Hot Topics: Weekend Binging Could Be the Culprit of Failed Diet Efforts

Two out of seven days in the week can make a huge difference in weight maintenance and many people don’t realize this.  There is a solid misconception out there that eating healthy during the week makes it acceptable to literally ‘take the weekends off’ and eat whatever you want.  I know so many people who fall into this trend, as weekdays tend to have more structure than weekends, but a recent article on msnbc.msn.com shares how detrimental this habit can actually be to your health.

About 600 men and women kept track of all foods consumed by their entire household over a period of two weeks.  Professors from the University of Pittsburgh and Quinnipiac University analyzed the data to find that on the weekends people tend to eat more than during the week.  This is by no means shocking, in fact, it’s expected.  I’m sure I consume more food on the weekends too as I’m more likely to eat out more.  This is an important thing to think about because as it turns out, binging on the weekends can definitely affect your body.

“Many dieters feel as though they're dieting all the time but not losing weight, when, in fact, they're creating a calorie deficit Monday through Friday but filling it — and more — during the weekend," says dietitian and exercise physiologist Kim Gorman, MS, RD, Weight Management Program director at the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado at Denver.

Our best bet is to be mindful of weekend calorie consumption and to not write it off as if these days are a break from some highly regimented routine.  It’s crucial to have a sustainable routine that allows for some leeway during the week so that when the weekend comes around there is no need to veer off course.  The article also lists some suggestions that I’ll summarize:

Keep close to your typical sleep schedule.  If you’re eating at the same time every day, you’re more likely to stick with your healthy eating habits.  Eat breakfast just as you normally do.  Avoid massive breakfast meals that leave you feeling full and sluggish – lunch will come soon enough.

Weigh in.  I’ve never been a numbers person, meaning that I don’t keep a close eye on the scale, but this is good advice for those who need to see the consequences of their weekend eating habits.  Gorman suggests, “A great way to gain insight as to what's going on during the weekend is to weigh in on the Friday morning and then again on Monday morning."

Log it.  "Evidence shows that self-monitoring — whether it's routine weigh-ins or daily food logging — absolutely works as a tool for weight loss and weight maintenance," says Gorman.  Fitday.com is one of my favorite free, online resources that allows you to enter in your food intake and physical activity to help you either maintain your current weight or achieve your personal goals.

Make weekend workouts a priority.  Gorman provides even more insight on this one: "The majority of people in the National Weight Control Registry — a group of more than 5,000 people who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for one year or more — don't continue to log food on a daily basis.  What they do is use high levels of physical activity — 60 to 90 minutes a day — to maintain their weight loss.”  This can be really helpful in canceling out weekend indulgences that you just cannot – and should not – live without!