Helpful Tips For A Healthy Weight Loss Weekend

I can’t believe the weekend is here again already! I feel like I was just talking about the weekend and trying to keep everyone motivated last Friday, and now it’s time to send the same message. Sorry if this seems a bit repetitive, but at the same time, repetition is the key to building healthy habits!

Let me tell you, I absolutely LOVE weekends. They’re great not because I hate my job (I love what I do), but because it’s the time when everyone seems so much more relaxed. My friends always want to do stuff, there are lots of events going on, and the days just don’t seem as hectic or I don’t always have to be in such a hurry. The problem is the relaxed style and lack of a time crunch seems to make us less likely to stick to our workout plans. And all the hanging out with friends and family lead us to make unhealthy food choices. So how do we stay on track while still enjoying our weekends?

First, I want to say that enjoying our lives is absolutely key in a successful weight loss program. If you feel like the sacrifices aren’t worth the benefits, you’re not going to be successful. That’s not to say their won’t be any sacrifices to build healthier lifestyle habits, but the benefits have to outweigh the sacrifices. That balancing game between sacrifices and benefits becomes much easier if we can make the sacrifices seem like less of a burden. And one of the things I always hear is that people hate giving up their weekends.

So here’s my weekend advice for this weekend. Try it, and see what you think. Above all, try to stay on your plan. That means exercise as planned and eat your proper STAX portions as planned. That’s your first task, and I promise, doing that will work perfectly.

However, if the weekend doesn’t go quite according to plan, here are a couple of tips:

First, when hanging out with friends, try to get them to do something active. So instead of planning to go to the movies or watching a game, go hiking, go play golf, or even go to the mall. The important thing is to do something that requires you to move. Trust me… if you don’t make it to the gym, but you still walk around a mall for four hours, that’s a pretty good substitute (just avoid the food court!).

So let’s say you do go to the mall instead of the movies. Great! You’re one step closer. But then it’s lunch time. What are you supposed to do? Here’s my suggestion: order water! Of course if you can, order a vegetable instead of fries, ry not to eat the fatty garlic rolls, don’t get desert, and make all those kinds of healthy choices. But if nothing else, whatever you do, make sure you drink water with it… and lots of it. You can save as many as 500 calories at a meal just by drinking water instead of sugary sodas. It’s not the best solution, but it’s definitely an improvement and one that won’t seem like a huge sacrifice.

Those are my weekend tips for today. Remember, we’re trying to take small steps for now and start building healthy habits. With my Reshape the Nation program, my goal is not instant weight loss, but total lifestyle transformation, and I know the best way to do that isn’t to deprive people of all the things they love. With that said, enjoy your weekend. I’m sure you’ve done a lot of great work this week, and you deserve to relax!