The reason there are so many diets out there is that we complicate the process! Stay away from anything labeled as a diet. The word 'diet' is just setting you up for failure. A diet is temporary, but eating healthy is forever. If you want to improve your health, you've got to make lasting changes in the way you eat. Begin by simply paying attention to what you eat over a period of a few days. Note what you eat, what food group it belongs to, the quantity you eat, the time when you eat it, and the reason you chose to eat it.

It may be helpful to keep a journal to help you remember you may even find that having to write down the information every time will curb your snacking behaviors! Are you overindulging in sweets? Don't completely forbid yourself to taste sweets as this will only increase your cravings, but eat them in moderation. Making a 'one treat per day' rule for yourself or only eating half your dessert and then dumping salt on the rest can help you keep your resolve.

You can also try the '15 minute' technique: if the urge to eat junk food strikes, drink a full glass of water and wait 15 minutes. Usually you'll find that the craving goes away. Oftentimes our bodies have trouble distinguishing between sensations of hunger and sensations of thirst. If you really love your junk food, cutting back won't be easy.

But just like with any addiction, your cravings will ease in time. Are you overeating at meals? Dinner plates sold in stores have become larger, and the meals served in restaurants are often enough food for two people to share. So get smaller plates and bowls at home. Keep the food in the kitchen and eat at the dinner table, so that you have to get up for seconds. Practice mindful eating. Most people just don't know when they're full because they're not paying attention.

Think of your hunger on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being starving and 10 being uncomfortably full. At mealtime pay attention to how you feel, and be sure to stop when you start to feel a slight stretching sensation in your abdomen. Don't worry if there is still food on your plate. Stop eating when you're full. Are you eating for fun? Most junk food is simply eaten out of boredom so find something else to do.

Take up reading, scrapbooking, playing a musical instrument, or start a home improvement project you've always been meaning to do. Realize that eating for fun only feels good in the moment, but leaves no real satisfaction. So eating ten cookies instead of one cookie (or even no cookies!) won't make you happier ten minutes from now. Sweets do not bring lasting pleasure. The only thing that sticks around is the unhealthy stuff you've just put into your body!

And last of all, make sure to exercise. It sounds odd, but the more you exercise the more you actually want to eat healthfully. Water sounds better after a workout than junk food. With regular exercise, you begin to take pride in the way you look and feel. And you don't want to throw it away on a bag of Doritos or a roll of refrigerated cookie dough. Good luck eating healthfully!