Many years ago, Benjamin Franklin said that going to bed early was a good idea, as it makes people "healthy, wealthy, and wise".

Making your bedtime half an hour earlier than usual can provide a number of health benefits. Whether these lead to wealth and wisdom will be up to you, presumably through increased opportunities and ambition due to greater energy and alertness. And all this begins with being more well-rested.

Studies have shown that people who do not get enough sleep have more difficulty losing weight. Levels of appetite-stimulating and fat-storing hormones increase, while satiety (satisfaction) chemicals decrease. In addition, being tired makes you feel less like exercising. It’s an all-around formula for diet disaster.

No, they are not something you install on your car when you are driving past a strip of junk-food restaurants. I’m referring to techniques you can use when you suddenly get hungry for no apparent reason.

These are not meant to be used when you actually need food — several hours after a meal, or after a snack. I’m thinking of times when you just saw a commercial for some greasy sandwich or gooey frozen dessert. Or when you encounter a magazine ad for some new, alarmingly caloric snack food. These tricks can circumvent those annoying battles between you and your appetite, and hold you until mealtime or snack-time.

Generally speaking, people do not go out to eat for the sake of nourishment — they go out to eat for fun. I’m not talking about grabbing a bite at lunchtime during your break at work. I’m referring to a full sit-down fancy restaurant meal. The kind with waiters, menus, candles, tablecloths, and after-dinner mints. You know what I mean.

The food is usually sumptuous, with full-fat everything, rich gravies, and sugar-upon-sugar desserts. A portion of any one item may contain a full day's calories, if not nutrients. Special requests may or may not be accommodated, but asking for wholegrain pasta may be asking for trouble. Some people get what they require by declaring they have food allergies, but this may not always work. In some restaurants the staff speaks little or no English, and, fluent or not, some servers may promise things that they can not deliver.

OK, you have started your weight loss program, and you are doing fine.

You have lost several pounds, and are well on your way to your ideal weight. People are beginning to notice your more svelte appearance. You have much more energy. If you are a gal, guys may be starting to whistle. If you are a guy, gals may be starting to whistle. You feel like you can take on anything. You are encouraged by all this, and have every intention to keep it up until you reach your goal.

Then, one day, you find a box of chocolate-covered toffee on your pillow, or a lemon cream pie in the fridge. You didn’t buy it, so who did? Your Significant Other says it is a little gift for you because you are looking so great.

There are hundreds of diets around. Some are little more than ancient, tattered, many-times-copied sheets of paper, handed from friend to friend. Others are written up in big, fat hardcover books. These might cost as much as a nice meal at a family restaurant. Or you might find them for less than a buck on the discount rack. Some diet plans are touted on television. The commercials often feature a formerly-fat celebrity who bleats joyfully about the merits of the plan.

Some diet plans involve meetings, where a group discusses their problems with food. The support dynamics of a group may inspire you to greater achievement. Many diet plans include packaged meals to purchase. You may or not enjoy these meals, and you may or may not find them cost-effective. And there are so many more…

But what is really the best diet for you?

Back in the fat old days, whenever you did something you were proud of, how did you reward yourself? If you are like most of us, you probably treated yourself to something like a candy bar, an ice cream cone, or maybe dinner at a restaurant.

What do you get at a congratulatory party? Lots of rich food. The mathematical formula seems to be: success = reward, reward = food.

This approach has drawbacks when you are trying to drop a bunch of pounds. You lose some weight. You feel happy and you want to celebrate. So what comes to mind? A bag of cookies, perhaps? Can you spot the flaw in this little drama? Somehow, you need to find other ways to celebrate without the caloric overload.

I know… we’ve all heard that we need more fiber in our diets. But the thought makes many people cringe. Not exactly what a lot of us want to look forward to in the morning — a heaping bowl of wheat bran. Or how about a yummy glass of cellulose?

Well, cheer up. Fiber doesn't have to be yucky. In fact, there are many great ways to increase the fiber in your diet.

Here are some useful fiber products:

1. Almond meal (also called almond flour)
2. Corn bran
3. Oat bran
4. Oat fiber (concentrated bran, very finely powdered)
5. Resistant cornstarch (Hi-Maize)
6. Rice bran
7. Wheat bran

Here’s exciting news about a major peer-reviewed study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This study documents results of a two-year project to determine the best weight-loss diet for most people. This was a relatively long-term trial involving 322 moderately obese people, 36 of whom were diabetic.

Researchers compared three diets — an Atkins-style low-carb diet, a Mediterranean diet, and a low-fat diet — in a highly-controlled environment.