6 Things to Do on Friday for a Weekend of Weight Loss

It’s Friday! Congratulations. On this day of celebration, the last thing you probably want to think about is talking about weight loss—you’ve worked all week and want to cut loose! While you should relax, know that the weekends can be a results-crusher after a week of great weight loss work: Studies have shown that dieters eat more extra calories on Saturdays than any other day and why, according to a study, people usually weigh in heaviest on Monday mornings—they’ve just finished a two-day binge. The solution? A weekend weight loss plan!

It doesn’t have to be all plates of carrots and drudgery, though.

A Weight Loss Tip for Every Day of the Week

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Follow these six tips on Friday to set yourself up for weekend weight loss:

1. Start the day with a protein-rich breakfast.

Fridays can be full of temptations: Coworkers bring in baked treats, a cool manager might order pizza for the office or people might invite you to an extended lunch. You’ve only got so much willpower: Eating protein in the a.m. can make it go farther: Protein takes longer for your body to digest, so it stays in your system, making you feel fuller, longer, than a fast-acting carb breakfast. That’s probably why, in a 2013 study, overweight people who ate breakfast with 35 grams of protein ate fewer high-fat, high-sugar snacks in the evening compared with those who ate cereal or no breakfast at all. If you’re on the Nutrisystem program, you’re in luck: All of our meals and snacks are prepared with the best balance of protein, carbs and fats. So dive right in to one of our morning meals (and feel free to add one of your PowerFuel allotments with the meal for an added protein boost if you’d like!).

Click here to find weight loss-friendly, high-protein breakfasts to start your day right >

2. Hold off until Happy Hour.

Once you’ve got a good plan, the key to weekend weight loss success is compliance. But nobody’s perfect: That’s why many coaches and diets aim for an 85 to 90 percent compliance rate for success. So if you’re on-plan that percentage of the time, you increase your chances of seeing results. If you’ve got 21 meals per week, an 85-percent success rate is about 18 on-plan meals each week. So don’t use up all your splurges on Friday with a big, lavish lunch and trips to the vending machine, or else you won’t have any wiggle room for the weekend. Besides, Saturday is best for splurges: Studies have shown that’s the day dieters consume the most extra calories.

How to Have a Healthier Happy Hour

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So on Friday, hold off until Happy Hour. Eat your normal meals on your plan, eating healthy snacks that you’ve planned for and enjoy a celebratory treat that evening as you remember the week’s success.

3. Gameplan: Look at Saturday’s menu now.

If you’re headed out to dinner Saturday, look at the menu for the restaurant online on Friday. If your Saturday meal isn’t planned as a cheat, look for options that will fit in with your weight loss goals, with lean protein, lots of veggies and in reasonable portions. If the restaurant’s a chain, you can probably even find calorie counts listed online for more precision in your decision.

If Saturday’s meal is a cheat, look at reviews: If you’re going to have your splurge, make sure what you’re ordering is going to be good. And once you’re there, even if it is your splurge, stick to a reasonable portion: Consult this Eating Out Guide to make sure you are sticking to your weekend weight loss plan no matter where you go out to eat.

Click on the link below to see the full Eating Out Guide with tips on how to eat at every type of restaurant you might go to this weekend!

The Nutrisystem Dining Out Guide

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4. Chop it up.

If you’re going to be spending some weekend time at home curled up watching movies or yelling at a football game with friends, be prepared: Spend a few minutes this morning cutting up vegetables and fruits into bite-size pieces in snack-sized containers to stock the fridge. Then, when it’s TV time—or just when you get snackish—there will be healthy options that are as easy to grab as any bag of junk. And the act of cutting them could be helpful overall: In a study from the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, more time spent on food prep was associated with healthier eating habits—like eating more fruits and veggies—and with saving money on food. How’s that for some weekend weight loss?

If fruits and vegetables just won’t do, try one of these 20 delicious, weight loss-friendly snack options >

5. Plan a longer workout for the weekend.

Come on, you’ve got the time and it doesn’t have to be a slog. Become a tourist in your own hometown: Look on sites like TripAdvisor for high-rated hikes, walks and parks you haven’t visited before and grab a friend or reconnect with your spouse over a longer walk than you’d normally do during the week. The walk will also help you create and retain new memories—literally: In a nine-year study, those who walked six to nine miles per week lowered their risk of developing memory loss by half compared to those who walked less. The study, published in a 2010 issue of the journal Neurology, found that the walkers had more gray matter in their brains.

10 Reasons to Go For a Walk Today

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6. Set your Saturday alarm for the normal time.

You may be tempted to sleep in, but shifting your wake-up time significantly can shift your sleep cycle—leading to worse sleep all week. A study of 2,700 high school students found that weekend sleep shifts left them “jet lagged” when they got to school on Monday, affecting their performance and weekly sleep schedule. Also, losing sleep can cause weight gain: Losing as little as 30 minutes of sleep every weekday can result in weight gain and have significant effects on insulin resistance, increasing your risk for Type 2 diabetes.

