Weekends are tough

schwest76

I do great during the week with staying within macros and calories. The weekend however....not so good. I try to stay within it but, usually in the afternoon, kind of fall apart. For the most part my attitude is fine but there are time when I just want a latte or piece of candy but am already at my limit. The restrictions get to me sometimes (more my macros than anything). October was especially hard since I had two birthdays (son and husband) and my anniversary. I’m afraid to step on the scale!

Anyway, just looking for words of wisdom/helpful hints.

greenolivetree

Try saving some calories through the week for a weekend splurge. Look at your calories on a weekly basis vs. daily. If you click on the pie chart on the app, you can look at your data a week at a time and it'll tell you your average total and net calories over for the week. As long as your weekly average is your goal or under, you're good

LyndaBSS

I’m retired so weekdays and weekends are pretty much the same as far as food goes.

I agree that carrying calories over seems to work for some. I just fill out my food diary a few days in advance. That keeps me from grabbing a handful of this or that.

If it’s not logged or I don’t have the extra calories, I don’t eat it.

kristen8000

If it's purely a struggle with macros, try to just concentrate on calories. When I get wrapped up in doing everything perfect, I trip up too. Sometimes just concentrating on one thing helps.

Also, planning ahead as much as you can and logging things tends to help me. If I've planned and logged it, I don't eat/drink the temptation. Call me lazy, but if I went through all the logging, planning, etc, I'm not going back and changing it.

cwolfman13

I eat more on weekends...and I'm also way more active than during the week. I don't have to be as restrictive on weekends since I'm more active. Weekends are prime time for exercise and more general activity.

LeannJeffers

I'm actually the opposite. Weekends I can walk away from the food. When I'm at work I get bored and sleepy so I eat! It doesn't help that the candy dish sits on my desk. If i don't fill it up then everyone whines or sometimes they refill it for me. I can't wait for January 1st so everyone stops wanting the candy!

AmyG1982

If you’re not in a rush to lose weight try eating at maintenance on the weekends, that’d give you approx an extra 500 calories a day. I generally have my weekends under control now but for a long time this was how I ate and I still lost a decent amount of weight. (Tho, like people above said I would often be a little under during the week so it did leave me some more wiggle room)

hesn92

You could try going a little lower during the week and then have more wiggle room on the weekends. You can also exercise more since you have more time available

Shortgirlrunning

Try pre-logging all your food for the day. Nothing goes in my mouth before it goes in MFP and many, many times it’s made me re-think if I actually want what I’m about to have.

JeromeBarry1

Along with the other retireds, every day is a weekend. The time now is 2:12 pm and I have just finished my breakfast, 2 pieces of sausage and 3 eggs. I spend my long waking hours between meals drinking coffee or sugar-free tea and various Zero colas. It's not hard for me to pass time that way. It also helps to stay busy doing something.

aries68mc

Drink water when the urge hits, that may make the wanting candy go away. Try going for a walk or doing some physical activity. This could do one of 2 things, or both...make you forget you want to eat something, or allow you the extra calories to have that piece of candy.

LeannJeffers

aries68mc wrote: »

Drink water when the urge hits, that may make the wanting candy go away. Try going for a walk or doing some physical activity. This could do one of 2 things, or both...make you forget you want to eat something, or allow you the extra calories to have that piece of candy.

That's just it, I don't want or need the candy - I simply eat it because it's there and I'm bored!

AnnPT77

LeannJeffers wrote: »

aries68mc wrote: »

Drink water when the urge hits, that may make the wanting candy go away. Try going for a walk or doing some physical activity. This could do one of 2 things, or both...make you forget you want to eat something, or allow you the extra calories to have that piece of candy.

That's just it, I don't want or need the candy - I simply eat it because it's there and I'm bored!

That suggests that getting some new hobby, or reviving an old one, might be a possible strategy.

Best: Very absorbing things that either require clean hands (such as needlework, sketching, playing a musical instrument) or create dirty ones (such as painting, carpentry, gardening).

LivingtheLeanDream

Plan for your weekends, increase your week day deficit i.e bank calories.

schwest76

Thanks all! Lots of great ideas. Think I’ll try just doing maintenance calories on the weekend and trying a deficit during the week. I do some pre-logging but it’s hard when we visit someone and all of a sudden it’s pizza or wings for dinner.

Piqueaboo

I find preparation is the best way forward. If you have your weekend all prepared and scheduled out, there will be less room to trip up.

TheMrWobbly

Happy anniversary for last month

You will have three things affecting your weekends. Boredom, family and availability of food.

No doubt your son loves food treats and it would be rude to let him eat alone. Time to relax, nice to do that with a cuppa and a nibble. Oh look, there is a pack of something tasty just a few feet away, if was an exercise bike it would be too far but for something tasty...

I have exactly the same. Currently I have the option to work 6 days a week which I do unless I have plans to be away from the house anyway. Find something that gets you out of the house on regular basis and away from food. Plan weekend walks, volunteer for a charity, go to visit someone, do an elderly persons shopping, take up swimming, etc. There are lots of things to occupy your time and limit food intake. There was a reason they coined the phrase "Idle hands do the Devil's work".