Researchers at Cornell University conducted a study where volunteers were asked to estimate the number of eating decisions they make everyday. Most people answered with 15. In fact, they really made around 221 decisions regarding what to eat—as well as how, when, where and with whom they’d eat.

Researcher and food psychologist Brian Wansink says: ”So many food decisions are made on mindless autopilot. It’s really easier than we think to let small things around us—plate size, package size, people around us, distractions—influence these 200-plus decisions, because we are not aware of them in the first place.”

Let’s face it, if losing weight were easy, two thirds of the population wouldn’t be overweight. If you want to lose weight, you have to eat less and eating less usually leaves you feeling hungry, which most of us find unpleasant. And that’s the reason why many people get discouraged and give up their diet. So here are a few tricks you can use to eat less without getting frustrated.

1. Use smaller plates: A normal-sized portion of food looks bigger on a smaller plate, so it gives you the illusion that you’re eating more than you actually are. Also, several studies have shown that we tend to pour less liquid in our glasses when using tall, skinny glasses as opposed to wide, squat ones.

2. Chew gum while cooking: Avoid tasting the cookie dough or cake batter, and keep your mouth busy with a strong, mint-flavored gum, and your taste buds content with a powerful flavor such as spearmint. Bonus: if you go for a sugar-free gum sweetened with xylitol it may help fight that dreadful cavity-causing bacteria.

3. Keep baby carrots close by: We often just feel the need to nibble on something without being hungry. Reasons range from feeling bored to being stressed out or nervous. Go for a healthy snack and crunch on baby carrots when you feel the need to chew on something. Also, make sure to have a glass of ice water on hand.

4. Eat foods with higher water content: Water is a miracle for your diet: it has no calories but it takes up a lot of space in your stomach, thus creating a sensation of fullness or satiation. Studies have shown that people who drank two glasses of water before meals got full sooner, therefore ate fewer calories, and lost more weight. So go for foods that are rich in water and feel satisfied without adding extra calories.

5. Brush your teeth after dinner: Brushing your teeth right after you’ve had dinner sends a powerful message to your brain: “eating time’s over”. Your brain automatically obeys so there’s less chances you’ll feel the need for a late night snack.

Alright, so you’ve exceeded your daily calorie limit…for a couple of days in a row. There was that party where you had too many margaritas, then came movie night with friends and you just couldn’t resist those delicious nachos and to top it, you’ve just had a large ice cream with a triple dip of mocha almond fudge. You’re feeling disappointed with yourself, guilty, ashamed and ready to give up your diet because “what’s the point?”. Well, shake those irrational thoughts off and don’t let guilt sabotage your weight loss plans. Everybody goes on an occasional binge, it’s natural. Actually, some diet experts recommend scheduling a once-a-week cheat day as a way to keep your cravings under control. The key is to not allow your overeating sessions send you spiraling towards an unhealthy eating pattern.

1. Avoid fad diets: If you’re the type of person who truly enjoys food and loves to eat, you can’t expect to dramatically change your eating habits overnight. Avoid plans that leave you feeling deprived and hungry. You are dramatically less likely to fall off the wagon if you’re not hungry and craving chocolate all the time. Find a diet that fits your lifestyle and preferences.

2. Keep a positive attitude: Try and maintain a positive attitude toward yourself and your diet. Enough with the negative self-talk and with constantly pointing out every little flaw on your body. Stand in front of the mirror and smile: you are beautiful, so instead of telling yourself you are fat, focus on areas of your body you like.

3. Encourage yourself: Do not let your progress go unacknowledged. So you’ve done well this week, you have eaten healthy, stayed within your calorie limit and exercised. It’s time to congratulate and reward yourself for being so strong and motivated. It’s important to give yourself credit for your healthy living successes, and not be too hard on yourself when you lapse.

4. Less stress: Stress can easily lead to overeating and bingeing. In very small doses, emotional eating isn’t so bad. However, going beyond minor emotional eating and using food as a way of escaping problems or to avoid having to deal with certain issues is definitely not advisable. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you’re feeling overwhelmed, or simply call a friend and talk about what you’re going through. Sometimes, all it takes is to verbalize a problem and you’ll find your solution.

5. Guilt is not a fact: Guilt is simply a perception, a way of interpreting things and events. Keep in mind that you’re in control of your own actions and emotions. Negativity can only add to your desire to binge, so take a deep breath and view each day as another opportunity to make healthy food choices.

