BURN Fitness 101: How to Survive Memorial Day Weekend Without Gaining a Pound!
- Jeff Ward, CSCS (with Lisa Brightman, DTR)
I guess I could write this article every week, relating to every weekend… but Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc… tend to be the weekends that those watching their waist-lines dread the most. All of our family/friend celebrations seem to center around food, and the food we celebrate with rarely looks like the food we eat all week long during our weekly routine.
In reality, the secret to surviving a weekend of nutritional gluttony is the same advice I give for getting through your typical week… HAVE A PLAN!
Just like most of us have a social schedule planned for what picnic/party we’re going to, you’ll need a plan of what you’re going to eat where, and when.
- Figure out what your daily calories and macros are, and then multiply them by 3. This is your total WEEKEND allotment. If you’re going to parties on two days, and not on the third day, plan accordingly. If you can, even shave a FEW calories off your normal Friday intake. Don’t starve yourself… just drop your intake by a couple hundred calories.
- Plan to eat less on your “off” day, and allow yourself more calories on the “party days”. In this way, your total intake for the weekend will be closer to what you would normally eat. We don’t gain and lose weight based off of one day’s intake. It’s your intake over 3-5 days that changes the scale.
- If possible… PRE-EAT the party or at least LOAD UP on a lot of water right before you go. If your stomach is FULL (of calorie-free water) before you arrive, you’re less likely to pick at the high-sugar goodies.
- Alternate alcohol drinks with water! Drink 12-16oz of water between each beer or mixed drink. Not only will you have less of a hangover the next day (or none at all), you’ll cut your liquid calorie intake in half! The liquid calories are most often the ones that creep up. Offer to serve yourself instead of having someone else mix your drink. That way you control the contents.
- Load up your plate with salad… THEN protein. Most parties have a massive assortment of food available. Take a SMALL plate, and load it up with bulky, yet low-cal salad, then fill it up with extra protein. I’d much rather my clients over-eat protein than carbs or fat. Leave the cheese-laden carbs behind!
- Avoid the deep fried and sugar-laden foods. Have a spoon-full… then leave it alone!
- Plan to attend before or after the food is served… It’s perfectly acceptable to show up after the bulk of the food is served, or bail out right before. People are expected to party-hop on Memorial Day!
Exercise is another element of course…
- Train harder the days BEFORE the weekend! Use the weekend’s eating as recovery and protein to repair your beat up muscles!
- Plan an activity before your parties. I always find the best time for me to grocery shop is right after a good workout! The motivation and energy I carry OUT of the gym, spills over into healthier choices at the store. Same goes for a party! You’re more likely to eat cleaner right after a vigorous workout.
- HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is a great alternative to long-duration lower intensity exercise ALWAYS… but especially when you’re pressed for time. If you don’t have time for your normal weekend run, opt for 15-20 minutes of “sprint” intervals.
- Finally… don’t “punish” yourself next week because you had a “bad weekend”. Never use exercise as a punishment for your nutritional indiscretions! This practice negatively affects your Psychology of Exercise. Exercise is a GIFT you give your body, and your mind. Make sure it stays that way!
Finally… Stay sane and realistic. Even if you DID over-consume 1000kcal, even 2000kcal MORE than you typically would in a weekend… there are 3500kcal in a pound of extra fat! You’ll have to splurge by an extra 1000+ calories per day to gain one single pound of fat in three days!
More often, if you find there are a few extra pounds on the scale on Tuesday… it’s extra water your body is holding due to your SALT intake. Cut your sodium intake on Tuesday and Wednesday. By Wednesday night… you’ll be right where you were the week before. Nothing gained!
