How to Avoid Weekend Weight Gain

For many of us, maintaining a healthy schedule during the week is simple. Since most people typically have the same schedule each week, it’s easy to fall into a workout routine, diet, and sleep schedule without too much of a struggle. However, once the weekend comes around, this schedule is often broken up by weekend plans. It’s tempting to get home on a Friday night and drop all those weight loss commitments we had during the week, but the truth is, this could be slowing your weight loss progress significantly. In this blog, we’re going to talk about avoiding weekend weight gain habits that many of us fall victim to.

Change your attitude

The first step to correcting your weekend schedule and preventing weekend weight gain is to change your outlook on weekends entirely. Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay to let loose on the weekend, but it’s a matter of maintaining the core values that you worked so hard to keep all week. For example, if your normal routine on a Friday night is to come home, lay on the couch, and eat a liter of ice cream, instead limit yourself to a couple scoops. Just because you want to lose weight doesn’t mean you have to completely give up your guilty pleasures, you just need to be more in control of them.

Make breakfast

Chances are, during the week, you don’t have much time to make yourself a decent breakfast. When the weekend hits, you should always take the opportunity to do this for yourself. Not only will this get you up and moving early, but you’ll get a decent meal in early so that you’ll be more likely to avoid snacking later in the day or eating an oversized lunch. If you manage to get yourself up relatively early and make yourself a meal, you’ll feel much better throughout the day and generally feel more motivated.

Keep the same sleep schedule

Many people feel tired after the weekend, not because they did more than they do during the week, but because they drastically change their sleep schedule. These changes will alter your circadian rhythm making your feel tired once the week comes, and if you’re tired at the beginning of the week, your weekday schedule will suffer as a result. Even if it may seem like a crazy idea to wake up at six or seven o’clock on a weekend, trust us, you’ll thank us later! If you do alter your sleep schedule slightly, make sure you’re getting to bed slightly earlier and waking up at the same time.

Avoiding weekend weight gain is an important part of having a great weight loss schedule. Going from a strict work schedule to two days of freedom can take a toll on our bodies. Read our next blog to learn more ways to manage your weight on the weekend and visit Fitness Specialists to learn how to start your own in-home gym. Contact us if you have any questions about what we have to offer.