They say rules are made to be broken and while that does not apply to all life situations, perhaps it’s alright to take a walk on the wild side from time to time. When it comes to weight loss, having to stick to a really strict plan can leave you bored and frustrated. Don’t touch that, banish carbs, don’t even look at sugary treats, drink more water, following all the rules can be difficult, but how else are you ever going to see results? Of course, there are some specific guidelines that can lead you towards your goal, but there’s no universal weight-loss plan for everyone. Rules can be bent to suit your lifestyle, personality and preferences so that your weight loss journey goes as smoothly as possible.

1. No eating after 6 PM: Actually, it doesn’t really matter when you eat, what matters is the total amount of calories you have over 24 hours. A study conducted by the Dunn Nutrition Centre in Cambridge showed that a large meal enjoyed late at night did not cause the body to store more fat. Not only that, but depriving yourself of food for such a long time (not eating after 6 means you’ll go approximately 12 hours without food) can lower your blood sugar level and leave you craving unhealthy foods.

2. Skipping dessert: Some diets completely ban sugar, but how can we deal without a bit of sweetness in our lives? This is definitely a diet rule you can break without compromising your weight loss goals. When you have no dessert to look forward to after your meal, you can easily eat more of the main course to make up for it, so having dessert can actually motivate you to control your food portions. Also, some desserts may actually help you burn fat: naringenin, a flavonoid which gives citrus fruits their bitter taste help your liver burn the fat instead of storing it. So go ahead and treat yourself to a fruit-based dessert, especially one that contains citrus such as lemon sorbet, or half a grapefruit with honey.

3. Banning the bread: Eaten in moderation, carbs will not cause you to gain weight. Diets such as Atkins lead you to believe carbs are diet demons, however, bread along with other healthy products containing carbohydrates fill us up, provide important fiber and, according to experts, increase serotonin levels to naturally improve our mood. Don’t be afraid to add a slice of bread to your meal if you feel like it. You could limit you carbs intake to one meal per day, so if you know you’ll have bread at lunch, don’t have cereal for breakfast.

Once you reach your ideal weight, you want to stay there. New challenges await for you on this journey of maintaining your healthy weight. Your diet may not need to be as strict as when you were struggling to lose weight, your work-out sessions may not be as intense, but that doesn’t mean you can completely give up on your healthy eating habits, go back to eating junk food and living a sedentary lifestyle. The key to everything is moderation, it’s perfectly fine to indulge and allow yourself chocolaty treats from time to time, as long as you compensate by having nutritious meals that are low on “bad” fats and carbohydrates.

1. Plan ahead: Stay in control and try to plan your meals ahead. It’s advisable that you review your eating plan each day and make the necessary adjustments to fit your schedule. For instance, if you know you’ll have a busy day at work, make sure to pack a healthy, satisfying lunch so that you won’t get too hungry by evening and binge. Likewise, if you know you won’t have much time in the morning and risk skipping breakfast, try and prepare your meal in the evening and store it in the fridge. Being prepared for any food challenges you might encounter during the day is the best defense when it comes to fighting fat.

2. Encourage yourself: Do not underestimate the power of an inspiring slogan! Whenever you feel an unhealthy craving creeping up, try and talk yourself out of it using various “words of wisdom”. How about these:  ”The zing isn’t worth the sting!” or “By saying no, I give myself the gift of health.”

3. Visualize: Make sure to always keep a photo of yourself from when you started your weight loss journey on your fridge, or anywhere else in sight. This will be a constant reminder of how you felt when you were heavier, your struggles, your progress and success. Look for motivation in yourself, let your own story inspire you and give you strength when you feel discouraged and ready to cave in.

4. Keep exercising: Working out is an essential part of getting and staying healthy. It revives your metabolism and helps your body to burn the fat faster. This allows you to eat more on your diet and still have even better results than dieting alone. It’s important to continue having a work-out routine once you’ve reached your goal weight, it will tone up your body, shape it, not to mention all the health benefits you get by maintaining an active lifestyle.

5. Treat yourself: It’s alright to treat yourself from time to time and eat something just because you enjoy it. Just make sure your treat fits these characteristics: is tasty enough to look forward to daily, it is low on saturated fats, has no trans fats and is not too sweet, has less than 150 calories per serving and it’s satisfying enough to not let you craving for more.

There are plenty of ways your weight loss efforts can lead no results: you’re living in an environment that does not encourage weight loss, you are too stressed out to diet, you can’t resist food temptations or you are simply not motivated enough. You should make a list of your personal barriers, weak spots and obstacles on your journey to weight loss. The only way to fight them is to recognize them and be willing to make changes. So what do you struggle the most with when it comes to dieting?

