Has anybody heard the saying “you don’t gain weight on shabbos (Saturday)” and feels like if it was true they would be 10 pounds lighter?
Me too.
There is something about shabbos that makes all the self-control we had during the week disappear. It probably has something to do with the laid-back atmosphere of the weekend, the joyous attitude that comes along with eating delicious foods, and spending time with family and friends.
And these are all great things! Shabbos is a little piece of heaven that should be savored and enjoyed all the way. But that doesn’t necessarily mean our waistline has to suffer in the process.
Here are some ways to prevent Shabbos weight gain:
1. Eat a proper snack in the afternoon/early evening.
The Shabbos meal on Friday night used to feel like breaking my Yom Kippur fast. I would be so hungry because I didn’t eat all day and then I would eat way too much at the meal. Like many others, I skipped meals on Friday because I was so busy, and I knew a big meal was coming. Whatever reason you are doing it for, it might be the reason for overeating Friday night.
Anyway, one Friday I took the time to sit down around an hour before lighting candles and I ate an apple and cashews. That little snack made such a big difference. Not only did I eat half of what I normally do at the Friday night meal, but I welcomed Shabbos so peacefully and pleasantly.
I know there is a thing about coming to the Shabbos meal hungry. But that’s just it, you should be hungry, not starving. So a little snack is the perfect fix; you get to the meal still being hungry, but not starving to the point where you end up overeating.
You’re probably also thinking “who has time to sit down for a snack on Friday afternoon?!” And I get that, but trust me this little snack hack is a game-changer. It’s probably more important to your health than whatever else you are doing at that time!
2. Meal Plan for Shabbos
Having a plan for what you will be eating on Shabbos can save you from eating a lot of unnecessary calories. A lot of people cook a bunch of different foods for Shabbos and they know more or less what they are serving. But do they know what their plate of food will look like for those meals?
You might have prepared a lot of different options to satisfy everyone’s different cravings, but make sure that you planned meals that work for you as well.
Having meals planned out for Shabbos ensures that you are in control of the food versus having the food control you.
3. Do dessert right
You’re probably surprised that an article about not gaining weight on Shabbos is specifying to eat dessert! However, dessert is not the reason you gain weight, it’s how much dessert you eat, and how much you ate before the dessert. So firstly, knowing that you are not depriving yourself of dessert can help ensure that you don’t overeat at the meal. By not being in the deprivation mindset you are less likely to overeat.
Secondly, and more importantly, serve yourself dessert on a plate and keep in mind that when you finish your plate of dessert you finished your meal. The problem with putting a bunch of desserts on the table is that it’s very hard to see them and not eat them. Also, you end up mindlessly eating as you are schmoozing and socializing. So serving individual plates of dessert can help you eat dessert intentionally and not let it get out of hand.
4. Eat breakfast on Shabbos morning
A lot of people skip breakfast on Shabbos morning because they ate too much the night before or they are anticipating a big lunch. One of the things to do about this is to ask yourself at the meal Friday night: “Am I eating too much that I will have no interest in breakfast tomorrow?” If the answer is yes you are probably eating too much! If the answer is no then you are doing well. I do this all the time and it is so helpful with not overeating.
You may be skipping breakfast because you know there will be a big Kiddush in shul, or you are having a big lunch. The problem with that is that you are often waiting hours until that happens and by then you are so hungry that you are bound to overeat.
Chances are if you eat breakfast you will still have an appetite at your next meal plus you won’t overeat because you are not starving.
You can opt for a smaller breakfast knowing that you have a big lunch coming, but starving until that comes will only make it harder to achieve your goals.
5. Go for walks
Don’t underestimate what a good walk can do for you! Sometimes people feel like Shabbos is one long 24-hour eating fest, therefore finding it hard to be motivated enough to go on a walk. Getting some fresh air and physical movement will give the day more structure and purpose. You will probably feel like you just lost a few calories which will make you less likely to ruin that by munching on snacks the rest of the day!
6. Prep healthy snacks
There is something about shabbos afternoon that makes people extra peckish. Sitting around all day and relaxing makes people think they are hungry whereas on a weekday they would be busy doing something.
Having healthy snacks ready and available to eat helps with making healthy choices if you are feeling like you need to have a snack.
Washing fresh fruit, cutting up vegetables, or making individual bags of popcorn, nuts, dried fruit, etc. are all great things to do in anticipation of long afternoons!
