Nutrisystem CEO Dawn Zier: Dieting "can't be about deprivation"

It is easy to decide to diet. The tough part is sticking with it.

Every year, millions of Americans make New Year's resolutions to eat healthier and lose weight, but surveys show that within just a few weeks as many as half had already given up. Dawn Zier, CEO of Nutrisystem, a popular weight loss method, said it does not have to be that way. "The diet that works is the one that you can stick with," she said.

Zier told the co-hosts of "CBS This Morning" that many diets have pitfalls. "It can't be about deprivation," she said. "It has to be about having variety and having a lot of healthy food options."

She said the key to dieting is portion control. She recommends finding a plan that takes the guesswork out of it. "Where we find people fall off, if you will, is when they try to do it on their own," she said. "It's really hard in today's busy lifestyle to do it without a little help."

Finding someone to diet with, Zier said, is also a big help. It often is a family affair, with the woman being the one to kickstart the diet. "When the women of the household (go on a diet) the men will sample the food, and then they say, 'Oh this is pretty good. I can do this,' so a lot of men do it," Zier said. "It's always easy to lose weight when you do it with somebody else."

Most importantly, Zier said, dieters should keep the focus on health. "When it comes to your health, weight is a very important factor," she said, noting that being overweight is associated with heart disease, diabetes and other diseases. "It's really a very important thing for America to get under control."