Post-Weekend Diet

We know how it is: You're vigilant about your diet five days a week, but around Friday at 5pm when the work week ends, so does your attention to exercise and what you eat. Come Monday, after a weekend of fried foods and cocktails you wake up feeling bloated and even a pound or two heavier. Don't get discouraged, we have an action plan to help you get your diet back on track.

Don't Starve Yourself
"Don't skip breakfast just because you feel you might have blown it on the weekend," says Barbara Moore, PhD and spokeswoman for Shape Up America, a non-profit dedicated to providing healthy weight management information. Shape Up America's "Shape Up and Drop 10" program recommends starting the day with a filling, low-calorie breakfasts like a bowl of oatmeal or cereal that has 150 calories and no less than 4 grams dietary fiber per serving paired with skim milk and fruit, instead of juice, for added fiber so you'll feel fuller on fewer calories.

Track Everything
Resolve to keep track of eating and physical activity for the whole week (on the weekend, too) and by the following weekend you'll be back on track, says Dr. Moore. Results of a recent Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research weight-loss study found that the single best predictor of whether a participant lost weight was if the person kept a food diary. Shape Up America has free diary templates you can download here.

Don't Give Up Exercise
Everyone deserves an exercise break, but the downside of infrequent or irregular workouts may be a contributing factor in why your scales have stopped dropping, according to a new study from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Participants who took a break from exercising and started up again later at lower intensity levels gained about as much weight as the pounds lost by participants who upped their intensity.

Make Each Step Count
Don't have time or enthusiasm for the gym? Start watching your calorie-burn with each step you take throughout your daily routine. A pedometer can be useful, motivational tool to increase your physical activity, says Dr. Moore. If you set a daily or weekly goal, there's a natural inclination to gradually put more and more effort and energy into your walking.

Ease Up
Sticking to too strict a diet on Monday can be just as ineffective for weight loss success as overeating on the weekend. "Dietary restrictions leads to a repetitive pattern of self-deprivation, which can result in bingeing, weight-grain and worsening self-image," say Jennifer Derenne, M.D., and Eugene Beresin, M.D. in a study published in 'Academic Psychiatry' in 2006. In stead, be smart about picking filling, but controlled portions. "Portion control is absolutely central to losing weight," says Dr. Moore.

Change One Thing
Don't measure success by stepping on the scale and expecting a 3 pound weight loss, says Dr. Moore. She says, "When you change your behavior it can be overwhelming to change everything all at one time. Start off with diet. The studies show that both diet and exercises are important for weight loss. You lose more weight by learning how to make healthy food habits and portion control." Moore says it can take six to 12 weeks to implementing and mastering one healthy habit in your life. Remember, each new week presents a fresh start at striving for healthy weight loss.