7. Break up the day with interesting activities
Would everyone agree that when we are busy we eat less and when we are bored we eat more? This is why it is important to not be bored too often, or you might eat to pass the time. The problem is that eating takes only a few minutes so you are still bored, and you just ate a ton. If you do the math you realize the calories that somebody might consume are astronomical.
Bummer, right?
I have a solution. Firstly, keep in mind when you are going to eat. So if you know that lunch is at 1:00 you can tell yourself that you don’t need to eat again until 4:00, and then 7:00, etc. If you notice yourself wanting to eat you can check the time and see if you are actually hungry or more likely just bored.
Just like going for a walk, planning fun activities with friends and family can help break up the day and give it more structure. Things like board games, reading, going to the park, and getting together with friends to catch up are all things you can do and before you know it you got through the day without overeating.
8. Cook less
If you don’t have it – you won’t eat it 🙂 It’s really hard to expect yourself to not eat food if you cooked it and put it on the table. The problem is you might be cooking (or buying) too much for Shabbos. There is a difference between cooking something special for Shabbos and pure gluttony.
You don’t need more than one course to have a nice Shabbos meal. That course can definitely be nicer or bigger than a weeknight dinner but that should be enough to make it extra special.
Getting a nice bottle of wine, a special cut of meat, or a delicious dessert are all great things to do for Shabbos, as well as cooking some of your favorite things.
The problem is if there are a bunch of courses it makes it nearly impossible not to overeat week after week. A little bit of overeating is okay, it’s Shabbos after all, but maybe add one course instead of two, or maybe choose two of your favorite things to enjoy instead of 10.
Your Oneg Shabbos can be something different every week. Maybe one week you go for the dips and challah, another week wine and chocolate, and the third week your favorite meats and delis. Try to get into the habit of not needing every delicacy every Shabbos and that can really help you stay on track. (It’ll probably help your wallet too!)
9. Don’t eat much more than you do during the week
This is kind of piggybacking off the previous idea. Even though Shabbos should be more decadent than your normal weekday, if you overeat a lot week after week it is almost impossible to reach your healthy goals. So try to keep a healthy day as your metric for what Shabbos should look like. If you don’t veer away from that too much you will be so much closer to staying healthy on Shabbos.
If you think about it, a normal dinner during the week is probably a protein, a vegetable, and a healthy starch or carb. Think salmon, rice, and green beans. Or chicken, sweet potatoes, and salad. But then Shabbos comes and you have wine, challah and dips, fish, soup, chicken, meat, rice, vegetables, cakes, cookies, and candy. Maybe I’m exaggerating but you get the drift. There seems to be some sort of imbalance. Maybe you are depriving yourself during the week and therefore on Shabbos you are going all out, or maybe you think this is what Shabbos is.
If you are depriving yourself during the week, try to incorporate your favorite foods during the week in moderation. This way you won’t feel that you can only enjoy yourself on Shabbos which leads to overeating. And if you feel that it isn’t Shabbos without all these things, try it for a week and see. You might enjoy everything more if you don’t have it more frequently.
Ask yourself what you would eat during the week and add on a couple of special things over the course of Shabbos. When you see that you can still have a beautiful Shabbos without a bunch of courses and a lot of unhealthiness, you will feel better about the idea, and it will become second nature.
10. treat shalosh seudos as dinner
One of the tricky parts of eating healthy on Shabbos is from late afternoon to evening time on Shabbos day. Some people skip Shalosh Seudos and therefore devour a pie of pizza Motzei Shabbos, while others eat a small snack at that time and find that they keep picking at things the entire night. If you treat Shalos Seudos as dinner you will know psychologically that you are finished eating for the night except for a small snack, etc.
Now I understand the appeal to have pizza and pasta and ice cream Motzei Shabbos. There is a strong craving for that kind of stuff Motzei Shabbos and you should absolutely fill that craving occasionally. The key word being occasionally. Because doing that week after week will not only leave you feeling sluggish all Sunday, it is also unhealthy and will stop you from reaching your health goals. So plan to have a delicious and nutritious Shalosh Seudos and maybe a light snack after Shabbos.
If you are used to intaking a lot of calories Motzei Shabbos it might be difficult in the beginning, but once you set your mind to it, you will get used to it and probably enjoy the benefits of being mindful during that time.
Waking up Sunday morning having avoided Shabbos weight gain is truly a wonderful feeling and will help you start your week off right.
Best of luck and don’t give up!
To learn about what Shabbos is click here.