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Her new book, "The Scientific American Day in the Life of Your Brain," tracks what's happening in your brain during the average day -- the best food to fuel you through your waking hours (she recommends complex carbohydrates and lean protein; "be wary of fad diets that focus on one food type or group. These can wreak havoc by upsetting your body and brain balance"), when the peak time for exercise is ("Some research shows body temperature may peak around late afternoon or early evening, so that might be the best time to work out" but we are individuals so we'd "do best to keep a kind of daily energy diary" to see when we're at our personal best) and more in the interview below.

That's Fit: How does self-control suck your energy?

Judith Horstman: Like most activities, self-control takes energy, and that requires fuel. And yes, not doing something is an activity. A part of your brain -- usually the reasoning thinking part -- has to expend energy to not react to stimulus such as a luscious piece of calorie-laden pie. As one researcher says in the book, willpower is more than a metaphor: It's an expensive metabolic activity. That seems doubly unfair, doesn't it? You need to take in fuel (eat) to control your urge to eat.

Day 5: It's 10:00 A.M., time to eat my second meal of the day. But here's the thing -- I'm not hungry. I'm finding that happening a lot this week; the clock says it's time to eat, but I don't feel like it.

On the one hand, this is probably a plus. I already know that when I let myself get hungry, I've waited too long to eat. But I'm not convinced that telling people to eat when they aren't hungry is the answer to weight loss, either. Shouldn't we be depending on our bodies' hunger signals to tell us when to eat?

That said, I know that for me, personally, eating regular, healthy meals is key to avoid overeating. Bottom line: My feelings on this five-small-meals-a-day thing are -- so far -- mixed.

Thought peer pressure was just for junior high kids? Dieters face it, too.

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The holiday season is in full swing, which means that you need to keep a sharp eye out for holiday diet traps.

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We've all been there -- doing the old crash diet days before a big event, determined to make up for our sins in the last few months by erasing them with near-fasting eating habits. So I guess we can commiserate with Britney Spears amid reports that she's frantically trying to slim dow in preparation for her upcoming live performance on the popular British talent show X Factor. It will be her first time on British TV in five years.

"She goes to bed hungry and is dieting so hard she's suffering from insomnia, anxiety, flushes and shakes," says a friend close to the singer. "Her father and the people around her are trying to get her to eat more, but Britney is determined not to be criticised for having any extra bulk."

Fair enough, I guess, considering the fury she raised when she performed last year with a bit of extra padding. Still, I hope she's dieting healthfully.

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One major cause of weight gain is eating when you're not hungry. Cut down on unnecessary eating, and you'll cut the numbers on the scale.

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When 2 PM hits, I need a plan. Because if I don't have a plan, I can get myself in trouble pretty quickly. For some reason, no matter how easy it is to eat healthy all day long, 2 PM is my trouble zone. All I want to do is eat, and not an apple. I want carbs, preferably the simple kind, and I want lots of them!

That's why I started making sure I have fresh veggies in my fridge, chopped and at the ready, the crunchier the better. Nuts will sometimes do it too, as long as I pair them with piece of fruit. In a pinch, I'll have a Kashi bar, but even that can get out of hand.

Newsweek has a few suggestions for feeding the afternoon slump, especially if you're like me and would rather reach for the nearest candy bar. They include:

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Sometimes I'm hungrier than usual. I usually blame it on the time of month, snack more than I should, get through the week, and then get back on track. Cosmo magazine reports in its September issue that three other factors might be at play for those whose hunger is on the rise.

• Stress. We often reach for food when we need to cope, need comfort, or need to soothe our souls.
• Diabetes. We might crave more food because we don't get enough fuel from blood sugar.
• Pregnancy. Pregnancy might be the reason you want to splurge.

It could also be that you're working out a ton and your body is craving more fuel. If you suspect this is your case, check out the gallery below for five foods fit for hungry muscles.
Note: If you suspect your hunger might be related to first three listed above, you ought to see your physician.

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The gals on The View told yesterday that all this election stuff is making them eat. Watching the news, the debates, all the political commentary swirling around in the air -- it's making them nervous, anxious, downright hungry.

Sherri Shepherd says she was shoveling down Ruffles potato chips the other night while watching election television. Elisabeth Hasselbeck reports she's been eating mindlessly. And Joy Behar is eating her anxiety away. While these women are surely revved up politically -- have you seen their on-air disputes? Poor Hasselback, not one co-host agrees with the girl's conservative perspectives -- yet hearing their take on election-inspired eating was news to me. It makes sense -- I mean, watching TV is a known to promote snacking -- but I don't find myself eating all that much more.

Tell us: Are you eating your way through this election season? Do you fear politics will make you fat? If so, try cutting down on calories with these gallery snacks.

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We all know the feeling -- our stomach is rumbling, our energy lags, all we can think about it food. Or do we? Truth be told, many of us don't know real hunger, at least according to this post on Diet Blog by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Instead of feeling truly hungry, we experience what's called 'Toxic Hunger' -- withdrawl symptoms from the absence of food. What do we do about it? We eat, and we keep eating regularly so we can avoid feeling hungry.

