I am a weekend cheater! Help me stop!

I have been on here a while and have been successful, but it is taking me a looonngggg time to lose the weight I want to lose 20 more. During the week, I am a model myfitnesspal girl, but on the weekend, I almost always cheat. I find it hard to not have drinks with my friends or just chill out. I would be done losing my now if I just stayed strong on the weekend. How can I stop? I need some real help here, this has always been my problem and probably why I haven't really gone below my current size yet. I want to speed up my weight loss (only lost 1 pound in the past two weeks, should have lost at least 4). No high-fives for my success so far or whatever, I need real help to get this thing done! Any advice? Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • I've been there too! This is what works for me (most of the time).... If going out to dinner/drinks I review the menu online for whatever restaurant we are going to and log the calories/ meals of what I want to eat. Somehow this prevents me from veering off my path and making bad choices when faced with the actual menu. Then i plan the rest of my meals for the day to account for what i will be eating that night. I've also found that my cheating on weekends really boils down to me being bored. I try to plan activities for the weekend that include some sort of exercise or activity. Keeping "bad" foods out of the house has also worked for me. I can't eat the entire bag of chips if I don't have them in the first place. I know it's hard but you can do it! One day at a time! Good luck!
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    ME TOO!,, but i thoroughly enjoy it.
    i work my *kitten* off all week just to let loose.
  • OHHH ME TOO. I start off with the best intentions and it all goes out the window by Saturday afternoon. I eat more than twice what I would eat on a weekday on a weekend day its awful! but I have no control. I would love to hear any helpful tips people have also.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,028 Member
    I have been on here a while and have been successful, but it is taking me a looonngggg time to lose the weight I want to lose 20 more. During the week, I am a model myfitnesspal girl, but on the weekend, I almost always cheat. I find it hard to not have drinks with my friends or just chill out. I would be done losing my now if I just stayed strong on the weekend. How can I stop? I need some real help here, this has always been my problem and probably why I haven't really gone below my current size yet. I want to speed up my weight loss (only lost 1 pound in the past two weeks, should have lost at least 4). No high-fives for my success so far or whatever, I need real help to get this thing done! Any advice? Thanks in advance!
    Realistically I run into this with just about every client the first few weeks. Fine during the week, we workout, everythings fine, then weekend comes and they over indulge, then come back and "feel bad" about doing it.
    So my advice: When you're SERIOUS about really losing the weight, then you'll stop blowing it on the weekends. Same exact thing I tell my clients.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • LydsVille77
    LydsVille77 Posts: 126 Member
    Whats wrong with 1/2 lb a week? Still a healthy loss. I'm no help, I have the same problem. But you know what, its worth it! One rule I have is I never cheat with food. I log everything and plan based on restaurant. And if im gona cheat, its with beer/alcohol. Then I eat less for a few days after and work out extra hard the morning of and I usually balance out. :) Hope this helps a bit.
  • waywardleigh
    waywardleigh Posts: 7 Member
    If you're going out to a club with your friends you can still have a drink. Just sip on it slowly and distract yourself with dancing your butt off! Or if your friends get pizza and a movie for a night in, eat one piece with a big salad and skip the soda. Drink lots of water :) and remember this is your weight loss journey. I use to beat myself up because its taken me a year and a half to loose a little over 40 pounds while some people have lost 100 in half that time :P This isn't a diet. It's a lifestyle change and cutting loose going to happen and is normal. You'll get there :)
  • Linli_Anne
    Linli_Anne Posts: 1,360 Member
    Sounds like a mental block.

    Think about what you already know; You have the tools and the knowledge to be successful, you do it monday to friday.

    What is it exactly about the week-ends that changes? YOU are still in control of you. So, why are you making the choices you do?

    Once you figure this out, then you can start to implement other changes to re-work your week-ends so they are just as succesful as the rest of the week.
  • sofielein
    sofielein Posts: 539 Member
    With weekend eating, the weight loss is less rapid. But watching "normal skinny people" you realise they also eat a lot more on the weekend.

    I personally don't want to end up like this obsessive person who monitors every single calorie even on family dinners and Friday nights out. Eating less and healthier during the week and then letting a bit go on the weekend is my idea of becoming "normal" not just in terms of weight but attitude towards health and food. So for me personally it totally works. I don't have a single bit of bad conscience about it - and once I lost all I wanted, I will totally want to keep this habit. But to each their own. :)
  • whitmars106
    whitmars106 Posts: 118 Member
    Weekends are more difficult for me too, so at best, I just maintain on the weekends. That's the only time I dip into my exercise calories. I eat healthy all week, go to the gym 5 days a week, and do something active outdoors on the weekends. However, I don't just totally gorge myself with food, or even bad foods. I still make efforts to eat healthy. I haven't mastered the weekends yet, but I'm finding new ways to incorporate healthy eating while I'm out and about, and out of my normal routine. Keep things like apples, bananas, nuts, etc. with you or in your vehicle so you have fibrous, healthy foods to munch on so you don't overindulge.

