Weekend-Proof Your Diet

Sunday Night Scramble

Where did the weekend go? You've still got chores to do, e-mails to write, maybe work to catch up on. Usually around now, after all your diet lapses, you feel like throwing in the towel. "You may think you'll eat what you want and start fresh tomorrow," Young says. Don't.

Seek heat. You can't scarf down something piping hot, so go slow with a steamy snack, like a chopped-up apple microwaved and sprinkled with cinnamon, Young recommends. Or drink some sugar-free hot cocoa or a cup of tea.

Surrender sweetly. Is that pint of Ben & Jerry's in the freezer calling your name? Now is not the time to see if you can eat only two spoonfuls of New York Super Fudge Chunk. To make it more likely that you'll keep things under control, reach for an individually wrapped treat, such as a piece of dark chocolate or a low-fat ice cream sandwich.

Hit the sack. Sometimes people eat in response to exhaustion, turning to brownies when what they really need is rest, Tribole explains. Consider calling it a night and waking up early Monday morning to finish whatever you have left to do. Tomorrow, after all, is a new day.

Originally published in FITNESS magazine, May 2010.