Saturday can be the worst day of the week for our waistlines according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine. Researchers found in this study that participants on a strict diet and exercise programs lost weight more slowly than expected due to weekend deviations.
Research has always confirmed that people tend to gain weight during the time period from Thanksgiving to New Years, this is the first study done that closely monitors caloric intake and expenditure throughout the year. What the study found is really not that surprising, caloric intake increases on most weekends because of a lifestyle change. We tend do be more social dining out and our eating patterns become less structured with demands from family and friend commitments. Unfortunately, this type of lifestyle havoc can increase our weight by nine pounds a year.
Planning ahead cannot be emphasized enough. If your going to your child’s baseball game pack your own snack bag so you won’t be forced to eat fast food, going to a party, have a snack prior to the party so the minute you arrive you will not devour the appetizers. This type of planning does require some trouble shooting. After some time this new behavior will become ingrained and you have developed a new positive lifestyle tool.