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I think that when I order in a piping hot pizza with all that gooey melted cheese and everything on top, I'm only going to have one slice. Wrong! This is what happens: I eat the first piece and before I know it my arm, which seems to have a mind of its own, automatically reaches for another slice of pizza. The pizza doesn't even make it to the plate—I've unconsciously folded it in half and I eat it standing up. Okay, maybe it's not too much damage, but then I start to pick at and eat the toppings off the pizza that's still in the box, with the long stringy cheese still attached to it! By the time I've picked the top clean, I start on the crust—which no one likes anyway—and I munch on those or dip them in the salad thinking that eating a salad will some how justify all the pizza dough I just swallowed.

When I really stop to "think about it," the best way to handle this pizza dilemma is to eat a large portion of salad first. Then, by the time I finish the salad, the "edge" has been taken off my appetite, so I don't have to wolf down the first piece of pizza and probably not even want a second piece. Most of the time, I'm so hungry by the time the pizza arrives that I eat the first piece so fast I don't even taste it. I don't want to eat like that any more.

I'm going back to the way of eating that keeps me from overeating. I will carry in my purse, at all times, a small plastic bag with raw almonds, walnuts, raisins and a small piece of fruit. When my blood sugar gets low, I snack on it immediately and I recover from my mad desperate search for the nearest Sprinkles Cupcakes store! If I keep my blood sugar level up, I don't seem to have the desire to overeat.

I have a niece who just won the Victoria Secret model search, and I asked her what she eats. She told me that she eats five meals a day and two snacks. She eats a lot of fruits and veggies, huge salads and protein. I watched her eat over Thanksgiving, and her plate was full with everything. Then she ate dessert, including my pumpkin cheesecake! When we all stared at her in disbelief, she pointed out to us that she doesn't eat like this every day and because of the way she eats during the week she can indulge and does. Okay, yes, she's only 19 years old and has to do insane workouts, but her eating habits are doable.

So here's the deal and my new rule—I'm going to be spending a lot of time writing and sharing stories and recipes with you this year. I'm going to make better choices for myself during the day so I can indulge a couple of times a week in foods that should not be in my diet on a daily basis, and we all know what those foods are. I'll be adding a second rule soon, and that's exercising.

Maybe we can do this together. Let's help each other make better choices and see what happen. I would love to hear from you about your progress. If you go to my video section of Oprah.com, you'll see I have many recipes you can try, including some that are indulgent, but as you have heard time and time again, "Anything is okay in moderation."

Check out my Roasted Chicken Wraps video and recipe . I look forward to sharing my thoughts and my recipes with you this year.

Sending a "Big Bowl of Love" for the New Year,

Cristina

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