Cut Sugar Out - Mostly

Put the candy down!

Keep sweets below 10 percent of your calorie intake.

But this is important - if you’re a choc-o-holic, never try giving up chocolate and other desserts by going cold turkey.  You won’t make it.  You’ll feel too deprived and you’ll end up falling painfully off your diet, again and again, until you give up entirely.

But if your daily calorie intake is 1,500 and you follow the 10 percent rule, that leaves you with 150 calories to spend on any treat you like. Bonus:  if you find a way to gradually reduce your sweets, you’ll eventually stop craving them.

There’s a lot you can do with 150 calories! Here are my picks for the best treats under 150:  Skinny Cow Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich (150 calories), six Hershey’s Kisses (150 calories), 2 Jell-O no sugar added pudding cups (120 calories), Keebler Right Bites Fudge Stripe individual packs (100 calories).