Ahh the weekend. Time for a little R and R. Let all the worries of the week melt away. Forget about things for a few days before Monday comes around. Unfortunately, this is a recipe for disaster when it comes to your weight loss.
I understand as much as anybody that weekends are precious. They allow us to recharge and maybe have a little fun if we’re lucky. But your body doesn’t really care whether it’s Friday, Monday, Wednesday or Sunday. When you have a calorie surplus you’re going to end up with a body fat surplus, no matter what day of the week it is!
Weekends count a lot
Although weekends seem short and are gone before we know it, they actually make up a significant part of our week. The average person has 5 days of work, school or whatever and then 2 days off in a typical week. Monday through Friday provides structure. Most people tend to do better on structured days from a health standpoint. But the general attitude is that Friday is part of the weekend too. Nobody wants to watch what they eat on Friday because it’s, well Friday! Working out on a Friday is just as lame.
But let’s take a look at the math. 5 out of 7 is 71%. If you are on your “fitness game” Monday through Friday that’s 5/7 or 71% of the time. On a grading scale that’s a C-. Now consider you’re lumping Friday in with Saturday and Sunday for your weekend. Now you’re talking 4/7 or only 57% of the time you’re on your game. 57% on a grading scale is a big fat F, no pun intended.
You certainly can’t expect great results with 57% effort. Imagine if your mechanic only fixed 57% of your car or you only received 57% of your paycheck. That would not be acceptable.
Weekends are extreme
Not only do weekends make up a large part of your week but they are often a time of indulgence. Weekends are viewed by many as a time for treating yourself. You certainly deserve it, don’t you? It might be the idea of treating yourself or lack of structure but people can go way outside their normal limits on the weekend. That one drink means four drinks on the weekend. A normal dinner turns into a three course meal. Appetizers and dessert anyone?
Weekends are also the time when we gather with others. Food plays a major role in social gatherings. A lot of food at social gatherings tends to be less than ideal from a health standpoint. There are also large quantities of food at gatherings. If people are bringing a dish to pass they make sure there is enough for everyone and then some. Karen wants to please the crowd so she brings her famous triple cheese dip instead of the carrot sticks. It’s just how it is.
Plus it’s really easy to lose track of how much you eat at a social gathering. One moment you’re talking to uncle Bob and without even noticing you’ve eaten 12 pigs in a blanket. Food seems to be everywhere. In social settings it can feel like you can’t avoid food no matter how hard you try!
Weekend activities pair well with food
Finally, weekends can include activities that encourage poor eating. During the week people are usually busier and have less discretionary time. There might be time for an hour of Netflix after work or meeting a friend for a drink on a weeknight. But the weekends allow you to watch several hours of Netflix. If you have a habit of snacking while binge watching then you drastically increase your snacking calories on the weekend. You and your friend now have a few hours to meet up. That can lead to several hours of drinking. Plus when you’re drinking with a friend ordering a pizza, deluxe nachos or onion rings might seem like an excellent idea!
The weekend is certainly a time for enjoying yourself and relaxing. I’m not saying don’t go out to eat or have a few drinks. What I am saying is that weekends can’t be totally ignored if you’re trying to lose weight. There are too many traps in the weekend that will kill your weight loss progress. Go into the weekend with your game face on and have some sort of general plan on how to navigate the obstacles that you will inevitably face.
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