"I limit the variety of foods I eat."
Cynthia McKay, 53, Parker, Colorado
Lost: 25 pounds
Maintained for: 19 months
As CEO of a gourmet foods company, McKay is surrounded by temptation. Her solution is to eat several small meals of the same few satiating combinations of protein and healthy carbs every day. Breakfast is fruit and yogurt or whole-grain Cheerios and skim milk. Daytime meals include canned tuna on a whole wheat roll, small portions of cheese and fruit, or a low-fat cookie and skim milk. Dinner is a sensible portion of whatever she wants -- even two slices of pizza.
Call it the Groundhog Day approach: A University of Buffalo review of 58 studies concluded that eating fewer foods or flavors bores the taste buds, leading to satisfaction with less. The reverse is also true: When offered several flavors or a new flavor, we overeat, which is why it's so easy to make room for dessert even on a full stomach.
One NWCR study found maintainers also restrict the variety of high-fat treats they consume. If you limit your junk food quotient to just a couple of foods (say, nacho chips and mint chocolate chip ice cream), the lures aren't endless.
