Avoid Weekend Weight Gain

Avoid Weekend Weight Gain
How to unwind without undoing your diet.
By Heather Hatfield

Reviewed By Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD/LD
WebMD Feature

Happy hour after work on Friday. Dinner out at your favorite restaurant on
Saturday. A home-cooked feast on Sunday.

Before you know it, a weekend of unwinding can turn into a calorie-fest
that undermines a week's worth of healthy eating -- and, come Monday
morning, sends the needle on your scale creeping upward.

"Individual eating habits tend to change dramatically over the weekend,"
says Cedric Bryant, PhD, chief exercise physiologist for the American
Council on Exercise. "You tend to see people consuming more alcoholic
beverages and more calorie-dense foods. It's a real easy recipe to gain
weight."

But avoiding the weekend weight-gain trap doesn't have to mean your
favorite Friday-through-Sunday treats are off-limits, experts say. Below,
they offer some tips for enjoying your days off while avoiding the weekend
food frenzy.

The Weekend Trap

Research has shown just how much damage weekend overeating can do to our
diets.

"There is a large and significant difference in energy intake on the
three-day weekend versus the four-day weekday, particularly for young
adults," says Barry Popkin, PhD, co-author of a study on weekend weight
gain.

The study, published in the August 2003 issue of Obesity Research, found
that Americans 19 to 50 years old take in 115 more calories per day on the
weekend (defined as Friday through Sunday) than on the other days of the
week. Over the course of a year, that adds up to 17,940 extra calories --
or about 5 pounds.

And, as you might have guessed, it's not healthy foods that we're eating
more of during the weekend. That 115-calorie-a-day difference comes mostly
from alcohol and fat, says Popkin, a professor of nutrition in the School
of Public Health at the University of North Carolina.

Even so, those extra calories don't have to turn into fat, the experts say.
The key is burning more calories than you consume. That means finding
active ways to relax - like brisk walking, playing tennis, even gardening -
instead of vegging out in front of the TV.

"People tend to think of the weekend as their time to relax and recover
from the hectic workweek," says Bryant. "What they should do is really try
to make an effort to become more active in their daily pursuits over the
weekend days. Look for as many opportunities to move as possible, so you
can increase physical activity to offset the extra calories you consume."

While physical activity may be the obvious answer, experts say there are
other tricks that can help you overcome the habit of weekend
overindulgence:

Start your day out right. "Eat a healthy breakfast on the weekend, when you
have more time," says Susan Moores, RD, a spokeswoman for the American
Dietetic Association. "You usually eat less during the day if you start
with a healthy breakfast, and you get some good nutrition."

Don't go hungry to "save up" for a big dinner out. "Saving yourself
backfires -- you usually end up eating way more than you would have if you
ate normally throughout the day," says Moores. "Have a little bite to eat
before you go out to take the edge off your hunger, and then simply enjoy
good food when you go out."

Savor the experience of dining out. "Allow yourself to enjoy good food and
savor it, rather than overindulge in it," says Moores. "People forget what
the whole eating experience is about -- sitting with friends, enjoying your
time together, and relaxing."

Eat slowly. "It takes 15-20 minutes for your brain to signal your stomach
that it's full, so take your time," Moores explains. "Whether you're at a
party or eating out on the weekend, remember to slow down when you're
eating."

Start with soup. "Take your time when you order at a restaurant, and start
with soup," says Moores. "Then, have the waiter come back so you can order
an entrée -- you'll order much less than if you ordered all at once."

Halve your restaurant entrees. "Splitting an entree with a friend is a
great way to make a significant cut in calories on the weekend," says
Moores.

Don't skip dessert; share it. "Make it special," says Moores. "Choose
something that is really delightful to you and split it with a friend. Keep
an eye out for portion sizes, and if the dessert you want is huge, ask the
waiter to slice it thin or split it with the table -- but I'm all for
dessert."

Avoid overdoing it with alcohol. "If you can cut out one or two drinks per
day on the weekend, that will save you 100 to 150-plus calories," says
Moores. And, she explains, people who drink more tend to eat more as well.
So drink alcohol with caution, if at all.

Remember your waistline. "Wear a tighter pair of pants when you go out on
the weekend," says Moores. "Wear something that's not uncomfortable but
that reminds you there are limits to what you should eat."

Find a substitute for soda. "Use water to satisfy thirst, rather than soda,
which many people drink more of on the weekends," says Bryant. "Not only
are they consuming a tremendous amount of calories, but soda is high in
fructose, which stimulates the appetite."

Beyond that, the experts say, the best way to keep the weekends from
torpedoing your diet is to take a commonsense approach to nutrition --
every day of the week.

"I think most people are better off from a health standpoint to eat
sensibly each day," says Bryant. "Consume a variety of foods, don't skip
meals, eat individual-sized portions, and whenever possible, substitute a
favorite high-fat food or high-sugar food with a healthy alternative."

