Almost everyone has gone on a diet at some time or another, and while a diet may work for a short time, most people will end up gaining back the pounds as soon as they are eating normally again. Is there a way to stop this trend? Of course! My rule of thumb is to never skip dessert when you are wanting to lose weight.

Sound crazy? It's actually very logical...

When people go on a diet, they tend to cut out all of their favorite foods. This leads to serious cravings - the main reason people become extremely grumpy when they are trying to lose weight. It is assumed that you can only eat low-fat, low-calorie foods in order to drop the pounds. Sure, that will help, but in the end, you will end up caving in and stuffing your face with all of the sweets you were missing.

Instead of cutting out everything you enjoy, consider a small treat on a daily basis. The key word is "small." Instead of eating an entire hot fudge sundae with whipped cream and a cherry, opt for a small scoop of ice cream instead. As long as you figure the extra calories of the dessert into your plan, you can eat it without sabotaging your diet.

Moderation is always the main rule when trying to lose a couple of pounds. Don't deprive yourself. Consider this a lifestyle change instead. Learn to eat less, while exercising more. A diet does not have to be miserable.

So go ahead and have that SMALL slice of cake. Eat a SMALL bite of dark chocolate. Indulge in a SMALL cookie. The pounds will still come off, and you will not be missing your sweets.