Retrain your appetite

Don't be a slave to your cravings! These tips will help stop out-of-whack eating habits from ruining your diet.

The problem:

You want to eat, eat, eat all day long.

The reason:

Your diet is likely to be too low in fat and protein, leading you to feel unsatisfied.

The fix:

Get 20-30 percent of your total calories from unsaturated fat sources (nuts, olives, seeds and fish) recommends Barbara Rolls, Ph.D.

The problem:

You don't eat all day, but you can't stop eating at night.

The reason:

Your appetite is temporarily shut down from daytime stress, but the effect doesn't last long — and it gets a major boost again in the evening, says Pamela Peeke, M.D.

The fix:

Peeke suggests planning your meals ahead of time and making "appointments" to eat breakfast and lunch, so your hunger doesn't go into over-drive at night.

The problem:

You're an eating machine when it's that time of the month.

The reason:

A valid increase in caloric needs. A new study from Pennsylvania State University found that women actually require100 more calories a day around the time of their period.

The fix:

Stick with your normal diet during the week of your period, but try adding low-fat snacks like mini-carrots with fat-free salad dressing or two cups of air-popped popcorn to stave off hunger.

Write to the editors of Fitness magazine: fitnessmail@fitnessmagazine.com.