I was 25 pounds over my comfortable weight and had been trying to lose it for many months. I was very aware of what I was eating, but I didn’t want to suffer with a restrictive diet. So, he allowed me to have special treats “once in a while.” My attempts to lose weight just weren’t within the scale’s budget. What was the deal?

What I later realized was that the ‘once in a while’ adds up quickly! I knew that I rarely ate ‘junk food’ like chocolate bars or cakes, donuts or desserts. So I figured having them once in a while wouldn’t do much harm. I had an almond joy one day in January because I knew it had been at least six months since I did something like this. Later that week I had a piece of birthday cake at an office party because I hardly ever eat cake at home. I had dessert at a restaurant that Friday night because it was extremely rare for us to order anything after dinner. I kept fries on the side when we ate out on the weekend because I knew I rarely ate them. But in doing so, I forgot to realize that I had added another third of a pound to my body weight in that one week alone!

My distorted sense of ‘dieting’ continued over the months; watching what you ate, watching the scale not budgeting. “I can stop by McDonald’s today on my way to the library because I haven’t eaten here in at least two weeks.” “We can order Chinese food tonight because it’s been three weeks since we did that.” “Ordering a pizza sounds convenient for dinner, and I know we haven’t had pizza in almost two weeks.” “Donuts? I hardly ever eat them, I’ll just have a little treat today.” Another pound not lost that week.

Think about how many times you are eating a food that you know is too high in calories to allow you to continue your weight loss regimen. Most of the customers I meet have the same story as me: Shaking their heads, they tell me “I rarely eat fast food, pizza, desserts, cookies, chips, maybe just once in a while.” Chances are you’re eating an “once in a while” food once a month, and you may have 30 of these foods on your list. That means every day you are eating one of these foods that you know is not a good idea to eat. Every day you are adding 300 or 400 calories to your dietary intake. That means if you stop eating these high-calorie foods, you can lose three to four pounds this month! Not dieting, not starving, not following a strict regimen. Just thinking about these splurges and going one more day without them.

My suggestion is to have a day ‘once in a while’ once a week. Pick a day you would like, say Sunday. Her plan is, Monday through Saturday, watch what you eat, choose healthy options, eat lots of fruits, vegetables, water, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, whole grain breads and cereals, and very low-calorie desserts like diet gelatin or a 100 calorie cookie pack if you have a sweet tooth. On Sunday you can have your ‘once in a while’ treat: order a pizza, go to a Chinese restaurant (I didn’t say buffets, there!), enjoy a piece of homemade pie or cake at a family gathering, go out for breakfast, or go to your favorite fast food restaurant and enjoy one of their (not gigantic, of course) meals. Choose ONE of these treats and enjoy the taste, knowing you haven’t been ingesting all this fat and salt all week, and knowing that you really like having this food. from time to time It’s not unreasonable and it won’t make you fat.

Then return to your healthy, well-balanced eating habits on Monday, knowing that you’re satisfied with your craving and can enjoy another treat next weekend. It’s not about deprivation, it’s about moderation!