If you want a MUCH better understanding of how your body gains and loses fat, a LOT of motivation to keep the body composition going in the right direction, and complete guidance on the foods, exercise, and other factors involved… please come see us at BURN Fitness. We’re only a phone call away. Very often the lifestyle changes we WILL help you attain will even offset most of your investment! Ask us how…
- Jeff Ward, CSCS (with Lisa Brightman, DTR)
I guess I could write this article every week, relating to every weekend… but Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc… tend to be the weekends that those watching their waist-lines dread the most. All of our family/friend celebrations seem to center around food, and the food we celebrate with rarely looks like the food we eat all week long during our weekly routine.
In reality, the secret to surviving a weekend of nutritional gluttony is the same advice I give for getting through your typical week… HAVE A PLAN!
Just like most of us have a social schedule planned for what picnic/party we’re going to, you’ll need a plan of what you’re going to eat where, and when.
- Figure out what your daily calories and macros are, and then multiply them by 3. This is your total WEEKEND allotment. If you’re going to parties on two days, and not on the third day, plan accordingly. If you can, even shave a FEW calories off your normal Friday intake. Don’t starve yourself… just drop your intake by a couple hundred calories.
- Plan to eat less on your “off” day, and allow yourself more calories on the “party days”. In this way, your total intake for the weekend will be closer to what you would normally eat. We don’t gain and lose weight based off of one day’s intake. It’s your intake over 3-5 days that changes the scale.
- If possible… PRE-EAT the party or at least LOAD UP on a lot of water right before you go. If your stomach is FULL (of calorie-free water) before you arrive, you’re less likely to pick at the high-sugar goodies.
- Alternate alcohol drinks with water! Drink 12-16oz of water between each beer or mixed drink. Not only will you have less of a hangover the next day (or none at all), you’ll cut your liquid calorie intake in half! The liquid calories are most often the ones that creep up. Offer to serve yourself instead of having someone else mix your drink. That way you control the contents.
- Load up your plate with salad… THEN protein. Most parties have a massive assortment of food available. Take a SMALL plate, and load it up with bulky, yet low-cal salad, then fill it up with extra protein. I’d much rather my clients over-eat protein than carbs or fat. Leave the cheese-laden carbs behind!
- Avoid the deep fried and sugar-laden foods. Have a spoon-full… then leave it alone!
- Plan to attend before or after the food is served… It’s perfectly acceptable to show up after the bulk of the food is served, or bail out right before. People are expected to party-hop on Memorial Day!
Exercise is another element of course…
- Train harder the days BEFORE the weekend! Use the weekend’s eating as recovery and protein to repair your beat up muscles!
- Plan an activity before your parties. I always find the best time for me to grocery shop is right after a good workout! The motivation and energy I carry OUT of the gym, spills over into healthier choices at the store. Same goes for a party! You’re more likely to eat cleaner right after a vigorous workout.
- HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is a great alternative to long-duration lower intensity exercise ALWAYS… but especially when you’re pressed for time. If you don’t have time for your normal weekend run, opt for 15-20 minutes of “sprint” intervals.
- Finally… don’t “punish” yourself next week because you had a “bad weekend”. Never use exercise as a punishment for your nutritional indiscretions! This practice negatively affects your Psychology of Exercise. Exercise is a GIFT you give your body, and your mind. Make sure it stays that way!
Finally… Stay sane and realistic. Even if you DID over-consume 1000kcal, even 2000kcal MORE than you typically would in a weekend… there are 3500kcal in a pound of extra fat! You’ll have to splurge by an extra 1000+ calories per day to gain one single pound of fat in three days!
More often, if you find there are a few extra pounds on the scale on Tuesday… it’s extra water your body is holding due to your SALT intake. Cut your sodium intake on Tuesday and Wednesday. By Wednesday night… you’ll be right where you were the week before. Nothing gained!
If you want a MUCH better understanding of how your body gains and loses fat, a LOT of motivation to keep the body composition going in the right direction, and complete guidance on the foods, exercise, and other factors involved… please come see us at BURN Fitness. We’re only a phone call away. Very often the lifestyle changes we WILL help you attain will even offset most of your investment! Ask us how…