So set your Saturday alarm for the normal time: You might need an extra cup of coffee, but you’ll sleep better when the weekdays roll back around—and be better rested to stay on the weight loss path.

Sleep Better Tonight to Lose Weight Tomorrow

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The post 6 Things to Do on Friday for a Weekend of Weight Loss appeared first on The Leaf.

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Hello, first post (I've lurked) and I'm just mentioning something that works for me (and an ask for any tips :) )

I'm trying to lose weight for all the normal reasons, but there are two extra incentives at the moment (a) there's a virus going round that likes you if you are obese and over 50, so I wanna hide as a skinny person and (b) my workplace is being taken over so there is a good chance I'll be made redundant and I think if you are thin you do better at interviews. I've lost 36 pounds but have since gone up and down by 6 lbs. I really want to get under 200lbs (I'm 6lbs away) and ultimately to around 150 (5.5 female) but I find that i get too impatient, over focus and get extreme and fall off the wagon. Like most of us weight is one issue in life, my other issues are finishing tasks around the house and putting off trying new things. What I've been doing is journaling, with pictures and setting myself 6 to 8 small tasks each day. today's include sorting out clothes for the reuse shop and putting away and cleaning some outside pots (the pots have shamefully been in a corner for 2 years). This is really working for me, not only do you see incremental changes at home (I'm sure none of you are as big a prevaricator as me!) but it focuses, not on the weightloss, but as the transforming of your life to the way you want it to be. Next weeks task will focus on decorating a room, small bit by small bit ;) . I mark myself everyday (because that's me ;) ) but it really has lifted my spirits and stopped the focus on weight loss over everything else. I'm losing weight, but I'm not going to weigh myself for a month (and that doesn't feel un-achievable!), I'm just enjoying, genuinely enjoying, my little successes outside of weight loss. this may not work for anyone else, but I thought I'd put it out there Happy Friday people, and thank you for a supportive board.

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NSV: My progress made a friend start her own weight loss journey

I think this may one of my favorite NSVs so far...

So I (really) started my weight loss journey in February/ March, right when the pandemic hit my country hard and we were supposed to stay home as much as possible. Because of this, I didn't see any friends until July, when a friend had a small birthday dinner, and by this time I had already lost around 45 pounds (want to lose around 70 total). Some friends commented and were happy for me but other than that and me thanking them, we didn't talk about it much so I was happy but moved on quickly.

Well... Last week another friend had another small birthday dinner and one of the girls there (who had also been to the first dinner in July) was thinner! So we start talking about it more, and she tells me that it was because of me! She saw my progress in July and it motivated her to start as well and so far she's lost already around 20 pounds!

I wasn't expecting how good this would feel, for my journey and my effort to potentially be a positive influence on someone else. Honestly lately at around 55 pounds lost it hasn't been that exciting anymore watching the numbers drop, and this was just the motivation I needed to keep going until my goal :)

Has anyone had a similar experience?

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Feeling deflated - both physically and mentally

I’ve lost 90lbs in the past 3 years, from 283 to 192. It’s been a long effort, and I am proud of myself. but....

All through my teens and twenties I was so frustrated and disappointed with my pear shape. 36B bra with 2XL-3XL butt. The only upside to getting to 283 was that finally I had a bigger chest. 38D. Still pear shaped but was very happy with my chest for the first time ever.

As i’ve lost weight i’ve held off bra shopping, mostly because I don’t want to spend money on bras until i get to goal (160), but finally my weight loss got to the point that my bras were actually causing me pain. Because there’s no flesh to fill them out they are digging in between the cups. The cups themselves are half empty and just ridiculous.

So i finally bit the bullet and went tonight to get some “good enough” bras and I am so sad. My breasts honestly look like sad pancakes. I barely fill a 36B with all this skin flopping around all the edges everywhere. Everywhere but in the cups. I wanted to cry in the change room.

My husband says he doesn’t care, but I know he prefers large breasts. I know he loves me but i’m so sad that he got stuck with this sad deflated set of balloons.

I’m not going to quit or give up, i know my health is so much better now than it was. I’m just sad that I never once got to see my body look the best it could. Now it’s just as good as it can be -considering all the damage i’ve done to it.

anyone else gone through this? does it get any easier to accept?

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Question about CICO

I've been told, over and over and over again that the key for losing weight is CICO. That is doesn't really matter what you do unless you eat less than what you use. That if you want to lose weight the only way to do it is CICO.

​

So, could someone give me any pointers on why it doesn't work with me?

Like, see, here's my August: https://imgur.com/a/0aISFhy

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That's on average more than 1000cal deficiency per day. That should give me anywhere from 0.5 to 1kg per week weight loss.

​

So, why have I lost only 1kg during the WHOLE of August, up to, and including the start of this month.

