and nonfat milk or soymilk. 
• Listen to your body. Eat slowly and only when physically hungry and stop when comfortably full. 
• Define your “diet” as an eating plan you will live with for life.

Now that you know the habits for long-term success, get a meal plan that will help you keep off the pounds. This one includes four pounds of food and only 1,500 calories.

MORE FROM HEALTH

Health Section Front

It's down to the final four on 'Biggest Loser' Being thankful ... you’re not like mom and dad Woman meets the stranger who saved her life   6 tips for overcoming holiday diet fears     One girl’s wish for an organ transplant     Supporting St. Jude’s Children Hospital     Getting out of a workout rut Holiday gatherings could spread swine flu   Women bare all for prostate cancer Gasp! Babies’ fat rolls being airbrushed away? Health Section Front   Add Health headlines to your news reader: