Reduce fat and calories in quick breads, muffins and cakes by replacing half the oil or butter with unsweetened applesauce. For recipes that use oil, just swap half the oil for applesauce. If your recipe directions say to cream the butter and sugar, beat half the butter and all the sugar for 2-3 minutes (it won't looked creamed) then add the applesauce with the eggs and proceed with the recipe as directed.

Have you ever wondered how long you'd have to exercise to burn the calories in your unplanned, late-afternoon snack attack? Check out this chart from choosemyplate.gov to find out.

If you're new to keeping a food diary, measure your portions regularly at first. Leave measuring cups and spoons on your kitchen counter so you remember to measure foods like breakfast cereal, pasta and condiments. Once you can easily visualize correct portions, just measure occasionally to make sure you're still on track.

"My Comfort Food Diet cookbook arrived today and I'm really thrilled. I'm going to go through the book and pick out all the recipes I like and then make sure the daily calories match and go from there. I've lost three pounds on my own by just using a salad plate. My friends, who turned our whole neighborhood onto this diet, have lost mega pounds. She lost 50 and her husband lost 80. They love the food and really believe in the Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet. So here goes. I would love to hook up with others just starting out."
—queenjulia, Comfort Food Diet Forum