1. You have a sweet tooth: Resisting a piece of chocolate is the hardest thing you have to do. You could live with just eating carrots and fresh cucumbers, as long as there’s ice-cream and cake for desert. What you could do to fight your sugar cravings is to eat more fruit as you cut out artificially sweetened foods and treats. This will allow your taste buds to enjoy the natural sweetness of fruit instead of longing for a taste that is ten times sweeter than nature intended.

2. Not having breakfast: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it prevents overeating and snacking too much later on. Eating the majority of your food in the evening, means you go to bed with a full stomach, wake up not hungry and skip breakfast. You could reset the pattern by skipping dinner one night so you will be truly hungry when you wake up. If you’re in a rush and don’t have time to prepare a consistent breakfast, just grab a handful of nuts and an apple or a piece of cheese and a pear, healthy and can easily be eaten on the run.

3. Late night eating: Many people tend to be successful in having healthy meals during the day and binge late at night. That’s because it’s easier to keep ourselves busy during the day, whereas evening means it’s time to relax and unwind.  A lot of eating is done out of habit, so if you try changing how you spend your evenings, you can say good bye to late-night binges.
Often the TV is a trigger of mindless eating, so how about unplugging it for a week and plan different ways to spend your evenings? Try reading a book you’re always wanted to or play cards at a friend’s house. Or perhaps pamper yourself and listen to soothing music while taking a nice and relaxing bubble bath.

We are all aware when we need to lose the extra pounds and what improves if we do. Everyone has their own reasons for losing weight. These reasons range from self-confidence/happiness to wanting to be able to wear a size 3 dress or a bikini with joy. Just in case you needed more motivation, here are the top 5 reasons to get serious about shedding those nasty pounds that keep you from being a healthy weight.

1. Your risk of developing cancer may drop: Some Americans don’t even consider carrying extra pounds as a health risk. But the truth is being obese can take away as many as 20 years off your life. The good news is that losing even a small amount of weight can significantly lower and sometimes reverse the risks. Women who are overweight have four times the risk of developing endometrial cancer, and probably for the same reason they have an increased risk for breast cancer: body fat produces estrogen, a hormone that has been linked by scientists to both those types of cancer. Also, University of Minnesota researchers dicovered that leptin, a hormone associated with weight gain, increased the proliferation of both normal and cancerous breast cells.

2. Keeping your mind healthy: Obese people, especially those with large middle areas, can be as high as 260% more likely to develop dementia. And the bigger the stomach gets, the greater the risk, probably because of hormones or inflammatory factors produced by the abdominal fat itself. To prevent this, start eating nonfat or low-fat yogurt for breakfast. The calcium in dairy products stimulates your body to burn rather than store abdominal fat.

3. Faster recovery from cancer: Women who are obese tend to have a higher risk of complications from breast reconstruction after mastectomy. They also seem to be less likely to get the full benefit of pre-surgery chemotherapy, as opposed to women with a normal weight , the reason being that doctors tend to give overweight women smaller doses than they really need of the medication they are taking as they are worried about toxicity.

4. Protecting your heart from disease: The bigger you get, the more chances you have of suffering a heart attack earlier in life, as early as 12 years sooner for the most obese, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Overweight people are also more likely to have diabetes and high cholesterol.

5. A better psychological state: Studies have proven the existence of a correlation between obesity and depression. Findings from a recent research have shown that about 6.5 percent of the women who had a normal body mass index (BMI) were depressed, as opposed to more than 25 percent of those with BMIs higher than 35. Scientists have also found a 25 percent increase in the risk of developing mood disorders among the obese.

Not seeing results fast enough

This is perhaps the main reason why people fail to reach their goals when it comes to weight loss. It can be hard to stay motivated when the results take some time to be noticeable. However, you have to keep in mind that a healthy weight loss process takes time, you may not see results immediately, but you can keep yourself motivated using other strategies.

Diets are too restrictive

When your body is used to receiving 4000 calories each day, it’s hard to switch to a 1600 calories per day diet. You may find this cut off frustrating as you won’t be able to enjoy all the foods you used to before. Still, with perseverance you’ll notice that your body will adjust to the new lifestyle and eventually you won’t be craving junk food anymore. It may take time, but the end results are worth it: you’ll not only look your best, but you’ll be much healthier as well.