    I also still log my foods on the weekend too. This isn't a week day diet for me, it's a lifestyle change, and until I lose all the weight I want, learn to maintain, and can portion foods without MFP's assitance, then I'm going to log no matter where I am or who I'm with. My family and friends would rather see me on my phone for a few minutes, than to see my weight balloon year after year. Get a better pespective about it, and hopefully you have just as supportive friends and family that I do.
  • SoonToBeHealthNut
    SoonToBeHealthNut Posts: 24 Member
    I have the same problem. I think its hard for everyone on the weekend because that’s the time you are most tempted…. My new way of being healthy is that I don’t ever say “no” I try not to eat a lot of bad food and if I do just in small amounts….. Also I really don’t work out during the week because of work and I really have to but on the weekend I do work out to offset the food intake and drinks…
  • aemoomoo
    aemoomoo Posts: 70 Member
    ME TOO!,, but i thoroughly enjoy it.
    i work my *kitten* off all week just to let loose.


    Yes.
  • Lsteedly85
    Lsteedly85 Posts: 76 Member
    I was the same way and then decided that if I wanted my results to stick, I had to make the change for myself. So now, on weekends, maybe once a month I'll go "out" with people to have dinner and drinks. Sometimes they come over and I can control eating clean. Find some friends that enjoy going to the gym and have a workout session in the evening, it's really quite and it gets competitive when you have someone with you. Another tip. Same as for the week, have all your foods prepped and with you when you are out and about. And log everything before you consume it, it will help you stay on track. Best of luck to you, you can definitely do it!!!
  • dangerousdumpling
    dangerousdumpling Posts: 1,109 Member
    You have some choices here. You don't have to give up everything that you enjoy on the weekends. Maybe some, but not all. You can work out more and eat less during the week and view your intake on a weekly basis rather than a daily basis. That way you can eat more on the weekends. You can eat light for breakfast and lunch and save your calories for drinks and dinner on the weekends. Egg white veggie omelet and light salad? You can get a couple of really good workouts in on the weekends. Or you can keep living your life the way you want to live it and accept that you'll lose 1/2 lb a week, which is not bad considering you're close to your goal weight. It sounds like you're beating yourself up and you don't really need to. Not everyone can go at fitness and weight loss totally hard core. Your balance doesn't have to be the same as someone else's balance.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    I'm really glad you posted this because when I started I strongly considered going off plan on weekends just to not inconvenience my family. I'm glad I didn't though as it sounds like it's making your progress frustrating. What I do on the weekends is drink my shakes before cooking breakfast or whatnot. I'm full and don't feel like picking at what I'm cooking and don't partake in the meal. I am allowed one regular meal in the day (i'm doing the slim fast 321 plan) so If hubby decides to go out to eat, usually not more than once per day that's my regular meal. It's supposed to be under 500 cals and lately restaurants all seem to have something on their menu that fits that criteria. hope this helps.:flowerforyou:
  • I have been on here a while and have been successful, but it is taking me a looonngggg time to lose the weight I want to lose 20 more. During the week, I am a model myfitnesspal girl, but on the weekend, I almost always cheat. I find it hard to not have drinks with my friends or just chill out. I would be done losing my now if I just stayed strong on the weekend. How can I stop? I need some real help here, this has always been my problem and probably why I haven't really gone below my current size yet. I want to speed up my weight loss (only lost 1 pound in the past two weeks, should have lost at least 4). No high-fives for my success so far or whatever, I need real help to get this thing done! Any advice? Thanks in advance!
    Realistically I run into this with just about every client the first few weeks. Fine during the week, we workout, everythings fine, then weekend comes and they over indulge, then come back and "feel bad" about doing it.
    So my advice: When you're SERIOUS about really losing the weight, then you'll stop blowing it on the weekends. Same exact thing I tell my clients.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition


    So true!
  • What has worked the best for me is knowing that my weekends are flexible for eating. I'm so solid during the other 5 days with diet and exercise that I don't feel guilty doubling up on calories/macros on the weekend. Might not be the best mindset for some, but it works for me because I know that I'll go completely batty if I don't eat some delicious stuff each week :-) The biggest concern I have is making sure I don't go backwards. I'm trying to lose .5lbs a week and get to my goal weight of 185lbs. got 7 more lbs to go. Good luck, and as long as you're losing don't beat yourself up!
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    What are you doing on the weekends? Complete binging or just bad food choices? Alcohol or dinner out on the town? Please be a bit more specific about your "cheating", and maybe we can offer some suggestions and support.