But here's the thing: Hunger is good. It's your body's way of figuring out when you need to eat and how much you need to eat. Don't fear hunger, says Dr. Fuhrman -- allowing it to guide your eating habits can help you maintain a healthy weight. The only flaw that I can see in this idea is overeating when you're hungry -- stopping after you're no longer hungry is ideal.

All in all, though, I agree with this theory. What about you?

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Comedian Margaret Cho has been out of the spotlight for a few years now, but she's back, and she's 40 lbs lighter to boot, after years of dieting. So which wonderful diet program finally worked for Cho? None.

Cho admits to People Magazine that she eventually lost weight by eating whatever she wants -- including ice cream, chips, fries and pizza. But she did follow two rules: Eat only when hungry, and stick to small dinners, meaning breakfast and lunch are the big meals of the day. Says Cho: "When I was on crazy diets, I'd gain weight because I would binge on diet food! I learned that any restriction on the kind of food I was eating was going to be problem. By saying I can eat whatever I want, I don't crave it as much."

You know, eating junk food when you're trying to lose weight sounds kind of crazy, but I really think she has a point here. Your thoughts?

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The other day I told you how key it is to feed your body after exercise and suggested you eat these three post-workout power foods. As good timing would have it, just after sharing my message, I received an e-mail from my local fitness center. The topic? The importance of post-workout fuel.

It may seen counterproductive to eat after a workout, said the e-mail. I mean, we work so hard to burn all those calories, so why put more back in so quickly? Well, because an after-workout snack provides vital nutrients the body needs for muscle and cell repair. Eating after exercise also keeps us from feeling ravenously hungry a few hours later.

So, here's the deal: Aim to eat 15 to 30 minutes after the end of a workout. This is the period of time in which the body seems to get the most benefit from ingesting carbs and protein. Try yogurt, a fruit smoothie, or a protein shake and you'll feel energized and revived -- not sleepy and sluggish.

Got a favorite premium food you put in your tank? Tell us what it is.

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This morning, my kids asked for cinnamon toast. So I made it for them. I used whole wheat bread, light butter with Canola oil, and a few sprinkles of McCormick's cinnamon sugar. My kids gobbled it down, which makes me happy for whole wheat purposes. My husband tends to think the rest of the equation -- the butter and cinnamon sugar -- is crap. I argued with him a bit, not trying to convince him butter and cinnamon sugar are good for our kids, just to let him know that our kids eat pretty darn healthy most days and there are far worse foods they could have ingested, with far more crap packed into them. Then I questioned myself. Then I did some research.

Hungry Girl says in one of her Chew the Right Thing posts that cinnamon sugar is something we ought to fight, not bite. Now she's speaking mostly to us grown-up calorie-counting folks and not to the kids of the world, but here's what she says: "McCormick's Cinnamon Sugar has only 15 calories per teaspoon. So why are we telling you to 'fight it!'? Well, we just don't see why anyone should waste any calories at all on this sweet spice when there is a just-as-good no-cal version available. After all, when you're watching your weight, every single calorie counts. Fifteen calories here, 30 there, another 40 here ... it can all add up." HG doesn't mention sugar in her opinion but clearly, there's sugar in cinnamon sugar.

So what does the Hungry Girl suggest? San Sucre Cinnamon Sugar. It uses Splenda and makes a great sugarless cinnamon sugar blend, she says. No calories in this goodie either. HG's final piece of advice: "Cinnamon helps keep blood sugar levels low, so sprinkle away!"

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She's not a nutritionist. She's just hungry. And because she loves food, Lisa Lillien learns about it, reads about it, researches it, and dreams about it. When you have a few free moments, check out this average girl, struggling with food issues like everyone else, on her very own website. In the meantime, here's a little something she's put together for the hungry folks of the world -- a list of her top ATE calorie-saving cooking swaps.

• Nonstick cooking spray instead of oil for stove top cooking
• Canned pumpkin instead of eggs and oil for baking
• Light vanilla soy milk instead of milk or cream
• Fat-free liquid eggs instead of eggs
• No-sugar-added applesauce instead of butter
• Ground beef style soy crumbles instead of ground beef
• Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granular) instead of sugar
• Butternut squash instead of potatoes
  
  

This hungry girl also has a book -- Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World -- which is available in stores now.

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Trying to take off the pounds? I have a trick that's worked well for me and several of my friends: Drink up. I'm not talking about calorie-laden drinks like soda, cocktails or juices. Rather, you should fill up on healthy, low-calorie liquids. We're talking water, tea, vegetable juice, soup, even diet soda and juice from time to time.

You see, sometimes when we think we're hungry, we're mostly just thirsty, and having a tall glass of water can curb your hunger and keep you from binging on junk food. So try this: Next time you feel hungry and find yourself craving something unhealthy, either chug a low-calorie drink or have a small bowl of soup. Wait 20 minutes, and if you're still hungry, have something nutritious to eat.