We've all been there. Those moments of boredom, exhaustion or sadness when we reach for a slice of cake or a bag of chips because they're there, we're craving a sugar rush or we think they'll make us feel better. Try as we might, maintaining a healthy diet is difficult for most Americans.

The paradox for many of us with weight issues is that we think we really love food and love to eat, but if we really did, why don't we take the time to enjoy it? To pay attention? To savor each delicious bite?

I don't want to be a statistic any longer. I don't want to be a "baby boomer" that is living longer but sicker than my parents. I don't want the illnesses that can be prevented by simply moving more and eating right.

As the holiday season approaches, it seems we all want to channel our inner "Martha" and cook up a storm -- which I love, since cooking is my life. So I offer some food for thought on being healthy through the season of partying.

If you've begun to make a lifestyle change -- a new diet, exercise routine, stress reduction activity, or anything else -- consider that there will be times when you may need or want to get off your lifestyle wagon.

We all want to change something. Most of us have tried and had either fleeting success or chalked up a failure. The way we think about change is the problem. In this arena (unlike most), we think too much. We usually think our way to keeping things exactly as they are.

Without a doubt, the eat-repent-repeat cycle must be resolved -- but calling it "addiction" takes away the power to change and prevents you from learning to use food in an enjoyable, moderate way.

My goal for each patient is that they understand what triggers them to fall off the wagon and to be able to recognize the very moment a trigger occurs. Being conscious is the number one gift you can give yourself in the quest to make a new habit stick.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant with the healthiest intentions -- a salad followed by grilled fish and steamed vegetables -- only to find yourself halfway through a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings?

The problem with any habit is that it takes away your options. When you act out of habit, you continually recreate the past.

Habits are a critical component of the happiness equation. It is one thing to know what to do to be happy (or to raise happy children, or to create a happy marriage) but it is quite another thing to actually be able to do those things.

Most dieters need to learn a number of other cognitive and behavioral techniques to lose weight and keep it off. But a new habit of planned eating is crucial for success.