Losing Weight is Not As Fast As Assumed? Watch Out For Weekends and Holidays

People who follow a scheme does not often lose as much weight as they should and the results of a recent research could help explain why. Research has shown that people tend to take more weight during the holidays. Recent research, published in the journal Obesity, shows that this is also true for the weekends. Saturday is the worst enemy to the waist, showed she says.

Forty-eight people, 50 to 60 years, having a healthy weight or overweight but not obese have participated in this study which focused on the effects of caloric restriction on longevity. Before the weight loss program on Saturday was the day when the participants ate the most. The extra calories taken the weekend amounted to a weight gain of 4 kg per year.

Participants were followed for one year while a third of them followed a strict diet, a third followed an exercise program and one third maintain their habits. Those who followed the rules or the exercise program tended to lose weight more slowly than expected because they eat more on weekends than the week even if they do not always realize.

Those who followed the rules of losing weight this week but steadily losing the weekend as they take more calories especially on Saturdays. Those who followed the exercise program, lost weight this week and took the weekend because they were eating more on Saturdays and Sundays. The consistency of these results before and during surgery was surprising, said Susan B. Racette, University of Washington, the main author.

To avoid sabotaging the efforts of losing weight on weekends, holidays and vacations, planning is very important, said she. It suggests itself to bring healthy food to go shopping, eat a little before going to a party not to be hungry (e) to prepare a lunch for the road and some output to be alternative to junk food. Pay attention to portion sizes can enjoy the holidays and vacations without sabotaging its efforts to lose weight.

If holidays are not necessarily a good time to try to lose weight, maintain it may be an achievable goal.