Do you get frustrated from weekend weight gain?
You go Monday through Friday each week, kicking butt and taking names then enjoy one or two small Indulgence on the weekend, only to find yourself weighing 2, 3 or 5 lbs heavier on Monday.
What the heck right!?
Here’s the first thing that you need to consider…
1.) Did you eat 2, 3 or 5 lb of food? Chances are you did not.
So what you need to realize is that a lot of the weight gain you are seeing a day or two after a cheat meal is excess water and bloating. This is simply your body’s response to something foreign.
Here’s the second thing that you need to consider…
2.) If it’s that hard to lose 2, 3 or 5 lb Monday through Friday, do you really think you can gain that much in only one or two bad meals on the weekend?
Of course not! Again, it’s just your body adjusting.
So keep this in mind… Every gram of carbohydrates you eat, your body needs water in order to digest.
This means that instead of excreting excess fluid like usual (peeing), your body will hold on to that additional fluid in order to digest those additional carbohydrates.
The same reason applies when you cut out carbohydrates and you are able to lose a quick 3, 5 or 10 lb of water weight on a low carb diet.
So if you do not give yourself credit when you first start a diet of losing water weight, why do you beat yourself up over gaining a few pounds of water weight after working so hard during the week?
The answer is, you shouldn’t!
Cheat meals on the weekends should be a healthy part of your long-term success plan.
==> These meals should include foods that you love, crave and enjoy most.
==> They should be enjoyed in moderation and not an all-out gluttonous attack.
==> They should only be included if you were on track and stayed on your meal plan throughout the week.
==> They should only contribute to one or two of your total meals each week.
So instead of sweating an extra couple of pounds that you see on the scale on Monday morning, just restart your healthy eating and move on.
Or you could just throw on an extra long sleeve t-shirt or sweatshirt to go for a walk to sweat off your delicious weekend treat.
Remember that your “fitness journey” is really just a fancy way of saying you are living a healthier and more balanced lifestyle.
Remember that your “diet” is really just a fancy way of saying you are eating a healthier and more balanced selection of food.
Neither definition requires you to starve, suffer, regret or anything else.
They only require balance and moving forward to the next meal, workout and choice!
Tomorrow is a new day. Carpe Diem.
Committed to your fitness success,
Derek Kuryliw, your fitness Yoda 🙂
