Are the weekends holding you back from achieving your fat loss goals?
We should know that fat loss occurs when we are in a calorie deficit, meaning we burn off more than we consume. If we look at this over the course of the week, it may identify where we are going wrong.
For example, you may ‘eat well’ Monday to Thursday, consuming around 1500 calories but it is very common for people to consume over double that Friday through to Sunday. Say you consume 3500 calories Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Our overall calorie intake for the week may be 16500 (4 days @ 1500 and 3 @ 3500). Split this up over the week and your average daily intake is 2357.
Many people wonder why they don’t lose fat, when they think they eat very little during the week and don’t realise the amount of calories they consume over the weekend.
If you don’t think you consume many calories over the weekends have a look at the charts below……..
I would never recommend people do not go out and enjoy theirselves. However, to ensure you are still on track with your fat loss goals you should try and avoid binging all weekend. If 80-90% of the foods you consume are from good quality, nutritious, ‘single ingredient’ foods then you should be able to incorporate a bit of what you enjoy over the weekends.
It is all about adopting a moderate approach on a consistent basis.
Here are some quick tips and advice for the weekend to ensure you stay on track but also have an enjoyable weekend.
• Stay active – if you intend on eating a wee bit more then balance this out with exercise. If your off at the weekend then you should have more time to go for a run, gym, home workout etc – get the family or friends involved aswell.
• If you have a big night planned that you know you will be consuming more calories than normal then take on less during the day. If your out on Saturday night for a meal and beers try a low carb approach during the day. Fill up on lots of salad and veg and soe good protein sources to keep you full but keeping calories low.
• Try and get back on track the next day – don’t adopt the “f**k it, I’ll start again on Monday” approach. Have your treat, enjoy it, and get back on track.
• Spirits contain fewer calories than beer,wine and cider…….
• If your out for a meal you should try and plan what you are having in advance, speak to the chef, most will be happy to make minor changes to a dish to make it a bit healthier. If a dish comes with sauce, ask for it on the side and use sparingly, ask for extra veg, have a starter instead of a pudding etc.
There is lots of strategies that you could adopt, but don’t think you can’t have treats – we can incorporate them if the majority of our lifestyle is good. We never tell people to stop doing things they enjoy, just find a way to incorporate them into your lifestyle while still making progress.
Coach Milligan 