I generally tend to loosen up a bit on the weekend regarding diet. I don't go mad...but I'll maybe have some bread with breakfast, or a chinese take away. Maybe some beers. And to be honest I think that is Ok, given that the obsessive focus that I sometimes give to diet and exercise is not really healthy. it is good to loosen up a bit.
However, this is a new study that would indicate that you need to be aware of the danger of getting too loose on the weekend.....folks tend to eat more the weekend....and do less exercise and that can accumulate.
This is from the latest issue of Obesity
Influence of Weekend Lifestyle Patterns on Body Weight
Objective: To determine whether alterations in diet and/or activity patterns during weekends contribute to weight gain or hinder weight loss.
Methods and Procedures: Randomized, controlled trial comparing 1 year of caloric restriction (CR) with 1 year of daily exercise (EX). Subjects included 48 healthy adults (30F, 18M) aged 50–60 years with BMI 23.5–29.9 kg/m2. Body weight was measured on 7 consecutive mornings for a total of 165 weeks at baseline and 437 weeks during the 1-year interventions. Daily weight changes were calculated for weekends (Friday to Monday) and weekdays (Monday to Friday). Daily energy intake was estimated using food diaries; daily physical activity was measured using accelerometers. Both measures were validated against doubly labeled water (DLW).
Results: At baseline, participants consistently gained weight on weekend days (+0.06 0.03 kg/day, (mean s.e.), P = 0.02), but not on weekdays (-0.02 0.02 kg/day, P = 0.18). This was attributable to higher dietary intake on Saturdays and lower physical activity on Sundays relative to weekdays (both P < 0.05). During the interventions, both CR and EX participants were in negative energy balance on weekdays (P < 0.005). On weekends, however, CR participants stopped losing weight, and EX participants gained weight (+0.08 0.03 kg/day, P < 0.0001) due to higher dietary intakes on weekends. This helps to explain the slower-than-expected rate of weight loss during the interventions.
Discussion: Alterations in lifestyle behaviors on weekends contribute to weight gain or cessation of weight loss on weekends. These results provide one explanation for the relatively slow rates of weight loss observed in many studies, and the difficulty with maintaining significant weight loss.
However, this is a new study that would indicate that you need to be aware of the danger of getting too loose on the weekend.....folks tend to eat more the weekend....and do less exercise and that can accumulate.
This is from the latest issue of Obesity
Influence of Weekend Lifestyle Patterns on Body Weight
Objective: To determine whether alterations in diet and/or activity patterns during weekends contribute to weight gain or hinder weight loss.
Methods and Procedures: Randomized, controlled trial comparing 1 year of caloric restriction (CR) with 1 year of daily exercise (EX). Subjects included 48 healthy adults (30F, 18M) aged 50–60 years with BMI 23.5–29.9 kg/m2. Body weight was measured on 7 consecutive mornings for a total of 165 weeks at baseline and 437 weeks during the 1-year interventions. Daily weight changes were calculated for weekends (Friday to Monday) and weekdays (Monday to Friday). Daily energy intake was estimated using food diaries; daily physical activity was measured using accelerometers. Both measures were validated against doubly labeled water (DLW).
Results: At baseline, participants consistently gained weight on weekend days (+0.06 0.03 kg/day, (mean s.e.), P = 0.02), but not on weekdays (-0.02 0.02 kg/day, P = 0.18). This was attributable to higher dietary intake on Saturdays and lower physical activity on Sundays relative to weekdays (both P < 0.05). During the interventions, both CR and EX participants were in negative energy balance on weekdays (P < 0.005). On weekends, however, CR participants stopped losing weight, and EX participants gained weight (+0.08 0.03 kg/day, P < 0.0001) due to higher dietary intakes on weekends. This helps to explain the slower-than-expected rate of weight loss during the interventions.
Discussion: Alterations in lifestyle behaviors on weekends contribute to weight gain or cessation of weight loss on weekends. These results provide one explanation for the relatively slow rates of weight loss observed in many studies, and the difficulty with maintaining significant weight loss.
Comments
The only variable is glycogen stores and the water weight gain that goes with it. If you tend to eat less carbs during the week (say, fibrous green veggie carbs, measured amounts of fruit and beans) and if on your weekend you consume higher GI carbs like pizza, sushi and some sweets, then there will be a larger, albeit temporary, scale jump on Monday morning.
There are people who with calculation and intent low-carb it during the week and take in measured (or at least reasonable) amounts of higher GI carbs on the weekend. Handled properly, it can be quite anabolic. Handled improperly, it will get you fat! :)