Never fool yourself into thinking you can go back to your old eating habits. It is important to hang onto your new habits and eat wisely. In my experience with patients, the following factors are essential for keeping the bulge at bay.

Be A Breakfast Lover

On most diets, people starve themselves in the morning so they can eat more for lunch and dinner. This doesn’t work. Eat breakfast. Heck, anytime someone tells you to eat, you really should listen!

You really do need to eat breakfast. You say you’re not that hungry in the morning? Okay, but eat anyway, because research shows that eating first thing will make you feel more satisfied throughout the entire day, and you will consume fewer calories, all told. Even on the weekends. What’s more, I’ve personally found that most people who skip breakfast become ravenous by 10:30 that morning and often find themselves eating whatever is on hand, even it it’s really fattening junk food.

Get on Good Terms with Salad

Have a salad when you dine out or eat at home. According to a study at Penn State University, starting dinner with a large salad may help lower the number of calories you’ll consume that meal. What kind of salad are we talking about? I think you know the answer. No, not a few leaves of romaine underneath a mountain of cheese and croutons. I’m talking about salad veggies topped with one tablespoon of light dressing.

Exercise Portion Control

What’s the major dietary blunder of the last 10 years? Ginormous portions of rice and pasta and boulder-size potatoes and yams. Large portions and rich food in restaurants are a major source of extra calories for Americans, a fact not likely to change soon. It’s important to recognize this and to continue to choose well when out, always exercise portion control. Pay attention to portion sizes, and don’t reach for seconds.

Move It, Keep it Off

I said you could eat more food on the weekend, but I’m also saying you should burn off more of that food.  Think about it: the weekend is when you have more time, usually, to exercise—so take advantage of your free time. Get in at least an hour of intense, heart pumping exercise on Saturday and Sunday. If you do this, it will be a cinch to keep your weight off. Exercise is one thing that really keeps you thin and fit.

Find ways to sneak in “lifestyle activity” too, especially on weekends. Yard work is a great example. What I see now are people sitting on riding lawnmowers with grass-catching capabilities—the kind that was used by farmers to clear the “back 40.” Now people are using it to mow a patch fo grass the size of a bath mat. Lawn mowing is great exercise, but only if you push the mower. It burns 387 calories in an hour!

Avoid Overboard Syndrome

Never binge. Translated: No pig-outs. No stuffing your face until it grows to the size of a basketball. Get your eating under control. Decide that this way of eating is going to change.

Make lists of trouble foods that might make you binge. Deep down, you know what these foods are, so its best to not include them in your weekend treat meals.

Plan your weeks meals in advance so you’re programming your brain and stomach to expect food. It will help you stop eating out of habit.

If you want more tips on your health and weight loss, take the time to learn more about my 17 Day Diet Meal Plan. You’ll learn how to start eating healthy and lose weight safely.