Weekend Brunches are an institution in Hong Kong. But overindulging in the free flow brunch can seriously undermine your efforts to get in shape. Remember that ultimately weight loss and improved body composition is fundamentally a matter of calories.
No matter how saintly you are during the week, if you spiral out of control on the weekend then no amount of spin classes will save you.
We all know people who eat like saints, all quinoa and blueberries, and train like maniacs but despite all of their hard work, their colossal efforts and their near expert level nutritional knowledge they just can’t see any results.
They lurch from diet to diet, cleanse to Cambridge to crash, desperate to fit into last year’s wardrobe but not making any real progress.
Are you delusional about your deficit?
Maintenance calories for this fictitious person (based on real-life events) are 1800, so the example person is in a 300 calorie deficit per day.
- MONDAY- FRIDAY- 1500 Cals
- SATURDAY-1800 Cals
- SUNDAY- BRUNCH- 3500 Cals
MONDAY to FRIDAY-5 x 300 cals- 1500 calories deficit banked.
SATURDAY– maintenance calories
SUNDAY– 1700 calorie surplus achieved.
The net result for the week:
200 calories surplus (No weight loss, some frustration and confusion, much wailing and gnashing of teeth)
Well, we’re here to tell you that it might just be your Weekly Brunch bonanza that is at the root of your deficit delusion.
Quantified Brunch:
- 5 glasses of champagne- 450 cals
- 1 glass of Orange Juice- 110 cals
- Bacon- 2 rashers- 180 cals
- Eggs-2 poached- 180 cals
- Toast w/ Butter- 1 slice-190 cals
- Croissant and Butter- 320 cals
- Cheese board- 100 grams of cheese total- 330 cals
- 3 oz Prime Rib- 300 cals
- Dauphinoise potatoes-100 grams-132 cals
- Cheesecake – 80 grams- 260 calories.
- Cappuccino- 100 cals
TOTAL: 2652 calories
The above numbers are quite conservative, lots of items have been left off, gravy for example. And this by no means represents the height of gluttony but is perhaps typical of what someone might consume over the course of a few hours with friends. Even with relatively small portion sizes the calories still stack up to an impressive 2,652.
Assuming that another meal will be eaten that day we can see how this daily calorie total would creep up above 3000 and have a big impact on the calorie deficit that has been established during the week.
So what can you do to ensure that you continue to make progress without becoming a social pariah?
- Don’t adopt a cheat meal mentality, you’re here to enjoy a meal not to end a famine. Lose the make the most of your money mindset and eat slowly and mindfully.
- Eat your regular meal first: this means protein, vegetables, and fruit before pancakes, waffles and ice cream. You’ll be fuller and well satiated before you begin, leaving you to make much better decisions about which treat to indulge in.
- Recognise that alcohol doesn’t get a free pass when it comes to calories. Each glass of 125ml glass of champagne runs to 90 calories. This doesn’t seem like a large amount but it soon adds up in a free flow environment.
- Most buffets have a good selection of cold cuts, seafood and protein items- take advantage of these.
- Choose your poison- alcohol will be metabolized by the body as energy ahead of fats and carbohydrates which will be placed into storage. A good strategy is to choose either sweets or alcohol and try not to consume both together.
- Remember to relax. A couple of glasses of champagne will come to 180 calories which is hardly going to place you into a weekly calorie surplus.
So we’ve got the weekend covered but what about during the week? This where we can help.
Listen to what our loyal clients have to say about us. If you’re struggling to be consistent during the week then you should give us a try to ease your mind here’s how people like you have fared with Nutrition Kitchen.
“Nutrition Kitchen has restored my diet to where it should be, helped me control my weight, and most importantly it’s allowed me more time in my day to do what I think is really important – which is work-life balance and which doesn’t include queuing up for unhealthy meal options. I still eat out most evenings and for an occasional lunch, but I can do that with the confidence of knowing that I’ve chosen the healthier option when not eating out.”- Peter S, Finance
“NK has literally changed my life. No more wandering around an over-priced supermarket and no more deliberating over what to eat each day. For busy office workers, this is a dream come true – AND it’s healthy!” Sammy J, Law
“I started Nutrition Kitchen after my coach recommendation one month ago.
Why? I work 11 to 12 hours 5 days a week in the office. I never cook. I eat out all meals every day. In addition, my meal intake intervals varied from 4 hours to 6 hours. My excuses are ” I have been too busy, no time to cook, no time to buy
My coach sent me the link to Nutrition Kitchen to try. I closed my eyes and ordered my first meal. Wow! It was amazing… The meal tastes great, healthy and less oily. Protein, carbs and veggies are all in! The cuisine is multinational. Fantastic….”
Susan L, Education
“Nutrition kitchen has saved me from the challenging transition to Asian food, new types of bacteria and an overall carb heavy diet. It also has saved me, my team and all of our investments countless hours wondering around for food during rush hour and straight cash because it’s reasonable when compared to eating out. We now have 7 of us using nutrition kitchen every single week and it’s quickly becoming the expectation that everyone in the company eats healthfully and save time!” Bay M, Entrepreneur
So you’ve got two options:
Option 1:
Close this page, go back to what you were doing before, go and queue up in the rain at Lunchtime. Feel frustrated that you didn’t jump on board Nutrition Kitchen right away.
Option 2:
You decide that enough is enough and you want a sure fire way to achieve your health and fitness goals is the fastest and most effective way possible and with the added benefit of saving hours of your valuable time each week.