10 Tips to Avoid Weekend Weight Gain
Many of you will gain weight this weekend if you're not careful. You can easily gain 5-10 pounds over a three-day weekend. How can you continue to burn fat and maintain your weight while enjoying the weekend? Read on............
Make plans for the weekend just as you do for regular week days. It is crucial that you make plans for what you are going to eat, especially if you are traveling. Hasty eating decisions often lead to high-calorie fast food or overeating.
What about your workouts for the weekend?
I recommend you work out at least two of the three weekend days. Since time is at a premium on weekends, intense 30-minute bodyweight cardio sessions work well because you get the dual benefits of strength and cardio in one workout.
Bodyweight exercises like squats, squat jumps, pushups, pullups, burpees, inverted rows, triceps dips on bars, jumping jacks, planks, bridges and back extensions are exercises you can do anywhere.
But, you must plan to do it or you probably won’t!
In the following excerpt from a Medline Plus article, “Can't Find Time to Exercise? Schedule It," it says:
"A lot of it has to do with time, said Michael R. Bracko, a sports physiologist and director of the Institute for Hockey Research in Calgary, Canada. Not just the amount of time people have, but also the amount of time they think they have."
"In this day and age, with all the stuff we have going on, probably the number one reason is perceived lack of time, Bracko said. People don't view exercise or physical activity as important enough to schedule it within their day. They can't find the time to work out. They've got kids, they're driving around, they're working, they're commuting."
If you are traveling for a long four-day weekend, take extra steps to manage your weight. Follow my three tips:
1. Walk 30 minutes every day. In my opinion, walking continues to be an underutilized exercise option for many. Walk whenever you can instead of riding.
Some every day examples?
--walk to the store
--walk to work, if feasible
--don't park your car as close as you can to the store entrance
--take the stairs instead of the elevator (I once worked on the 27th floor of a building. It was a tiring walk.)
--don't use a riding mower to cut your grass
If you're traveling, you can still walk but be careful.
2. Exercise at your hotel room or gym.
3. Plan your menus and pack your food. You can also plan healthy meals at the restaurants you will be visiting. This will help you avoid the fast food trap and haphazard eating.
Here are 7 more tips to help you manage your weight during the weekend:
4. If you aren't exercising, the weekend would be a great time to start.
5. Stick to your normal meal plan as much as possible during the weekend.
You will gain weight if you maintain a caloric surplus (eat more calories than you burn).
6. If you drink alcohol, do it in moderation. Alcohol has seven calories per gram.
Only fat (9 cal/g) provides more calories than alcohol. So, when you are planning your food and drink consumption, don't forget the calories from alcohol. When you take a drink of alcohol, your body converts a small amount of it into fat and the rest is converted (by the liver) into a substance called acetate. This acetate is then quickly released into the bloodstream and used as the body's main source of energy.
So, your body is using the acetate for energy instead of the stored fat in your body. The more you drink, the more fat your body will store (many times belly fat).
Added to this problem is the fact that alcohol consumption can increase your appetite. Researchers from Denmark found that a group of men ate more when they were served beer or wine and they ate less when served a soft drink.
7. Don't graze during the weekend. Grazing is eating haphazardly without purpose. The calories will stack up quickly if you do this.
8. Stay active as much as possible. Walking every day will help you stay active and keep your fat-burning enzymes working for you.
9. Drink water. This will help you limit sugary drinks that pack on belly fat. Your body is about two-thirds water. Drink water and unsweetened drinks (like tea) most of the time. It will help you eat less and help your body function better.
Drink about half your weight in water every day. So, if you weigh 160 pounds, drink 80 ounces of water each day.
10. Get your rest during the weekend to keep your metabolism functioning properly. If you are exhausted after the weekend, your work week and exercise will probably suffer.
Manage your weight this weekend with proper planning and action.
Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster! There are 3 levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Start at your level.
Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
My Fitness Hut
Make plans for the weekend just as you do for regular week days. It is crucial that you make plans for what you are going to eat, especially if you are traveling. Hasty eating decisions often lead to high-calorie fast food or overeating.
What about your workouts for the weekend?
I recommend you work out at least two of the three weekend days. Since time is at a premium on weekends, intense 30-minute bodyweight cardio sessions work well because you get the dual benefits of strength and cardio in one workout.
Bodyweight exercises like squats, squat jumps, pushups, pullups, burpees, inverted rows, triceps dips on bars, jumping jacks, planks, bridges and back extensions are exercises you can do anywhere.
But, you must plan to do it or you probably won’t!
In the following excerpt from a Medline Plus article, “Can't Find Time to Exercise? Schedule It," it says:
"A lot of it has to do with time, said Michael R. Bracko, a sports physiologist and director of the Institute for Hockey Research in Calgary, Canada. Not just the amount of time people have, but also the amount of time they think they have."
"In this day and age, with all the stuff we have going on, probably the number one reason is perceived lack of time, Bracko said. People don't view exercise or physical activity as important enough to schedule it within their day. They can't find the time to work out. They've got kids, they're driving around, they're working, they're commuting."
If you are traveling for a long four-day weekend, take extra steps to manage your weight. Follow my three tips:
1. Walk 30 minutes every day. In my opinion, walking continues to be an underutilized exercise option for many. Walk whenever you can instead of riding.
Some every day examples?
--walk to the store
--walk to work, if feasible
--don't park your car as close as you can to the store entrance
--take the stairs instead of the elevator (I once worked on the 27th floor of a building. It was a tiring walk.)
--don't use a riding mower to cut your grass
If you're traveling, you can still walk but be careful.
2. Exercise at your hotel room or gym.
3. Plan your menus and pack your food. You can also plan healthy meals at the restaurants you will be visiting. This will help you avoid the fast food trap and haphazard eating.
Here are 7 more tips to help you manage your weight during the weekend:
4. If you aren't exercising, the weekend would be a great time to start.
5. Stick to your normal meal plan as much as possible during the weekend.
You will gain weight if you maintain a caloric surplus (eat more calories than you burn).
6. If you drink alcohol, do it in moderation. Alcohol has seven calories per gram.
Only fat (9 cal/g) provides more calories than alcohol. So, when you are planning your food and drink consumption, don't forget the calories from alcohol. When you take a drink of alcohol, your body converts a small amount of it into fat and the rest is converted (by the liver) into a substance called acetate. This acetate is then quickly released into the bloodstream and used as the body's main source of energy.
So, your body is using the acetate for energy instead of the stored fat in your body. The more you drink, the more fat your body will store (many times belly fat).
Added to this problem is the fact that alcohol consumption can increase your appetite. Researchers from Denmark found that a group of men ate more when they were served beer or wine and they ate less when served a soft drink.
7. Don't graze during the weekend. Grazing is eating haphazardly without purpose. The calories will stack up quickly if you do this.
8. Stay active as much as possible. Walking every day will help you stay active and keep your fat-burning enzymes working for you.
9. Drink water. This will help you limit sugary drinks that pack on belly fat. Your body is about two-thirds water. Drink water and unsweetened drinks (like tea) most of the time. It will help you eat less and help your body function better.
Drink about half your weight in water every day. So, if you weigh 160 pounds, drink 80 ounces of water each day.
10. Get your rest during the weekend to keep your metabolism functioning properly. If you are exhausted after the weekend, your work week and exercise will probably suffer.
Manage your weight this weekend with proper planning and action.
Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster! There are 3 levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Start at your level.
Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
My Fitness Hut
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