If food commercials on television make you feel hungry and drive you to snack uncontrollably, record your shows and skip the commercials. Or keep a few magazines or books close by so you have something to zone out with until the commercials are over. Better yet, you can always drop to the floor and do a few stretches or sit-ups to regain control and remind yourself why you’re doing your program.

Sometimes we slip up, and that’s okay. Healthy living is not an all-or-nothing proposition. You can do this. Believe in yourself and try to incorporate my suggestions into your life, and let’s see how you do.

You can and will lose weight. Even if you’re eating a little more than the meal plan calorie allowance, you can still lose it will just take a little longer. Exercise is also crucial. Working out harder and more often will help burn the extra calories you might take in if you have a bad day.

Steer yourself toward positive feelings of self-worth and you’ll choose activities and behaviors that inherently contradict self-loathing and self-destructiveness.

Two hormones, leptin and ghrelin, regulate our appetite, and both are directly affected by how much sleep we get. These two hormones work in a kind of “checks and balances” system to control feelings of hunger and fullness. Getting eight hours of shut-eye each night helps the hormones work properly, which in turn will help curb your appetite.

By this point in the summer, you’re probably getting pretty tired of the same old barbecue scene: charred hot dogs, fatty hamburgers, and mayonnaise-laden potato andmacaroni salads. For a refreshing change, try these high-fiber veggie burgers — they’re a great way to add some healthy variety to late-summer cookouts. Once you make the patties, you can wrap them and refrigerate them for up to two days, or freeze them for up to three months. Then you’ll have them on hand for a quick and easy meal when you’re short on time.

Mediterranean Burgers

Ingredients:

• 4 sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1/2 cup millet, rinsed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cups lightly packed baby spinach, stems trimmed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 7 whole-wheat English muffins or whole-wheat buns
• Arugula and tomato slices, for garnish

Preparation:

1. Place sun-dried tomatoes in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let soak until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain and finely chop; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, bring broth (or water) to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in millet and salt; return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the millet is tender and liquid is absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork; transfer to a plate and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
3. While the millet cooks, heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened and light brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Gradually stir in spinach; cover and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted, 30 to 60 seconds. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a plate; let cool for about 10 minutes.
4. Place the millet in a food processor and pulse to mix lightly. Add the spinach mixture and pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in the feta, basil, bread crumbs, pepper, and the reserved sun-dried tomatoes; mix well.
5. With dampened hands, form the mixture into seven 1/2-inch-thick patties, using about 1/2 cup for each.
6. Using 2 teaspoons of oil per batch, cook 3 to 4 patties at a time in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and heated through, about 4 minutes per side. Toast English muffins (or buns). Garnish the burgers with arugula and tomato slices.

Makes 7 servings.

When you feel as if you’re starving, pour yourself a huge glass of water— it will help quell the urge to snack.

You should be eating three square meals a day, plus one snack, and spacing your meals throughout the day so that you don’t go longer than four hours without eating. This will keep your blood sugar levels and hunger hormones stable.

You don’t always have to go green: Black tea, the type in your basic bag, may offer similar protection from heart disease and some cancers as its highly-praised cousin. Also found that a compound in black tea triggers colorectal cancer cells to destroy themselves.