‘Brace yourself for what the scale says, sister.’

Your pants may seem like they fit tighter, but your weight may leave you pleasantly surprised. Research shows that Americans only gain a little over a pound around the holidays. Any more than that is likely residual water weight from all of those holiday sweets.

‘Diet starts tomorrow… so I might as well polish off this pint of gelato tonight.’

Even Kim Kardashian goes for the “last supper” mentality (her indulgences of choice: pizza and ice cream). But rather than making your diet all about following stringent rules, focus on making little diet tweaks that you can stick with for good. Plus, knowing that you can still have some of your favorite foods even while meeting your goals can help nix a binge in the bud.

‘Let’s do this! This diet has nothing on me.’

Your goals—and the thought of the future, healthier you—have you feeling empowered. Nothing’s going to stand in your way. Besides, by now, you’re sick of junky foods. You had your fill, the gelato is gone, and you’re ready to bring on all the fresh veggies. (Hit the reset button—and burn fat like crazy with The Body Clock Diet!)

‘I totally never need to eat sugar again.’

Nixing entire food categories might seem like a streamlined way to add clear-cut rules to your diet, but you can enjoy the sweet stuff and still lose weight. Just follow these rules.

Check out some of the weirdest weight-loss trends through history:

‘Do honey and maple syrup count as sugar?’

Yes, yes they do.

‘Wait, I can take a day off, right?’

Maybe. Research shows that planned cheats can help sidestep diet boredom, helping you better stick to the plan.

‘The veggie bowls on Instagram look way better than mine.’

They always will. But yours will taste just as good. We promise.

‘Seriously, green juice is nasty.’

If you’re on a diet where you’re trying to eat foods that you think are healthy for you but taste atrocious, you’re probably not going to stay the course for long. Add in foods that make you feel great and are delicious, too.

‘Are we there yet?’

Losing weight, and keeping it off, in a healthy way isn’t about crossing a finish line. It’s about forming habits that will follow you throughout your entire life to help you live you happiest, healthiest life possible. If you’re already hating your diet, it’s probably not the one for you.