Cycle for the weekend!
I’m actually talking about cycling your calories and carbs!
Many people have trouble on a fat loss phase managing their intake on the weekend.
Typically we are better at sticking to a fat-loss diet when things are controlled and predictable – like when we work during the week: standard hours of attendance with anticipated breaks for snacks and meals – especially if you are back in the office and not still working from home.
However, when the weekend arrives our routines change dramatically – eating schedules are more relaxed and we typically either dine out more or dine more with family and friends. Food intake is typically higher on weekends than on weekdays and vegetable consumption is lower if you work a typical Monday-to-Friday, nine-to-five type of job (Jahns et al., 2017; Monteiro et al., 2017)
Be mindful of your eating on the weekend and plan ahead so that your food choices are a better fit with your goals, and include daily activities such as going for a walk when you might be tempted to sit around and start snacking.
By “cycling” your calories, i.e. eating in a slightly greater calorie deficit during the week and allowing a slightly higher intake on the weekend – without blowing out your average daily calorie deficit – is one strategy that might help!
Want to know what your optimal calorie intake is to support your goals? A DEXA can measure your lean mass which can then be used to calculate your ideal, personalized calorie intake!
References
Jahns, L., Conrad, Z., Johnson, L. K., Scheett, A. J., Stote, K. S., & Raatz, S. K. (2017). Diet Quality Is Lower and Energy Intake Is Higher on Weekends Compared with Weekdays in Midlife Women: A 1-Year Cohort Study. J Acad Nutr Diet, 117(7), 1080-1086.e1081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2017.01.012
Monteiro, L. S., Hassan, B. K., Estima, C. C. P., Souza, A. M., Verly, E. J., Sichieri, R., & Pereira, R. A. (2017). Food Consumption According to the Days of the Week – National Food Survey, 2008-2009. Rev Saude Publica, 51, 93. https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2017051006053
