You try really hard to lose weight, but then you’re caught in a predicament that can derail your plans like a runaway locomotive.

Nutritionists call them “diet dilemmas,” and here's how to avoid them:

•  Nibbling. Unconsciously, you nibble this, nibble that while cooking, or you finish off your kid’s plate, or constantly sample that creamy sauce you’re brewing up. You may not think much about it, but a calorie here and a calorie there—and soon you’re talking five extra pounds.
 
Nutritionists, who contend there’s a big difference between “snacking” and “nibbling,” urge you to stop and think before you reach for a morsel of something.  You sit down to snack, but with nibbling, you grab and go.

•  Cutting calories drastically. Sure, you want to look good in that bathing suit, so you skip breakfasts, lunches, and healthy snacks. However, you find yourself gorging later that night or later in the week. Before you know it, you’ve gained even more weight.

Eat sensibly throughout the day, cutting calories gradually. In addition, exercising regularly also will help your body burn calories quicker and healthier. If you’re already exercising ratchet up the intensity by working out harder and longer, but don’t overdo it.

•  Being preoccupied with weighing. Nutritionists say that some people who obsess about losing weight will weigh themselves several times a day and go absolutely bananas if they’ve gained even a half-pound or fret about what that piece of candy thye ate earlier.

Nutritionists and other health experts say your body’s weight fluctuates during the day. And especially if you’re working out with weights, you must remember that muscles weigh more than fat. The best advice from health experts is to weigh yourself once a week at the same time of day.

Additionally, measure your waistline and tummy with a tape measurer to see if you’ve lost inches. What’s more, do your clothes fit better?

•  Unrelatistic expectations. In other words, you expect too much too soon. Dietitians say this is the time for patience, because the best way to lose weight—and keep it off—is to lose it a little at time.

•  Buffets—and we don’t mean Jimmy or Warren. These are the restaurant and party buffets where you can load your plate with food higher than Mount Everest, which blows the concept of “portion control”—a critical element of weight management—to smithereens.

The best bet is avoiding buffets altogether. When you can’t, such as at a party, prepare before you go by eating a healthy meal. At the party or restaurant, scope out the food that’s included on the buffet—and take the proper portions of only what’s healthy.

•  Food pushers. They are unknowing saboteurs of your weight-loss efforts, constantly bring unhealthy snacks to work and urge you to “have just one.” Or maybe you hear the same thing from a relative. Nutritionists say to either politely refuse or just take a sliver of what they’re offering so you don’t have to worry about offending them.

Or better still: bring your own healthy snacks to offset their unhealthy snacks.

Which brings us to . . .

•  The company cafeteria or the diner down the street. Employees at the Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas say new workers often get the “Fed Spread.” That’s the 15 extra pounds they pack on after going to work at the bank and dining in the cafeteria.

Whether at work or at the diner down the street where you and yoru coworkers go for lunch, look hard for healthy foods, but don’t get taken in by that little voice in your head that reminds you that dinner is a long way off.

Try a salad comprised of leafy greens and a few pieces of grilled chicken or other lean protein source, a low-calorie dressing, so you don’t run for the vending machine at 3 in the afternoon.

•  The Late Night Snack. Nutritionists say that whatever food you put in your mouth after about 7 p.m. will only add to your waistline. To avoid the late-night munchies, eat more during the day or throw out all the tempting junk food.

If you must have something, try one low-fat snack on a plate—and eat it while sitting at the dining-room table so you’re less likely to overeat.

•  Night out on the town. You don’t have to leave your weight-loss plans at home, but you can use caution when you go out with your friends or spouse. If you must enjoy tasty appetizers, then cut back on what you eat as the main course, or split the foie gras with a dinner mate. If you’re drinking wine or other spirits, then alternate with a glass of water.

•  Grabbing a quick breakfast. Sure, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, when done right. Or chose wisely if you decide to grab something quick to eat. Those donuts look awfully tempting—and we all know what Homer Simpson says, “Mmmmmmmmm!!! Donuts!” Then again, look at Homer’s waistline..