Why It’s So Damn Hard to Eat Healthy on Mondays  

Your weekend was epic. But before you know it, it’s 6 a.m. on Monday and one look at your bowl of overnight oats makes you crave an egg McMuffin. Extra cheese, please!

Consider this: Research published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that people eat the most meat on Saturdays and Sundays, the most carbs and alcohol on Fridays and Saturdays, and the most calories on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. And, according to data from Under Armour's 165 million MyFitnessPal users, people eat the most fruit and veggies on Mondays, with their five-a-day habit tapering off through the rest of the week. So while it appears that we are eating better on Mondays—the struggle is real, and it shows throughout the rest of the week. 

The Go Big or Eat Kale Mentality
We probably don't need to tell you this, but going from bagels on Sunday to beets and salad on Monday is a big jump—and it's not doing your weight-loss goals any favors. "Typically, the 'I’ll get back on track on Monday principle' is a dangerous one," says dietician Jaime Mass, R.D. "It indicates an all-or nothing-mentality, which can lead to unhealthy eating habits overall," she says. And, as you might have guessed, that's a path to self-destruction—physically and mentally.

The Guilt Trip
When you overdo it on unhealthy food and booze over the weekend (we've been there, ate that), you’re bound to wake up on Monday morning feeling sluggish, bloated, and probably a little bit (or a lot) guilty. In short, Monday becomes a punishment for a fun weekend, says Mass. (As if going back to work wasn’t rough enough!) "You'll also start to associate the weekend with yummy food and the weekdays with restriction," she says. And that makes it harder to enjoy the healthy stuff on Monday.

The Hangover
Calories aside, your weekend buzz can destroy your sleep. University of Melbourne research shows that even if you fall asleep easier with alcohol (err, pass out?), you actually don’t get much real rest. Since most young adults down two-thirds of their weekly booze on Saturday and Sunday alone, according a 2016 Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology study, we’re guessing you'll be sleepy come Monday. That's when the need for high-carb, high-fat foods takes over your brain, she says.

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Plus, a study published in Diabetologia found that just a few nights of poor sleep reduces the body’s insulin sensitivity and levels of growth hormone, increasing your risk for fat storage and reducing your calorie-burning muscle mass. Oye.

"Remember that you’re making an effort to lead a healthy life, not just a healthy five days."

How to Make Mondays Suck Less:

Ditch the Faturday mentality. But that doesn't mean no fun food ever. You should eat delicious food during any day of the week, says Mass. "Remember that you’re making an effort to lead a healthy life, not just a healthy five days," she says. That means ignoring the call to get takeout just because it's Saturday (unless you're actually craving it, of course). Luckily, if you get away from the weekends = pizza, Chinese, and bagels mindset, making healthier decisions will become automatic. "Regardless of the day, ask yourself, ‘Do I really want to eat this?’ she says. Look to your hunger cues rather than the calendar.

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Go with the flow. When a meal or snack doesn’t go as planned (hey, it happens), remind yourself that healthy living isn’t about one meal. It’s the average of all of your meals that determines your fat-loss success, she says.

"Move on, don’t let it get to you," says Mass. "Your splurge wasn’t bad, it just was. Your next meal or snack is an opportunity to continue on your healthy journey." Bonus: You won’t wake up on Monday morning feeling like death.

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