You’ve made it through another busy work week. Deadlines met, kids delivered to daycare/school, helping with homework, laundry, along with the many other weekly tasks you are responsible for. No doubt, if you are actively reducing your weight, exercise and food prep are part of your Monday to Friday routine. What about your weekend, does your routine go out the window? If so, you could be sabotaging your weight loss.

Let’s look at ways to keep you track with your healthy diet and exercise on the weekends. Weekends are a time when many of you “catch-up” on errands and household duties. You find yourself with social events and parties to attend. Your children may be involved in organized sport tournaments. Weekend evenings are often a time to relax and unwind over dinner followed by a movie. You want to be sure to resist the temptation for fast, fat laden food from restaurants and concessions stands when away from home on the weekends.

A 2008 study from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis looked a group of 48 people ages 50 – 60 with above average BMI but were not classified as obese. Participants were divided into three groups: the first lowered calorie intake by 20%, the second increased daily activity by 20% and the 3rd group didn’t change diet or activity levels. All groups were monitored for a year. They kept food diaries and monitored exercise and were weighed regularly. The study showed overwhelmingly that weekends slowed the weight loss of all participants considerably. Data showed that participants consumed the most calories on Saturday, most notably fats. The study determined that typical weekend weight gain before diet and exercise intervention was a whopping 9lbs a year!

So how can you avoid this pitfall? It is imperative to use moderation and planning. I tell all my clients to use the 80-20 rule. 80% of the time you stay the course with healthy meals and 20% of time, you enjoy yourself. If you are out for dinner for example, enjoy a glass or two of wine but pass on the bread and dessert. Pick lean protein items like fish or chicken. Ask for extra veggies instead of potatoes or rice, removal of cheeses and sauces. If you are at the movies have a low calorie snack like popcorn without the butter and drink water instead of pop.

Plan your day when you get up on Saturday morning. This way you will know if you are going to be out during meal or snack time. Buy a cooler bag and fill it with healthy choices. This is particularly important if you are on the soccer field, baseball diamond or hockey rink. It only takes a few extra minutes in the morning to pack snacks like fruits, veggies, nuts, lean meats in wraps and remember plenty of water too.

Sometimes weekend commitments and household chores can keep you away from your regular exercise routine. Let’s look at some common household chores and the calorie expenditure for an average 150lb person. The heavier the person, the more calories burned.

1 hour of grocery shopping	243 calories
Dusting for 30 minutes	80 calories
Ironing for 30 minutes	76 calories
House painting for 3 hours	1026 calories
4 hours neighbourhood cleanup	1800 calories
30 minutes of floor mopping	153 calories
1 hour of lawn cutting	324 calories
30 minutes of raking	171 calories
30 minutes of meal preparation	74 calories
1 hour of moving furniture	504 calories
30 minutes of snow shoveling	202 calories
20 minutes of vacuuming	56 calories
20 minutes of washing the car	102 calories
2 hours of gardening	648 calories
8 hours of sleeping	360 calories

Even though it might not be so much fun, keeping busy around the house will burn those calories…so no need for the gym on those days. As well as the calorie burn, you can enjoy the sense of satisfaction that comes with getting the job done. Afterwards, is your chance to sit down and relax with a glass of red wine and a snack like veggies and crackers with Summerfresh Spinach Dip. Made from fresh spinach and mixed vegetables in a creamy dressing it contains less than 2 gms of carbs per 2 tbsp serving. Look for it and other delicious Summerfresh Dips in the deli case of your local grocer.