Suggestions for not binge eating on the weekends?

oneallmama

Ughhh you all I'm so frustrated! Every weekend, it never fails. I end up going out to eat and eating the most unhealthy foods. And then I come home and eat junk food to top it off. I feel miserable afterwards. I do so good throughout the week to sticking to my diet but once the weekend comes around I give in. Any suggestions?

imtrying22

Sorry can't help you lol, I came to get the advice too but no one helping yet ☹️

oneallmama

imtrying22 wrote: »

Sorry can't help you lol, I came to get the advice too but no one helping yet ☹️

Well darnit lol. You and I are in the same boat!

everher

I have a few suggestions.

Try meal planning. I generally plan what I'm going to eat a day or so in advance and I stick to it. This is especially necessary for the weekends I find. If I let myself I'll eat everything in sight because it's the weekend and I "deserve a break".

I weigh in on Sunday mornings. Binging on a bunch of junk food doesn't seem that appealing when I know I'm going to weigh in the next morning.

I try to stay busy on the weekends. I will usually go out to eat, but I try to do more activity during the day than I usually do to help with the calories. I also plan what I'm going to eat beforehand and try to get something I know will be filling (and within my calories).

At one point, I couldn't really help stuffing myself with certain things on the weekends so I stopped keeping the stuff I would stuff myself with in the house. I'm way less likely to binge on vegetables than chocolate.

JullzGood

hmm, carry a water bottle everywhere you go to control hunger. Do you have your foods meal prepped? Knowing I have prepared foods at home makes me not want to eat out. Or I just take it with me. But honestly, you can eat out, just dont pick the most unhealthy choices. Use the location icon to check the nutrition facts on myfitnesspal. That thing that shows up on the top right? And choose a meal that will fit your macros. Remember this isnt temporary, you are living a healthy lifestyle, so dont constrict yourself from good restaurant foods once in a while. As for the eating junk food when you get home? Are you eating enough calories for the day?

SLLRunner

oneallmama wrote: »

Ughhh you all I'm so frustrated! Every weekend, it never fails. I end up going out to eat and eating the most unhealthy foods. And then I come home and eat junk food to top it off. I feel miserable afterwards. I do so good throughout the week to sticking to my diet but once the weekend comes around I give in. Any suggestions?

What qualifies as a binge for you?

What is unhealthy food to you? It's not good to demonize food.

If you are a weekend eater, eat less on the weekdays and save calories for the weekend.

sammyliftsandeats

Do you deprive yourself of anything? If so, stop doing that and allow planned treats during the week. A binge is usually preceeded by heavy restriction.

Bank calories for treats or meals that you go out for. Get in some extra activity.

JeromeBarry1

I had to learn that on weekends when plans can change and stuff, I must start with a good breakfast. I had to learn to eat a meal every 5-6 hours or else binge. Once I get to about 3 in the afternoon and have 1000 calories consumed with 600 remaining, I'm confident in having a good day.

leejoyce31

I try to follow my same weekday eating schedule on the weekends. That helps a lot. I also try to move around the first part of the day with my chores so that I am not just sitting watching TV all day. The later I find myself sitting to watch TV, the easier it is to stick to my eating schedule.

Maybe try to be a little more active.

mir1104

What works for me is to keep busy and phisically away from the fridge. Great if I can go hiking or I have to do errands, shopping, training...whatever can keep me out of the house.
But I've got to be back in the house at some time anyway, then it's chores and all things to do. I spend very little time at home everyday so things to do just pile up and that's luck on the weekend, to keep me busy.
If everything else fails, I liek to play computer games, waste time on facebook...and generally try to avoid people and situations I find frustrating.
Also having my mealr ready, weighted and packed into plastic containers and no extras available in the house. So that's my lunch. Period.

PokeyBug

leejoyce31 wrote: »

Maybe try to be a little more active.

I second this suggestion. Do something during the day that will burn a lot of calories, and if you end up going out for something really high calorie, its effect won't be as great.

SophieeBrook

Meal plan and keep busy!
Go for walks, gym, dance, clean, cook healthy foods for the week, pamper yourself, go for coffee with a friend
I like to plan my meals and activities on the weekend and only eat at the hour I planned.

H_Ock12

PokeyBug wrote: »

leejoyce31 wrote: »

Maybe try to be a little more active.

I second this suggestion. Do something during the day that will burn a lot of calories, and if you end up going out for something really high calorie, its effect won't be as great.

I third this! Personally, I like to schedule my runs on the weekend...I have more time and can burn calories for a larger meal.

not_a_runner

Calorie banking works well for me. I eat a few hundred less throughout the week, and then can have a bigger day or two on the weekend. If I know I'm going out to eat, I look at the menu and decide what I will enjoy that I can fit in my goals. After seeing how much better I feel when I'm not binge eating, it's become a lot more difficult for me to give in knowing I'm going to physically feel terrible after.
If you do end up going over your goal for the day, do your best to resist the "I've already messed up, might as well keep going" mentality. Going over your goal my a little bit is still a lot better than blowing it out of the water.

estherdragonbat

I hear you. I've been there. For religious reasons, I don't write or type on Sabbath (roughly sundown on Friday night to dark on Saturday night). When I've tried losing weight in the past, to me, Sabbath had been a day to go off the rails. Plenty of excuses: I won't remember what I ate to write it all down. It'll be too depressing to track what do remember I ate. I binged last Sabbath and I still lost. Etc, etc.

