The Weekends

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taryn_perry
taryn_perry Posts: 193 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Can someone help me understand why we can work so hard during the week on being true to our nutrition and workouts, then come the weekends and we feel the need to "blow it"? All that hard work for 2 days of naughty eating?

I try and allow myself 1 day to cheat, so I can appreciate all my hard work, but I get so frustrated when I see people throw it away just because it's the weekend.

I'd love a good explanation, as maybe that would help me share it with my husband so he can mentally equip himself that the weekends aren't made for sabotage. Any good tips/tricks out there?

Replies

  • AmandaB4588
    AmandaB4588 Posts: 655
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    Glad you posted this! I definitely need to hear some good tips as well.
  • FitChickBritt
    FitChickBritt Posts: 161 Member
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    Just recently I find myself looking at the weekends as a way to get back on track and do better. Because I'm stuck in an office 5 days a week, the weekends are my time to get outside and get active! I try to get in as much exercise as I can. This makes me want to make healthier food choices and then when I do over indulge a little I had such a good work out I don't really feel guilty. As for why we do it? I think because its the "excitement" of the weekend and we wanna have fun, which sadly we have fun when we eat. So instead get excited its the weekend which means more time to work out :happy:
  • SugarHi
    SugarHi Posts: 452
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    I don't blow it on the weekends! But I bet it may have something to do with where you're most comfortable. It sounds like you've formed habits that need to be changed.
  • drvvork
    drvvork Posts: 1,162
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    I'm guessing this falls under psychology 101... raised on work ethics of 5 or maybe even 6 days of devoted work we then would do what we wanted on that day(s) off. :flowerforyou: Well, maybe this falls under a similar heading... what have we done all our lives... come the weekend hitting the bar / club, pizza, movies... nice large buffets,etc... so I would say that what you are asking about would fall under the learned Party-ethics :drinker: (for lack of a term) we picked up growing up. It is simply something that has to be changed like our food-ethics for the working days. :bigsmile: I hope this helps... :flowerforyou:
  • taryn_perry
    taryn_perry Posts: 193 Member
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    I also think that many people, including my husband, look to food to alleviate stress. Working a busy 5-6 day work week, you want to enjoy the weekend and not "think" about what you are eating and/or should be eating. I don't agree with that. Probably my biggest frustration being a Nutrition Coach and having a husband that has the wrong relationship with food and portions. :grumble:

    I appreciate all tips that are shared here. Thank you everyone.
  • roylawrence87
    roylawrence87 Posts: 970 Member
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    I don't have cheat days or meals. Don't know why it does really mean that much to me. I guess the end goal is more important than 1 hour of enjoyment. I'd rather be outside riding a motorcycle or doing lawn work.
  • Laceylala
    Laceylala Posts: 3,094 Member
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    I don't eat all of my exercise calories back most of the time. Around half or so. Since weight loss is more of a long term thing for me, I look at those extra cals I didn't eat as "extra" I could eat on the weekends. I am trying to get better at logging my food over the weekend and have, but if I go over by a couple hundred cals each day I don't sweat it so much because I know I didn't eat all my exercise cals back Mon-Fri. It must be working for me as I have been losing weight...
    Maybe that is just a way to justify my overeating on the weekends, but if I average out my cals over the whole week I find that I am within my limits. And like I said, calories in and calories worked off doesn't have to be a day to day thing. It can be a week to week thing.

    But again, there is a major difference between overeating a little, and really overeating a ton of food.
  • karlowe
    karlowe Posts: 92 Member
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    Can my daily calorie intake be lower on weekdays and higher at the weekends?
    Of course – this is something I often advocate on The Office Diet. Not only does treating yourself at the weekend make dieting a little more bearable, it’s also good for your metabolism; it stops your body from thinking you’re going through a famine.

    As I mentioned above, cutting 3,500 calories per week means you lose one pound in that week. You could achieve this by eating 700 calories fewer per weekday and eating at your normal (maintenance) level on Saturday and Sunday. You’ll still lose a pound over the course of the week, and knowing that you can “splurge” a bit at the weekend can make it easier to resist temptation while in the office.
  • sonjavon
    sonjavon Posts: 1,019 Member
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    I don't blow it on the weekends... weekends are my time to plan for the following week. I generally try to get in a little extra exercise those days. However, in answer to your question of why people do it - I think it's a throwback to younger years when the weekends met partying every night (well - I guess some of my friends still do that....).
  • Fancy_Nancy2
    Fancy_Nancy2 Posts: 545 Member
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    I think it might have something to do with the fact that we have a lot to get done on the weekend every thing you could not get to on the week days so you just don't have as much time. You run earns and next thing you know it is dinner time and you just eat out instead of cooking at home to. For the most part I do pretty good not every weekend is wonderful but it is also a process to get so your weekend are as good as your week days.
  • Laceylala
    Laceylala Posts: 3,094 Member
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    I think it might have something to do with the fact that we have a lot to get done on the weekend every thing you could not get to on the week days so you just don't have as much time. You run earns and next thing you know it is dinner time and you just eat out instead of cooking at home to. For the most part I do pretty good not every weekend is wonderful but it is also a process to get so your weekend are as good as your week days.

    I agree with that as well. Also the fact that during the week we all have pretty set routines....get up, work, work out, get home, make dinner, tv maybe, and bed. On the weekends it is fair game and anythign could happen. Also I am on the computer all day at work and I don't particularly want to get on it to track foods on the weekends or write them down even though I know I need to.
  • vonalj
    vonalj Posts: 124 Member
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    I am actually fighting with this right now! I want to blow my hard work cause I want a beer and bar food because they taste so good together!! But that habit is the reason why I was able to gain 30lbs after running 2 half marathons last year! So easy to pack the weight on and so hard to get off! I'm learning that its just not worth it!
  • whyflysouth
    whyflysouth Posts: 308 Member
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    I blame the restaurants honestly. Since I've gotten serious with counting my calories I've practically stopped eating out all together. One plate will cost you easily 800 calories and the full meal with dessert covers your daily goal right there. I've just been avoid those places though my wife isn't happy about that.:noway:

    I actually over do it with exercise on most weekends, Sundays are my 2 hours in the gym days.
  • aareeyesee
    aareeyesee Posts: 65 Member
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    I don't do a cheat day but I do have a I SCREAM DAY!! and a cookie day. Usually I put ice cream day on long run day and cookie day is whenever I feel like a d@*! cookie. LoL Sometimes I don't even have a cookie but I always fit a bowl of ice cream in. So maybe a dessert is a better way to feel like a bad kid instead of going full lack of self control and having a 2000cal meal. Just the way I do it.

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