Skip to main content

7 Things to Do on Sunday to Set Yourself Up for a Week of Weight Loss

Do you suffer from Sunday night insomnia? That’s the tossing and turning roughly 60 percent of people who responded to a sleep survey do on their typical “day of rest.” This is mainly caused by Sunday anxiety for the week ahead.

Sunday anxiety and lack of sleep can set you up for a really bad diet day.

Studies have found that lack of sleep can make you hungry—and not for a big salad. People were found to crave unhealthy fatty and sugary snacks when tired. Worse, their ability to resist them was also impaired.

The solution to Sunday anxiety? Be prepared. If you use your Sunday to plan for the week ahead, you can reduce some of that anxiety. A survey by a noted stress management psychologist found that planning ahead was the most effective strategy for minimizing stress.

7 Weekday Habits That Are Completely Sabotaging Your Weight Loss

Read More

Here are a few things you can do to beat Sunday anxiety and lose weight all week:

1. Prep that menu.

Having ready-to-eat meals in the freezer or fridge can ease some of the high anxiety that you feel when you have to stay late at the office, chauffeur three kids to six different events or take care of an elderly loved one. You know that not having something on hand when you’re starving will make the drive-through window start calling to you.

Better Than Drive-Thru: 11 Easy Grab & Go Nutrisystem Lunches >

Use your Sundays to plan meals, shop and cook. Decide what Nutrisystem foods you’ll be eating on each day of the week and when you’ll be having a flex meal you cook yourself. Have your calendar handy so you can see when your most time-crunched days will be and adjust accordingly.

Smart Snacking: 5 “Masonable” Recipes You Need to Try Today

Read More

2. Make a list and stick to it.

Don’t bring anything home from the grocery store that you don’t want tempting you during the week. Go through your favorite recipes from The Leaf and stick to the ingredients you’ll need for meals and snacks. You’ll save money and calories at the same time.

3. Cook big.

Multi-task by making large-batch meals in a slow cooker and on your stove or in your oven. Make it easy on yourself. While you’re making stew or soup in the slow cooker, broil or poach four chicken breasts and have different recipes and sauces ready (chicken fajitas, chicken salad, chicken stirfry) so they’re good for a flex dinner, a flex lunch and a side to your Nutrisystem foods. Cut up veggies for snacks, stir fries and salads.

6 Slow Cooker Recipes You Need to Try This Season

Read More

4. Package and freeze.

Be aware that leftovers and pre-cooked foods don’t last indefinitely in the fridge. Most precooked foods can last for three or four days in the fridge, salads for one or two days, veggies for two or three days and mayonnaise-based salads, three to five days. When you can, freeze in small single-serving containers so you don’t have to defrost and refreeze food repeatedly.

5. Schedule your workouts.

Since you already have that calendar out, write in times and types of workouts you’re going to do this week. Check the 10-day weather forecast to help you know when you’re going to need to go to the gym or mall walk and when you can take it outside.

6. Stick to a sleep schedule.

Weekends, not just Sundays, can be hazardous to your health. The National Sleep Foundation says that staying up later and sleeping in over the weekend amounts to “social jetlag.” It has the same physical effects as flying from New York to Los Angeles and back again.

Without spoiling all your fun, try to keep the same bedtime and wake-up time on the weekends as during the week. At least, most of the time. Look at late nights and sleeping in as luxuries that you experience once in a while, not every week.

Your Body on Sleep Deprivation

Read More

7. Create a sleep routine.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends that you relax your way into a good night’s rest on Sunday night. Cut out sleep-disrupting caffeine four to six hours before you hit the pillows. Skip the wine. Alcohol may help you fall asleep but it can wake you up once it wears off. Do something else that helps you relax, like meditation, listening to music, taking a warm bath or reading a good book.

6 Foods You Should Never Eat Before Bed

Read More

The post 7 Things to Do on Sunday to Set Yourself Up for a Week of Weight Loss appeared first on The Leaf.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How to Make a Healthy Charcuterie Board

There’s no question that charcuterie boards are currently all the rage. While it’s certainly not a new idea—in fact, charcuterie style eating dates back to the 15 th century in France, according to TimesColonist.com—social media has blown this trend up. Whether for the holidays or just an everyday get-together, a classic charcuterie board is a great way to entertain. While these delicious spreads are a ton of fun, they’re not necessarily known for being terribly healthy. After all, Oxford Languages defines charcuterie as “cold cooked meats.” A charcuterie board is traditionally known for featuring a wide variety of cured meats and cheeses. But that’s not to say that you must be resigned to certain choices. There are certainly ways to boost the nutrition power and make a healthy, low-calorie charcuterie board with ingredients that you and your guests will still love. Here are a few of our best tips. 5 Delicious Mocktail Recipes You’ll Love Read More Step 1: Make wise low-calo...

Here's when calories really matter

The divide continues to grow between those who swear by the “calories in vs. calories out” method and those who tout that body composition changes will come by following a nutrient-dense whole-food diet. When counseling clients, starting out many of them have these types of pre-conceived beliefs on how they should be losing weight or making changes to their body composition overall. Acknowledging calories continue to be a hot topic of conversation, we’ll dive into the science of calories, the complexity of them and when they really matter.   What is a calorie? A calorie, as we often see it on a nutrition label, is actually a kilocalorie. To make it simple for consumers, it became a Calorie with a capital C, and since then has been used so often without the capital C that we just use calorie. The true Calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of the energy required to raise one kilogram of water one degree Celsius. Originally, the calorie value of a food was determined by burning i...

What is Ranch Water? The Summer Cocktail You Need to Try

Losing weight in the summertime can be tough. From unhealthy picnic food to drinks at the beach bar, it can be hard to resist the warm weather temptations that try to sabotage your success. However, with a little planning and some simple swaps, you can stay on track with your weight loss goals while still partaking in some summer fun! All you need is some healthy recipes for the grill , some summer-inspired sweet treats and a go-to, weight loss-friendly cocktail that you can sip on all season long. For us, that cocktail is Ranch Water; the refreshing beverage that’s easy to make, easy to enjoy and easy to incorporate into your weight loss plan! What is Ranch Water? In short, Ranch Water is the trendy summer cocktail that’s perfect for chilling out and staying cool in the summer heat. It’s a super simple drink that only requires three ingredients to make: Tequila Lime juice Topo Chico Mineral Water 1 Never had Topo Chico? This refreshing water is a naturally carbonated minera...