The Weekend Is Here

It's easier for most of us to be disciplined about what we eat during the week than on the weekend. The weekdays tend to have a more regular schedule, while weekends can bring a variety of social occasions, parties, opportunities to eat out and more.

If you read the blog post from Feb 28th, you remember that eating consistently across weekends and holidays is one of the keys to success for people who have lost a significant amount of weight and maintained that weight loss!

WEIGHT LOSS = EXPENDING MORE CALORIES THAN YOU CONSUME
There are 3500 calories in a pound, so you need to create a deficit of 500 calories/day to lose 1 pound a week.

If you stick to your plan and create a 500 calorie deficit each day, you will lose 1 pound a week. If you create a 500 calorie deficit for 5 days (Mon-Fri) but than overconsume 1000 calories on each of your weekend days (Sat & Sun) your weekly balance is only -500.

Since there are 3500 calories in a pound, it will take you 7 weeks to lose 1 pound if this is your pattern! Most of us are not that patient and will abandon our plan out of frustration.

You may be thinking -"Yeah, but I wouldn't overeat 1000 calories, that's a lot!" Here is what 1000 calories looks like:
Margarita: ~400-500 kcal
2 oz tortilla chips: ~300kcal
3 TBS queso & 2 TBS guacamole: ~200kcal

or how about this:
Bagel (large): ~380 kcal
2 TBS Cream Cheese: ~200 kcal
Caramel latte: ~410 kcal

Is it easier to overeat 1000 calories than you expected? Have you felt frustrated by your inability to lose weight when you feel like you're being "so good"? It can take just 2 days to cancel out 5 days of hard work! Stay consistent and make wise choices.

Save hundreds a day

You know that weight loss is a matter of math - calories in need to be less than calories out. The rate of weight loss depends on how large of a deficit you create.

If you are serious about losing weight, one change you need to make is DRINK WATER instead of other beverages. Buy a 32 ounce water bottle and fill it up twice a day. That is the baseline water requirement for most people (you may need more if you are exercising strenuously or outside in the heat).

Depending on your current diet, you could easily save hundreds of calories, probably primarily sugar, and also a lot of money. Think about carrying your own water vs. buying drinks from vending machines or gas stations, and not adding drinks to restaurant bill. That $$$ seriously adds up over time!

Stay tuned for more info about various beverage choices...