If you’re like many, the weekend is a time to spend time with friends, go to church or catch up on activities you can’t get done during your workweek.

Also, if you’re like some folks, come Monday morning, your bathroom scale presents to you a rather unpleasant surprise. Today, I’m going to describe ways to help prevent weekend overeating.

If you’re up a few pounds come the start of your workweek, don’t panic. You know it’s interesting when you ask most individuals, “Is it possible to lose three pounds of fat in two days,” most will say “of course not.”

Ask those same people, “could you gain three pounds in two days,” many will say “sure you can.”

Here’s the thing … whether losing or gaining fat, it’s the same process. In other words, your potential for gaining fat over a period of time is the same for losing fat, to a point. It’s probably water weight gain that increases the numbers on your scale after a two-day weekend, and that’s usually from ingesting too much sodium (salt). Many of us eat out weekends, and many restaurant dishes are loaded with different types of sodium, like disodium phosphate, monosodium glutamate, sodium chloride (table salt) and disodium inosinate.

The reason salt can make you gain weight is fluid retention. Your body will only accept a certain ratio of sodium to water. Let’s say it’s 10 to one. That means for every one part sodium you take in, your body will retain 10 parts water to dilute it. Here are some tips to keep you from over indulging during your weekend rest.