Whenever a dieter says something like, “I was so good yesterday, I didn’t have any dessert,” we always remind them that having dessert is an important part of lifetime eating. Cutting out all sweets (or other categories of food that you like) never works out long term because you’ll always end up eating them again and when you do, if you don’t know how to control your portions, you’ll gain weight. Your plan for the holiday season doesn’t have to be “no dessert” but it also can’t be, “dessert as much and as often as I want.” If your plan is too restrictive (“no dessert at all”) likely you’ll end up rebelling against it. This week, look for the middle ground.