Weekends Ruining Weight Loss

spoulsen82

When is your Weigh-in day? When I was weighing in on Mondays, I was much better about staying on track over the weekends. But, if you weigh in on Fri or Sat, then it's not as bad if you use weekends as "cheat" days, because you still have Mon-Thurs/Fri between those days and your next WI...

i have similar issues as the OP as well. i tend to just do whatever on the weekend. as a result, i typically WI on thu, so i can make up for the weekends. BUT NO LONGER! i really like this idea and will also change my WI day to monday.
as far as motivation, what everyone else said! pre-plan, track, hop on MFP when you are thinking about overindulgence, etc...
and i also really like the ideas of treating yourself during the week, and then being extra stringent on the weekend.
all tough, but great ideas and very helpful!

ChristinaBarnhouse

BUMP! Great topic!! I have the exact same issue and would love to hear others' input!

weathergirl320

my biggest vice on the weekends its booze. i can over eat, and still stay on track but when i drink, i just retain water for a couple days. its annoying. but it comes off quick once i get on track and i dont worry about it too much. life is too short!

LastMinuteMama

I purposely plan my long run for Saturday mornings and have a fitness class sceduled for Sunday mornings. I know, it seems crazy, who wants to get up and do that on weekend mornings, but they aren't as early as getting up and going to work.

For me, there are so many benefits. I have a pile of extra calories for the weekend goodies and it helps me not to go overboard with the drinks on a Saturday night. In fact, if we're heading out, I just volunteer to be the designated driver. It's a win-win! I also feel so much better when I've put in a good workout that I'm less likey to sabotage myself with crappy eating.

I have been making a real effort to have my "off" day during the week...I seem to do much less damage Monday thru Friday than I do on the weekends

mmapags

I view my exercise and calories as over a weeks time. If I go over a little on the weekend no biggie. My activity goal is 2500 calories. Some weeks I do over 3000. I don't adjust eating up or down unless I'm just enjoying a ggod feast and I'l just enjoy it and get back on track the next day. Viewed over a longer period like this it makes compliance easier for my and doesn't stress me over 1 weekend day. Besides, in all likelyhood you aren't doing anything on a weekend that totally fouls you up. Going over by 100 calories in a weekend just means you might stall yourself. Or it might mean ad hoc carb cycling and help. Not to worry! :drinker:

PorkChopExpress74

Treating your Body like a Temple on Monday to Friday and then like an Amusement Park on the weekend can unfortunatley hamper results. I know. I was a circus performer every weekend.

jctabbutt

I'm reading this book called Eat your way to Happiness by Eliabeth Somer, and she talks about sugar cravings and the reason for them and what you can do to get rid of them. It's really interesting read and it has helped me with my sugar cravings hugely. I hope that helps. Good luck!!

finchest

i have the same issue - i think it's because i'm more social on the weekend (go out with friends & eat at restaurants or at other people's houses) so i feel less in control of my options.

some tips:
if you're going to be out of the house, try to get as much of your water intake before you go as possible. staying hydrated is so key!
if you're going to a restaurant, try to pre-log your food so you'll have an idea of what to order to stay within your goals.
if you're going to a celebration (ie, easter, birthday) perhaps try to bring food to share that's healthy (hummus and veggies perhaps?) and try to stick to your healthiest options.
if you're surrounded with temptations (ie, birthday cake / party foods) it's ok to sample, but log it and don't overdo it!

weekends are my biggest challenge, too - i feel your pain!

katm427

Weighing in on Mondays has significantly affected my view of weight loss. I tend to eat more or take my "days off" so to speak on the weekends, so I have a relatively high amount of water weight on Mondays. If I weigh myself throughout the week, I get a better idea of how I'm doing. My body has been relatively unreponsive, and I do believe that it has to do with the weekend habits that I seem to have a hard time shaking.

I'm starting to really realize that while it's okay to mess up occasionally, not every party has to be attended, not every drink must be had, and that you don't have to act the way those around you are in regards to food and drink in order to "fit in" in social gatherings - which is where I tend to mess up with my intake. I'm trying for a healthy weekend this weekend. Let's see how it feels.

jenj1313

Yeah, I've got the same issue except that I'm managing to lose slowly. It's definitely slower than if I maintained over the weekend, but I'm okay with that because it's a lifestyle I can maintain.

If you're gaining when you want to lose, though, I'd say you need to adjust your weekends somewhat. You may not need to cut back to weekday status, but just make sure you're logging EVERYTHING and maybe make sure you have at least 2 "good meals" per day and just splurge on one meal.

The other thing I do is cut the number of meals I eat. Yesterday, I fasted until easter dinner and only at at easter dinner. It's not something that I'd do on a daily basis, but I don't feel that it's harmful for me to do once in a while. Other times, I'll eat a healthy breakfast and mid-morning snack, have a HUGE late lunch, then not eat dinner IF I'm not hungry. A lot of times I find myself eating because "it's time", not because I'm hungry. So, if I've gone overboard earlier in the day, before I eat again, I always ask myself if I'm really hungry, or if it's just because I think I'm supposed to eat now.

I also do pretty big weekend workouts (4 hrs of mountain biking) which helps normalize things and I try to drink a TON of water to keep things in balance.

Good luck to you!
Hope you find a way to work it out that fits your lifestyle.

Jen

msudaisy28

I see a lot of people complaining about this. And I've been there in the past. And I was there this weekend (seems most of us were, with family, chocolate, jelly beans, etc it was hard not to be!). But the difference between my past weight loss attempts and this one is that I'm making lifestyle changes. Just because I ate a lot more sweets than I normally would have, put cheese sauce on my broccoli, and didn't work out yesterday doesn't mean that I do that every weekend.

You always have choices. You can choose to continue being in a plateau (gaining and losing the same water weight each week means you're in a plateau) and living the lifestyle that you currently do on the weekends, or you can choose to live a healthier lifestyle on the weekends. For me, that means that most weekends I'm within my calorie goals, I squeeze a workout into one or both Saturday and Sunday to get more calories, and I don't drink more than one drink if I'm out with friends. I said most, not all, weekends because I do have those times where I don't do as well, but they are not the norm.

auntkk28

I have also struggled with bingeing but I realized that I was restricting myself too much. It's all about eating healthier not going on a strict diet that you eventually go off of. Everything in moderation. Try to eat a healthy breakfast and lunch on the weekends and then allow a moderate indulgence when you go out. When I go out to eat I try to pick healthier choices and if I do say take some fries off of my daughter's plate I'll only take 2 or 3, not half, just enough to get a taste and I eat slowly and savor the flavors. I also won't indulge in something I don't absolutely love. For instance, my hubby got me a pack of Lindor truffles for Easter, I'll eat one or two for a serving. I won't touch my kids chocolate bunnies because to me it's cheap chocolate and the flavor isn't there. I hope this helps you, you can do it!