The 90/10 Diet Rule

For many people, dieting is like a death sentence as it symbolizes the end of their love affair with food. Gone are the weeklong - or even month-long - binges that are replaced by a strict regimen of healthy eating and exercise. Nobody's perfect, especially when it comes to what they eat. If you try to do things exactly by the book and consume every meal on plan, you're setting yourself up for failure. The time will come when you want to enjoy a small piece of cake to celebrate your son's birthday. Maybe you just want to feast on a bowl of lobster bisque at your favorite restaurant that you only go to once a year. Take heart - you can indulge and still stay on a healthy meal plan. A good rule of thumb is to try and stay on track 90% of the time and feel comfortable straying no more than 10% of the time. No weight loss program will succeed if you feel like you're being deprived. Today show nutritionist Joy Bauer is a big proponent of consuming 90 percent of your diet from healthy foods and 10 percent from fun foods.