Bethany has a 2 PM snack attack. Maybe you do too. Or maybe yours hits at 3 or 4 PM. Whatever your time, grab a pen and paper and start writing. It will help you eat less and may even cause you to shed a few pounds.

December's Good Housekeeping magazine reports that British researchers in one study fed 47 women a midday meal and three hours later, asked them to write about either the meal or their morning commute. Those who wrote about lunch chowed down one-third fewer goodies later in the day. Seems that remembering your last meal helps activate your body's "I'm satisfied" signal.

Quick, before your afternoon craving hits, jot down the specifics of what you last consumed. And if you just can't help grabbing at something when you want it most, try one of the foods Bethany recommends in this post. Or pick a snack from the following gallery. Each one contains no more than 200 calories.

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What risks would you take to inspire your own weight loss? See yourself writing, producing, marketing, and selling skinny songs to help get your butt in gear? Venture capitalist Heidi Roizen, 49, may not have ever predicted she'd do such a thing. But it's exactly what she found herself doing when her weight hit an all-time high and she wanted more than anything to fit into the small clothing tucked away in her closet.

After her hunt for inspirational diet music was met with defeat, Roizen decided to write her own lyrics. Hiring two music producers came next and now her CD Skinny Songs is available for $14.99 on Amazon. Her songs -- I'm a Hottie Now, Skinny Jeans, and Thin are three of them -- can also be downloaded on iTunes.

Roizen, whose goal was to go from a size 14 to a size 8, can now fit into her skinny jeans. And she plans to keep it that way. She hopes to help others reach their own goals too.

"I've made a lifelong commitment to a lifelong change," says the mother of two. "I started writing the music to inspire myself, and now I hope it will inspire others."

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Rosemary Ellis, Good Housekeeping magazine's Editor in Chief, writes in her January 2008 Editor's letter about this weight loss secret: It's not what you eat and it's not how much you exercise -- it's what you write down about what you eat that matters most in the battle against the bulge.

"Jotting down every bite makes you increasingly aware of what you're eating," writes Ellis. "And when you're more in tune with that, you tend to make smarter choices. The extra weight drops off and is more likely to stay off -- as long as you keep writing."

Why do food diaries work? Because they keep us in the moment and require us to make judgment calls. They make a record of what we're putting in our bodies and that tends to be enough for many to forsake an indulgence.

If losing weight is on your to-do list, consider investing in a notebook and a pen and scribbling down your own bites. See if it makes a difference in how you eat and how you carry your weight. If this technique works for weight management, it might help in other areas of your life too. Maybe an anger journal would help keep your outbursts to a minimum -- instead of shouting at the target of your upset, write instead and calmly approach your subject at a later date. Keep an exercise journal, a happiness journal, a gratitude journal, or a parenting journal. Just keep writing and you're sure to become better at the topics that unfold at your fingertips.

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There are few things that feel as good as waking up after a long, deep sleep, feeling refreshed and renewed. In this life, this world, sleep always lags behind in our list of priorities. For me, work and my social life are two things that take away from my slumber, and even though I always (if possible) make time for a solid 8 hours of sleep, sometimes the stress of life keeps me up.

Mark's Daily Apple has a number of suggestions that you can do right now to ensure a decent sleep, including:

• Eat a light dinner. And make sure to eat a few hours before bed or your digestive system might keep you up.
• Have a glass of wine -- but not more than that. Alcohol can help lull you to sleep but if you drink too much, it can backfire and keep you up
• Eat some nuts. The magnesium will help with your slumber
• Write. Jotting down your feelings can help relieve stress
• Do something mindless before bed like watching TV.
  

If all else fails, I find a cup of warm milk sweetened with just a touch of honey helps. How about you?

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