Sunday Night Is Your Fattest Time of the Week – and That’s Okay

Friday cocktailers, Saturday dinner partiers, and Sunday brunchers, rejoice! A new study reveals that “cheating” on the weekends is an effective long-term habit for weight loss.

“Regardless of who you are, there’s a rhythm to the weight you lose,” Brian Wansink, one of the authors of a recent study published in Obesity Facts: “You’re going to weigh the most on Sunday night and the least on Friday morning,” he said.

Sound about right? Most of us can identify with the never-ending cycle of being “good” all week, only to give in to indulgences on the weekend that send us back into a “detox” mentality come Monday morning. But the recent study shines a different light on a habit that many try to break. Essentially, this never-ending cycle is actually a long term habit that’s extremely effective in weight management.

The study analyzed the daily weight of 80 adults and observed a consistent pattern of weight changes among the participants: Highest numbers were recorded on Sunday and Monday, with steadily decreasing weights throughout the week. This pattern was the strongest among those who lost or maintained their weight, which sheds an interesting light on the once frowned upon “weekend cheating” mentality. It turns out, those who compensate the most for weekend splurges during the week are most likely to lose or maintain their weight over time.

So what exactly constitutes as “cheating”? While loosening the reins and enjoying a few indulgences gets the okay, we must also stress the importance of not totally overdoing it: Enjoy the ice cream, but don’t eat the whole pin; and make sure you get exercise on Saturday and Sunday.

Here are some of tips for getting the “rhythm” to work for you:

-Eat a high protein breakfast within 45 minutes of waking up on the weekends. The protein will help to quell sugar cravings later in the day and will help to boost your metabolism by about 200 calories burned per day.

-Every Monday morning, make a plan to meet a friend after work for a workout. This guarantees that I will start my week with some exercise.

-Soup for dinner on Monday and Tuesday night helps to curb any night-time overeating and helps you go to bed full but not stuffed. Eating a huge dinner is the fastest way to gain weight and it also makes it harder to sleep.