This time, I'm being a little more real.

1) I pre-track on Friday afternoon, journaling what I anticipate eating.
2) I am realistic about what I'm going to eat. I sort of 'sat down with myself' and asked, "How much do you think it's going to take for you to enjoy yourself instead of 'virtuously' gnawing on carrots and celery when everyone else around you is having cake and you want some too?" So, after services on Saturday morning, my synagogue puts out a buffet: fruit, pastries and cookies, veggies and dip, slow cooker bean stew, and potato kugel (think gratin). I figured that if I could have 2 pieces of kugel (roughly 1"x1"x2") and one shortbread cookie with frosting, I could stick to the fruit platter for the rest of it. I just really love that kugel and those cookies are amazing. I totaled the calories and decided that it would be worth it. (Sometimes it's not. Jelly donuts are around 270 and they're a Hannukah tradition. I decided that I could afford half a donut in that case.)
3) I indulge in what I budgeted for. And this time? I don't feel guilty. I don't have the negative self-talk about blowing my diet or 'looks like today is already shot, so I might as well load my plate and try to undo the damage tomorrow'. I recognize that a treat doesn't have to be a cheat. And I stay on plan.

schmanciepants

I typically eat my largest meal of the week on Saturday night - with a couple of glasses of wine. Knowing that is going to happen, I eat a lighter breakfast and lunch and try to make those meals as healthy as possible.

NorthCascades

Find something you enjoy doing with your weekends. Something you look forward to all week, something that the memory carries you through the tedium of the next week. Be too busy (and happy) to eat out of boredom.

kshama2001

oneallmama wrote: »

Ughhh you all I'm so frustrated! Every weekend, it never fails. I end up going out to eat and eating the most unhealthy foods. And then I come home and eat junk food to top it off. I feel miserable afterwards. I do so good throughout the week to sticking to my diet but once the weekend comes around I give in. Any suggestions?

I wonder if you are under-eating during the week which is triggering weekend binges? Maybe try eating moderately all week long. And getting busier on the weekends.

I often eat more on the weekends, but I exercise more then too.

jnducharme

Do something that boosts your self-esteem and happiness first thing in the morning. I dealt with binging over the past 4 years and I found that if I did something (usually exercise) first thing it sets the tone for the whole day. Eating smaller meals 9am, 12pm, 3pm and 6pm can also help because you know another tasty healthy meal is coming soon and won't feel deprived. I really like a smoothie (yogurt, berries and gold standard whey chocolate extreme) at 3 in the afternoon because it tastes like a milk shake so it is a treat but also super healthy. Another key strategy for me was not having binge inducing foods at home. Try drinking tea with honey and milk when you get home after dinner if you feel like something sweet and tasty.

KatyBell164

Move weigh in day to Monday

yayamom3

Something that has really helped me with my sugar/junk food cravings and my urge to binge has been taking probiotics. Since about the third day of taking them, my sugar cravings have completely disappeared. I've also seen great improvement in my depression.

Dee_D33

I actually try and stay under my calorie goal for the week and anything left over I add onto Saturday as a "treat." Usually it's only a couple hundred, but I don't feel the need to treat myself typically because I eat what makes me happy throughout the week, while making sure it's within my calorie goal. If you find yourself binging on the weekends, then take a step back and look at what you're eating throughout the week. If you're drastically cutting and undereating then your body will only be able to take so much because it screams, "FEED ME!" resulting in a binge.

However, if you're binging because you have nothing else to do, then start planning things on the weekend. Replace going out to eat with an activity that doesn't involve food. You can also exercise more on the weekend than during the week. Personally, on the weekend I rest, but if it would make you feel better about eating a not so healthy meal or two then go for it! To avoid eating junk at home, remove it. For some people this is the only option if they lack the self control to not eat it.

cwolfman13

How restrictive are you during the week, both in terms of calories and the types of food you eat? How are you defining healthy? One reason I ask is that people tend to have a very myopic view of "healthy"...for whatever reason, people tend to think "healthy" has to be bland and boring..nothing but broccoli and plain chicken or salads or whatever...very boring. Also, if you're overly restrictive with calories, this can cause binge/restrict cycles...more modest deficits are easier to manage and while technically they result in slower weight loss, they often actually result in ultimately losing the weight faster because people are more consistent.

I eat very well for the most part and enjoy eating "healthy"...my wife and I both love to cook and the weekends are when we get to play around with new recipes and whatnot that we don't have time for during the week when we're just sticking to our tried and true..I'm making this tomorrow night...

http://wholeandheavenlyoven.com/2016/10/21/lemon-garlic-parmesan-baked-salmon-with-green-beans-mushrooms/#more-19401

My wife and I also stay pretty active on weekends...this is when I have time for longer rides and she has time for her long runs and we both have a bit more time to enjoy the weight room...we purposely do NOT take rest days on the weekend...that's when we actually have time to get to it. We're also busy doing whatever with our 4 & 6 year olds...going to the park...playing catch in the back yard...going to the zoo, etc.

Idle hands are the devil's workshop as they say...

TeaBea

Zig-zag your calories or "bank" them like @TresaAswegan said. I eat slightly less during the week so I can eat at maintenance during the weekend. This is still calorie management....not a free-for-all.

Being too restrictive backfires for me. I don't eliminate sweets or pizza or fast food. Because I won't be eliminating those things when I get to goal. The point is I need to learn how to manage those foods eventually. So I fit a treat in every day.