​

Why is simply looking at calories not working for me even though I've been told that countless times over that it's the only thing that matters.

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Am I allowed to be proud of my progress? (Using medication as a tool)

Hi guys.

It's my first time posting something personal on here. I've been overweight all my life and stood out so much because being obese in Asia is rare. For Asian body types, our healthy BMI is 23 and below whereas I've hit 31 multiple times in my life and fluctuate between 32~28. Never at the healthy range.

I've tried everything you can name - counting calories, tracking macros, reading books on eating psychology, exercising, signing up for a gym membership. While all of those worked for a while and got me to a BMI of ~28, I always regained it because I have a very bad binge eating and emotional eating background. My mental health is also not exactly in the right place and I'm seeing a professional for it too.

Recently I decided to go to a doctor that deals with weight management. He listened to me very patiently and prescribed me a drug, phentermine, as a tool to help with the emotional eating. I'm well aware of the side effects and risks, but two weeks prior, I merely ran for 5 seconds to chase a bus and I was already seeing stars and almost fainted in public. I think me being the way I was was already a big risk to my health anyways so I took the plunge.

So far it's been one week on the drug, it doesn't seem to clash with my antidepressants, and for the first time in a while I'm genuinely eating "normally". I eat proper meals and don't snack in between. I'm more productive and when I'm stressed my mind does not go to food anymore and go to other things to unwind instead, the doctor suggested taking a stroll when I'm stressed. I'm also seeing a dietitian next week to make sure I'm eating enough while on the drug, and even when off the drug, I maintain the eating habits.

For sure, the doctor also told me clearly the weight has potential to all come back if I don't use this time to form healthy lifestyle habits. I'm well aware, because I did use it once when I was 15 (unethical doctor prescribing it to me before I was even an adult lol) and didn't do anything to change my habits, it all came back.

But this time? After 5-6 years of on and off attempts to fix my emotional eating and doing it alone? I'm trying it again with a whole different mindset. I'm seeing progress in my weight already, I'm strolling in the park to destress at least 4 times a week now which I never did before, and I genuinely feel happier I'm doing something.

Just one thing : I feel like I'm not allowed to be in the weight loss community sometimes because I had to seek help from external factors and wasn't strong enough to lose 50 pounds on my own. I mean, the initial weight loss will be aided with meds, but once I'm off it I have a lot to lose on my own. But the fact that I started with meds makes me afraid of stigma and what people will say. Like I'm not really part of this entire hard-working community and can't relate to some of the things that are said, even though I really feel like I'm on the same journey of self love and lifestyle change.

This is the turning point in my life and my road to inner peace, I just feel ashamed sometimes I had to get help for something a lot of people do on their own, even I wanted to do it on my own. I did and I tried. I think I still am?

Just need some reassurance and big hugs, thank you for reading this far <3

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I am doing an informative presentation on how to create a healthy diet in order to avoid the consequences of unhealthy eating (ex. type 2 diabetes, joint pain, etc) but my professor doesn't want me to refer to weight or weight loss during the presentation. Advice?

So I am taking a pretty standard college speech class and I need to make a 6 minute presentation. The professor said that we should do it on something we are passionate on and that the audience might find interesting. So I chose healthy eating habits since I've been going that rabbit hole for a year now and I have been successful at losing over 40 pounds.

My main reason for choosing the topic was that a lot of my friends here have asked what I have been doing and what specific diet I am on but when I explain how I just do CICO with some focus on macros and intermittent fasting and some exercise, I completely lose them. They don't seem to understand how tracking calories can be helpful. One had her mind blown was I explained TDEE and BMR because she thought everyone burned 2000 calories a day no matter what. Another thought that she had to burn 1200 calories just through exercising to lose weight. Many others said that bread and rice causes weight gain but potatoes are fine.

So for my speech I wanted to first talk about CICO, BMR, TDEE, and what a caloric deficit/surplus is. Then i would explain calories/energies in macronutrients and then use that to show how different diet plans work (ex. Keto, paleo, low-fat, Atkin's, low-carb). I was thinking that through showing macros on a pie chart, it would be easier than the traditional method of say the food pyramid.

My focus with the speech is for people to use the information to create a healthy eating plan for themselves that is right for their lifestyle and/or goals.

The first part of the presentation is going to focus on medical issues that come with unhealthy eating like diabetes, obesity, joint pain, blood pressure, asthma, sleep apnea, etc. because that is the format I need to adhere to (show a bad thing then show a solution). But that is a bit hard to do when I can't explicitly say that obesity is a consequence. The professor just wants me to stick with "quantifiable health markers like blood pressure or cancer risk that do not depend on weight" and to "focus on a single aspect such as the dangers of processed foods or hidden sugars".

Any input on how to proceed? Not going to lie but I'm kinda getting a Health At Every Size vibe from her message but idk.

Edit: when talking about health problems, I was going to show how adipose tissue (fat) effects the endocrine system but again i can't mention weight, is that doable?

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