Diet Cheaters - Cheating on your diet to loose weight ?

Cheating on your diet will keep you away from your goal of keeping slim and trim. Here are some simple ways of tricking your temptations.

The common diet cheats that follow and the rationalisations that usually accompany them, can open your eyes. Seeing them for what they are may help you change your behaviour.

The stasher loves chocolates or cookies or cakes or who knows what. She rationalises that if she stashes them out of sight, no one will know her guilty secret. If you're a stasher, remember: Be honest enough to put your 'hoard' out in the open so you'll have visual confrontation with your habit. Keep a written record of how much you eat from the cache and figure the calories on a weekly basis. You'll be shocked. Try to train yourself to buy low calorie substitutes for your forbidden nibbling, then break yourself of nibbling altogether.

The midnight raider does her work when everyone else is asleep. She wakes, checks the clock (and her appetite), rationalises that it's been a long time since she's eaten last and that no one will catch her anyway, and she heads for the fridge. In the words of one veteran raider, "I just pull up a chair next to the refrigerator and go to work". Next morning there's a stomach full of guilt to live with. To counter these rationalisations, remember: Late-night eating gives you no chance to work off the extra calories. Your metabolism slows down when you sleep so you don't really need anything more. If you absolutely must snack, keep a supply of fresh vegetables and fruit to nibble. A glass of skim milk and a Marie biscuit or plain sugar wafer cookie won't add too many calories, either.

"I'll just have this piece of cake and skip dinner" is the philosophy here. To bypass a meal in favour of a goodie is not so bad occasionally. But, if you're of this mind-set, it probably doesn't happen occasionally, it happens a lot, depriving you indefinitely of good nutrition and the kind of eating habits that could solve a weight problem. Instead of being a meal skipper try collecting low calorie dessert recipes that let you eat dinner including a dessert. Remember all the times you ate the dessert and the dinner, three hours later. Think ahead. If you know a big dessert is coming, eat smaller portions of everything else. If you're planning the meal yourself, make the main course low caloried, say ' chicken or a very lean cut of meat.

Many cooks have eaten the equivalent of a full meal long before anything gets to the table - a taste of this, a mouthful of that. Granted you do have to do a little tasting, but don't make a career of it. Remember: Taste only when necessary. Keep your recipes as accurate as possible to eliminate most tasting. Ask friends or whoever is eating with you to taste instead of doing it all yourself.

If you've been putting on pounds and you're sure you don't overeat at meals, you may be a victim of the 'absent-minded eater' cheat. This cheater consumes mounds of popcorn, potato chips, and so on while watching a movie or TV. How much you've eaten may never occur to you until your hand hits the bottom of the empty bowl. If you're this kind of cheater: Remember this is real diet trouble because you are unaware of your habit. Consciously try to avoid buying snacks at home or out. Don't eat your date's snack. If you find you do, ask him to help you discipline yourself or make a pact to break the habit together.

"I have to eat the chocolate if it's a birthday present." The cheater here rationalises that because it’s a special occasion, the calories don't count. The scale will indicate otherwise. If you can't trust yourself with a food gift, give it away. If the 'special occasion' is a party, head for the low calorie hors d'oeuvre like fresh vegetables without the accompanying dip. Have a 'whiskey and water' drink, or wine instead of high calorie mixed drinks. Add ice to your old drink instead of having a second. If it's a birthday party, a dinner party or holiday eating feast, admit you're dieting and ask for small portions.