Help! I'm a weekend eater.....

jodik11

During the weekday I am faithful at logging in my calories and exercising but when the weekend comes I feel like I have no control and I want to eat everything. I've always been this way and I was hoping that it would change after I joined MFP but no such luck. Does anybody have any suggestions? I've lost 12lbs so far and I don't want to put it back on over the weekends.

ahmedlogic

I'm in the same boat. Bump.

1QueenB

:noway: This is so me, so BUMP, BUMP, BUMP!

xnattiex

This is me too wish I could help but I kinda need the answer too!

onebigninja

yup ditto

cdelbove

I agree that the weekends are so much harder than during the week! I try to workout on Sat and Sun since I know I will be going out to eat, and that always requires more calories than eating at home. You will still lose weight if you are sticking to it 5 days out of 7, it will just be slower to lose everything you want to. My only advice is to go on to MFP every sat and sun morning and try to plan your day according to what you are doing that day, that will help you be more accountable.

cdelbove

I agree that the weekends are so much harder than during the week! I try to workout on Sat and Sun since I know I will be going out to eat, and that always requires more calories than eating at home. You will still lose weight if you are sticking to it 5 days out of 7, it will just be slower to lose everything you want to. My only advice is to go on to MFP every sat and sun morning and try to plan your day according to what you are doing that day, that will help you be more accountable.

mamareese

Agreed! And my weekend food diary proves it! What I struggle with in particular is that weekdays are very structured. I work, I eat, I log..I go home, I make dinner, log, do the evening routine, and stay within my calorie limit. On the weekend, we are so all over the place that somedays I may forget to log until the end of the day...realize I went OVER or we eat out and I make a poor choice and sabotage the rest of my day once I figure out the calories. I don't want to make my weekends uber-structured just to avoid this but I'm going to have to find a better method or any weight I do lose on the weekdays I'll find again on the weekends!!

shulaw

im normally the same a few weekends back i had a sweet explosion but i find it helps if u can keep busy ie go for a walk or do the dreaded ironing anything really to keep your mind of food also just think what your going to look like once you have reached your goal , my motivation right now is a dress i would love to be able to get into everytime i go to eat soemthing i shouldt i think about me in that dress:)

breakingthecycle

Raising hand, me too

I am getting better though at least I didnt go over my calorie goal this weekend. I busted my butt exercising but had I relied on calories alone I would have been over. :ohwell:

Dont give up and try to plan your meals before the weekend.

Kristyb1010

I'm having the same issue...BUMP!

kbanzhaf

PLANNING.....plan for the weekends just like you plan during the week. If you plan your meals and exercise ahead of time, and just set aside the time to do that, you will have more success.
NOT that I am a perfect example by any means. It is very difficult for me to follow my eating plan on weekends too, but I have found that planning ahead, both with meals and exercise is helpful.

misskerryedwards

hey Jodi :-) Hope you're well

Its natural to want to treat yourself at the weekend and indulge a bit but it sounds like you're amazing at being disciplined in the week but its falling down too much at the weekend.

Re curbing your weekend food intake - why not try planning your meals for the week and the weekend so you have a plan of what you're going to eat - that way you can make sure that weekend main meals are still healthy. I still have healthy foods at the weekend but I might add a 'treat' like some home baked bread that I wouldn't have every day.

At the weekend, I always get up after a lie in and have a bowl of muesli and yoghurt which keeps me full for a long time so maybe try that? I also have peanut butter on toast before a run which means I don't get hungry till dinner time. Also don't forget to drink lots of water/cups of tea as your body can sometimes mistake thirst for hunger. If you're eating a lot because you're bored at the weekend, then maybe try to distract yourself with different activities like meeting a friend or going for a walk or cleaning the house - which is also a great workout!

If you're snacking a lot on sweets / chocolate / crisps then the easiest solution is just not to have them in your house (don't know how feasible that is if you have kids) or get someone else in your house to put them somewhere that you don't know where they are.


Re exercising at the weekend - what about trying to make exercise more fun at the weekend? You have more time on your hands so you could go for a walk or a swim, or bike ride. Its really nice to get out and be active now that the weather is getting better.

Good luck!

WeatherGurl1129

I have the same issue, so I don't know how much help I'll be. But something that makes me feel "better" about going a little over on the weekends is the fact that we eat a big breakfast around 10 AM, usually making us skip lunch, and eat dinner around 4 or 5 PM. So yeah, we go way over on our meals, but we're only having 2 big meals all day. If I do have lunch on Saturday, it's usually a yogurt or bag of chips.

erin_kercheval

I am the same way, I have just been trying harder to be good when I can!! As much as I hate cooking dinner on Friday & Saturday nights, lately I have committed to cooking AT LEAST one of the nights rather than dining out or ordering pizza. It seems to be helping... even if I still go out for drinks with friends, at least I am not "double dipping" by eating too many calories AND drinking.

I feel like a good way to feel like you're splurging on weekends is to cook a nice (but healthy) breakfast and lunch. Even a grilled ham & cheese sandwich feels like a splurge to me because it is yummy, but it's really not that bad if you have some fruit or veggies with it. Very filling and soooo much healthier than going out, where you might order the same sandwich, but get twice the amount of food you need & probably some french fries/chips too!

I have also faked myself out a couple of times in the last few weeks by doing "fried fish" (you can do the same with chicken) and sweet potato fries. You can give the fish/chicken a light coating of bread crumbs after dipping in skim milk, place on baking sheet, drizzle a small amount of butter over it to give it a crispy texture, then bake in the oven. Pair it with sweet potato fries - just slice up the potatoes, spread on another baking sheet, coat with cooking spray & sprinkle with garlic salt (or your choice of seasoning). Both pretty healthy - this has become one of our favorite meals! It really tastes like a treat, but it can be as low as 250-300 calories! Last night I did tilapia with a seafood rub instead of bread crumbs, sweet potato fries & green beans and I think it came to 224...

Also, since I do have more free time, I try to squeeze in some workouts to balance additional calorie intake. It's not necessarily fun to do if you've been working out all week (and you also don't want to burn yourself out), but give it a shot. Even if it's just a walk on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Every little bit helps.

concealedpearl

Same here...I always sabotaged my week of hard work during the weekend...but I've learned that I can eat more on the weekend as long as I work out...I don't make my rest days on the weekend cause I know I will go all out...so I make it during the week and on the weekends I make sure I work out in the morning so the rest of the day I know I can have more calories....and try to avoid too much sodium as much possible

sbwood888

Wow. I did that this weekend BIG time, and today the scales were WAY up. Ugh. Feel like such an idiot. Sorry I don't have an answer for you, but just wanted to know that you are not alone in the weekend struggle. :devil:

jodik11

Thanks everyone! I't's so nice to have support while dieting. I'm glad I'm not alone in all of this.