Do you eat healthy during the week, then ease off the brakes on the weekend? You’re not alone.
But such a five days on-two days off eating regimen can erode diet quality, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Not only did participants take in more calories on weekends than on weekdays, they were less healthy calories, to boot.
They consumed more alcohol and fat, and ate less of the good stuff, like yogurt, fruits, dark green and orange vegetables, chicken, nuts and seeds, and whole grains.
And if the calories you consume on the weekend exceed the number you take in during the week, that’s a net surplus—read: weight gain.
Besides stalling any weight-loss efforts, weekend junk-food binges can also negatively impact the healthy bacteria in your gut.
A lab study published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research found that cycling on and off junk food was almost as detrimental to the delicate balance of the gut microbiome as eating it all the time.
In particular, a junk-food diet reduces the microbes needed to metabolize flavonoids, a category of micronutrients thought to help with weight loss and brain health.
If you look forward to letting loose on the weekends, find other ways to unwind.
For instance, try a new activity—you’ll burn more calories and boost your weight-loss (or control) efforts.
If going out for a big brunch is your downfall, schedule a trip to the gym instead.
Weekends are also perfect for doing some healthy cooking. Make enough to have for brown-bag lunches so weekday eating is more satisfying.
It’s a vicious cycle: Start a diet. Crave all the foods you cannot have. Fail. Feel guilty. Gain more weight. Start another diet…
According to Kristi Veltkamp, a dietitian at Spectrum Health, there’s good reason why diets don’t work.
“I cannot tell you how many people have said to me, ‘If I would just have been happy where I was before I started dieting,’” Veltkamp said. “Many people gain more weight with diets. There’s a constant desire there to lose the weight, but diets keep setting you up for failure.”
Thankfully, Veltkamp is here to help.
Here are her top 5 tips for how to lose weight … no dieting necessary:
1. Become more aware of when you are truly hungry and when you are full
“Most people don’t really listen to their bodies when they’re eating,” Veltkamp said.
There might be food in front of you, so you eat it all. Or you’re stressed or hurting, so you emotionally eat to distract yourself and cover the pain. Or you’re at a party where everyone’s eating, so you do, too.
She urges people to create a scale for their hunger, where 0 is starving and 10 is stuffed. You should eat at a 3—not too hungry and not too full. Also, remember that hunger is a physical feeling. Try to focus on when you are truly hungry and when you want to eat for other reasons.
To be more aware of when you’re full, she urges slowing down and focusing on eating. It takes most people 20 minutes to recognize when their stomach is full. Put your fork down between bites, sit down, reduce distractions (like television, driving or working) while eating. At home, put a small portion on your plate, and if you’re still hungry, go back for more. At a restaurant, put half of your serving in a box right away, split a meal with someone, or simply divide your food on your plate to give yourself a stopping point to check in and see how full you are.
2. Create a distraction box or list of things to do besides eating
It’s tough to combat the urge to emotionally eat.
“When you’re not hungry, and you want to eat, food is a distraction from what you’re really feeling,” she said.
So Veltkamp suggests creating other distractions besides food. Figure out your most vulnerable place for eating when you’re not hungry (for most people, it’s the room with your television). In that room, keep a box with things you can do, or that will create a distraction, when you want to emotionally eat: nail polish, bubble wrap, knitting, crocheting, adult coloring books, Sudoku, crossword puzzles or journal.
3. Be realistic
Have a realistic view of eating and willpower. If you want a cookie,
don’t deny yourself. Eat one, not 12. Or eat something special once a
week, not every day. Enjoy it, and don’t feel guilty about it. If you
fail and binge, forgive yourself and move on.
4. Plan ahead
Planning meals and surrounding yourself with healthy food sets you up
for success. Veltkamp said if you have planned and shopped for meals
and snacks, you’re less likely to run out and grab fast food or
unhealthy comfort foods.
Do weekly food prep on the weekends so healthy meals are easy to throw together during your busy times. She recommends Pinterest or Yummly to find recipes.
Surround yourself with healthy snacks that combine protein and carbs, such as crackers and cheese, peanut butter, yogurt, trail mix, granola bars, string cheese, hard boiled eggs, or her personal favorite—dark chocolate covered almonds.
Also, she urges people to plan for troublesome scenarios like restaurants and social situations. Look up restaurant menus before you go to plan what you will order. Think about what you will eat at a party before you go. Pick one dessert you want the most and eat that—not everything.
5. Respect yourself
Respect, not accept, where you are. Veltkamp sees many people who
keep bashing themselves and punishing themselves for failed diets. A
healthy mindset can help lead the way to a healthy body.
“If you can start to respect yourself, you can give yourself more freedom to get on with the non-dieting approach,” she said. “Guilt and shame just leads to more over-eating.”
Did you know that the extra calories in a typical restaurant meal can mean a gain of two pounds a year for those who eat out just once a week? (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
People with food allergies aren’t the only ones who need to be aware of menu minefields when eating out. If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s important that you don’t fall prey to these temptations.
It’s not only supersized meals that can be your diet downfall—restaurant meals, in general, have jumped in size. If you’re not careful, the U.S. Department of Agriculture warns that the extra calories in a typical restaurant meal can mean a gain of two pounds a year for those who eat out just once a week.
And, year after year, those pounds can really add up.
At breakfast, say no to over-the-top omelets. Eggs are healthy options at any meal, but dishes that smother them in cheese, sausage and other high-saturated fat ingredients can turn a simple 80-calorie egg into a dish with more than 1,000 calories.
Steer clear of oversized meat portions. A 3-ounce lean filet is a good once-in-a-while choice, but that tempting 16-ounce slab of prime rib delivers 1,400 calories even before you add in all the trimmings.
Pasta-and-protein dishes can more than double the calories of either a simply sauced dish of pasta or a broiled chicken breast, and even more when smothered with cheese or cream sauce.
A “personal” pizza sounds like a sensible serving, but it can come with far more calories than one gooey slice, especially if topped with an assortment of cured meats.
Chicken wings are one of the worst bangs for your buck because 75 percent of the calories come from fatty skin and breading, and provide little protein.
If you crave any of these dishes, make them at home where you can control ingredients and portion sizes.
