The key word to remember for Friday after-work drinks is "moderation." There's no harm in having a beer or a glass of wine to wind down after the busy work week - the problem comes when you're still out draining your (ninth) glass at 2 o'clock the next morning! You can guarantee that your “healthy eating” motto will have truly gone out the window.

• Offer to be a designated driver - that way you're restricted to one drink, if any, and you've got a great comeback to peer pressure. No one can argue if you're driving them home, right?
  
  
• Before you leave your desk and head to the local watering hole, eat a filling snack. This means any alcohol you drink will be absorbed more slowly into your blood stream. It will also help you to resist the unhealthy snacks and appetizers that tend to accompany drinks.
  
  
• Don't forget that although they contain no fat, most alcoholic drinks have at least 100 calories or more. These are empty calories, with no nutritional value at all. Keep these extra calories in mind when you're counting your day's calorie intake.
  
  
• Alternate your drinks with water or diet soft drinks, and choose diet drinks as mixers.

If you work at a desk, you probably feel like you spend your whole life sitting down. To avoid this becoming true, the trick is to build more opportunities for exercise into your working day.

Try these quick tips:

• Use the stairs rather than the elevator
• Get off the bus or train a few stops early and walk the rest of the way to work
• If you drive to work, park the car a five-ten minute walk away from the office
• Keep your snacks in the office fridge, or even on another floor, rather than at your desk so you have to walk to get them
• Organize a break-time "power walk" with a co-worker or two (keep a pair of your athletic shoes in a desk drawer to change into)

If you're worried about work getting in the way of your weight loss goals, make sure you eat carefully at work and make an effort to add a little extra exercise into your day. You might find your weight loss efforts are well-rewarded when you have to buy a smaller sized suit!