For most people, it’s a vicious cycle: Near-perfect eating habits during the week, which often crumble into a diet of fries and pizza during the weekend.
For those who can’t resist the urge to splurge during the weekend, it’s often a habit hard to break–but now researchers say this isn’t such a bad idea.
Reporting their findings in the journal Obesity Facts, researchers say that those who don’t follow their diets on the weekend are actually normal eaters–and in the long term, may lose more weight than those who follow their diets all week long.
“There is a clear weekly rhythm to weight variation for most people,” says Anna-Leena Orsama, a research scientist from the VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, who helped author the study. “On the weekends there is more variability and unpredictability in what we eat.”
Why You Lose Weight On Weekends
It’s a surprising statistic: Splurging on weekends could help you lose weight, not gain.
But it’s something now proven by science, according to researchers.
Orsama, co-author of the study, first recruited 80 healthy adults to participate in the study, ranging from ages 25 to 62 years old. Orsama asked them to record their weight each day after waking up, regardless if they were on a diet. Orsama then grouped them into three groups: Those maintaining their weight, those who lost at least 3 percent of their body weight, and those gained at least 1 percent of their body weight.
After looking at the data, a curious pattern began to form: Those on a diet weighed the most on Sunday and Monday.
However, they managed to weigh the least on Fridays–something that didn’t even occur for those maintaining their weight.
“Weight variations between weekdays and weekends should be considered normal instead of weight gain,” says Orsama. “On the weekends people have more time to go out and eat. Some indulging during weekends makes no harm but for successful weight loss it is important to notice these rhythms and take steps to reverse the upward trends after the weekend, even if it has to wait until Monday.”
However, researchers note that the dieters’ weekend splurges didn’t mean binging on pasta and pizza–while their caloric intake increased, it didn’t in such a rapid or uncontrollable way. Those who decided to binge during the weekends weren’t able to lose weight or keep the weight off, especially if they continued these bad habits after Monday.
“The big difference between those who gain weight over time and those who lose or maintain weight is directly related to the way they eat from Monday to Friday,” says Brian Wansink, a Cornell University behavioral economist and study author. “Some indulging during weekends makes no harm but for successful weight loss it is important to notice these rhythms and take steps to reverse the upward trends.”
Lesson learned here? Splurging on a few no-no items during the weekend can help you continue to lose weight, but it’s not an excuse to binge.
Readers: Do you cheat during the weekends? Why or why not?
Sources:
Relax! Weekend Weight Gain Won’t Kill Your Diet – CNN.com
Why Weight Fluctuation Isn’t Bad on a Diet – MedicalDaily.com
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