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On 23 Apr 2004 12:44:15 GMT, Ignoramus13586
wrote:

This is off topic for SSFA.

Thanks

LV


Lady Veteran
- -----------------------------------
"I rode a tank and held a general's rank
when the blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank..."
- -Rolling Stones, Sympathy for the Devil
- ------------------------------------------------
People who hide behind anonymous remailers and
ridicule fat people are cowardly idiots with no
motive but malice.
- ---------------------------------------------
"To Do Is To Be" Socrates
"To Be Is To Do" Plato
"Do Be Do Be Do" Sinatra
- -------------------------------


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I think that is it on topic for this board. She is just giving us the
heads up that it is more difficult to follow WW on the weekends
because our lifestyles are different. I like the friendly reminder.

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On 23 Apr 2004 12:34:54 -0700,
(alexbrown77) wrote:

I think that is it on topic for this board. She is just giving us
the heads up that it is more difficult to follow WW on the weekends
because our lifestyles ar

Weight loss is OFF TOPIC for SSFA.

That is TWICE you have been told.

Please REMOVE us from your cross post.

LV


Lady Veteran
- -----------------------------------
"I rode a tank and held a general's rank
when the blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank..."
- -Rolling Stones, Sympathy for the Devil
- ------------------------------------------------
People who hide behind anonymous remailers and
ridicule fat people are cowardly idiots with no
motive but malice.
- ---------------------------------------------
"To Do Is To Be" Socrates
"To Be Is To Do" Plato
"Do Be Do Be Do" Sinatra
- -------------------------------


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On Fri, 23 Apr 2004, Lady Veteran wrote:

Weight loss is OFF TOPIC for SSFA.

It's not your group.


That is TWICE you have been told.

Who cares? You're not the moderator.


Please REMOVE us from your cross post.

STFU, bulldyke!

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On 24 Apr 2004 00:57:26 +0200, Max wrote:

On Fri, 23 Apr 2004, Lady Veteran wrote:

Weight loss is OFF TOPIC for SSFA.

It's not your group.


That is TWICE you have been told.

Who cares? You're not the moderator.


Please REMOVE us from your cross post.

STFU, bulldyke!



Sit on it, you incestuous by product.

The post is off topic for SSFA.

We are not interested in your weight loss obsession.

LV


Lady Veteran
- -----------------------------------
"I rode a tank and held a general's rank
when the blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank..."
- -Rolling Stones, Sympathy for the Devil
- ------------------------------------------------
People who hide behind anonymous remailers and
ridicule fat people are cowardly idiots with no
motive but malice.
- ---------------------------------------------
"To Do Is To Be" Socrates
"To Be Is To Do" Plato
"Do Be Do Be Do" Sinatra
- -------------------------------



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[newsgroups trimmed]
"Ignoramus13586" wrote ...
I always gain weight on weekends. I consider it normal. I then lose it
during the week. On a week to week average, weekends are not a
problem. It is very hard (for me) to avoid overeating on weekends,
even though I try to.

I go the other way - I eat less at the weekends, usually. One or two meals
or sometimes just a couple of snacks.

And because I spend more time with my feet up, I drain more water from my
legs at the weekend too.


Rachel
(New Zealand)

Remember your waistline. "Wear a tighter pair of pants when you go out on
the weekend," says Moores. "Wear something that's not uncomfortable but
that reminds you there are limits to what you should eat."

I personally would recommend a waist-cincher -- that sexy little
modified version of the corset, available at Victoria's Secret or any
lingerie department. To me, it adds a touch of romance to eating less,
and the one I have seems to constrict my stomach, but not at all my
ribs.

Lady Veteran wrote in message . ..
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Hash: SHA1

On 23 Apr 2004 12:34:54 -0700,
(alexbrown77) wrote:

I think that is it on topic for this board. She is just giving us
the heads up that it is more difficult to follow WW on the weekends
because our lifestyles ar

Weight loss is OFF TOPIC for SSFA.

That is TWICE you have been told.


I think that the cited article as an excellent contribution to the
discussion about healthy living in an age of rampant food-abuse and
gluttony.
Weight loss is the one thing that will really help the problems
that obese people have. Making it "off topic" sounds like a death wish
or a desire to drag other people down with you. Isn't that, like,
evil?


Please REMOVE us from your cross post.

LV


Lady Veteran
- -----------------------------------
"I rode a tank and held a general's rank
when the blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank..."
- -Rolling Stones, Sympathy for the Devil
- ------------------------------------------------
People who hide behind anonymous remailers and
ridicule fat people are cowardly idiots with no
motive but malice.
- ---------------------------------------------
"To Do Is To Be" Socrates
"To Be Is To Do" Plato
"Do Be Do Be Do" Sinatra
- -------------------------------


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