Follow these tips from Monday to Thursday to help undo the overindulgence of the weekend!

Fluids are key since extra salt, sugar, and alcohol can dehydrate your body. Start the day with a tall glass of water or warm cup of any type of tea, then drink throughout the day, aiming for 64 to 100 ounces to flush out the pollutants from the weekend.

Plan to eat three meals, with lunch four hours after breakfast and dinner between 6 and 7. Focus on nutrient-dense foods that are low in calories but high in vitamins and minerals since weekend fare tends to be the opposite: high-calorie and low-nutrient.Have an afternoon snack around 4 p.m. of green drink powder mixed in water or a smoothie. Look for one (such as Greens Plus) containing sea vegetables, probiotics, grasses, and enzymes that will help aid in digestion. You can also have a whole-food snack after dinner if you are hungry.

Take a multivitamin, and at every meal pop a 1,000-milligram omega-3 supplement, which will help reduce the inflammation that can be caused by poor eating. (Talk to your doctor first if you are on any medications since omega-3s may interact with some meds.)

Are You Ready To Lose Weight Quiz

1. Are you devoting a lot of mental and physical energy to one or more huge life projects (a wedding, divorce, career change, geographic move, purchase of a new house, starting or expanding a family)? 

2. Are you willing to forgo certain types of foods and beverages when you’re eating out, at a party, or doing something social with friends and family? 

3. Are you wiling to temporarily curtail your social life if you find you lose control of your eating in social situations? 

4. Are you willing to change your behavior forever to lose weight and keep it off? 

5. Are you willing to make weight loss your top priority for the next few months or year (or however long it takes to reach your goal)? If you answered 'no' to 1. and 'yes' to the rest- you're ready!

Flour: Going against the Grain

Our ancient ancestors probably were much more active than we are today, and they probably did not eat as much flour because of the effort it took to make. Although some cultures certainly relied on specific types of whole grain foods- such as rice and millet in Asian countries, oats in Germany, and barley in the Middle East- it wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution that humans began increasingly turning wheat into flour and using it to make bread and pancakes. Advances in milling techniques in the 1800s made refined wheat flour affordable and prevalent. White bread infiltrated the food supply. So did white pasta, refined pancake mixes, and more. These foods were cheap, cooked quickly, and were considered superior to their whole grain counterparts. Because refined grains lack the fiber and nutrient-rich germ and bran, however, they tend to raise blood sugar and insulin levels, triggering hunger, fat storage, and weight gain.