Messing up on weekends- every weekend

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  • TxTiffani
    TxTiffani Posts: 798 Member
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    We don't have grocery delivery here that I'm aware of, but we do have online ordering and you pick up at the store (Walmart and united has that now) so you can stick to your list. If that makes you feel restricted than you can treat yourself to one cookie or individual bag of chips (or whatever your trigger food is) but not bring it into the house or at least not family size bags or boxes that you know you'll overeat on;)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,525 Member
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    It's a change of habit you have to do on the weekends. You just have to treat them like the weekdays. Unlike WORK, you don't really get a day off from the consistency needed to lose weight.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
    edited April 2017
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    You're gonna have to get tough on yourself. Really. Stand naked in front of the mirror. Make a promise, out loud, to your body. Put up notes in your kitchen. In the grocery store, pick up those items you seem to can't resist, READ the nutritional value, and ask yourself if this is really how you want to live the rest of your life. And then put that crap back on the shelf. Give yourself *points* for every piece of crap you DON'T buy in the grocery store. And when you accumulate a certain number of points (any crap you buy decimates your balance) then treat yourself to a new lipstick, or a new top. I know it sounds silly, but you have to figure out a way to force yourself, motivate yourself, to STICK TO A PLAN. The only person that can do this, is YOU. And you CAN do it. :)
  • SadDolt
    SadDolt Posts: 173 Member
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    no amount of advise anyone gives you is going to work. it comes down to you. i struggle with binge eating but it's overall up to me to fight.
  • angelahammon
    angelahammon Posts: 114 Member
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    I find the weekends the hardest to keep my eating under control, i do get my food shopping delivered and this helps me from picking up random bits i dont need, i try and get out and about and give myself jobs to do to keep me busy as when i sit down i begin wanting to eat even when I'm not hungry!! good luck I'm sure you will overcome it
  • lmew91
    lmew91 Posts: 88 Member
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    I make a grocery list and I stick to it. I may buy one or two things that weren't on the list, but for the most part I've figured an estimate in my head of how much I'm going to spend, and I don't want to really blow that budget.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
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    It takes some time to get out of that mindset that weekends = free-for-all. It just takes some sheer determination and commitment to get out of that mindset. The first step would be just accurately tracking your weekends in MFP, even if you go over calories. Don't abandon MFP on weekends!

    Another good habit to get into is grocery shopping on a full stomach AND with a list. Choose some recipes, write down the ingredients you need. Add a few easy snacks if you want. Then stick to that list. Maybe buy ONE treat for the week, and that's it.
  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
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    Weekends are a struggle for me as well. Something I've taught myself to do is to only buy enough food for the weekend. Depending on your living situation this may or may not be possible, but in general I've found the best way to not eat too much, is to not bring it in the house. Then in the worst case that I eat it all... well, I just go hungry the rest of the day because there is no more, and I still stay in my calorie goal.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,898 Member
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    cnave99 wrote: »
    I can not get myself together. I do great all week. Then Saturday morning while I'm food shopping I'll buy stuff that I know I can't eat in moderation. Then I eat it all before Monday. I keep losing and gaining the same three pounds.

    I'm getting no where. But it's a cycle that I repeat every freaking week. Any advice welcome.

    You're aware of the problem and articulated it well here - great start!

    Now you need to bring that awareness into the supermarket. When you hear that lying Sabotaging Voice telling you you will be able to moderate those trigger foods you can try a variety of methods to teach yourself to ignore it and not buy those foods:
    • Recognize that what you are hearing is a Sabotaging Voice.
    • Yell 'No' at it. I suggest you do this silently ;)
    • Wear a rubber band around your wrist and snap it when you are tempted.

    This is a skill that can be learned with a little practice :)
  • brznhabits
    brznhabits Posts: 126 Member
    edited April 2017
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    @cnave99, Thanks for posting this. I struggle a little bit with the weekends but not overly. However, this last weekend was a whopper and reading this thread I think you helped me figure out why. This weekend because of other schedule commitments I a.) shopped on Saturday instead of my usual Sunday and b.) drove (instead of walking).

    @fitbethlin Excellent post!

    Also, I second some of the other suggestions
    • Don't buy trigger foods
    • I am and consciously plan to be more active on the weekends. This burns any overage AND keeps me from bored-eating.
    • If at all possible walk to the store. I'm lucky enough to be able to walk and I take my re-useable bags, this really cuts down on what I buy (and also my expenses). It's great. Even if driving, I wonder if ONLY using reusable bags and only allowing for a set number of bags would also help.
  • fitbethlin
    fitbethlin Posts: 162 Member
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    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »
    Give yourself *points* for every piece of crap you DON'T buy in the grocery store. And when you accumulate a certain number of points (any crap you buy decimates your balance) then treat yourself to a new lipstick, or a new top.

