I feel like I’m a lifetime dieter. Well, maybe not lifetime, but certainly over half a lifetime! One thing I have discovered in my many ups and downs–because I am definitely the QUEEN of Yoyo Dieting–is that while it is important to eat healthfully, watch calories, and not binge, it is equally important to not deprive yourself of things you really want. I know if I tell myself I CAN’T have something, it makes me want it more (I think my inner child Lucy is very, very stubborn!). If, instead, I have just a bite of what I want (and push far, far away or destroy what remains), I am usually satisfied. Otherwise, I finish my entire meal and then go home and start digging for something more–all trying to quash the craving.

So sharing desserts with family and friends is the perfect solution–as long as they will eat more than you. Usually taking a single bite, putting your fork down, concentrating on enjoying the flavors on your tongue of that bite, and being conscious of the joy from that bite will satisfy you. But you need to concentrate on that one bite and not eat mindlessly. Savor that one sweet bite!

Desserts are important to end the meal on a sweet note, but it is not imperative that you eat an additional 1,000 calories of sweet. If you’re trying to lose weight or eat more healthfully, try the one sweet bite. If you’re not trying to lose weight or eat healthfully, then come with me and eat the rest of mine!