Reach Your Health and Fitness Goals By Avoiding Weekend Weight Gain!

Many of us who are focusing on eating healthier and paying attention to our caloric intake find it more difficult to do so on the weekends. This is usually the time we go out to eat, spend time with family and friends and for the most part, they don’t eat like us. The weekends are usually the time we relax from the hustle and bustle of work and I believe subconsciously we relax from the hustle and bustle of maintaining our health and fitness standards.

 I know that you don’t want all of your hard work to go to waste. It took all week to lose that wonderful 2 pounds and all it takes is 1 bad meal or 2 to put it back on! I can remember this being so frustrating to me when I was trying to lose weight. I would usually give up on my weight loss goals because of what would take place over the weekends. I have since overcome the dreaded weekend weight gain, going on to lose over 80 pounds, and just wanted to share a few tips with you!

• You must be conscious of the weekend weight gain monster (WWGM)!  Ignorance is not bliss. To pretend like it doesn’t exist is to allow it to wreak weight gain havoc in your life! The WWGM is your enemy. It wants you to feel bad on Monday so that you get frustrated and give up on your health and fitness goals. Being mindful, makes you think twice when go out to eat or before you start stuffing unaccounted for food in your mouth. The goal is to make the WWGM mad!

• Keep a food journal daily! Don’t get lazy on the weekends. This is a daily fight and keeping a food journal will keep you conscious of what you are eating on a daily basis. I was surprised at how just keeping a journal makes me eat less automatically.

• Count your calories! You don’t get an “I don’t have to count calories on the weekend pass!” When you go out to eat, go to restaurants that give you the nutritional information. Nowadays this is much easier to do as more restaurants are putting this info right on the menus.

• Plan! Know what you are going to eat in advance so you can plan your meals accordingly and not be taken by surprise later on. So let’s say, I know that I’m going to the movies today. I know that I’m going to eat popcorn with all the fixings. So for breakfast I eat something light, like a green food smoothie or a protein shake so that at the end of the day I have still created a calorie deficit.

• Treat Yourself! I don’t feel guilty when I go to the movies and eat popcorn! That’s my time, to eat what I want. Like I said I don’t go crazy with it and eat all kinds of high calorie foods all day long. I’m very conscious of what I’m eating for the rest of the day and perhaps the next few days, depending on how much popcorn I allow myself to eat! The key is to have a treat meal not a treat day!

• Exercise!  Some of us choose not to workout on the weekends. If you have been a victim of the WWGM, I would say that you need to include some type of physical activity in your weekend routine. Especially on the day you treat yourself. This could be a recreational activity or a 20 minute cardio session. Remember even on the weekends we have to find a way to create a caloric deficit!

 In order to reach our health and fitness goals we must be mindful of what we are eating on a daily basis. If for some reason you did gain a pound or two don’t give up on your weight loss goals. Find out where you went wrong. Usually it’s an unconscious routine or cycle that you have been on. If you have been keeping a journal you will be able to pinpoint it and come up with a plan of action to thwart it. Just remember to stay focused, stay consistent and enjoy the process! My goal is for you to Reign in Health and Fitness. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

I help aspiring and established women entrepreneurs who struggle with achieving their health and fitness goals, to lose weight, increase their energy, boost their confidence and increase their brand integrity so that they are poised, fit and motivated to start, manage and grow their business! For more info visit http://www.shelitawilliams.com and to get your Free gifts! Subscribe to Shelita’s blog at http://www.shelitawilliams.blogspot.com Join us in our Facebook group for FREE Health and Fitness Tips!