    I <3 this idea!! Game-ify it and all of a sudden the grocery store is an entertaining way to earn a cool prize, rather than an epic pain in my *kitten*. Love love love this.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I'm more loose on the diet front on the weekends...but I'm also more active, so it all kinds of comes out in the wash. I never use my weekends for rest days. Saturdays are usually pretty busy days...my 7 y.o. has Jiu-Jitsu at 9 AM...after that I'm off to the gym and weather permitting I usually ride to and from. Saturday afternoons I will usually spend at least a couple of hours doing yard work/maintenance.

    Sunday is my "free" day where I do something else besides my normal cycling or lifting...I've gotten into going to the rock climbing gym or hiking or swimming...sometimes we just go out as a family for a recreational ride...kayak season is also approaching.

    I find that being active on weekends provides for a couple of things...1) I'm not just sitting around bored and eating (or wanting to eat), and 2) The extra activity helps to compensate for pizza night or some extra weekend indulgences (I'm looking at you craft beer)...
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
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    I find that it's easier sticking to a nutrition plan Monday through Friday because it's a "routine". So you're going to need to change your routine on the weekends. Learn to say "no" to yourself. No one can tell you how to stop doing this and the only one you are cheating is yourself. I eat treats almost every night of the week, but I make sure to leave room in my calorie target during the day. I also maintain a pretty tight deficit heading into the weekend so that I can lighten up a little on the weekend and eat things I wouldn't normally eat. The thing about eating before you go grocery shopping... lol! Being hungry and craving something are two different things entirely so that doesn't work. Shopping the perimeter? Yeah great but that's where the bakery is! haha! Just try to make small changes to your routine and little by little you'll create some new habits.
  • menotyou56
    menotyou56 Posts: 178 Member
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    One reply said exercise more and that would give you more cals to play with. Possibly if you really got into your exercise program or sport it would be more incentive not to mess up your calorie intake?
  • surlydoc
    surlydoc Posts: 10 Member
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    I have problems on the weekend also. I allow myself a cheat meal and those usually fall on the weekend. I also allow myself one dessert per week, also on the weekend. The struggle is keeping the cheat meal and dessert to a normal portion size. I've found that if I remember to tell myself "no" I am better. I keep reminding myself- "just say no to what you want to do" and it helps a lot. You want to buy just one candy bar? "NO" Do the opposite of what your craving demons are telling you to do.

    Grocery shopping is very difficult because grocery stores put all the really bad tempting food out in bins in the middle of aisles. I know enough about calorie counts, etc. now to recognize when one little package of something will totally derail my whole day, so saying "no" is easier in those circumstances. Also, remember that the junk food does not fill you up. You can waste 1000 calories on candy and still be hungry after. I'm learning to remind myself of this as well. Junk food isn't fuel and it doesn't fulfill you.
  • JenHuedy
    JenHuedy Posts: 611 Member
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    One thing that might keep you on track would be to go ahead and allow yourself ONE treat when grocery shopping instead of trying to avoid them altogether. Choose something that comes in a single serving and really take your time and ENJOY eating it. This might keep you from feeling deprived and going off the deep end when you do get access to "forbidden" foods.
  • nevadavis1
    nevadavis1 Posts: 331 Member
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    I'm messing up on weekends too. Even little things add up to extra calories.
  • Cirque95
    Cirque95 Posts: 22 Member
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    I do the exact same thing. Last year I still managed to lose 2 and a half stone in a decent amount of time whilst still eating bad on weekends. At the time it was great because I was still losing weight but I wasn't properly dealing with my bad habits and ended up gaining all of the weight back once I stopped dieting. I'm now trying to overcome this problem and I understand how hard it is.

    I find that I binge eat on weekends because of the change of routine and the increased freedom/boredom. I think planning your meals/snacks for the weekend is a really good idea. I'm going to try that from now on but instead of having meals I have during the week I'm going to try more exciting things. Like this weekend I might take the time to make a lasagne or something I don't usually have time to make during the week. I'm also going to treat myself to something non-food related so that I'm not stuck in the house. I'm planning on becoming more active on weekends and maybe going to a gym class or taking my dog on a long walk to somewhere I've never been before. I feel like I've personally managed to get my diet sorted out during the week and find it easy to stick to a routine during the week as a result, but I just haven't managed to sort the weekends out yet. I need to accept that I do deserve to step out of my routine on the weekends, but I need to learn to do it in a non-destructive manner. That's why I feel like planning nice long walks or planning to cook new things would be a good way to step out of routine without being destructive.

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