MANILA, Philippines?One of the most successful weight losers I?ve known of since I started doing weight management coaching is Eileen, a dentist. She lost 60 lb from August 2006 to June 2007 with the help of Mr. Mendoza, her weight loss coach.

She focused on restructuring her environment, did not deprive herself of food, applied small changes for bigger results, and became more conscious of her eating behavior.

Here are some of Eileen?s tips that made her lose weight and sustain the loss even after a year:

I decided to go to my favorite coffee shop in the morning instead of doing it late in the afternoon. This took me away from the pastries. I discovered that the display shelves offer healthier choices early in the morning, like whole grain breads.

When I crave for sweets, I just eat a small piece of dark chocolate or better yet, fruits. It pays to always have a healthy snack food like granola bars or crackers.

It?s not only what you eat that you must plan, but also how much calories you need to burn everyday. Write what you are eating and doing, then note small changes.

Whatever program you choose, it should lead you to a lifestyle change. Ask yourself if you can live through life doing it. Then and only then will it work. I have tried many diets before, which did not work.

Mindful eating plan

Eileen?s weight loss strategy is somewhat similar to Brian Wasnink?s mindful eating plan. A psychologist, he?s author of the book ?Mindless Eating?.

According to Wansink, the three main reasons deprivation diets don?t work are: 1) Our body fights against them; 2) Our brain fights against them; 3) Our day-to-day environment fights against them.

Professor Wansink?s eating plan is based on psychological principles rather than traditional diets by doctors and nutritionists. It offers a flexible approach since there are no special foods required and the plan is unstructured. The purpose is not to deprive oneself of favorite foods while applying portion control so that weight stays off.

The mindless eating plan provides tips on how you can re-engineer your environment. According to Wansink, it?s easier to change our environment than to change our mind.

Personalize your eating approach

Wansink gives an individualized eating approach after recognizing one?s diet danger zone?meal stuffing, snack grazing, party bingeing, restaurant indulging and desktop dining.

Meal stuffers eat fast and are used to eating large servings during mealtimes until they are comfortably full. You can limit the total intake and avoid second helpings, especially if you eat at home by eating slowly, leaving something on the plate and using smaller plates. A half-plate rule can be applied ? fill half of your plate with vegetables and the other half with a meat or fish and starch (rice, bread or pasta).

Snack grazers consider frequent eating of snacks like candies, cookies, chips and ice cream more out of a habit than hunger. Stay away from the high-calorie snacks that are not really needed. You can do this by storing them in hard-to-access areas. But the best thing to do is not to buy the snacks and substitute healthier alternatives like fruits, yogurt, cereals or low-fat milk.

Party bingers and restaurant indulgers love to go out with friends and often eat at buffets and social functions. Prepare and apply strategies that will not make you overeat. Have a light snack before the meal. Eat only what you want and skip the bread and high-calorie foods. Take lots of vegetables and eat slowly.

Desktop diners are busy people who eat at their desk while working to save time. If they go out, they will get foods from vending machines or convenience stores. Bring your own food like a sandwich and a fruit. Remind yourself to drink lots of water and make it readily accessible. Most importantly, keep unhealthy snacks out of sight.

Next Tuesday: How to do food trade-offs

E-mail the author at mitchfelipe@gmail.com