"I plan ahead."
Lisa Skiles, 44, Evansville, Indiana
Lost: 102 pounds
Maintained for: Six years
For most of her adult life, Skiles struggled against what people called her big-boned frame. Since losing weight with the help of a diet program, she has maintained her impressive loss through careful planning. Rule one: She decides what she'll eat that day when she gets up in the morning. "Lunch with a friend means I'll eat more than normal, so I'll plan on a light dinner," Skiles says.
Skiles also knows her order before she walks into a restaurant, so the menu doesn't tempt her. And she fits in a few higher-calorie choices too: "If I want dessert, I skip the refined carbs at my main meal."
Judith Beck, PhD, author of The Beck Diet Solution, says spontaneous eating may mean you'll choose foods based on cravings, which usually means higher-calorie foods. Eating small portions of favorite foods is also key, according to Beck, 53, who has maintained a 15-pound weight loss for 10 years: "I like a treat at night, so I allow myself up to 250 calories of whatever I want. The trick is limiting it to after dinner, which motivates me to eat healthy the rest of the day."
