Some people avoid dieting because they are afraid they will be constantly hungry. On many diets this is a genuine concern. If all you get are three tiny meals and some boring snacks, you may become more obsessed with food than ever. An empty, or near-empty stomach can be very annoying — constantly hollering for attention like the monster in a bad movie.

  "Feed me!!!"

  "But I just had lunch."

  "You call that LUNCH? Bah! I need FOOD!"

You've heard that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Or in this case, the noisy stomach gets the food. And there goes the diet.

What to do? Well, for one thing, avoid diets like that. What you really want is a way of eating that you can stick with for as long as you need it — basically for all time. Because, as you know, once you get rid of the weight you want to lose, you will want to maintain that new, healthy weight forever.

Is this possible? Yes, it is. People who lose weight only to regain it usually have not learned how to eat properly for maintenance. This is the flaw in many diets. Without a permanent lifestyle change, the weight is very likely to return. But a renewed attitude towards eating healthfully can save the day.

And in case of emergency, you can make your own appetite suppressant.