Here’s a newsflash for you. A study conducted at the University of North Carolina concludes that we eat more on weekends than we do during the week.
The study, published in the journal Obesity Research found that, on average, Americans consume 82 extra calories a day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday than they do during weekdays (for eating purposes, Friday is considered a weekend day). People aged between 19 and 50 consume an average of 117 extra calories.
It’s easy to understand why. If fact, I’m surprised that the average is so low. A single 12 ounce glass of beer – something a lot of us are likely to guzzle on weekends – accounts for 150 calories. Add all those high-fat foods that are often served at weekend events and it’s easy to see how some of us might far exceed the national average.
117 extra calories a day may not sound like much but, all things being equal, it can add 5 pounds a year. Multiply that by a few years and you can see why weekend eating contributes towards obesity.
In addition to more total calories, the researches found an increase in calories from alcohol and fat with a decrease in energy from carbohydrates. In other words, booze and snack foods.
The researches did not study whether people tend to be more active on the weekends. A 20 minute walk or mowing the lawn could burn off a day’s worth of those extra calories.
The study also pointed out that the fall season is also a danger zone when it comes to eating but other research suggests that holiday season weight gain might no be quite as much as some people had suspected.
There is the common belief that Americans put on several pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years but a study conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) found that, on average, we put on about a pound during this holiday period. That may not sound like much but, as we all know, it’s a lot easier to gain a pound than it is to lose one which is exactly what the study concluded. “When 165 of the study volunteers were weighed a year after the study began, they had not lost the extra weight gained during the holidays, and ended the year a pound and a half heavier (1.4 lb) than they were the year before,” according to the study’s author, Dr. Jack A. Yanovski. Obese subjects, by the way, were far more likely to gain five or more pounds.
Exercise can make a difference. “Study volunteers reporting more physical activity had less holiday weight gain,” according to Dr. Yanovski who concluded that “increasing physical activity may be an effective method for preventing weight gain during this high-risk time.”
As I’ve said in many columns, keeping your weight under control is simply a matter of balancing intake and exercise. While taking a 20 minute walk won’t make up for an extra helping of pie, regular exercise can definitely help you keep your weigh under control.
Nutritional Website
As someone who likes to know the nutritional content of what I eat, I’m always on the lookout for useful websites with nutritional information. When I find one, I add it to the “Calculators and Database” section of my web site, www.NoBellyPrize.com.