How to Deal with Common Diet Downfalls

If you can't start your day without a mocha latte or are unable to watch a movie without buttered popcorn, you know that taming a tendency to reach for certain foods can be tough -- almost like breaking an addiction. "The good news is they're learned behaviors," says Mark Gold, MD, a psychiatry professor at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville. So you can teach yourself to change. Of course, giving up a routine is no simple task. The key is to replace it, not erase it. "Instead of trying to quit cold turkey, substitute a good behavior for the bad behavior," says Susan McQuillan, a food and nutrition consultant in New York City and the author of Low Calorie Dieting for Dummies (Wiley). Kiss your unhealthy habits goodbye and slim down fast with these swaps.