Weekends slow weight loss, researchers find

WASHINGTON, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Saturdays and Sundays can be the worst enemies for our waistlines, according to researchers at Washington University.

They found that study subjects on strict diet and exercise programs tend to lose weight more slowly than expected because they eat more on weekends than during the week. They report their findings Tuesday in the advance online publication of the journal Obesity.

Past research had confirmed that people tend to gain weight during the holidays, particularly between Thanksgiving and New Year's, but this is the first study to carefully monitor daily body weight, calorie intake and calorie expenditure for several weeks throughout a year, and to demonstrate that increased caloric intake isn't just a problem during the holidays. It also happens on most weekends.

"Subjects in the diet group lost weight during the week, but over the weekend, they stopped losing weight because they were eating more," says first author Susan Racette.

On weekends, human lifestyle patterns can be very different. People have social events, parties to attend, Racette says. She recommends packing healthy food if you're running errands, eating a little something so you aren't starving when you arrive at a party.