Researchers believe that dieters need to worry less about weekend binges and focus more on their long-term eating habits during the week.
A ten-month study analysed the weight of 80 participants and found that weight changes were rhythmic across the week: people tend to be at their heaviest on Sunday night and slimmest on Friday morning.
Participants who lost weight during the study (14%) recorded a much more consistent pattern in weight fluctuations across the week than did those who gained or maintained the same weight overall.
The study suggests that weight loss is not disrupted by slight weight gain over the weekend. Instead, dieters should aim to develop healthy weekday eating habits for long-term weight loss.
Read more at Tampere University of Technology, Cornell University