Yo-Yoing

ahmetletif

Hello everyone!

Been doing this for about 3 months now and one the things I find most difficult is the weekends when I’m off and at home. They are usually my days to decompress so I don’t like going anywhere but I find myself cheating on my meal planning dieting etc and believe it’s leading to my weight yo-yoing. I am back at work now and meal prepped so so far so good. Anyone have any tips to manage this? Thanks!

CarvedTones

I think there is a difference between a true yoyo and spikes. If you go over for a couple of days and then average back out by going into a deficit for the next 3 or 4 days, there really isn't a gain. it's just a spike. I think of a real yoyo as going a little over for several days or even weeks and gain some pounds so that your spikes are bouncing around a higher weight and finally you realize you are creeping up and eat a deficit for a few weeks to get back down.

Short story - I think you are looking at spikes as yoyos.

jondspen

First - get a hobby or something to do on the w/e. Learn a new language, pick up that guitar in the closet and learn a new chord or two, read a book you found interesting, anything that will take your mind off it.

Second - get out of the routine. If you notice you eat a bag of chips at night during GOT, then either don't watch GOT at that time, or have a bag of carrots or something to substitute.

Third - if you can't control that craving, make a deal with yourself. I will eat only 1 cookie per commercial break, but only if I do 20 push ups first.

Finally - I weighed for the last week straight, and found that I was at 163.8, then down to 162.4, then up to 163.4. This was over 3-4 days, not even the whole week. "Yo-yo-ing" might be nothing more than water weight, which can be added from sodium, carbs, exercise, etc. As long as your CICO is in the negative for a period (like over a whole week), you will lose the weight.

nowine4me

A few weekend tips that help me......
1. Start each day with a really long walk or run to build up a deficit
2. Spend some time each day doing something active (tennis, football, more walking)
3. Skip breakfast if you can and use those calories for later meals
4. Read, listen to podcasts or anything but sitting in front of the TV and getting bombarded by food ads
5. Spend Sunday pre-logging, shopping and prepping for the upcoming week

icemom011

I will add my two cents as well.
- Definitely try to get some activity in, if possible.
- Find a hobby to keep busy and entertained, you will forget about the food. Even household projects that you've been putting off will do, haha.
- Try to fill up on veggies for your meals, they are low calories, and it will leave you a little extra room for a higher calorie snack later.
- Try to postpone your snacks until after dinner. It helps me, if i start snacking early, i find it much more difficult to stop and go overboard. Also, the fact that you know you can have it later is helpful in managing your timing and not having it too early.
- Use fruit for day time snacks.
- Prepackage your snacks into zip lock bags, weigh it and everything, so when you pull it out, it's not a big bag you are eating out of.
- Chew a gum, maybe. It will keep your mouth busy for a bit.

nat8199

I am eating for the work days towards a MFP setting of losing 0.5 pounds per week. This lets me go into the red on weekends without really worrying about it. After a few weeks of this, I am finding myself maintaining well for the first time ever. I also am making myself hit my daily goal of 11,000 steps on the weekends, when before I was lax about this.

elisa123gal

In my journey.. I looked at these obstacles as issues I had to learn to deal with. So, break it down and solve the problem. Just like if your car broke down.. process of elimination to figure it out.

On weekends, I spend them elsewhere than my home. I always go off my healthy eating there..so I studied the pitfalls of why I do that when I'm there..

one by one eliminated the reasons that lead me to fail.

First, the fridge is always empty so I always eat out. So, I stock that place with frozen great food I can always eat and prepare. Shrimp, Scallops.. Orange Roughy and my favorite frozen vegetables. I make sure I have all my good spices there too.

I don't put alcohol in the cupboard so I won't drink, which is easy to do on the weekends. I only drink cocktails when I go out to dinner once a week.

I'm finding non food related activities to become interested in...so my life is about doing things rather than eating things. (big time foodie.. trying to be an ex-foodie)

born_of_fire74

I'm good for a small cut's worth of calories in exercise each day (~250cals). When I'm maintaining, I don't eat those exercise calories back during the week. This gives me ~1750 extra calories to play around with on the weekend. When I'm cutting, I eat the same amount of food during the week but I don't have those extra 1750cals of fun for Saturday and Sunday.

Reading this over, my point may be unclear: I'm suggesting that you can bank some calories during the week so that you can eat a little extra on the weekends. My strategy for doing so is what I described above but you could certainly go about it any other way that works for you

urloved33

in work im very structured...and that is great for my nutrition. but im more active on the weekends than I am when im at work. 6 of one 1/2 doz of another.

lorrpb

Drink 1-2 glasses of water before you eat anything. Have lots of veggies on hand to eat before you eat anything else. These things will help keep you feeling full and give you a way to “eat” without consuming a lot of calories.

Keep_on_cardio

jondspen wrote: »

First - get a hobby or something to do on the w/e. Learn a new language, pick up that guitar in the closet and learn a new chord or two, read a book you found interesting, anything that will take your mind off it.

Second - get out of the routine. If you notice you eat a bag of chips at night during GOT, then either don't watch GOT at that time, or have a bag of carrots or something to substitute.

Third - if you can't control that craving, make a deal with yourself. I will eat only 1 cookie per commercial break, but only if I do 20 push ups first.

Finally - I weighed for the last week straight, and found that I was at 163.8, then down to 162.4, then up to 163.4. This was over 3-4 days, not even the whole week. "Yo-yo-ing" might be nothing more than water weight, which can be added from sodium, carbs, exercise, etc. As long as your CICO is in the negative for a period (like over a whole week), you will lose the weight.

I love this advice 💜💜

VanVanDiane

As other posters have said - banking calories during the week works for me, as does making sure I'm more active at the weekends

psychod787

born_of_fire74 wrote: »

I'm good for a small cut's worth of calories in exercise each day (~250cals). When I'm maintaining, I don't eat those exercise calories back during the week. This gives me ~1750 extra calories to play around with on the weekend. When I'm cutting, I eat the same amount of food during the week but I don't have those extra 1750cals of fun for Saturday and Sunday.

Reading this over, my point may be unclear: I'm suggesting that you can bank some calories during the week so that you can eat a little extra on the weekends. My strategy for doing so is what I described above but you could certainly go about it any other way that works for you

I do the same for my rest days!

CarvedTones

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WilmaValley

Great suggestions!

ahmetletif

Thanks everyone.

VanVanDiane

...having said all that last weekend was a complete bust for me calorie wise! I'd add 'limit alcohol' to the list of tips - for me at least, all bets are off if I have more than one drink... I always log it though, no matter how ugly

ahmetletif

So I will say here one week later that the guys up there in the first couple comments were right. Definitely spiking. Weighed myself this morning with the same diet and still on -2 lb deficit per week. Thanks for the encouragement, everyone!