To Splurge or Not to Splurge?

Monday through Friday, you do great with your eating. But when the weekend comes around, you let loose. Cookies—sure, I'll have another. Apple martini—I thought you'd never ask! Pizza—why stop at one slice? Does this sound familiar? Then Monday morning rolls around and you step on the scale. To your horror, it's up a few pounds.

The negative thoughts and emotions start flooding your head. How could that have happened? Why did I let myself do that?  When will I ever learn that partying it up on the weekend undoes all my hard work?

Next comes the promises, many of which are extreme and quite unrealistic.

• I'll never eat _______ again.
• I'll juice fast for the next two days.
• Slash the calories—pronto!
• Cancel all plans for next weekend that involve socializing and food.

OK, let's get back to reality. What you should do is have a plan and be consistent. Having a sound eating plan means including some of those "forbidden" or "trigger" foods once and a while, but in small portions. That way, you never feel so deprived that you end up binging on them. The occasional piece of cake or pint of beer will not cause you to gain actual fat weight, provided the overall calories you take in stays pretty close to what you normally consume. If the scale is up the day after a small splurge, it's likely just water retention. Just sweat it out and chug-a-lug the water to get the fluid moving.

The other is that consistency is key. Aim for consuming approximately the same number of calories every day of the week. Then, when you weigh in on Monday morning, the scale smiles back at you.

Erin Macdonald, R.D. is a Nutrition, Fitness, and Wellness Coach with a practice in Rancho Santa Margarita. She also teaches cooking classes every other Monday night and is a regular contributor to Oxygen Magazine. More information can be found at www.ErinMacdonaldRd.com and www.URockGirl.com