2706: Weekend Weight Loss Tips by Chalene Johnson on Maintaining Health Goals without Sacrificing Fun

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[00:00:56] 2706, Weekend Weight Loss Tips by Chalene Johnson of chalenejohnson.com. And I'm your host and

[00:01:04] personal finance enthusiast, Diana Mariam. Welcome back to our Sunday bonus episode,

[00:01:09] where I share an article with you from a different podcast in our network that can add some extra

[00:01:14] value to your day. Today's episode comes from Optimal Health Daily. You can find that show

[00:01:20] wherever you're listening to this. So with that, here's Dr. Neal with the post and

[00:01:24] commentary as we optimize your life. Weekend Weight Loss Tips by Chalene Johnson of chalenejohnson.com.

[00:01:37] Weekend fun and weight loss don't typically go hand in hand. Hopefully these tips will help keep

[00:01:43] you on track so that you can carry the healthy momentum into the following week. The weekend

[00:01:49] is a great time to relax and regroup before the next work week, but often weekends are seen

[00:01:55] as a time to indulge and let loose. Don't get me wrong, it's fun to throw back a few and down

[00:02:01] some chips and dip, but the mindset behind indulgent behavior can destroy all the hard work

[00:02:07] put into shedding the pounds. We all want to enjoy ourselves, but why not decide that this

[00:02:13] coming weekend will be different? I have a few tips for eating healthy over the weekend

[00:02:18] that you can easily implement. Number one, shift your mindset. It all starts with mindset.

[00:02:27] If you go into your weekend with the mindset that you're going to indulge and that you earned it,

[00:02:32] then you will have little to no self-control. When you find yourself trying to justify

[00:02:37] the indulgences, take an emotional step back and remind yourself that you are worth

[00:02:43] putting good nutritious food in your body. This doesn't mean that you never reward yourself or

[00:02:48] let yourself have some chocolate. It does mean that when you do indulge, you do it with different

[00:02:54] intent. If you find you're having a strong craving for something in particular,

[00:02:59] my first recommendation is to write it down. Now that might seem strange, but research has

[00:03:04] shown that if you write down the craving, most of the time it removes it. If that doesn't work,

[00:03:11] drink a large glass of water and maybe go for a walk. I like to get outside and get some fresh air

[00:03:16] to serve as a nice distraction. Number two, limit alcohol consumption. Now this may seem

[00:03:23] like a tough tip, especially if you're a heavy social drinker, but if you want to slow down your

[00:03:29] weight loss then drink alcohol. It's all added calories with extra sugar and it not

[00:03:34] only can add to your waistline, but also diminishes your ability to make healthy food

[00:03:40] choices. Alcohol will slow your metabolism down, something you don't want and it will

[00:03:46] leave you feeling bloated and puffy the next day. For this weekend, just pass on the alcohol.

[00:03:52] Instead, you can try a sparkling water with an added lemon or lime wedge so you don't feel

[00:03:57] like you're missing out on the party. Number three, start late and finish early.

[00:04:03] Another thing you can change this weekend is when you eat. I like to switch it up sometimes

[00:04:08] and start eating late, like around 11am and finishing early around 7pm. This gets me out of

[00:04:15] my routine and helps me off of my plateau. Ending early also helps me wind down extra early,

[00:04:22] which gets me to bed earlier for some added sleep. If you're having a low key weekend,

[00:04:27] why not change it up and see how your body responds? Number four, avoid restaurants.

[00:04:33] I know you may not be happy with this tip, but it will help you not only save money,

[00:04:38] but also save on calories. Dining out is almost a guarantee for overeating.

[00:04:43] So, stay home this weekend. There are plenty of other ways to be social and you have

[00:04:48] the perfect excuse for trying those new recipes you've been saving. If your family,

[00:04:52] friends or significant other isn't too impressed with your choice,

[00:04:56] find a non-food related way to make it up to them. Number five, BYOF. Bring your own food.

[00:05:04] Is there an event this weekend you can't pass on? If so, a good idea is to bring your own food.

[00:05:10] I know this isn't always an option, but if you can do it, go for it. That way,

[00:05:15] you can control what you eat and how much, and you won't be tempted to dip into the dessert

[00:05:20] table or grab just a handful of something. I do this all the time and with no shame.

[00:05:26] Your health is your priority, and if people want to judge you for that,

[00:05:30] that's their problem, not yours. So, do what is best for you.

[00:05:36] And lastly, number six, ADD RAW VEGGIES. This last tip is a great way to start every meal

[00:05:43] with a healthy option. Having one cup of raw veggies will increase your fiber intake,

[00:05:49] which will help you feel full earlier in your meals. Eating vegetables before a meal

[00:05:54] will help reduce your overall calorie intake by at least 200 calories,

[00:05:58] since you filled up on veggies first, there may not be room for all that tempting stuff like dessert.

[00:06:04] I hope this post is helpful in getting you ready to take on the weekend

[00:06:08] with a healthy mindset. You got this. You just listened to the post titled,

[00:06:17] Weekend Weight Loss Tips by Shalene Johnson of ShaleneJohnson.com.

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[00:08:11] Dr. Neal here for my commentary. Shalene shared some great tips in this article.

[00:08:17] And when we really think about it, these tips all have one thing in common.

[00:08:21] It all comes down to planning. I know, I know the last thing you probably want to do over the weekend

[00:08:28] or just before is to plan. You've already spent all week being good, planning out your meals,

[00:08:33] planning out your exercise. You just want a break from all that mental stress. I get it.

[00:08:39] But remember, one weekend of indulgence may bleed into the following week. I'll explain.

[00:08:46] Sometimes what can happen is that after a weekend of just letting loose, Monday comes around and we

[00:08:52] are way too tired to work out now. Planning our lunch and dinner? Out of the question. We're

[00:08:57] just trying to muster up enough energy to check and respond to our work emails. So now instead

[00:09:03] of starting the week off strong, we are barely making it through Monday. Now as a result of

[00:09:08] that, we may spend Tuesday trying to catch up on the work that we didn't get done on Monday.

[00:09:14] That doesn't leave much time to get in that workout or plan our lunches and dinners for the

[00:09:19] rest of the week, let alone go grocery shopping. Getting takeout now sounds like a pretty good

[00:09:24] option. Hopefully though, we'll find some time to work out on Wednesday. Wednesday arrives,

[00:09:30] we do squeeze in that workout, but we've already missed four days of working out in a row.

[00:09:36] Remember, we didn't work out last Saturday and Sunday because we let loose, right?

[00:09:41] And since it's Wednesday, the upcoming weekend is right around the corner

[00:09:45] and the whole process will start all over again. But what if, as Shalene recommended,

[00:09:51] we spend just a little bit of time planning our weekend. Now we don't have to be perfect

[00:09:57] all weekend, but we just need to try and maintain our progress as best we can.

[00:10:02] Don't let perfection be the enemy of progress. If we can perform one or two healthy

[00:10:08] behaviors over the weekend, that might set us up for a more productive week.

[00:10:13] Don't underestimate the power of momentum. Alright, that'll do it for today. I'll be back

[00:10:19] here tomorrow as usual for our Friday Q&A, so stay tuned for that where your optimal life awaits.