Automate the process
Eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and snacks, and only change up your options for dinner. This strips away any thinking about eating that can pull you off track. Build an energizing lunch with these 3 steps.

Stop beating yourself up
That’s why almost all diets fail. Slip up? Make a YOU-turn. In other words, get back on your plan right away. If you’re driving with a GPS and make a wrong turn, it doesn’t berate you. All it says, very politely, is "at the next available moment, make an authorized U-turn." That’s the kind of mentality you should have. What kills healthy eating isn’t the occasional dessert; it’s the cascade of behavior that happens after the initial indulgence. You’re going to make wrong turns. When you do, just steer yourself back.

Eat frequently and regularly
Skipping meals or eating at random times can slow your metabolism and cause your body to hoard fat and calories. Keep your energy and metabolism in full gear by eating a small amount of healthy foods every two to three hours. Pair a high-fiber snack with healthy fat or protein, such as a handful of plain Cheerios (no sugar added) with six chopped walnuts.

Have contingency plans
One of the ways you can avoid an all-out chocolate-fest is to activate your contingency plans. These are ready-made meals and snacks (nuts, carrots, apples) you have on hand and can turn to—instead of turning to the vending machine or the candy aisle at the quick mart. And try separating your hand from the computer mouse when you eat. Discover how that can make your waistline shrink.

Eat to stay full, not to hit a specific calorie count
If you fill up on the right food and let your body tell you when you’re satisfied and not stuffed, you shouldn’t have to worry much about calories. Can’t hear your body? Try this: Rate your hunger on a scale from 0 (“Feels like I haven’t eaten since high school”) to 6 (Thanksgiving full)—three-quarters full is a 3. Ideally, your tank should always be three-quarters full—that’s satisfied, not hungry, and definitely not filled to the brim.

Watch what you watch
When a group of people in a study watched a sad movie, they ate close to 30 percent more buttered popcorn than when they watched a happy film. In another piece of the study, people watching the saddies also ate more M&M’s. Sure, you can switch from buttered popcorn to air-popped (try making popcorn this way). But an even better strategy is to keep your hand entwined with your significant other’s, not in the popcorn bag.

Do not focus on losing weight
Doing so promotes the "I will believe and try anything mentality," and this typically leads to following bad advice or gimmick diet plans that always sabotage success. I teach my patients (http://drsardone.com) to change their focus from losing weight to becoming healthy and fit by implementing solid lifestyle factors everyday. Educate yourself on how to make desserts and meals that will not only satisfy cravings, but will not produce the negative side effects that processed foods cause: increased hunger, grazing, and guilt.