Weekend Strategy
It’s the beginning of the weekend and for most, that means eating and drinking a lot more than you did during the week.
So, I urge all of you to do the following:
1. Pound water. I mean right now, drink a big glass of water (preferably on ice, which boosts your metabolism), then refill it and drink it again. The more water you drink, the more weight you will lose AND you will feel a great bump in your energy.
2. Make a big container of tea. I do this everyday and then I drink it over ice. Just like the water, the more tea you drink, the more weight AND fat you will lose plus your muscles will repair faster from the strength training.
3. Plan your meals. Look right now at what you are going to do for dinner tonight, and all meals on Saturday and Sunday.
4. Get the “wheaty” carbs out of the house. I know I just can’t have pretzels, chips, etc., in the house or I will start to eat them. The only thing we do is the 250 calorie microwave popcorn. Since I know the portion size, I don’t get into trouble, but I do drink tons of water with it since there is a lot of sodium in the popcorn.
5. SLEEP – Use the weekend to catch up on your sleep. I know it’s best to sleep more every night, but if that is just not realistic, then make up for SOME of the lost sleep on the weekend. Don’t forget, when you snooze, you lose!
Good luck,
Jim
Jim,
Regarding the tea – are you using a herbal tea, or just regular black / green tea? I would love to drink my fill of tea during the day, but if I do, I won’t sleep at night – caffeine overload!
Comment by Pearl — June 19, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Thanks Jim for your weekend advice/pep talk! I needed it–my weekend eating is when I blow it. I can eat so healthy and low calorie during the week and then ruin the calorie deficit I had, to help me lose weight, when I go out to dinner Saturday night. My goal this weekend, when we go out to a restaurant, is to check out the menu and calories on the restaurant’s website and make a good choice prior to leaving home.
Thanks for doing this blog Jim! I have become a big believer in what you teach–I am definitely living proof of the warning you give about cardio–it can mess your body up! I can’t run or do any of the cardio machines anymore because my feet, knees, and hips are all hurting me now. So, I’ve got to now learn how to watch those calories (it’s hard, but I’m determined), since I can’t burn them up on the treadmill or elliptical anymore. Hopefully, I’m young enough at 34, that my body can heal itself and there won’t be any permanent damage to my joints, so that I can get around when I’m old. I wish I had known all this when I started all this cardio 15 years ago., so that I could “get by” with eating more than I should have been.
Comment by Angela — June 19, 2009 at 6:47 pm
If caffeine is an issue, then I would switch to decaffeinated after noon. I drink all different types of tea and the caffeine has never been an issue for me, with the exception of Starbucks iced black tea which hits me way too hard.
Comment by Jim Karas — June 20, 2009 at 6:38 am
Angela:
Your situation is EXACTLY what I am trying to help people avoid. Our bodies were just not meant to perform the same movement over and over again. It only leads to injury in the long run.
Plus, you are right about using the cardio to overeat. That will also backfire, but I don’t want you to be discouraged. You will make huge strides is your body weight and composition by hitting the strength training and watching your calories.
Comment by Jim Karas — June 20, 2009 at 6:40 am
Thanks for the weekend reminder! It works for me, no facing Monday morning having to “start over”!
Comment by Laurie — June 21, 2009 at 1:29 pm
That’s what most people do. They truly do “watch it” for 4+ days, then blow it from Friday until Sunday night. That’s a recipe to NEVER lose weight.
Comment by Jim Karas — June 21, 2009 at 5:33 pm