Research shows that most people maintain a steady weight throughout the week and gain weight on the weekends. 

They accomplish this by eating an extra 100-to-400 calories per day on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays (compared to weekdays) and burning several hundred fewer calories on Sundays (the least-active day of the week).

Here are several ways to avoid this pattern:

  1. Do fun activities (emphasis on activities) that you don’t have time for during the week, like biking, hiking, yoga, museum browsing, gardening, dancing, etc. And for bonus points, invite some friends (rather than meeting them for brunch)!
  2. Don’t drink too much alcohol. And when you do drink, try to eat something first and choose lower-calorie drinks like wine, light beer, and hard liquor with calorie-free mixers.
  3. Take some time to relax. Acute stress typically reduces appetite, but chronic stress does the opposite, which is why studies link the latter with weight gain and obesity. So instead of filling your weekends with more work and other obligations, block out some free time to read a book, watch a TV show, play some golf or pickleball, whatever recharges your batteries.
  4. Skip breakfast . . . or eat it. Research shows that some people are less hungry throughout the day and tend to eat fewer total calories when they skip breakfast while others tend to generally feel fuller and eat less when they eat breakfast. Find which approach works best for you.
  5. Eat moderately when eating out. To make this easier, before you go to a restaurant, you can a) eat a small (high-protein works best) snack, b) review the menu online and decide what you’ll eat, c) personalize your meal if the stock options don’t work, d) skip the bread basket, e) share your food with others, especially dessert, and f) minimize or leave out the alcohol.

If you’re looking for more tips and techniques to lose weight (and keep it off), check out this article. It’ll tell you everything you need to know to get and stay lean for good: 

The Complete Guide to Safely and Healthily Losing Weight Fast