Do You Suffer from WES (Weekend Eating Syndrome)?

So you're on a diet and doing absolutely great Monday through Friday. You eat a proper breakfast each morning, pack a healthy lunch for the office, and even remember to include afternoon snacks! You're a saint at dinner and have conquered the before-bedtime munchies with healthy treats. Look at you succeed....

And then comes the weekend. You sleep in Saturday morning, then decide to treat yourself to a cup of cappuccino at your favorite cafe. And since you skipped breakfast, a little croissant couldn't hurt. The cappuccino tastes so good that you decide to have just one more, with another croissant. And that's just breakfast.

At noon on Saturday, you're meeting a friend for shopping and lunch out, and you agree to split the nachos. Plus "just a sliver" of cheesecake. Then a midafternoon ice cream break, followed by a big party at night. You skip dinner, deciding to "save" your calories for the appetizers and drinks at the party. A few drinks, and you've lost your hesitations about whether to stay on your diet. You go for it, from cheese twists to mini cream puffs. Oops, you did it again.

Sunday brings on the brunches, followed by a late lunch, full family dinner, and what the heck, ice cream for dessert...

Come Monday morning, it's weigh in time - and you gained back all the weight you lost last week!

Let's Play It Again, Sam -- the Diet Right Way:

First: Make a plan for your weekend about how to manage your diet and your social life. It's fine to sleep in Saturday, for example. However, because you know you will be lunching at a restaurant with a friend, make sure to follow your food plan for your breakfast. If you want to treat yourself to coffee in the morning at a cafe, make a commitment to yourself to limit that treat to black coffee (or have it with non-fat milk and artificial sweetener).

Second: Be honest with your friends and, most importantly,. yourself, about your diet goals. If your friend invites you to split a fattening meal and dessert, ask her to consider sharing a different order, such as a big leafy salad with low-fat salad dressing or a large platter of fresh fruit. If you're attending a party with a buffet, offer to bring a fresh veggie platter with low-fat dip.

Third: Remember that Sunday is a day of rest -- and that includes resting your digestive system! Keep breakfast simple - even if it is "brunch," you can enjoy something low-calorie and low-fat, such as turkey bacon and egg whites with half a grapefruit. Focus on filling up with fresh veggies at lunch and dinner, skipping the heavy salad dressings and substituting a low-fat salad dressing. And for dessert, keep it sweet and simple with fresh fruit. That way, on Monday morning, you'll smile at the scale instead of wanting to toss it out the window!