Gyms are too expensive

This along with lack of time is why people slack off when it comes to exercising. Constant work-outs are an essential part of weight loss, they not only help you burn calories, but they also shape your body and help develop muscle mass. As you’re losing weight, you want your body to get more toned, otherwise you may not feel comfortable in your own skin even after all the extra weight is gone. If you’re determined to exercise, you don’t have to get a gym subscription: you can easily do “at home work-outs”, there are plenty of videos on how to work different parts of your body, depending on what your problem areas are. You can also start jogging, swimming or any other activities that are free, but burn calories.

You suffer from depression

More and more people suffer from depression nowadays and some aren’t even aware of it and do not seek medical help. Those who have been diagnosed with the illness and are taking medication to cure it or keep it under control may find themselves gaining a few pounds. That’s because some anti-depressant medications cause weight gain so it is expected to see a raise in weight between 5 and 15 pounds, with a continuous gradual accumulation over the years. People who are not treating their depression with pills are still susceptible to add on a few pounds, as there have been studies correlating depression to weight gain. When feeling sad and lonely some people tend to find refuge in comfort foods, which are generally high-calorie and high-fats foods. Thus, they gain weight more quickly than those who mention having fewer depression-related symptoms.

Not getting enough nutrients

Vitamin D, magnesium, or iron deficiencies can seriously compromise your immune system, lower your energy levels, or modify your metabolism in such a manner that makes it more difficult to take healthy-lifestyle steps. For instance, you may feel the need to compensate for low energy levels with caffeine, sweets, and  white carbs, or find yourself too run down or weak to exercise. If you plan on taking supplements, you need to be careful when it comes to vitamin D, because if you take too much, you risk developing kidney stones. That is why it’s advisable that you have your blood tested every three months, this way your doctor can adjust the correct dose for you.

Growing older

It’s something you simply can’t avoid: your metabolism does slow down with aging, you don’t burn as many calories at 50 as you burned at 20. In order to keep your metabolism going, you’ll need to exercise more and eat less food. There are studies out there showing that in some cases exercise and constant work-outs are more effective than diets when it comes to long term weight loss and maintenance.

Weight lifting makes you “bulk up”

The truth is lifting weights or including strengthening exercises in your regular work-out routine can help you lose weight. These types of activities help you build muscle, and that’s great, because muscle burns more calories that body fat. “Muscle weight is a good weight because you look firmer, smaller, and more fit. It’s also more metabolically active, so just having more muscle will boost metabolism throughout the day to help keep you leaner”, says Julia Ventour, MS. Try and incorporate weight lifting in your work-outs 2 or 3 times a week. This will accelerate your weight loss process, make you look fit and will definitely not bulk you up.

A vegetarian diet will help you lose weight

There’s nothing wrong with choosing a vegetarian life style, if it’s something you truly believe in. The fact is, studies have shown that people who adopt a vegetarian eating plan, on average, eat fewer calories and less fat than non-vegetarians. However, being a vegetarian does not mean you automatically lose weight. Vegetarians, just as non-vegetarians, can make bad food choices, such as eating high calorie foods with no or little nutritional value, which can cause them to gain weight. A vegetarian diet should be planned carefully to make sure it’s balanced and compensates for all the nutrients found in animal products.

Products that claim to be “natural” supplements are effective

You are probably well aware that the market is saturated with all sorts of “natural” or “herbal” products that promise to speed up your weight loss process. However, just because a product claims to be natural, that does not make it safe. For instance, herbal products containing ephedra have caused serious health problems and while newer products claim to be ephedra-free they’re not necessarily healthy. You should consult with a doctor or any medical authority you trust before taking any supplements, even “natural” ones that don’t require a prescription.

Watch you milk intake

Milk is very healthy, it’s an important source of calcium and you need plenty of that mineral in your diet. However, if you’re noticing dairy is making you feel bloated, you may have developed an intolerance to lactose. In this case, you could try dairy products that are lower in lactose, such as yogurt or hard cheese. You could also go for lactose-free products or try a lactase enzyme.

Watch out for fruits

Yes, fruits are bursting with vitamins and make a great snack, but some can cause you to get really bloated. Fruits that contain a higher amount of fructose, such as apples, pears, honeydew are a lot harder to digest, so you may want to include less of those in your diet if you have stomach problems. Instead, try going for berries, grapes and citrus; they contain an almost equal ratio of fructose and glucose, making them a lot easier to digest.

No more fake sugars

They may be hard to avoid, since they seem to be almost everywhere, but it’s not mission impossible. Fake sugars such as sorbitol, xylitol, and mannitol are sugar alcohols and are most commonly found in diet sodas and sugar-free gum. Avoid these if you notice any sort of distress, or go for products that contain stevia or aspartame instead.