“Saturday Saturday…” Remember the Alia Bhatt-Varun Dhawan-star number that soared in popularity charts. Because the mere thought of the weekend is enough to make you jump with joy. Weekends are usually all about meeting your favourite pals, shopping, watching the latest movie and hanging out at the newest café in town.

While the weekend is about having a blast, the one thing that takes the maximum beating is your weight. Whether it’s skipping breakfast, late dinners, erratic sleep hours, bingeing on fried foods and desserts, zero exercise, or downing a few drinks; Saturday and Sunday become speed bumps in your weight loss journey.

And on Monday morning, when you see you’ve gained a kilo or two, it’s tempting to starve, hit the gym for a super gruelling cardio session or eat nothing but salad and soups to compensate for the unhealthy weekend. Sadly, overcompensating for your weekend slip up makes you feel deprived, and would ultimately lead to more bingeing before the day is over.

Now before you give up all hope, I’ve got a plan that’s easy and gets great results. Without wasting a single second, let’s learn how to recover after an unhealthy weekend and get your health and weight back in shape:

Smile

The first thing on your Monday to-do list should be to smile. Believe me, the crooked line sets everything straight, even your mood after seeing the weight increase. Accept that you had an indulgent weekend and now it’s time to go back to your healthy lifestyle.

Food

Next up is a fibre and protein-rich breakfast. A power-packed morning meal of veggie omelette with multigrain toast, mixed veggies, and paneer wrap or vegetable idli with sambhar sets you back on the weight loss track. For a mid-morning snack, eat a fruit along with some nuts.

Since you haven’t obviously chomped on veggies and fruits for two days, your cells are deprived of vitamins and minerals. You need to eat a generous serving of these fibre-rich foods to make your cells -and you- feel happy and energetic!

Lunch has to be a light, home-made meal with all the five pillars of nutrition. A low-oil dal paratha with vegetable raita, daliya khichdi with curd or palak paneer pulao are smart options. These nutritionally balanced, one-dish meals are perfect for the maddening Monday morning rush.

A wholesome snack between 4-6 pm of a vegetable sandwich or mixed sprouts will hit the right nutrition notes. And rajma-rice or besan and corn chilla would be a healthy way to end your Monday.

Make similar food choices throughout the week and as a reward, treat your taste buds for a mid-morning dessert or samosa on Sunday.

To sum up, instead of restricting your food intake, focus on your food choices and portion sizes. Eat small, eat frequent and eat smart!

The other habits you need to work on:

Water

Glug down at least 12 glasses of water every day to push your body into the detox mode and make your bowel movements regular.

Exercise

Make time for a 20-30 minute brisk walk, swim or cardio session on Monday, irrespective of the work pressure. The endorphin high after this physical activity burns off both the calories and stress. On the other hand, a two-hour exhaustive gym session will strain your muscles and exhaust your energy stores.

Remember your goal isn’t to burn off the burger, alcohol or mousse you indulged in over the weekend; it is to give exercise a permanent place in your routine. And there’s no better day than a Monday to start or reinforce this healthy habit.

Alcohol

To balance the alcohol overload over the weekend, try to stay sober through the week. Because along with the 7 calories per gram, alcohol attracts you towards the fried snacks. A smarter move would be to have a glass or two of your favourite drink once a week and opt for the tandoori munchies or boiled sprouts.

Sleep

In the era of YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and What’s App, it’s easy to lose track of time and stay up late at night. Hit the bed before midnight and sleep for seven-eight hours – that’s the little-known secret to a lighter you.

With these easy-to-follow tips, make the most of the weekend without worrying about your weight. But, if you are one of those who needs a guide to help you recover, try this app – bon happetee.

The app is designed for foodies like you. In fact, I’ll tell you a little secret about this app: most of the app users use it during the weekdays and score well on their meals (yes, the app gives a score for all your meals). And the good news is that the users who use this app 5-6 days a week and have scored high on their meals have all lost an average of 5 kilos or have maintained their weight. So, if you want to enjoy your weekend guilt-free don’t worry as you have bon happetee to take over from Monday.

Cheers and a happy weekend ahead 🙂

Vishruta is a nutritionist by profession and a writer by heart. Content writing and menu planning have become her passions over the past few years. Love food, love life — is her mantra.