Weekend Calories

Are your weekend calories sabotaging your weight loss progress?

Prefer to watch than read? Then please check out the video below:

It's not uncommon for us to let our hair down over the weekend – we've had a busy week, and we just want to relax and treat ourselves. This rationale is understandable – we all do it! But unfortunately for many, including myself, the calories we consume over the weekend can easily offset the deficit created through the week. If I average 2000 calories Monday to Friday but then eat an additional 1500 calories (totalling 3500 – for those who don't like maths) on both Saturday and Sunday, my average weekly calories are no longer at 2000 – they're 2430! This amount of calories takes me from averaging deficit calories (2000) to maintenance calories (2430).

In other words, I'll maintain my weight on this amount. Even though my diet was impeccable for five days of the week, the weekend was enough to offset that hard work. And I have the luxury of having a fair amount of calories to play with – some will need to consume much fewer calories to induce weight loss, which gives them much less room for error. 

Awareness of overconsumption

I'm not saying you shouldn't indulge a bit on the weekend – god knows I love my Kentucky fried chicken – we just need to be fully aware of the impact this will have on our progress. Many people completely discount the calories they consume over the weekends when reflecting on their week. I could look back on my weekly intake and be astonished that I've not lost weight. It's only when reflecting on the weekend and counting that towards my average calories when it all starts making sense. My metabolism didn't turn off this week – I'm not defying the first law of thermodynamics – I'm simply derailing my progress by smashing back Kentucky fried chicken like they're going out of business! When reflecting on weight loss progress, a brutal yet empowering question is: what's more likely – my body's defying physics, or I'm eating more than I think? Food for thought!

Awareness will allow us to make better decisions in future weeks. If I do want to have a weekend catch up with my main man Colonel Sanders, then perhaps it's wise for me to eat fewer calories leading up to it or fewer calories the following day. This isn't starving myself, so I can binge – I just don't need as many calories if I'm having a calorific dinner.

Excessive weekend calories can also negatively impact lean bulking

The calorific weekends don't just impact weight loss progress – they can also impact muscle building progress. If you're lean bulking, then you're in a slight calorie surplus that will fuel muscle building while attenuating fat gain, but if you go crazy on the weekends, you will inevitably gain fat. Fat accumulation will desensitise your body to nutrients, such as carbs and proteins, which isn't ideal from a muscle building perspective. Ultimately, this means we'll need to cut sooner, and when cutting, you'll no longer be in a prime state to grow. So, regardless of the goals – wanting to get massive or shredded to the gills – we need to keep an eye on the weekends. 

Parting shot

You don't need to be a saint – just don't go crazy and remember that just because you don't count the weekend calories, that doesn't mean those calories don't count. Find a good balance – moderation is key!