Weekend binging doesn’t sabotage weight loss, says study

Finally, a weight-loss study that makes us feel good!

A new Cornell University study suggests that weekend binging isn't the cause of weight gain.

While most people pack on the pounds on the weekend as a result of indulgent eating and drinking, they generally shed that extra weight during the week.

Also see: Are late nights making you gain weight?

Lead researcher Brian Wansink found that people who gain weight overall don't follow this normal pattern of weekend weight gain and weekday weight loss. Instead, they tend to have large weight fluctuations throughout the weekdays, which suggests that focusing on cutting calories during the week can lead to greater weight loss than cutting out your weekend indulgences.

The study involved 80 adults ranging in age from 25 to 62 who tracked their weight over the course of a week. They were divided into three groups -- weight losers, weight maintainers and weight gainers.

Their results showed that weight losers lost the most amount of weight on weekdays, whereas the weight gainers had more variability between days and no clear decrease in weight during weekdays.

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Researchers also found that most people were at their slimmest on Friday. (Just in time for date night!)

While the results of this study are encouraging -- it's OK to indulge a little on the weekend -- the study points out that the key to a healthy weight is to keep our weekday eating habits in check.