Being on a diet increases our sensitivity to food cues. Some people begin to notice foods they otherwise would have ignored. When you’re a dieter, you are forced to be restrained eaters, and resisting food may become increasingly difficult to the point where you are more likely to lose self-control than if you had not been trying to diet. If you want to control what and how much you eat, learn to dislike junk food and sugar-sweetened beverages, don’t eat between meals, and if you go out to eat, put at least half of your entrée in a ‘To go’ box or give it to someone else. Plan your meals ahead of time for the entire week so that you don’t have to go out and indulge in impulse eating. Eating right and only when you need will make food more enjoyable because you won’t feel any guilt that you are compromising your health. And forget about dieting; just get active!
