Sweet Treats Are OK!

You don't have to completely deprive yourself of ever food that may be deemed "unhealthy" as you are trying to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle.  I personally think that telling yourself you can never have sweets just makes you crave it more and then causes you to binge.  I have read studies that say that a little treat after a meal is good because that little bit of sugar signals to your body that you are done eating.  I do this in my life and I think it has made a big difference.  Some days after dinner that little treat is perfect and I feel satisfied.  Some days it just doesn't sound good and so I don't eat treats those days.  But treats don't have to be bad. 
If you are out grocery shopping and those fresh donuts just sound so delicious go ahead and get one.  But just get one, you don't need three or four!
I love chocolate and candy bars used to be my weakness.  I keep a bag of mini candy bars around and when I really need some chocolate I eat just one mini candy bar and that completely satisfies my craving.
I also LOVE ice cream but it can be loaded with fat and sugar.  I like to by the "slow churned" or "double churned" types.  They usually have about half the fat and less calories and I think they taste just as good as their full fat counterparts.  Another trick that I have implemented for my husband and I is that I keep ice cream cones on hand.  Stay away from waffle cones, those are full of fat and calories.  But cake cones have about 50 calories each and sugar cones (look like mini waffle cones) have about 60 calories.  A good scoop of ice cream on a cone is completely satisfying and great portion control!
Another important thing is to plan ahead.  If I know we are going out to dinner for a friend's birthday and I will be eating a burger and fries or pizza, I make sure to eat extra healthy for the other meals that day.  It may not completely balance out every time but every little bit of effort you can make to compensate for a less healthy meal is great. 
Take a look at your life and see in what ways you can implement the little tricks that I use and maybe you can also find some others that work great for you!